MDLee

We are allowed to be pessimistic sometimes. Just don't let it rule you. You've got to be optimistic. Life's got too many options to settle on this one

The reason professors make so much money is that they spent the first half of their life paying to get into the club Is it worth it? You gotta ask yourself: Do you feel lucky? Well...do ya? SORRY...I'm in a weird mood today.

Dumped...or getting pushed out into the cold, cruel world of academia without a coat. And you're like "Hold on! I just devoted X number of years to this place!" and their answer is something to the effect of "Don't let the door hit you on the way out...and make sure you pay all of your fees in advance of your departure!" hehe

Yah. I applied to world history programs...European history programs...even the one comparative genocide program in the country. I'm just not their cup of tea. On the plus...I haven't heard from my top choice yet. There may still be hope?

But I'm seriously beginning to think I'm not going to be accepted...anywhere. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Worse than a university that doesn't have a website to check your status is the one who has one...and then still sends you a letter via snail mail to tell you that you're rejected. No email notification (as you sit there with your breath held). One more reject. Chalk it up, I guess. The traveling circus option is looking more appealing every day. :roll:

That's sad...I sure hope that hasn't happened to me...

Am in the process of reading up on Marx for a historiography class. Books on the origins of Amnesty International...oh yes, and a guilty read about the history of legal prostitution in the state of Nevada. Gotta stay interested SOMEHOW!

Wow...they gave you a TIME FRAME? sigh...were that I'd been so lucky!

Or universities that don't have an online AT ALL...like the app was on paper so you can FORGET the status check! (::cough cough CLARK::

RiseandFall: I heard that they don't like you to get your PhD where you got your Master's...they call it "academic incest "at my university :roll:

TNK: I like this plan. I have chewed over teaching high school (I'll have a Masters...and I have a teaching certificate from my dual undergrad major) or taking the LSATs and trying to get into international law programs. I've also considered trying again next year or extending the Master's program for another semester while I get my act together. Or maybe I'll just join the traveling circus...or become a cross country trucker. At this point either of those actually beats the heck out of where I'm sitting...since I'm staring down the barrel at 3 rejects and no acceptances.

You're singing my song. Not only am I useless at my job right now--but I'm finding thesis writing is impossible too. Epic fail all the way around for me. I also am in a place that I'm determined to eventually leave...but the horizon isn't looking as rosy as it did before Christmas and with my own rejects having come in (and no acceptances yet) I too am freaking out. Silently. But its still happening. Stay strong. You'll get in. And if not...there's always another door. :wink:

Hmm. 2 acceptances. 1 with funding. 1 Wait List. 7 rejects. Maybe I'm a bit pessimistic. My outlook might change when I get an acceptance or two. :wink:

Most genocide programs are in cold climates (makes no sense to me, but whatever). I'm from the middle of the desert, so I insisted (against my chair's better judgment) that I also apply to programs in warm areas. So far I'm down two cold climes and one warm one with 4 cold climes and 3 warm ones to report. I didn't apply to any that I considered "Safety" figuring I'd be damned lucky to get into any of them...but my committee chair did insist on ten apps (if it had been up to her I'd have done 15.) After what it cost, I can't say I regret not doing more...but in the end I am kind of comforted by the number I did put out.

Sheesh. I had a rec provider who is so busy working on his own book that he MISSED the deadline for Yale and I had to beg an extension. I gave him/everyone 3 weeks notice of everything and he had known all semester I was going to be needing this from him. He was absolutely disinterested and MIA when I needed him. I got emails from Clark and UC-SD that he had not sent in the letters on time so begged extensions there too. Upset? You bet I am. I feel your pain. And I'm stuck with this prof on my committee...and my chair expects me to get his input. What input? He's been ignoring me for the past three months!! :roll:

This is a good point. Especially in this market. Say you hit the jackpot and leave grad school with a PhD and a significant other, you still need to be employed! Go where the jobs are...its a flexibility requirement. You might apply in both of your hometowns...you never know--it could happen.

Synthla! You got rejected from UCSD too? I was beginning to think I was the only one. And I agree. The "we're all special...just like everyone else" syndrome has gone to everyone's head.

Ditto. My parents think I'm out of my mind because I care about genocide in places that are far away...my sister says I should be feeding the homeless here. They all think I'm liberal because I have a broad human rights agenda...yikes.

Its funny because I still consider myself to be pretty conservative. I just feel like I weigh both sides and then come to an informed decision...it isn't always the black and white, good vs. evil, Manichean paradigm that some of my family members subscribe to. The older I get the more that I realize you can be very religious without being very Christian, if that makes sense. And it frustrates me that they would suggest that my education would forever taint me... God give me patience. sheeessh.

Thank God for that. Honestly, I think that somewhere in the process the brain just turns to mush...and we're left with...well...insanity. I've heard it said that only crazy people try to do grad school ("What a waste of your twenties!" is a common refrain from the peanut gallery...or is that the banana gallery? LoL). Although, at this point, I've heard that Monkey University is throwing fellowships like dung...so I'm headed that direction, if I can help it

More or less. Irony of ironies, not two days ago when I suggested that I wanted to stop after a Master's and teach school my mother lost it over that too. Can't win. :roll:

I'm glad I'm not the only one. Between test fees, transcript fees, app fees, and postage fees I feel like I would've done better to take myself for a road trip and forget PhD programs all together. Here's the math break down for you: We pay them to get in. We pay them to go to school (occasionally they throw us a bone and pay for a bit) We pay them to take thesis/dissertation credits We pay them for the "publication" of said thesis/dissertation (which just means they bind it and rubber stamp our graduation app) We pay them for the privilege of the owning the work that we did while we paid them for the privilege of writing/publishing the stuff. We pay them to graduate. According to the latest stats we have a 20% chance of becoming a professor, assuming we've even finished our dissertation. Why are we torturing ourselves over this stuff again? Oh yah...because we're nutty and we actually like the subject. :mrgreen:

And we mustn't forget the number of times you've checked your email in the last few hours....and since your deadline is before mine I'll even loan you my additions from all of those categories. That's got to count for 2500...so...where-oh-where do we get the rest of the required wordage from?? :?:

I like the second one a lot