medianerd

Oh my lord, someone just knock me over the head so I can conk out and not think about this stuff! Am trying to keep busy, but not doing so well.

This is why I'm not sure looking at the results search is good for my mental health. Or really, I know it's not. I can't seem to stop doing it. Ironically, you people help keep me from going off the deep end just because of how many people are in the same boat. The "seeing that others have received notice but not getting anything yourself" is one of the worst parts of this. The daily emotional rollercoaster is awful.

Sachi- I have proof that some of my schools exist, but I'm not sure they remember I exist. I do wish programs wouldn't use physical letters as primary means anymore. Let everyone know via email at the same time to prevent speculation barry- Congrats! I attended a conference at UCSD a couple of years ago and it was lovely there. There's a giant stone bear in the center of campus.

I managed to get away from my computer for an evening, came back, and began checking my email frantically for an update. I wonder how I'd have behaved this week if last Thurs someone had said "hey, you won't hear anything in the next week, so focus on something else." That would have been nice, actually. ETA- I wonder why some schools seem to have notified waitlisted people, but I don't see any postings by accepted or rejected folks. *Head scritch*

Tonights, you are my moment of zen here. I actually made myself leave my office and go to the grocery store so I could stop checking this stuff obsessively. I spent $50 on really expensive gourmet food that I probably shouldn't have, because I was giving into every impulse.* Oh well, it's all nutritious and I sure need that these days. *= I mean, stimulating the economy.

WHAT DOES HEARING NOTHING MEAN?????!?!?!?!?! (particularly when other people are hearing from a school you applied to- either negatively, positively, or waitlisty). I MUST KNOW!

mrfuga, I hope I will be too. I mean, I have one admit, but my dream schools are still outstanding.

Yeah, not sure where to put Social Sciences on your poll.

Let's see... this is my third go at the PhD application process. (I switched fields after the first round actually... and my first round apps were total and complete crap) So, first time rejected from 5 PhD progs... (admitted to one MS program) Second time, rejected from 8 PhD progs (admitted to 2 MA programs) So... 13 rejections total, and holding. Hopefully won't be adding to them this year!

I loved the idea of departments taking longer this time to notify because they need to figure out what to say about funding and that keeps changing. It's true that it does! I am on the inside of one school and I've seen how things have been on hold here. Decided, but on hold. That might not be the case anywhere else though. La dee da.

Congrats anthro2009. I hope to join you at one of those 8) It definitely seems as though schools are not letting people know this year. I'm also noticing folks in archeology/physical/bio anthro are hearing first, perhaps because there tend to be so many more social anthro applicants to programs that are strong in both. It's as though the applicants were considered separately in the different areas of anthro, and social is taking longer- which would make sense. I dunno, I am officially in the 'making stuff up' stage. Or perhaps I should call it the 'crackpot theories' stage.

Also, most grad programs won't seriously consider a letter if the applicant doesn't waive their right to see it. The sense is that the recommender will not feel free to be candid. I was told several times if I felt I needed to see the letter, I needed a different recommender.

You know, I am wondering whether all of my news will come next week and the first week in March at this point. I hate this feeling of wishing time would just pass by- life is too short, but argh, I do.

Yeah, I think people post on rumors too... and I know of people who have posted for a friend who they didn't think used this site and then that person also posted (seeming to double the number of accepted students). I am trying to take my own advice to others and not assuming anything until I have a letter in my inbox or in hand.

fields- don't give up hope until you have the letter in your hand or in-box. As someone else said to me earlier- this year there's a lot more wait-listing going on, and not hearing can mean they're waiting on someone else to accept or decline their offer.

Thanks for the pep talk, crofty I'm feeling a lot more mellow this evening, actually. Loads of things were going wrong today @ work and I was on edge as it was. I'm not actually sure looking at the results postings is good for my mental health. Not sure I'll be able to resist, but am going to try to take them with a grain of salt.

You know, I now understand where people were coming from when they saw a program update on here and they hadn't gotten any notice. I really fell apart today as a result of this. And I know all of the common sense things about variation in notice time, etc but I figure that's uncommon. It also made me wonder whether anyone maliciously posts an update from a program that's inaccurate. Sigh. I thought I'd be a lot cooler.. it's just that the acceptance I did get may not come through with funding so I can't really count it. Trying to pull my head back up and think logically.. to let the thoughts go that don't serve me.

I'm having a bad day today, triggered largely by the conviction that I didn't get into one of my schools. Sometimes I'm not sure if the Results Search feature of this site is a good thing. *head down*. I mean, I'm jumping to conclusions. Also, I've gone through this process before and for me it gets harder each time, not easier. sigh.

Tonights, I am also trying not to be queasy at the moment. I feel kind of out of it/spacey with stress though.

Yeah, I'm in the "geez, this can't be good for me" stage of stress too.

I just heard a rumor about one of my programs and actually got super nauseated and lightheaded. Ugh, stress. I need to find my zen.

I had all rejects last year except two universities passed me onto their MA programs... I did one of them. (I'm not counting the year I didn't have it together and sent out messy/incomplete applications. I wasn't really ready and actually tried the following year.)

Yeah, I had a program ask me if I wanted to start language classes this summer and I was like 1. My lease isn't even up here until July 2. No. I need the mental health break.

Hm, so many people post notifications that they got from checking their application status pages. I don't have the guts to look at university websites right now, I really don't. This has also challenged my assumption that when a website like Embark was updated status-wise, it would send an email out. I thought one followed the other... incorrect apparently. p.s. yawn! Can't stop having nightmares lately.

I'd be inclined to think of it that way If I have the luxury *knock wood* of deciding between programs and any are clearly not in the running, I plan to let them know immediately. Seeing how the waitlist thing affects people makes me hope that someone will do that for me if it becomes relevant too.