So nervous :-/

[lalabooks]

Hoping that someone has felt this way before. I think I am driving myself crazy. My applications will be submitted by the end of December and then I will just be waiting. In the meantime I have convinced myself of the following things: I will not get in anywhere, my references are going to write sub-par letters for me, my stats are not competitive. This is all pretty much untrue. And I am aware of how untrue it is! It is the whole process making me neurotic; neurotic to the point of wanting to give up:-( I've even gone to the extent of telling myself I'm not worth getting into a program. I know everyone in this process gets nervous at one point, but I literally feel like I've gone crazy! Anyone else let this process take over like this?? Anybody going to school for Psychology feel free to have a field day with this and give me opinions.

[Kitkat]

Not in psych, so I won't try to analyze this or anything.

But I know exaclty how you feel about this whole process. I haven't even finished any applications yet, so at least I still have some control over them, and therefore the panic I do feel. But I feel that once I do submit them all I feel all the waiting will drive me nuts. Basically I am at the point where I am making contingency plans for if I don't get into any program. (Jobs and the like. You know ) My bf keeps telling me that I am being silly for all this worry, and he is probably right.

Just think of it this way, your expecting the worst, hoping for the best, and will probably get something somewhere in the middle, in the land of the realistic.

[emmm]

You are just acknowledging the fact that you are trying to do something difficult where success is not guaranteed. I think we've all had the same feelings -- it seems perfectly normal to me. Try to relax -- what I found comforting was that the upside of applying was that I'd potentially get to do some really neat things for the next 5-6 years. The downside -- I might have to reapply. That's it. That's all they could do to me if they didn't like me, True, applying is such a pain that that seems pretty awful, but my day-to-day life wouldn't change for the worse in any real sense AT ALL. In fact, I think my husband would say that now that I am in grad school, my life has changed for the worse -- I am working all the time and tired all the time!

Still, making contingency plans is never a bad thing -- I had my back-up plans. It's nice to know what you would do if the worst outcome is the one you have to deal with.

Good luck!

[sabrinamichelle]

I have wanted to give up so many times! But I just told myself I can't give up because I have already spent so much time and money lol. In the end I feel better about it. But there were days I thought I was kidding myself.

[Calvin_xc1]

I've shifted all over the place with my anticipation. It's hard, really really hard. I'm ready to move on with my life, and it's in the hands of people I don't know to decide what will happen.

I dread the idea that I'll get rejected everywhere, or worse yet, get rejected everywhere and get my scholarships! That would be a nightmare!

On the same note, I have moments of overwhelming confidence, imagining myself shopping around between universities to find the 'best pick'.

Reality, as always, will be somewhere in the middle. I'm confident that no matter where I go that I'll be able to make the program work for me. I remind myself that, yes, I am reaching in my applications, but I'll get in somewhere, and I'll make it work. That helps.

It also helps that I have a crazy-busy schedule, and keep myself occupied with everything that's going on! (-: