Bonkers

I'm in sociology! Also applied to Indiana Bloomington. I keep my email in a tab for most of the day. The anticipation is getting pretty bad. Every time the phone rings I jump.

If all my schools reject me I will most likely go into hysterics, march into a Target, ask for a job application, stand up on a display platform and announce something dramatic like, "these are my new people now... this is where the universe wants me to be..." I will then throw my fists in the air and scream "WHYYYYY!" until my boyfriend drags me home to soothe me with endless gin and tonics.

I have an interview on Thursday. This is the only interview I have managed to secure. I don't have a suit. Slacks and a turtle neck okay? Not okay? AHHHH I hate job hunting. People are telling me it takes 4mo+ before securing a job... and 2 months before people will respond to your application (if they are interested). I CANNOT LOSE THIS. AHHHH! Freaking out! Not handling the anxiety of waiting to hear back from grad schools and finding a job very well.

eggs benedict

Disgrace--Coetzee

I wish my GPA from undergrad was higher... If only older, mature me could go back in time and slap the emo-black eye liner off of the past drunken me. Well, this is what I get for not studying for my History of Mental Illness and spending hours and hours of precious library time dancing on the bar at my university's pub, crawling under bathroom stalls to free my stoned friends, smoking a pack of cigarettes a day while bemoaning the injustices against me, and saying ridiculous things like, 'let's go dancing' on Mondays. I wish there is a way in which I could tell my prospective schools that between 2004 and 2008 I was possessed.

That's what I did! Not the hookers and blow... but the MA program. It was expensive but worth it. My undergraduates, I realize now, did not prepare me well for grad school. My profile prior to my Master's was not great.

I agree that it is a tough decision. I applied two years ago and now in it for the second round. If I do not get in I might not apply for the third time only because in the two years between application terms I have done everything I could to increase my chances. If all the schools reject me at this point... that is it. I have done everything I could to be a desirable applicant. This is as good as it is going to get at this point in time. Even with that said... maybe I will put in two applications or so... eh I don't know.

I follow my partner to work and job search... and when I feel self-destructive I email my agent and ask what publishers think about my book

The anxiety made me lose my appetite for the sandwich I invented and tried to get others to order... Without a school... with the research project coming to an end... today I walked around the bookstore and watched an unemployed, kind of mangy lady consider the purchase of a Celtic mandala 2011 calendar. It was scary when I realized... she and I... we're not that different.

Graduate schools are going to announce acceptances and rejections between February and late March/early April. I am completing my research assistantship right now. My research job stopped paying me a long time ago (I'm not in it for the money--though I desperately need money). I need a real income. I have a MA in sociology. I feel that I would be "wasting" my fancy ivy league masters if I go back to what I know and hate: behavioral therapy, or if I go into tutoring, or if I go into anything that pays less than $25 an hour. At the same time, I do not want to find a "real" job because (1) it takes months of interviews and apps before people can get a "real" job--an by the end of the preliminary process I will know whether or not have been accepted into a school, leading me to either quit soon after hire or fall into a nervous break down; and (2) I don't want to be anything else other than a sociologist, so I don't have a plan B in mind in case I do not get into a school, which means I cannot search for my plan B job just in case. What the hell do I do? Right now I am just applying to everywhere... and for all kinds of ridiculous jobs... I don't even know how normal people find jobs. Unlike grad school apps, companies do not tell you when to expect a call. It is like throwing my resume into a black hole. I went to my school's career counselor and that was of zero help. She kept asking what field I want to go into for this time being. I told her that she had to figure that one out for me. In response, she asked if I wanted to take a $30 career match test. No, thanks, took that when i was 14. It told me I was not particularly apt to do anything and that I should most definitely stay away from farming.

I have a research paper that my PI/advisor and I are editing for journal submission. However, I have a MA, so I should have SOMETHING at this point in my life. I think it is fine that you, newly done with BA, do not have a publication yet. With that said, you should have some research experience at the least.

30 is not late at all! When I was doing my MA a woman in the PhD cohort was in her early fifties... she was going in for her second PhD. I think age is an advantage in this grad school game. It shows that you have experience in life and you are serious about going into graduate school.

I agree we the first response, you should answer it anyway even if your professor told you to ignore the strengths and weaknesses part. If it is not something you like to talk about at length, try sneaking it into the existing statement. For example, when you are discussing your previous research experience, integrate it into the part where you describe your responsibilities in that research project and how you demonstrated exemplary skills in blah blah blah... but you have yet to master your skills in blah blah blah--but hope to in grad school. Boom strengths and weaknesses done and you did not have to write a new paragraph or anything. Eh, I hope this helps.

Occasionally, these email requests get swamped. Try going back to the application site and resending the request. If it is not allowed I would call the school. Then email the professor to inform him/her that you have resent the form--it also serves as a nice semi-passive aggressive way of reminding him/her that one more letter is still owed to you.

While doing field work at a transition home for drug addicts and schizophrenics/drug addicts during my undergrad years ago: Visitor (the mother of one of the residents): "What do you do?" Me: "I am in sociology." Visitor: "Well, don't go off thinking you're god. These are people!" Me: "I don't think I'm god." Visitor: "The nerve of some of you people! Just remember that these are human lives you are dealing with!" Me: "Yes." Visitor: "Damn social workers!" Me: "Wait, what? No, I am not a social worker. I am in sociology." Visitor: "What?" For about three months my door man was convinced that his girlfriend and I were in the same program. I often asked, "she is in sociology? as in... sociology? you sure?" And he would respond, "yes, yes, she is in your year." Finally, I met her. Nope. She is in social work.

Thanks everyone for the group support! Yes... after politely texting daily reminders all of the letters are now submitted. Some of the systems did not accept because she was very late, but I will be emailing all the programs to notify them of the last letter's tardiness.

My last recommender has completed writing my letter. I know that because (1) we lunched together when I was in town for winter break and we discussed how she was putting on the finishing touches (2) she sent out the letters to half of the schools, leaving the second half for later. Like many out there, I have spent the last 6 months doing NOTHING BUT working toward my graduate school applications: studying for the GREs, writing the mission statement, and finishing up my current research to send it in as a writing sample. It has been flippin' exhausting (particularly the part where I try to push my research paper to be semi-ready for sample submission). My last recommender is not turning in ANY of the letters on time (with delays up to one month) and is still not done! She has HALF completed... Because we are somewhat close, I have called, emailed, and texted... she tells me she is going to get them done. Don't get me wrong, she is really supportive and has nothing but good words to describe me. I just feel defeated and tired and sad. I feel like somehow this is my fault and I should have lied about the deadlines to get things going. What else can I do? What else can I say to motivate her? I am not getting any younger... I can't wait another year to apply... and wait for another half year on top of that to start grad school.