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Posted

I don't know..I just got this really strong feeling that somebody needed to hear that from an anonymous stranger :)

Thanks stranger, I appreciate it :)

Posted

Thank you for this. This is my first time ever posting on any kind of forum, despite the fact that I've been obsessively scouring the results page and laughing at the ways we try to cope with waiting.

I am terribly frightened of what may happen if I get rejected across the board. I have a really low undergrad GPA (below a 3), an MFA from a really well-known program, great GRE score, but my SOP seems vague and rushed to me and I don't know. There's steep competition for the few creative writing PhDs

out there.

I've been totally alone the past six months, working seven days, fifty hours a week and spending a third of my income applying to twelve schools, residencies. Live alone, single, sober, bulimic, nonexistent social life. Waiting has been very difficult.

I don't expect a program to heal wounds, but it would be a blessing to be within a community of shared interests again and to have the time to write.

One of my former students recently emailed me for advice about graduating. He says, "I wake up hopeful every morning and go to bed terrified."

Long, resounding "ditto". So thank you, psychic poster. Good luck to everybody -- may we all get what we need to find some internal sustenance.

Posted

In total agreement there. I've been biting my nails, checking my email every five minutes, chatting about NOTHING BUT grad school for the past week. Why? I'm driving myself and everyone around me crazy, and I'm still trying to finish up the last bits and pieces of my undergrad education. I think sending positive vibes out to each other is a fantastic idea. We should be here to support one another through this terrifying/expensive/exhausting process. And a heads up to all those nut jobs on the results board who brag about their gpas and their GRE scores: I have a less than stellar overall gpa and totally mediocre test scores, but my first response was an acceptance letter. I am 31 years old and my academic record definitely has some wounds from silly behavior as a young student. However, if a school likes your ideas (English PhD here) and your writing, they will overlook a lot of other weaknesses. I'm not saying this to brag about getting into something, but to give hope that "less than perfect" people can still be very attractive candidates. With that said, I'm sure I have many rejections to look forward to. But chin up, everyone! A rejection isn't the worst thing that can happen in your life.

Posted

In total agreement there. I've been biting my nails, checking my email every five minutes, chatting about NOTHING BUT grad school for the past week. Why? I'm driving myself and everyone around me crazy, and I'm still trying to finish up the last bits and pieces of my undergrad education. I think sending positive vibes out to each other is a fantastic idea. We should be here to support one another through this terrifying/expensive/exhausting process. And a heads up to all those nut jobs on the results board who brag about their gpas and their GRE scores: I have a less than stellar overall gpa and totally mediocre test scores, but my first response was an acceptance letter. I am 31 years old and my academic record definitely has some wounds from silly behavior as a young student. However, if a school likes your ideas (English PhD here) and your writing, they will overlook a lot of other weaknesses. I'm not saying this to brag about getting into something, but to give hope that "less than perfect" people can still be very attractive candidates. With that said, I'm sure I have many rejections to look forward to. But chin up, everyone! A rejection isn't the worst thing that can happen in your life.

I'm in the same boat. I too am an OTA undergrad student with a terrible academic record from years ago, though I've worked my bum off for the past three years to repair the damage. I worry that my past transgressions will haunt me. I worry that my ideas aren't original or intriguing. I worry that my writing comes off as childish and raw.

But, I believe that adcoms look for potential as much as accomplishment - perhaps more. I'm sure we are all highly critical of ourselves (i think it comes naturally with goal setting/achieving), but grad school applicants are human. Grad school students, professors, and adcoms are as well. The truth is that we are all (or at least, most of us) very passionate and driven about our goals, and we have all done our very best with our applications because we wouldn't have settled for less. Worrying about things in hindsight does nothing. The universe will do what it will, and we will all come out of the process alive, breathing, and intact.

So.... basically what closetgeek said in the first place. =P

Posted

Dang Closetgeek, you are just plain good people.

thank you

True that.

Thanks, closetgeek!

Posted

I don't know..I just got this really strong feeling that somebody needed to hear that from an anonymous stranger :)

You wouldn't now how much!

Thank you!

I got rejected from my top choice dream school sad.gif I'm still waiting for an answer from another school but I feel like the game is over.

  • 11 months later...

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