"No, the Results Survey won't change if you check it 5 minutes later" Funny Habits of the 'Admissions-Obsessed'

[cokohlik]

I realized this morning that I have the GC Survey page for my field open in two windows on my phone. Guess I just want to be extra sure of what programs are notifying.

I also check my email all waking hours even if it makes no sense that an east coast school would notify at, say, 9pm. I once got an email from Columbia staff at 1am EST ... so... Come on schools!

I noticed that last round. I was notified during normal business hours, between 9-11am Pacific.

[cokohlik]

Obsession gone bad.......so far, I had been waking up several times every night to check my email but went back to sleep right after....but today, I woke up at 4 and could not go back to sleep at all.....and am now at work, feeling like crap!

Oh no!!! I hope you feel better!! Wish I could buy you a coffee!

[cokohlik]

I wish ADCOMs would start posting on Gradcafe....

Hahaha!!!

I kinda like the Grad Cafe being a little secret. I feel like part of a secret society. We should make up initiation rites.

[coonskee]

Sooooo remember how I said that two people from my program had posted rejections?

Talked to the grad secretary, and she said no rejections had been sent out yet, so they were fake results.

Not cool, dudes. Not cool.

[cokohlik]

Sooooo remember how I said that two people from my program had posted rejections?

Talked to the grad secretary, and she said no rejections had been sent out yet, so they were fake results.

Not cool, dudes. Not cool.

OMG!!! That's just terrible...

[hitomimay]

Seriously! That's a terrible thing to do. I swear it takes YEARS off of everyone's lives seeing that. ><'' I've heard of people posting acceptances and waitlists on GradCafe too... ehhh people...

[stephanie.ms.antunes]

Another obsession related habit I have started....Dreams. That's right, I can't even escape this madness when I sleep!

I have has so many dreams where I am accepted into a program, only to wake up and realize that it wasn't real. Needless to say, I feel a little disappointed all day and it further fuels my "check-my-status-every-hour" behaviour.

[bythesea]

Sooooo remember how I said that two people from my program had posted rejections?

Talked to the grad secretary, and she said no rejections had been sent out yet, so they were fake results.

Not cool, dudes. Not cool.

It probably happens, but remember that there are other sources of rejection info than the grad office. There are also presumed rejections, e.g., you haven't received an interview & all interview notices have gone out; you have an email from your POI saying he/she isn't taking students or is recommending someone else; etc. Rejections notices sent out from grad offices often seem to be happening much, much later than the actual rejection, which someone could hear about in other ways.

[coonskee]

It probably happens, but remember that there are other sources of rejection info than the grad office. There are also presumed rejections, e.g., you haven't received an interview & all interview notices have gone out; you have an email from your POI saying he/she isn't taking students or is recommending someone else; etc. Rejections notices sent out from grad offices often seem to be happening much, much later than the actual rejection, which someone could hear about in other ways.

Oh, I know that's true! Two reasons it bugged me: one, the two rejections were 'via website' (I don't think there's a way to check online status on the website, and the GS didn't say anything when I asked about it); and two, because I know for a fact that the adcom for this program is meeting this week, so the timing was just really crummy I was refreshing my inbox for a day and a half obsessively before I finally contacted the grad secretary to get peace of mind...

[GreenePony]

Let's add slapping your husband's shoulder 20 times in quick succession yelling "They're looking at it!They're looking at it!They're looking at it!" to list of funny habits. I kind of feel bad for it now...

It just showed up online that one school cashed the application fee check included in my application 3 days ago. That means they opened the envelope!

Edited February 10, 2012 by GreenePony

[stephanie.ms.antunes]

According to my boyfriend, I bring up Grad school or admissions at least once every half an hour....dedicated or borderline obsessive compulsive?

[MonkeyPants]

my husband finally got fed up with my obsession. he rented a fiddle, lured me into the car, and drove me to a lesson he had set up. now when i start freaking out, he hollers at me to go practice "Twinkle Twinkle" another 50 times.

he's a good man.

[verdalantreas]

My now ex-girlfriend also was driven to madness by my obsession with applications a couple of years ago.

This time I take a different approach. Though I am starting to read the Gradcafe way too often, I generally only check my e-mail and results in the morning, when just arriving at work. That way, when a rejection comes in I can at least be distracted by work. Also, having a good acceptance already, helps as well.

[stephanie.ms.antunes]

This time I take a different approach. Though I am starting to read the Gradcafe way too often, I generally only check my e-mail and results in the morning, when just arriving at work. That way, when a rejection comes in I can at least be distracted by work. Also, having a good acceptance already, helps as well.

That's a really good approach. Dedicate one time a day to check! I think once I have an acceptance I'll start to settle down a bit as well!

[coonskee]

That's a really good approach. Dedicate one time a day to check! I think once I have an acceptance I'll start to settle down a bit as well!

False. I only applied to one program, was accepted to it, and I'm still on here all the time because I'm so excited for the Fall!

[stephanie.ms.antunes]

Yeah, I don't know who I was trying to kid. Even if I get accepted somewhere, I'll just move on to the next section of the forum "Decisions, Decisions".... Ohh Gradcafe!

[kgumps2012]

I too have had strange dreams. I had applied to URochester and fairly quickly received a rejection letter. Just the other night I had a dream where I was convinced I applied to their Sigma Xi conference (essentially a poster presentation conference for students) and was rejected from that even though I MEANT to apply to their PhD program. I traveled there only to find my freshmen year RA in a PhD program and she showed me around campus and told me to go to the graduate school admissions office and explain the mix up. I woke up before I could get an answer from them. It was so vivid I had to re-check the real letter to make sure it was for the right program.

[MonkeyPants]

I too have had strange dreams. I had applied to URochester and fairly quickly received a rejection letter. Just the other night I had a dream where I was convinced I applied to their Sigma Xi conference (essentially a poster presentation conference for students) and was rejected from that even though I MEANT to apply to their PhD program. I traveled there only to find my freshmen year RA in a PhD program and she showed me around campus and told me to go to the graduate school admissions office and explain the mix up. I woke up before I could get an answer from them. It was so vivid I had to re-check the real letter to make sure it was for the right program.

i've had dreams in which i'm rejected from every program, and dreams in which i'm accepted to every program. It's always weird waking up after one of those...!

[quick1]

i've had dreams in which i'm rejected from every program, and dreams in which i'm accepted to every program. It's always weird waking up after one of those...!

I've had dreams where I got accepted to a program that was a top program I never applied to. I've also had dreams where I woke up thinking I won the lottery...I was so excited and happy waking up and telling myself how nice it was to be a millionaire and all i could do. It took a few minutes to review the vivid dream memories and realize sadly it was a dream.

[GradHooting]

I had a dream that I was attending my number 1 school. I forgot what was going on, but I think I didn't get any official notice, but, for some reason, they were running me through the process of registration, and I had a student ID card and all that. It was quite strange. It was quite a satisfying dream.

I deliberately have been avoiding the results section, because that is extremely stressful to look at. At least, I was avoiding it until I got a call from someone at the #1 university that was an unofficial rejection. Now, I just don't care anymore. My nerves are pretty destroyed!

Edited February 16, 2012 by GradHooting

[H20gal]

So glad to hear I'm not the only one who is haunted by waiting for admissions decisions not only in life, but also in my dreams. As if stressing and obsessively running every scenario through my mind all day long isn't enough, I have to deal with the same things all night long too. Ahh, I would just like some type of news at this point!

[sansao]

I keep dreaming that I wake up in the night to check my status on my phone. The status on one of my schools pages has changed color (to green). I can never read what it says, but it's always implied in the dream that it's an admission. I've finally stopped checking my phone again the instant I wake up. I already have the thing on silent so I don't jump out of bed at an email notification, only to find out it's about the new privacy policy somewhere. I can never get back to sleep once that happens.