Frantic February

[sansao]

It's now February 2nd, and the silence is more deafening than ever. One would think that being an older student should help with patience and nerves. Apparently not. I can't believe that something as simple as leap year has increased my anxiety to this point. "You mean I have to wait through 29 days in February? That's so the opposite of fair." Of course, looking through all the decisions on the Grad Cafe that have already come in for 2012 (even for the schools to which I applied) is not helping. "You mean they already started admitting? What about me? Is the timeline for 2011 applicable for 2012? Help. Me. H E L P." Haha.

Is anyone else rather mortified by the lack of a decsion in January? (yes, I know how ridiculous this probably is). I completed all of my applications in November, though my lors took a while - in some cases beyond the deadline - to arrive. This must have meant that I've been rejected from all the schools, right?

Here's a question: I have a fair GPA (3.40), really solid recommendations, 4-5 of them for each school, in fact. My GREs were not so hot, but not really sub-par either, and my statements (having re-read them about 10 times now) were actually pretty strong. I have internships and a year of undergrad research under my belt. I should be a shoe-in somewhere, yes? Here's my fatal flaw, so to speak. I was an undiagnosed bipolar wreck. So I have a lot - like 3 years worth - of Ws (withdrawals) on my transcripts. Am I totally screwed?

I reiterate: H E L P.

Applied: 4

Admitted 0/4

Waitlisted 0/4

Rejected 0/4

[hope4fall2012]

Hey,

I understand your frustration..Going through the same..

But don't worry about it, something will work out..Just have to wait for it..Atleast thats what I tell myself, when I find time between refreshing Gradcafe results survey, my email and the application status pages..

All the best!!! Hoping for a fruitful February!!

[coffeeplease]

None of us can really tell you your chances -- so much is about the needs of the department, the applicant pool and your particular fit. Did you explain the withdrawals in your application?

And more importantly: are you working to address the mental health issues?

The waiting really, really sucks, but it's out of all of our hands now. I'm sure you will get in somewhere. Hang in there!

Edited February 2, 2012 by coffeeplease

[sansao]

@hope4fall2012: Thanks for the support. I didn't think the end of January would ever get here (and I was hoping I'd have an admit from somewhere when it did), but here we go with the neruotic page refreshes, I guess...

@coffeeplease: Oh yes, I addressed both issues in the application, and yeah, I've been maintaining the mental health situation since I got the diagnosis. Really, it explained a lot about my life in general, and the treatment thus far has been amazing. I guess I'm one of those rare situations where the medication works the way it's supposed to. Of course, my university psychiatrist is awesome, and that helps too.

I guess mostly I'm afraid that life situations that were out of my control, or at least unknown to me at the time, will sabotage my chances. I have a plan B, but it's not nearly as enticing as pursuing a field I'm passionate about.

[hope4fall2012]

I guess mostly I'm afraid that life situations that were out of my control, or at least unknown to me at the time, will sabotage my chances.

Thats something that I worry about too.. Most of us go through that stage in which we end up doing (or not doing) something and it comes back to bite us later on.. The hope is that we've also managed to do something thats worth it to cover up these blemishes..

I have a plan B, but it's not nearly as enticing as pursuing a field I'm passionate about.

Thats good..I don't have a Plan B as yet..and I don't want to even think about it, I'm that scared..

[sansao]

I'm trying to stay positive: "I remedied the situation as soon as I knew about it," etc. If you strip out the withdrawals, and just look at my completed courses, I have a decent GPA with a broad scientific background and a year of research. I'm hoping that they at least consider it in this context, in addition to evaluating the overall situation. Plus, there's no reason to view it as a blemish, the adcoms can do that, but I'm trying to maintain a personal distance from judging myself on it. It's something that was handed to me, not something I chose.

Plan B, yeah... I'm scared about that too. It's something I can do to get by, but not something I really want to do. And it doesn't have anything to do with fear of the real world, I waited 7 years before I went to college, so I'm familiar with what that entails. For me at least, it's all about getting the education I want, self-optimization, and having a better life than I did before I went to college.

On that note, I'm off to class, which means three hours of not refreshing my email. Damn.

[hope4fall2012]

On that note, I'm off to class, which means three hours of not refreshing my email. Damn.

You're so lucky!!! I thought I was doing a good thing by finishing all my classes last semester.. Now, I'm in front of my comp all the time.. I think I should go find a cave..