just mailed my first app -- tears ensued

[dazedandbemused]

The University of Chicago is such an awesome school. I didn't end up applying there, but I probably should have.

I never even considered that school, and probably for the world's least logical reason: my undergraduate advisor continually stressed that that program was, and I quote, "a den of vipers". Apparently she and many of her colleagues were less than impressed with what she said was a pretty cutthroat atmosphere. I don't feel guilty for not doing my own investigation though because I think 14 apps is more than enough. Of course, I could be looking at across the board rejections come march and start wondering "what if?" But we're being optimistic here! K, done rambling.

[asleepawake]

In a short while, I will be submitting my app to U Chicago. I know it's an insane long shot, but there's just something emotional in sending off the application to your ultimate dream school.

I did Chicago the other day and I'm doing Vanderbilt now. JUST WHO DO I THINK I AM? Seriously.

[rems]

OMG I'M DONE. And I just submitted to Stanford, so, JUST WHO DO I THINK I AM? That's all folks -- see you in a few months.

HAHAHA Who am I kidding? I'll still be here.

[Datatape]

Kind of feels like this, doesn't it?

[rems]

Datatape, that was beautiful.

[Datatape]

Thank you.

[sebastiansteddy]

I've heard Chicago is pretty cut-throat too. But... there are sooo many amazing people there I want to work with. I've always joked that I'll worry about the "den of vipers" if, somehow on a miracle, I am accepted.

[justkeepswimming]

Am I going to be the only one working up until the last hours to submit December 15 applications? Lovely.

[Ablukhov]

Am I going to be the only one working up until the last hours to submit December 15 applications? Lovely.

Oh no, I'm going to be working right there with you. I'm at the point where I'll consider it an incredible victory if I manage to submit with a few hours to spare.

[practical cat]

I was told by someone I trust very much, "Do not apply to Chicago or Columbia." And I'm already applying only to programs where I go "just who do I think I am???" with each submission, so. Don't need my list of rejections to be longer, you know? And I can assume from Harvard's rejection what Chicago's would feel like, I think.

Anyway, I've made a last minute decision to apply to another school by the 15 so I'll be at that until 11:59pm Saturday, I fear.

[sebastiansteddy]

I'm gearing up for rejection from Chicago, but I think no matter how much I assume it, I'll still be a little heart-broken when I see it for certain. Hey, a kid can dream.

[IG-88]

Are applications with 12/15 deadlines due at 11:59pm that evening?

[justkeepswimming]

I was told by someone I trust very much, "Do not apply to Chicago or Columbia." And I'm already applying only to programs where I go "just who do I think I am???" with each submission, so. Don't need my list of rejections to be longer, you know? And I can assume from Harvard's rejection what Chicago's would feel like, I think.

Anyway, I've made a last minute decision to apply to another school by the 15 so I'll be at that until 11:59pm Saturday, I fear.

Wait, why not apply to Chicago and Columbia? I've only heard wonderful things from people around me...

Are applications with 12/15 deadlines due at 11:59pm that evening?

I know that Cornell is due 12/15 5PM EST.

And lastly, hurrah for all of us working right up until the end. The next 72 hours or so will not be pleasant, but--I hope--it will be all worth it in the end.

Edited December 13, 2012 by justkeepswimming

[bfat]

I've submitted all my apps due the 15th because I have a 25-page term paper due the 14th by 2:30 pm. I'm saving Carnegie Mellon and Penn State (both Jan 15) for after I'm done this beast, which just took a sudden and dangerous turn into the land of Derridian deconstruction. Somebody kill me please.

[Datatape]

Oh, man. I've already submitted all my applications that are due through December 17, and of my remaining five, two are due December 31, two are due January 15, and my last deadline is January 25.

[asleepawake]

I only have 1 more application for the 15th . . . and then 9 for January. I'm hoping to get them all done in December, though. Right!

[practical cat]

Are applications with 12/15 deadlines due at 11:59pm that evening?

One of mine is. But, yeah. Cornell is 5pm. I'm honestly going to try to get them done Friday morning because I would rather actually enjoy myself this weekend. I'll save the Boston schools for next week though.

And on Chicago and Columbia -- it's the environments. Columbia's a godawful fit anyway. And I had this big long spreadsheet with point values assigned to different things and Chicago kind of barely didn't make the final cut.

[bfat]

I only have 1 more application for the 15th . . . and then 9 for January. I'm hoping to get them all done in December, though. Right!

17 schools? Gah! My brain hurts just thinking about trying to keep all of that straight.

I have 8, but there's a 9th that I'm contemplating throwing in because they already have my scores and I already wrote the SoP, even though the fit isn't that great and my chances are literally about 2%. God, a 98% chance of getting rejected. That's depressing as hell, isn't it.

[practical cat]

Things that only have a 2% chance of happening still happen reliably about 2% of the time! We're not playing "best of 100" with this.

... Is what I keep telling myself to justify this entire endeavor.

Edited December 13, 2012 by girl who wears glasses

[waparys]

17 schools? Gah! My brain hurts just thinking about trying to keep all of that straight.

I have 8, but there's a 9th that I'm contemplating throwing in because they already have my scores and I already wrote the SoP, even though the fit isn't that great and my chances are literally about 2%. God, a 98% chance of getting rejected. That's depressing as hell, isn't it.

I have a school that has both of my scores...the deadline isn't until January but I just don't think I'd like to live there...plus it's a super super long shot (as opposed to just a super long shot like all my other schools). Plus I'd hate to ask my LORs to submit AGAIN.

[DontHate]

I don't think the likelihood of getting into a school is really 2% just because they only accept 2% of applicants. I think a lot of the applications they get have a 0% chance of acceptance, a few have a 30% chance and then some have a 50-60% chance, and very few have an 80-90% chance. I don't think every applicant is equal and it's just a lotto drawing. You need to assess your own strengths and figure out which group you're in.

[bfat]

You need to assess your own strengths and figure out which group you're in.

Would that I could. See, this is the driving force between like 99% of the "What are my chances?" posts, especially on this particular board, because it's just about impossible to figure this out with any real accuracy. You can kind of judge your fit and your strengths (my stats are relatively good, I probably don't have a 0% chance, so probably a little higher than the overall 2% as well), but beyond that... it's really hard to know.

I kind of assumed that a ton of really unqualified people apply to big name programs, but I met witha prof at Cornell, and he said that, really, they're only able to throw out about 75 apps (maybe 100) right away based on poor qualifications... meaning you're still up against 200-300 "good" applications (of course, these numbers differ at each school... making the guaging process even harder).

Oh the horror.

[dazedandbemused]

Would that I could. See, this is the driving force between like 99% of the "What are my chances?" posts, especially on this particular board, because it's just about impossible to figure this out with any real accuracy. You can kind of judge your fit and your strengths (my stats are relatively good, I probably don't have a 0% chance, so probably a little higher than the overall 2% as well), but beyond that... it's really hard to know.

I kind of assumed that a ton of really unqualified people apply to big name programs, but I met witha prof at Cornell, and he said that, really, they're only able to throw out about 75 apps (maybe 100) right away based on poor qualifications... meaning you're still up against 200-300 "good" applications (of course, these numbers differ at each school... making the guaging process even harder).

Oh the horror.

Yeah, I console myself with the idea that at least 100 of the 300 or so apps that a school receives are poor. I actually spoke to Jim Kincaid from USC recently about the statistics and he said it's far less terrifying than it sounds because there are usually so many apps from people who don't seem to know what they're applying for or haven't put together a good app. For example, he said back in the day when he was on adcomm, they would get tons of SOP's talking about why they wanted a masters in English, even though they don't actually have a masters program there. So there is a little bit of hope in that

[rems]

This is an interesting thread, and one that gets repeated on here all the time, in that we have no idea what group we fall into. I mean, nobody thinks they have a 0% chance or else they wouldn't even bother applying. All of us on here are constantly complimenting each other for being able to accomplish things that we consider to be "bad" aspects of our applications. I, for example, have horrible GRE scores, so whenever I see someone with great scores, I'm instantly like, "Well I'm fucked -- I knew it." But maybe I'm not... We never know. Perhaps my scores are high enough to make it past a first cut and then they won't matter anymore. Maybe I don't qualify for funding for some state schools bc of those scores, and so I get cut for that. Who knows? Also there are people on here who look great on paper: 4.4, head of this, head of that, student of the year, 169 GRE scores, 90% on the subject test scores, good letters of rec. But can't for the life of them write a decent SOP, so they make the first cut, maybe the second, and then get beat out by five students with better SOP's. It's a craps shoot. And no, we don't have a 2% of getting in bc we don't know what everyone else looks like. It's kinda like Foosball: you don't actually have to be good at it, you just have to be better than the other guy.

Hmmm, I feel like I needed to say that to myself. Very therapeutic!

[Two Espressos]

I never even considered that school, and probably for the world's least logical reason: my undergraduate advisor continually stressed that that program was, and I quote, "a den of vipers". Apparently she and many of her colleagues were less than impressed with what she said was a pretty cutthroat atmosphere.

I've heard Chicago is pretty cut-throat too. But... there are sooo many amazing people there I want to work with. I've always joked that I'll worry about the "den of vipers" if, somehow on a miracle, I am accepted.

I was told by someone I trust very much, "Do not apply to Chicago or Columbia."

And on Chicago and Columbia -- it's the environments. Columbia's a godawful fit anyway.

I too have been warned that Chicago is cutthroat. I've heard the same about UC-Irvine, and that the latter tries to weed people out once accepted. But maybe this happens at a lot of places?

I actually am somewhat attracted to the purportedly hyper-competitive nature of Chicago: it would be such a refreshing contrast to the school I attend now, sadly. As much as I would like a very collegial atmosphere--think UT-Austin-- and would need it to stay sane, I think that in an intellectual sense I need to be placed in a cutthroat environment to really grow. It would be good for me, I think.

Edited December 13, 2012 by Two Espressos