Anyone else stressed out?

[joss10]

Just wanted to say good luck with grad applications! After what seems like forever prepping, I can't believe the deadlines are finally here. Also just wanted to post here to affirm that I'm not the only one totally paranoid and stressed out by this whole process, haha.

[AaronM]

not by a long shot my friend. I have days where I think I'm going to get in everywhere and days where I don't think I'll get in anywhere. I'm already checking my email numerous times a day and my spam folder just in case something important gets sent there...and I'll be doing that until late february most likely. FUN!

[Willows]

Yeah, stressed. Mostly resigned to rejections across the board, but then I remind myself I only need one acceptance.

[ThisSlumgullionIsSoVapid]

You think you're stressed now, wait til all of the posts about people getting responses! February/March are pretty intense on here.

Best of luck to everyone.

[Darth.Vegan]

Ha yeah. I'm 2 down and have 13 to go. Luckily I only need to finish 5 more before graduation.

[ohgoodness]

All of the above. E-mail checking, feeling of overreaching, etc etc

All applications are in and 2 are non-complete but I still feel like I should add some schools........

[RiseofthePhoenix]

Absolutely. I think this is the most stressful phase of the application process so far. I believe I have a pretty strong application but unfortunately nothing seems to help with the stress levels. Just hang in there and we will find out soon enough!

[amlobo]

I second all of the above. Stressed, paranoid, freaking myself out. I have been avoiding GradCafe for the most part for that very reason - it provided more stress at this point than anything, lol. Still trying to decide whether to check the results forum over the next few months or just await my own results, blissfully ignorant of others' statuses...

Good luck to all!

[Learn619]

Still trying to decide whether to check the results forum over the next few months or just await my own results,

Indeed! This is something that a lot of GradCafe users here ponder... as we're sitting here, reading more and more messages and checking years'-past application decisions posted on here, gauging when we think we "should" be hearing back from our Universities...

It's a noble idea to just ignore this website, and await your own results, but I suspect that, for most of us, the desire to lurk on these message boards will win out as Feb. 1 nears!

Cheers!~

Edited December 5, 2012 by Learn619

[SocingHxC]

You think you're stressed now, wait til all of the posts about people getting responses! February/March are pretty intense on here.

Best of luck to everyone.

Agreed! Good luck, all!!! Honestly, you won't hear things this soon, though. Thinking back, I wondered why the adcoms didn't respond sooner. But as many of us are first years (in contact with graduate directors), I know that apps are usually off their radar til after finals.

Keep up hope!

[blogstarphd]

I'm not stressed. Before applying to these programs, I put it in my mind that everywhere I applied would be a crapshoot. I cannot stress about a part of the process that's out of my hands. I can only focus on my statement of purpose, improving relationships with recommenders, and finding out where to get fee waivers. Those are things I can control. Those are things that I have allowed myself to stress over. I have sent in 3 of 14 PhD applications. If I am rejected from all 14, then that was a decision made from someone else, not mine. At best, I get into all programs. At worst, I get into none. I'm satisfied with an acceptance from any of the 14, no matter the ranking.

[Darth.Vegan]

I have 4 in, 3 to go until graduation. I have 15 total, but the rest have January deadlines and I will do them after graduation!

[Zsick]

Yeah. I've been avoiding these forums since I started the application process. I know I'll get obsessive about checking them. Once all my applications are in, I'll start reading old forums just to see what I can expect. I keep telling myself it's more important to focus my time on the SoP and applications....but here I am anyway.

Good luck everyone, and I look forward to stressing out with all of you over the next couple of months. It's actually really comforting to know other people are going through the same thing. No one around me seems to understand. They're all like "I haven't seen you lately, what have you been up to?" "Oh, just working and applying to graduate school." "That's it?" "Um...yeah."

[OrangeSoc]

No one around me seems to understand. They're all like "I haven't seen you lately, what have you been up to?" "Oh, just working and applying to graduate school." "That's it?" "Um...yeah."

Exactly! I'm a first-gen college student, so my family doesn't understand at all. They keep saying, "You're still not done with those applications?"

My favorite comment so far came from my mom when I told her that I was applying to Berkeley and Wisconsin-Madison. She said, "That's nice, dear." I smiled and did my best to explain to her that it's sort of a really big deal.

[wmnshlthsoc]

This is my 2nd time applying to PhD programs. I will admitt I'm more confident in my application this year than I was last year but the nervousness is the same. the only difference is this year I have a full time job to keep me busy during the days. I know things will get crazy in the next month or two when the calls and e-mails start coming in (or not coming in  ).. fingers crossed!

[wmnshlthsoc]

Some start as early as this month some won't be until late feb/early march. It's all quite nerve wracking.

[wmnshlthsoc]

wmnshlthsoc, congratulations on the Emory interview!  At least a few nerves are soothed 

 Thank you! I will keep my fingers crossed for Emory Soc too but Emory WGSS is my top choice so this is awesome news.

[joss10]

These next few weeks are going to be the longest of my liiiiiiife.

[jacib]

These next few weeks are going to be the longest of my liiiiiiife.

Man, when I applied, I took these few weeks between application and acceptance to catch up on with all my friends and on all the drinking I ignored while applying.  Now is the perfect time not to think of grad school.

[Zsick]

Man, when I applied, I took these few weeks between application and acceptance to catch up on with all my friends and on all the drinking I ignored while applying.  Now is the perfect time not to think of grad school.

 

Yeah. I've watched two and a half seasons of Breaking Bad since the middle of December. It's the first tv show I've watched in about five years. I also sat and played video games with my room mates last night. 

Pretty quick here I'll start reading about quality-of-life stuff in the cities I'm applying to and finding other ways to help decide where to go, assuming I get into more than one program. 

[jacib]

Pretty quick here I'll start reading about quality-of-life stuff in the cities I'm applying to and finding other ways to help decide where to go, assuming I get into more than one program. 

For real, you'll have plenty of time to do that after you're accepted.  And you'll get a much better idea from visiting day (I don't know where you applied, but many schools fly students out for visiting day).  Don't torture yourself with this now.  It doesn't help to know how great Philadelphia is if Penn and Temple reject you.  Or go into your visit day thinking Bloomington, IN is the backwater of backwaters (it's not). LEAVE YOUR HOUSE.  Loving advice from someone who's been through this.  Seriously, most of your decisions between where you get in will be based on academic factors, or personal ones (closeness to family, etc.).  Quality of life is also really affected not just by the city but by department culture.  At my school, one year we scared off kids during visiting day (seriously, we got 5 out of like 14; we normally get like 8) because our department culture seemed dead inside even though we live in a great place.  The next year, we put on our game faces for visiting day and like got 12 out of 18 or something like that.  Your time is better spent reading a novel than researching cities, I promise.  If you're generally awesome, I recommend: The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler.  If you do historical sociology, I recommend Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes.  If you do sociology of religion, I recommend Silence by Shusaku Endo (the last two were recommended by professors).  If you need more novel recommendations based on subfield, I'm sure the rest of this place would be happy to oblige.  Seriously, read now for pleasure.  Do not read about cities you might not have a chance to live in.

[RandomDood]

As usual, Jacib's advice is wise.

One thing I found relaxing is reading REALLY LONG sagas-preferably completely unrelated to anything "intellectual"-which can keep you distracted for a few months.

While waiting for my Masters applications results I devoured the entire Song of Ice and Fire saga, this time I'm reading the Malazan Book of the Fallen series.

[joss10]

Just submitted my last app! Woot.

[Zsick]

For real, you'll have plenty of time to do that after you're accepted.  And you'll get a much better idea from visiting day (I don't know where you applied, but many schools fly students out for visiting day).  Don't torture yourself with this now.  

I guess I didn't mention...my fiance is applying to residencies at the same time. So after I find out where I was accepted, we have to decide where we want to go and she has to submit her choices by February 23rd. So...I have to make my decisions by then. 

I HAVE been reading for pleasure though. I'm reading Faith Based by Hackworth (about the relationship between neoliberalism and evangelical Christianity) and Carl Sagan's Billions and Billions. I've also been doing pleasure writing. BUT, I still have work to do before I can totally relax...

[wmnshlthsoc]

I guess I didn't mention...my fiance is applying to residencies at the same time. So after I find out where I was accepted, we have to decide where we want to go and she has to submit her choices by February 23rd. So...I have to make my decisions by then. 

 

 

I'm in a similar boat. We are waiting on my offer so we can settle in a new home but my partner is applying to jobs everywhere I've applied. It will just be awful if she gets a job in one place and I'm accepted elsewhere. We'll see.