Anyone else losing their damn mind?

[Trojan hopeful]

Sheriff for the virtual MSW program at USC they told me they are finishing up decisions on the spring cohort students. My counselor said when they finish those, they will begin decisions on fall 13 candidates.

[MammaD]

The website for my program said most decisions would be made available by March 15 ... but all students would be notified by JULY 1!!

Losing my mind doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling. The results page had one acceptance to the Master's program (about a month ago) in that department, but not the PhD.

[midnight]

The website for my program said most decisions would be made available by March 15 ... but all students would be notified by JULY 1!!

Losing my mind doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling. The results page had one acceptance to the Master's program (about a month ago) in that department, but not the PhD.

 

OK, that is a ridiculously long potential wait, but I'm glad that you still have a shot!

[MammaD]

If I don't hear anything by Tuesday, I'm going to email. If I might not get a decision until July, I don't know how I'll relocate my whole family, buy/sell houses, etc. before school starts ...

Just trying to breathe.

[sansao]

Yeah, in that situation, you should probably call. I'd consider waiting until closer to 4/15, though.

[OhMySocks]

Is anybody else starting to get somewhat pissed off? There are the schools where its obvious that I was rejected since they had interview weekends and such and I wasn't invited, and I haven't heard from then which is fine. But there are two schools, one of which I had several interviews and a visit at (over a month ago) and I'm getting complete silence (and as far as I know so is everyone else) and one school which apparently hasn't sent anything out to anyone. Its nearing the end of March. Ugh.

[Nia29]

I used to love weekends, now I hate them. 

 

I never thought I would long for business days as much as I do now. I look forward to Mondays, because they at least holds the possibility of some news, maybe a letter or an email... 

 

Yup! My experience exactly.

 

The website for my program said most decisions would be made available by March 15 ... but all students would be notified by JULY 1!!

Losing my mind doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling. The results page had one acceptance to the Master's program (about a month ago) in that department, but not the PhD.

 

I don't even understand this, ridiculous.

 

I have decided that to take my mind off waiting, I am going to start some sort of cleanse. Nothing excessive, I will just cut out processed foods and go to the gym 6x a week. My thinking is, if I don't get accepted I am sure I will turn to comfort foods. So the cleanse will prevent me from gaining a lot of weight

 

(I have officially lost my mind)

Edited March 18, 2013 by Kae Kae

[gradman128510]

One of the schools I've applied to has rolling admissions, yet it's been 4 months since I've applied and I haven't heard anything yet. WTF

[nutmehg]

I haven't hears anything official back yet!! I got rejected from one school, but didn't actually send in an app to the school, just the POI. I have one unofficial acceptance but getting worried because that was two weeks ago and I still don't have the official yet.

 

I too, officially hate the weekend! I just want to know already...

 

/venting

[nutmehg]

Woops scratch that, just got word of another rejection-  they had to postpone the grad position one year so it's more that the project couldn't go on and I could apply again next year...meh.

[rotw11]

First time posting here...

 

Is anybody else starting to get somewhat pissed off? There are the schools where its obvious that I was rejected since they had interview weekends and such and I wasn't invited, and I haven't heard from then which is fine. But there are two schools, one of which I had several interviews and a visit at (over a month ago) and I'm getting complete silence (and as far as I know so is everyone else) and one school which apparently hasn't sent anything out to anyone. Its nearing the end of March. Ugh.

 

Concur with you, OhMySocks! I applied to 2 universities for their MA program and for one particular university, most candidates that I interviewed with already received their official acceptance from the program coordinator. Me? Nada - and to make things worse, my emails to said program coordinator on a variety of questions pre and post interviews have never been responded. Makes me kinda wonder whether I'm actually wanted in the program. Though I did have some nice conversations with the current students in the program who have assured me that it is an ongoing process and it's only been 10 days since the interviews. Guess what irritated me was the fact that he/she does not have the slightest courtesy of even acknowledging the emails that I've sent with a reply. *sigh*

 

Trying to stay positive but things are looking pretty bleak.

[RubyBright]

Hopefully it will amuse someone that, while considering what to do (waitlisted at top school, accepted at un-affordable out-of-state PhD with no funding, and accepted at a backup master's program that would be a sensible-ish choice), I just thought to myself, "Don't expect too much, this is no fairy tale..."

After a pause, it occurred to me that of course this is no fairy tale. To the best of my knowledge, there are no grad school admission fairy tales. Somebody should get on writing one of those.

[sansao]

Hopefully it will amuse someone that, while considering what to do (waitlisted at top school, accepted at un-affordable out-of-state PhD with no funding, and accepted at a backup master's program that would be a sensible-ish choice), I just thought to myself, "Don't expect too much, this is no fairy tale..."

After a pause, it occurred to me that of course this is no fairy tale. To the best of my knowledge, there are no grad school admission fairy tales. Somebody should get on writing one of those.

Three quarters of the story would be the student staring blankly at an unresponsive email account.

Edited March 19, 2013 by sansao

[zabius]

After a very promising interview/recruiting event at my top choice last week, I've been frantically checking my email and the application website more than ever. I left with the sense that I have a very solid chance of getting in (my POI even acted like it was a done deal and that they were waiting on funding), but I really want the official acceptance to put my mind at ease!

 

Now I've just realized that this week is spring break at this school... which means that I'm likely not going to get any news until next Monday at the earliest. It's maddening!

 

If they had rejected me, say, a month ago... I would have been pretty bummed out. But now if they reject me after leading me on at that very positive campus visit, I'll be devastated! Post-interview waiting is the worst. I really just want them to say yes... I'll say yes right back at them if they do!

[blasian]

what did she do in those three years? It must have sucked

i'm not sure, i think she worked. but i agree... that would hurt.

[LMac]

I am finally able to stop losing my mind! My final rejection letter was in my inbox this morning. This process is brutal (as everyone here know). I was lucky and have been admitted to a great program, but I was rejected from the other 12 programs I applied to. 12 letters telling me "we regret to inform you....blah, blah, blah," and "we had an overwhelming number of highly qualified applicants....blah, blah, blah." Ouch and good riddance.

[tie]

I keep checking the websites as well, and then I wonder if the schoosl look at how often I check. I'm sure they don't but they would think I am obsessive if they did!!

[MSW13]

I think we all wonder if they monitor how often we check! If they did do that, they would likely learn that the vast majority of applicants suffer from temporary obsessive-compulsive disorder that spontaneously resolves once the program posts their freakin' decision!

I keep checking the websites as well, and then I wonder if the schoosl look at how often I check. I'm sure they don't but they would think I am obsessive if they did!!

[gradman128510]

Finally heard back from my top choice. It was a rejection :\

 

The only school i got into is an unfunded masters and tuition is 40k a year

 

At least I know but now things are even more uncertain

[zebura]

Still waiting from stony brook (genetics) but I am near mental breakdown as my parents just tell me to give up on grad school and find jobs.

I plan to work for my professor for 1 more year as there are a positive results (although right now just a little), yet my parents don't like this idea, saying that employers will question me about why I don't find a job in the gap year

[callista]

Still waiting from stony brook (genetics) but I am near mental breakdown as my parents just tell me to give up on grad school and find jobs.

I plan to work for my professor for 1 more year as there are a positive results (although right now just a little), yet my parents don't like this idea, saying that employers will question me about why I don't find a job in the gap year

 

Wouldn't working for your professor be a job??

[phalanges]

Zabius, I feel your pain. I'm in the same boat. Ugh.

[zebura]

Zabius, I feel your pain. I'm in the same boat. Ugh.

Same here. I had a very promising interview/recruiting event too. However, one of the members of our group told us that you may still be rejected after all these so unless there is an official message, there is no guarantee 

[PhDEducation]

Three quarters of the story would be the student staring blankly at an unresponsive email account.

Haha that is great 2 years someone should have some progress on this story by now

[grad_wannabe]

To the best of my knowledge, there are no grad school admission fairy tales. Somebody should get on writing one of those.

 

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I've had an admission fairy tale. 

 

There was one school I was looking at that only accepts four students a year. FOUR. It was SO competitive and the current students seemed SO ridiculously accomplished ... I thought the program was amazing but that I had a snowball's chance in hell of getting in. Didn't apply. 

 

After the deadline came and went, I became filled with regret that I hadn't at least TRIED. In a bout of anxiety over Christmas break (nearly a month after the deadline), I went to look at the website one last time, and bemoan "what could have been."

 

Lo and behold, I saw that the deadline had been extended. ... to one week after I happened to check the website. I still had time. 

 

I whipped together one last application and fired it off. It came together in an oddly beautiful and easy fashion.

 

"Surely my rec letter writers won't get my request in time ... it's Christmas, they're not checking their email!" To my surprise all three of my writers responded to my late "one last upload?" request on the same day.

 

"Of course my GRE scores won't get there in time! Those take weeks!" Bizarrely, this time they got there in just a few days, in fact the exact DAY of the new deadline. 

 

Still, I thought there was no chance. I hadn't contacted any POIs or established any relationship, I'd never visited campus, I'd named only one POI in my SOP. BUT at least I tried, right?

 

Imagine my shock when I got a phone call a few months later. Admitted with full funding. 

 

Fairy tales do come true. 

Edited March 10, 2015 by grad_wannabe