sisyphushappy

In happier news: got an email from NYU to check my portal. Uh oh, I think. Tried to access my portal and realized I had forgotten exactly what the password is. But yet, I persisted. Tried out several variations of the password, unsuccessfully. Stopped persisting. Gave up, and pressed the Forgot your password? link to reset. Got a reset link, only to be informed that access to my account has been temporarily restricted, presumably because of my valiant efforts to remember the password earlier. ?
Anyway, I know these signs, so in summary, this is how you delay the news that you've been rejected. 

I don't think analytic philosophy's gonna get you outta this one, spud

As a 2020 applicant who is now in waiting, I thank you all for this thread. 

Looking at this department's website like:
If you change your mind, I'm the first in line
Honey I'm still free, take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
If you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down

Looking at this department's website like:
If you change your mind, I'm the first in line
Honey I'm still free, take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
If you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down

Looking at this department's website like:
If you change your mind, I'm the first in line
Honey I'm still free, take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
If you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down

April 7 thru April 15 is a LOT of movement.
To this day I don't know why my post got such mixed reactions. Punchline: People need to make decisions, including notifying schools that they will inevitably turn down but just don't feel like turning down. It is in everyone's interest to be a grownup and do something uncomfortable, like closing doors on good offers that aren't your best offers.

Looking at this department's website like:
If you change your mind, I'm the first in line
Honey I'm still free, take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
If you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down

Looking at this department's website like:
If you change your mind, I'm the first in line
Honey I'm still free, take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
If you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down

Looking at this department's website like:
If you change your mind, I'm the first in line
Honey I'm still free, take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
If you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down

Happy to report that my application fee/donation will also be subsidizing Columbia this year.

Happy to report that my application fee/donation will also be subsidizing Columbia this year.

@Mischief @Olórin Thank you both so much! I cried reading your responses and feel much better now. They were very kind.

Happy to report that my application fee/donation will also be subsidizing Columbia this year.

Happy to report that my application fee/donation will also be subsidizing Columbia this year.

Happy to report that my application fee/donation will also be subsidizing Columbia this year.

Happy to report that my application fee/donation will also be subsidizing Columbia this year.

@Mischief @Olórin Thank you both so much! I cried reading your responses and feel much better now. They were very kind.

Hey Sisyphus,

I absolutely recognize this feeling and feel it most days, if not a few times a day (even in my MA, where I frequently wonder when everyone will catch on that they made a huge mistake by admitting me). My undergraduate cumulative GPA was about a 3.2, and I have an F and a mix of ILL and INC marks in one year that I had health problems peak. My view of myself when I'm feeling down is basically as you describe: why would any committee pick me rather than people who have no grade lower than an A (4.0) on their transcript? How could anyone on admissions committee take a chance on me or be willing to go bat for me when I am such a fuck up! I can imagine that if you're already feeling this way, a shitty job will make you feel worse.
All of this said, I hope you have taken some solace in the fact that you made the waitlist at Northwestern and that, regardless of whether you start a program in the Fall, you will take this as an indication of your viability as a candidate. It is not unreasonable to think that people with consistent and higher grades than you, and with higher Quant scores than you, were rejected, which can give you some indication that your undergraduate background + GRE scores don't determine whether you will get in somewhere (this year or next).

I tend to think people have a look at transcripts (not just GPA). They can tell a lot from those. An especially good sign is when grades improve over time. An especially bad sign is when a 4.0 is earned by taking dud classes.
Funny enough, my position was similar to yours. I had a job for several years after UG, which ended up being an excellent experience before grad school. Saving money didn't hurt either.
I also had a 3.4 GPA in college (I didn't learn about grad school until my senior year, so I thought grades meant nothing until that point). And I was shut out the first time I applied. Everything turned out fine eventually, aside from the fact that I now dream about having benefits again. But really, I had time to accumulate furniture and amenities for a full apartment over several years before grad school, and my home life is COMFY because of that.
Also, a lot of programs really don't prioritize the GRE quant score (fewer and fewer programs even prioritize any part of the GRE; they seem to be recognizing...finally...that a GRE score is a pretty good metric for assessing how one performed on the GRE, but a pretty bad metric for predicting how successful one will be in a graduate program).
Just saying that if you're an imposter, then I am too. But, uh, I'm definitely not an imposter, and neither are you. You'd be amazed how messy people's transcripts are, and how varied their other quantitative metrics are.

Finally got that sweet, sweet Cornell rejection. I wish I’d reflected more thoughtfully on where to apply, and also applied to more than six schools.
After applying to a few admittedly poor fits, CUNY and Columbia are my last two pending. They’re somewhat better fits. I am dying for news.

Got that Cornell rejection today

I wish I could speak this confidently about articles I've published in high quality journals.

I’m in this position at the moment with my top choice. I reached out about two weeks after hearing about being waitlisted with updates on what I’m doing this semester academically to make myself a stronger candidate.
But what am I supposed to say throughout the next few months to stay in touch? Just “I’m still interested,” or should I have something more substantive each time? (I know I should send ~250 words at most.) How often should I be in touch?
I have an enormous fear of being an email pest.

To the other person on the results page waitlisted at Northwestern and really needing this one: I feel you and I hope we both get off the list LMAO I’m drinking to you in spirit