hippyscientist

Still waiting to hear from schools but right now I just don't care. One way to cure admissions stress is to have a 5 year long relationship end last night. I have buckets of tea, chocolate and reading for assignments, because let's face it, any work I do right now ain't going to be pretty. I went to buy a sports bra because in all my training and life stress, I've lost a tonne of weight, and on my way back I stepped in dog poo. Please please please tell me you guys are having a better day?

Last night my boyfriend of 5 years broke up with me, because he can't cope with the distance any more. In 6 months, I'll be moving to the same state as him. Apparently I'm not worth waiting 6 months for. Screw having this on top of admissions stress and current masters work. I just want to curl up under a blanket and not come out for days.

This is so exciting! Yay!!

So no fellowship. But now I have to wait to hear about TAships. You know what? I am so fed up with waiting. Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait. I know they ask us to be patient. I've been patient. Grrr. Slight frustration right now.

YAY @RCtheSS and @Euler and anyone else with good news this last friday in Februgatory. March is coming......

I'm sorry you've had to deal with this. Although not a faculty member I've had major comments from two members of my cohort. It's definitely affected the ethos in our department (compounded by faculty issues). I always heard comments that academia was sexist, a tough place to be a woman etc etc and always tried to look on the bright side. The further up the tree I go, the more I realise the truth in that statement and the more I want to change my little corner of the world.

It's stuff like this that really makes me not want to email the administrative lady at my top choice to see if she could hint on a date I might hear back from. I really want to know, but I don't want to be this person haha. The logical (and dominant) part of my brain realises that I will find out in due course, and really a little bit more patience is only going to help me at this point.

aww thanks! I've made SO many mistakes and eff-ups and they affected my undergrad. I mean I was dealing with a lot generally (8 people close to me died in 2 years...only one was older than 30) but now I feel I've learnt enough in grad school to pass on "life advice" haha. We shall see when it comes to PhDs...

@Nirvik it's not, no. I'm waiting to hear about funding from my admit before I contact them (I hate being pushy!) The thing is the department is pretty tiny and I think my discipline informs pretty late at all schools anyway. It's frustrating when you see engineering and the like with all decisions made! Thanks for the info though Sure it'll help others.

I don't see how publishing a date that we might expect to hear something by would hurt. I also think it would ease a lot of anxiety by having a date in mind. Also, my professor at my UK school just told me that my #1 choice school (his alma mater...same PhD I applied to) is normally one of the last to send out decisions, and not to have my heart set on the school I currently have an acceptance from. Does he know something?!?!?!?!?! Ahhhh neuroticisms must continue

I'd tell myself that it's okay to deal with the crap life throws at you, but not to blame others for not dealing with life-altering stuff in their freshman year of college. At 23, applying to PhD programs I've seen more, done more and experienced more than my entire masters cohort put together. Unfortunately I left undergrad with very few friends, but I've learnt that was mainly due to me not knowing how to deal with people who were carefree. My advice to anyone is to trust yourself, but be kind to everyone. They might not be kind back, but at least you know it's not you! Also, don't be a doormat (I had the opposite problem - I was a barbed wire fence haha).

I've told myself I'm waiting until I hear about funding for my one acceptance and then I will contact the other programs I'm waiting to hear back from. Apps were submitted in OCTOBER it's now almost march, I haven't contacted them once enquiring about status so eff it!

@Need Coffee in an IV I'm sorry, but at least you know. I think i'm now at the point where I just want to know, regardless of the outcome.

Thanks Yeah my advisor now is lovely! And the previous guy was great as an advisor initially but wasn't too helpful once I graduated. Oh well, you live and learn!

Can I get away with saying because he said so? It's a long and complicated story that I don't want published on the internet, but long story short it is my advisor basically saying "nope, no nope not going out to try and be published" whereas my current advisor is all "we're going to aim for the best journals in the field and if we don't get into those we'll get you into the next tier down. We're going to get you presenting left right and centre and at international conferences". Last advisor I met at a conference and he literally said "what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here. You don't have a PhD yet."

YEAH BUDDY!!!!!! WOOHOO YEAH BUDDY!!!!! WOOHOO YAY To everyone else who got good news today! I just found out I've been offered a job over my easter break, which would help dissipate some of my moving cost fears Sorry to those of you who got first-author papers rejected, but at least you have a paper to get published! My old advisor won't let me publish my undergraduate thesis, which sucks because it's worthy of it, and my MSc thesis won't be publishable in time. It'll probably go out first year of PhD.

We're down to 4 days left of Februgatory...there's still time people. In other news, March 2nd needs to hurry up already

I'm with you on this. I have to find everything out, and then I feel comfortable. I think my friend (I've only told one I've been accepted somewhere as it's really unofficial until I have the letter saying so) is fed up of my excited ramblings "THEY HAVE THIS. AND THIS. I COULD AFFORD THIS" texts that she's getting every 5 minutes. I've figured out the rough area I'd need to live, a budget, moving costs (including flights, apartment deposits, cars, etc), what I need to do to get my drivers license (I've been licensed for 7 years at home and driven all over the world but still need to get a local one), where I can train still, holiday trips from there etc. It helps that one of my really good friends lives about 2 hour drive from the school I've been accepted to, but he'd probably be able to pop in for a coffee with his helicopter (he's in flight school not ridiculously rich unfortunately). I want it to be official now so I can start emailing complexes and figuring out this whole international student renting a place deal.

@The Interdisciplinarian I feel you. I've been told I'll be told about funding "by March 2nd" so I know it'll come March 2nd, but that little "by" in there has me leaping for my phone every time it buzzes. I've had to delete so many apps!

Just the rigid body dynamics stuff. It's great fun trying to apply rigid body stuff to wobbling masses..../sarcasm

Ahhh it was a toss up between maths, physics or engineering from your name! I just wrote a whole paper on Euler equations...joys!

@magnetite and @Euler I'm with you on the waiting. Still waiting on #1 choice and the one I think I'm probably rejected from but hey ho, still want the confirmation. The school I'm accepted to is the one I thought I really didn't like but the more I look at it the more I think I could actually enjoy going to school there! Amazing how your perception of a place changes as their perception of you changes!

Thank you! That's so much cheaper than what I was budgeting (I'll still keep it higher because I have no US driving record) but that's really helpful.

Aww man Neist, i'm sorry. But at least you got some nice options there - especially if your funding comes through. Fingers and toes crossed for you!

there's probably a tonne of information on each university website, you just have to dig a bit!