jth

I was accepted via a phone call on Friday. I asked how many people get in, and was told that something like 16 out of 20 usually start the program; so I would say that you have a chance.

Really? Exactly what good would it do you Septimius if you found out tomorrow rather than on April 16th that you were in? I have no intention of replying until the last possible minute and I don't feel even remotely bad about it. I feel completely differently about getting a PhD now that I have been accepted than I did when I was applying, and I will be absolutely certain before I accept any offers that have been made that this is in fact the direction I want my life to go. Take a deep breath, think about something else for a few weeks, and for god's sake, quit using all caps to emphasize your point.

Wondering if anyone else is feeling the same way: I've spent three years getting my MA, all the while praying that I would get into a PhD program at the end of it. I had listened to all the warnings from my profs about the horrible job market, having to chase jobs all around the country, the extended poverty, the grueling workload--all of it. But in the excitement of applying I brushed aside all of those warnings. After I applied and time started to pass, a couple of things happened. 1) I really really liked not being a student anymore. Weekends were free to do whatever I pleased, I came home from work and rather than study I was able to go to movies, surf, read fiction--all guilt free. 2) When mid-February rolled around and no word had come in from potential PhD programs I assumed that I was not getting in anywhere. And shockingly, I began to happily plan for the future. The idea of beginning the rest of my life now, not in 5 years, was a liberating thought. So now I have three weeks to decide to accept my offers, but I am terribly conflicted. On the one hand, the prestige of the PhD, the possibility of an academic job in a pleasant setting, and the culmination of my academic journey sound pretty good. On the other hand, I love living in California, and I (and my girlfriend) will likely never be able to live here again after I finish school and look for jobs all over the country. My girlfriend will have to accept living anywhere I can get work, and she has life and career aspirations of her own that don't involve living in the midwest or the northeast. Am I the only one here that didn't react the way they assumed they would once they received acceptances?