MundaneSoul

I’ve been lurking on here a while and was not going to create an account but here I am lol. Solidarity to everyone else who got shut out; I have so far only been on one waitlist  My undergrad uni was really competitive and it’s hard to see all of their successes both in academia and on other career paths; as happy as I am for them I can’t help but feel like a failure in comparison. Especially since the only thing I see myself doing is academia and this round has been so rough for me. It’s like getting ghosted by someone you thought you were in love with. Taking a deep breath and getting ready for (probably) the next cycle!

I pledge allegiance
To the Susans*
Of the Princeton University English department
And to the novel
For which it stands ...
*Wolfson and Stewart obvs
---
Okay I'll stop now. My heart is being pulled in 10,000 directions and beating very fast because I wasn't expecting anything over the weekend but ... I just ... got in ... to Princeton.
I know it's obnoxious but I'm posting 1. For posterity, so people know this can happen 2. Because my entire family asked me repeatedly over Christmas "What will you do if you get rejected from everywhere?" and I was so terrified because I'd worked so hard night and day on apps I didn't have an answer. And while I was feverishly working on them an awful ex-boyfriend asked to "swing by and wish me luck" a few days before the deadline and walked into my living room to say "You know you're really not smart, right? You try to make it seem like you are but you just never ... produce much of anything" About that, luv. About that.
I felt like a loser for two years after a particularly shitty time during my masters, and I've struggled with having zero self confidence even longer than that. I have had embarrassing failures that made a huge dent in my ability to move forward. This? It can happen. Admissions is a wildly unfair process and I think more than anything I've just been incredibly incredibly lucky, but I lurked on these boards on and off for years thinking, "I'm too stupid, I'm a loser, this will never happen for me." For anyone who remotely fits that description reading this now or in future just please know that it can.

Hi everyone!
I just discovered this site about a week ago and am wishing I knew about it much earlier. I'm the first person in my family to apply to PhD programs, and I've felt lost a lot of the time. Anyhow, I'm glad to be here now, and I've sympathized with so many of you reading through the posts here.
I applied to 14 schools this cycle. I've got a BA and MA from a good-sized Midwestern state university, and didn't expect too much from applications, even though I took shots at a few major programs. So far I've got 5 left pending (including Penn and Columbia, which I don't expect to happen), 7 rejections, and two acceptances: University of Oregon and Stony Brook, both of which I think will be good fits for me because they have professors working in my areas, even though they're I know they're not top schools or anything.
I really wish I'd had a better sense of how things worked when I applied, because I think I could probably have saved myself at least a good five application fees--I see now that I applied to programs that probably weren't the best fit for me--but oh well. I don't really think I'll wait around 'til next cycle, but I do have a few regrets. And there's also that fun thing where my favorite professor at my top choice decided to jump to a new department after I'd already submitted my app (and had been in communication with them).
Anyways, hi friends! I'll be happy to anxiously wait with you for the next few weeks.

Thank you! It’s still just reading “submitted,” no letter waiting for me there. I feel like Brown is an ex boyfriend leading me on and I just want closure.

Hi everyone!
I just discovered this site about a week ago and am wishing I knew about it much earlier. I'm the first person in my family to apply to PhD programs, and I've felt lost a lot of the time. Anyhow, I'm glad to be here now, and I've sympathized with so many of you reading through the posts here.
I applied to 14 schools this cycle. I've got a BA and MA from a good-sized Midwestern state university, and didn't expect too much from applications, even though I took shots at a few major programs. So far I've got 5 left pending (including Penn and Columbia, which I don't expect to happen), 7 rejections, and two acceptances: University of Oregon and Stony Brook, both of which I think will be good fits for me because they have professors working in my areas, even though they're I know they're not top schools or anything.
I really wish I'd had a better sense of how things worked when I applied, because I think I could probably have saved myself at least a good five application fees--I see now that I applied to programs that probably weren't the best fit for me--but oh well. I don't really think I'll wait around 'til next cycle, but I do have a few regrets. And there's also that fun thing where my favorite professor at my top choice decided to jump to a new department after I'd already submitted my app (and had been in communication with them).
Anyways, hi friends! I'll be happy to anxiously wait with you for the next few weeks.

Hi everyone!
I just discovered this site about a week ago and am wishing I knew about it much earlier. I'm the first person in my family to apply to PhD programs, and I've felt lost a lot of the time. Anyhow, I'm glad to be here now, and I've sympathized with so many of you reading through the posts here.
I applied to 14 schools this cycle. I've got a BA and MA from a good-sized Midwestern state university, and didn't expect too much from applications, even though I took shots at a few major programs. So far I've got 5 left pending (including Penn and Columbia, which I don't expect to happen), 7 rejections, and two acceptances: University of Oregon and Stony Brook, both of which I think will be good fits for me because they have professors working in my areas, even though they're I know they're not top schools or anything.
I really wish I'd had a better sense of how things worked when I applied, because I think I could probably have saved myself at least a good five application fees--I see now that I applied to programs that probably weren't the best fit for me--but oh well. I don't really think I'll wait around 'til next cycle, but I do have a few regrets. And there's also that fun thing where my favorite professor at my top choice decided to jump to a new department after I'd already submitted my app (and had been in communication with them).
Anyways, hi friends! I'll be happy to anxiously wait with you for the next few weeks.

Hi everyone!
I just discovered this site about a week ago and am wishing I knew about it much earlier. I'm the first person in my family to apply to PhD programs, and I've felt lost a lot of the time. Anyhow, I'm glad to be here now, and I've sympathized with so many of you reading through the posts here.
I applied to 14 schools this cycle. I've got a BA and MA from a good-sized Midwestern state university, and didn't expect too much from applications, even though I took shots at a few major programs. So far I've got 5 left pending (including Penn and Columbia, which I don't expect to happen), 7 rejections, and two acceptances: University of Oregon and Stony Brook, both of which I think will be good fits for me because they have professors working in my areas, even though they're I know they're not top schools or anything.
I really wish I'd had a better sense of how things worked when I applied, because I think I could probably have saved myself at least a good five application fees--I see now that I applied to programs that probably weren't the best fit for me--but oh well. I don't really think I'll wait around 'til next cycle, but I do have a few regrets. And there's also that fun thing where my favorite professor at my top choice decided to jump to a new department after I'd already submitted my app (and had been in communication with them).
Anyways, hi friends! I'll be happy to anxiously wait with you for the next few weeks.

Hi everyone!
I just discovered this site about a week ago and am wishing I knew about it much earlier. I'm the first person in my family to apply to PhD programs, and I've felt lost a lot of the time. Anyhow, I'm glad to be here now, and I've sympathized with so many of you reading through the posts here.
I applied to 14 schools this cycle. I've got a BA and MA from a good-sized Midwestern state university, and didn't expect too much from applications, even though I took shots at a few major programs. So far I've got 5 left pending (including Penn and Columbia, which I don't expect to happen), 7 rejections, and two acceptances: University of Oregon and Stony Brook, both of which I think will be good fits for me because they have professors working in my areas, even though they're I know they're not top schools or anything.
I really wish I'd had a better sense of how things worked when I applied, because I think I could probably have saved myself at least a good five application fees--I see now that I applied to programs that probably weren't the best fit for me--but oh well. I don't really think I'll wait around 'til next cycle, but I do have a few regrets. And there's also that fun thing where my favorite professor at my top choice decided to jump to a new department after I'd already submitted my app (and had been in communication with them).
Anyways, hi friends! I'll be happy to anxiously wait with you for the next few weeks.

Hi everyone!
I just discovered this site about a week ago and am wishing I knew about it much earlier. I'm the first person in my family to apply to PhD programs, and I've felt lost a lot of the time. Anyhow, I'm glad to be here now, and I've sympathized with so many of you reading through the posts here.
I applied to 14 schools this cycle. I've got a BA and MA from a good-sized Midwestern state university, and didn't expect too much from applications, even though I took shots at a few major programs. So far I've got 5 left pending (including Penn and Columbia, which I don't expect to happen), 7 rejections, and two acceptances: University of Oregon and Stony Brook, both of which I think will be good fits for me because they have professors working in my areas, even though they're I know they're not top schools or anything.
I really wish I'd had a better sense of how things worked when I applied, because I think I could probably have saved myself at least a good five application fees--I see now that I applied to programs that probably weren't the best fit for me--but oh well. I don't really think I'll wait around 'til next cycle, but I do have a few regrets. And there's also that fun thing where my favorite professor at my top choice decided to jump to a new department after I'd already submitted my app (and had been in communication with them).
Anyways, hi friends! I'll be happy to anxiously wait with you for the next few weeks.