SarahBethSortino

I honestly think its their MO to go into a little hole while they are evaluating applicants. Apart from whatever contact we had with POIs before the application, I'm sure they don't want to give the impression of favoritism to anyone by reaching out to them directly without the blessing of the committee. I mean, that's just what I think. I had a fantastic meeting with a professor at Brown before I submitted, so I hope I hear from him directly regardless of if I get in. But still...its like crickets over here.

Harvard. BUt I think its the same person since they posted the same exact message twice with two different schools. I mean literally, applying to Harvard was an insane idea anyway. I just kind of wish my first news would have been good news.

I saw on the Grad Café results page that one person got an interview at my long shot but still top choice. I've been checking my email every five seconds now. I didn't think I would be devastated by this first bit of bad news but I am. :-(

Isn't it funny how we all try to pick apart the timing of the decisions. Yeah, I've worked out a lot of "according to my logic" scenarios. In fact I play them over and over and over again in my head. I think my boyfriend is getting sick of me discussing every possible scenario haha.

I was banking on the fact that two of my schools had application deadlines of December 1 and 15...So I thought that would translate to earlier news. But I'm starting to think no. It's even worse that, from what I can tell, none of my programs do formal interviews. So all those fancy people in the sciences get the advantage of at least knowing their application didn't get lost in the pile haha.

Hahahaha. Laugh of the afternoon.

I can't believe how many few history programs have sent out any information to applicants. The Grad Café results database is flooded with Science/Technology/Psychology acceptances and rejections, but even for the schools with very early applications due dates, I've seen barely a peep. I don't know whether the lack of information is stressing me out, or if I will be more stressed once it starts to flood the results page.

Thanks so much for sharing. I have been waiting to put myself out there for this chance at a PhD for 10 years. I completed my masters 10 years ago and made so many excuses as to why this wasn't the right time, why it wouldn't fit into my life. I finally woke up one day last year and realized that it's now or never. Just remember that taking the step is a huge achievement in and of itself.

I'm pouring myself into my very boring job that is a lot of work but has nothing to do with my prospective program. I am so grateful to go to work every day and have to think about something other than applications!

Hello everyone - I'm trying to deal with the incredible stress of dealing with the waiting game. Since I sent out the applications, I've been trying to be positive, but occasionally I get hit by "imposter syndrome." I think there is no way a program would accept me, that everyone else in the pool is almost certainly better than me, that even if I get in maybe I don't deserve it. But then I try to step back and remember that just embarking on this journey is an accomplishment. We are all doing something most people wouldn't imagine. We're all willing to rearrange our lives to pursue a dream. We all deserve admiration for that. So if you're hit with the same feeling, just remember you should be proud of yourself for even trying!

Hahaha! I got the same email today. My heart almost stopped. Stupid Etsy.

I don't know anything about any of your programs, but all things considered if the programs are mostly equal, I would go with the one that offers you family support. I exclusively applied to PhD programs near my family because I'm aware that I will need to lean on them for help with my daughter and any future children I will have during this process. Even if you don't have kids or are not planning on that, there is much to be said for taking a break and going somewhere familiar that has nothing to do with your program to decompress. On top of that, at this level of academia, research opportunities are key. I'd go with UW. Good luck!!

Today I got a phone call from a Rhode Island phone number (Brown is my top choice). I jumped on the phone immediately only to find out it was a cold call from someone selling life insurance. I almost threw the phone across the room!

I'm really lucky that my job has literally nothing to do with my PhD. If it did it would not be the welcome distraction that it is.

So I spent quite some time on the Grad Cafe acceptance site today and saw a mixed bag of responses regarding interviews. I am applying for a PhD in History and most of the interview requests were for candidates in the sciences. So does anyone know how the interviewing thing works? If a school interviews, do they interview everyone? Or just the people on the bubble?

If you get into Edinburgh I could not recommend it enough. I did my Masters in history there. It was the best time of my life. The school is amazing. I obviously don't know about your program, but Edinburgh across all fields provides a fantastic education. If you get in and have any questions feel free to message me.

I think its compounded for me by the fact that this is my one and only cycle. I'm not doing it again. If this doesn't pan out, I'm moving on. So I have a lot riding on those 6 applications.

I'm playing the waiting game right now, and a big part of it is that I'm questioning/analyzing/rethinking/obsessing over every decision I made during this cycle. I applied to six schools - should I have done more? I met with two of them because they were the only ones that had time to meet - should I have pushed harder? Should I have studied more for my GRE even though I did pretty well? I think it really hit me today that there's a decent chance I won't get in anywhere, just because that's how it works. Anyone else feeling like they're going crazy?