psi456

I'm not sure if I will cry. I seem to lack the ability to cry. But I will probably immediately send an acceptance email to the school that wants me. Then, I will get drunk on wine and have an impromptu dance party in my living room, whether or not I am alone.

Somehow you read my mind smuglife... I applied to the mech department at Berkeley this year and last year. Last year's rejection was expected. I lacked focus, credentials, basically the whole application package was bad. This year however I thought I did things right. I worked for a year in industry. Used my industry connections to talk to a professor at Berkeley, put that name on the application, and got two people from my work to write me letters of rec. Working for a year narrowed my focus tremendously and what I want to get out/ study in grad school. Its frustrating because I'm only a contractor and the longer a school doesn't get back to me the higher chance I can't become a permanent employee at my job because they might hire someone else. At this point I really just want a decision good or bad so I can stop living in a constant state of anxiety.

Ok, true story. Applied to 7 schools and had 5 rejections at that point. I had totally given up hope and was already making plans to talk to my boss about staying on for another year. On top of all the stress of the rejections, my doctor had decided that a funny looking bump needed to be removed, so after work I went for the procedure and came home with stitches in a place that made it difficult to sit. So I'm freaked out about stitches (I'm a pansy) and worried about the labwork (it was either nothing, or melanoma, fun choices!) and when I walk in the door my husband hands me a skinny envelope from Temple. I was so emotionally exhausted I nearly threw it in the trash unread. Thankfully, I opened it anyways and had to read the first sentence 3 times before it clicked. I laughed for 5 minutes at the irony and then cried for 15 from all the stress lifting. And the bump turned out to be nothing.

Should have just thanked them warmly, and asked who you should contact to make sure your name is updated in their database. And then told them you've just quit your job so you can focus on the program 100%, starting now.

I planned on making a paper mache' version of the rejecting school's mascot -- and then burning it. But I've only gotten email/website rejections, so theres nothing to mache'. Plus, the logical, reasonable, more sane me knows that once I made that paper mache' mascot, I would likely become fond of it, even start to love it, making my rejection worser still since I would never get to meet the real thing.

Have finally heard back from my first and second schools today, so I feel like I have graduated from this thread.

Thinking of those still in this situation, having been there for 3 months+.

Love it.

In mine, the words teach and learn were bigger than research.

I know when I get rejected from the last three, that next year, RESEARCH is the buzz word.

Actually, I think that not contacting your program by yourself, especially in the case when supposed deadline for decision has passed, is just dangerous. Imagine, what if you app was somehow missed or handled incorrectly in the process? And that's why you haven't heard still while all others had... Taking up action early can save the situation.

I was the opposite. After I submitted my apps on the 15th, I was ready to wash my hands of it all until I got notified of whatever. But now, I'm increasingly irritable because I feel like I can't start concrete planning for the next phase of my life (job-hunting, or prepping for a move) until I hear back from these damn programs.

I was at home for lunch, and my husband brought me my phone before heading out the door. (You know, so I could check for a rejection email before heading back to work. They feel less hurtful when you have to squint to read them.) I saw that one of the 3 new messages in my inbox was from "admissions" and had a file attachment. Honestly, it looked like an ad. I've been receiving a large number of spams since I put my email on the GRE search list when I took the test. I opened the email anyway, and saw it was from Top Ranked U. (This school wasn't even my top choice because I thought I had no chance.)

I was sure it was going to be a rejection so I asked my husband to stay for a minute. Then I started reading. "...I am pleased to offer you admission..." WTF?! I told him I thought it was spam because below it there was information about downloading Adobe Acrobat Reader. A little further down I found a link to a PDF, and, to be sure, it really was an admission letter, with financial aid papers. It took a minute or so for the news to soak in because I've been so melancholy lately. I noticed my husband's eyes watering. I read the letter again. I read the financial offer. I jumped up off the couch and onto my husband. We jumped up and down squealing. I did a happy dance.

Then I called my folks. That conversation was so anticlimactic. At least I'm glad I could express to them how grateful I am that they loaned me cost-of-living money for grad school. (I'm probably to blame because I figured this school was such a reach that I should've worn a harness when I applied. I didn't talk up the school at all because I didn't want to get my hopes up either. They have no idea about the school's reputation or how I could only dream of studying under the same great minds whose theories I've toyed with in my own research.)

I called my friend and called my brother, both of whom know more about my field. That turned out much better. And I could finally offer a sincere, sane apology for being so crazy for the last six months. And now I'm posting the good news here. Yay!

Okay but the app fee isn't the only thing that I paid for. It also cost me twenty four dollars in transcripts plus a fourth of my GMAT test, so let us allocate another sixty per school plus sending that score plus sending from my credentials file. So it's now about one eighty or so per school. Okay, yes the school doesn't see all that money but they know that it was all spent for this decision.

Additionally, I'm not annoyed that they are still making decisions at this point but they know the April 15 deadline is approaching and I didn't even receive a "we got everything" email for a program I applied to in October. At least don't keep me in suspense for nothing. My em

Okay but the app fee isn't the only thing that I paid for. It also cost me twenty four dollars in transcripts plus a fourth of my GMAT test, so let us allocate another sixty per school plus sending that score plus sending from my credentials file. So it's now about one eighty or so per school. Okay, yes the school doesn't see all that money but they know that it was all spent for this decision.

Additionally, I'm not annoyed that they are still making decisions at this point but they know the April 15 deadline is approaching and I didn't even receive a "we got everything" email for a program I applied to in October. At least don't keep me in suspense for nothing. My em

Okay but the app fee isn't the only thing that I paid for. It also cost me twenty four dollars in transcripts plus a fourth of my GMAT test, so let us allocate another sixty per school plus sending that score plus sending from my credentials file. So it's now about one eighty or so per school. Okay, yes the school doesn't see all that money but they know that it was all spent for this decision.

Additionally, I'm not annoyed that they are still making decisions at this point but they know the April 15 deadline is approaching and I didn't even receive a "we got everything" email for a program I applied to in October. At least don't keep me in suspense for nothing. My em

Okay but the app fee isn't the only thing that I paid for. It also cost me twenty four dollars in transcripts plus a fourth of my GMAT test, so let us allocate another sixty per school plus sending that score plus sending from my credentials file. So it's now about one eighty or so per school. Okay, yes the school doesn't see all that money but they know that it was all spent for this decision.

Additionally, I'm not annoyed that they are still making decisions at this point but they know the April 15 deadline is approaching and I didn't even receive a "we got everything" email for a program I applied to in October. At least don't keep me in suspense for nothing. My em

Haha... yes!

It means, it excited me in just the right way. It's a cute phrase that old folks like my parents use, don't know where its from.


Every now and then I like to update my username. I had, had maniac since 7th grade- which I thought was awesome and I even did a substitution so that I could write my email address correctly but you'd have to be in the "know" to spell it right. Goodness, I was a cool 9th grader--- of course I spelled in MANLAC... so that's pronounce man lack. As a guy, I got sick of explaining it. So I tried to come up with a username that meant nothing.

Essentially, psi was chosen because it was a relevant symbol in something I was working on earlier that day and 456 was chosen so that I could remember what the numbers were. Couldn't have remembered a completely random set of numbers... yep. I'm another random one. And I second the, my avatar highlights my originality.

Not saying it's an inappropriate comparison, but there is one big difference: you don't pay to apply for a job. If people had to pay $100 every time they applied for a job, it damn well better be the case that they notify you.

Okay but the app fee isn't the only thing that I paid for. It also cost me twenty four dollars in transcripts plus a fourth of my GMAT test, so let us allocate another sixty per school plus sending that score plus sending from my credentials file. So it's now about one eighty or so per school. Okay, yes the school doesn't see all that money but they know that it was all spent for this decision.

Additionally, I'm not annoyed that they are still making decisions at this point but they know the April 15 deadline is approaching and I didn't even receive a "we got everything" email for a program I applied to in October. At least don't keep me in suspense for nothing. My em

love lockdown

Back in the days of yore, people used this program called AOL INSTANT MESSENGER. When I was in high school, I didn't have internet access until I was in 10th or 11th grade. So, I get some high speed online, and I suddenly need a screen name. I was convinced that the name was extremely important. So I sat and read the local phone book (not all of it...) and found strange names. But my favorite was some old man named "August Quail." August is my favorite month, and I think that quail is a nice bird. Also, I liked the flexibility of the words, august also meaning inspiring reverence or admiration, and quail meaning to cower in fear. The name creates a weird, poetic incongruence that I like. Yup.

I wish I had a cool story for my username/avatar. I am not Russian. My research has nothing to do with space or astronomy or anything even close to that. I was trying to come up with a username, and I had a radio on. For some reason, they were talking about sputnik, and thus my username was created.

For the avatar, I just looked for cool pictures of sputnik. Since I love dogs, I picked this one, on account of the dog.

LoL Pretty weak, all around.

My best friend and I created a language when we were in high school...sort of. We just made up words and came up with there meanings (we had WAY too much time on our hands). Zjwah, we decided, represented a teeny, tiny month between April and May. It is very quick, lasting just a split second right before midnight on May 1. Our saying was: "April showers, Zjwah, May flowers." I promise we weren't high or drunk when we came up with this. We were just that awesome.

Tony Danza

What really bothers me is that my application for one of the schools was due February 15th- I handed it in October 5th! I called them last week to ask for an update of my status, the admissions people (in the general office) were shocked to see a decision wasn't made because my application was there for so long. So they forwarded my call to the actual department. The department said they haven't even LOOKED at it yet!

I am in the same situation....just 15 minutes ago....I was rejected from my number one choice. Honestly it sucks but you know what....we will all get through it. The one thing this website has done for me is shown me that I am not alone. As I posted just before I found out about my rejection, there are over 38,000 people supporting me....regardless of my admission status.

My best advice to you is feel it for a while...and then move on. Remember: We determine how we respond to a situation. Let us not be judged by the rejections but by the willingness to put ourselves out there (softly the music of America the Beautiful begins to play). Obstacles are only those things we see when we take our eye off the goals. (music increasing, crowds begin to swell with energy). Remember, when one doors closes...another opens (a mother craddles her new born child; a vetern stands to salutes; the music intensifies). We live with no regrets because we tried...we are the little engines that could....keep trying...never give up.....(a tear runs down the cheek of soldier; Glenn Beck sobs--no surprise!). And never....ever....forget.......in the immortal words of the late Anne Nicole Smith...."Do you like my body".....opps..I mean....in the vien of a Mastercard commercial....Submitting supporting detail transcripts: $4.44; Non-refundable PhD Application Fee: $65, Smiling because you realize how great your are: PRICELESS! (the crowds cheer, applause fills the air, and you are still smiling)


I know that just helped me..... we will all be fine! Right?

I don't know whether to be proud or ashamed.