LoC2019

I prepared my materials for my first cycle while taking 18 credits and working 3 jobs. If it’s where your heart is, you find time!
Good luck! I think you will find that your heartbreak this year, and probably even your work experience over the next, will help your application and your confidence going into a program. I know that accruing new skills and managing new relationships always makes me more confident about going into another new situation. 

I really can’t thank you all enough for sharing your experiences and tips. I clicked with a number of points—financial security (about time, right?), schedule and organization (mentally, too), having a more structured life after working, and trying to get a sense of what works best for me.
dreid’s suggestion of doing different things at different places really struck me. I worked the past few months as a freelancer and did almost everything at home: work (online), app prep, meals, even working out (I bought a yoga mat). I did go out of course. At first it felt convenient, but later this doing everything at one place became chaotic boring and depressing. I even started to feel annoyed at the sight of my desk, i.e. my dining table, library, work station and entertainment platform.
I didn’t want to take this full-time job at first. Actually I cried pretty bad after I accepted the offer (but partly because I’m already too sentimental lol), as I thought by saying yes I’m officially stepping farther away from my dream. Yet something tells me that you are not going anywhere either if you don’t. I really do need a more structured life, and to return to my normal self.
The past year has been…but the worst thing happened to me is that I became timid and lost faith. I was a scrappy kid telling myself and people around me you can do it if you work hard/if you really want it/if you have enough motivation. I never thought I was being idealistic, I simply had enough courage and inherent incentive. God I miss that.
All of that are still true, I just need to rebuild myself, and I will. I really appreciate your support, and sorry for my disorganized thoughts. ~
“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” Wish everyone well.

Thank you for the advice! I get it that it really depends on my determination.
I feel like I'm in such a weird place in life rn, in terms of phase and mentality...but I guess that's normal right...? That's why I've been having very mixed feelings about this job offer.
Hope it goes well and yes fingers crossed for us!!

It's my first app cycle and even though I still have yet to hear from two programs, I am 80% positive that they are IR...
I just got an job offer and will start next week. I know that a lot of you have been working and preparing apps at the same time, and my question is do you find it easy/hard to balance both sides? It will be my first time working full-time and I'm a little scared that I might get too involved to leave as my heart is still set in the academics. What are your thoughts? (by "too involved" I mean too busy to do school/POI research, prep for tests, writings, AND yes, too involved for some inexplicable work reasons to leave)
I only recently found out about this forum, and I'm really glad that I did. It's such a supportive environment. Congrats to those who have been accepted!! and for people like me, don't lose hope and best of luck!!

Anyone heard from Penn State MA? Waiting really is torture....
But we got this!!!