Sh*t people say when you are applying to grad school

[oseirus]

"You'll get in, they want your money."

LOL who said that one?

[laviola]

Everyone keeps telling me I'll get in everywhere and they all look confused when I get worried about it.... I don't understand it haha, do they not understand??

[Dawn]

My father: You can't go to [enter top choice school] it's too expensive there. I know because I went to [ that city ] in the 60s! You have to go to [ local state college]!

[TropicalCharlie]

My mom's response after I told her about grad school plans:

Why?

You have a job with benefits. Isn't that good enough?

You're going to move again?

Oh mom.....

[laviola]

^ My mom's the opposite.. when I mention the possibility of getting a job without a masters, she goes all "but you still want a masters right?" LOL

[omigoshlolz]

Mom: I bet you'll get in everywhere!!

Me: Stop saying that! You said that last year and I got rejected from both! (I applied to 2 MA Counseling Psyc Programs)

Grandpa: I don't understand. Why would they take all your money and then only accept 4 people out of 400 applications? Are you doing something wrong? I thought you had good grades?

Grandpa: Oh you'll definitely get into McGill. 18yroldcousin even got into McGill.

Me: No. Wait. She got in for undergrad. I'm applying to grad school.

Grandpa: So...

Me: They're different. If I applied to McGill for undergrad, I would have got in too. Grad school is way more competitive

Grandpa: Now don't get upset because 18yroldcousin got in to McGill. You'll get in too!!

UGHHH

And there's only so many times I can explain that acceptances aren't only determined by my grades and that grad programs are 100x more competitive than undergrad ones! AHH

[oseirus]

My mom's response after I told her about grad school plans:

Why?

You have a job with benefits. Isn't that good enough?

You're going to move again?

Oh mom.....

you would think this is the 19th century and you're going to the big city to make your fortune

[RKS]

"Are those the people that do social experiments?"

"What do you do with that?" - The classic. It gets one of two answers: 1. Reach Enlightenment 2. Develop as a perceptive and articulate human being. Each gets a response of cautious, confused laughter.

I LOVE THIS. I get asked all the time by family/friends what I'm going to do with my undergrad degree. Definitely going to use it from now on.

[JElliott]

I get a lot of the why do you need more school, don't worry you'll get in everywhere, etc. But here are some other gems I love:

Old Supervisor: "How do you think you're going to pay for that? Certainly not by working HERE." (Actually, they'll pay me to go. But thanks for the lay-off.)

Almost everyone: "So what is cultural studies, anyway?"

Me: "The study of culture, pretty much."

Them: *blank face* "And what will you do with that? Teach?"

Me: "Actually, I'm not really into teaching. I like writing articles, and I'm thinking of getting into academic publishing."

Them: *blank face again*

Many people: "You already taught college. What do you need a PhD for?"

Thankfully, I've explained the process to my mother thoroughly enough that she doesn't do this to me (anymore). I learned to make pre-emptive strikes re: career paths in undergrad. My dad's family is pretty hick, so to him it's simple enough that school and jobs of any kind are good and he is so far from having a clue how the process works that he just asks me to let him know when something happens. Talking to him is like a vacation at this point.

[oseirus]

I get a lot of the why do you need more school, don't worry you'll get in everywhere, etc. But here are some other gems I love:

oh that one slays me ... "get in everywhere" ... ADCOMs must hear this a lot, ergo why they are so stingy w/their admittance rates

[koolherc]

my mom wasn't able to go to school past 8th grade, but the moment I explained that the school will actually pay me to study/research/TA/etc (free tuition and stipends), she gets that it's a hell of a deal. and for 5 years!

I don't get how people can ask "what'll you do with that?" as if they know what the status of their own job will be in 5 years.

[abc123xtc]

"Why are you so eager to check the mail?"

[PhDreams]

It's hard to explain the complexities of graduate school admissions to people who have gone to for-profit institutions (or only know people who have). I don't know how many times I've had the "No, you don't just 'sign-up' to grad school" talk with people. Sigh.....

[Tiglath-Pileser III]

My wife's best friend to my wife: "You should leave him until he gives up this graduate school thing and gets a real job."

Nice....

[oseirus]

My wife's best friend to my wife: "You should leave him until he gives up this graduate school thing and gets a real job."

Nice....

guess someone isn't invited over to casa de Tiglath Pileser or palace de Tiggy P ... whichever

[koolherc]

Tiglath-Pileser III: I appreciate both your X-files signature and your avatar.

[oseirus]

Tiglath-Pileser III: I appreciate both your X-files signature and your avatar.

Kool I appreciate your avatar AND the name. Keep Real Hip Hop alive!!!

[_kita]

1. "Of course you'll get in! Don't be so worried." I explain why I'm worried, "Oh... I guess that makes sense..."

[cokohlik]

Got this one yesterday:

"Oh... (nervous laugh) We'll never get you out of school!"

[oseirus]

Got this one yesterday:

"Oh... (nervous laugh) We'll never get you out of school!"

and your reply was ...

[koolherc]

Kool I appreciate your avatar AND the name. Keep Real Hip Hop alive!!!

have you heard KRS-One's recent "Aztechnical" track? WOW. Paradigm shift-inducing:

when my wife (not a hiphophead but knows a lot thru me) heard it first and told me "you have to hear this!!"

Edited February 27, 2012 by koolherc

[PhDreams]

have you heard KRS-One's recent "Aztechnical" track? WOW. Paradigm shift-inducing:

when my wife (not a hiphophead but knows a lot thru me) heard it first and told me "you have to hear this!!"

Nice... Thank you for this. Made my morning.

[psychdork]

Background: A classmate applied to some of the same programs I did at the last minute. Classmate's application is not as strong as mine but still decent.

This was a conversation I had with a friend who knows this classmate. Friend is also applying to PhD programs this year but in a different specialty.

Me: "Classmate got accepted to *school-we-both-applied-to*. I haven't heard a thing. <insert expletives here>"

Friend: "Oh...did you hear she has a publication?"

Note: I didn't remind Friend that I too have a publication... Is it too much to ask for a "I'm sorry" or something of that nature?

[rmgerdes]

This is the best thread ever.

I wish I had never told anyone, not even my recommenders (we'll ignore the obvious logical pitfalls of this strategy)... so no one would ask me about it.

[espresso_eyes]

I wish I had never told anyone, not even my recommenders (we'll ignore the obvious logical pitfalls of this strategy)... so no one would ask me about it.

LOL