The Wordsworthian

i received a letter from an, uh, intense jeopardy fan who found my address online (he appears to have autism and going by posts from others, this isn't his first awkward letter to a female contestant) who wrote that i am a "beautiful shining intelligent star" and all i could think was "gd, i wish the adcoms felt that way about me, too." 
 

I, too, skipped through the Q section!

I didn't answer a single question on the quant section, and I was just accepted to an English PhD with full fellowship. I hope this helps someone out there feel a little bit better. Haha.

@sugilite Glad to know I'm not the only one!  It's giving me so much anxiety, though. 

Anyone wanna claim Rutgers?

Ugh, the doom and gloom is real today, y’all. ? Why are some days so much harder than others?

co-signing this request. didn't expect to see anything from rutgers for a little while! 

Hmm...I see there's a Rutgers acceptance on the board. Anyone wanna claim that?

I check my emails and interfaces in class hahaha!

alright y'all, my challenge is to not obsessively check the inbox today. thirty times per hour should be pretty reasonable. thoughts?

I firmly second this.  

@placeinspace don't leave us yet! there's still hope! we need your banter!

It's an understandable feeling, for sure! I think that each rejection suddenly, sharply makes the outcome more concrete. It stops being "I could end up in these places" and starts being "I am not going to live in Durham." That stings, and the newness and intensity of it can overpower our more levelheaded considerations (i.e. most people who get admitted only get admitted to one or two places total, so a few rejections shouldn't really change our expectations).
My friend who was admitted to Johns Hopkins yesterday was feeling really discouraged because he had three rejections before that point, and I think this is more likely to happen than not.
So, it makes sense to be discouraged, yes. Hopefully, you'll get some good news soon which will make it easier to put things in perspective.  

Anyone else feel like because of the rejections they've already received, that they have little to no chance at getting in anywhere else they applied to?

Hi! First off, congratulations! I'm glad to hear that Penn is sending stuff out. I was curious about your concentration/area of interest?

@The Wordsworthian
I have a long history of grad school applications.  My first cycle was 2010 in philosophy, and the only offer I got was UChicago MAPH.  Over the last few years, I thought my skills would be more appreciated in literary studies, so I finished a second MA in the subject.  My applications are definitely better than anything I've sent out in the past, so I'm hoping I'll finally catch a break.  However, if I don't, then it's probably a stroke of good luck too.  Whatever happens, I'm pretty sure this is my last stab at a PhD. 

May or may not have just torn a telemarketer to shreds in my anxiety-ridden anger at them calling and giving me false hope that it's a school notifying. 

I would speculate that it more matters if our LOR writers know faculty who are on adcoms in a given year. If an application reader personally knows someone who wrote an LOR that could make a difference I’d imagine. It might be the case that sometimes profs have especially strong ties to faculty at their alma maters, but not always

May or may not have just torn a telemarketer to shreds in my anxiety-ridden anger at them calling and giving me false hope that it's a school notifying. 

Also...sidenote...I know this gets reiterated excessively, but It's Reeeeal: if you get "shut-out" this year and Really Want that PhD, freaking keep reading & writing & learning then re-apply! 
I first applied straight-outta-undergrad, real green and weak, did a coupla MFAs, and I've so far been accepted into 4 fully-funded PhD programs!! Change is manifest!!

That was me! I’m excited— thanks. They said they took 4 funded PhDs this year, not sure about the rest. 

Anyone want to claim the Colorado Boulder acceptance and give a little more info on the cohort size bit you included on the Results Board?  Congratulations, by the way!

Thank you so much.  I was going to spend these next couple of hours between classes trying to be productive, but it looks like they will be spent furiously refreshing my portal/e-mail. (Although that habit is nothing new these days!)
Congrats again on making the waitlist!

Update: I was waitlisted at CU Boulder! @The Wordsworthian check your portal!

Ran into my advisor after some meetings on campus today. She asked me for an update and I told her today was a double whammy rejection, and she hugged me and said "They were wrong." Encouraged me that she thinks I'm likely to get in to at least one place, and that it only takes one acceptance. Also said that it took her two tries to get accepted, and she ended up fully funded at Berkeley. 
Maybe she's giving me false optimism, but it felt good to be believed in. I've been weirdly feeling sort of ashamed or like I'm a disappointment for having been rejected? I know the pools were small and selective, and I was aiming really high, but it's hard not to let the negative self-talk take over. It felt really nice to know that she doesn't think less of me or is disappointed in me for being rejected.