balderdash Posted December 15, 2010 Posted December 15, 2010 You were right- they amended my offer less than a week after setting the impossible one! Glad to hear it. Try not to get too excited waiting for Cambs!
Ludwig von Dracula Posted December 15, 2010 Posted December 15, 2010 In new news, I am so terrified about my GPA for this fall semester--I think it might be my worst one yet. I hope grad schools don't totally hate me for it... Me too...but they're not going to see it until we get admitted, are they? Are they? ...are they...?
eklavya Posted December 15, 2010 Posted December 15, 2010 Me too...but they're not going to see it until we get admitted, are they? Are they? ...are they...? they will look at your/our fall and winter grades once we start school next fall, and depending on how horrible we did and correlating that horribleness with our deliberate conscience, they might make us take a class or two. but who cares after we get in!?
katerific Posted December 15, 2010 Author Posted December 15, 2010 congrats melchior! they will look at your/our fall and winter grades once we start school next fall, and depending on how horrible we did and correlating that horribleness with our deliberate conscience, they might make us take a class or two. but who cares after we get in!? My fear is that they'll be like this upon seeing the transcript: "Wait a minute. WAIT. WHAT HAPPENED. THESE GRADES ARE TERRIBLE. DID WE REALLY ADMIT THIS STUDENT?" And the subsequent email I receive: "Uh, hey, we saw your fall semester transcript, and uh, they were pretty bad, so uuuuh jk about the whole admission thing. But uh, good luck with everything...?"
katerific Posted January 2, 2011 Author Posted January 2, 2011 Now that I've been submitting applications, I have new woes! 1. I submitted an application yesterday, and I can't shake off the feeling that I messed up somewhere! I checked it a billion times, so there shouldn't be any typos, and I've been working on everything for a while now, so it should be a good package overall. I keep going back to check certain parts ("wait, maybe I misspelled (specific term)?!"), and everything is fine, but argh! I just can't shake it! I'm hoping that I'm just psyching myself out (as opposed to being subconsciously aware of a major error that I overlooked somehow). 2. Every once and a while I randomly get this terrible gut feeling that I'm going to be really disappointed by the results (as in I'll get more rejections than I anticipated, especially with places that I kinda liked more). On the bright side: I'm really glad my parents are helping me cover some of the costs of applying. Submitting all these apps reminds me how expensive the process is...
eklavya Posted January 2, 2011 Posted January 2, 2011 ...new woes! these never seem to stop, do they!? 1. I submitted an application yesterday, and I can't shake off the feeling that I messed up somewhere! I checked it a billion times, so there shouldn't be any typos, and I've been working on everything for a while now, so it should be a good package overall. I keep going back to check certain parts ("wait, maybe I misspelled (specific term)?!"), and everything is fine, but argh! I just can't shake it! I'm hoping that I'm just psyching myself out (as opposed to being subconsciously aware of a major error that I overlooked somehow). i actually FOUND couple of typos, one not-so-cool word in my SoP (of course, after submitting my application). in one SoP, i actually called the dept of agronomy the dept of crop science (copy/pasted the essay written to one school, and overlooked the dept name), and this is giving me nightmares because the typo happened on the essay i wrote to my top pick school. it's not a huge deal because the dept names are used interchangeably. but still, from my perspective, this is an abomination. i'll surely end up in hell (if i don't get into this school)!! 2. Every once and a while I randomly get this terrible gut feeling that I'm going to be really disappointed by the results (as in I'll get more rejections than I anticipated, especially with places that I kinda liked more). On the bright side: I'm really glad my parents are helping me cover some of the costs of applying. Submitting all these apps reminds me how expensive the process is... no. don't worry. that's what i thought few weeks ago. but got two offers already! so, it's not that bad. and for science people like us, there's even more hope as the applicant crowd gets sparse as the number of people trickles down to specific majors. to the awesome new year, and the awesome news that it will bring!
katerific Posted January 2, 2011 Author Posted January 2, 2011 awesome to hear, bhikhaari! I mean, about the offers, not the typos. It's a ray of hope! Oh, and you reminded me! Another positive I thought of: actual nightmares about applications/decisions have not occurred..... yet.
Alyanumbers Posted January 2, 2011 Posted January 2, 2011 Oh, and you reminded me! Another positive I thought of: actual nightmares about applications/decisions have not occurred..... yet. I wish I could say the same. Now that my finals have started, my nightmares alternate between missing/failing an exam, and scheduling interviews for a time I wouldn't be home (never mind that my field doesn't even interview applicants). Every night is a new adventure!
eklavya Posted January 2, 2011 Posted January 2, 2011 I wish I could say the same. Now that my finals have started, my nightmares alternate between missing/failing an exam, and scheduling interviews for a time I wouldn't be home (never mind that my field doesn't even interview applicants). Every night is a new adventure! Scientists have shown that sleeping in colder rooms can cause nightmares. Maybe something to think about?
balderdash Posted January 2, 2011 Posted January 2, 2011 I wish I could say the same. Now that my finals have started, my nightmares alternate between missing/failing an exam, and scheduling interviews for a time I wouldn't be home (never mind that my field doesn't even interview applicants). Every night is a new adventure! As an American, I'm used to constantly submitting essays, having exams, et cetera. Now that I'm in the UK, it's basically a long-haul, nothing-due-until-the-end degree. So I've been having nightmares that I've missed all of my deadlines and I'm failing out of my degree!
Zouzax Posted January 2, 2011 Posted January 2, 2011 I have nightmares about the following: 1. that I won't be accepted to any schools. In fact, that they'll laugh when they see my application and reject me immediately 2. that I WILL be accepted by one or two, but I wont finish my Master's thesis on time, thus making it impossible for me to graduate and thus not able to go on to Ph.D 3. that I WILL be accepted, will finish my thesis on time, then enter the program just to find out that I'm not prepared for it at ALL, thus having to drop out and ruin all my dreams of obtaining a Ph.D. As you can see, the stress is never-ending.
Alyanumbers Posted January 2, 2011 Posted January 2, 2011 I think the most terrifying for me would be getting accepted to a grad program, then failing a final, because it'd mean retaking it in September and graduating next year. ... Great, now I'm afraid to go to sleep.
hello! :) Posted January 3, 2011 Posted January 3, 2011 I have nightmares about the following: 1. that I won't be accepted to any schools. In fact, that they'll laugh when they see my application and reject me immediately 2. that I WILL be accepted by one or two, but I wont finish my Master's thesis on time, thus making it impossible for me to graduate and thus not able to go on to Ph.D 3. that I WILL be accepted, will finish my thesis on time, then enter the program just to find out that I'm not prepared for it at ALL, thus having to drop out and ruin all my dreams of obtaining a Ph.D. As you can see, the stress is never-ending. Concern #1: If the admissions committee really does so much laughing at applications, they must have built up some great abs throughout this whole process. *note to self: discreetly look for 6 pack abs* Concern #2: This may or may not be universal, but I heard that technically you don't have to finish your master's degree to go onto a PhD program at another university. I guess it probably looks bad if someone had intended to defend his/her thesis but did not. In any case, I know of at least two people who started a two year MA program, but got into great PhD programs and so left after only one year. I'm guessing they had discussed this extensively with their advisors beforehand so not to piss them off. Concern #3: Hogwash
EricaMarie Posted January 3, 2011 Posted January 3, 2011 I'm trying to stay positive, but I keep feeling like I've wasted three months of my time applying to programs that are just going to laugh at my application and throw it in the garbage. All I want is to get into a Ph.D. program and I'm terrified that I'm not going to get in anywhere. My significant other asks me "what will you do if you get in everywhere?" and I have to tell him that the likelihood of that is so low that I don't even want to think about it. He loves me, but I don't think he gets it. Although, he is wonderful in the simple fact that he believes unconditionally that, not only will I get into a Ph.D. program, I'll get into more than one so I'll have to make a choice. From his mouth to God's ears....
Alyanumbers Posted January 3, 2011 Posted January 3, 2011 I'm trying to stay positive, but I keep feeling like I've wasted three months of my time applying to programs that are just going to laugh at my application and throw it in the garbage. All I want is to get into a Ph.D. program and I'm terrified that I'm not going to get in anywhere. My significant other asks me "what will you do if you get in everywhere?" and I have to tell him that the likelihood of that is so low that I don't even want to think about it. He loves me, but I don't think he gets it. Although, he is wonderful in the simple fact that he believes unconditionally that, not only will I get into a Ph.D. program, I'll get into more than one so I'll have to make a choice. From his mouth to God's ears.... Hah, I have friends like this too! "You're going to have your pick of schools." And while it's amazing that someone has such a high opinion of me, it makes me worry even more about disappointing them. But still, you gotta appreciate the small mood-lift you get when you hear that.
TheDude Posted January 3, 2011 Posted January 3, 2011 How about meeting someone who you hit it off with on a lot of levels? Ya, that happened and I am wondering what the point is since I'll be moving in potentially 4 months if I start Summer sessions at a school. Life really slaps you in the face sometimes! Also, hoping my perception of myself as a promising grad school applicant is realized by others. I've been placid throughout this whole process with pre application interviews, good email correspondences with POIs, kind words of promise from letter writers. It's going to sting if I only get Master's offers, especially given I could have had those last year. I'm also a bit bugged my manuscript didn't get sent for review when it was suppose to in the summer. I took the year off just for that. Now I have an under-review on my CV instead of accepted.
EricaMarie Posted January 3, 2011 Posted January 3, 2011 What's really hard for me right now is the fact that I just got my fall semester grades....I got a C- in one class, and my thesis class is *technically* an incomplete because it didn't get sent to the readers within the Graduate School itself...I know that's okay--it happens to pretty much everybody at my school, especially under my thesis advisor, as he doesn't send it to the Graduate School until it's *perfect*--but I'm still freaking out that this is not a stellar semester. I had my reasons for it (my grandmother was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer before the semester started, so I spent most of my time with her while she was going through chemo and whatnot) but that's really probably not gonna fly...shit. I don't know what I'm going to do if I don't get into a program... /hyperventilates
eklavya Posted January 3, 2011 Posted January 3, 2011 What's really hard for me right now is the fact that I just got my fall semester grades....I got a C- in one class..... if it offers you some relief, i have PLENTY of C in my transcript, and a couple of these are in my major-required classes (Ochems, non-plant mol bio, etc).
EricaMarie Posted January 3, 2011 Posted January 3, 2011 if it offers you some relief, i have PLENTY of C in my transcript, and a couple of these are in my major-required classes (Ochems, non-plant mol bio, etc). A bit, actually....it's not stopping me from freaking out at the moment, but it's making me feel a mite better...thank you. MoJingly 1
Zouzax Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 I'm trying to stay positive, but I keep feeling like I've wasted three months of my time applying to programs that are just going to laugh at my application and throw it in the garbage. All I want is to get into a Ph.D. program and I'm terrified that I'm not going to get in anywhere. My significant other asks me "what will you do if you get in everywhere?" and I have to tell him that the likelihood of that is so low that I don't even want to think about it. He loves me, but I don't think he gets it. Although, he is wonderful in the simple fact that he believes unconditionally that, not only will I get into a Ph.D. program, I'll get into more than one so I'll have to make a choice. From his mouth to God's ears.... Seriously, I feel like you just wrote down my situation exactly ...
Ludwig von Dracula Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 [quote name=hello! ' timestamp='1294046613' post='173743] Concern #2: This may or may not be universal, but I heard that technically you don't have to finish your master's degree to go onto a PhD program at another university. I guess it probably looks bad if someone had intended to defend his/her thesis but did not. In any case, I know of at least two people who started a two year MA program, but got into great PhD programs and so left after only one year. I'm guessing they had discussed this extensively with their advisors beforehand so not to piss them off.
MoJingly Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 I get a kick out of the contrast between this and "The Positives Thread." Yet, somehow, both are riddled with anxiety. I have to admit, I have many of the same self-doubts and worries that many posters have expressed here. I also have to admit that I am pretty much using the Grad Cafe as a support group for precisely this reason. katerific 1
EricaMarie Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 (edited) I get a kick out of the contrast between this and "The Positives Thread." Yet, somehow, both are riddled with anxiety. I have to admit, I have many of the same self-doubts and worries that many posters have expressed here. I also have to admit that I am pretty much using the Grad Cafe as a support group for precisely this reason. I think we're all using the Grad Cafe as a support group for precisely this reason. I'm pretty sure we're all anxious and freaking out. Although I will say that sometimes I think this forum only makes it worse, cause it forces us to confront others who may have better statistics than us (at least to our anxiety-ridden minds). I also refuse to go into "The Positives Thread," as it makes me even more insecure than I already am. Edited January 5, 2011 by EricaMarie
natsteel Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 (edited) My significant other asks me "what will you do if you get in everywhere?" and I have to tell him that the likelihood of that is so low that I don't even want to think about it. He loves me, but I don't think he gets it. Although, he is wonderful in the simple fact that he believes unconditionally that, not only will I get into a Ph.D. program, I'll get into more than one so I'll have to make a choice. I have the same kind of problem but it's not only my family but mentors as well. They all seem so overly confident about my prospects. My family naively thinks I'm going to get into all the programs, but my mentors tell me that I will get into multiple choices. When it comes to my family, I keep trying to explain to them the reality of graduate admissions and that I would be happy just to get into one program. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate their blind confidence in me. I've managed to keep my expectations somewhat tied to reality, but I fear they (especially my mentors) will be disappointed when reality smacks me in the face and the actual results come in. And, FWIW, I am definitely using the GC as support. Reading about other people's worries, concerns, and, in some cases, neuroses not only makes me feel better but also distracts me from my own. Edited January 5, 2011 by natsteel
NadaJ Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 I also refuse to go into "The Positives Thread," as it makes me even more insecure than I already am. Ditto.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now