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Posted

Proflorax, that is awesome! Good luck. And yes, what you said about Reading not being as valued in the field of English gives me anxiety, hence my question. And yes, we should trade materials!! When is your application due?

 

And Datatape, that is a really helpful perspective, thank you.

Posted

Weirdly enough, I haven't thought about the (un)likelihood of my admission in a few days.  I've actually been too emotionally involved in bemoaning the complete lack of response to consider what that response might be.  Overall, feeling good about my odds, awful about the process.  And Northwestern is a helluva program, It's(Not).  It might be comforting to think that you were among the hundreds who didn't make it this year.  (It might not.)

So true! Right now my stress is focused primarily on wanting decisions, period. I probably won't be so eager to hear from programs once I have a few more rejections under my belt. But thanks for the encouragement re: Northwestern. I'll add that to the pile of pep talk material along with the other points, plus the fact that I got a semi-personal rejection email from them ("Maybe I was really close!"). Haha.

 

Hey there. Sorry to hear about NW. I had a similar pep talk with myself after Wisconsin rejected me. Not totally over it, though. Struggling to find that positive feeling without hearing a peep from UMass and CUNY. REALLY hoping for a waitlist from one of them. I keep telling myself that it only takes one acceptance, but I am having trouble thinking even one will accept me if 9 other (and very similar) programs won't. Really scary times, friends

Thank you, and I am truly sorry about Wisconsin, too. I can relate to your feeling--rankings may be bullshit, but it doesn't make me feel great to know that the second-lowest-ranked school on my list has already rejected me. It's hard not to feel like that's a bad omen for the rest of them. But: fit, fit, fit. And this process is actually totally random. And like you said, it only takes one! One program to take a chance on a couple of crazy kids like us! Fingers crossed for you.

 

I'm feeling okay. This morning my prof told me he would help me "hibernate in Brazil" if I need to take another year and re-apply. So it's all good.

Not bad at all! My boss (also a professor) has indicated that she'll keep me on for as long as I want my job, and I'm endlessly grateful for that too. I'm glad that your spirits are somewhat high.

Posted (edited)

Hey there. Sorry to hear about NW. I had a similar pep talk with myself after Wisconsin rejected me. Not totally over it, though. Struggling to find that positive feeling without hearing a peep from UMass and CUNY. REALLY hoping for a waitlist from one of them. I keep telling myself that it only takes one acceptance, but I am having trouble thinking even one will accept me if 9 other (and very similar) programs won't. Really scary times, friends

 

 

This. This is exactly what I'm feeling right now. Wisconsin was a hard blow, but if I don't get slightly hopeful news from CUNY, that's going to be pretty heartbreaking. 

 

Do try to remember that numerous folks have gotten rejected and then received acceptances from higher ranked schools! That helps. For about 2 minutes. Then I get down again.

Edited by Pemberley
Posted

Do try to remember that numerous folks have gotten rejected and then received acceptances from higher ranked schools! That's helps. For about 2 minutes. Then I get down again.

 

Yes - I recall last year, one student was rejected from all but two of her schools.  Those two?  Duke and Chicago, far and away the highest-ranked in her list.  it ain't over til it's over.

Posted

Do try to remember that numerous folks have gotten rejected and then received acceptances from higher ranked schools! That's helps. For about 2 minutes. Then I get down again.

 

Yes - I recall last year, one student was rejected from all but two of her schools.  Those two?  Duke and Chicago, far and away the highest-ranked in her list.  it ain't over til it's over.

Damn! I didn't know it was that common. That does make me feel a lil' better. :)

Posted

So... How are everyone's confidence levels? Mine took a pretty big blow after getting rejected from Northwestern, but by now I have semi-successfully pep talked myself ("It was my first application! My materials were still pretty rough! Maybe it was a bad fit! Maybe they could tell they're not my top choice! It's not over till it's over!" etc) into a positive attitude.

 

I have no confidence.  Who was I kidding, applying to graduate school?  I never had a chance.

Posted

I have no confidence.  Who was I kidding, applying to graduate school?  I never had a chance.

 

I feel the same! Good luck to you!! It is really difficult to stay positive at this stage.

Posted

I have no confidence.  Who was I kidding, applying to graduate school?  I never had a chance.

 

This is me. Chicago and NW were big blows. 

 

And I know some of you will say I don't belong in this thread, but I already have a master's and it would feel like a bit of a step back to start another (not to mention a waste of the money my mom generously spent on my first second degree). 

Posted

I'm alright. My implicit rejection from Berkeley on Friday reduced me to a self-pitying mess which thank god I did not document here in real time. Berkeley was one of my two worst fits and I have NO desire to live in California so I am still kind of surprised it hit me so hard. I think The Vanderbilt Situation had me feeling kind of weird (it was one of my top three so the days following the Vanderbilt blood bath were really tough on me emotionally) but I think I have entirely recovered from both of those situations. I have easily been more stressed/less confident in my life.

Posted (edited)

So... How are everyone's confidence levels? Mine took a pretty big blow after getting rejected from Northwestern, but by now I have semi-successfully pep talked myself ("It was my first application! My materials were still pretty rough! Maybe it was a bad fit! Maybe they could tell they're not my top choice! It's not over till it's over!" etc) into a positive attitude.

This is my exact inner dialogue about St. Louis U.

 

"It was my first application! I revamped and revised everything after that app. So everyone else got something better etc"

 

Nice to know I'm not alone on that.

Edited by BrookeSnow
Posted

I have no confidence.  Who was I kidding, applying to graduate school?  I never had a chance.

Yep, this, exactly. I'm in the same position as someone else above: one rejection and not a peep from seven other schools so far. So I've been doing a lot of wavering between "Hey, I never expected to get into Vanderbilt anyway, and it was only the first school, and it was only one rejection" and "This is absolutely hopeless."

Posted

I was feeling like you, Two Espressos, until I heard an encouraging peep. It's very easy to doubt yourself. It's much more difficult to actively seek out your strengths and compliment yourself in times of self-doubt. I'm not saying that you should be trying to do this (sometimes you just CAN'T) but what I am saying is your feelings could change very soon, once a school validates you a little bit with some positive attention. And I'm sure it will happen very soon.

Posted

Yes - I recall last year, one student was rejected from all but two of her schools.  Those two?  Duke and Chicago, far and away the highest-ranked in her list.  it ain't over til it's over.

Wasn't it last year or the year before where somebody was like 0 or 10 and then got accepted outright to Columbia?

Posted

So, my younger (and, I guess, smarter? more qualified?) spouse was nominated for a fellowship at Nebraska. All I got from them was a cold rejection! Hah. I am, of course, super happy for him, but still sad (bitter) for me. Being part of a couple with the same PhD goals is frustrating...

Posted

So, my younger (and, I guess, smarter? more qualified?) spouse was nominated for a fellowship at Nebraska. All I got from them was a cold rejection! Hah. I am, of course, super happy for him, but still sad (bitter) for me. Being part of a couple with the same PhD goals is frustrating...

 

And it will only get more frustrating when you guys go on the job market...

Posted

So, my younger (and, I guess, smarter? more qualified?) spouse was nominated for a fellowship at Nebraska. All I got from them was a cold rejection! Hah. I am, of course, super happy for him, but still sad (bitter) for me. Being part of a couple with the same PhD goals is frustrating...

I strongly doubt smarter, but possibly a better fit. Be happy. It's just a sign you're with somebody who has  bright future. The same will surely be said for you.  :) 

Posted

I strongly doubt smarter, but possibly a better fit. Be happy. It's just a sign you're with somebody who has  bright future. The same will surely be said for you.   :)

 

I appreciate the sentiment! But if he goes there... I mean, I'm obviously stuck moving there, too, with no options.

Posted

NOT

COOL.

I just opened my inbox to see "University of Michigan" in the subject line .. only to realize it was a tax form for a donation to NPR.

I appreciate the sentiment! But if he goes there... I mean, I'm obviously stuck moving there, too, with no options.

Why?

Posted

NOT

COOL.

I just opened my inbox to see "University of Michigan" in the subject line .. only to realize it was a tax form for a donation to NPR.

 

Haha, ugh, I just graduated from UMich and so I still get alerts/English department bulletins on pretty much a daily basis. I have a tiny heart attack EVERY.TIME.

Posted

NOT

COOL.

I just opened my inbox to see "University of Michigan" in the subject line .. only to realize it was a tax form for a donation to NPR.

Oh my god, that is awful. You have my sympathy for sure.

Posted
This is me. Chicago and NW were big blows.    And I know some of you will say I don't belong in this thread, but I already have a master's and it would feel like a bit of a step back to start another (not to mention a waste of the money my mom generously spent on my first second degree). 
Honestly, I'm (probably fruitlessly) hoping for a Chicago MA consolation prize. I already have an MA in American Studies, so I'm trying to rationalize to myself and my boyfriend that a second MA is more worth my time than another year in the workforce. Yup, 0% confidence is appropriate.
Posted (edited)

I was feeling like you, Two Espressos, until I heard an encouraging peep. It's very easy to doubt yourself. It's much more difficult to actively seek out your strengths and compliment yourself in times of self-doubt. I'm not saying that you should be trying to do this (sometimes you just CAN'T) but what I am saying is your feelings could change very soon, once a school validates you a little bit with some positive attention. And I'm sure it will happen very soon.

 

Thanks for your remarks.  I think  our situations are quite different, though.  You have a top-tier education behind you; I have a shit-tier education behind me.  I feel like I'm upending the natural order of academe by applying to the places I did.  People from my university don't get into Ivy league or top-tier schools.  I can surely count on Penn being a rejection, especially with the 600+ applications received this year, so my last hope is UNC-Chapel Hill, which is a top-tier school too...

Edited by Two Espressos
Posted

Wasn't it last year or the year before where somebody was like 0 or 10 and then got accepted outright to Columbia?

 

Yeah, that was last year. That was basically my pep talk story to myself while I was waiting to hear. I"m still kind of amazed!

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