just mailed my first app -- tears ensued

[Datatape]

To everyone, whether you are doing this for the first, second, or third time, just remember: we've all worked incredibly hard to get to this point. Whether you get into the program of your dreams or not, that has nothing to do with your accomplishments and the work you've accomplished. I thought it was the end of the world when I went zero-for-seven last year, but it wasn't. This process forges you and makes you a stronger scholar and student. And when you feel like you can't go any more or you're going to die while waiting for those calls or emails to come in, remember this:

You can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable

And life's like an hourglass glued to the table

No one can find the rewind button now

So sing it if you understand

And breathe, just breathe

Edited December 1, 2012 by Datatape

[sebastiansteddy]

Hey sebastian, Ohio State's supplemental materials are supposed to be emailed to the English Department. They asked applicants to mail stuff last year, but now they want it sent electronically:

Woah, really?! Thank you so much for telling me, I had NO IDEA... I mailed them a packet... I never saw email on their website. I wonder when they changed it?

[sebastiansteddy]

Hey sebastian, Ohio State's supplemental materials are supposed to be emailed to the English Department. They asked applicants to mail stuff last year, but now they want it sent electronically:

They definitely changed it since I went through all the programs to which I am applying and took notes on their requirements. At that time (early September or so) I copied and pasted this from OSU's website: "Please send the following items (note that the writing sample, personal statement, transcripts, typed page containing GPA, and curriculum vitae/resume are not to be submitted electronically, they must be mailed directly to the English department)"

I guess that should be a lesson: always check and recheck what programs want! Again, thanks for notifying me of this.

[HHEoS]

Woah, really?! Thank you so much for telling me, I had NO IDEA... I mailed them a packet... I never saw email on their website. I wonder when they changed it?

No problem. I was actually kind of getting worried that you didn't see my post about it. Glad you saw it.

PS. They are probably not going to confirm that they've received it. I waited two weeks for a reply, then emailed the same address and confirmed that they received it.

They definitely changed it since I went through all the programs to which I am applying and took notes on their requirements. At that time (early September or so) I copied and pasted this from OSU's website: "Please send the following items (note that the writing sample, personal statement, transcripts, typed page containing GPA, and curriculum vitae/resume are not to be submitted electronically, they must be mailed directly to the English department)"

I guess that should be a lesson: always check and recheck what programs want! Again, thanks for notifying me of this.

Yea, last year they asked for it to be mailed. I would advise everyone to keep rechecking departmental webpages. During the process, at least 3 programs of the 13 to which I'm applying were updated with different info.

Again, I'm relieved that you saw my post.

[sebastiansteddy]

Again, I'm relieved that you saw my post.

I did not see your post when you originally posted it. Earlier today I was working on a paper, and I needed a way to procrastinate, so I went on here and happened to see it. Good thing I was procrastinating!

[Datatape]

Application #1 down. Do your worst, Emory.*

*By which I mean please don't do your worst. In fact, if you'd like to be overly kind and handle me with kids' gloves, I'd be totally okay with that.

[justkeepswimming]

I am having a bit of a freak out with one of the applications I just submitted. I accidentally clicked the "request fee waiver" button and didn't find out until after I submitted my application. I emailed the department immediately about this problem and of course, offered to pay my fee ASAP. They'll still review my application ... right? Btw, this was my UCLA application.

Edit: Congrats to everyone who submitted!

Edited December 2, 2012 by justkeepswimming

[NowMoreSerious]

I am having a bit of a freak out with one of the applications I just submitted. I accidentally clicked the "request fee waiver" button and didn't find out until after I submitted my application. I emailed the department immediately about this problem and of course, offered to pay my fee ASAP. They'll still review my application ... right? Btw, this was my UCLA application.

Edit: Congrats to everyone who submitted!

The same thing happened to me, except I thought I actually qualified for a fee wavier because I am a California Sally Casanova Pre-Doc. Then they sent me that same email saying I had to get a letter from my financial aid officer. I was like WTF? I don't want to pay that 80 dollars if I don't have to, especially since I already blew it in the Davis application and paid when I actually didn't have to.

[HHEoS]

I am having a bit of a freak out with one of the applications I just submitted. I accidentally clicked the "request fee waiver" button and didn't find out until after I submitted my application. I emailed the department immediately about this problem and of course, offered to pay my fee ASAP. They'll still review my application ... right? Btw, this was my UCLA application.

Edit: Congrats to everyone who submitted!

Hey justkeepswimming,

I would suggest waiting until they get back to you, and if that doesn't happen soon enough, giving the Grad Admissions office a call. I'm sure there's a way for them to fix that problem on their end. I'm not familiar with UCLA's application. Was there a "pay by check" option? Maybe they'll have you do that. I'm sure they'll review your application once everything's cleared up. I'm thinking worse case scenario, they delete your current app and have you complete a new one and pay online. Hope that makes you feel better about it.

[bfat]

I just submitted Pittsburgh's app and felt that horrible heebiejeebie shudder when I clicked "submit."

1 down, 7 to go. Hoping to get Duke's app in tonight too. EEEEEEK!

ETA: Duke's done too. Wow.

Edited December 3, 2012 by bfat

[justkeepswimming]

Hey justkeepswimming,

I would suggest waiting until they get back to you, and if that doesn't happen soon enough, giving the Grad Admissions office a call. I'm sure there's a way for them to fix that problem on their end. I'm not familiar with UCLA's application. Was there a "pay by check" option? Maybe they'll have you do that. I'm sure they'll review your application once everything's cleared up. I'm thinking worse case scenario, they delete your current app and have you complete a new one and pay online. Hope that makes you feel better about it.

Hey HHEoS, thanks for the suggestions. Yes, I think I'll wait a day or two for the dust to settle and give them a call if they don't respond to my email by then. I am not as worried about it as I was a few nights ago when the incident happened.

[practical cat]

Just submitted my first application (it was, sort of surprisingly, Wisconsin because Berkeley's personal history statement will probably be the death of me) and I feel both kind of sick and kind of relieved. It's actually kind of all down hill from here. Weird.

What am I going to do for the next couple of months?

[Datatape]

What am I going to do for the next couple of months?

[bfat]

I'll take the whole bottle, Datatape.

I just found an extraneous "the" in the second paragraph of my SoP for Pittsburgh.

I think I might cry.

I edited and read that stupid thing so many times that it became complete nonsense, and I didn't even see the extra word... I know someone else just brought up something like this... should I contact and attempt to fix? Ugh.

[waparys]

STOP READING SUBMITTED APPLICATIONS! If we all did that, we'd die.

[asleepawake]

Well! I submitted my application to OSU a few days ago. Now, Interfolio says it cannot deliver my letters. Of course it can't! The problem is OSU has one of those "complete and submit before your LOR requests go out" applications, so once it's done, I cannot edit anything. Now I'm trying to contact the school and figure out what I can do, but the deadline is Wednesday. OSU might be off my list - after I paid the application fee! Excellent.

Also, in the meantime, one of my letter writers has yet to submit her letter and my first applications are due in 48 hours. NO BIGGIE, she's great and I'm sure she'll do it (right!?!?!) but AHHHHH STRESS.

stressstressstress

How is everyone holding up?

Edited December 3, 2012 by asleepawake

[asleepawake]

OSU is wonderful! I've already been offered a way to fix the problem. I'm stressing for nothing!

[rems]

Also, in the meantime, one of my letter writers has yet to submit her letter and my first applications are due in 48 hours. NO BIGGIE, she's great and I'm sure she'll do it (right!?!?!) but AHHHHH STRESS.

stressstressstress

How is everyone holding up?

I just had one of my letter writers drop by my office and tell me to "take a pill." So that about sums up how much I've been bothering them about making sure those letters are in on time.

[sebastiansteddy]

OSU is wonderful! I've already been offered a way to fix the problem. I'm stressing for nothing!

OSU is having some problems with their applications. Just contact them and they'll understand.

[Fiona Thunderpaws]

The thought of submiting applications still gives me the chills...

I was procrastinating writing final papers and saw this thread and thought I'd chime in. After you submit applications, I really, really, recommend making sure that your application fee went through. Check your debit account, credit card recipt, whatever. Despite my crazy, crazy triple checking all of my materials, I somehow missed the application fee part of an application (since you, know, I was finishing like 2 a day every day for a week) and the school couldn't process my application because I realized it too late to do anything about it. It was really stupid, and I don't want anyone who repeat that horrible mistake. DON'T BE ME.

Aside that, I recommend a lot of alcohol.

Good luck everyone!

[1Q84]

Tonight I was walking up to the post office counter to mail my writing sample when I found a typo on the last page.

Cursing and kicking self all the way back to the car...

[Two Espressos]

Today has been hell. I've been super busy all day with work, attending a faculty lecture, etc. One of my letter writers still hadn't submitted as of this morning, and she said she'd submit all her letters this morning/afternoon. I get home from the lecture around 8:30ish...and the letter hasn't been submitted to NYU, whose deadline is *today*. I emailed her, but then I worried she wouldn't see it by midnight tonight. I had to look up her husband's academic profile (a fellow English professor who teaches at another institution), google his name, and then try to find their home phone number. Granted, I've only met her husband once, like a year ago, and I barely remembered what he looked like (luckily his academic page had a photo!). Thankfully, the number was correct, and it turns out that this professor forgot that NYU's deadline was today.

So long story short-- the letter is in, and I've just submitted NYU's application. But then I read somewhere that the deadline was 5pm toady, not midnight. And I can't upload my "official" transcripts because the file size is too large, so I just submitted the unofficial ones, hoping to email the grad secretary about my next course of action.

Oh and if you can't tell already, I'm hyped up on caffeine and freaking out.

#losingmyshit

[Two Espressos]

Wait, is NYU's application deadline the 5th? If so, I've been freaking out over nothing...

[ProfLorax]

Today has been hell. I've been super busy all day with work, attending a faculty lecture, etc. One of my letter writers still hadn't submitted as of this morning, and she said she'd submit all her letters this morning/afternoon. I get home from the lecture around 8:30ish...and the letter hasn't been submitted to NYU, whose deadline is *today*. I emailed her, but then I worried she wouldn't see it by midnight tonight. I had to look up her husband's academic profile (a fellow English professor who teaches at another institution), google his name, and then try to find their home phone number. Granted, I've only met her husband once, like a year ago, and I barely remembered what he looked like (luckily his academic page had a photo!). Thankfully, the number was correct, and it turns out that this professor forgot that NYU's deadline was today.

So long story short-- the letter is in, and I've just submitted NYU's application. But then I read somewhere that the deadline was 5pm toady, not midnight. And I can't upload my "official" transcripts because the file size is too large, so I just submitted the unofficial ones, hoping to email the grad secretary about my next course of action.

Oh and if you can't tell already, I'm hyped up on caffeine and freaking out.

#losingmyshit

I voted this up not because I am happy that any of that happened, but because right now, an up-vote seems like the equivalent of a hug on the internet.

[Two Espressos]

I voted this up not because I am happy that any of that happened, but because right now, an up-vote seems like the equivalent of a hug on the internet.

Thank you! It turns out that I was mistaken both about the deadline (it IS the fifth, according to their website) and the transcripts (the application said I needed official ones, but NYU's departmental webpage said that only the unofficial transcripts were necessary).

But that's what application season does to you, I suppose! I feel like I'm losing years off my life.