How are you dealing with the waiting phase?

[mentalist]

I know most of us have been waiting for what feels to be like eternity. I want to know what you do to divert your mind from thinking about this whole process? How do you keep yourself from refreshing your email for the hundredth time in over five minutes? 

Hopefully discussing about it might induce some calm.

[PeepSqueak]

1 hour ago, mentalist said:

I know most of us have been waiting for what feels to be like eternity. I want to know what you do to divert your mind from thinking about this whole process? How do you keep yourself from refreshing your email for the hundredth time in over five minutes? 

Hopefully discussing about it might induce some calm.

Well, I am more of less in the same boat. I can't fully distract myself from it but I have a full time job which forces me to concentrate on other issues. When I am at home though, that's a different story. It's just so hard to distract yourself.

What do you do?

[jigglypuff]

I realised that I probably could have completed a semester's worth of intensive language-learning with the time I spent refreshing my e-mail, checking app portals and visiting this site. So I did two things: I started learning Hebrew on Duolingo, and I cracked open Musil's 1130-page Man Without Qualities.

Both have proved engaging, even addictive, and have lessened my impatience.

[abnormalcluster]

Not dealing that well lol. I check applyweb and the results page embarrassingly often

[JetPlane_the]

1 hour ago, abnormalcluster said:

Not dealing that well lol. I check applyweb and the results page embarrassingly often

Haha I disagree with you having to be embarrassed by that. I bet a lot of ppl are on the same boat :-D

[mentalist]

@PeepSqueak  I know, right. Even if I am rejected, I want to know. 

And I'm busy with uni. Projects and assignments, so that does help. And in my free time, I binge watch on tv shows

 

@jigglypuff Wow. I'm so impressed. Such productive use of your time. And how tough is Hebrew? I love learning languages, and Hebrew is high on my list

@abnormalcluster I have actively been making it a point to check the application portals and the result page not so often

 

[jigglypuff]

Got one rejection today, so--that's one less distraction. Hebrew's not that hard, but I'm an Arabic-speaking Arab, so the grammar is easy to wrap my head around. The script and orthography are probably the hardest part, so something ending in an 'ah' might be spelled with one of three different letters. Other than that, it's like any language: arduous at the beginning, and then increasingly familiar. And Duolingo remains fun. So what if all you can remember by the end of it is "Ducks don't drink beer": that may well be the portal to humanity. And if it isn't, at least you'll have passed through the eternal purgatory that is graduate admissions by the end of it. 

[mentalist]

@jigglypuff I know exactly how you feel. I can take a rejection at this point with a pinch of salt, but the wait is killing me.

The Hebrew script looks daunting, to be honest. Kudos to you!

How many colleges are to waiting to hear back from now? I have around 4 left

 

[FailureChinchilla]

4 remaining replies, just trying to keep busy with work

[TheHoff]

33 minutes ago, FailureChinchilla said:

4 remaining replies, just trying to keep busy with work

I'm on the exact same situation, still waiting for 4 schools and trying to keep busy with my Masters but I keep thinking about the PhD applications so much that I end up not working as much as I would like

[FailureChinchilla]

same, I go between accepting everything as rejections to being attached to sadcafe

[worried2018]

@FailureChinchilla I wish there was a real sad cafe. the decisions, decisions of this site makes me sad.

[FailureChinchilla]

I know right, there should be a no decision, no decisions counterpart

[PokePsych]

It all got down to me being on the waitlist. So I guess I'll be waiting a bit longer.

[mentalist]

I'm constantly fluctuating between feeling dejected and trying to be hopeful

[LolJustAdmitMe]

At this point, by just keeping on keeping on. Going to work. Applying to better jobs. Just occupying myself with the other things my life...and checking GradCafe in hopes of bad or good news.

[bleepfrog]

4 hours ago, mentalist said:

I'm constantly fluctuating between feeling dejected and trying to be hopeful

Same. I spoke to the program advisor last week and he said I should hear this week. I guess they’ve got a few hours left, but I’m going out of my mind. 

[Keyjennic]

I"m not handling it well at all. I'm not a patient person by nature and this is killing me.

[mentalist]

Has anybody heard back anything?

I'm think I have aged exponentially these last four months

[FailureChinchilla]

nope still waiting on the 4, I have eye wrinkles now

[TheHoff]

Nothing so far.

Currently, I vacillate between "I don't care anymore, I give up" and "let's check gradcafe/app site/email one more time to see if there's any news" all day long.

I wish I get my results soon so I can start planning on what I will be doing after I finish my Master's later in August.

[PokePsych]

3 hours ago, TheHoff said:

Nothing so far.

Currently, I vacillate between "I don't care anymore, I give up" and "let's check gradcafe/app site/email one more time to see if there's any news" all day long.

I wish I get my results soon so I can start planning on what I will be doing after I finish my Master's later in August.

Go for the first half of option one 'I don't care anymore' - best for your mental health.

Totally agree with your last statement

[jasbee]

I'm handling it poorly, but I'm trying to distract myself.

I've been looking at apartments online for the city I'm probably going to be in next year - I'm trying to find an affordable one bedroom that allows cats and has an in-unit washer/dryer which turns out is pretty difficult in that area. I've also spent a while looking at cats on local animal shelter websites because I'm definitely getting one in grad school.

Made the mistake of looking at apartments near the school I'm waitlisted at and they were so much cheaper and newer/nicer and just uggghhhhhh. 

[catsbloom]

I've been trying not to think about it, but the wait is starting to get to me. There's only so many Law & Order episodes I can binge watch while I wait. 

[mentalist]

I got a rejection yesterday. But at least I'm one down. 3 more to go.