Anyone else losing their damn mind?

[PhDreams]

I think these two professors really want me to get into a decent program. They were my undergraduate and Master's research mentors. I guess that makes them sortof my science parents?

 

Awwww.... That's super cute. Yeah, this is the first semester that I've actually had amazing faculty support. It's really great to have people to talk to about this stuff when no one at home can understand what you are talking about.

 

I had a mini freak out when I started registering for apps, wondering if I really wanted to do this. I thought, I'm nothing like that nice collection of graduate students on everyone's website. What would my picture look like up there? I should just stay here on the ground and get a nice job. No, no, no, my younger self convinced me that I needed to go big or go home. Had to get the highest title. Shut up, younger self.

 

I thought the same thing! I've been reading the cohort bios and seeing if I fit in with those departments. One school accepted someone from my current program last year and it made me say YIPPPEEEEE! until I read her bio and she seems a million times more amazing than me. Where did all this self-doubt come from? Who am I?????

[TED1213]

Where did all this self-doubt come from? Who am I?????

 

Self-doubt is all apart of it, right? I think at some level we're all feeling this way. If you're applying to incredible programs, places you'd really love to be, of course you'll start to wonder if you're good enough to be there. All of this waiting isn't doing me any favors either. One second I'm completely confident in my application and research experience, and the next I'm comparing myself to others and wondering when I should put in my app down at Target. Haha, (only partly kidding!). The most comfort I find is in knowing how many others are going through this process and feeling the same things. It will all be over soon! 

[ion_exchanger]

One second I'm completely confident in my application and research experience, and the next I'm comparing myself to others and wondering when I should put in my app down at Target. Haha, (only partly kidding!).

 

Haha! I definitely can relate. I felt pretty confident about my research experience, but then when someone received an interview invitation to one of the programs that I applied to, I started to panic, thinking that I was silly to even apply. The next day I received an interview to that program and was relieved. The roller coaster is seriously draining.

[biotechie]

Okay, now I am losing my mind. I just realized I sent a school an essay that had another school's name in it. All other parts of the essay refer to the correct school, but not the single mention in my first paragraph. I used that paragraph in all of my essays and sortof used it as a launching point to get into writing the personal statement... but apparently I forgot to correct it. This was on the day when most of the applications were due.

 

I corrected it and e-mailed the administrator explaining what happened, but it is still enough to really shake me up... especially since it is my second choice school. Oops. Hopefully they will understand, but I have a feeling it was already sent to the committee!

[ion_exchanger]

When was the deadline for this school? As terrifying as it seems, it's not super uncommon. For one of my schools, the deadline is dec 1st but don't usually send invites until the middle of January, so it may be possible that the committee hasn't met yet.

[biotechie]

The deadline was December 1st, but their first interview date is January 11, so I have a feeling they've already reviewed it. That might be the reason I haven't heard from them. However, their administrator is really nice, so maybe she can make sure they know I at least corrected it. Unlikely, but I can hope, right?

[PhDreams]

Does anyone know whether it's too late to send in a revised writing sample?? I accidentally sent in a sample with errors in it (I inadventantly attributed a work to another person in one of my citations) for a few parapgraphs. As in So and So says, and it's clearly not so and so. D:

 

Do you think it's more of a bother to email the coordinator at this point or are we more in the "it doesn't hurt to try" camp?

[PhDreams]

The deadline was December 1st, but their first interview date is January 11, so I have a feeling they've already reviewed it. That might be the reason I haven't heard from them. However, their administrator is really nice, so maybe she can make sure they know I at least corrected it. Unlikely, but I can hope, right?

 

That's really soon. I'm sort of in the same position. I'm not exactly sure what youre supposed to do in these situations.

[biotechie]

That's really soon. I'm sort of in the same position. I'm not exactly sure what youre supposed to do in these situations.

 

 

I e-mailed the program administrator and simply said that this was what happened and I hoped that the committee could review the corrected version. I am pretty positive they've already looked at my application, but I went with the whole, "I might as well try and show that I know there was a major error" in the hope that they'll see that I had enough courage to point out my own deficiency.

I'm sure things like this happen a ton, but I'm the type of person who always has their i's dotted and their t's crossed. None of my advisors caught my mistake before I submitted, either.

 

[Ablukhov]

Does anyone know whether it's too late to send in a revised writing sample?? I accidentally sent in a sample with errors in it (I inadventantly attributed a work to another person in one of my citations) for a few parapgraphs. As in So and So says, and it's clearly not so and so. D:

 

Do you think it's more of a bother to email the coordinator at this point or are we more in the "it doesn't hurt to try" camp?

Doesn't hurt to try.  I had a similar problem last year with my SoP and they let me submit a revised version. I caught the mistake before the final application due date, though, so if you're past the due date that might be a quite different situation...

[ion_exchanger]

The deadline was December 1st, but their first interview date is January 11, so I have a feeling they've already reviewed it. That might be the reason I haven't heard from them. However, their administrator is really nice, so maybe she can make sure they know I at least corrected it. Unlikely, but I can hope, right?

I e-mailed the program administrator and simply said that this was what happened and I hoped that the committee could review the corrected version. I am pretty positive they've already looked at my application, but I went with the whole, "I might as well try and show that I know there was a major error" in the hope that they'll see that I had enough courage to point out my own deficiency.

 

 

 

You might as well. The only other alternative is to sit back and worry about it. I am cautiously optimistic for you, as I have seen this topic come up many times. I would hate that they would reject an otherwise strong candidate.

[LMac]

How about sending an updated GPA to schools I've applied to? I'm a post-bacc student repairing my GPA and my most recent semester of A's brought mine from 3.06 to 3.17. I'd think that's worth pointing out but don't want to be a pain in the butt for contacting them. Thoughts?

[PhDreams]

I'm mailing a copy of my fall grades to schools after they post. For others, you can include this info online. Yale has a space for it. Others might as well. I also think that grad coordinators will accept this info via email. I did this to one program last year.

[Katzenmusik]

I looked over my writing sample and realized that I had misused a word.  It's one of those words that sounds like it could mean one thing but actually has almost the opposite definition. 

 

I keep imagining the people on the admissions committee reading my essay with enthusiasm, then coming to that word, shaking their heads, and putting my file in the "NO" heap.

 

Fortunately I think the word only appeared in a few of my applications, since I had to send shortened versions to some schools and had edited that paragraph out.  

 

But ouch.  Super-embarrassing.

[RiseofthePhoenix]

I emailed all the programs my updated and final MA transcript after the application deadlines. All the program coordinators were super nice about it. If you think your semester grades will improve your application (improve your gpa etc) definitely do it.

[MammaD]

One of the two programs I'm applying to requires I send current term grades ... of course I'm freaking out because at my school, professors don't have to submit grades to the registrar until Jan 4 so it'll be at least a week after that before I can send anything!,

[PhDreams]

One of the two programs I'm applying to requires I send current term grades ... of course I'm freaking out because at my school, professors don't have to submit grades to the registrar until Jan 4 so it'll be at least a week after that before I can send anything!,

 

Same! My grades don't officially post until Jan 7.

[LMac]

Mine as well, plus a professor gave me a C by mistake. I contacted him immediately and he admitted his mistake acknowledging it should be an A. He submitted a grade correction but the school is closed until Jan 7, so I can't even find out when they'll have it fixed until then. Of all the semesters for them him screw that up!

[sansao]

Mine as well, plus a professor gave me a C by mistake. I contacted him immediately and he admitted his mistake acknowledging it should be an A. He submitted a grade correction but the school is closed until Jan 7, so I can't even find out when they'll have it fixed until then. Of all the semesters for them him screw that up!

 

That happened to me in Calc 1.  I have a letter of apology from the math department chair and everything (I found several errors on their midterm).  It was the year that I was transferring out of the community college, and I'll never know where I might have been admitted if I hadn't had to send a late letter noting my grade change to all the adcoms. 

[nohika]

If I don't know if they want fall transcripts, should I ask if they do before sending them? Two of my schools, the ad-coms are meeting mid-Jan so it'd be close if I sent the grades now...and my school doesn't open until Jan 2nd (I don't know if the grades are officially posted though).

[MammaD]

My program sent me a specific email request for current term grades -- it was also listed in the application requirements for that program. Unless your program specifies or your new grades demonstrate an uptick in your potential for success, you probably don't have to submit them. Never hurts to send a polite email asking.

[anaZep]

Back up schools???? What are back up schools?!

 

 

hahahah waaahh! cry cry

 

i'm definitely in this camp.  i'm applying for my masters, but i get the same look and response from everyone when I tell them where i'm applying:  :blank stare: followed by unrecognizable expression which I translate as pity, and "wow, so you don't have any safeties on your list!"  

 

I ended up doing a search to find possible safeties, but most of the deadlines have passed or are quickly approaching.  So yea, I'm definitely losing my damn mind right now. 

[viggosloof28]

With respect to reporting fall semester grades, for my programs almost all of them said to apply with whatever I had at the time (not including fall grades).  Most of them say that they'll only request the newest semester's grades if they decide to offer admission.

 

hahahah waaahh! cry cry

 

i'm definitely in this camp.  i'm applying for my masters, but i get the same look and response from everyone when I tell them where i'm applying:  :blank stare: followed by unrecognizable expression which I translate as pity, and "wow, so you don't have any safeties on your list!"  

 

I ended up doing a search to find possible safeties, but most of the deadlines have passed or are quickly approaching.  So yea, I'm definitely losing my damn mind right now. 

 

I feel the same way!  The lowest-ranked school I applied to is around #50/55-ish...I applied thinking that that could be my "safety school," because someone else from my master's program got accepted there last year.  The more I think about it, though, there are no safety schools anymore!

[PhDreams]

So true... I really don't get the safety school thing at the doc level either. Even if the program is lower ranked... if you don't fit, you don't fit. This is at least five years of your life we're talking about. I can't even imagine being stuck in a program with a fit that youre not thrilled about or one that doesn't have the resources to help you get your specific research to the next level.

[laura_b]

I mailed my last application by Priority Mail on Thursday morning, and the tracking still does not show delivery confirmation yet. I was supposed to have delivered on Saturday.   It arrived in Fayetteville overnight and has been sitting there ever since. I am starting to imagine all the horrible things that could have happened to it. It's been raining and I can just see the application sitting ruined in a box full of water. Why can't UA have an online application?

Edited January 1, 2013 by laura_b