Anyone want to share/vent about their application weaknesses/nerves?

[leahallegra]

I clearly do so Ill start:

I spent two and a half years of my undergraduate career beating a very serious, very debilitating, and rare autoimmune condition. It wasnt diagnosed for quite awhile due to its rarity so I spent a good amount of time in surgery/hospitals with severe problems and no explanations and this process recurred several times. This particular condition effects the central nervous system so aside from needing a brain surgery and three eye surgeries some of the medications I took were a pretty bad mix with academics: intense pain killers post surgery+ anti epileptics/neuro stabilizers = massive memory loss resulting in a real shit GPA. Luckily my symptoms were so severe and mystifying I got sent to one of the best of bests at Columbia Presbyterian, got diagnosed, did a year of intense immunosuppression and steroids, and more or less completely recovered! Seriously, you cant even tell there was even a scratch on me and Ive been 100% symptom free for the past year and a half now that my immune system has gotten its butt kicked back into place. However, the first two and a half years of my academics look awful (and I mean awful) while the last year and a half looks brilliant- GPA rose amazingly, Deans list, started research, got published, been presenting at conferences, been TA-ing, etc. but my cumulative GPA is still looking pretty pale in comparison to most PhD candidates and most candidates for BME/bioengineering also have publications, conferences, good extracurriculars, and TAs. I know my condition is an excellent explanation for my night and day academic career, all of my letters are very very strong, two of my letters specifically mention my disease and long absences and why me not dropping out looks sorry now but is really a great character trait, and I wrote a great cover letter which explains that I had a rare previously undiagnosed condition for that time from which I have fully recovered from but Im still shitting bricks about it since its my only weakness and its a pretty big one. Ive gotten one interview which went smashingly so far and me and POI talked about my condition and one rejection from a school which wouldnt accept my cover letter.

Just wanted to vent. Anyone else want to share what weakness they're sweating over?

[BreathingSister]

I am so happy for you, that you were able to come back and make such a glowing return! I wish you the absolute best!! That being said, mine is a chump compared to yours but...

I pretty much faked an interest in a field to work with a POI I've been working with for a while and I just learned that program requires interviews. While my POI is a pretty informal person, I am TERRIFIED that I will end up, quite undeservedly, getting an interview and literally have nothing to say to the field. The POI is oddly placed in this program, and this specific program does have a pretty interdisciplinary twist (which is how I was introduced to it), but I will be completely horrified if I get in an interview because 1) I will pretty much know it's the "who you know, not what" thing at play and 2) I'll have to bullshit through a phd interview, which does not sound like a good afternoon.

Again, so happy for you, and mine sucks in comparison but I'm losing sleep over it and the whole effing process. Good luck!

[leahallegra]

Oh no, BreathingSister! That is pretty nervewracking! Wikipedia the subject and maybe read some articles and the POIs work in the field before the interview? For my one interview I more or less spent a day "studying" for it by reading the POIs stuff and some general info in his particular field so I would be stumped and since my interview was on the phone I spread all the articles out in front of me so I could glance at them. Im pretty sure 99% of us applicants have fluffed or straight up BSed one part of our application or another so you're not alone! We'll make it through!

[BreathingSister]

lol @ fluffed, I'll go with that. Oh no, I've read everything POI has ever even thought about writing, even unpublished articles and papers haha. It's the rest of the department I'm worried about!

[We regret to inform you]

I don't have any publications or research experience.

[bellefast]

Sucky GRE, no really, I am not like those who say they have it and they really have above average scores. I really do not have good scores. Other things compensate, but boy, that GRE is a red flag!

[leahallegra]

Oh God I also forgot to add that one of my recommenders didnt do her letters for over a month after they were due (!), when she did them she didnt do all of them so I had to submit a few of them directly to the departments which while didnt cause any issues (probably because she was so late with them) was so stressful! Then I find out that she messed up a few of them she submitted recommending me for a masters program instead of a PhD so for a few schools she had to submit her corrected letter. She is incredibly well known in her field and her letter was wonderful but dear god, if I had to do it again I would NEVER ask her! Too busy! Too scattered!

[leahallegra]

Sucky GRE, no really, I am not like those who say they have it and they really have above average scores. I really do not have good scores. Other things compensate, but boy, that GRE is a red flag!

Luckily I think schools really only use GRE seriously to assess candidates who have a meh GPA or are on the fence about something or another- its not even close to the biggest factor in admissions from what I hear so hang in there!

[bellefast]

Luckily I think schools really only use GRE seriously to assess candidates who have a meh GPA or are on the fence about something or another- its not even close to the biggest factor in admissions from what I hear so hang in there!

Nice to know. Sorry to hear about the rec letter. Hope it works out for you and there are good things to come.

[anonyouknow]

Luckily I think schools really only use GRE seriously to assess candidates who have a meh GPA or are on the fence about something or another- its not even close to the biggest factor in admissions from what I hear so hang in there!

Not necessarily...my GRE is pretty abysmal as well (V550, Q580, A4.5) and the only rejection I've had so far this round explicitly told me it was because of my GRE. I have a 3.96 GPA, 5 independent experiments with 3 conference presentations and 2 poster presentations, glowing letters of recommendation and what I hope is a fairly strong and focused SOP. Not that I am a perfect candidate by any means, but it's pretty clear my biggest chink is that horrifying GRE score (quant especially). In my rejection I was outright told everything else in my application looked great and I had strong matching interests with my POI but they typically accept applications with stronger scores.

Of course, this is not the case for all schools, it may simply be this one puts an overemphasis on GRE. Ah well, I've got an interview with a better program tonight!

[Aubergine]

PTPS, You're applying to Canadian schools that require the GRE?

[Crix]

I'm worried about my GPA. I'm an international student, and converting my grades to the american system resulted in a frustrating 3.14, even when I was in the top 10 of my class.

I don't know how american students are graded, but at least in my university the best GPA in the class would be about 3.4. The engineering coursework is so damn hard that everything over 3.0 is considered an outstanding academic performance.

[sansao]

However, the first two and a half years of my academics look awful (and I mean awful) while the last year and a half looks brilliant- GPA rose amazingly, Deans list, started research, got published, been presenting at conferences, been TA-ing, etc. but my cumulative GPA is still looking pretty pale in comparison to most PhD candidates and most candidates for BME/bioengineering also have publications, conferences, good extracurriculars, and TAs. I know my condition is an excellent explanation for my night and day academic career, all of my letters are very very strong, two of my letters specifically mention my disease and long absences and why me not dropping out looks sorry now but is really a great character trait, and I wrote a great cover letter which explains that I had a rare previously undiagnosed condition for that time from which I have fully recovered from but Im still shitting bricks about it since its my only weakness and its a pretty big one.

I can relate, though my condition was psychological and fluctuated quite a bit. It didn't completely smash my GPA, but I know it would have been much better if I'd had the right treatment (I'd probably have 3 majors and and at least one publication too). Also, it gave me a total of about three years worth of withdrawals on my transcript, which can't look pretty, though they're all WP grades (withdrawn-passing). Hang in there, and if you need to, we can vent about bad diagnoses and anticonvulsants together, and hope that the fact that we really had to fight for it - and didn't give up - counts for something. I certainly applaud you.

I don't have any publications or research experience.

I don't have any publications either. I have a year of mildly-related research. Presumably, worse things could happen.

I'm worried about my GPA. I'm an international student, and converting my grades to the american system resulted in a frustrating 3.14, even when I was in the top 10 of my class.

Did you address that in your sop, or ask your instructors how to account for that when applying to American universities? I would hope that by this point, most schools are aware of the grading process in other regions, and take things like that into account.

[misgengen]

My story is horrible, my first application was actually to my top choice program. And this is my first time applying, so I asked a prof to be my LOR and i specifically asked if he was confident to write me a strong letter. He said not to worry, he will write a nice, nice reference letter for me. So I went home all happy, the next day I found out he submitted my letter without even knowing which discipline I was applying and why that school. He then said, I only focused on some aspect of the research you did with me, I don't think I knew you well enough to comment on other stuff like your personality. Well, I wish you told me that before you said yes to my request.

[espresso_eyes]

I have a few sucky math grades, which I think will really hurt my chances of getting into a good program. On good days, I tell myself its better to have taken some grueling math classes and gotten less-than-exciting grades...and it will do more help than harm since I am not applying to pure Econ programs that require strong math background. On bad days, I curl up panic-stricken. I tried to make up for my poor math grades by getting perfect GRE quant scores, but I doubt that GRE scores say much- I am not a big fan of these standardized exams....I hope I am wrong.

Thanks for this thread and for the opportunity to whine! <3

[rmgerdes]

I'm freaking out, without any real weaknesses in my application, because last year I applied and didn't get in anywhere.

This year I applied to more schools (10, instead of 4), and really shored up my two weaknesses (wrote a much better statement of purpose and kicked ass on the GRE)... but...

If I don't get in this time, I'm not sure if it is worth applying again. I don't know. I'm feeling scared and discouraged and I know I still have months to wait.

[foucaultmania]

Currently, I am lecturing at a university and this is my strongest side. I am lecturing my own class and I decide the content of syllabus. Indeed, the class is very related to what I would like to do in my phd project.

However, my weakness is that my undergraduate university has a very low reputation although my masters university is highly known in my country and in many countries.

[GreenePony]

My GPA's meh thanks to taking geology for 6 of my 9 science credits (at the time I was planning on being a BS with an archaeology emphasis so it made sense) and ancient languages for my foreign language credit (I am HORRIBLE at languages, always have been). And I didn't explain that in my SoP since I could get it to sound not excuse-y. Also, I mostly applied to schools in the Midatlantic region and while I grew up there, I went to undergrad in the southwest and while it has a somewhat respectable reputation here, I don't know if anyone in the Northeast knows us for anything but our football and basketball teams in recent years.

Oh, and I applied to one of the same programs as a friend whose GPA is light-years better than mine, scores are fairly similar, and we both have done an internship in our field. Only minor benefits I have iare that I've done field research and my internship was at a larger institution. The program accepts 40% of ~200 so in theory we might both be accepted but still... I hate feeling like I'm competing against a friend. We both would need a fellowship to make it feasible and there's only 10 of those for the 80 students (large program).

At least I'm past the wailing and whimpering "I'm not going to get into annnywhere!" stage.

[leahallegra]

I can relate, though my condition was psychological and fluctuated quite a bit. It didn't completely smash my GPA, but I know it would have been much better if I'd had the right treatment (I'd probably have 3 majors and and at least one publication too). Also, it gave me a total of about three years worth of withdrawals on my transcript, which can't look pretty, though they're all WP grades (withdrawn-passing). Hang in there, and if you need to, we can vent about bad diagnoses and anticonvulsants together, and hope that the fact that we really had to fight for it - and didn't give up - counts for something. I certainly applaud you.

Awh thanks! I applaud you too for making it through! Man those anticonvulsants do awful things to your memory dont they? I forgot my address, phone number, and where my mother worked when a poor concerned citizen wanted to call her to get my address and bring me home!

[leahallegra]

Thanks for this thread and for the opportunity to whine! <3

I think most of us need a good whine at this point in the process and some of us need a good wine! Hur hur hur! Theres a reason I didnt go to clown college...

[chocoholic]

I did very poorly on the GRE (twice!) and I was absolutely terrified about how it would affect my applications, especially to the three big shot schools that I applied to. I decided to go for it anyway because they all stated that the GRE score is merely one factor in the decision-making process. Low and behold I got into my top-choice program, even though my scores were much lower than that of their average students. Don't worry so much about your weaknesses-instead focus on strengths and make sure those adcomms know why you're awesome! I gave up on the GRE and instead put my energy into writing good essays. I'm a talented writer, and I knew that writing a kick-ass SOP would help me immensly. Apparently, my hard work has paid off and I have no regrets about the silly GRE. I have not heard back from those other two schools but this has definitely given me a big confidence boost.

[anonyouknow]

PTPS, You're applying to Canadian schools that require the GRE?

I'm an international student from the US originally and every single program aside from one required I submit GRE scores. Tell me about it though, that's the ONE thing I'd love to leave off my applications

[Clou12]

I did very poorly on the GRE (twice!) and I was absolutely terrified about how it would affect my applications, especially to the three big shot schools that I applied to. I decided to go for it anyway because they all stated that the GRE score is merely one factor in the decision-making process. Low and behold I got into my top-choice program, even though my scores were much lower than that of their average students. Don't worry so much about your weaknesses-instead focus on strengths and make sure those adcomms know why you're awesome! I gave up on the GRE and instead put my energy into writing good essays. I'm a talented writer, and I knew that writing a kick-ass SOP would help me immensly. Apparently, my hard work has paid off and I have no regrets about the silly GRE. I have not heard back from those other two schools but this has definitely given me a big confidence boost.

This is such a bright spot. That is my only weak area. Thank you for sharing, you restored my hope.

[jdennis2]

I did very poorly on the GRE (twice!) and I was absolutely terrified about how it would affect my applications, especially to the three big shot schools that I applied to. I decided to go for it anyway because they all stated that the GRE score is merely one factor in the decision-making process. Low and behold I got into my top-choice program, even though my scores were much lower than that of their average students. Don't worry so much about your weaknesses-instead focus on strengths and make sure those adcomms know why you're awesome! I gave up on the GRE and instead put my energy into writing good essays. I'm a talented writer, and I knew that writing a kick-ass SOP would help me immensly. Apparently, my hard work has paid off and I have no regrets about the silly GRE. I have not heard back from those other two schools but this has definitely given me a big confidence boost.

I am so happy to hear that someone else had the GRE nightmare as well ( my scores were a trainwreck, seriously), and it really doesn't help when you go online and read about people who scored decently and are still complaining. But reading your post give me a little hope and despite my wretched scores I have recently been offered an interview at my 2nd choice, still waiting to hear from my top pick but I have a feeling it'll be any day now

[sansao]

I am so happy to hear that someone else had the GRE nightmare as well ( my scores were a trainwreck, seriously), and it really doesn't help when you go online and read about people who scored decently and are still complaining. But reading your post give me a little hope and despite my wretched scores I have recently been offered an interview at my 2nd choice, still waiting to hear from my top pick but I have a feeling it'll be any day now

I asked the faculty I corresponded with if they thought I should retake the GRE based on my scores - and that I know it was mostly nerves blowing up in my face (that happens when my future is on the line, like now, haha). Most of them said that I shouldn't need to retake it, and that they consider a lot of other things. Still, they also noted that it basically comes down to your overall application package and how well you fit the program. If you're up against someone who fits equally well, and also has a good app package, but has better GREs, then that could easily be the deciding factor.