I think I am rejected across the board...(and questions)

[emilywantstogetin]

I know that I am not the only one having a hard time with the abundant rejection letters in my mailbox, but honestly I didn't expect the bad news to strike with such might. I'd imagine this post tries to ask a couple separate questions while maybe venting a little. Just a little.

Here's the run down: I graduated magna cum laude and with a bunch of distinctions and several awards from a relatively prestigious university (that consistently ranked higher than NYU and BU)with two majors. I'm currently finishing a Masters of Music at a highly ranked music school. Between my undergrad and this degree program, I started my Masters at another school but my teacher got fired and the school didn't replace her position, so I had to start over somewhere else since I couldn't finish my degree there. My GRE was not too great, with verbal in the 50 or so percentile and math in the 90th (or so), but my native language is Chinese. In grad school so far my GPA has never fall below 3.9, most semesters 4.0. I recently won a school-wide grant and my paper was accepted for presentation at the regional conference. I was told that I write better than most American students, and the professors at my school in my field told me confidently that they think I will be able to choose between offers. When I applied for undergrad, I was accepted with scholarship at 8/9 schools. For masters,too, I was accepted 5/6 with 4 scholarship offers. You could say I am spoiled.

I just got the 4th out of 6 rejection letters, and I am so overwhelmed with emotions I don't know what to do with myself. I think I am freaking out, but I am not sure. I can't stop crying. The last time I felt this way was when a close relative passed away. Out of the four rejections, I know that I was short-listed at one of them. The rejection letter was a personalized one and basically said that I was qualified, but not a perfect fit for their existing class. The two remaining schools, I was unofficially wait-listed at one, and haven't heard a peep from the other (NYU department music). It's looking like all of my ships are sunk...or on its way to be sunken.

My questions for the experienced are

1) What should I do with my unwanted gap year to maximize my chance of getting in the next year? I am thinking about internships, but are there other things I should look into, too? And yes, I am already planning on improving my GRE scores, and I now know the true value of safety schools as I didn't apply to any.

2) Should I have explained my first attempt at a Masters? I was told it happens all the time so I shouldn't worry about it, but now in the post-failure hyper-critical light I am not sure I did it right.

3) A lot of the SOP instructions were along the lines of "explain how your past work and experience culminate into your research interest" and so that's what I did-- for majority of them, I wrote about my past work and experience, my research interest, and how one lead to the other. Should I have focused more on my research interest?

4)Was it a bad idea that my Master's is in music performance? The programs I applied to were all MA/PHD anyway

5) For the schools that short-listed me, would it be a waste of application fee if I apply again next year?

[verda]

We're in a very similar situation.

I have:

a Fulbright

3 BA's cum laude (from an average European university)

currently in a MA in the top 30's

10+ presentations and a couple of papers

and comparable GRE scores (though my V was in the 80's)

And still only got rejections so far (applied to 12 schools,

4 official rejections, the rest implicit, except for masters

programs which still might send out something good).

I have been very much shocked by it (and stressed about the whole process) as well, to the point

where my significant other was 'not amused'.

I'm currently filling out some more application-forms for MAs at lesser schools with later deadlines,

and not doing that much else, except being sorry for not taking this application-circus more seriously

(I mean my SOP and sample were ok, but might have been better). I over-estimated the power of

proven qualifications and the Fulbright...

[Summit_Bid]

I have awesome stats just like you folks but I think I'm being rejected across the board as well--for the third year in a row--and I applied to 15 schools this year.

To the OP, apply to more schools. PhDs are sooooo competitive that amazingly good people like you should still apply to tons of safety schools. I'd apply to at least 10 schools or different ranges.

Your SOP could be a problem. I think most schools use your SOP to determine if you are a match. I think you should be really clear about what you want to study and why at that school. What faculty have similar interests to you and why is it that at that school compared to other schools must you do you degree there.

You could take some related research classes at another university in your year off. That way it will kind of put the whole music practice vs. music theory thing out of their minds.

[Swagato]

I guess I can relate here. I didn't graduate from a highly-ranked place, but barring my GPA every other stat is pretty much flawless. I suspect (since I applied to Film Studies PhD programs -- and one MA) that my SOP fell short. I'm not extremely shocked that I'm likely not going to get in anywhere. This is a ridiculous economic situation made complicated by an overage of highly qualified applicants and shrinking resources. You shouldn't knock yourself too badly. It isn't that you're not qualified, but there are so many factors to consider that it seems almost pointless to outguess admission committees.

Personally, I will be working on my SOP, learning two languages (I saw most Film Studies programs recommend knowing French, Italian, or German -- I know none), and working on my letters of recommendation. Although my recommenders are not famous, they know me extremely well and I am lucky in that I have a very close and personal relationship with all of them. My undergraduate history is not good and my GPA is short of the cutoff at some places that have such cutoffs. My junior and senior years provide evidence of my level of scholarship, but selling my first two messed up years to grad committees will not be easy. I can't really upgrade my GREs any further, but I shall be working on the 'soft' parts of the application.

You should try and gain any experience you can find that even slightly ties in to your intended PhD desires.

Your MA issue is not of your making, so I don't think that is an issue.

While you should of course discuss your past work, think of it this way: How does the work [literal and academic] that you have done so far tie in to what you plan to do during and after your PhD? Basically, how has your past prepared you for your future? What can you offer the university that admits you? What can you offer the field in general with the PhD the university awards you?

I don't think it would be a waste to reapply. I believe universities with reapplicants would look at what has changed between your previous and newer applications.