Medievalmaniac Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 I'm still on the "I've heard nothing" bandwagon right along with you. Although, alas, I don't get to join in the menstrual club...at least, not this week. Hang in there, all!
tortola23 Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 Yeah, that'll be NEXT week! I'm so glad I'm not the only one with ZERO news. It's making me so paranoid.
tortola23 Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 And it's causing me to spend too much $ on martini supplies and decent beer.
Queynte Fantasye Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 For those of you working on your theses: how are you doing it??? I'm supposed to be working on my second "mini-thesis" (odd MA requirements here), but every time I try to write I get distracted by the unrest/doom/insanity. Any tips on working past those feelings to get some writing done? Just this week, working on my thesis has somehow become a tiny bit easier. Maybe I've just freaked out enough already or something. Part of this (semi) productive week stems from the fact that I'm in a research colloquium, so I have deadlines for peer review (ahhh!) and revisions (double ahhh!). I've also started pestering my chair a bit more, setting up monthly appointments with him so that I'm forced to do something for my thesis. We'll see if the plan actually works, but it seems to be going alright so far. Hope that helps a little!
shepardn7 Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 Now the real doubts start coming in. Because a writer's work is never done, I decided to re-revise a couple of things I submitted in my creative sample. Now I'm really pissed that I didn't have the right brain-juice to revise this stuff further when it counted. There are one or two pieces in there that seem quite clunky compared to their revisions. So now I'm convinced these pieces will get me rejected. I'm really, really hating this. So anxious.
tortola23 Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 Now the real doubts start coming in. Because a writer's work is never done, I decided to re-revise a couple of things I submitted in my creative sample. Now I'm really pissed that I didn't have the right brain-juice to revise this stuff further when it counted. There are one or two pieces in there that seem quite clunky compared to their revisions. So now I'm convinced these pieces will get me rejected. I'm really, really hating this. So anxious. I've made a point of not revisiting my statements of purpose and my writing samples, because I know it'll just drive me crazier! You're brave to try to keep improving them.
shepardn7 Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 I've made a point of not revisiting my statements of purpose and my writing samples, because I know it'll just drive me crazier! You're brave to try to keep improving them. Well, it's for my (creative) manuscript, and because I want the book to be as good as it can be I really must keep revising and revising and revising. I wasn't planning on returning to any piece I included in my creative sample until after the process was over, but this morning I just felt I had to work on this one particular piece and now I'm just so frustrated, because I realize how a few small revisions (nothing even major!) made it, like, 50 times better. No fun. Hindsight is 20/20. Oh well, back to revising (newer stuff, though!).
fall-11 Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 ANOTHER DAY GOES BY. Goddamnit. Yes, that's exactly how I feel every evening... another day gone, still no news. I know I should put things in perspective, and it shouldn't be a big deal, but we put so much of ourselves into the apps (not just intellectually, but emotionally as well) that it's hard not to feel depressed at the prospect of not making it.
apieceofroastbeef Posted February 17, 2011 Author Posted February 17, 2011 ANOTHER DAY GOES BY. Goddamnit. SAME HERE. What is wrong with UMass? Just tell me that you've denied me already. A poster on another forum that I am a part of has already received two acceptances with big stipends. I'm happy for her, she seems lovely, but can't help but be a *little* jealous. I'd be satisfied with just one!
againstourfaces Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 Yes, that's exactly how I feel every evening... another day gone, still no news. I know I should put things in perspective, and it shouldn't be a big deal, but we put so much of ourselves into the apps (not just intellectually, but emotionally as well) that it's hard not to feel depressed at the prospect of not making it. I ended up crying in the washroom of my university's main library yesterday. It's pretty awful.
tortola23 Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 I've cried every 2 or 3 days for the past couple of weeks. It's so unlike me to be this stressed out and worried.
Amalia222 Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 Now the real doubts start coming in. Because a writer's work is never done, I decided to re-revise a couple of things I submitted in my creative sample. Now I'm really pissed that I didn't have the right brain-juice to revise this stuff further when it counted. There are one or two pieces in there that seem quite clunky compared to their revisions. So now I'm convinced these pieces will get me rejected. I'm really, really hating this. So anxious. I did the same thing. So the first school I applied to had rougher drafts of personal statements and short stories, and by the time I got to the tenth school everything had changed dramatically! I can only hope that the latter schools will show me more love than the formers!! ;-)
ecg1810 Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 (edited) I did the same thing. So the first school I applied to had rougher drafts of personal statements and short stories, and by the time I got to the tenth school everything had changed dramatically! I can only hope that the latter schools will show me more love than the formers!! ;-) One of my LOR writers told me that during her application season the quality of her materials improved as she submitted--and she ended up at Johns Hopkins. I hope your outcome is as good as hers! Edited February 17, 2011 by ecg1810
fall-11 Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 I've cried every 2 or 3 days for the past couple of weeks. It's so unlike me to be this stressed out and worried. Hopefully it'll all be worth it in the end, for all of us -- hang in there.
harpyemma Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 So, reading John Burton this evening/night/morning has not done much/anything to allay my fears for the coming year should i find myself rejected (and the whole point of this thread is that misery loves company, right? 'cos if it isn't, you probably don't want to read the following). "Idleness of the mind is much worse than this of the body; wit without employment is a disease, the rust of the soul, a plague, a hell itself[...]. 'As in a standing pool worms and filthy creepers increase... so do evil and corrupt thoughts in an idle person,' the soul is contaminated." Ugh.
againstourfaces Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 I did the same thing. So the first school I applied to had rougher drafts of personal statements and short stories, and by the time I got to the tenth school everything had changed dramatically! I can only hope that the latter schools will show me more love than the formers!! ;-) I thought this too! Especially since the first two schools I submitted to I spelt Renaissance like Reniassance. ooops. typo overlooked.
shepardn7 Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 I did the same thing. So the first school I applied to had rougher drafts of personal statements and short stories, and by the time I got to the tenth school everything had changed dramatically! I can only hope that the latter schools will show me more love than the formers!! ;-) Well, I only applied to one school, so it's either going to work out or it's (unfortunately) not.
Medievalmaniac Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 I think one thing that frustrates to no end, is that in a lot of cases there are people sitting on three or four early acceptances with full rides, and even thought they "know" which one they are going to accept, they are not going to let the other programs know until March or even early April "just in case", because they haven't heard from "all" of their schools and they have been cautioned to keep their options open. So that's a number of slots that will end up going to waitlisted folks...who are in turn obsessing and going nutso wondering if they'll be accepted at all. I mean - obviously, it is totally the accepted folks' prerogative to wait until they hear back from all programs, but it definitely slows the whole process down. I do think that "keep your options open" is good advice, normally - but in this instance, if someone KNOWS s/he is not taking up an admissions offer because s/he has already gotten another offer from a school s/he KNOWS will be the choice if nothing else shows up, I think it would speed the process up some to have those other schools turned loose so they can in turn go back to their waitlists earlier rather than later.
lyonessrampant Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 MM:So I have two offers and know for sure I'm not taking one. Do you think it looks. . . ungrateful? to tell that school so soon? I definitely apprexiate the offer, but I'd also like for someone else to know sooner and to let my funding go to someone else, both for the program and travel funds. To all, not just MM, any recommendatioons about how to handle this? Please excuse typos. . . From my new phone and under the influence od Percocet.
lenz Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 MM:So I have two offers and know for sure I'm not taking one. Do you think it looks. . . ungrateful? to tell that school so soon? I definitely apprexiate the offer, but I'd also like for someone else to know sooner and to let my funding go to someone else, both for the program and travel funds. To all, not just MM, any recommendatioons about how to handle this? Please excuse typos. . . From my new phone and under the influence od Percocet. Hey lyoness, Congrats on your two offers. I'd say exactly what you said here: that you very much appreciate the offer, but have received another from a program with a better fit and don't want to hold the spot of another deserving candidate on the waitlist. They will appreciate your honesty and no department will fault you for choosing a program with a better fit than theirs.
Capo Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 Please excuse typos. . . From my new phone and under the influence od Percocet. I've been rejected from my top choice, wait-listed at my second, and checking my email on the quarter-hour to see if I hear anything from the other seven. I guess what I'm trying to say is... any Percs to spare?
Medievalmaniac Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 MM:So I have two offers and know for sure I'm not taking one. Do you think it looks. . . ungrateful? to tell that school so soon? I definitely apprexiate the offer, but I'd also like for someone else to know sooner and to let my funding go to someone else, both for the program and travel funds. To all, not just MM, any recommendatioons about how to handle this? Please excuse typos. . . From my new phone and under the influence od Percocet. Hey, Lyoness - first off all, congratulations!!!! That's FANTASTIC news, YAY you! And I guess in response to your question, here's my thinking on it: you already know you are not accepting their offer. What will it change in terms of your telling them that, if you wait several weeks up to a month to do it, or do it right away? In the end, you're still not planning to attend. Trying to see it from the perspective of a graduate studies director, I guess I'd have to say I'd prefer to know sooner rather than later, especially when budgets are tight, because maybe I have several really promising candidates, but I can't offer anyone anything until I know what the cohort looks like. I don't think it looks ungrateful. I think it looks like you got a better offer and you are considerate enough to let me know up front rather than sitting on our offer and ultimately rejecting it. Actually, from the perspective of someone in the department, I think I might resent the candidate who doesn't reply right away and then rejects the department's offer a month or two later. If I offer you an admit with funding in January, and you wait until April 15 before notifying me you aren't going to accept it, you've screwed my department out of some potentially very good applicants who maybe are on my waitlist but have since accepted elsewhere. Because we haven't heard from you in the form of turning down the offer, we probably think you are coming at that point, so it's a rude shock to find that position still open at the end of the admissions season. There may even be department wide or school wide ramifications for it in terms of funding - maybe, since you reject the position at the end of the admissions season and we have already notified all of our candidates, our department will end up short a doctoral student next year and that funding will be applied elsewhere. I could see that scenario play out in combo departments, like English/Comp Lit, or Romance languages, or something like that, where funding has already been cut or programs are threatened - if a Dean wanted to, s/he could make a case for "Well, this-or-that department didn't even attract a full cohort this go-around, so they maybe don't need five student slots a season, next year they'll just get four and we can put that moeny towards funding a position in another department where there are more candidates applying", etc. etc. I don't know. It could happen. I know that at a university I attended for Master's level work in French, there is no longer a Master's program in French, because they didn't have enough admits to the program to justify funding those students anymore, so it just...went away. Maybe we have the thinking messed up. Maybe it's best to try to respond within ten days or so, if we can...? I do think in the end, it would be the better way to proceed for everyone else involved, and I don't think a department will hold it against you if you made the decision to apply elsewhere, got accepted, and decided to accept that offer - I mean, it happens every year, right? They know you have likely applied to several programs.
lyonessrampant Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 Thanks everyone for the advice. I got the Minnesota offer Monday and have been thinking I should contact the other school I've heard back from. In addition to asking for feedback from all you lovely people, I asked one of my LOR writers, and he also said to inform as soon as possible. I think your reasoning, MedievalManiac, is spot on. I hope all of you waiting on answers get acceptances soon. I feel extremely lucky to have these two offers, even though I'm still waiting on 5 or 6 of schools I've pref-ed higher. I'll contact the other school soon, and hopefully that sends somebody good news. Thanks again for the suggestions! Capo, sorry I'm keeping the Percocet all to myself I had a pretty intrusive sinus surgery and they're the only things that let me function at all at the moment
Pamphilia Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 (edited) Though this might run contrary to the other advice given here, I'd highly recommend visiting both schools. You really can't tell about a department (or location) until you visit; it can make a HUGE difference. If you're completely sure you're going to turn down one school for another no matter what, let them know as soon as possible. But if you have any doubts, it would probably behoove you (or anyone) to visit before you make a final decision. Congrats! Thanks everyone for the advice. I got the Minnesota offer Monday and have been thinking I should contact the other school I've heard back from. In addition to asking for feedback from all you lovely people, I asked one of my LOR writers, and he also said to inform as soon as possible. I think your reasoning, MedievalManiac, is spot on. I hope all of you waiting on answers get acceptances soon. I feel extremely lucky to have these two offers, even though I'm still waiting on 5 or 6 of schools I've pref-ed higher. I'll contact the other school soon, and hopefully that sends somebody good news. Thanks again for the suggestions! Capo, sorry I'm keeping the Percocet all to myself I had a pretty intrusive sinus surgery and they're the only things that let me function at all at the moment Edited February 17, 2011 by Pamphilia
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