0% Confidence of Acceptance

[TripWillis]

Does anyone else, like myself, have basically 0% confidence that they will get in anywhere, but are applying to like 10 places anyway?

Why do you think we are doing this to ourselves?

Just curious. And let's talk. We need to cheer each other up.

[LLajax]

Because we want to go to grad school- damn the chances! That's why we're doing it.

Side note: I find candles to be an excellent way to cheer up (Bath and Body Works has the best fall/wintry scents....sooo relaxing).

[Timshel]

It depends on the day. Some days I feel like "yeah, I have a chance," and then other days I'm like "I am so f-ed. This is never going to happen."

[LLajax]

Timshel- okay, I admit I feel like that sometimes too.

[darjeelingtea16]

Mostly my mood concerning my apps fluctuates wildly depending on the day (which I suspect is how it is for all of us, really). There are those days when I think, you know, if I don't get in, it's not really the end of the world. This usually then leads to a downward spiral of me wondering what other thing I could be or do instead of being an academic and going to grad school and then getting horribly depressed by my prospects.

I just hope something good comes out of this app season, 'cause I seriously want off this rollercoaster haha

[rawera]

I agree, wholeheartedly. Of course, I am only now writing my statements of purpose, so everyone ahead of me can feel a bit better.

Re: the rollercoaster statement, getting into graduate school will just be the start of climbing that awful hill, click click click click whoosh here comes dissertation and trying to find a job whooosh

[darjeelingtea16]

I'm familiar with the being-in-grad-school rollercoaster to some degree. My MA program was a year long and that click click click click whoosh to the thesis felt more like a tiny whisper of a warning click and then a 2000 foot drop (yay for arbitrary numerical measurements!). I want off the app rollercoaster, at least.

[lolopixie]

I think we can all agree that it is what we love to do and we feel like we fit in the world of academia. This is my second time attempting the roller coaster, and I am SOOO ready to be out of line and on the actual ride! I just want to be in a program, tweaking on coffee, holed up in the back of the library doing what I love. Is it really so much to ask for?

I did narrow my choices down to "realistic" schools of acceptance this year. I'm not applying to any of the ILs. Of course I am concerned about my chances of acceptance because of the total rejection last year. Life does go on after rejection, but it sucks. I think the dust finally cleared around July. I'm just not looking forward to the waiting at all. This board will be the death of us when acceptances start coming out. I just remember sitting here obsessively checking my email, phone, and this website toward the end of February through March. I died a little inside each time a school went up that I applied to and someone got their acceptance notification.

[cquin]

I think we can all agree that it is what we love to do and we feel like we fit in the world of academia. This is my second time attempting the roller coaster, and I am SOOO ready to be out of line and on the actual ride! I just want to be in a program, tweaking on coffee, holed up in the back of the library doing what I love. Is it really so much to ask for?

I did narrow my choices down to "realistic" schools of acceptance this year. I'm not applying to any of the ILs. Of course I am concerned about my chances of acceptance because of the total rejection last year. Life does go on after rejection, but it sucks. I think the dust finally cleared around July. I'm just not looking forward to the waiting at all. This board will be the death of us when acceptances start coming out. I just remember sitting here obsessively checking my email, phone, and this website toward the end of February through March. I died a little inside each time a school went up that I applied to and someone got their acceptance notification.

Jeez, this sounds just like me. Last year's rejections did a number on my ego, and I had to give myself a few months to mull things over. When I decided to spend even more time, money, and effort on reapplying, I realized just how badly I want this. So yay for us and our tenacity! I also revised my list *considerably* (in hindsight, I picked schools very poorly last year, basing my decisions almost entirely on reputation and not on fit) which will, I pray, work in my favor.

[wintergirl]

It depends on the day. Some days I feel like "yeah, I have a chance," and then other days I'm like "I am so f-ed. This is never going to happen."

Hahaha, this is me to a T. It goes from "Hell yeah, I'm a future academic rock star!" to "I wonder if In-n-Out is hiring..."

This board will be the death of us when acceptances start coming out. I just remember sitting here obsessively checking my email, phone, and this website toward the end of February through March. I died a little inside each time a school went up that I applied to and someone got their acceptance notification.

Yeah, I had the same experience last year watching this board--except I wasn't even applying. I was just PREPARING to apply. So I can't imagine what it's going to be like this year...

I also revised my list *considerably* (in hindsight, I picked schools very poorly last year, basing my decisions almost entirely on reputation and not on fit) which will, I pray, work in my favor.

Feels like I'm stalking you, cquin, but can I ask the kinds of things you did to revise your list by fit? I hope I'm going about it the right way, but I'm not sure what else I should be looking for besides relevant faculty (and funding, and location, etc.). What am I missing?

[perrykm2]

0% confidence I can get into the schools I want. 100% confidence I could get into 1000000 other schools I'm not applying to.

The fit is right, but good programs are so competitive. I've bitten off all my nails freaking out about this.

[user_name]

66.6% of the time sure i won't get in anywhere: 33.3% of the time sure i'll make it in my top choices: .01% thinking about it rationally

[bdon19]

Hahaha, this is me to a T. It goes from "Hell yeah, I'm a future academic rock star!" to "I wonder if In-n-Out is hiring..."

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeexactly. Haha, oh man. One night I'll have dreams that various real academic rock stars call me personally to accept me to their programs. The next, well...I think we all know the nightmare version. Blah.

[TripWillis]

Wow, glad we are all on the same page here. It is definitely very day-to-day for me. I'm either a worthless piece of intellectual nothing, or I'm onto some new-new shit that no one can even touch (and yes, new-new shit is a technical term).

[user_name]

does the term new-new shit follow the same logic as post-postmodernism?

[LLajax]

does the term new-new shit follow the same logic as post-postmodernism?

Haha I'm a fan of neo-post-postmodernism

[lolopixie]

Wow, glad we are all on the same page here. It is definitely very day-to-day for me. I'm either a worthless piece of intellectual nothing, or I'm onto some new-new shit that no one can even touch (and yes, new-new shit is a technical term).

I always think of the movie ATL when someone uses new-new LOL.

I also revised my list *considerably* (in hindsight, I picked schools very poorly last year, basing my decisions almost entirely on reputation and not on fit) which will, I pray, work in my favor.

I feel I did the same thing last year. Mostly on reputation, not so much a concentration on fit. I am definitely going on fit this year, tailoring SOPs to the schools, and did a LOT more research on the programs. I also have a much cleaner writing sample and a higher GRE score, which I hope will be higher because I'm taking it again on December 5th and I'm in a class right now trying to improve my verbal score. I didn't know this is your 2nd time around too. I'm glad I'm not the only one!! Although I know I'm not because two of my friends are on their second round of applications too, and I think they made the same mistakes in last year's applications. WE WILL GET IN!!!! 2012 IS OUR YEAR!

[cread]

I'm right there with you, lolopixie and cquin!

In some ways, this is round three for me: 1) apply and being accepted to my MA program 2) applying to PhD programs last year and being rejected from everyone 3) this year, which will be our year!

I'm currently adjuncting, and it took a lot of thinking to decide to get back on the PhD application horse. Here's hoping that applying what I learned last year will lead to a successful application season!

[Grunty DaGnome]

I also feel I have a little chance of getting in. I think about how I've sacrificed my entire summer obsessing over writing samples, statements and every weekend now as I re-obsess and revise it all....oh well. I sort of planned for a 2 year application cycle, anyway. That's how I make myself feel better.

[Timshel]

I'm right there with you, lolopixie and cquin!

In some ways, this is round three for me: 1) apply and being accepted to my MA program 2) applying to PhD programs last year and being rejected from everyone 3) this year, which will be our year!

I'm currently adjuncting, and it took a lot of thinking to decide to get back on the PhD application horse. Here's hoping that applying what I learned last year will lead to a successful application season!

I'm just curious. What were some of the things you "learned" from last year? I hear a lot of people saying this if they already applied and didn't get in somewhere, but I'd love to hear what some of you learned and are avoiding/doing differently this time around.

[cquin]

I'm just curious. What were some of the things you "learned" from last year? I hear a lot of people saying this if they already applied and didn't get in somewhere, but I'd love to hear what some of you learned and are avoiding/doing differently this time around.

Obviously, fit was of utmost importance. I looked beyond US News and World Report and researched schools that may not be the most prestigious, but have a strong English department and lots of faculty working in my area of interest. Since I only have a BA, I'm applying to Master's programs this year, whereas last year I applied exclusively to PhD. I wrote an entirely new paper to submit as my writing sample and am working on making my SOP sound a little less gushy (last year I all but wrote "I loooove literature") and a little more professional. I made sure all my MA programs offer a thesis option, not just the comprehensive exam. And I got in touch with some of my professors and asked them for advice.

Of course, in saying all this, there's still the very real possibility that I won't get in anywhere and I'll wither away working in an office for the rest of my life. Sigh...

[HaruNoKaze]

I spent the weekend out of town, at the beach. We stayed at an extended family member's beach house, four stories tall, marble counter tops throughout the house, stainless appliances, track lighting, massive bathrooms, balconies all the way around the house, and a view of the ocean that, for a moment, made me forget about applications, rejections, and the stress of grad school. Then I realized I will never be able to own a beach house like this on faculty salary. Sigh.

The reality I will probably not get accepted to any of the schools I apply to is really high. And to be honest, sometimes I don't know why I do it. I've been talking to old professors, getting advice and working my butt off to have a strong application. I feel like I'm drowning. I seek solace in knowing that I at least tried to go the path I've always wanted for myself, even if that path isn't the easiest.

But here lately, that isn't getting me very far.

[Two Espressos]

As regards me personally, I'm fairly confident that I possess the requisite intellect (and mad endurance!) to survive in a PhD program. The problem is that, as we all know, a large majority of highly-qualified and intelligent applicants never get accepted. I'm worried about this, especially coming from a fretfully average public university with no prestige whatsoever: others have said that prestige does not matter, but I have a hard time believing that, especially seeing how hierarchical academia is. At the very least, it's going to make my application less likely to stand out among the others... *SIGHS*

[TripWillis]

As regards me personally, I'm fairly confident that I possess the requisite intellect (and mad endurance!) to survive in a PhD program. The problem is that, as we all know, a large majority of highly-qualified and intelligent applicants never get accepted. I'm worried about this, especially coming from a fretfully average public university with no prestige whatsoever: others have said that prestige does not matter, but I have a hard time believing that, especially seeing how hierarchical academia is. At the very least, it's going to make my application less likely to stand out among the others... *SIGHS*

I have a similar problem. My undergrad was UMass: Boston and my MA is at CUNY: Brooklyn College. Both are non-prestigious state schools. I keep telling myself this doesn't matter, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that, all things being equal, I'll be picked over Harvard McYaleton.

[cquin]

I have a similar problem. My undergrad was UMass: Boston and my MA is at CUNY: Brooklyn College. Both are non-prestigious state schools. I keep telling myself this doesn't matter, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that, all things being equal, I'll be picked over Harvard McYaleton.

Hey! I went to UMass Amherst for undergrad and am thinking about applying to a few of the CUNYs. Brooklyn College is not not prestigious. It's best known for its MFA program, definitely, but from what I've heard, their MA program is pretty strong. How has your experience been so far?