Completely finished?

[history_PhD]

I was curious if anyone was completely finished with applications? I've finished 4, which are due tomorrow. In addition I have started 2 and have 1 left after that. One school is due in 2 weeks and the others are in January (sigh of relief-- brief application respite!!!)

I had no idea how exhausting this process would be; for those of you applying to 10+ schools, how DO you do it?

[eklavya]

i am. 100% finished. absolutely nothing to do but wait for the results now. i applied to 7 schools. started the applications in early october, and submitted by the end of october. other remaining materials such as LoRs, transcripts, resumes (wherever applicable) and GRE scores were received by all schools by the end of the week before thanksgiving week.

the deadline for one school is tomorrow, and most others have Jan 1 as their deadline.. i wanted to have the applications in few weeks in advance. but now, the waiting game is unbearably excruciating!

[qbtacoma]

bhikhaari, you were really smart to get everything in before Thanksgiving week! I finished all of my applications with a December 1 deadline by last Tuesday, but I couldn't honestly expect anyone to confirm receipt of the mailed materials before tomorrow. I did decide last minute to apply to one more program with a December 1 deadline and I just got my documents in to them, but some of my recommenders are dragging their feet. I've got two more schools to go - one with a December 15 deadline, and one for January 14. I'll probably finish them both by December 10.

[LJK]

history_PhD I'm more on par with you. I have 4 submitted, 4 needing editing and a final comb through, and 2 more to do the fit paragraphs on. And one of the programs I already submitted to needs a second app for a special program but that isn't due until January so I'm not worrying about it right now. I had no idea how much of my life this process would eat! It probably didn't help that I got addicted to checking this website for new posts....

[TheDude]

I am thinking of submitting all remaining applications by Sunday. The only thing I have left to do is to tweak the fit paragraphs in 4 more SOPs. I don't want to rush things but I feel like the longer I have these in my hand the more I will just tweak things haphazardly late at night (like I am now ). Good idea?

At this point I'd welcome the waiting game. This would provide opportunities to read some books. Oh, I forget what that is I have been so busy with this application stuff. Maybe I could socialize without gilt or go out on some holiday dates? Ya, I'd take the waiting game!

[anthropologygeek]

Enjoy your time now. Come Feb your whole life will revolve around thinking and agonizing over this process. And this site will take over your life.

[eklavya]

bhikhaari, you were really smart to get everything in before Thanksgiving week! I finished all of my applications with a December 1 deadline by last Tuesday, but I couldn't honestly expect anyone to confirm receipt of the mailed materials before tomorrow. I did decide last minute to apply to one more program with a December 1 deadline and I just got my documents in to them, but some of my recommenders are dragging their feet. I've got two more schools to go - one with a December 15 deadline, and one for January 14. I'll probably finish them both by December 10.

your recommenders need energy boost then

although, if your apps are in, it's fine if your LoRs reach little late. i turned in mine early because i had already talked to few profs from two of my top choice schools, and they gave positive nods. so the hope here is that they'll contact me sooner. but who knows!

Good idea?

At this point I'd welcome the waiting game. This would provide opportunities to read some books. Oh, I forget what that is I have been so busy with this application stuff. Maybe I could socialize without gilt or go out on some holiday dates? Ya, I'd take the waiting game!

ya man, that's a wise thing to do. give SoPs plenty of attention. i started writing my SoP in August, and had two months to view, edit, re-view, re-edit.. countless times. call me a perfectionist, but i wanted to extra-polish my SoP to make for meager GRE verbal.

no matter what you say, waiting period is like the squiggly lines of your eyes - you think it's gone, but nah... it sneaks right in.

[db2290]

I am one of the people who will obsessively tweak stuff until the last minute but wish I had the resolve to do it in advance! I am getting to the stage where I am pointlessly changing words here and there, then changing them back and so on....

Also this way it feels like the length to the application decisions next Spring is slightly less - if I submitted a month or so ago it would give me a month or more of extra waiting!!

[Strangefox]

I was curious if anyone was completely finished with applications?

I am! I applied to 5 schools with deadlines from 1st November to 15th December and I sent the last package a couple of weeks ago.

[Bukharan]

The same here. Eight applications! I sent everything about half a month ago.

What I was wondering is whether you will chase up all the schools to enquire if all your documents have been received? Not all online application systems provide this information, of course.

Edited December 1, 2010 by Bukharan

[Strangefox]

What I was wondering is whether you will chase up all the schools to enquire if all your document have been received? Not all online application systems provide this information, of course.

I am not sure schools will like that... I guess if something is wrong with your app, they will contact you themselves.

[alleycat393]

The same here. Eight applications! I sent everything about half a month ago.

What I was wondering is whether you will chase up all the schools to enquire if all your documents have been received? Not all online application systems provide this information, of course.

Except for one school which specifcally asked that applicants not contact them, all the others (of my 6) happily provided me an update on the status of my materials when I asked for one. It was a good thing that I asked them too because my GRE scores didn't reach one of my schools until yesterday because ETS sent them elsewhere when I ordered them on the 24th of September and then again when I asked for a re-send on the 24th of October!

[laurend]

I am completely finished as well! Sent in all applications end of October or so and my last letters were received about 2 weeks ago. It has been agonizing waiting. Especially because I know I could start hearing in the next week or two! It has magnified this week since it is now December and even though I know I probably will not hear about interviews until closer to the holidays I can't help but check my email every 10 seconds. Needless to say I am not getting as much work done in the lab as usual!

[eklavya]

I am completely finished as well! Sent in all applications end of October or so and my last letters were received about 2 weeks ago. It has been agonizing waiting. Especially because I know I could start hearing in the next week or two! It has magnified this week since it is now December and even though I know I probably will not hear about interviews until closer to the holidays I can't help but check my email every 10 seconds. Needless to say I am not getting as much work done in the lab as usual!

idk if they'll get back to you (and all other early birds, including me ) that soon. i emailed the graduate coordinator at one my schools asking if i could send my resume if the application hasn't entered the review process yet. this school didn't have an upload option for supplemental materials such as the resume, and i couldn't remember if i snail-mailed it. so i wanted to make sure that it reaches the grad admissions/adcomm in time.

anyway, he told me that they haven't started looking at the apps yet (mind you, my complete app reached this school around early Nov, and resume isn't required for the review process), and that they might start reviewing in few weeks. to me, few weeks = at least 3 weeks. i don't see me having any chance hearing till early/mid jan

although i do hope that santa brings some good news for me. oh god, please!!

[laurend]

Well I applied 2 years ago and started getting calls for Neuroscience in early january. However, that time I got my apps in right at the deadline. This time I thought I would get it in early and hear much earlier, but I dont think thats the case. I do know that in past years people have heard back from a few of the schools I applied to mid December, other with later deadlines will have to wait until after the holidays!

[Jdealla]

I sent in three last night for the Dec. 1st deadline, have 3 due on Dec. 15th and 1 on Jan. 15th. Going to be working on those 3 for the next couple weeks. January can wait.

[natsteel]

I'm done as well. Submitted 8 applications on November 5th and my top two choices just this past weekend. Now I play the waiting game... The next 2 1/2 months are gonna be absolute torture and probably mentally and emotionally exhausting just from the stress and anticipation.

Edited December 1, 2010 by natsteel

[eklavya]

I'm done as well. Submitted 8 applications on November 5th and my top two choices just this past weekend. Now I play the waiting game... The next 2 1/2 months are gonna be absolute torture and probably mentally and emotionally exhausting just from the stress and anticipation.

i've come to realize (painfully) that we are the ones being played by the 'waiting', and not the other way around

[history_PhD]

I sent in three last night for the Dec. 1st deadline, have 3 due on Dec. 15th and 1 on Jan. 15th. Going to be working on those 3 for the next couple weeks. January can wait.

We are very similar. I need time to tweak the other personal statements.

[qbtacoma]

Question. It has recently come to my attention that perhaps ETS messed up as some schools don't have my GRE scores. How bad is this?

I thought I was done...

[eklavya]

Question. It has recently come to my attention that perhaps ETS messed up as some schools don't have my GRE scores. How bad is this?

this is terrible, if it is true.

however, i have found out that schools get GRE scores in different ways. some get it right after you pay the 23$ (4 of my 7 schools got the scores the very next day); some get it in a week-10 days via post mail (1 school); some get it either bi- or tri-weekly or in a month either in a CD, or bulk-snail-mailed (2 schools). However, the schools that get GRE late can view your scores online on ETS's secure website (or something similar i assume).

i suggest that you email the gradsec or grad coordinator to find more about what's actually happening in your case.

[qbtacoma]

Eek! Yes, I will.

[alleycat393]

Question. It has recently come to my attention that perhaps ETS messed up as some schools don't have my GRE scores. How bad is this?

I thought I was done...

Don't want to panic you but this is what happened to me:

I requested ETS to send my top choice my GRE score from the test I took in July. The request to ETS was sent end September and I received my copy of the score report two weeks after that but my school didn't. I then asked ETS to re-send the score end October but mid-November my school still hadn't received the score. Then both my school and I got on ETS's case and found out that both times they had sent the score to the wrong school (don't know which!). Anyway, they re-sent it a second time end-November and my school received it this week which is a relief because their deadline is this Saturday!