Anyone else regretting not applying to more schools?

[GirlattheHelm]

actually the technical term is "I lovermont". maybe you've seen one or two of those t-shirts on the other side of the lake?

I will go kick some asses for you if they do.

Ha! I've not seen the t-shirts but I have seen the stickers.

Anyway, it's also good to know I have backup if pigeon shit hits the fan...

[Reinventing]

At one point, I wished I'd applied to more schools.

But:

-I didn't really have time (in my field, the application processes and requirements are all different for each school)

-It is expensive (I'm just now learning how expensive this can all be. . . No wonder my parents didn't drag me on a cross-country college tour when I was looking at schools for undergrad)

I ended up applying to my solid/safety schools because I thought they were my best chance to stand out and hopefully get financial aid. It's still up in the air at this point (which I take as not a good sign); and I may think about changing my career aspirations a bit, but if I could go back in time, I don't think I'd change anything.

[hornedfrogmeg]

I made a last ditch effort and applied to a small school about two weeks ago after their deadline had past. I got an acceptance today. yay! Now I'm less than 50/50 on whether I want to join the program but it's a nice boost to my self-esteem to know I'm at least wanted somewhere haha. So it doesn't hurt to email around and ask if any schools are still accepting applications.

[peanutbutter]

I think the limiting factor for me was recs! How many recs is an appropriate number to ask someone to do? Any guidance?

[Tobson]

wow...that's kind of lame. Its like an arranged marriage or something. "Here you go, Tobson. We've picked your future spouse. Never mind the body odor, the bad attitude, or extensive Pokemon trading card collection. We've taken all the stress out of having to choose. Bow down and thank us!!"

oy vey.

well it isen't all that bad, we are allowed to picks some schools as our favorites, but no guarantee that you will be allowed to apply there.....

One of my top choices was VA Tech, strange thing is they tell me for months now that there hasn't been made a descicion on my application yet - is this a strange kind of hidden/secret waitlist or why is this taking so long-....?

[nandelle]

I wish I had applied to my state school (Washington State University). I was going to, then I had a couple professors tell me it was "beneath me" or I was "too good" to go there. Now though, it seems likely that I would have perhaps gotten funding there, and I am kicking myself for not applying, since it seems like (for this reason, and others) that my professors were kind of out of touch with the admissions process this year.

[ScannerBrainly]

Sometimes I regret not applying to more schools, but this is my first time applying. I figured that applying only to schools that I am absolutely in love with is ok for round one. If I don't get in this year, I will just have to expand my options for next.

[lucerovespertino]

Yup. I applied to 7, which I thought was a lot, but I haven't heard from any... Now I'm wishing I had applied to safety schools. I just figured 7 was enough so why kill myself raising even more money? (All together, applying to those 7 cost me around $1,000.)

[gingin6789]

I only applied to three.  Of course I wanted to apply to more, but I can't.  I have to stay close to home for my family right now.  We live with and take care of my grandmother, and if they need me home in a moment's notice, I have to get here quickly.  There were other schools that fit the distance qualification and even the "fit" qualification, but there were some snags:

 

-I had three other programs in mind, but I talked with my thesis advisor and other professors, and they said not to.  When a prof I trust just shakes their head as soon as they hear the name and gives me good reasons because they have insider info, I will not apply there.  

 

-Two others that were kind of nearby just weren't the right fit.  Incredibly quantitative and demography-based.  I do have a strong quant side in sociology, but demography isn't what I want to go to school for.  

 

-Finally, one of the programs I sent my GRE scores to actually closed last year, but they didn't update their website.  Huge bummer.

 

And now I have a list of three that I am content with.  I just hope one of them will have me.

[roguesenna]

I only applied to three as well. My reasons also have to do with location. I can't move outside of NYC or LA or it's going to put a lot of undue strain on my relationship of 4 years. My boyfriend works in film and television and there is basically little to no work outside of those two cities. There were two more I was considering, UCSD and CUNY, but I ultimately chose not to apply to UCSD because the commute to LA was just unrealistic and I didn't apply to CUNY because their application process was kind of a mess and I just didn't have a lot of money to apply to extra schools. If I don't get in (and I can afford it) next year I will reapply to Columbia, UCLA and NYU and add UCB, Princeton, CUNY and maybe Yale.

[jacket24]

Like several posters that I've seen here, my applications were financially limited. I tried to apply only to programs in locations that I could really see myself living for 4-6 years but that hasn't stopped the voice in my head from telling me that I should have cast a wider net.

 

This forum has been a blessing and a curse...while there is strength in numbers, I can't help but ponder how much more productive I could be if not for compulsively refreshing the results page in vain. Glad to see that I'm not the only one with these neuroses.

[starofdawn]

I'm about to throw in a last-minute application to a state school. Although this school is not highly ranked, it has the resources I need to study what I'm passionate about... and my boyfriend and I wouldn't need to quit our jobs and move to another city.

[glm]

If I don't get accepted into the one program I've applied to, I will certainly regret applying to one school. At the same time, I can't see myself anywhere else. It's hard to flirt with other options when you know what you want.

[MadtownJacket]

If I don't get accepted into the one program I've applied to, I will certainly regret applying to one school. At the same time, I can't see myself anywhere else. It's hard to flirt with other options when you know what you want.

 

I'm in the same situation.  My academic advisor from undergraduate school convinced me to apply to an additional school, even though I couldn't really see myself anywhere other that my top choice.

[Boba felt]

ugh, i only applied to 2 and am now nervous that was a mistake.  The more I researched schools, the more I loved 2 programs and kept losing interest in any others, based on a mix of the programs themselves and the cities where the school is located.  I don't want to spend years getting a phd somewhere I imagine will be a bad overall fit.  But still….freaking out like everyone else on this website

[gingin6789]

I got ... really lucky, I found out.

 

Nope, I didn't hear back from any schools yet.  However, I was lamenting the fact that I didn't mention actually professor/faculty names in my SOP.  Instead, I listed my interests and sent them my thesis.

 

I was looking one of the program's websites and I thought "Man, it would be so cool to work with this professor ... her research interests match mine perfectly!"  

 

I'm presenting at a conference in a few weeks, and so I checked to see if anyone from the programs I'm applying to will be present while I'm presenting!

 

The presiding member of my presentation session?  The very person I was so interested in!! I get to present my thesis findings in front of her!  On top of that, I get to go to a reception with her and a few others later that evening!  

 

This made me feel better about applying to just three schools!

[wcwmd1614]

I also only applied to two schools, both in Switzerland, that's the only country I want to go, so not much of a choice there. Haven't even thought about what to do if both rejected, hopefullly that wont happen, oh dear

[microarray]

I definitely regret not applying to more  than 4 schools. However, I was limited by a number of factors: (not in any particular order) (1) money (2) location (west/east coast or midwest) and (3) what I study/want to study is very niche - not many potential PI's (and it was super hard to find the ones that I found!)

 

 

However, I only applied to schools that I thought was a great fit to hopefully increase my chances of getting in. So far I have 2/4 interviews and hopefully I'll get in to at least one of the schools. Luckily one of them is my absolute top choice and I've had lots of contact with 2 potential PI's. So excited/nervous.

 

If I don't get in, I'll retake GRE (totally bombed it), get more research experience (already have 2+ years), and contact/develop relationships with even more schools (and save up for applications lol).

[skylarking]

I had the same problem: my research interests are so specific (esoteric?) that it's hard to find anyone who specializes in what I want to continue studying. I applied to all but maybe 2 schools, and I'm kind of kicking myself for not applying to those, as well. Even still, I really couldn't have scrounged up the money for more application fees (the ones to which I applied were insane, especially the Canadian unis) and all the associated costs. 

[manduke]

I applied to 3, but given my location constraints, that's really all I could do. Still, seeing the posts by individuals who applied to 3 or more times as many schools as I did makes me concerned. But what the hay, I only finished the application to 1 undergrad school, and I got into that one, so maybe this will all work out.

[Macavity]

I struggled to find 2 schools that were a good fit for my research interests and had guaranteed funding.  I really wanted to apply to 5, but it seemed like a waste of money to apply to schools without faculty in my area. I even had to expand my geographical range to find a second school.

[Crucial BBQ]

On one hand I had wished I could have applied to more schools. On the other, meh.  My original list had 22 schools/programs.  After further review, I was able to eliminate 11 of them.  Out of the remaining 11, I narrowed it down to 8 based solely on what I thought was fit.  Well, one got dropped because although I loved what I knew about the program and had a contact in that program, ultimately, I could not see myself living in that location for 5+ years.  One school was dropped at the last minute because admissions was too competitive.  It's was not that I felt I couldn't compete in the application process, that is why I was applying in the first place, but because I ultimately realized that those other applicants would be members of my cohort and their competitiveness would drive me nuts.  Another school only received one LOR....Then there was the school that I misread; I began the application well in advance, but,the due-date I had noted for that program was two weeks too late.    

 

So, in the end, four schools/programs.  

 

Honestly, I could not see applying to all 22 schools even if I had the money to do so.  I really want to go to graduate school.  I really do.  But I also really do NOT want to do to some schools/programs.  I made the mistake of applying to shotgun technique to undergrad (you know, "scattering" multiple applications around with the hope of "hitting" at least one school).  It was a waste of money and I ended up transferring. 

[cloud9876]

I applied to 7 programs, and got fee waivers for 3 of them (still waiting on one).
I decided to cut 2 programs from my list because I could not envision myself attending, and given my financial constraints, had to choose where I would ultimately apply carefully.
There is one program that I wish I'd applied to but I hadn't taken the GRE before the required deadline (I had my sights on a different academic path before so I had dedicated most of my time last year to studying for another exam.) In any case, I can't really say I regret it because 1) I applied to schools that I would like to attend and 2) my finances limited the number of applications I could have submitted. I'm glad that I had the chance to apply to the schools I did apply to, and pray that it is sufficient to give me good options (including financial) for fall 2014.
I hope for the best for everyone in here as well with whatever pool of schools you've applied to.

[gingin6789]

Crucial BBQ, your post about the sheer cost of applying is so true!!  I "only" paid $225 total, but I only applied to three schools!  If I had to apply to 11 or 22, I'd be having a conversation with my bank going something like this:

 

Bank:  Gingin6789, you overdrew your bank account.  Is there a reason for this?

Me: Oh ... yes, sorry, I was applying to grad school

Bank: Oh yes, school does get expensive

Me:  No, no, I think you misunderstood me ... It was from applying to grad schools!

 

Before we get into debt from schools, we can go into debt from application fees haha.  

 

Note: I DO understand why they charge for applications; I know they need money! This is just my ribbing way of coping with the cost =p  I'm not trying to complain, just to joke about the situation.

[sarab]

Sometimes I regret not applying to more schools, but this is my first time applying. I figured that applying only to schools that I am absolutely in love with is ok for round one. If I don't get in this year, I will just have to expand my options for next.

 

Yeah, same here. I see you also applied to four universities. I just wanted to make sure they were a good fit and hoped that meant I'd get in in at least one of them.... I haven't heard anything back, so I'm still hoping for the same thing, but I'm so anxious with the whole process that I doubt myself and my choice to only apply to four places.