Heather Hoffman Posted February 16, 2012 Posted February 16, 2012 I just checked the Results survey going back to 2007. None of the schools I applied ever accept anyone after March 1. Most send out acceptances in late Jan-early Feb, and send out their rejections between mid Feb-March 15. So at this point I've officially given up hope. I haven't heard anything, but I've passed by the "acceptance window" for these schools. Incredibly sad right now. Reciting anticipated rejection letters in my head. Trying not to cry. Next year, I will do a lot better, I will do so many things differently/better. For now, I need to update my resume and start pounding the pavement for a "real job." Sniff.
MediaMom Posted February 16, 2012 Posted February 16, 2012 Hey, it's not over until it's over. If you're on a wait list somewhere, you could get a late-in-the-game phone call when people start to decline offers. Good luck.
Heather Hoffman Posted February 16, 2012 Author Posted February 16, 2012 Honestly, that's the scariest part for me - no late acceptances for any of my schools going back 4 years. So if they do have any kind of wait list, most of the people on that are probably rejected. I'm sorry to sound so negative, I just feel like I need to accept reality and focus really strongly on plan b.
EdaxFlamma Posted February 16, 2012 Posted February 16, 2012 I'm right there with you... When the first thing you hear back is a rejection from your super-safety school you kind of start to rethink things. I haven't heard back from any other program but I've already started making a new list of POIs, potential jobs/internships and plan on contacting those schools that did not accept me for some insight as to why and what I can do to improve the strength of my application. It's taken me a few days to get to this point though. For a few days my life was more or less that one line from the Grinch: "4 o'clock: wallow in self pity. 4:30: stare into the abyss. .... 5:30: jazzercise. 6:30: dinner with me, I can't cancel that again! 7 o'clock: wrestle with my self loathing. I'm booked! Course if I bump the loathing to 9 I can still be done in time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling and slip slowly into madness." Everyone hits rock bottom on occasion but make sure you're one of the ones that bounces. The uncertainty really does make getting up the motivation difficult but if you start now, if nothing else it will get your mind off of waiting and you'll be in a better place should things not go as you had hoped.
Ameonna Posted February 16, 2012 Posted February 16, 2012 One factor that is present this year that hasn't been in previous years is the new GRE scoring system... Apparently, it's slowing down acceptances in a number of schools. Figured I'd throw that out there. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best!
Frostfire Posted February 16, 2012 Posted February 16, 2012 One factor that is present this year that hasn't been in previous years is the new GRE scoring system... Apparently, it's slowing down acceptances in a number of schools. Figured I'd throw that out there. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best! I'd wondered about that when it was announced. One of the reasons I decided to take it earlier than I was originally planning. Things always go a bit squishy when they make changes like that.
Jbarks Posted February 16, 2012 Posted February 16, 2012 "4 o'clock: wallow in self pity. 4:30: stare into the abyss. .... 5:30: jazzercise. 6:30: dinner with me, I can't cancel that again! 7 o'clock: wrestle with my self loathing. I'm booked! Course if I bump the loathing to 9 I can still be done in time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling and slip slowly into madness." This described every day of my life for the past two weeks perfectly.
deleteduser0333 Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 Same here, my safety school won't offer any funding and I am also passing the acceptance window for the rest of the schools I am applying for. I heard that aggressive applicants will bombard the adcoms with emails and phone calls at this time of the year, but me being someone who has been suffering from social anxiety since primary school...I just feel I am doomed.
GradHooting Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 It's a horrible feeling, and much worse this time around than last time, for me. I figured it would have been my second most likely school of the 4 I applied for. It was the one where I personally visited, talking with professors and presenting a handmade portfolio of previous accomplishments to each of them, expressing interests in their research teams. It had so much interesting research going on. Now, I'm not optimistic whatsoever about future prospects. Total rejections for the past 2 years has been six, and I'm just sitting in limbo here, doing tons of work to build credentials, but feeling like I haven't moved forward whatsoever. If only I had a decent adviser for undergrad. I had *no* idea what was involved for graduate school, and I glided through undergrad with a lousy 3.6 and barely any research experience. :/ Even with the additional research experience, teaching experience, and industry experience, and a running 4.0 at this school, still a rejection. It's tough. These are only master's degree programs, too! It's not like I'm trying to land a Ph.D. position, here. It also pains me that my best friend, with whom I shared similar interests through undergrad, got in on his first application round. Here I am, 3 years after him, and he's almost done with his Master's, and I've gone nowhere since undergrad. Ugh.
unitname Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 GradHooting.. Don't ask me why (well, ok, because I have psychic tendencies =]) but I feel strongly that you have something great in store for you. Hang in there.
quick1 Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 Don't worry it's not over until it's over...they the schools have until April 15th to make a final decision (unless a rolling basis then it's up until the start of classes). I applied to about 15 schools this time around (very competitive field) and already have been rejected from half of the schools. I have good reason to believe I am already rejected from 2 other schools due to dates listed on the Results. But unless I receive an official rejection from these remaining 8 schools I have to assume no decision has been made yet. Wait listed statuses are sometimes sent later on and are better than a rejection IMO. The first time I applied, two schools offered me review at Master's level...one school of the two accepted me. It was a great feeling and worked out well. This time I already have a Masters and so it's more disappointing as the rejections role in. A colleague of mine already has 3 interviews scheduled, turned down one interview (because "I don't really like the school anyways") and is doing the other one but expects "I'll turn down their offer if they give me one because they aren't accredited currently." Her and I are both in or recently completed MA programs, scored similar on new GRE, and have similar grades and I'm 7 rejections in... Keep your head up as I'm doing the same. I'll be really disappointed if I get rejected from 15 schools but I'll have to regroup and figure out a new game plan next time around.
quick1 Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 I'd wondered about that when it was announced. One of the reasons I decided to take it earlier than I was originally planning. Things always go a bit squishy when they make changes like that. I was actually hoping that this new GRE would help me. When compared to equivalent scores on the past versions I actually did better. But I hoped it helped because of the added confusion and careful consideration needed for a new scoring system. This might explain why some schools are delayed in responding to applicants. But it could go either way, schools are looking at applicants some who have old scores and some with new scoring scores.
Duva Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 Keep in mind too that not everyone posts their results, either this year or in years past. So it's entirely possible that acceptances could still go out later than what shows up on the result survey.
Heather Hoffman Posted February 17, 2012 Author Posted February 17, 2012 Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement. My chin's still on the floor, although working on my plan B is perking me up a bit. I guess I honestly would rather work on plan B then just sit around and wait. If by some miracle I do get into a PhD program, the Plan B work isn't really time wasted IMO. And if I don't, my plan B honestly doesn't suck too bad either, and I can always try again next year.
domnulsl Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 Hang in there y'all!!! Never underestimate the power of randomness!!!!
sansao Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement. My chin's still on the floor, although working on my plan B is perking me up a bit. I guess I honestly would rather work on plan B then just sit around and wait. If by some miracle I do get into a PhD program, the Plan B work isn't really time wasted IMO. And if I don't, my plan B honestly doesn't suck too bad either, and I can always try again next year. Working on plan B is definitely not wasted time. It's good to be prepared, and keeps you grounded. But chin up (at least off the floor - you don't need mites crawling in your mouth ). It's not a rejection until you see it in print. Lots of schools this semester are running late, dealing with huge numbers of applicants, the new GRE, funding issues, etc. If you haven't got any rejections yet, consider that you may have made it through the first cut, and wait and see what happens.
We regret to inform you Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 FWIW, i just called my top choice and they said that decisions are slowly coming out a few at a time. And I was told that pertains to both acceptances and rejections. Of course every school and department is going to be different. Still, it's nice to know that the wheels are in motion and that not yet hearing anything does not always imply rejection. In fact, that phone call really calmed my nerves. We regret to inform you 1
sansao Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 Still, it's nice to know that the wheels are in motion and that not yet hearing anything does not always imply rejection. In fact, that phone call really calmed my nerves. It does help to know that they're really still making decisions. That may be why my attitude hasn't cracked yet. Give me another two weeks, I'll probably be wandering the streets with bloodshot eyes, missing chunks of hair, and asking random strangers to pretend to be someone from a POI offering me admission.
kgumps2012 Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 It's taken me a few days to get to this point though. For a few days my life was more or less that one line from the Grinch: "4 o'clock: wallow in self pity. 4:30: stare into the abyss. .... 5:30: jazzercise. 6:30: dinner with me, I can't cancel that again! 7 o'clock: wrestle with my self loathing. I'm booked! Course if I bump the loathing to 9 I can still be done in time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling and slip slowly into madness." oh man I have definitely done that. Don't forget the slow walk around town with the single tear slowing dripping down your face at night when no one else is around.
leahallegra Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 Oh yeah, I am anticipating a TON of rejections based on my GPA. Luckily I cast a wide net and applied to 21 schools. I've already been rejected from three and knowing that I have SO many more chances is making this process a lot easier. Someone somewhere IS going to want me! We regret to inform you and habanero 2
We regret to inform you Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) Oh yeah, I am anticipating a TON of rejections based on my GPA. Luckily I cast a wide net and applied to 21 schools. I've already been rejected from three and knowing that I have SO many more chances is making this process a lot easier. Someone somewhere IS going to want me! 21 schools?!? i'm curious, how much money did you end up spending? I applied to 5 schools and i probably spent around $500. Edited February 17, 2012 by We regret to inform you We regret to inform you 1
sansao Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 I applied to 5 schools and i probably spent around $500. 21 does seem like a lot. I can just imagine trying to get all those lors. I'd need a database just to keep track of everything. I applied to 4, and spent almost as much as you did. I don't have thousands of dollars to throw around on application fees and transcripts (I had to scrounge for the $400+ I've spent so far).
leahallegra Posted February 20, 2012 Posted February 20, 2012 21 schools?!? i'm curious, how much money did you end up spending? I applied to 5 schools and i probably spent around $500. I was able to get the fees waived for about half of the programs due to very high GREs/serious disadvantage due to illness. I got two other fee waivers by getting invited to apply with an accelerated application because of very high GREs so I wound up paying for about 9 schools. Still pretty expensive- Id say around $1000. I needed to apply to that many schools as I am a complicated applicant with a very, very low GPA for a very good reason and the potential for discrimination based on disability which while illegal, still happens pretty frequently. I must mention my disability in order to explain the poor GPA. There were also funds at my school to help with application costs for certain students but I did not apply for any of those.
leahallegra Posted February 20, 2012 Posted February 20, 2012 21 does seem like a lot. I can just imagine trying to get all those lors. I'd need a database just to keep track of everything. I applied to 4, and spent almost as much as you did. I don't have thousands of dollars to throw around on application fees and transcripts (I had to scrounge for the $400+ I've spent so far). 21 is an obscene number and that many applications becomes VERY difficult to keep track of. LORs were a nightmare and a half but as I mentioned above I really needed to case a wide net in my situation. I kept an Excel spreadsheet and checked off every piece of the application for all the schools to help keep on top of things. I also didnt really have a winter break since I was busy with applications 24/7. It sucked. Never again (I hope!)
hungry Posted February 20, 2012 Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) Oh yeah, I am anticipating a TON of rejections based on my GPA. Luckily I cast a wide net and applied to 21 schools. I've already been rejected from three and knowing that I have SO many more chances is making this process a lot easier. Someone somewhere IS going to want me! I can't even imagine this. Did you contact profs / write custom SOPs for each school? I applied to 6 total and it literally took me almost every day from August till January! Maybe I'm just slow. Edited February 20, 2012 by hungry
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