What are you going to do immediately after you read that rejection letter?

[everygirl]

I am posting while drinking, as I just got back from a six hour bitch session with other grad school hopefuls, and of course cheap wine was involved. I came back home and checked the results page, as I am wont to do every free second I have.

I just saw the thread "What were you doing when you got your acceptance?" so I thought I'd start a complimentary thread.... What do you plan to do immediately after you get rejection letter?" IF you get that rejection letter from that incredibly competitive, top school in your dream city and superstar professors? Thereby crushing all your girlish dreams?

Because I'm unoriginal and staring at a bottle of wine, if I see that email on my Blackberry, I think I'll DRINK! No matter what time of day it is. Maybe I'll go with something horrible and dry tasting, because I'll never want to drink that wine again after that moment.

What about you? What will you do if you see that email/snail mail sitting in your mailbox?

I say... drink! Rounds for everyone!

[nogone]

I like the idea of preparing in advance for disappointment. I've decided that nachos from a cheesy national restaurant chain will be my consolation prize. I've also warned those close to me that I will not be directly telling them if I'm not accepted. I will simply send out a text saying I am going out for nachos.

[mooncake]

In the eventuality that I don't get into any grad programs, I am going to smother my depression by finally getting the dog I always wanted.

[mvw13]

1.) drink a bottle of Jack Daniels without the coke as a spritzer

2.) eat a whole Trader Joe's pound of dark chocolate with almond

3.) start devising ways to get my dog admitted into grad school next season ( :

[anonthropology]

I got a rejection letter from a long-shot dream school on Friday. Oh, but it was like a ten-year long dream! I pretty much knew it was coming since I hadn't heard anything from them, but it still stung. My partner came home with flowers after I left him a sad message on his voicemail while he was at work and then took me out for a sunset picnic with food from one of my favorite restaurants. That helped ENORMOUSLY. He also agreed without any bitterness to move across the country to the program I was accepted to with funding. Damn, he's good.

Anyways, tomorrow I expect to hear back from my other dream school (so long as they stick to their posted notification date). I feel like I have some chance here because I was invited by a prof to meet with him (which I did), and because they are currently building a program that matches my interests, BUT it is super competitive, so the chances of my being rejected are EXTREMELY HIGH. With the other school at least the rejection was expected, and so I was able to feel sad, and then move on without too much emotional turmoil. But for this program, oh man, it will HURT. I don't know what I'll do. It sucks that I expect to hear from them while in my office, because if it's a rejection, I will totally want to cry.

[Benzene]

I wasn't all that surprised or disappointed by my first rejection (and first notification from anywhere). I just deleted it, then deleted all their other emails, and deleted it off my waiting list. Found some friends, ranted about how it was too expensive to live there anyways, and then checked Grad Cafe to feel comforted by the sight of everyone else who was also rejected, haha.

I imagine for about half of the remaining 8 schools, I may actually be sad.

[aliciaw]

I was somewhat similar to Benzene as well, but I didn't delete all their emails, and I emailed them back to ask what was wrong with my application (due to the 11 hour difference, I got that email the next day).... and then I went back to doing my final year thesis....

Oh, and I texted my partner.... and that was it.

Now, I'm waiting for another notification. God knows when it's gonna come :/

[ajax]

Two years ago I applied to 8 schools for PhD programs. One school, in the state of Michigan, sent me not one, not two, but three, count 'em, three (3)!! rejection letters from the only department I applied to. Some of the other schools did too, but none stung as much as the last two from that one school. I kept them all and when I get my PhD I will send them a copy of my dissertation.

[DrPepper-olic]

Mint. Chocolate. Bailey's.

I got two rejections last week, no positive emails, and headed into the weekend with the news that my dream school had been calling acceptees. I cleaned house and drank. Drank and cleaned house. I am the kind of person who wants to be alone to let bad news soak in so I can process it and then come out on the other side. I'm married now so being alone is ten times harder than it used to be. Fortunately no one wants to be around when you're scrubbing the floor behind the toilet.

I secretly hoped all weekend that someone had tried to call me from the dream school. No such luck. I will just have to hold my breath every time I check the mail until the rejection comes. Until it comes, I'll just drink bourbon and diet coke to take off the edge. The actual rejection day will be more ceremonious. I plan to eat and drink and cry, in my closet. I've saved half a box of Thin Mints and Mint Chocolate Bailey's saved for the occasion.

[ugly_duckling]

Drink and play hours and hours of xbox.

Somewhere between crying and puking I'll finish up this semester's work... god knows why.

I kinda got a rejection on Friday. I was contacted by the department to discuss how much I am willing to vary my research interest. After a short conversation with the department head, the conversation was ended with, "Your application will remain the under consideration drawer". I'm pretty sure that means, "We're hanging on to your app to laugh at when were feeling stressed from trying to sort through all these other applicants that don't suck".

Ugh, so yeah. Friday I played through Singularity 3 times... in one sitting.

Applied:5

Accepted:0

Rejected:0

[anonthropology]

Just read another rejection letter...I ain't even bothered, though.

And I'm currently watching Catherine Tate videos of "Lauren Cooper."

[jaxzwolf]

Mint. Chocolate. Bailey's.

This sounds delicious!

[jynx]

I've received three official rejections, but only one of them actually hurt. Clinical Psych PhD programs are so competitive that I basically assume I'm going to get rejected from everywhere, which makes it a nice surprise when I get an interview. But, in the case of one of my schools, they started changing people's application status on the website to "not accepted", while mine still said "pending". I had two days to get my hopes up before they finally changed my status, which made it all the more crushing when they did. I cried for about an hour, before pulling it together but generally feeling kind of down for the rest of the day. Seriously...hope does you no good in this process, it can only hurt you. Keep those expectations low!

I did interview at my dream school a little over a week ago, so I'm trying not to think about when/what their decision will be. I kind of doubt I will get an outright rejection, since they only interviewed 4 of us for the position, but instead I will probably be left to languish in waitlist hell until April. If that happens, I will probably just try to be extra nice to myself that day: don't try to do anything productive, just sit around and watch TV with my partner, then maybe go out to my favorite diner and get a big milkshake.

[CauchyFan]

I will immediately begin daydreaming about the day I prove Riemann's Hypothesis and how, when they ask me to come by their program to give a talk on my proof, how I will word my refusal the exact same way my rejection letter was once worded.

[The Dudester]

I will immediately begin daydreaming about the day I prove Riemann's Hypothesis and how, when they ask me to come by their program to give a talk on my proof, how I will word my refusal the exact same way my rejection letter was once worded.

This is my thought as well. I am going to publish a pulitzer prize winner and then refuse to go to their campus and do any talks, and steer all students away from them. The dreams of petty vengeance soothe the soul.

[The Lorax]

Got first rejection from Princeton....considered framing it to remind me of the LOADS of self-efficacy it took to apply in the first place....and then drank a bottle of wine, had raucous sex with my significant other and ordered chinese takeout. I felt better after.

[ShaEnYsi]

Got first rejection from Princeton....considered framing it to remind me of the LOADS of self-efficacy it took to apply in the first place....and then drank a bottle of wine, had raucous sex with my significant other and ordered chinese takeout. I felt better after.

Truly a model for us all!

[ugly_duckling]

I've already posted here, but I had an epiphany and would like to withdraw my previous statement and replace it with this one.

Anyone remember in Ace Ventura Pet Detective (the first one) when he finds out Lois is a man? For those that don't or haven't seen it, he just keeps repeating "NOOOO!" and pukes, and then burns his clothes and cries in the shower.

I think this is exactly how my reaction will play out.

[ogopo]

I will cry over a bottle of wine. Then I will start planning my move to a small town with my bf where I will give up on my dreams of a career in academia, open a coffee/ice-cream shop and probably get knocked up.

Oh, and maybe I'll finally be able to focus on and finish my masters thesis.

[SimilarlyDifferent]

1) I will drift back and forth between feelings of inadequacy and relief that I don't have to make a choice about where to go/what to do with my life.

2) I will feel that all of the accomplishments, awards, honors, and hard work I've gone through have not, in fact, paid off.

3) I'll wallow in self pity and finally decide that it isn't so bad, because I did get an acceptance after all.

4) I'll start actively searching for a job and/or internship to help pay my MLIS tuition.

Edited March 1, 2011 by SimilarlyDifferent

[aucinema]

Rejection letter emergency response plan:

1. Tear up later/close browser angrily (depending on mode of delivery)

2. Call mom

2b. Cry to mom

3. Call SO/close friends and complain; wavering between sadness, anger and relief

4. Open a beer (or several)

5. Order take out

6. Spend 1-2 hours googling search phrases such as "why grad school is a mistake" and "i hate grad school"

7 Watch something trashy

8. Go to bar

8b. Cry to stranger at bar

9. Sleep for 12+ hours

10. Wake up and move on with my life.

[Euthus]

I heard about my rejection from Notre Dame early because my undergrad advisor got an email from the department where I applied (Early Christian Studies), since he is good friends with the director of the program. He broke the news to me RIGHT after I spilled my guts about determining that my formerly top #1 choice "no longer felt right for me." GAH. I took it quietly in his office and then took my other prof's dogs for a walk around campus (Departmental Assistant and glorified dog walker, all in one!). I really didn't feel the "slump" until later that night.

I skipped my late class, then dove into a Hume vs. Kant paper (GREAT distraction, btw). I cried on the way home while driving (which is not safe), but realized how supportive my current department is, and felt a little better. Everyone has been offering me "don't take it personally" advice for two days, so it's starting to get old already -.-

That whiskey sour before bed really kept me from dwelling on it too much

SimilarlyDifferent, I feel the EXACT same way -- "I will feel that all of the accomplishments, awards, honors, and hard work I've gone through have not, in fact, paid off. "

Thankfully, a few of the professors I respect most sat down with me and ran through the long lists of their own past rejections, so I didn't feel as bad (maybe just a little).

Edited March 2, 2011 by Ahwayne

[kaz]

I didn't really do anything except emailed my BFF at work with a ' =( ' , but I've got great plans to go on a trip to somewhere nearby. Holiday Whoohoo! I also really like all the beer/wine ideas..

[Lokyar]

3 shots of jack...then ill tell the wife. then another shot of jack. then ill call the parents. then after another shot of jack ill put some thought into what ill do next.

[everygirl]

Thankfully, a few of the professors I respect most sat down with me and ran through the long lists of their own past rejections, so I didn't feel as bad (maybe just a little).

Wow! I love your department.

[Waw]

I got two rejections yesterday evening, one after another. As it turns out, what I do after being rejected is call my boyfriend, have a sandwich, and watch reruns of That 70s Show.

I expected something more dramatic.