Anyone else losing their damn mind?

[iphi]

Also, I don't know if the department head is quite who you want to email. At least with the schools I applied to, there was a point contact person listed, often a grad secretary of some sort. I would definitely email them first. 

 

Thank you. There is only the General Director of Graduate Admissions. I called the office some weeks ago for something else and found them to be very underinformed about the department to which I was applying. So I don't know if I should try again.

[iphi]

Thank you. There is only the General Director of Graduate Admissions. I called the office some weeks ago for something else and found them to be very underinformed about the department to which I was applying. So I don't know if I should try again.

 

Nevermind, I just emailed the Graduate Office. Hopefully they'll be able to help, and if not I should probably just be patient anyway!

 

Edit: Nope! Got a "we don't know" email back.

Edited February 28, 2013 by iphi

[NatalieK]

I continue to over analyze all parts of my application, right down the type of font I used... it just never stops. guess we are all just waiting now

[dungheap]

so i just contacted a department which is my top choice, i've discovered i'm probably not on their short list and their open house is a week from now. i'm thinking of sending a love letter of sorts. my only problem is i guess i have to send it directly to the professor and the chair who i spoke to. i need to make it NOT awkward. anyways, it couldn't hurt that much, plus i'd toss in a line about learning what my shortcomings are so i could reapply

[Reatha]

It's been nearly three weeks since I've last heard from the first school I've interviewed at.  I'm starting to get very worried about my status since it appears most schools let prospectives know within 1 or 2 weeks post-interview... This wait is driving me crazy, especially since someone heard immediately regarding an acceptance. 

 

In the same boat. I interviewed with a biomedical science program 3 weeks ago. They said give them 2-4 weeks to give me an answer. 

 

My boss just keeps telling me patience is a virtue

[MSW13]

It's been nearly three weeks since I've last heard from the first school I've interviewed at.  I'm starting to get very worried about my status since it appears most schools let prospectives know within 1 or 2 weeks post-interview... This wait is driving me crazy, especially since someone heard immediately regarding an acceptance. 

Could it be that they sent out an offer to someone else and dont want to let go of you just yet pending response from the other person? Kind of like having you on waitlist without actually telling you?

[Biohopeful]

I haven't ruled out that possibility.  I got an email the week after the interview asking me which labs I'm interested in and what my impression of the program is (ideally within that week), and now it's been silence.

 

Graduate students there said they waited a few weeks for a response, and if one lab really likes you and would take you on, you're in.

[pears]

the more i hear about the admissions process for hard sciences -- i.e., the lab and publication politicking -- the more respect i have for the posters on here and my friends who are grad students (past, present, and future) in bio, chem, physics, etc. talk about a high pressure, delicately balanced process! woof. i think i'd have a hard time getting through it all with my self confidence intact still, so power to ya.

[phigirl]

I agree with pears. I can see the end of my sanity about a mile off, and that's being a humanities person! I feel like the vagueness of what is weighted more in our programs is both a blessing and a hindrance-in some ways it'd be nice to know what they're using but it does make it easier to justify your self-worth no matter the answer

[callista]

I just tried to use my SurveyMonkey login for ApplyYourself. Sigh.

Happy Friday!

[InHacSpeVivo]

Here is hoping it is an eventful Friday (and especially for a positive, eventful Friday)... I haven't heard a peep in SEVENTEEN days!

[Biohopeful]

Yeah, the hard sciences admission process isn't easy at all.  Not saying processes for other disciplines are any more or less simpler.  When you apply and receive an interview, it's almost like a glimmer of hope, that you are good enough for the school -- I mean, why else would they pay for you to come out and visit the campus, eat free food, meet with the faculty and graduate students?  Maybe it's because I truly am an optimist at heart that I feel hopeful going into an interview, or as some places call it, a "recruitment weekend".

 

However, when it takes so long to hear anything following the interview, it's very easy to sit there and self-doubt yourself and your abilities.  Why did I say this?  Was I too honest?  Was I not honest enough?  Did I explain my research enough?  Is it because they are looking at my application, and the numerical aspects are going to hurt me post-interview after all?

 

Like I mentioned before, the post-interview waiting period is worse than pre-interview.  Keep in mind, this is merely my opinion.

 

For all you hopefuls out there, no matter what stage in the process you are at, good luck and keep your chin up as we enter into March!  I know I am, with any hope I have left!

[HomeGrown]

It's the uncertainty that really grates at my nerves.

Edited March 1, 2013 by HomeGrown

[LndscpDsign]

I'm annoyed now :/. My department posted on their website that unofficial decisions would be emailed out by the end of February. A little bit after midnight last night the message changed and now it's says by the end of march. I was getting so excited too haha.

[aboondocksaint]

I can't quite tell whether it'd be worse for me to find out I didn't get in and will have to try again this fall, or keep the anxiety and hope alive that it might happen after all.

[Reatha]

Yeah, the hard sciences admission process isn't easy at all.  Not saying processes for other disciplines are any more or less simpler.  When you apply and receive an interview, it's almost like a glimmer of hope, that you are good enough for the school -- I mean, why else would they pay for you to come out and visit the campus, eat free food, meet with the faculty and graduate students?  Maybe it's because I truly am an optimist at heart that I feel hopeful going into an interview, or as some places call it, a "recruitment weekend".

 

However, when it takes so long to hear anything following the interview, it's very easy to sit there and self-doubt yourself and your abilities.  Why did I say this?  Was I too honest?  Was I not honest enough?  Did I explain my research enough?  Is it because they are looking at my application, and the numerical aspects are going to hurt me post-interview after all?

 

Like I mentioned before, the post-interview waiting period is worse than pre-interview.  Keep in mind, this is merely my opinion.

 

For all you hopefuls out there, no matter what stage in the process you are at, good luck and keep your chin up as we enter into March!  I know I am, with any hope I have left!

 

 

Same here. I interviewed with a program feb. 8th and I really liked the program. 

 

Furthermore, I thought the interview went really well. I seemed to be answering questions well. One prof said I asked good questions, the other said I had a good thought process. 

 

After the faculty dinner, one of the graduate students said they felt I would be a good fit for the program and another that I seemed to be very dedicated. 

 

Sent out my thank you notes and one member of the admissions committee sent back "Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you in your decision process", along with all the cordial thank yous I got as well. 

 

 

....And then silence. I haven't heard anything from them in weeks. They did another interview weekend last week and some of those students heard yesterday. 

 

And of course, I started doing the same thing. Questioning if I made the right impression, if I said something wrong, is my application not strong enough. I learned yesterday that the book chapter I wrote isn't being published until July, when I told them February, so I emailed the people who asked stating the delay. 

 

And now wondering if I misunderstood their comments. 

 

At this point the best I'm hoping for is that I was wait listed and will hear as soon as other schools send out reply. Historically they have sent out a few acceptances in the first two weeks of March as well. 

[WhyPhD]

I've lost my hope, already working on a plan B!

[MSW13]

That's just evil. 

 

I'm annoyed now :/. My department posted on their website that unofficial decisions would be emailed out by the end of February. A little bit after midnight last night the message changed and now it's says by the end of march. I was getting so excited too haha.

[OhMySocks]

I thought this was amusing:

On Wednesday morning, I received an email from the department at school A with an invite to their admitted students visit weekend.

On Wednesday evening, I received an email from the department congratulating me on being accepted by the grad school and having funding info.

On Thursday, I received one of those generic "Your application status has changed emails" and pointing me to the web site, which had an acceptance letter.

Today, I received an email saying that the graduate school has made a decision and that the decision would be available in the next few days on the website.

 

So yeah, they've got the whole thing completely backwards. 

[sansao]

the more i hear about the admissions process for hard sciences -- i.e., the lab and publication politicking -- the more respect i have for the posters on here and my friends who are grad students (past, present, and future) in bio, chem, physics, etc. talk about a high pressure, delicately balanced process! woof. i think i'd have a hard time getting through it all with my self confidence intact still, so power to ya.

My self-confidence has been seriously damaged by this experience. It's not gone, but it'll be a while before I'm comfortable describing myself as a scientist, or geologist, or person who can add 1+1 correctly, lol.

[queenleblanc]

I am miserable in my current job, and I'm trying to head into a new career.  Every day that I don't get an acceptance (or even worse, a wait-list or rejection), I keep stressing out that I'm going to have to stay miserable in my job until I find another job in this economy.  I am driving myself nuts, unfortunately.  And mildly depressed.  My husband acts like he understands, but he doesn't.  Glad I can find other people going through the same thing with me on TGC... My remaining apps aren't expected to notify until probably March 15-April 15, so I have quite a bit more waiting to do. 

Edited March 1, 2013 by kcald716

[queenleblanc]

I thought this was amusing:

On Wednesday morning, I received an email from the department at school A with an invite to their admitted students visit weekend.

On Wednesday evening, I received an email from the department congratulating me on being accepted by the grad school and having funding info.

On Thursday, I received one of those generic "Your application status has changed emails" and pointing me to the web site, which had an acceptance letter.

Today, I received an email saying that the graduate school has made a decision and that the decision would be available in the next few days on the website.

 

So yeah, they've got the whole thing completely backwards. 

 

That is NUTS!  At least the acceptance came through.  Congrats! 

[thunderchunky]

Tell me what you guys make of this situation with one of my prospective schools...

 

On my electronic application dossier, they acknowledged receipt of my two LORs shortly after they had been submitted by my referees. A couple of weeks later, they acknowledged receipt of a third LOR. That didn't sound right, because I'd only requested letters from two referees. Also, while I've heard of the professor the third letter was supposedly from (he's from my undergrad institution, in a discipline related to the program to which I'm applying), I've never met him in my life.

 

Right away, I emailed asking them to look into it because I believed that letter must have been meant for another student's file. They wrote back thanking me for my message and apologising for the confusion, saying that they would adjust my file accordingly. I checked a couple of days later, and that letter was still on my file. Not only that, but there was now yet another note on there, stating that an LOR from this same professor had been updated to my file. So now I supposedly had four letters: two from my actual referees, and two from this other professor I've never met.

 

What does it all mean? Technical glitch, or something else? What I'm most concerned about is, if other students' documents are being added to my file, where are my documents ending up?

Edited March 1, 2013 by thunderchunky

[MSW13]

Just a question I thought I'd throw out there as I sit here through another weekend of silence.

 

How long do you think it takes between the admissions committee making their final decisions and you actually getting word of the official result?  I'll be hearing from one of my schools through snail mail and the timeline for notifications is "by mid march".  They cant possibly still be meeting can they?? 

[callista]

The DGS answered my email of a few days ago... "We are still working through the process.  I'm hoping to hear back on your case next week.  I will let you know."