I just need to freak out a little.

[Lolita]

I know there are other topics addressing all these issues, but after completing my applications, I did not want anything to do with them. Finally, today, I checked on my status. I know I should have checked sooner. One of my lor writers never submitted his lor for two of the schools. One of these schools was supposed to be a back up. I applied to six schools. I haven't heard anything yet. Now I'm freaking out. What if I don't get into any schools? I know it's not the end of the world, but I'm 25, I have been out of school for 3 1/2 years, and I am currently a cocktail waitress. Do I serve tables for another year? Granted, I spent one year as a teacher so I really only wasted about 2 1/2 years of my life so far. I really don't want to waste another. I have great GRE scores. I really am smart. I just lacked direction and motivation in my undergrad (okay, so I was lazy) so my GPA was only a 3.3. Also, I never got to know my professors so I only have one LOR from a professor. My former adviser told me that she does not write lors for students who graduated more than a couple years ago. Ever. So, I only have one professor who would write me an lor. The other two are supervisors from when I was a teacher. My direct supervisor, the one who wrote the most amazing LOR praising me as highly as the English language allows, is the one who did not submit two of the lors. I stopped teaching because my school closed due to lack of enrollment. It was a private school. I was not fired. I did not quit. I just decided that I did not enjoy teaching high schoolers after my school closed down. Then I took a year to decide want I want to do. One year turned into two. Finally, I decided I want to go back to school and become a professor. I really love teaching. I just don't love fighting with the students and forcing them tricking them into learning. I applied. I knew my weaknesses, but I put a lot of effort into those applications. I know that if I put real effort into my Masters, I will excel, but I eff'd up my undergrad, and my lor writer dropped the ball. Now I keep asking myself what if I don't get into any schools? I don't want to serve tables another year. Sigh. I needed to get that off my chest. Thanks for listening.

[letsdoneuro]

Take a deep breath. And listen up: YOU WILL BE FINE. If this is what you really want to do, you will get it. (well, unless you applied only to top 10 programs.) You have to trust yourself. What efforts have you made since you submitted the applications? Might as well shoot some emails to the professors and update them Good luck!

[PrettyVacant]

If this is what you really want to do, you will get it. (well, unless you applied only to top 10 programs.)

I wish it was as simple as that! This is my second season applying to grad school, and I'm wondering if I'll ever get in!

Sara,

At this point, there is no way of knowing whether you will get in or not. I know it's hard, but you have to be patient. You applied to a lot of schools, so odds are you will probably get in (unless, letsdoneuro said, you only applied to top 10 schools, or really competitive programs). The fact your advisor dropped the ball is not your fault, so there is nothing you can do about. If you don't get in this year, you will have to try again next year. Since this is your first year applying to grad school, just think of it as a learning experience.

And don't forget about your applications once you've submitted them. It's very common for LORs not to arrive on time (or at all), so you have to be on top of that. Also, look at your competition. Check out the stats of other people who have gotten into the programs you applied to. That should have you an idea of where you stand.

Good luck!

Edited February 10, 2011 by PrettyVacant

[kateow]

Also, I think schools know to blame your letter writers for not getting their LORs in, not you.

[curiouslyidling]

If the LOR thing is really getting to you, I would recommend emailing the admissions departments of those two schools and asking to have the request re-sent. I had one writer not submit any LOR's by the deadline, and they don't seem to have held it against me. I also had one professor who never received the request from the other school, so his is still missing (though I had them resend a request to him today). In general the programs have been very accomodating. Granted, you haven't mentioned how long ago your applications were submitted - all my application deadlines were either January 15 or Feb. 1st, so it's fairly recent - but they should still understand that it wasn't your fault. Good luck!

[emmm]

I graduated from college many years ago and decided there'd be no point trying to get letters from any of my profs there (never mind that it was an excellent school and they could potentially be impressive people to get letters from -- they just don't know who I am now). So, that left me with a bit of a problem -- WHO to get letters from? I decided to take some classes at a local community college. Perhaps not prestigious, but affordable. I met three great professors who wrote enthusiastic letters for me, and I got interviews from half the programs I applied to (and there were certain things in my background that made me a less-than-ideal applicant). You might want to consider taking some classes part-time, just to form some new relationships with professors. I've found some amazing people teaching at CCs.

[Lolita]

Thank you for your replies. I am feeling better. I just received a notice from one school saying that they reached a decision, and when I checked the application status, it read "incomplete." I just emailed the department to see what that means. Do I have a chance to resend the letter, or am I rejected for the incomplete application? We should see. One school I applied to recruited me, offering to waive my app fee if I applied to that school, so hopefully they should at least accept me, right? Thank you for all the advice. I just panicked for a moment. Good luck to you guys.

[diber]

I graduated from college many years ago and decided there'd be no point trying to get letters from any of my profs there (never mind that it was an excellent school and they could potentially be impressive people to get letters from -- they just don't know who I am now). So, that left me with a bit of a problem -- WHO to get letters from? I decided to take some classes at a local community college. Perhaps not prestigious, but affordable. I met three great professors who wrote enthusiastic letters for me, and I got interviews from half the programs I applied to (and there were certain things in my background that made me a less-than-ideal applicant). You might want to consider taking some classes part-time, just to form some new relationships with professors. I've found some amazing people teaching at CCs.

This came to mind as a possible strategy.

I've taken a circuitous route myself. I'm almost 33. I worked for a year between undergrad and grad school. Was accepted to a program, I had applied to master's but they bumped into a PhD track. The last year of coursework, my life fell apart. Like every major life change (except death). So I took a terminal master's. My undergrad grades weren't great bc I tried to do too much. Thankfully that master's gave me contacts for LORs and better grades. Two kids later, I can't shake the need to be a scholar. If it's meant to be, I think you'll find a way, somehow, sometime.

Good luck with everything. (hug)