Athenrein

I've worn sunglasses inside/at night before because they were prescription and one of the lenses fell out of my regular glasses and I lost the little screw that holds the lens in the frame and I hadn't been able to buy a repair kit... I gave that explanation so many times for those few days. Switched to plastic frames after that debacle. I like wearing nice-ish clothes and a little makeup. It makes me feel better about myself (I have problems with chronic depression), and thus I perform better. By nice-ish I mean dark jeans without holes or frayed bottoms, a top that fits well and doesn't have random stuff on it, and a sweater. Sometimes a skirt. Usually a pair of nice sneakers (not athletic shoes) or ballet flats. I do think comfort should be the first consideration when you're going to spend all day on campus. But comfort can also look nice, and when I'm feeling grumpy in the morning and reaching for an oversized faded t-shirt, I try to remind myself that wearing that around all day will actually make me feel worse.

I'm in the same boat, except that the only offer I got is an unfunded MA. I'm looking at about $60k including living expenses. On the one hand, it's really what I want to do. On the other, it's a LOT of money. I'm leaning towards accepting it, living farther away from campus to save some money on rent, and finding a job to help out with living expenses. If I can cover all my living expenses that'd cut down my loans to ~$35k, which seems a little more reasonable.

I'll likely be moving to Boulder for Fall as well. (I still have to decide if an unfunded MA is worth it, but that's a discussion for another thread...) What's parking like on campus? Here in Gainesville it's pretty awful, even if you have a permit. I have a car and would be fine bringing it if it's more affordable to live outside Boulder, but if the drive/parking is bad, it might be worth some money to avoid the hassle.

Don't worry about that law. I only found out about when I was considering going to FSU and reading about grad student housing options. My boyfriend and I lived together in a nice apartment in NW Gainesville for a few years and we didn't even know that law existed. No one cares. If anyone wants the quiet, more grown-up area of town, that's definitely NW. There are some nice apartments on 39th Ave, about 25 minutes from campus. I recommend having a car for everything *except* going to campus or downtown - driving and parking on campus is a nightmare. Just don't. But having a car for everything else is pretty necessary.

After my first two rejections I started planning in earnest, because I have a feeling I won't be getting in anywhere this year. I compromised in my interests, trying to make my SoP match my transcripts as best as possible, and I think I was too vague and unfocused. I had some research interests floating around in my head for a couple years, but I ignored them and second-guessed myself too much. First, I'm going to try to figure out how to get health insurance and get more treatment for my depression, because it'll be really hard to do what's next without it. Then I'm switching fields from linguistics to religion. I'm going to enroll as a post-baccalaureate student here at UF for the fall or even this summer (depending on deadlines), take some classes to improve my transcript & get new recommenders, then do a MA in religion here at UF as well (hopefully, but I'm confident I can get in here). Then once I have that under my belt, I'll apply to PhD programs again, with stronger letters of recommendation and a more focused area of interest. I'll take the time to contact PoIs before I apply, which I didn't do this time. Basically, since my dream is to get into Harvard or another school with a top Asian Studies / Asian Religions / Sanskrit program, I'm going to spend the next 2-3 years making myself the perfect applicant for those programs.

I got my Stanford rejection today as well. 2 down, 3 to go. I'm glad to know that not hearing from Harvard yet doesn't automatically mean rejection - but I can't help but feeling that if Berkeley and Stanford don't want me, I don't stand a chance with Harvard. Congratulations to everyone getting acceptances!

Here's a toast for my fellow Berkeley rejects! [holds up imaginary alcoholic beverage] Edit to add: Damn, should have applied to Cornell. (;

FutureEdStudent, thank you! Expecting a rejection and actually getting one are two very different things. I'm going to try really hard not to let this one make me think everyone else will reject me too... but that thought is definitely in the forefront of my mind right now. Staying positive is not easy for the chronically depressed, but I will try my bestest. Keep hanging in there, everyone!

Sitting at my desk at work trying (and failing) not to cry right now. First notification, and it's a rejection, and from one of my top choices. Yep. This sucks.

aaaaah my programs are starting to show up in the results survey! Panic! I really shouldn't have had that latte just now.

The words "Level One: Begin!" flashed in the sky, and orcs swarmed into his front yard, brandishing rusty axes.

Congrats to everyone who got good news yesterday! Nothing yet for me, so I'm basically expecting the Harvard rejection.

I have an MLIS from FSU, which is in-state and had an all-online program, so I basically did what you are thinking of doing. I would definitely agree that job experience trumps education. I didn't have any library experience before I graduated, and I spent a year looking for a library job after graduating, with no luck. I couldn't even get a job that didn't require the degree. I don't know anything about those schools, but based on my experience, I'd say that your plan is a solid one.

Any day now! This is agonizing. I keep meaning to do some studying to keep myself occupied, but by the time I get home from work I'm exhausted and just want to watch TV. And the times I'm the most anxious is during work anyway, because my job is tedious so I have plenty of opportunity to read these forums and worry that everyone will reject me. I think I won't be able to start studying again until I've gotten an acceptance. Then I can relax a bit.

I normally don't have my phone notify me when I get email. But this month I must know immediately. So I just set up an email filter to sort and label anything from schools and now my phone will only notify me about any new email labeled "school". Hopefully this will help me not check my email constantly... hah. as if. But at least if I'm actually busy and forgetting to check every two minutes, I'll be notified. Now I feel prepared.

Ack, that sounds awful. I wouldn't recognize area codes, but I'd jump at any non-local call. I kind of talked myself down from Harvard a little bit. Harvard has been my dream school forever, but Berkeley's linguistics department is probably the best fit for my interests. But it only helps a little because then I start freaking out about my chances of getting into Berkeley. Not worrying too much about any one school but just trying to be positive and think "I'll get in somewhere, and I'll be happy at any of the schools I applied to" is pretty much all I can do.

"Why don't you just stay here and go to UF?" or "You're applying out-of-state?" "How are you going to pay for it?" "How many languages do you speak?" (If they don't know me well and hear "linguistics" - everyone who knows me well has heard the linguistics spiel) "What about [my boyfriend]?"

This isn't exactly a typo, but I was working in the university's mailroom during graduate application season last year and I remember this. I opened one application packet, and her cover letter and statement of purpose were addressed to a completely different school in a different state. The applicant must have switched envelopes somewhere along the way. I bet she was mortified when we notified her of the mistake.

house party

Email or tell my boyfriend Post on twitter, google+, and facebook Read the letter half a zillion times to make sure Eat celebration nachos Read the letter half a zillion times again. Print it out just to make extra-sure it's real.

February starts soon! It's my month to hear back from most of my schools. I'm also moving out of my apartment this month. So hopefully the move will keep me occupied enough that I don't go completely crazy these next two weeks. But I've warned my friends that I'll be even more of a nervous wreck for the next couple of weeks.

"What are you going to do when you graduate?"

I'll be in an LDR with my boyfriend of 4 years once I start school (assuming I get in, but that's a different thread). He's going to school too, but he's staying here in Florida, at least for the next couple of years. After he finishes his bachelor's degree he's probably going to go to med school, so that's another seven years. Maybe I'll be able to find a job wherever he ends up doing his residency, but that's not guaranteed. It's going to suck sometimes, but I also think it'll make our relationship stronger. We've lived together for a while, and I think we tend to take each other for granted. We'll both be really busy with school, and we'll make the most of our visits. We both play games online, so we'll definitely be having game dates. I'm optimistic about it.

I'm getting really antsy now that I should start hearing from schools in two weeks. In case anyone applied for any of the same schools as I did, here's the dates I'm expecting to hear something, based on past years' results: Harvard: first week of Feb. (interview), rejections early March Stanford: first or second week of Feb. (interview) Berkeley: first or second week of Feb. (no interview) Boulder: end of March (no interview) UW Seattle: end of March (no interview)

Nachos for dinner with my wonderful boyfriend. And a high-quality backpack or messenger bag.