MDLee Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 So I'm sitting on pins and needles. It feels like I started applications years ago, not months. The thing is, I wasn't expecting to hear from anyone until mid-March. Therefore, when I received an almost immediate rejection email (complete with a PDF uploaded to my app file that stated "LETTER OF DENIAL" in huge letters across the top...when did rejection get so impersonal?) and another only days later, I began to suffer silently. I've heard that rejections come first. Then, as schools narrow down their choices the acceptances will start to filter in. Is it possible that I could apply to 10 programs with a relatively good record/decent test scores/publishing experience/strong writing sample and rec letters/etc and be DENIED by all 10? What a pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socialpsych Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I don't think this is necessarily true. It varies by school. Some schools do everything at once. Some schools notify rejected applicants right away whereas some drag their feet for weeks after acceptances have gone out. What does seem true across the board is that waitlisted applicants are the least likely to be notified right away... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humanature Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 What does seem true across the board is that waitlisted applicants are the least likely to be notified right away... Aaarrgghhh! The longer I have to wait after hearing other peoples' acceptances, the more frantic I become. Another thing that sucks is seeing people get accepted to your top choice who have already been accepted to their own top choices... just makes you wish they would get on with it and tell your schools' ad com that they'll give away their spot to someone who REALLY wants it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
storiaitaliana Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I heard that they notify their top choices first, then they go down the list of the second and third tier people after that. I think you get an early rejection if they weeded you out of consideration to begin with. I guess it is possible you could be denied entrance to all 10, depending on which 10 you applied to! But if they weren't all Yale and Harvard, and you have some 2nd and 3rd string colleges there too, there's got to be an acceptance out of all those 10! Hang in there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadunc Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 MDLee, I feel your pain. I feel like I am suffering serious psychological consequences from all of this. I don't know whether to laugh or cry! I applied to 7 programs and have been rejected by 3 so far, including my top choice. At the beginning of this process I felt like I had good enough credentials that applying to 7 schools would be plenty, but now I am seriously considering alternatives to graduate school next year. It just doesn't seem fair... I have heard, though, that the rejections do come in first. It seems pretty logical that they would. But it probably does vary school by school. I'm just praying that my stroke of bad luck will end soon and I will get at least one acceptance, with funding! I'll take anything at this point, there's always the possibility of transferring later on to a better program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riss287 Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I feel the same way about people getting accepted to your school when they have no intention of going there. It really REALLY aggravates me when someone gets accepted to my program/school and then writes on here that they're not too worried about it because it's not that highly rated, or some such stuff. I'm thinking, "Well then tell them that and maybe I'll actually hear something!!" I'm going to gain 20 lbs. waiting to hear something because all I do is stress eat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadunc Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I feel the same way about people getting accepted to your school when they have no intention of going there. It really REALLY aggravates me when someone gets accepted to my program/school and then writes on here that they're not too worried about it because it's not that highly rated, or some such stuff. I'm thinking, "Well then tell them that and maybe I'll actually hear something!!" I'm going to gain 20 lbs. waiting to hear something because all I do is stress eat. Oh god, I knooooww!! I hate it when people do that too. I would just be happy if any school, anywhere, would take me! I haven't gained weight yet, but I do wake up every morning with a terrible stomach ache and I'm pretty sure I have an ulcer now from the stress. Wait, why are we doing this to ourselves again? LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I think one can't draw a pattern. What I noticed is that there are three types of schools. 1. The applications first get to someone who has nothing to do with your field of study. This person selects only those applicants who fulfill some conditions, e.g. GRE scores above something, GPA above something, etc. Then, the remaining applications are forwarded to the (actual) admission committee. Those who were rejected for not fulfilling whatever conditions are notified first. 2. The school sends out all decisions at the same time. 3. Accepted students are notified first, so that, for example, they have time to prepare for the orientation week (international students might need to obtain visas), while rejected students are only announced later. Waiting for decisions really stinks though... I haven't heard anything yet either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humanature Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Oh god, I knooooww!! I hate it when people do that too. I would just be happy if any school, anywhere, would take me! I haven't gained weight yet, but I do wake up every morning with a terrible stomach ache and I'm pretty sure I have an ulcer now from the stress. Wait, why are we doing this to ourselves again? LOL Yes I noticed several people sitting on (relatively) a lot of acceptances already over at http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/ Gah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonights Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I'm going to gain 20 lbs. waiting to hear something because all I do is stress eat. Oooooh yeah. I'm there. I baked fresh rolls last night, ate five, and went to bed with a horrible stomachache. And I'm on my way out to get bacon and eggs at the little hole in the wall near my job right now. I am amazed that I still fit into my pants, to be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyL Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I heard that they notify their top choices first, then they go down the list of the second and third tier people after that. I think you get an early rejection if they weeded you out of consideration to begin with. I'm really hoping this is the case for my top choice. They started sending interview invites this week but I haven't gotten one . However, those invites were sent directly from POIs, not as a mass email, so I'm hoping that my POIs are just still making decisions. This was the first week where the stress really got out of control. I've been fighting to control my anxiety for several days now. The possibility of not getting in again (this is my second round applying) really makes me sick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aeternalis Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 I'm really hoping this is the case for my top choice. They started sending interview invites this week but I haven't gotten one . However, those invites were sent directly from POIs, not as a mass email, so I'm hoping that my POIs are just still making decisions. This was the first week where the stress really got out of control. I've been fighting to control my anxiety for several days now. The possibility of not getting in again (this is my second round applying) really makes me sick. I am in the same boat so I can truly empathize. I am REALLY REALLY starting to get annoyed by people bitching about how anxiety provoking their situation is when there are ALREADY sitting on one or more funded acceptances from great programs. Just one funded accepatnce (from anywhere) would be enough make me ecstatic and release me from this perpetual limbo I seem to be in these days. If it doesn't work out for me this time around I'll be leaving academic permanently, I just can't make my profile stronger than it already is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDLee Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 I am in the same boat so I can truly empathize. I am REALLY REALLY starting to get annoyed by people bitching about how anxiety provoking their situation is when there are ALREADY sitting on one or more funded acceptances from great programs. Just one funded accepatnce (from anywhere) would be enough make me ecstatic and release me from this perpetual limbo I seem to be in these days. If it doesn't work out for me this time around I'll be leaving academic permanently, I just can't make my profile stronger than it already is. I KNOW, HUH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrocksteady Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I only applied to 3 schools for my Phd and each had either a Jan5th or Feb1st deadline, so I am not expecting to hear so soon. On a lot of other sites which I obsessively read, I keep reading people getting rejections/interviews/etc from other schools! During the application process, the director of one program let me know how they present the short lists and make their decisions so I would know a bit about the process. I am just dying to know! My gut tells me I am on the shortlist, but who knows! When I was doing my Masters, I remember getting emails at really different times from Universities regarding interviews and waitlists, etc. . . ugh At least we are all in the same boat and eager to just know!!!! I keep checking the BC site for changes in status since none of my other schools have an online status. Surely the fact a lot of you haven't been just told NO is a good thing! It means you haven't been ruled out at least! (at least from what you know... and for sanity sake, that could be better... hope?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDLee Posted February 20, 2009 Author Share Posted February 20, 2009 Surely the fact a lot of you haven't been just told NO is a good thing! It means you haven't been ruled out at least! (at least from what you know... and for sanity sake, that could be better... hope?) I always take no news to be good news. By all means, Dr. BigTimeUniversityChair...hold it. Hug it. Get to know it. Then, once you've been out to coffee a few times with my application OFFER ME FUNDING!.... you ever feel like you're totally pimping yourself out to these places? I'm there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow#5 Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 By all means, Dr. BigTimeUniversityChair...hold it. Hug it. Get to know it. Exactly! My application also needs a hug BigTimeUChair! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDLee Posted February 20, 2009 Author Share Posted February 20, 2009 Exactly! My application also needs a hug BigTimeUChair! Hey Yellow--maybe we should've put that in our statement of purpose..."This Application needs a HUG!" see where it gets you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abolitionista Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I had a meeting with a prof from a program I applied to. The meeting went super well but I don't know if it'll help my app which sucks because he's not on the ad comm. He killed all of my hope by saying that the longer a program holds a file the worse your chances are because they usually dump all of their rejections towards the end :cry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonnyday Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I can certainly sympathize with those that have not gotten any acceptances yet. But the whole admissions process is really pretty messed up for all of us. I have gotten two acceptances at one safe school and one medium. Rejected at 5 others, waitlisted at 1, and awaiting decisions from 4 more. I am currently trying to choose between the two, as the safe has offered me an excellent full funding package and medium has offered me basically nothing (a stipend I couldn't possibly live off of as a GA and limited tuition remission). After campus visits next week and the week after, I'll decline one, but the complexity comes in the offers or rejections that I may get in between. At this point, it wouldn't make sense for me to let go of a school (even if it is my safety) because that's what a safety is for. Further, unless its your top school, its not even in your best interest to decline offers, especially since no one has to until April 15th. No one will know immediately whether they want to accept or not, and it would be counterproductive to do so without visiting the school and careful deliberation (especially when the funding packages are different). I'd rather go to the school I am being waitlisted at, but I am sure there are people there holding offers that are waiting for schools they'd rather be going to, or they are deciding between two or more also. I'm more irritated with the schools, who either formally (notifying you) or informally (making you wait with no response) waitlist possibly hundreds of applicants, not the applicants themselves. All that to say: Those holding on to schools are likely doing it for a reason, and it is a big stressful decision to have to choose between two or more schools. But I'll also say, someone choosing between Princeton, Yale, and UC Berkeley and holding on to all three offers until April 15th is a piss off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socialpsych Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 But I'll also say, someone choosing between Princeton, Yale, and UC Berkeley and holding on to all three offers until April 15th is a piss off. "Holding on to all three offers until April 15th" might not be the most considerate thing to do...but those are three great schools in any field, and I'm sure someone who has an offer at all of them will want to think carefully before turning down opportunities. And thinking carefully can take time. I know someone who had offers from several of the top programs in his field and took until April 14th to respond. He wasn't lazy; he was just taking his time to figure it out. He was actively doing research about the schools and chatting with profs and students, not just sitting on the offers passively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonnyday Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Social, I agree, but it wouldn't take me that long (unless I was notified close to March), given that these three schools are very likely to give you full funding and the only real differences (as they are all top notch) would be the atmosphere. But yes, any school you are going to spend 5+ years at, possibly in a state far away from home, should take as careful consideration as necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel418 Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I've been struggling with the same issues (9 apps, 1 invitation to interview, and no other word from anyone!). Of course, I've added a bit of psychological self-teasing by setting up a resume-website, from which I can get daily traffic information. The good news is, I can see that traffic has not gone down significantly (people have not completely abandoned me); the bad news is that I cannot who's visiting or when, so these hits could be someone who's just interested in the subjects of my writings. Grrrrrrrrrr! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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