mentalyoga

Aw, no reason to believe yours was 'suckier.' My frustration with this whole process is that everything seems like a shot in the dark. I know a friend last year who got full funding to a school that was ranked higher, 'better on paper,' generally more prestigious, etc.--and was outright rejected to one she expected easy acceptance to. And so not really having a clue as to what might pull weight is what bothers me. I mean, for example, my GREs aren't spectacular, but I've heard that writing samples are really highlighted in the process (and I know mine is really strong)--but then, I hear that GREs are one of the 'first cuts' made, so maybe my sample won't even be seen. It's the not having any straws to grasp at that gets under my skin.

I've been more or less paralyzed all week, after discovering that Brandeis and Michigan have started to accept/reject people to their English doctoral programs. I was worried about Chapel Hill, too, until I saw that it seems only Master's applicants have heard back so far. Looks like Brown and Cornell, however, are still holding out--or at least that's what the results here point to? UGH.

Brandeis has been toying with me all week. I've heard of these rejection letters, but haven't received one yet...so I'm hoping for the "no news is good news" for the time being. Maybe stupidly, I thought Brandeis was one of the schools I had a really great chance of being accepted to, especially considering my specialization in relation to two of the big faculty members. But I'm trying not to get my panties in a twist, though god knows the empty mailbox all week hasn't helped.