YagglesSnaggles

I know a few guarantees, but revealing them could be costly. And it depends how low you want to go. :mrgreen:

Kung Fu?

Is it not?

Wow, that logic is so convuluted I think it might just work! I am in the same boat with Wash. I think if we hear nothing by next late-August we can just show up and get to work, and then we can still check our email hoping to hear nothing.

Stella, It could be fate, but from my experiences so far I hope for your sake that our paths are not aligned too much. Where else did you apply? I have already been rejected by Buffalo and I am waiting on Pitt, Carnegie, Indiana, Rochester, Northwestern, Purdue and of course WashU. Most of these are cultural studies emphases, and of course obnoxiously cold for a Floridian.

App'd to Purdue Eng. Status on app site says Under Review, whatever that truly means.

Waited outside on top of my car typing thesis for 2 hours expecting mail lady to show up. She is quite the attractive little button might I add, and I started to get worried when 1130 came, until I realized it was P-day. This is absurd; they should of delivered mail yesterday knowing today was a holiday. I mean, what about all those late "i didn't forget" gifts. Shouldn't it be illegal to have two holidays within the span of 3 days?

So Pitt went from Email acc/rej, to phone ones, and then to postal rejections...?

Most say that Undergrad G.P.A is more important than Graduate ones because they provide a more objective perspective of a students work in a larger sample size of courses. The argument is that most students in Master's programs, especially the ones intrepid enough to apply to PHD prog's, have close relationships with their professors. Add this to an already inflated graduate school grading process--where a B is pretty much a failing grade in most programs--it is difficult to discern a students potential by their graduate grades; I am sure this varies in most places, but the 'brightest' student from my master's program was very limited in his school choice from a few too many years as an undergraduate partying it up and receiving merely average grades. I think the UG G.P.A is supposed to proffer a better idea of the person as a whole, but I say that for some the college experience is an integral part for forming scholars who view the world through alternative lenses.

It is crazy to think about, considering that your life and everything that accompanies is dependent on a few variant words on a sheet of paper or in an email--accept/deny. I mean, we mostly just think about it in terms of validation, but in reality it decides entire lives. Though, most of us have probably fetishized this process to such an extreme(checking boards and results obsessively) that it is far removed from what it actually means.

I have heard nothing either from Pitt, but from the looks around here it seems no news is the second best type of news. What a mysterious process this seems to be...

Tips: 1) Speak slowly if you must. Many people are actually quite skilled articulaters and are very confident in what they are saying, but this does not mean that everything they say is important nor valid. Do not try and emulate peoples style, and if you must, speak slower and more methodical. Try not to think about speaking at all. Although, there are some professors and people quite accomplished in their field that speak slow, and choppy.Remember that articulation does not always translate to skillzzz. 2) Try and avoid thinking about what you are going to say like you are planning a paper. Also try and avoid the same language you would use. Often, people in graduate school think they have to sound extra erudite or their ideas will not fly... 3) try and gesticulate as much as possible. I know this sounds funny but body movement is important. 4) Find someone in the class, or audience, that is giving/or you know will reciprocate your ideas and give you positive feedback and acknowledgment with their eyes and with nods. 5) Most importantly, be confident. I used to think that no one cared about my ideas, but once your in graduate school you realize that we are all their(or most anyways) because we love scholarship, literature, and analyzing stuff; and it is not like undergraduate where only half the class cared. Oy, I really need to hear some good news on the app front......

I totally get your point with the whole imaginary thing--I guess this is the true definition of purgatory; some type Baudrillardian nightmare. This whole process, and especially the waiting, has allowed me to totally re-evaluate my values and my future, and has been a good reminder of the bureaucratic, unpredictable nature of literary studies. This is just a small taste of what life will be like; imagine waiting for notice from potential employers.....

Finally some folks that can commiserate with me. I am trying to use an Acceptance to help me motivate me write my thesis and my refresh is going to break soon too. Although, it is nice to have something to look forward to everyday, even if it usually just results in disappointment. Yes, there is indeed something inside me that wants to go through this same thing again next year; something like the feeling that I am slowly perfecting my awareness of this whole process; and this definitely has a lot to do with last minute regrets about app-packet quality. Oh well. Someone on the results page said something helpful; something along the lines of 'you are not your app-packet.' I like that.