cunninlynguist

I find myself going to bed earlier than usual, in a futile effort to get the next day started. Why bother? Last night I also had a dream, tacitly informing me that application season had passed and nothing had changed. I was back at my summer job and looking at a massive schedule that seemed to never end, and my bosses were indignant that I wanted time off. It seemed that anything less than eternal servitude was unacceptable. fernandopizza: Hope it's nothing serious, but don't take any risks with your health. Go to a doctor if the fever persists (especially if it's a high fever).

BTW, the 2011 iteration of this thread had 33 posts by February 2; we've only hit 17 now. Furthermore, amongst the main 4 schools (Yale, Michigan, Duke, UCSB), only one decision has been rendered. That also is behind last year's pace. Slow cycle so far...

Truth! The costs of law school are prohibitive virtually everywhere and the job market has declined dramatically in the last decade or so. Not an easy path.

Yeah, we're still a few weeks away from decisions, although it wouldn't surprise me if some were released in mid-February. Yale will not be earlier than March 15. My first choice is Michigan -- the program at SNRE is a perfect match for me. (Brown was also a top choice...)

23. And the median age for the programs I applied to is 26-28, due to work experience. ... On that note, see y'all in three years!

Happy to see the contingent of environment folks expand a bit, was quiet for a while. Seems like, of the 5 of us in this thread so far, we've got 2 policy people and 3 technical (science, engineering, etc.). biggytre: Congratulations on the OSU acceptance! I presume you selected the Environmental Policy concentration?

I think it's a bit presumptuous for anyone to interject themselves into this process, which is completely in each of our own hands. We put in the work. We paid the money. We polished every application material and ensured everything was in order. We are, justifiably so, wondering where our future is headed for the next 2-8 years. Spending some idle internet time on a forum populated entirely by intelligent graduate school hopefuls, monitoring results and commiserating about the stresses of this ordeal seems like a non-issue. But maybe that's a warped perspective!

"Scared of getting a real job, huh?" "Why are you applying there? Doesn't [insert name of completely random local/regional school] have a good program?"

I will refer you to this: http://www.quickmeme...llege-Freshman/

I'll only use tracks released within the last year or so to retain some connection to the application process. Accepted: Victory Laps - MF DOOM & Ghostface Killah Eyes in the Sky - Immortal Technique Who Da Neighbors - Juicy J Victorious People - Zion I & The Grouch Waiting: 4Eva and a Day - Big K.R.I.T. The Grand Illusion - Pharoahe Monch Check to Check - Apathy The Only One - Blu & Exile Rejected: So Cold - Future Get Ignorant - Cunninlynguists What The Hell - Gucci Mane Check My Resume - 2 Chainz

Sounds good to me. For a while I felt compelled to be a lawyer, but now my alternate plan would be avian biology.

Yes. It'll grant you an opportunity to showcase a shiny new grade and you'll be better prepared to deal with the math-oriented elements of an MPA. Win-win!

Thank you for your service. The further you distance yourself from undergrad, the less weight is given to your GPA. Everything else offered in this thread is excellent advice: the quantitative coursework and doing well on the GRE will at least demonstrate that you'll be capable on an academic level. Weave your work and military experience into a strong SOP that doesn't dwell on your undergrad (old news by that point, anyway).

Great choice -- I'm leaning towards shoes, too (albeit the male equivalent). Either a pair of Air Max 95s or, more likely, something sensible from Lacoste.

Helpful input. I'm fortunate to deal with pressure and anxiety well, but now that it's late January, the uncertainty of timing has been reintroduced into the process. I could hear back tomorrow or I could receive every decision in March.

I'm going crazy. (Last year, there were 2 acceptances by Duke on the 26th and 27th, according to the results survey -- I'm now anxious to find out if any decisions are rendered this year during that time period. If not, their decisions seem to follow a stochastic schedule and it might be mid-March before I learn my fate). How do you PhD applicants deal with it? Not only are you expecting to cement your plans for the next 5+ years, but you've likely got to endure the interview process as well and hope your POI has a lab that can fit you in.

Unless you're especially connected to a letter writer and frequent correspondence is typical, I'd wait until you've learned of all decisions. The best tactic would be to inform them when you've selected a program to attend. They'll be most excited about that and are of course most interested to learn where you'll be headed.

Excellent! Not a huge gamer myself, but I loved Oblivion and love Skyrim. A perfect winter distraction for many months. The only problem is that I now vacillate between nightmares about rejections and the Falmer (for the uninitiated, see this). I was very pleased to get in contact with a former professor who happens to hold a high position in government now. It took 3 levels of communication to reach him thanks to the labyrinth known as bureaucracy and I was expecting to have an exceptionally difficult time. While LORs are important to us, it probably ranked very low on the priority scale for a government official. I'm beyond grateful it worked out and appreciated the effort of his staff.

You're a braver soul than I. It's not that I'm superstitious, but there's something about this whole process that scares me, and I don't want to offend it.

If you're willing to sacrifice a few unrelated electives, it's relatively simple to complete a fair amount of quant-focused courses. There are plenty of opportunities to take statistics, calculus, micro and/or macro, etc. Branch out. I wouldn't recommend climbing the ladder and forcing yourself to take a upper-level math course, but a diverse selection -- and consistent exposure to quantitative concepts -- will bode well for you.

Spriteling, hoping the best for your roommate. I received my application fee reimbursement from Brown yesterday -- or, rather, Embark -- and it wasn't as promised. Their financial representative contacted all of the former applicants and said we'd be refunded through the same means of payment (in my case, that'd be my debit card). Instead, they took what I presume is the lazy way out and simply sent the application fee via PayPal to my e-mail address. Of course, PayPal takes a small chunk out and now it'll take 3-4 days to transfer to my bank account. I wouldn't be surprised if a few of my fellow applicants don't even have PayPal accounts. I'm still out my GRE score report fee and transcript costs, and never received any responses to my inquiries. I suppose it's time to just leave it be.

My best guess would be Sir Peter Crane -- http://environment.y...profile/crane/ -- as he's the Dean of FES.

Got verification from Duke yesterday about my transcripts and Michigan about my final LOR. Literally everything is in. Except now it's FAFSA time... Anyone else not rushing to get that done? It feels good to be 100% done with the application stuff, and given that decisions aren't going to materialize for another month or two, it's nice to just revel in this glorious stage of completion.

Thanks all -- I appreciate the support. Truly a bizarre situation, but I can't dwell on it as there's nothing left to do. While I can't express surprise over a program being eliminated, the lack of timely notice feels disrespectful, above all else.

Hey Rachel -- it was Brown. How are your applications going?