2019-2020 Application Thread

[PhD2020Applicant]

Just now, e2e4 said:

I taught myself how to knit and kept busy with little projects. Then I tried the cycle again with positive energy (and scarves) and got some offers.

Love that! I make macrame bracelets/necklaces so maybe I should try knitting too . I'll try again next year. 

[Dwar]

5 minutes ago, e2e4 said:

I taught myself how to knit and kept busy with little projects

I got in a dead-end relationship. Definitely would not recommend, but it did distract me for a while. 

[shyareene]

So I'm pretty sure my cycle ended with all rejections this time around. Probably because of low GREs and applying to AP even though my statements were more theory focused. I'm going to work on my applications again for next year. Someone told me that when I reapply to schools that rejected me once, they don't really consider your application properly again and it's kind of like you wasted your one chance. Is this true? Does anyone have success reapplying to schools that rejected them?

[Pol22222]

Claiming a Michigan acceptance. Pretty sure stanford rejection

[geoconvert]

23 minutes ago, PhD2020Applicant said:

I wasn't rejected yet, but I have a feeling it's coming and that I won't be going anywhere next year. Any tips on how to deal with this rejection? My heart hurts  

Anyway, congratulations to all those accepted! I wish you all the very best of luck. You worked hard and you deserve every bit of your success! Enjoy your moment ❤️ 

 

I wouldn't give up hope yet--rejections/admissions are really weird and don't seem to really follow much logic (as I'm sure people here would agree with!). I was in the same boat earlier and then got into Cornell. Actually was googling "got rejected from all PhD programs" and a lot of good articles popped up--most suggested finishing strong at current job/program for good LORs, finding something that interested you, and remembering that any potential rejections are not a reflection of your worth. Good luck! 

[sloth_girl]

Just now, shyareene said:

So I'm pretty sure my cycle ended with all rejections this time around. Probably because of low GREs and applying to AP even though my statements were more theory focused. I'm going to work on my applications again for next year. Someone told me that when I reapply to schools that rejected me once, they don't really consider your application properly again and it's kind of like you wasted your one chance. Is this true? Does anyone have success reapplying to schools that rejected them?

I don't think this is the case based on what I've heard/seen. Also, there are so many applications, and adcomms change from year to year. I say shoot your shot again! A lot of people improve their application and have a successful 2nd time around. 

[niceward]

So my POI at Rutgers got #MeToo'd and retired right before I submitted my application. Am I totally boned there or what? 

[Romcomulus]

As it stands now im at 0a/3r/0w/7p. Tomorrow morning, my last application deadline will have passed. I'm making a call for all good vibes you guys can muster to be sent my way. I need all the help I can get. This has been a long journey for me. I dropped out of high school my sophomore year, found myself homeless till I was 18, and had to fight tooth and nail to get my GED, claw my way through community college, transfer to university, get my degree from said university, and finally, finish my masters and begin working as an adjunct. Becoming a researcher and educator has been my dream for some time, and I'm hoping I can take a step in the right direction during the cycle. Best of luck to all those waiting on a decision. Remember, you're here for a reason, you are not an imposter. 

[niceward]

2 minutes ago, Romcomulus said:

As it stands now im at 0a/3r/0w/7p. Tomorrow morning, my last application deadline will have passed. I'm making a call for all good vibes you guys can muster to be sent my way. I need all the help I can get. This has been a long journey for me. I dropped out of high school my sophomore year, found myself homeless till I was 18, and had to fight tooth and nail to get my GED, claw my way through community college, transfer to university, get my degree from said university, and finally, finish my masters and begin working as an adjunct. Becoming a researcher and educator has been my dream for some time, and I'm hoping I can take a step in the right direction during the cycle. Best of luck to all those waiting on a decision. Remember, you're here for a reason, you are not an imposter. 

Sending those ? Marianne Mindset ? good vibes your way. 

[shyareene]

8 minutes ago, sloth_girl said:

I don't think this is the case based on what I've heard/seen. Also, there are so many applications, and adcomms change from year to year. I say shoot your shot again! A lot of people improve their application and have a successful 2nd time around. 

Thank you!!! That makes me feel better I appreciate it.

[PhD2020Applicant]

8 minutes ago, geoconvert said:

I wouldn't give up hope yet--rejections/admissions are really weird and don't seem to really follow much logic (as I'm sure people here would agree with!). I was in the same boat earlier and then got into Cornell. Actually was googling "got rejected from all PhD programs" and a lot of good articles popped up--most suggested finishing strong at current job/program for good LORs, finding something that interested you, and remembering that any potential rejections are not a reflection of your worth. Good luck! 

Thank you so much! I'll google that as well. Once rejections come in, I'll take a couple days to recuperate,  do some fun stuff and then start working to get better for next year. Thanks a lot for your encouragement! 

[PhD2020Applicant]

8 minutes ago, Romcomulus said:

As it stands now im at 0a/3r/0w/7p. Tomorrow morning, my last application deadline will have passed. I'm making a call for all good vibes you guys can muster to be sent my way. I need all the help I can get. This has been a long journey for me. I dropped out of high school my sophomore year, found myself homeless till I was 18, and had to fight tooth and nail to get my GED, claw my way through community college, transfer to university, get my degree from said university, and finally, finish my masters and begin working as an adjunct. Becoming a researcher and educator has been my dream for some time, and I'm hoping I can take a step in the right direction during the cycle. Best of luck to all those waiting on a decision. Remember, you're here for a reason, you are not an imposter. 

Sending good vibes your way! You're incredible. 

[captmarvel]

35 minutes ago, PhD2020Applicant said:

I wasn't rejected yet, but I have a feeling it's coming and that I won't be going anywhere next year. Any tips on how to deal with this rejection? My heart hurts  

Anyway, congratulations to all those accepted! I wish you all the very best of luck. You worked hard and you deserve every bit of your success! Enjoy your moment ❤️ 

 

Man, rejection is rough. I am a career change applicant who has gone through a LOT of rounds of applications to various things throughout the past 15 years. As you can tell from this forum, a ton of people struck out one year only to come back and get into great programs the following year. So don't give up hope. Allow yourself to feel upset, though. It's natural and fine, and it shows you care, which is important! Take a break from this stuff for a while -- you have plenty of time to review and assess how to improve, but now it's going to be a bit raw. Watch some comedies, take a road trip somewhere if you have a long weekend, get outside. Best of luck to you!!!

[allben]

11 minutes ago, Romcomulus said:

As it stands now im at 0a/3r/0w/7p. Tomorrow morning, my last application deadline will have passed. I'm making a call for all good vibes you guys can muster to be sent my way. I need all the help I can get. This has been a long journey for me. I dropped out of high school my sophomore year, found myself homeless till I was 18, and had to fight tooth and nail to get my GED, claw my way through community college, transfer to university, get my degree from said university, and finally, finish my masters and begin working as an adjunct. Becoming a researcher and educator has been my dream for some time, and I'm hoping I can take a step in the right direction during the cycle. Best of luck to all those waiting on a decision. Remember, you're here for a reason, you are not an imposter. 

I’m rooting for you!

[sloth_girl]

18 minutes ago, Romcomulus said:

As it stands now im at 0a/3r/0w/7p. Tomorrow morning, my last application deadline will have passed. I'm making a call for all good vibes you guys can muster to be sent my way. I need all the help I can get. This has been a long journey for me. I dropped out of high school my sophomore year, found myself homeless till I was 18, and had to fight tooth and nail to get my GED, claw my way through community college, transfer to university, get my degree from said university, and finally, finish my masters and begin working as an adjunct. Becoming a researcher and educator has been my dream for some time, and I'm hoping I can take a step in the right direction during the cycle. Best of luck to all those waiting on a decision. Remember, you're here for a reason, you are not an imposter. 

Wishing you the best of luck -- you are clearly a very gritty individual that any department would be lucky to have! Feel free to DM me if you need anything. 

[captmarvel]

19 minutes ago, Romcomulus said:

As it stands now im at 0a/3r/0w/7p. Tomorrow morning, my last application deadline will have passed. I'm making a call for all good vibes you guys can muster to be sent my way. I need all the help I can get. This has been a long journey for me. I dropped out of high school my sophomore year, found myself homeless till I was 18, and had to fight tooth and nail to get my GED, claw my way through community college, transfer to university, get my degree from said university, and finally, finish my masters and begin working as an adjunct. Becoming a researcher and educator has been my dream for some time, and I'm hoping I can take a step in the right direction during the cycle. Best of luck to all those waiting on a decision. Remember, you're here for a reason, you are not an imposter. 

Sending you good vibes and best wishes!!!

[billk]

41 minutes ago, Romcomulus said:

As it stands now im at 0a/3r/0w/7p. Tomorrow morning, my last application deadline will have passed. I'm making a call for all good vibes you guys can muster to be sent my way. I need all the help I can get. This has been a long journey for me. I dropped out of high school my sophomore year, found myself homeless till I was 18, and had to fight tooth and nail to get my GED, claw my way through community college, transfer to university, get my degree from said university, and finally, finish my masters and begin working as an adjunct. Becoming a researcher and educator has been my dream for some time, and I'm hoping I can take a step in the right direction during the cycle. Best of luck to all those waiting on a decision. Remember, you're here for a reason, you are not an imposter. 

Know that any program would be lucky to have you. Also know that, with what you've gone through, you've already accomplished a lot more than almost anyone on this forum. Huge respect for your grit and determination. Hang in there, it's only a matter of time.

[e2e4]

46 minutes ago, Romcomulus said:

As it stands now im at 0a/3r/0w/7p. Tomorrow morning, my last application deadline will have passed. I'm making a call for all good vibes you guys can muster to be sent my way. I need all the help I can get. This has been a long journey for me. I dropped out of high school my sophomore year, found myself homeless till I was 18, and had to fight tooth and nail to get my GED, claw my way through community college, transfer to university, get my degree from said university, and finally, finish my masters and begin working as an adjunct. Becoming a researcher and educator has been my dream for some time, and I'm hoping I can take a step in the right direction during the cycle. Best of luck to all those waiting on a decision. Remember, you're here for a reason, you are not an imposter. 

really wishing you the best -- I hope the rest of your programs appreciate your dedication and talents

[e2e4]

41 minutes ago, PhD2020Applicant said:

Thank you so much! I'll google that as well. Once rejections come in, I'll take a couple days to recuperate,  do some fun stuff and then start working to get better for next year. Thanks a lot for your encouragement! 

It's still early for you, but in the worst case, take a couple weeks. Put it out of your mind and start anew. I would also not be afraid to reach out to adcomms and inquire about areas you could improve on. Many will leave you on read, but some may take the time to give you concrete advice. I did not do this, and instead perfected my lasagne recipes. Happy to post them here at the end of the cycle.

[Romcomulus]

Thank you all for the well-wishes. While Gradcafe can be an enormous pain in the ass at times, this community has been incredibly supportive. It reassuring to know I'm not the only that refreshes their email 342 times a day.

[SeriousDiver]

1 hour ago, Romcomulus said:

As it stands now im at 0a/3r/0w/7p. Tomorrow morning, my last application deadline will have passed. I'm making a call for all good vibes you guys can muster to be sent my way. I need all the help I can get. This has been a long journey for me. I dropped out of high school my sophomore year, found myself homeless till I was 18, and had to fight tooth and nail to get my GED, claw my way through community college, transfer to university, get my degree from said university, and finally, finish my masters and begin working as an adjunct. Becoming a researcher and educator has been my dream for some time, and I'm hoping I can take a step in the right direction during the cycle. Best of luck to all those waiting on a decision. Remember, you're here for a reason, you are not an imposter. 

I wish you the absolute best of luck with your applications. The fortitude you have is astonishing. I hope thinks work out for you this cycle!!! Please DM me if you have questions

[SeriousDiver]

2 hours ago, sloth_girl said:

Claiming Stanford (via phone call) and Cornell (via email). I'm pretty shocked -- I didn't expect this. I think it just happens to be a year where my research interests align well -- I doubt I could replicate this any other year. There is a lot out of anyone's control on this (fit, faculty availability, funding, etc.), and I know they could recreate exceptional cohorts 5 times over easily. 

Wow. From the language of this, I'm assuming you read that Gary King article on Harvard's admissions lol. 

Edited February 14, 2020 by SeriousDiver

[SeriousDiver]

I wish everyone still waiting for decisions the best of luck. This is by no means an easy process. The conviction it takes to do this is considerable.

[PhD2020Applicant]

1 hour ago, captmarvel said:

Man, rejection is rough. I am a career change applicant who has gone through a LOT of rounds of applications to various things throughout the past 15 years. As you can tell from this forum, a ton of people struck out one year only to come back and get into great programs the following year. So don't give up hope. Allow yourself to feel upset, though. It's natural and fine, and it shows you care, which is important! Take a break from this stuff for a while -- you have plenty of time to review and assess how to improve, but now it's going to be a bit raw. Watch some comedies, take a road trip somewhere if you have a long weekend, get outside. Best of luck to you!!!

You guys are really amazing. Thanks so much for helping me cope with these (forthcoming) rejections. So glad I was brave enough to ask for help Thank you so, so, so much for your supportive comment. I really appreciate it. It hurts but definitely would have been worse without your support   

[captmarvel]

3 minutes ago, PhD2020Applicant said:

You guys are really amazing. Thanks so much for helping me cope with these (forthcoming) rejections. So glad I was brave enough to ask for help Thank you so, so, so much for your supportive comment. I really appreciate it. It hurts but definitely would have been worse without your support   

Feel free to reach out via PM any time