ootg Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 yeah, i think it was my SOP that brought me such bad luck sucks...good luck, u never know any or both schools may just accept you i'm rooting for you Well, if it was your SOP, then you can only blame yourself for writing it. However, do consider that you may not enjoy the program if you really have a poorer fit at schools. Having to force-fit research to something someone in the school is interested in doing is not much fun, and trust me, a PhD is frustrating enough without that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hwall Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Hello my fellow waiting crew, So today I received an email from my apartment complex notifying me I have a package waiting for me in the office. Naturally, I wonder if it is an admissions package/ envelope, right?! So I ask if they can tell me who it is from before I step out of work and drive down to the complex to see this wonder in person. .... It's from See's Candies. First time in my FEMALE LIFE I've been disappointed about receiving free chocolate... . I didn't think that was possible... sigh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniela Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Hello my fellow waiting crew, So today I received an email from my apartment complex notifying me I have a package waiting for me in the office. Naturally, I wonder if it is an admissions package/ envelope, right?! So I ask if they can tell me who it is from before I step out of work and drive down to the complex to see this wonder in person. .... It's from See's Candies. First time in my FEMALE LIFE I've been disappointed about receiving free chocolate... . I didn't think that was possible... sigh. LOL I feel your pain hwall! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martizzle Posted April 1, 2010 Author Share Posted April 1, 2010 Well, if it was your SOP, then you can only blame yourself for writing it. However, do consider that you may not enjoy the program if you really have a poorer fit at schools. Having to force-fit research to something someone in the school is interested in doing is not much fun, and trust me, a PhD is frustrating enough without that! so honest lol. thanks. I do know what I want/where I need to go. My research interests are all over the place; when I was looking into grad programs, I specifically looked for profs whose interests were similar to mine & I honestly knew I could work with. In my last draft though, I did remove the big about 'specific profs whose research interests best matched mine, and their latest papers/papers I liked the most'. I was thinking that perhaps the absence of this bit about the profs may have not been in my best interest. It's from See's Candies. First time in my FEMALE LIFE I've been disappointed about receiving free chocolate... . I didn't think that was possible... sigh. lmao....first time in your female life??? lol You had a previous life....hmm... (wink) anyways... Your story is hilarious; especially now that I know I'm not the only one something similar has happened to. This past friday was my b.day. A package arrived and I thought it was an offer. Turned out it was just a book. It was a gift from a friend. Although I do love books, I was still disappointed it wasnt an offer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 Well, that took a hefty chunk out of my laborious day at work today...and now that I'm caught up to speed with everyone else who hasn't been admitted anywhere, I've gotta say that I feel just a wee bit better. So, thank you everyone for your posts. For those of you on the brink of insanity, you are not alone. I have become irrational since being rejected and awaiting my last school. For example, I recently quit my job in Los Angeles. Not because it's bad or anything, but I just don't see, don't FEEL myself pursuing the field I (not for long) work in. Of course, being a Y-generation youngster, my parents are definitely not going to approve of this. (I still live with them). Do I have money? Hardly. A plan? Not really. But am I closer to knowing which career path I should focus my attention to? Abso-darn-lutely. I guess what I'm trying to say is is that many of us on this forum are too stubborn to settle on a job/path we KNOW isn't right for us. And that's not a bad thing. The fact we are willing to sacrifice so much just to do what we truly want is pretty miraculous. And whether or not we get in anywhere, we're going to get what we want eventually because those are the kind of people we are. Relentless. Yeah, I dig that word. Relentless. So, how about we set aside the pain and personal anguish these godforsaken schools are putting us through and just realize what kind of people we are, regardless of this years' outcome. Because, like I said, if things don't go our way now but we persevere and keep being who we are, someday, one day, we'll get there. We have to. And we will. My first drink this weekend is going to be a big, fat cheers to all of us still waiting. The Pseudo grad student 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniela Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 Well, that took a hefty chunk out of my laborious day at work today...and now that I'm caught up to speed with everyone else who hasn't been admitted anywhere, I've gotta say that I feel just a wee bit better. So, thank you everyone for your posts. For those of you on the brink of insanity, you are not alone. I have become irrational since being rejected and awaiting my last school. For example, I recently quit my job in Los Angeles. Not because it's bad or anything, but I just don't see, don't FEEL myself pursuing the field I (not for long) work in. Of course, being a Y-generation youngster, my parents are definitely not going to approve of this. (I still live with them). Do I have money? Hardly. A plan? Not really. But am I closer to knowing which career path I should focus my attention to? Abso-darn-lutely. I guess what I'm trying to say is is that many of us on this forum are too stubborn to settle on a job/path we KNOW isn't right for us. And that's not a bad thing. The fact we are willing to sacrifice so much just to do what we truly want is pretty miraculous. And whether or not we get in anywhere, we're going to get what we want eventually because those are the kind of people we are. Relentless. Yeah, I dig that word. Relentless. So, how about we set aside the pain and personal anguish these godforsaken schools are putting us through and just realize what kind of people we are, regardless of this years' outcome. Because, like I said, if things don't go our way now but we persevere and keep being who we are, someday, one day, we'll get there. We have to. And we will. My first drink this weekend is going to be a big, fat cheers to all of us still waiting. This is a great post! Thanks apache! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jilixi Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 Well, that took a hefty chunk out of my laborious day at work today...and now that I'm caught up to speed with everyone else who hasn't been admitted anywhere, I've gotta say that I feel just a wee bit better. So, thank you everyone for your posts. For those of you on the brink of insanity, you are not alone. I have become irrational since being rejected and awaiting my last school. For example, I recently quit my job in Los Angeles. Not because it's bad or anything, but I just don't see, don't FEEL myself pursuing the field I (not for long) work in. Of course, being a Y-generation youngster, my parents are definitely not going to approve of this. (I still live with them). Do I have money? Hardly. A plan? Not really. But am I closer to knowing which career path I should focus my attention to? Abso-darn-lutely. I guess what I'm trying to say is is that many of us on this forum are too stubborn to settle on a job/path we KNOW isn't right for us. And that's not a bad thing. The fact we are willing to sacrifice so much just to do what we truly want is pretty miraculous. And whether or not we get in anywhere, we're going to get what we want eventually because those are the kind of people we are. Relentless. Yeah, I dig that word. Relentless. So, how about we set aside the pain and personal anguish these godforsaken schools are putting us through and just realize what kind of people we are, regardless of this years' outcome. Because, like I said, if things don't go our way now but we persevere and keep being who we are, someday, one day, we'll get there. We have to. And we will. My first drink this weekend is going to be a big, fat cheers to all of us still waiting. I haven't heard back from a school either. It is driving me nuts as well. I've been out in the real world working and living for 8 years since graduating college. I feel your pain - waiting for an answer that is going to drastically affect the rest of your life is enough to drive someone insane. But I have to say that I don't see going to grad school as making a huge sacrifice. What is it exactly that you feel you are sacrificing by trying to go to grad school? Grad school is a priviledge. Being out in the real world working a 9 to 5 is what I call a sacrifice. Nobody truly wants that but most people don't have the luxury of being able to try for grad school. I have no money and if I get accepted I will be totally dependent on loans and on any grants I may be lucky enough to get. But even so, I don't see that as a sacrifice. It would still be a total priviledge. If I don't get in, I'm going to spend the next year doing more volunteer work in my field of interest in addition to working my full time job. I am not going to give up on my goal. It's taken me 30 years to realize what it is I want to do in life. I never thought I'd go back to school but now that I have realized what I want to do nothing can stand in my way. It may take some more time, but I will get there. All of you guys applying to grad school directly out of undergrad = I hope you can relax if you end up not getting in and realize that you still have so much time to figure things out and real world experience is extremely valuable. so please don't stress out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 I haven't heard back from a school either. It is driving me nuts as well. I've been out in the real world working and living for 8 years since graduating college. I feel your pain - waiting for an answer that is going to drastically affect the rest of your life is enough to drive someone insane. But I have to say that I don't see going to grad school as making a huge sacrifice. What is it exactly that you feel you are sacrificing by trying to go to grad school? Grad school is a priviledge. Being out in the real world working a 9 to 5 is what I call a sacrifice. Nobody truly wants that but most people don't have the luxury of being able to try for grad school. I have no money and if I get accepted I will be totally dependent on loans and on any grants I may be lucky enough to get. But even so, I don't see that as a sacrifice. It would still be a total priviledge. If I don't get in, I'm going to spend the next year doing more volunteer work in my field of interest in addition to working my full time job. I am not going to give up on my goal. It's taken me 30 years to realize what it is I want to do in life. I never thought I'd go back to school but now that I have realized what I want to do nothing can stand in my way. It may take some more time, but I will get there. All of you guys applying to grad school directly out of undergrad = I hope you can relax if you end up not getting in and realize that you still have so much time to figure things out and real world experience is extremely valuable. so please don't stress out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martizzle Posted April 1, 2010 Author Share Posted April 1, 2010 For those of you on the brink of insanity, you are not alone. I have become irrational since being rejected and awaiting my last school. For example, I recently quit my job in Los Angeles. Not because it's bad or anything, but I just don't see, don't FEEL myself pursuing the field I (not for long) work in. Of course, being a Y-generation youngster, my parents are definitely not going to approve of this. (I still live with them). Do I have money? Hardly. A plan? Not really. But am I closer to knowing which career path I should focus my attention to? Abso-darn-lutely. not quite the same boat, but i totally understand. last year, i turned down physics offer from lehigh (the dept act rejected me, then the prof i had done an REU with a couple years back came back from a sabbatical and pulled some strings to get me in...but by that time, i was 100% sure my career path lay elsewhere so i spent a year & a half doing nothing (got a wack REU summer gig, n did some home tutoring but nothing serious). my plan was: get into IEOR phd prog, pursue a finance track....i had no source of income, to make matters worse i lost 3 job offers because i am an international student (on visa) and had no permanent work permit/authorization. walmart didnt hire me -- i had done 4 REUs, spent 3 years as a teaching assistant & walmart wouldnt hire me! lmao life is hilarious but yeah, with everything going sideways, i knew what i wanted to do/the best way i could get to where i needed to be. so...did my parents approve of my choices about pursuing my chosen career path?. No. still live with them. yes. Do I have money? Hardly. A specific/safe/guaranteed plan? Not really. Am I closer to knowing which career path I should focus my attention to? Abso-darn-lutely. I guess what I'm trying to say is is that many of us on this forum are too stubborn to settle on a job/path we KNOW isn't right for us. And that's not a bad thing. The fact we are willing to sacrifice so much just to do what we truly want is pretty miraculous. And whether or not we get in anywhere, we're going to get what we want eventually because those are the kind of people we are. Relentless. Yeah, I dig that word. Relentless. So, how about we set aside the pain and personal anguish these godforsaken schools are putting us through and just realize what kind of people we are, regardless of this years' outcome. Because, like I said, if things don't go our way now but we persevere and keep being who we are, someday, one day, we'll get there. We have to. And we will. I guess that like you, I was too stubborn to settle for anything less than what was right for me. I gave up a year of staying in the US...while on a student visa, without knowing if i would get accepted anywhere this year...but i still risked it all Would i do it again? In a heart beat. Like you said, its all about character (being relentless/determined). So to everyone out there who risked it all for a dream...be proud, you have character & you will succeed (the world just hasn't realized it just yet) My first drink this weekend is going to be a big, fat cheers to all of us still waiting. Same here Its going to be Irish Cream - my fav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 Sorry for making any hasty generalization in my post, but in my opinion I believe taking out thousands of dollars in loans and passing on a film-related job in Los Angeles that could potentially make me a "made man," (as what some of my colleagues put it) solely so I can pursue graduate school in order to become a professor would (for me) count as a sacrifice; at least to some degree. I suppose a sacrifice in any relevant instance for any of us could depend on what we count it as, so I do agree with you, jillxi, that your job is a sacrifice, as well as grad school being a privilege. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiergirl24 Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 Heard from OU-rejected. At least I know. At this point I don't even really care that much LOL. Still I called and left messages at U and finally someone called me back...apologizing that I had not yet received the letter that went out 'weeks ago.' Odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zilch Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 when I was applying last year, my last acceptance came on April 11th. They still asked me to respond by April 15th. my last rejection came sometime in the middle of June. By that point I had made my decision months ago and I had actually forgotten that I never heard back from one of my schools. Pretty sure it went something like "hey look, something fell behind the cabinet" "hey, it's an application....." "oh well, too late now, reject" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pseudo grad student Posted April 2, 2010 Share Posted April 2, 2010 Yeah, another rejection today which makes it 3 in a row. I'm starting to lose hope again, even though I'm taking apache's words to heart, it's just so hard to think I'll make it anywhere at the moment. I want some pizza and beer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clawsworth Posted April 2, 2010 Share Posted April 2, 2010 Another rejection for me as well... that makes 2, and I'm still waiting on 4. At least you have been accepted by 2 programs, Pseudo. I wonder how much longer I'll have to wait for the rest -- it's starting to drive me nuts! :[ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martizzle Posted April 2, 2010 Author Share Posted April 2, 2010 Heard from OU-rejected. At least I know. At this point I don't even really care that much LOL. Still I called and left messages at U and finally someone called me back...apologizing that I had not yet received the letter that went out 'weeks ago.' Odd. grad schools don't seem to care once you give them the money for the application Is good customer service too much to ask for? when I was applying last year, my last acceptance came on April 11th. They still asked me to respond by April 15th. my last rejection came sometime in the middle of June. By that point I had made my decision months ago and I had actually forgotten that I never heard back from one of my schools. Pretty sure it went something like "hey look, something fell behind the cabinet" "hey, it's an application....." "oh well, too late now, reject" Wow, 11th...but respond in 4 days...well you have to hand it to the school, they were still working right up to the end Imagine if you hadn't gotten in anywhere, and that was your first choice - but it wasnt though, was it? lol Yeah, another rejection today which makes it 3 in a row. I'm starting to lose hope again, even though I'm taking apache's words to heart, it's just so hard to think I'll make it anywhere at the moment. I want some pizza and beer ...hang in there, it will be over soon. Another rejection for me as well... that makes 2, and I'm still waiting on 4. At least you have been accepted by 2 programs, Pseudo. I wonder how much longer I'll have to wait for the rest -- it's starting to drive me nuts! :[ I wish you the best Clasworth...and while a positive outlook may not always guarantee a positive outcome, it helps us to cope through difficult times. Its the weekend, sit back...on Monday, you can get back to worrying about the future, but for now...enjoy the present - I must sound like a 70s pot-head lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pseudo grad student Posted April 2, 2010 Share Posted April 2, 2010 Another rejection for me as well... that makes 2, and I'm still waiting on 4. At least you have been accepted by 2 programs, Pseudo. I wonder how much longer I'll have to wait for the rest -- it's starting to drive me nuts! :[ Sorry to hear that, I hate it when other people get rejected from the schools they've applied to. You have 4 more left though! Keep your hope alive and I'm sure good things will be heading your way. As for me, 2 programs left to hear from and losing hope every moment. Those two other acceptances are from god awful schools that aren't even ranked for my major so it was nothing to celebrate. I've decided that I'm not even going to them because they are each so horrible in their own respects I know what you mean though, the waiting is the worst part. But I feel like it's all worth it when you actually get into a school! Distract yourself with other things, for example, today I went shopping for some retail therapy and came back to a lovely rejection letter but at least it distracted me for 4 hours. I should stop making you sad... good luck on hearing back from the rest of your schools Clawsworth and let me know that it was all worth it! Bumblebee9 and The Pseudo grad student 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pseudo grad student Posted April 2, 2010 Share Posted April 2, 2010 ...hang in there, it will be over soon. Thanks for the well wishes martizzle, it's helped me brighten up a little. Good luck to you as well, I hope the rest of your schools see your potential and accept you with full funding as easily as you have shown us kindness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clawsworth Posted April 2, 2010 Share Posted April 2, 2010 (edited) Thanks Pseudo. I'm sorry you came back to another rejection letter today -- I wish you the best with your last two programs. I applied to one mediocre backup school as well, but I haven't even heard from them yet. I think at this point I'll be happy to get any acceptance, because I really want to go to grad school this year. Thanks Martizzle, I know what you mean. A positive outlook can definitely help during this time, but it makes it much harder if a rejection comes instead... Good luck everyone, and you're right, it'll be over soon! Enjoy the weekend -- I will try to as well! Edited April 2, 2010 by Clawsworth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pseudo grad student Posted April 2, 2010 Share Posted April 2, 2010 (edited) Thanks Pseudo. I'm sorry you came back to another rejection letter today -- I wish you the best with your last two programs. I applied to one mediocre backup school as well, but I haven't even heard from them yet. I think at this point I'll be happy to get any acceptance, because I really want to go to grad school this year. Thanks Martizzle, I know what you mean. A positive outlook can definitely help during this time, but it makes it much harder if a rejection comes instead... Good luck everyone, and you're right, it'll be over soon! Enjoy the weekend -- I will try to as well! I know what you mean, I want to go back to school too. I feel my millions of brain cells die every hour when I'm not actually in school. Just you wait, it'll be your turn to celebrate soon! I say hit the beach this weekend. I know the weather in Socal is gonna be nice so that should be a nice stress free way to relax! I wish I could do the same but it's going to rain hear and I'm too far away form any decent beaches. See you Monday! Edited April 2, 2010 by The Pseudo grad student Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martizzle Posted April 3, 2010 Author Share Posted April 3, 2010 As for me, 2 programs left to hear from and losing hope every moment. Those two other acceptances are from god awful schools that aren't even ranked for my major so it was nothing to celebrate. I've decided that I'm not even going to them because they are each so horrible in their own respects I should stop making you sad... good luck on hearing back from the rest of your schools Clawsworth and let me know that it was all worth it! It's not about making anyone sad; its about sharing your experiences. I'm sorta in the same shoes you are: the school that accepted me isn't that great, but being on an international student visa & not willing to go back home just yet, I may have to take it - yeah mixed feelings lol. But one way or the other, this past year has been a life experience I doubt I would easily give up. It has not been totally worth it (if I get into one of my big-name schools, then it will ), but I will make it work somehow...& so will you. one day (soon i hope) you will look back and realize all the little ways this experience changed you/made you more determined & you will realize...perhaps it wasn't bad afterall. (then again it is more likely I'm just playing pretend-shrink Thanks for the well wishes martizzle, it's helped me brighten up a little. Good luck to you as well, I hope the rest of your schools see your potential and accept you with full funding as easily as you have shown us kindness glad i could help & thnx (u flatter me). It might seem weird, but after reading & replying to so many posts, you begin to feel like you are friends (e-friends) with everyone else & before you know it...people are being there for you (wishing you luck, just listening - or in this case, reading - ) & next thing you know, you are returning the favour. Thanks Martizzle, I know what you mean. A positive outlook can definitely help during this time, but it makes it much harder if a rejection comes instead... Good luck everyone, and you're right, it'll be over soon! Enjoy the weekend -- I will try to as well! True...it makes it much harder; but it also gets us back to our feet quicker (sometimes). If you can, go see the Tyler Perry movie: it is hilarious...interesting ending, but it was really good. I didn't plan on seeing the movie EVER, but somehow, I got swindled into seeing it with my sister & it turned out to be great. @ ootg: you made it first month in the forum, first place on the list. Nice (even though I let you win lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martizzle Posted April 3, 2010 Author Share Posted April 3, 2010 to everyone still waiting: hang in there. all hope is not lost until it is absolutely over. good luck i still hope that the schools that i'm waiting on put me on a waiting list, and sometime this week or next, I will get an acceptance naive thinking? idk -- let's see how it goes, fingers crossed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 yes sir Martizzle..I can't wait to hear that fat lady sing this month! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pseudo grad student Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 It's not about making anyone sad; its about sharing your experiences. I'm sorta in the same shoes you are: the school that accepted me isn't that great, but being on an international student visa & not willing to go back home just yet, I may have to take it - yeah mixed feelings lol. But one way or the other, this past year has been a life experience I doubt I would easily give up. It has not been totally worth it (if I get into one of my big-name schools, then it will ), but I will make it work somehow...& so will you. one day (soon i hope) you will look back and realize all the little ways this experience changed you/made you more determined & you will realize...perhaps it wasn't bad afterall. (then again it is more likely I'm just playing pretend-shrink glad i could help & thnx (u flatter me). It might seem weird, but after reading & replying to so many posts, you begin to feel like you are friends (e-friends) with everyone else & before you know it...people are being there for you (wishing you luck, just listening - or in this case, reading - ) & next thing you know, you are returning the favour. Sorry about saying that I made someone sad, I think I was just feeling so down at that point that I stated it. But the weekend was good to me and I hope it was good for Clawsworth too! I definitely took some time over this weekend and did learn from this experience and now I am more determined than ever to get into my dream school and do whatever I can to reach it, even if it takes me another 20 years to do so. I do really appreciate the therapy session, it helped me rethink my goals and begin anew! It's all apart of the experience. Yeah, I hear you. Although I'm not an international student like you, I've had many friends who were in your same exact situation. Interestingly enough they joked around about marrying someone to get a green card to stay in the country but I'm not sure if that's your situation. Don't worry though, you've got many schools left to hear from so there is always a chance! I've decided (after our therapy session) that if I do get into one of my last 2 schools that I'm going to take it because I know that if I work my ass of at that school and then reapply for my PhD, I know I'll make it. I know! It's not weird at all!! It's just nice to know that there is a community of people out there who are dealing with the same situation as we are and telling each other our stories. It's a comforting community that makes us feel like e-friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoggyAnhinga Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 Since I got so fed up with waiting I eventually somewhat stopped caring whether I'd be accepted or not (I even shared this feeling with my friends), but even though I claimed I "don't care anymore" it's still really hard to discard the idea of how ecstatic I'll be if I am accepted anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiergirl24 Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 Hang in there everyone! I am waiting on funding from UCONN but it is my understanding that they fund all PhD students. *crossing my fingers* Gotta go refill my glass of wine. alcohol. It is my only friend right now! Thinking of all of you and crossing my fingers that things turn out well for everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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