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gradgirlwannabe

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Posts posted by gradgirlwannabe

    Hey you, it'll be okay

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    In total agreement there. I've been biting my nails, checking my email every five minutes, chatting about NOTHING BUT grad school for the past week. Why? I'm driving myself and everyone around me crazy, and I'm still trying to finish up the last bits and pieces of my undergrad education. I think sending positive vibes out to each other is a fantastic idea. We should be here to support one another through this terrifying/expensive/exhausting process. And a heads up to all those nut jobs on the results board who brag about their gpas and their GRE scores: I have a less than stellar overall gpa and totally mediocre test scores, but my first response was an acceptance letter. I am 31 years old and my academic record definitely has some wounds from silly behavior as a young student. However, if a school likes your ideas (English PhD here) and your writing, they will overlook a lot of other weaknesses. I'm not saying this to brag about getting into something, but to give hope that "less than perfect" people can still be very attractive candidates. With that said, I'm sure I have many rejections to look forward to. But chin up, everyone! A rejection isn't the worst thing that can happen in your life.

    I'm in the same boat. I too am an OTA undergrad student with a terrible academic record from years ago, though I've worked my bum off for the past three years to repair the damage. I worry that my past transgressions will haunt me. I worry that my ideas aren't original or intriguing. I worry that my writing comes off as childish and raw.

    But, I believe that adcoms look for potential as much as accomplishment - perhaps more. I'm sure we are all highly critical of ourselves (i think it comes naturally with goal setting/achieving), but grad school applicants are human. Grad school students, professors, and adcoms are as well. The truth is that we are all (or at least, most of us) very passionate and driven about our goals, and we have all done our very best with our applications because we wouldn't have settled for less. Worrying about things in hindsight does nothing. The universe will do what it will, and we will all come out of the process alive, breathing, and intact.

    So.... basically what closetgeek said in the first place. =P

    Backup plans?

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    I had a No-Plan-B-Panic a week or two ago, and put together applications to four MA programs. If A and B both fall through, I'm going to be a little bit devastated. I don't think I can go through the application process again next year; it's been tough financially and emotionally. I'll have to wing my plan C. Work, I'm sure, though I don't know what sort.

    UT Austin

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    This was one of my top choices too. That early deadline snuck up on me and I rushed to clean up my writing samples, inevitably making a bunch of errors in my second sample. And I've been lamenting that fact for two and a half months. I want in to UT so baaaaaaad.

    19th century American lit. It's not a perfect fit but I would DIE if I got in.

    As I write this I have to wonder if these demi-gods who decide the rest of our lives ever check out this website for a cruel chuckle....

    blink.gif

    I had the same problem with the early deadline; I submitted sub-par documents too, but once they were edited, I sent in my edited documents, and the program coordinator replaced the ones I submitted initially. VERY nice woman, from my email correspondence with her. Keeping digits crossed!

    Carnegie Mellon

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    I haven't heard anything from them either. Results posted from last year show all rejections sent within a couple days. Acceptance? Wait-list? MA offer? At this point, I'd be fine with any of the above. I just want to hear something from someone (other than a rejection).

    My last name starts with H, if you're curious...

    What music do you listen to?

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    Through undergrad, I've gone from preferring country music to pop to rock (like Bob Dylan, The Doors, Beatles, Black Angels, BRMC) to predominantly classical (Paganini, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff are my favorites). I can't stand country anymore, but still listen to the other three - mostly the last two genres, though.

    Coping with Waiting. Last night, I had a nightmare.

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    Last night I had a dream that one of my classmates and I were both accepted to Rice. We received our thick envelopes at the same time, and we were SO excited. As we poured over the materials included, she showed me a pamphlet on student housing options, and on-campus housing was AMAZING. It was cheap, spacious, and beautifully decorated/landscaped. There was a maid service and free room service and it was right on the beach. All students had plenty of free time and living stipends were enormous! We perused the literature SO enthusiastically, but when I turned to the front cover, I realized that it was for their undergrad students. She was in the process of transferring, rather than starting grad school. Graduate housing was expensive and cramped, funding was terrible, and grad students were driven to the ground like slaves. Reality check... =P

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