Zouzax

3 months ago I replied to this forum and said I would go to the local liquor store, buy a bottle of champagne, drink & cry over my wasted youth. In reality, it wasn't that dramatic. Having already received 5 rejection letters, I knew I was going to get the 6th and final one any day. I wasn't surprised when I saw the thin envelope waiting for me in my lobby. I tore it up, threw it out, and thought, "well that's that". Then I went on with my day. I had already started to research programs in Europe so i wasn't all too depressed. It's always good to have a Plan B

it's really up to you & what your goals are for the future. How important would a degree in Classics be? Is switching to history what you really want to do? How will it affect your future goals? I had the same issue as you when I was an undergrad. I entered university as a Neuroscience student. By my sophomore year, I was doing amazingly well in my Psychology courses but only so-so in my Bio & Physics courses. I decided to switch to Psychology, and graduated with that degree. Of course, at that point I planned to go in a completely different direction with my career so I was just anxious to graduate. Now I slightly regret it. I wish I had stuck with Neuroscience because it was my first love and I keep going back to it. Now Im entering a second Master's program to retake all of those neuroscience classes I missed out on so that I can get a Ph.D in a relevant field. So my advice is, really think about how important Classics is to you, and if there's a chance you'll regret it in the future. Think of your goals and where you want to head career-wise. Then make the decision.

I love my graduate program too. I love that they let me take as many classes as I want, and leave me alone as long as I get good grades in the required courses. Last spring I took 7 courses -- three language & 4 cores. No one questioned me, and it ended up being my best semester, GPA-wise. I also love how this program has pushed me to write better. I feel like I skated through high school and undergrad with so-so writing skills. It wasn't until I got here that I realized my English should and MUST be improved. Now I expect the same from my students. It has made me a better teacher too. I love how I've been taught to think critically about language, culture and theory. This program has opened my eyes and made me see things in new ways. And lastly, I love how this program pushed me to learn at least one other language, even when I thought it would never happen. Ive dreamed about living in a foreign country since I was young; its amazing to finally have done it.

"That's great but ... couldn't you find something in New York?"

Olasılıksız by Adam Fawer --- the Turkish version of the English (?) original. Of course, Ive been reading it for weeks now as every time I pick it up I feel pangs of guilt and the voice in my head says, "Shouldn't you be reading the articles assigned for class instead, since you apparently have all this free time to read??"

tight end

I love this topic! I feel the exact same as everyone here. I applied to 6 Ph.D programs. As the rejections started rolling in, I slowly came to terms with the fact that it wasn't going to happen for me this year. I was really at a loss for a while, wondering what I was going to tell my family, my SO, my recommenders.... and I was also struggling with the question of what I was going to do with my life after I graduate. Then, as if almost by fate, I discovered a Master's level research program in Europe that had everything I was looking for, in a city I loved, in a small department run by a professor whose research interests are the same as mine ... I wrote the professor an email, telling him my background, research interests, goals etc. At that point I was so down on myself I didn't think anything of it, just wrote the email & pressed 'send'. Lo and behold, he requested an interview over Skype a few days later. The interview went great, and he unofficially offered me a spot (I have to send him some documents in May before I get my 'official acceptance'). So, if everything goes well Ill be heading there in September! And just like everyone here, I couldn't be more excited. I feel things happen for a reason & I found this opportunity because I was meant to take it. I, too, wasn't sure if I 100% wanted to start my Ph.D next year ... I know I want to do it eventually, but I feel like I have many more things to learn & discover beforehand. I want to do more research, take more classes, live in more places. As you all said, its a 7 year commitment. And I'm not ready to be tied down to one place for that long yet. Now Im off to the next city, and the next adventure!! I cant wait!

i agree with neuropsychosocial, there's no way I would pay that. Give them a call & maybe theyll clear the charge.

corn paddy

This is interesting as I'm the complete opposite -- when I was younger, I gave up on a lot of my dreams for the boys that were in my life. Now that I'm older and have more experience, I feel more able to say "I'm pursuing my goals, and would love for you to be a part of that, but if not .... sorry". It took a long time for me to get comfortable and confident enough to feel like I can survive on my own. I guess people work in opposite ways... I don't think your decision is a bad one. Its really, really difficult to balance a professional and personal life, especially a professional life like ours, where we're not sure where we're going to end up, are constantly applying & pursuing goals, moving around the country/world for a Master's, Ph.D, post-graduate program ... Hearing the other poster's story about his/her friend working for an Ivy league, publishing papers & applying for grants without a tenure & without a relationship, made me realize that's not what I want at all. So as long as you can find a happy medium between your man and your career, even if that means making some compromises, I say go for it. I think you hit the nail on the head - your bf is bitter about your decision. It seems to me that he isn't communicating how hurt he was by your decision to move and instead is acting out by choosing places even FURTHER away, to kind of say "Ha!! Take THAT! I can move, too!" Of course, I'm just commenting as a third party but I know this all too well. When I announced to my bf last year that I was *definitely* leaving our current city & pursuing my Ph.D goals, he was really upset. So, what did he do? He signed up for his military service without telling me. When I got angry with him, he burst out "Well, you're not the only one that can make plans. I can make plans, too" That's when I realized he did it as a reaction to my announcing I was moving seemingly without including him in my plans. After realizing this, I had a long talk with him. I told him how important our relationship is to me, and how it would mean the world for him to come with me. This didn't work like magic. It took a few weeks of more thinking on his part but it really cleared everything up. he realized I wasn't just packing up and abandoning him. Because that's what I think they feel like - like we're abandoning them. Now, he has never been more supportive of my decision. He will be done with his service in 6 weeks & he is actively involved in our moving plans. I try to keep him involved every step of the way so he feels like its his move, too. So maybe, if you sit down with your bf and explain to him how much he means to you, how you want to be together, etc. it'll help you guys, too. Sometimes they just need to know you care, you know?

well, let me say .. ive been rejected by my top choice school, AND ive been rejected by all the schools I applied to -- I can officially tell you, breaking up with your SO is 1 million times worse!!

You mean you have to agree to pay the fee before even seeing the rest of the application? Is that even legal? Are they harassing you for payment or something?

fruit loop

why is the world round? why is the sky blue? sometimes these things just are, we don't have an answer but seriously, its just my opinion... butter on one slice of bread would be bread with butter. but the act of putting the butter in between two slices of bread would make it a little butter sandwich. yum. in terms of bagels, the terminology is different. even the thought of cream cheese makes me nauseous. im purely a butter girl. us butter people call it a 'buttered bagel' or 'bagel with butter'. But really, in the end ... you can call it whatever you want

pistol whip

fire sale

hehe congrats i guess thats where youve decided to go then?

well, it depends, is it a bagel or regular bread? if its regular bread I say yes to sandwich. if it's bagel bread, then it's just a bagel with butter.

if we're talking about burritos, you can't beat an old-fashioned, Mexican one. I'm talking chicken or steak with mexican cheese, black beans, rice, and salsa. my mouth is watering just thinking about it. i havent had a good burrito since i left NY over 2 years ago. ugh.

This is very true. Call me naive but when I was filling out my applications in October I didn't realize just how competitive this process is. I've learned a lot from reading this forum & will definitely use it to my advantage the next time I apply.

yea, I totally understand this. I applied to 6 schools and I thought for sure ONE of them would let me in. I wasn't even looking for 2 offers, just 1 would be enough. Everyone told me I had great stats and would surely be accepted somewhere. Alas, they (and I) were wrong. Midway through my rejection letter-receiving period I was surprised to not even receive so much as an interview or a follow-up question. But as they say, hindsight is 20/20. Now that I think about it, I really couldve made some serious changes to my application, SOP, and CV. Everything couldve been cleaned up and made a little clearer. In addition, Ive realized that I need more experience if I want to be accepted to a top-notch program. Like Jordanami said, I definitely need to finish my Master's so I can send them a sample of my thesis next time. And also, I definitely need more experience. Now I understand some of the reasons why I wasn't accepted. If all goes well, Ill be entering a Master's-level research program in the fall, and then Ill be applying for a ph.d again in fall 2012. Joy!

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