Wabbajack

Dogs are the best. Every morning my dogs want to walk ASAP, and if I try to sleep in, the boy dog will sit on me and pat my face until I get up. But a few weeks ago I had a panic attack in the morning and both of the dogs didn't want to go outside. They just cuddled and wouldn't budge. Best. Creatures. Ever.

WOW!!! Congratulations!!!! And congratulations to everyone else who has posted happy news since the last time I checked here!! It feels great to be rooting for people and then watch their good news roll in.

I totally agree that dogs take up a lot of time. However, I got a dog each of my two years in MA. The first year into my MA was the first time I had ever lived without a dog (mine or other's), and I was downright miserable and teetering on depression. Getting a dog took up a lot of my time, but it also made me happier and overall more productive. Of course, some people don't need animal support, but for people like me, they really are emotional support animals.

I really don' know what to think. I applied with the feeling that I have 0.05% chance of getting in. Now I feel like I have 0.03% chance. So, I do take it as a negative sign, but it really doesn't change all that much for me.

You could have been writing about my life. So, @mads47 I second every single word that Wooshkah wrote here. Solid information.

Yeah, I applied to the prof/tech comm track. I don't know for sure what UWM does, but it seems like most programs announce different track decisions at different times, so I think they do too. Stay strong!!

Yes!! We used to have Moodle, and then we switched to Canvas. It's suuuuuch time saver. If the SpeedGrading tool was the only advantage I would still choose Canvas everyday. But Canvas also has better page layouts and course copying abilities (I make one version of a class and then copy it over to my other sections). Congrats on your admittance! I also applied to Clemson and Penn State. Nothing word or status change yet!

Holy crap I missed a lot of good news!! Let's see if I can do this... HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO @Elle Coronaria @punctilious @a_sort_of_fractious_angel @FishNerd @LibraryLivingJT @D13charlie @evanmarie @Yanaka @unicornsarereal @more.truly.more.strange and anyone else I may have missed!!! Also, I got accepted into University of Wisconsin Milwaukee! Wooo!

You should teach a self-help class on level that restraint. Also sending good icecream vibes your way.

Lordddddd, I feel this way and more about one of my apps. A person who shall not be named (from a university that will also not be identified) sent me a passive aggressive email right after I submitted my app. Vague short version of the story: Person forgot to email me and then was upset when I submitted my app without his input. Immediate buyers remorse.

Best guess: enough time to simultaneously arrange a support group and party group to have on standby. Bonus points if they're the same people.

Congrats!!! I second @FreakyFoucault suggestion of champagne!

HOORAY!!! Congratulations!! Woot woot!!! Congratulations!! Thank you!!

Thank you!!!!!

I ran out of reactions. Thank you @punctilious @EspritHabile @klader @FreakyFoucault !!! Congratulations!! I see in your signature that UC Davis one of them. One of my absolute best friends is in that Lit program. I'd be happy to introduce you if you're interested. For what it's worth, she LOVES it. She got into everywhere that she applied and is so happy with her decision to attend Davis.

I can't believe I received an email on super bowl Sunday, but I just got an acceptance email from my POI at the University of South Florida. The email said that the DGS should reach out in the next few days.

Hahaha. Ahhh doctors.

@mk-8 Yes, a routine helps so much! I never went to a dermatologist. I stalked the skincareaddiction subreddit to find this routine, which @EspritHabile totally recognized! Also, I love the idea of taking one day a week to focus on anything that keeps you centered.

Face Routine: Twice daily: Wash with Cerave for oily skin, chem exfoliate with Stridex extra strength, and moisturize with Cerave moisturizing creme. Once weekly/biweekly: Queen Helen Mint Julep Masque. The Cerave moisturizing creme is a little too heavy and a little TOO moisturizing for my skin. I haven't found a great less moisturizing alternative so I still use it, but it might be perfect for you. It's great for people with sensitive skin, even eczema.

@EspritHabile If it's one of your top choices, I would make every effort to attend. However, I'm sure if you write back explain why you can't go, that must count for something, right?

I was also not invited. Looks like a great sign for @EspritHabile!!

As a native Southerner whose family is from Appalachia, heck yeah! Like others have said here, I wouldn't worry too much about only applying three programs. Now that I've sent out all of my applications, I've come to realize that there are only three that I actually care about. Obviously applying to more programs can have a numbers advantage, but you were also able to dedicate more time to those three and save yourself some money.

The time during and after my MA taught me what self-care looks like for me. Fresh air The gym just doesn't do much for me. It's the chore of all chores, and I only feel mildly better after some time on treadmill. Instead, I just want to be outside. I love walking my dogs. I try to walk most places and avoid my car if at all possible. I also love hiking. I really like slow, calming exercise, and so far it's been enough to keep me healthy and at a weight I'm happy with. I'm sure as I age that will change, but one problem at a time. Social time I am a very social, extroverted person, and I didn't let myself be social enough during my MA. It can be very difficult to find people who share my interests and are as social as me. After graduating, I took the time to make new friends and find favorite places to hang out. I wasn't purposely limiting myself to friends within my program during my MA, but I never made the extra effort to make a lot of other friends either. This time around, I'll make sure allow myself a healthy amount of social time with people inside and outside of the university. Sleep As most have been told a million times by well-intentioned parental figures, you need sleep. It didn't really sink in how much I needed sleep until I started comparing my work from when I was spreading myself too thin and when I wasn't. Sleeping enough is 1/2 self-care and 1/2 a good work practice. I learned that sleep deprivation is not my super power and I have to work sleep into my schedule. Diet First, I'll say that I'm a vegetarian. That excludes midnight burger trips from my diet, BUT it doesn't exclude midnight hushpuppies, fries, potato chips, cheese quesadillas, milkshakes, and anything else I can get my hands on. Restricting what time of the day I eat helps me feel better. It's also easier to practice intermittent fasting if a few extra pounds have snuck up on me. Of course I'll "cheat" if I'm having a fun night out, but as a routine, I feel better when I only eat between certain hours. Not eating meat helps a lot too, but that's a different discussion. Cleanliness I hate horoscope crap, but I have this one memory from when I was a kid of an old woman saying "Oh you're a virgo, you must be very neat." I told her I wasn't. She said, "Oh you're close to being a libra, that's why." Ah those mental gymnastics. Still, I think it's funny because throughout my life I've switched from being inherently messy to inherently tidy. When I fall off the self-care wagon, I let everything get messy, and that only makes me feel worse. That being said, I know some people thrive in what I would call messy, so keep it wherever you function best. The little things Okay, last one. "Treat yo self" doesn't have to be expensive. Little luxuries matter. Once we're on that saran-wrap-thin grad school budget, treat yo self can be difficult. I have this irrational practice of not using something for fear of never being able to afford replacing it. I've had to train myself to know that it IS okay to burn that candle I was given. It IS okay to use that pretty stationary I bought. A little money can go a long way. I had cashback that I could redeem on amazon and bought a diffuser and a sampler of essential oils. When I burn a scent-free candle and put the diffuser on, daily luxury.

So much good news!! Congratulations @mk-8 @Stormborn @Mellowyellow and anyone I missed!!

I especially appreciate this advice!