MVSCZAR

Bullshit. You said no alcohol! I'm already disappointed.

I don't want to use the "there are starving children in Africa" trope, but this is basically what it is, man. It hurts to get rejected, even after getting accepted somewhere, obviously. But it's going to keep happening, and it's something we have to get used to. We aren't all little messiahs, as much as I'd like to convince myself otherwise. Some people are really just going to think we're not all that. Maybe that's part of the messiah thing, come to think of it. I think that what's rubbing people the wrong way is that your posts are making you seem impervious to other peoples' struggles to get even this far. And it may have been difficult for you too, and it likely has been, but it's difficult to see that when you imply that having to study at Cornell was you settling for less that what you thought you deserved. Meanwhile, a whole chunk of us would have never even dreamed of going to a place like that. And Harvard, man. I'd be so damned proud of myself. Nobody in my family knows any of the schools I've gotten into. Hell, they don't even know what a PhD is. They don't even know what philosophy is, really. I had one family member ask me if that meant I was going to work in a hospital with my mom. But even if they don't all know that, they know that Harvard means you're worth something. You should seriously be proud of that. When I got the news from Stony Brook, I was in my aunt's house in Colombia (they're poor as hell and haven't ever even left Medellin) my cousins asked me if I had applied to Harvard and when I'd be hearing back from them. My best friend who is the smartest person I've ever met, by far, and probably the biggest reason I've even gotten this far, had so much shit going on during this application season that he probably won't get into the one place he applied to, and he was only able to apply there because there was no application fee. When we complain, we probably sound like we're fishing for compliments to people like him. You got into a school most people dream about AND, most importantly, YOU took THEIR spot. They shouldn't have to console you or feel like they have to console you. But yeah, I do think you're allowed to vent. I myself am feeling a straight panic right now and disdain and contempt, even. I feel like a spoiled bitch, to be honest, and I don't even remember what possessed me to go into a discipline that would turn down so many willing and able devotees. I'm confused and I want time to just stop for a little bit. And I can go on and on and fill whole threads about it. But, again, how can I ask anyone to console me when I'm in such an enviable position? You shouldn't change what you're feeling if what you're feeling is hurt or rejected. You're allowed to feel that way and forcing yourself to feel any other way is dishonest. It isn't that you don't have problems, but you wouldn't go into a leper colony and complain about your sore throat, even though sore throats can hurt like hell. I've already gotten my lashings worth from people who have told me I have nothing to complain about, even though I truly feel hurt, so don't take this the wrong way. I'm meaning all of this in the friendliest way possible. I'm sure that there are plenty of people who have gotten accepted to multiple programs who feel similarly rejected and hurt. But I think that's part of all of this. At least I'm hoping so.

I did! I did! Eeeeeee. And it's not so much luck as much as it's that you're obviously just very prepared.

Wowza. Those are great programs. You must feel elated that you got in. Did you apply to CPAMP at Toronto by any chance?

Bourbon and derbies! WOOWOOO!!! AND CHICKEN!!! EEEEEE

Well, if it helps, if I combine all of my offers, I'd be able to afford to rent a studio in NYC, no utilities...

Send them to me. I'll fight em!

Yes, but I'm also having the opposite response realizing that, since there are at least a few people in the world who think I'm worthy of pursuing a PhD, philosophy PhDs aren't really all that. It's more like, "I'm on to you. You're probably just like me." And then I remember that the difficult part is just beginning and I slide back into my shell of insecurity.

And there's at least a fourth use: You can look through the site and ask yourself repeatedly why you didn't study engineering instead.

Why have we never met? Sounds like me daily.

Teeheehee

My interests aren't exclusively in feminist philosophy, and I didn't try to sell myself as a feminist philosopher, so this doesn't necessarily apply to me. But, if it adds anything to the discussion, one of my rec letter writers is a well known feminist philosopher (Linda Alcoff) and I suspect a large reason why I've gotten into the programs I did get into.

I have a few reservations about Vanderbilt. First of all, it's in Tennessee, which is god awful for women's rights. Sure, if I don't get myself into "trouble", I'll be fine, but why risk it? Then, they don't really have a Plato scholar, which is super unfortunate. I'm kind of sad about that. And then a whole host of reasons why the south is terrible, but that might just be northern prejudice. I'll try to iron all of these out by the time I get back from my visit.

Cool, thank! I don't expect to have an easy time no matter where I go, but I'm okay with that. I'm largely used to it.

Idk if you asked, but if you did, is there something notably off about Duquesne and how they treat women?

Same. I sort of wish I could accept all of them (and also all of their money). Everyone is so nice.

Good point. I should probably tell Toronto I'm a commie so they can get me off of that waitlist.

At least you got pizza, though.

@lisamadura started declining already. She should start it.

All these analytics freaking out about NYU acceptances and I'm a continental native NYer like:

You Kant be stopped!!!

10 points to Gryffindor!!

Why are you showing me a map of the US? I don't get it...

It took me about 6 years to finish my undergrad, and I have about 60 more credits than I needed to graduate. I had a rough first two years and was making enemies left and right and dropped all of my classes two semesters in a row, so I have a bunch of withdrawals. I transferred after that to another school in the same CUNY system. I also have an F in the only Plato class I ever took, and I applied to programs specifically saying I want to focus on Plato. (I maintain that that was one of the worst professors I've ever had. He shouldn't be teaching Plato.) I think I'm doing alright! I put all of my effort into my writing sample. It means a lot to me. I think that if you really want it, it'll happen.

You mean my time, right? As in, "real time".