What were you doing when you received your acceptance?

[med latte]

I love this thread...

[med latte]

bump.

Come on, share your story! Extra points if you make me tear up.

 

[vestigialtraits]

~~~~~(Extended version)~~~~~

 

I was checking my email every 5 minutes or so that day as it was a Thursday and we were told to expect emails that week if we were accepted (and to wait for a letter in the mail the following week if rejected). This was the only program I applied to so I was anxious to hear back as I planned to try to put in a few more applications to other schools if rejected but those deadlines were quickly approaching. 

Anyway, it's Thursday. I went to take a mid day shower, got out and dressed to take my elderly father to the store and decided to check my email once more before leaving and there it was - "congratulations! You have been admitted." I was completely floored, to say the least. I smiled a smile bigger than I thought possible and said a quick prayer thanking God for allowing me the possibility and hoping to be able to pursue him and reflect well on him through my future work. 

I told my dad, we decided to hold off telling mom (she's a teacher and was at school). At the store, we also bought cake and ice cream and roses for mom and I cooked fdinner or her to come home to. She didn't really question anything when she came home because my parent's anniversary was the previous day. That is, until I told her she wasn't allowed to cut the cake because it was mine. She asked why I had a cake and I let my dad tell her the good news. 

I've never seen the two of them so proud. I'm my dad's 6th kid but the first nto ever go to jail and the first to graduate from college and the first in our family (at least 4 generations) to go to grad school. 

[gingin6789]

13 minutes ago, vestigialtraits said:

~~~~~(Extended version)~~~~~

 

I was checking my email every 5 minutes or so that day as it was a Thursday and we were told to expect emails that week if we were accepted (and to wait for a letter in the mail the following week if rejected). This was the only program I applied to so I was anxious to hear back as I planned to try to put in a few more applications to other schools if rejected but those deadlines were quickly approaching. 

Anyway, it's Thursday. I went to take a mid day shower, got out and dressed to take my elderly father to the store and decided to check my email once more before leaving and there it was - "congratulations! You have been admitted." I was completely floored, to say the least. I smiled a smile bigger than I thought possible and said a quick prayer thanking God for allowing me the possibility and hoping to be able to pursue him and reflect well on him through my future work. 

I told my dad, we decided to hold off telling mom (she's a teacher and was at school). At the store, we also bought cake and ice cream and roses for mom and I cooked fdinner or her to come home to. She didn't really question anything when she came home because my parent's anniversary was the previous day. That is, until I told her she wasn't allowed to cut the cake because it was mine. She asked why I had a cake and I let my dad tell her the good news. 

I've never seen the two of them so proud. I'm my dad's 6th kid but the first nto ever go to jail and the first to graduate from college and the first in our family (at least 4 generations) to go to grad school. 

Oh my goooodnessssss *tears up* that was beautiful! 

[haltheincandescent]

Oh god. For my first one: I was asleep. It was like, 11:30 am on MLK day, so I was sleeping in, and was woken up by a phone call from the DGS! I answered, and she was like "Oh! Was this too early, sorry!" She was very nice about it! (I totally fibbed that I had been up for a bit). Hahaha.

For the second: I was at happy hour for work--everyone there knows I'm applying, and had actually just been asking me how my interview the other day went. A bit later on, I checked my phone for the time, and.....a new email: an acceptance . (Not from the program I had just interviewed with, but a different one). I sat beaming at my phone for a bit, before sharing the news. . Was nice to already have a celebratory beer!

Then, the most recent (the one I had interviewed for, which I thought went fairly poorly) I was sitting in bed, drifting toward the number side of sadness, as I had seen acceptances go up 5 hours earlier, and wait-lists the day before, watching Netflix, when the phone rang. I was almost too excited to speak.

[It's Me]

This is a great thread!

My first acceptance came in at 9pm on a Saturday of a holiday weekend. To say it caught me off guard would be an understatement--this acceptance floored me. First, of the programs I applied to, I felt the least confident with my chances here. I had, in fact, been texting with my friend only thirty minutes prior about how I knew that this program was going to reject me.

My spouse and I had just gotten home from dinner and decided to spend the rest of the evening at home...then it appeared in my email. I knew before I even opened it that it was good news--it was a personal email from a professor in the department. I thought, however, that it was going to be an interview request or an invitation to visit campus. I read the email aloud and as I got to the line offering me acceptance, I began to shake. Then came the funding details...tears. It was an amazing offer from a prestigious university. So of course we had a change a plans that evening: beers and whisky at a favorite bar to celebrate!

As for my friend, it was quite a funny turn to go from complete self-doubt and despair to "I GOT IN!" I had to assure her that I was, in fact, not joking around.

I wish I could bottle that feeling. There is truly nothing like it.

 

[gingin6789]

4 minutes ago, It's Me said:

 

I wish I could bottle that feeling. There is truly nothing like it.

 

Congratulations, and amen to this! *raises coffee mug to you* I felt like I was floating on air after I found out.

I might post my story here, but I've posted it in another thread, and I don't want to sound repetitive!

[burgundywave]

Not an admission offer, but I received a request for interview at my top choice school 1 month earlier than expected the morning of my birthday! Best birthday gift ever. 

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

I got my acceptance to Boulder as I was sitting in the TA office about 5 minutes before I had to head to class. The other TAs were talking about something nerdy as usual and I shrieked and ran out of the room to into my prof's office to let him know. Like you said... I wish I could bottle that feeling.

[TakeruK]

This is now 4 years ago for me, but one school called me just as I was putting on my shoes since my spouse and I were going out to dinner. Being from Canada, long distance calls are super expensive and I was expecting a telemarketer so I was a little grumpy at answering the phone (didn't say anything bad just a grumpy hello I guess). It turns out it was a prof from the dept telling me the good news. I was both shocked and didn't know how to recover from the beginning that I kind of just froze and said "Thank you for the good news" in the most flat and monotonic voice possible. The prof asked if I had any questions (I didn't, since I was completely unprepared for the news!) and said that someone else will follow up via email about planning a visit etc. Then we hung up. Afterwards, I was kicking myself since I thought I sounded like a jerk for sounding completely unexcited at the news. At the actual visit, I mentioned this to the professor that called and of course, I had over analyzed everything and he didn't even remember me sounding unexcited. In fact, he said he was the one that felt bad because they actually called me 3 days after everyone else got notice because they forgot to assign a person to actually call me. lol

5 minutes ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

I got my acceptance to Boulder as I was sitting in the TA office about 5 minutes before I had to head to class. The other TAs were talking about something nerdy as usual and I shrieked and ran out of the room to into my prof's office to let him know. Like you said... I wish I could bottle that feeling.

The way I "bottle" the feeling is to save all of the emails like this to a gmail folder. I call it my happy folder and I put all good news in it (admissions, fellowships, "your abstract is accepted for a talk", "your paper is accepted", etc.) Grad school has a lot of downs and there are some days the imposter syndrome really kicks in and I feel like I don't have what it takes to make it. So, when this happens, I open up my happy folder and re-read all of the emails affirming that I am capable of this and it helps a lot. 

[sjoh197]

Dreaming... :/

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

4 minutes ago, TakeruK said:

The way I "bottle" the feeling is to save all of the emails like this to a gmail folder. I call it my happy folder and I put all good news in it (admissions, fellowships, "your abstract is accepted for a talk", "your paper is accepted", etc.) Grad school has a lot of downs and there are some days the imposter syndrome really kicks in and I feel like I don't have what it takes to make it. So, when this happens, I open up my happy folder and re-read all of the emails affirming that I am capable of this and it helps a lot. 

That is genius!! I think I'm going to do that in the coming weeks... thank you!

[gingin6789]

3 minutes ago, TakeruK said:

 

The way I "bottle" the feeling is to save all of the emails like this to a gmail folder. I call it my happy folder and I put all good news in it (admissions, fellowships, "your abstract is accepted for a talk", "your paper is accepted", etc.) 

Oh my goodness, I have a paper folder that I call my happy folder, too! I've kept every piece of good news in that folder... It really is a good way of bottling the feeling! 

[holycat]

I was at work. Was so busy that I hadn't peeked at my phone for a couple of hours. When I finally did, there was a missed call from an X area code. X? It can't be from a grad school; I haven't applied to a school in that state. It's just Sirius Satellite Radio effing with me with a new number for the 100th time. A few minutes later, I remembered that they never leave a Voicemail. So I decided to listen to it. "Hi [holycat], this is [famous poet] calling from the University of so and so with what I hope is good news..." I didn't even finish it. I walked into one of my bosses' office and replayed the Voicemail for her. I then proceeded to walk down the hallway where I told more co-workers. I texted all my closest friends and tried to think of more people to tell. I left for lunch and told the people at the coffee shop. What I really wanted to do was climb up a roof and scream, "I HAVE POTENTIAL! I HAVE POTENTIAL! I AM GOING TO BE A WRITER, I HAVE POTENTIAL!"

Funny thing is, I didn't think I was going to be so excited about acceptances and tell everyone. I thought it was going to be a couple of closest friends, my mentor and that's it, until I decide which school to go to, considering I get multiple offers. I suppose what made this acceptance so surprising is that I expected a rejection. They only take a handful of people every year. And also, acceptance being a form of validation. Would it be fair to say writers/aspiring writers experience impostor syndrome at its most intense level or no? I don't know but it feels like it. The sad thing is: a year from now, I'll probably forget all about this little sense of self-belief gained from acceptances and will be back at square one, quivering, frightened, and utterly convinced that I've gotten into XYZ school not because of my talents/potential but because of my superior ability to bamboozle. lol.

Oy vey.

[gingin6789]

Just now, I was pouring my coffee when I heard a *ding* email notification. I nearly dropped the pot of coffee and I said "gingin67899, calm down, it's probably just a reply from your husband ..."

Nope, it was an acceptance! YAY.

I just kinda ran out in the hallway, spun around in a circle, and told whichever professors I saw XD

[SLPgradstudent]

It's so great reading all of these acceptance stories!  I hope I have one of my own to share soon.  Although my story will probably be, "I was sitting at my computer, avoiding doing my assignment and checking my email for the 1000th time that day when..." 

I'm feeling so nervous waiting, but your stories make me smile!  Thanks everyone!!!

[brianhuser]

I stepped out of the shower, immediately looked at my email on my phone because I'm an addict (wasn't actually expecting grad school correspondence yet) and saw "This is to inform you that you have a decision notification waiting for you regarding your [redacted] Graduate Program Application."

Naturally this sent me running in a panic to my computer, where my application portal password was stored, and eventually into a celebratory frenzy. It wasn't until *after* I got off the phone with my parents and sister that I realized that I was wet and unclothed and my house was at about 62 degrees.

[BamaBelle]

Last Tuesday as I was getting ready for class I was tempted to check my portal for the thousandth time, even though I wasn't expecting to hear anything for at least a couple more weeks. I ended up not having time to check but thought all day about how I could not wait anymore. I had lunch with a friend and all we talked about was how we needed to know something. About halfway through lunch at our (very busy) student union the email from one of my top choices came in and I had to keep from screaming. I was shaking for the rest of lunch. It's just such a relief to be in somewhere, but I'm thrilled that it's one of my favorite schools!

[vonham]

I work the evening shifts for a UK based company, so I work until 2300. I was working on a Sunday, which is always super slow because it's the weekend in the UK. Sundays are especially tough for me in terms of waiting, because it's just a regular working day here, but I don't expect to hear anything because it's a weekend in the US. I was super depressed all day, just thinking really negative thoughts and really doubting that I'd get in anywhere. The whole week before people were getting acceptances to programs I applied for, but not the same exact program (ie PhD instead of MA/PhD, and I applied for a joint program, but people got in to the linguistics program). So I was really unsure about everything. 

30min before my shift ends I get an email inviting me to the recruitment weekend. It was an unofficial acceptance, but still. Thankfully I was the only one in the office, because I burst into hysterical sobbing. I literally almost had a panic attack because I truly could not believe what I was reading. I called my parents hysterically crying. My mom was like "I cannot understand a word you are saying" so I just forwarded her the email. This was the program that I felt I had the least chance of getting in to, and one of my top choices. I still can't believe it. 

[KingNikolai1]

I was supposed to be doing a little homework before dinner, but I decided to check the self service page just for the heck of it. I hadn't received an email yet, but I found out Cambridge has made me a conditional offer! All I am waiting for is to hear about funding, which might not come until March. Either way it is a relief to know I have been accepted to at least one program. Let me just say that I called my family immediately, then went down to the cafeteria and told my friends who were eating dinner.

[Feanor]

2 hours ago, KingNikolai1 said:

I was supposed to be doing a little homework before dinner, but I decided to check the self service page just for the heck of it. I hadn't received an email yet, but I found out Cambridge has made me a conditional offer! All I am waiting for is to hear about funding, which might not come until March. Either way it is a relief to know I have been accepted to at least one program. Let me just say that I called my family immediately, then went down to the cafeteria and told my friends who were eating dinner.

Congratulations! After reading this I immediately checked my self-service page, but unfortunately there's nothing yet =/ It would've made such a nice contribution to this thread...

[tudor3x8]

First acceptance was at work just before my lunch break. The second was at home around 9 PM. Honestly thought it was going to be another spam email from some online store but nope! I saw "silver admissions" and had a minor panic attack before I saw the good news

[Bookaddict]

A little background first: As an undergrad that's graduating a year early (only 3 years of undergrad, heck yes!), my mom kept asking me to give grad school a try. The result was that I made up my mind to apply literally 2 months before the deadlines. Last minute running around for LoRs, taking the GRE without studying (or knowing what they were), etc. It was a maddening few months.

Fast forward a bit to a day ago. I was chilling and watching anime (yes, I know…very nerdy). It was an incredibly emotional anime, so had a few tears running down my cheeks. Suddenly my phone buzzed and I noticed (through red, swollen eyes) that I got a new email, so to give myself a small break from the emotional hell I was putting myself through, I checked it. When I saw the word "Congratulations from [uni name]", I began bawling my eyes out.

The thing was, with a meh GPA, a pretty average GRE score, and last minute running around applying for grad school, I never once considered that I'd get into any of the schools I applied to, let alone getting a fully funded offer from one of the top universities. I immediately called my mom, sniffling and still sobbing (she thought I had hurt myself or something…you can imagine the confusion), and managed to somehow relay the news to her through snot, tears and incoherent babbling.

It was definitely a moment I'm never going to forget.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

It was February 1, and I had been checking my email every 5 minutes. My professors were making fun of me... every 10 minutes or so they'd say "oh, it's been 30 seconds! better check your e-mail!" I had already gotten a pretty good offer from Boulder so I don't know why I was still checking...

And then one left the room and the other stood up for a Kleenex, and I pulled out my phone. "Ah yes, it's been almost 20 whole seconds! You had better check!" he said. And of course, that's when I got the email from Cornell. Both of my professors and I were jumping up and down

 

[Feistybubbles]

I was attempting to make soft-boiled eggs for ramen...and failing. I had been wait-listed at my first choice school and had just submitted my other applications the day before. When my phone notified me of an e-mail while I was cracking my fifth egg open trying not to break it, I just had to check.  It was my first choice telling me that a spot had opened up and I was their first choice. I ran through my house bouncing, and screaming.  I then called my dad, my best friend, my manager (who wrote a LOR for me), and my roommate to tell them the good news!