E-P

I think an in person conversation makes sense. That said, if the program isn't supportive, that tells you a lot.

@whitmanifesto @surprise_quiche @sriracha18 which one of you wrote this though? lol
Northwestern University Communication Sciences, PhD (F18) Rejected via E-mail on 21 Mar 2018 A 21 Mar 2018 "We regret to inform you..." Looks into the camera like in the office. Music from the curb your enthusiasm meme plays.

Hi.  This message is for everyone who has the sinking feeling that they won't be getting accepted this season.
I don't know you.  I wouldn't be able to pick you out of a crowd, and we've never met.  But by the fact that you're here, I know that you're driven, and you're not afraid of change and sacrifice in your life.  So know this: It will be okay.  You will get through this.  Your value as a scholar, student, or just a human being has nothing to do with you not getting an acceptance.  Maybe it wasn't the right program, or the right year, or a good fit, or something else entirely.  That's okay!  There's next year, if you want.  Or, if you're out, you will have an awesome career and life, simply because you are driven, and you aren't afraid of change. 
I heard a fable (if you're a historian, maybe you know the truth of this?) there was once a king who was prone to high-highs, and low-lows.  It made his kingdom erratic  He sent for his advisors and said, "I need something to even me out.  I can't rule like this; either extreme is bad.  Help."
The advisors went away and deliberated for weeks.  Finally, they returned to the king and presented him with a metal ring, unadorned, that simply said, "This too shall pass."  And from that day, whenever he was too up or too down, he'd look down at his ring and remember...this moment is fleeting.
 
You're a pretty awesome human.  If you want to comment and tell me how you're feeling down, I will be happy to tell you all the reasons that I, a stranger, think you're awesome.  I imagine others will tell you too!
 
This too shall pass.

Hi.  This message is for everyone who has the sinking feeling that they won't be getting accepted this season.
I don't know you.  I wouldn't be able to pick you out of a crowd, and we've never met.  But by the fact that you're here, I know that you're driven, and you're not afraid of change and sacrifice in your life.  So know this: It will be okay.  You will get through this.  Your value as a scholar, student, or just a human being has nothing to do with you not getting an acceptance.  Maybe it wasn't the right program, or the right year, or a good fit, or something else entirely.  That's okay!  There's next year, if you want.  Or, if you're out, you will have an awesome career and life, simply because you are driven, and you aren't afraid of change. 
I heard a fable (if you're a historian, maybe you know the truth of this?) there was once a king who was prone to high-highs, and low-lows.  It made his kingdom erratic  He sent for his advisors and said, "I need something to even me out.  I can't rule like this; either extreme is bad.  Help."
The advisors went away and deliberated for weeks.  Finally, they returned to the king and presented him with a metal ring, unadorned, that simply said, "This too shall pass."  And from that day, whenever he was too up or too down, he'd look down at his ring and remember...this moment is fleeting.
 
You're a pretty awesome human.  If you want to comment and tell me how you're feeling down, I will be happy to tell you all the reasons that I, a stranger, think you're awesome.  I imagine others will tell you too!
 
This too shall pass.

Happy news, though! I got into the rhetoric and political culture PhD at the University of Maryland last week! Fully funded for 5 years. I'm pretty sure that's where I'm going ❤️ 
 
The only place I haven't heard back from is the MA program at UGA.

I would use your higher offer at the lower ranking school to negotiate a better deal at UMD. We're on the same field and the way I did this was talking to my POI at the school I wanted to go, but had a lower offer. I said something along the lines of "I really like your department and I really want to join the program here, but I got a better offer somewhere else and I was wondering if there's any way to negotiate".
Good luck!

@GreenEyedTrombonist Badger badger badger badger badget badger badger
 

MUSHROOM MUSHROOM
 
(Hopefully I'm not reaching too far back into the history of the Internet on that one!)

@GreenEyedTrombonist Badger badger badger badger badget badger badger
 

MUSHROOM MUSHROOM
 
(Hopefully I'm not reaching too far back into the history of the Internet on that one!)

Here's how I told my parents. For context, we have a whiteboard in the laundry room that I've been using to keep track of my acceptances and their stats. I erased all that, drew this, and gave them a hint in the morning that it was there (after my mother had already started some laundry and not noticed it, haha). The speech bubble says, "[GreenEyedTrombonist] is going to..."

I also sent the picture, with the text, to my sister.  

 
 
 

@Dalmatian Yes, I have had students cry in my office, usually in circumstances not unlike what you're describing. It happens. Not much you can do about an uncontrollable emotion that sweeps over you, so I'm glad to hear that your professor handled it well. 
@Berk Oh, that really doesn't sound healthy for someone in their first semester. I would strongly advise you to look for support elsewhere, be it through moving to another lab/supervisor or by simply finding a mentor who isn't your advisor. It can be an advanced student, a faculty member, maybe someone in a specialized support group (those exist!). But don't just keep going like this for too long, because you'll find it very hard to finish, and I'd personally question whether you should. A PhD is not worth 5 years of suffering. 

@E-P @bumbleblu Thank you both so much! Lots of great tips! I'm definitely gonna try feeding him in his carrier and getting him used to the travel harness. I also bought the Feliway calming spray but haven't tried it yet.
I'll give him an extra pet/cuddle

A couple of weeks ago, I alluded to making a "University reveal cake" to tell my friends and family which school I had chosen.  Although I meant it as a joke, I decided to embrace my inner snark.  If you also have an inner snark, I highly recommend... THE CAKE
 
For decorations, I used a Lego Spartan (with a pile of people at the bottom of the "cliff") for MSU, and a Plastic Mold Steam Train for Purdue:

 
And, as my signature shows, the winner was Purdue:
 

I got into Maryland!!!! So excited, but also terrified and sad that I'll have to resign from my job of 7 years, which I love. Change is good though. Good luck to everyone still waiting on admissions!

With so much going on right now and many people hearing/making decisions, to all lurkers and people who haven't heard news yet:
We are here for you and know how hard it is to be waiting while overs move forward. I know (for me) feeling discouraged or not wanting to bring people down with bad or no news makes me not post results, but just know that you're amazing and have our support with whatever's going on!

This is such a fun idea, but it would such a shame if your colors were something unappetizing-looking, cough cough Clemson

@Adelaide9216 You're awesome because even though you're already attending a program, you still come onto the "application" side of things to talk to us and support us.  Thank you for not forgetting where you came from.  

Thank you for your kind words. One of the best messages I've read on this board so far.

It would include the MA :). I'll tell you if they say something

Hi.  This message is for everyone who has the sinking feeling that they won't be getting accepted this season.
I don't know you.  I wouldn't be able to pick you out of a crowd, and we've never met.  But by the fact that you're here, I know that you're driven, and you're not afraid of change and sacrifice in your life.  So know this: It will be okay.  You will get through this.  Your value as a scholar, student, or just a human being has nothing to do with you not getting an acceptance.  Maybe it wasn't the right program, or the right year, or a good fit, or something else entirely.  That's okay!  There's next year, if you want.  Or, if you're out, you will have an awesome career and life, simply because you are driven, and you aren't afraid of change. 
I heard a fable (if you're a historian, maybe you know the truth of this?) there was once a king who was prone to high-highs, and low-lows.  It made his kingdom erratic  He sent for his advisors and said, "I need something to even me out.  I can't rule like this; either extreme is bad.  Help."
The advisors went away and deliberated for weeks.  Finally, they returned to the king and presented him with a metal ring, unadorned, that simply said, "This too shall pass."  And from that day, whenever he was too up or too down, he'd look down at his ring and remember...this moment is fleeting.
 
You're a pretty awesome human.  If you want to comment and tell me how you're feeling down, I will be happy to tell you all the reasons that I, a stranger, think you're awesome.  I imagine others will tell you too!
 
This too shall pass.

A couple of weeks ago, I alluded to making a "University reveal cake" to tell my friends and family which school I had chosen.  Although I meant it as a joke, I decided to embrace my inner snark.  If you also have an inner snark, I highly recommend... THE CAKE
 
For decorations, I used a Lego Spartan (with a pile of people at the bottom of the "cliff") for MSU, and a Plastic Mold Steam Train for Purdue:

 
And, as my signature shows, the winner was Purdue:
 

A couple of weeks ago, I alluded to making a "University reveal cake" to tell my friends and family which school I had chosen.  Although I meant it as a joke, I decided to embrace my inner snark.  If you also have an inner snark, I highly recommend... THE CAKE
 
For decorations, I used a Lego Spartan (with a pile of people at the bottom of the "cliff") for MSU, and a Plastic Mold Steam Train for Purdue:

 
And, as my signature shows, the winner was Purdue:
 

A couple of weeks ago, I alluded to making a "University reveal cake" to tell my friends and family which school I had chosen.  Although I meant it as a joke, I decided to embrace my inner snark.  If you also have an inner snark, I highly recommend... THE CAKE
 
For decorations, I used a Lego Spartan (with a pile of people at the bottom of the "cliff") for MSU, and a Plastic Mold Steam Train for Purdue:

 
And, as my signature shows, the winner was Purdue:
 

A couple of weeks ago, I alluded to making a "University reveal cake" to tell my friends and family which school I had chosen.  Although I meant it as a joke, I decided to embrace my inner snark.  If you also have an inner snark, I highly recommend... THE CAKE
 
For decorations, I used a Lego Spartan (with a pile of people at the bottom of the "cliff") for MSU, and a Plastic Mold Steam Train for Purdue:

 
And, as my signature shows, the winner was Purdue:
 

From what I gather, no. Some applicants will be rejected from lower-ranked schools, but accepted at a top 10 school - the admission process is not easily predictable, and competitive applicants are rejected from schools for a variety of reasons (some of which seem arbitrary). Of course, some really brilliant applicants will get accepted to a whole bunch of top schools, but they're the exception, not the norm. So I don't think it's odd at all to only be accepted to one school - and even if it were odd, I don't think it's cause for concern.

The fact of the matter is you got accepted into a great school that's strong in your interests. I think everyone feels impostor syndrome to some degree, but they accepted you because you are a strong applicant.

I already turned down Iowa's offer days ago! It wouldn't be nice to keep them waiting if they have a long waitlist...
I hope BU says something soon...I want to know.