We regret to inform you

it sounds like you're talking about spending time in a lab doing physical work or running experiments, etc. I was talking more about sitting at a desk with your head in a book. I just can't read and study from a book for 5+ hours a day for multiple days in a row. Also, i don't quite see the necessity for doing so either. In my programs my professors were NOT assigning readings and homework that would consume that much time. If a student were spending that much time then they were probably overdoing it or just doing something wrong.

I'm starting my 3rd masters next week. Based on my experience in earning my previous two masters degrees I can say that the amount of time, effort, and energy you put into your grad program depends very much on you, your department, and your discipline. 1. How many classes are you taking? What is the expected course load for your department? My regular fall/spring semesters at both of my programs required 3 classes a semester. Also, during my 2nd masters I was a TA for 3 or 4 discussion sections during those semesters. I was fairly busy, but still had at least a few hours of free time most evenings. About once a month i'd have to sacrifice an entire weekend to study for an exam. On the other hand, in summer sessions i've usually taken just 1 class and was a TA for 2 discussion sections and I had tons of free time. 2. What is your TA workload like? Will you be doing labwork also? Again, this depends on your department and your field, but my TA responsibilities usually ate up one entire day - the day of the discussions and then afterwards grading homework and quizzes - and then a few hours on another day for preparing for that week's discussion. Will you be expected to do any sort of labwork or other department responsibilities on top of that? If so, then that'll obviously eat up more time. My first masters was a teaching degree and it was a joke. i averaged about 60-90 minutes a day studying outside of class time and I did well. My second masters was more research based and was more intense. I probably averaged 2.5 hours a day studying outside of class time, and then another few hours a week on TA duties outside of running the discussion sections. I also did well. I honestly can't imagine studying 5+ hours a day as some people on this board claim to. I usually run out of steam studying more than 3-4 hours a day for a few days in a row. 2-3 hours a day is usually optimal for myself. I feel that the brain is very much like a muscle - you can't keep working it out for several hours in a row nonstop. It needs breaks and it needs time off to recover.

Getting a lawyer and trying to take some sort of legal action would probably do a lot more harm than good. You'd most likely burn a lot of bridges. And if word of that got out to other programs that you were to apply to in the future, that would be a huge red flag against you. Try to do your best to politely resolve the situation in as non-confrontational of a manner as possible. If it doesn't get you anywhere then you've got to just let it go, as much as it hurts.

i'm happy with the funded acceptance i got and the program is an awesome fit for me, but i am kinda curious why i had such poor luck. i'd consider myself a pretty solid applicant, but maybe not.

waiting for that had to be gut wrenching! congrats on the payoff!

if you got in to at least one place that you're happy to go to, then i'd say that's all you need.

17% for me. 1 fully funded acceptance and 5 rejections.

I was rejected almost immediately by USC. my application was completed around mid december and i was rejected before new years. I had called up the department over winter break to make sure they had received everything and they told me that they had received everything AND that i had been rejected. I was kind of stunned. I honestly don't understand HOW they managed to reject me that fast. I have some pretty solid stats and previous grad school experience. And I figured they wouldn't even look at applications until the spring semester began. I even looked over my application several times to make sure I hadn't made any mistakes and I couldn't find any.

MyFile Also, i was applying to the earth and space sciences department, not MSW. I had emailed the department on friday since i hadn't heard anything for so long. They responded back late friday saying I would hear this week. I'm not sure if I had "motivated" someone to update my status, or it was just a coincidence and that this week is in fact the week decisions are being sent out for everyone in the department.

I just got rejected from York. No worries though. I have already accepted another fully funded offer.

Thank you, spambot!

I've heard nothing from 3 schools. I share your pain.

I definitely would NOT do this. Just move on. Try your best to do a better job next time. Focusing on the bad really just makes you seem weak and uncertain. Being a teacher is like being the captain of a ship - You should always give the impression that you know what you're doing even when you don't.

I had a round of all rejections a few years back. It's a pretty miserable experience, but you can learn from your mistakes and you can take this extra year to improve your apps for next time: 1. Apply to more safety schools next time. 2. Retake the GRE. 3. Rewrite your SOP. 4. Try to start up a dialogue with more professors at the schools you are applying to. 5. In the mean time try to get a job in the field.

...since april 15 is this weekend? I've already accepted an offer, but i'm on one waitlist and i'd still be curious just to know if i had what it took to get in.