crazygirl2012

I'm kind of a baby-- turned 21 a few months ago. My POI at my top choice school told me that she'd prefer if I had taken a year or two off after undergrad to get a master's degree or something. Of course I didn't reveal my actual age, just the fact that I'm a senior in college. I hope she assumes I'm 22!

"Haha... that's a lot of money!" At the registrar's office at my university, as I was writing a check to them so they would send my transcripts. I know it's a lot of money. You're the ones charging me for it. Thanks for the reminder though.

I agree. Take some time off from trying to interpret it, and just prepare as thoroughly as you can. You'll have plenty of time to worry when it's over! In the meantime, stay calm and confident and treat it like any other interview.

That website is fantastic. And I'm supposed to be writing a paper right now.

Oh no! No more cold showers! Unless it works, in which case let me know so I can do it too.

I checked my email in my sleep. My iPhone was next to my bed and when I woke up, I was holding the phone and my email inbox was staring back at me. I think that was a new low for me. In my defense, there was a reasonably important grad school related email there!

I would suggest not asking who will be on the conference call, because they did already sort of give you an answer to that. They just didn't mention names. I have asked questions in response to interview invitations, but only related to travel and dress code. For a conference call, I can't think of any other questions you should reasonably ask. Maybe you can ask if your POI will be included, if they didn't make that clear?

Thank you for this! Thanks for admitting that you're not perfect even though you've been successful, and thanks for understanding that some of us get really nervous about being evaluated all day.

I've been told that it's mostly about social skills. Communicate well and be a pleasant person. They won't be asking you detailed questions about research or anything like that. As long as you can carry on a conversation, you'll be fine!

That is really weird because of the start date. On occasion, if you are rejected, the program will just not even bother to contact you. That happened to my advisor. But it sounds like your case is entirely different. That's really weird. If you don't get a return email tomorrow, call.

Thank you! That eases my mind a lot!

I have yet to find one. Go for it! My friend and I were considering it as well, but I doubt we'll end up doing it. Post a link if you make one!

It's a touchy subject. My friends and I have been fortunate to have very different interests, and it's still hard. I think we're all genuinely happy for each other, but there's always going to be a bit of jealousy.

That happened to me this morning and I actually got some work done. It was great. Now I'm back to my usual state of worrying and nervousness.

I have one easy-to-hide tattoo on the arch of my foot, and I want to get something psychology-related eventually, but I'm not sure what, when, or where. I do want a new piercing! I think I'll go with something simple. I've been wanting another one on my right ear for awhile. Maybe I'll get it as a celebratory thing. I like that idea. From what I've heard/seen, understated, tasteful piercings and tattoos are fine in academia, even if they're visible.

I was in the exact same situation (phone interview, then the interviewer put me in contact with her students). I was nervous too, but so far the communication has gone well, so I'll answer your questions as a fellow applicant: 1. I first introduced myself and asked if they would mind telling me about their experience at the school. It was really vague, maybe too vague, but it got the dialogue started. I got some really thoughtful responses from the open-ended question. 2. That I can't really answer, since I'm also an applicant, so I'm glad the person who posted before me did! I just went with the same guidelines everyone has told me for meeting them in person-- be yourself, show that you can communicate and you'd be a good person to work with, and think of them as potential colleagues. As long as I keep that in mind, I feel comfortable. 3. Yep! My POI actually told her students to give me their honest opinions of her. I didn't have to ask anything specific, because they all told me she's great and elaborated on that. They gave me an idea of her personality, attitude, expectations, etc. They told me about their own goals and work habits too. Very helpful! 4. I took their lead on this. Two of them have been slightly more formal (although still very honest and willing to give their true opinions), and one more candid and conversational. I try to match the tone of the emails just like I do with professors. Professors differ in their level of formality with us too, and it can change based on how many times they've talked to us. So I basically treat it the same way-- take their lead on it, no matter who it is.

I was really worried about this too. Of course it depends on the individual professor, but in my experience, they are very understanding. I thought one of mine would give me a hard time about it, and the first thing he said was, "that's great news." Another one is automatically giving me 0/15 on a quiz I'm missing because there are no exceptions, even for excused absences. I wasn't upset because it is in the syllabus... and because we can drop the lowest quiz score so it doesn't matter anyway. Definitely read your syllabi carefully before you talk to your professors, because you want to sound prepared and because you might end up worrying about things that you don't need to worry about. As far as the timing, I would suggest letting them know about the absences ASAP and share the exact dates. They might not care about the exact dates, but it shows that you're taking this seriously. For one of mine, I sent an email, for two of them, I went to their office hours. Just choose which option you think they'll prefer and go with it. Also, congratulations! 7 interviews is amazing.

I'm living in Bloomington for undergrad. It's alright. Not the most exciting place in the world, but you can live comfortably here. I do suggest having a car if you can, so you can get to the mall and a bunch of other stores. Uptown Normal, which is basically on ISU's campus, is great. There's an old theater, restaurants, coffee shops, little gift shops, etc. Downtown Bloomington has a bit of a personality as well. So if you're coming from a big city, you might feel a little bored, but probably not stifled.

After watching me doubt myself for so long and struggle for so many years, everyone in my life seems genuinely happy for me. They know that I'm not an arrogant person and that I have a hard time celebrating my successes. I'm good friends with a lot of the other seniors in my department, we've talked about this issue, and we've decided that we want to know what's going on. My friend who hasn't gotten any interviews yet phrased it perfectly: "I'm happy for you and it's really awkward when you guys try not to talk about it." So i've gone ahead and posted it on Facebook, but I make sure I tell my parents and close friends first.

My roommate's girlfriend after he had just gotten his 5th rejection from a school that is not particularly prestigious: "Well, you could still get into Yale!" This was a couple weeks ago and she's still telling everyone that he'll get into Yale. It's getting hard to watch, and it sure isn't helping him move on.

Sounds like we're pretty similar people! I actually don't mind small talk and all of that, but I tend to feel really "off" when I'm placed in a new setting, and I don't want people to pick up on that and think I'm weird. Sigh.

Thanks for the info, everyone! I'm a lesbian applying to ODU. Does anyone think I'll have to deal with discrimination and/or ostracism in Norfolk? I know it can happen anywhere, but I'd like to get an idea of the general attitude toward LGBT people in the area.

Yep, it's true for New Brunswick. One of the posts on the results survey page is from me. I got my invite from my POI on January 24. Interview day is Friday, February 24.