0% Confidence of Acceptance

[strawberryfrap]

Hi everyone! I usually only lurk about and don't post anything, but my boyfriend found this picture over on the law school forums and it was so sad and cute that it sort of cheered me up about my recent rejections. Just wanted to share it:

[It's (Not) About Me]

O

H

(You know what to do!)

I

O

!

 

(Yep, despite my better judgment, I always do it... and then hate myself afterwards. I also have definitely yelled this ironically upon seeing someone wearing an OSU t-shirt outside of Ohio.)

SEE?!?!? Ohio people are always trying to get other people to finish spelling the state for them. It's FOUR LETTERS you guys!

[insert joke about how Ohioans can't spell words that are any longer than that]

[InHacSpeVivo]

First off, I have absolutely nothing useful to contribute, but thank you to everyone for posting your stories and inspirational words. Really useful as I receive one rejection after another and another and another...

 

 

Also, is Oklahoma essentially a foreign country to everyone on the forum? It is okay if the answer is yes.

 

Nope. However, I am from Hawaii which was basically a foreign country about 60 years ago, so I may not be the best judge.

 

Also, question for the Ohioans: my dog is from Ohio. Is it okay for me to support Ohio State on his behalf? There may have been very cute OSU sweatpants on sale at Banner 47 recently...

[bfat]

Yes, thanks for all the nice words. And I swear to God, the only solution is a pint of rum mixed with pineapple juice. I feel so much better already. Also, I've moved to the "denial" state of grief, and I'm just pretending I didn't apply to any of those places that rejected me. It seems to be working. That and the rum.

[Austen-sibly]

Long time lurker here, saying thank you for all of your responses! I applied to 12 places and have only heard from ONE thus far (and it was good news, so I should just hush) but I cannot wait to just hear either way from the rest!

[ProfLorax]

I have discovered, for me at least, that there are two different ways to think about the application cycle. One is that the responses we receive from universities are an indication of our worth as people and scholars. The first time I applied, as I have shared before, I was rejected flatly from all PhD programs; I was only accepted into a handful of unfunded, unranked MA programs. I taped all of the rejection letters to my bedroom door, so I could see them everyday before I left. In my mind, the rejections were proof that I was unworthy, and I wanted to punish myself for failing.

 

It was a shitty year.

 

This year, I decided to look at the application cycle, not as a measure of my aptitude, but as the first step of an academic career. As of last week, I had no acceptances and a few implied rejections. I was sad and anxious, sure, but I remained hopeful. Now that I have a few acceptances under my belt, I am less emotionally tied to the responses from other schools; step one, getting in, is now completed. 

 

I wish I had this perspective in 2008. Universal rejection didn't mean that I had failed as a human or a thinker. It was just that Step 1 would take a bit longer to achieve than I had originally planned. 

Edited February 21, 2013 by proflorax

[thestage]

I'm down to one PhD possibility left unless Buffalo does something with waitlists.  I have 3 MA applications left--I don't even want an MA--but if Rutgers doesn't take me, I won't get a PhD at any point in my life.  It's a little weird to know that a gigantic aspect of your future is down to one last coin flip (that is heavily weighted against you).  There is something heartening about this distillation of the inevitable pointlessness of life.  I can say it is at this point entirely uncomplicated, which is perhaps the only time in my life I've been able to say something like that.

[DontHate]

yay for uncomplicated! Yay for Master's degrees?

[thestage]

that was your 666th post.  you have cursed me.

[DontHate]

Oh noes! But this one undoes the curse

[thestage]

I was playing poker with my brothers on christmas maybe five years ago and the first hand flopped 6 6 6.

 

it was then that I knew to go all in

[blueberryscone]

In case it helps anyone else, this is helping me with the I CANT SLEEP MUST CHECK EMAIL problem. http://www.youtube.com/embed/JlezOeXGt4c?feature=player_embedded

 

Edited to correct link

Edited February 21, 2013 by blueberryscone

[Gauche]

I know I have 1 acceptance already, so I probably should just STFU, but the parade of rejections today is really just cripplingly painful. I have been crying all afternoon and I just hate everything ever. I feel totally unworthy of the 1 that I got because clearly I'm not good enough for anyone else. Ugh, somebody kill me.

 

This may or may not help, but remember, all you need is love one.

 

Besides, it's their loss for rejecting you. Penn State clearly sees your talent, so they deserve you.

[Mercyhurst2010]

On 2/20/2013 at 2:23 PM, skybythelight said:

Wow. I really thought I had prepared myself for not getting those e-mails/phone calls from Michigan and Maryland, but as I sit here a teary mess I'm realizing I apparently did not. Oops.

 

I definitely can relate. Now that Vandy is out of the cards, Maryland and WashU are my two top choices. I didn't hear anything from Maryland, and right as I was taking one last look at the results board I saw that someone received an acceptance from WashU, as well. I suppose it doesn't help, though, that I spent yesterday morning (my 25th birthday--cue the quarter-century crisis!) in the ER with my wife who had suddenly become violently ill overnight. (She's fine now, just very exhausted. We were there for 5 hours, IVs and all that, and they think it was an ordinary virus of some sort. But it was definitely very scary.) Anyway, these have been two of the worst days I have had in a long, long time. Despite the fact that I did get accepted at my previous institution (which I'm really happy about, and I would happily return there if I don't get in to any of my top choices), I really feel the need to get accepted by any program that doesn't already know me. In other words, I guess I'm having a major "impostor syndrome" kind of week and I need to know that I look good on paper, will be competitive on the job market, and that I'm not just making my way through on the basis of connections and affiliations.

 

Anyway, now that that is off my chest, I can say that I'm really excited for tomorrow and Friday. This should be a very busy end of the week, and I'm really ready for some resolution. Of the thirteen programs I applied to, ten have had movement on the results board, but I have only heard officially from three. Something needs to give, and at this point I almost don't even care which direction!

[kaykitty19]

Universal rejection didn't mean that I had failed as a human or a thinker. It was just that Step 1 would take a bit longer to achieve than I had originally planned. 

This is pretty much my outlook now and I really appreciate hearing your story. Part of me is afraid that I will be rejected from all the places I applied, but it is not over! I still have high hopes! Never give up, never surrender!!! XD

[It's (Not) About Me]

Yes, thanks for all the nice words. And I swear to God, the only solution is a pint of rum mixed with pineapple juice. I feel so much better already. Also, I've moved to the "denial" state of grief, and I'm just pretending I didn't apply to any of those places that rejected me. It seems to be working. That and the rum.

Coconut rum + pineapple juice (or alternatively, anything + pineapple juice) is probs my favorite drink of all time. I for one condone this behavior. I had some wine last night and it totally numbed me to the comments my dinner date was making about UNC. ("Well, you know, it's a state school, not an Ivy--but good for you!"). Lol jk, his comments wouldn't have touched me anyway, but I do like wine! ...In all seriousness, though, I hope you're hanging in there. I will echo what Gauche said: the school that recognizes your talent is the school that deserves you.

 

Also, question for the Ohioans: my dog is from Ohio. Is it okay for me to support Ohio State on his behalf? There may have been very cute OSU sweatpants on sale at Banner 47 recently...

I actually can't think of anything more appropriately Ohioan than OSU sweatpants. GO FOR IT. Bonus points if you make/consume buckeyes (if this treat is unknown to you:http://allrecipes.com/recipe/buckeyes-i/). Drooooooool. In fact, forget the sweatpants! Just make some buckeyes!

 

This is pretty much my outlook now and I really appreciate hearing your story. Part of me is afraid that I will be rejected from all the places I applied, but it is not over! I still have high hopes! Never give up, never surrender!!! XD

I like your attitude.

[kareneliz]

Bfat, I went to Penn State as an undergrad -- State College is a beautiful, safe, welcoming town. The people are wonderful; everyone is kind; there's plenty of culture despite detractors trying to label it a "middle of nowhere town" (the University's 44,000 students and campus-large-enough-to-literally-have-its-own-zip-code-and-be-its-own-actual-city-size actually ensure an incredible amount of speakers, concerts, and events of all types -- especially those that appeal to academics). In my mind, it is the most wonderful place I've been and I did apply this year, after completing my MA elsewhere, to return to Penn State. They don't often re-accept those who have recieved undergrad degrees there, but I remain hopeful. I hope my offering helps you rest a little easier -- you are headed (so far!) to an INCREDIBLE program in a truly incredible place. Rejoice!

[DontHate]

 everyone is kind

 

except for the child rapists?

[InHacSpeVivo]

I actually can't think of anything more appropriately Ohioan than OSU sweatpants. GO FOR IT. Bonus points if you make/consume buckeyes (if this treat is unknown to you:http://allrecipes.com/recipe/buckeyes-i/). Drooooooool. In fact, forget the sweatpants! Just make some buckeyes!

 

THANK YOU! 1. I love buckeyes, but I didn't know I could make them myself! 2. You will probably love these, if you haven't tried them already: http://www.jenis.com/products/The-Buckeye-State-Pint.html http://graeters.com/buckeye.aspx

 

I am an Ohio poser.

[kareneliz]

That's a little inappropriate. Jerry Sandusky is one man; Penn State's reputation as a welcoming, very activisty university speaks for itself. The town is lovely and so are the people. That's really the last that's worth saying of it. The amount of ignorance displayed in your comment suggests you know little of the school OR the actual events of the child abuse scandal. I'm not going to entertain an argument with you -- I would just like to reiterate to those accepted at PSU that it's a great place with innumerable resources and a tremendous committment to both scholarship and activism. Also lots of trees and good nooks on campus in which to read and relax. :-)

[DontHate]

It's just a ridiculous generalization to say that "everyone is kind" anywhere. It can't possibly be true.

 

Sandusky is a very easy counterexample. But he was not the only person involved in the cover-up and inaction surrounding those rapes. Getting defensive and pretending that it was only one man is not a very kind thing for you to do to all the victims.

Edited February 21, 2013 by DontHate

[DontHate]

Ah, trees and good nooks. Well that makes up for pedophilic sexual abuse any day. Why didn't you say so earlier?!

 

Heaven forbid me for being inappropriate on an internet forum. I really shouldn't mention the egregious moral errors of a school administration surrounding repeated sexual violations of trusting young boys, that is so wrong of me! Meanwhile, it's perfectly acceptable to celebrate the "activisty" nature of a school that protested the firing of a coach directly involved in the coverup of multiple rapes. That, my friends, is what we call "appropriate behavior." 

[kareneliz]

I should clarify. As a rape victim myself, I am especially sensitive to issues of abuse. I would never want it to seem as though I condone/don't care about the actions taken by those involved in the child abuse scandal. However, I also would find it regrettable if the entire university were slandered -- even those who never met Jerry Sandusky or had any clue what happened under his supervision -- because of the actions of those involved. His monstrous crimes do not, for example, dim in any way the academics of the English department. Furthermore, sure, not everyone is kind. You're right; that's a generalization. But there's a small-town kindness in State College exuded by many of the townies that make it feel very welcoming. I wouldn't suggest that ANYTHING fixes or compensates for what happened to the victims of Jerry Sandusky and his co-conspirators -- but the whole university, all its programming, all the residents of the area and all the students truly should not be slandered based off the offenses of those involved.

[Swagato]

Being a victim doesn't give you any privilege any more than being black makes someone an automatic authority on racial politics. I'm not targeting you; it's just a pet peeve I have whenever I see that line of argument adopted by anyone.

[DontHate]

^ agreed