ResilientDreams

Good luck guys. ❤️ 

Yay!! It's nice to meet you. Fall Creek is a nice area. I got an apartment in Maplewood though. 

Just read the Carreira letter, I was running for the door after reading it. I have to have people talk me out of dropping out of Grad School because I feared the rest of my life would be spent trapped in a lab 24/7. I still freak out about it on a daily basis.

...I don't wanna ...I don't wanna ...I don't wanna

Definitely stopping at my Masters degree.

My advice to first year Graduate Students: Change your mind and turn around. Don't go to grad school!

I will be attending Cornell for the Masters in Industrial and Labor Relations program in the fall! Hi, everyone :) 
I just received my Net ID today and am beginning the housing search. I won't have a car for at least the first semester so am trying to find a walkable/busable place...and trying to avoid Collegetown, since everything I hear about the frat vibe there makes me break out in hives. 

Just got off the waitlist and offer today for Cornell! Still have other places to hear from but want to know more about Cornell. Have y'all visited/know much about Cornell/Ithaca?  

Don't do it on your own. Like, PLEASE, don't go through this process on your own. I made this mistake. I did it because I didn't feel much support from the professor I was working with, BUT if I could do it again, I would find someone who did believe in me and wanted me to get into grad school. Find a professor who will read your statement, CV, etc. This will tremendously help your applications and your stress.
Reach out to POIs before you apply. I didn't do this, and definitely missed out on saving some time and money. I advise this because you never know if a POI's research is heading towards or away from your area of interest. I was super lucky in that I applied to someone who's research wasn't too close to mine, but after interviewing I found out they're starting new work with my population of interest. I REALLY wish I would have known that before I applied. Other POIs I interviewed with had their research heading down a completely different path– that could've been a good several hundred dollars saved. 
What you think is your top choice might not be your top choice after visiting (and go on all the visits you can). Copying @GradPerson verbatim because THIS. IS. SO. TRUE. When I first applied, the school I have now committed to I wasn't extremely excited about (for personal reasons). I fell in love with the program on my interview, and I honestly could not be more excited about attending in the Fall. I can't imagine going anywhere else.
BREATHE. Seriously.

Oh my gosh. Top 20-40 is NOT low ranked. 

Oh my gosh. Top 20-40 is NOT low ranked. 

Oh my gosh. Top 20-40 is NOT low ranked. 

adcomms will see you as someone who thinks that a "low-ranked" university is in the top 40 and that's how they'll deny you. your pretentious attitude aside, any experience is good experience.

I'm a Vanier scholar!!!! ?

I finished a draft of my entire honors thesis! I'm ahead of schedule!

I finished a draft of my entire honors thesis! I'm ahead of schedule!

I finished a draft of my entire honors thesis! I'm ahead of schedule!

I did a public speaking workshop yesterday and it went really well, I made the crowd laugh a couple of times.

As an update for the folks who helped me (and for future applicants who may be in my situation): I got a full-time job as a research coordinator in an extremely productive lab at an amazing institution (which I frankly didn't think I had a shot at getting into). I'm honestly more excited about this "acceptance" than the three non-funded PsyD acceptances I had earlier this year, which really solidifies 1) the fact that I'm passionate about research, and 2) that I've made the right choice by declining offers and planning to reapply to PhD programs in a few years.
Yaaaay

I understand why you're frustrated, but as others have said, your situation is certainly not hopeless!
Something to consider is that you're probably "intimidating" to men because you're not just smart, but mature. It's normal for men to act like teenagers well into their 20s and 30s, regardless of education level. You sound like you're very independent and self-motivated, and those traits will seem off-putting to immature 25 year olds. But as you get older, men will catch up to you mentally, and matches will be easier to come by.
I know that involves some waiting, but in some ways you're lucky. Most people's lives go downhill after college, but you're climbing higher with age.

Same...

Feeling low (again) tonight because of this.

I'm visiting my family for the weekend.

I'm visiting my family for the weekend.

All of the above. 
... I'm not good at polls. 

*e-hugs* Right there with you, but 31.  Cry at least once a week. And for Indian girls in my situation, the stigma is real.  People assume that you're "defective".  

Formally accepted my offer from Teachers College, Columbia University today! I'm so excited