Dreaming about acceptance/rejection

[inactive_since_inf]

I also did have a few dreams before getting an admit. One of them was about trying to get my application delivered to the hands of the adcom personally (like a greek warrior).... from all the way on the other side of the world. Needless to say, I encountered all the cliche environments (oceans and pyramids for example).... and finally, I think I was interrupted by a knock on my room.... it was time for the classes... :wink:

[sef802]

Whew! Glad to know I'm not the only one having grad school rejection nightmares! I was so positive I was going to hear from UT last week, and Friday night after a stressful day of checking my inbox every 5 minutes, I dreamt that I signed on to my status page, and that not only was I rejected, but there were these 6 different levels, and I was at the very lowest. Basically meaning that I was in the pool of the least qualified applicants! I ran out of my house crying and thought, "How will I ever find a job now in this economy since I won't be going to school in the fall?" It was pretty awful, and I was really relieved when I woke up. Even more relieved though when I signed on to my status page and nothing had changed!

[academiccricket]

I dreamed last night that NYU's (the last Ph.D. program I have yet to hear from) administrative staff doused my application in gasoline and lit it on fire with a lighter, all while they were laughing hysterically and pointing.

Before this whole process started, I dreamed that I would get into YDS because I saw the big Yale logo on a blue folder containing my acceptance letter. I hear back on Friday, and am waiting to see if I'm right....

[MDLee]

I dreamed last night that NYU's (the last Ph.D. program I have yet to hear from) administrative staff doused my application in gasoline and lit it on fire with a lighter, all while they were laughing hysterically and pointing.

Before this whole process started, I dreamed that I would get into YDS because I saw the big Yale logo on a blue folder containing my acceptance letter. I hear back on Friday, and am waiting to see if I'm right....

YDS would rock. It would especially rock if you'd dreamed it. Talk about divine intervention

[Dontuse]

This whole process is far more excrutiating than I had thought. Actually, I was fairly okay with life until the interviews. Before that it was simply 'dead air' between having submitted my application & hearing from them. Sure, I didn't like the wait but the wait was just nothingness.

Now (as in after the interviews)... well now I find myself dreaming of committees convening to decide my fate.

One dream I ended up reading a a mailed letter. It came in a 'fat envelope' and had lots of delightfully encouraging sentences.

My heart broke, however, upon realizing that the letter did in fact say that I was rejected.

Well, actually it said (& I remember it!), "We are fairly positive that we will not be offering you a position at this time."... the whole thing was congratulating me on having had a superb application that seemingly fit in with everything the program is about (don't remember which university sent this to me...). It then went on to boast about the wonderful program of which I will probably not get to participate. :!:

How cruel. I woke up teary-eyed.

The worst part? That I realized how much this decision --their decision, rather -- will inevitably terminally affect me! (& that that amount is far, super, disturbingly more than what i'd already been experiencing!)

This last week I had a dream about [...]three pictures and files belonged to three other applicants for the program. To gain admittance I needed to kill one of them. I declined their offer and woke up.

That is insane. What's more offputting is that I'd have been wiping blood off with palm leaves before the professor explained the task.

I don't like who this has made me... Paranoia looks good on no one.

[whateverneveram3n]

I don't like who this has made me...

=( ...I feel the same way about myself right now.

[jferreir]

My dreams continually change based on status updates!

In my first dream, I received a file in the mail that said "REJECTED" in big red letters. If I remember correctly, it was from my backup school (which is where I did my UG - somewhat disheartening). I recently received notification that I'm on the waiting list for my first or second choice (still undecided), which was then followed by yet another perverse dream. In this second dream, I was the first applicant to be offered full admission with funding from the waiting list. My feelings of joy were then eclipsed with the realization that I was the backup. After accepting the offer, I flunked out and spiraled into 10 years of clinical depression followed by poverty/homelessness. In my third dream, I received a polite rejection letter from my final application. I then stood in my driveway, rejection letter in hand, and said "F***, my life is over. I'm never going to find a job."

So far, three dreams for three applications. I can't wait until this is over!

[modernity]

yes, i had a dream in which i received a letter from my top choice, and all that it said on the letter was "NO!".... not even a sentence...or rejection or anything... just NO!

then the dream continued with me getting an acceptance to my least favorite school (still better than nothing) but with no funding, and I couldn't come up with any of my own either. I just woke up in a bad mood after all of that nonsense.

[JMcManaway]

I'm not even applying until next semester and after reading this particular thread, I had a dream that my mailman (who later in the dream became my mother) drove out into the desert to find me and gave me a letter. At this point the mailman becomes my mom and she's telling me to open the letter, at which point I see "I'm sorry to tell you that...." and then a page full of grammatically incorrect sentences about nonsense. I woke up angry about receiving such a bad letter from a prestigious university.

So, thanks for making me a nutter about this process several months before I even jump into it. I figure this is probably healthy.

[Emilee]

Sooooo, I was sitting at my computer (probably looking at this forum), when my gmail notifier popup said I have an unread message with the subject "Your admission decision". I get very excited knowing that this is the last school I am waiting for and, whether or not I get in, means my application process hell is over. So I try clicking the message, but the second I do I immediately wake up and realize I was all a dream. Grrrr...it seemed so real. I thought I was going to finally find out. I'm still waiting for a decision in my dreams!

I also now realize the last school I am waiting for is on spring break, so I probably won't learn until next week! :x

[gradcafegirl]

This last week I had a dream about receiving an invitation to interview in person for a school that is very much at the top of my list. I carefully prepared for the interview and eventually the committee sent a plane to pick me up. I was taken to some desolate island in the middle of no where with only a large castle occupying the land. I walked inside and was escorted to a room where three professors were waiting for me. While I was being seated one of the professors pulled out a large folder with the words "top secret" in bold print across the cover. She opened the file to reveal three separate files each for a different person. The committee told me that they were very interested in me as a potential candidate, but first they needed to know that I was truly devoted to the idea of being a graduate student and future professor. Then they explained to me that the three pictures and files belonged to three other applicants for the program. To gain admittance I needed to kill one of them. I declined their offer and woke up.

I am glad to hear that I am not the only one having such strange dreams. I had a good laugh once I remembered all that had transpired in the dream.

[peppermint.beatnik]

I've dreamt about every school to which I applied. My dreams have been positive, negative or complete nonsense that I don't know what to make of them.

All reflect the inner turmoil I feel about this process.

[limeinthecoconut]

I had two dreams. Sometime in mid-Feb, I dreamt that my friend got into my top choice, while I was rejected. On the same day that I had the dream, my friend did get into my top choice, which meant that I was rejected, since there was only one spot for our specialization.

A couple of days ago, I dream that I got into my other top choice. I woke up, checked my e-mail. Nothing. But then, a letter from the other top choice came via postal, and I opened it up, and I was indeed admitted.

Think I should seriously consider a career switch and start telling fortunes through dreams.

[Dontuse]

I'll pay you to dream me up a particular acceptance seahistory. I'm sure many of us would help launch this business of yours!

[golonghorns]

I dreamt I got into my top choice last night...but then every two hours or so I kept waking up to look at my clock and see if it was early enough for me to check my email (and gradcafe of course!)

[djrg]

I dreamt I got into my top choice last night...but then every two hours or so I kept waking up to look at my clock and see if it was early enough for me to check my email (and gradcafe of course!)

Loool I thought I was the only one having trouble sleeping straight for the whole night :S stupid anxiety.... I want it all to be over.. I want to sleep peacefully once again....

[wilderbeast]

This last week I had a dream about receiving an invitation to interview in person for a school that is very much at the top of my list. I carefully prepared for the interview and eventually the committee sent a plane to pick me up. I was taken to some desolate island in the middle of no where with only a large castle occupying the land. I walked inside and was escorted to a room where three professors were waiting for me. While I was being seated one of the professors pulled out a large folder with the words "top secret" in bold print across the cover. She opened the file to reveal three separate files each for a different person. The committee told me that they were very interested in me as a potential candidate, but first they needed to know that I was truly devoted to the idea of being a graduate student and future professor. Then they explained to me that the three pictures and files belonged to three other applicants for the program. To gain admittance I needed to kill one of them. I declined their offer and woke up.

I am glad to hear that I am not the only one having such strange dreams. I had a good laugh once I remembered all that had transpired in the dream.

I'm not even applying until next semester and after reading this particular thread, I had a dream that my mailman (who later in the dream became my mother) drove out into the desert to find me and gave me a letter. At this point the mailman becomes my mom and she's telling me to open the letter, at which point I see "I'm sorry to tell you that...." and then a page full of grammatically incorrect sentences about nonsense. I woke up angry about receiving such a bad letter from a prestigious university.

These cracked me up! Thank you, because I haven't laughed like that for ages!!

[wilderbeast]

My dreams haven't been at all about acceptances or rejections... they've been about the GREs!!

Never in my life have I freaked out/panicked about anything so much. In real life I did badly on the physics GRE, then made myself completely sick with anxiety to point that I psyched myself out and messed up the general GRE too (it was really all just nerves and panic and dread - I couldn't eat for days before the general GRE!). Ever since then, I keep having nightmares where I have to take the GRE, or where I have just taken and bombed it.. it's awful! Usually I don't take the test in my dreams, more just like I dream of the feelings of total dread and despair that I felt upon getting my scores. ick! I can't wait for my life to move forward again.

[melancholyway]

Postby JMcManaway on Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:07 am

I'm not even applying until next semester and after reading this particular thread, I had a dream that my mailman (who later in the dream became my mother) drove out into the desert to find me and gave me a letter. At this point the mailman becomes my mom and she's telling me to open the letter, at which point I see "I'm sorry to tell you that...." and then a page full of grammatically incorrect sentences about nonsense. I woke up angry about receiving such a bad letter from a prestigious university.

This was awesome.

[MDLee]

I dreamt I got into my top choice last night...but then every two hours or so I kept waking up to look at my clock and see if it was early enough for me to check my email (and gradcafe of course!)

Its always a good time to check your email and gradcafe I can't promise anything will be on the first one, but the second one refreshes often enough overnight.

[TulipOHare]

I had a dream about posting on gradcafe last night, but I don't remember what about...

[nicolesuza]

I had a dream last night that I received a letter from Chicago's Harris School (you may have seen all the angry applicants on the results page).

The letter pointed out that I 'd gotten a very, very bad grad as an undergrad, and someone had circled the grade in red pencil with an arrow pointing to it. But then in the middle of the letter was this word in all CAPS, "ACYPTD."

I thought I'd been accepted under probation, but my husband insisted I'd been rejected. Then I woke up.

[piccgeek]

I had a dream a couple weeks ago that I walked into one of my senior literature classes and everyone was chattering happily about which schools they had been accepted to. As far as a I know in real life none of the people in this class even applied to grad school. In the dream, however, even my friend from chemical engineering was talking about getting into Illinois's English program. When I got home from class I opened my mail box and there was the dreaded thin envelope. It was one rejection letter, but it rejected me from all graduate schools ever. I was pretty relieved to wake up from THAT dream, let me tell you.

[Dontuse]

I had a dream about posting on gradcafe last night, but I don't remember what about...

yeah. you asked a few of us to do... let's just say 'things.'

... i'm just kidding.

This application process seems to be winning.

[yivorechecho]

I dreamed that I went to a second-look day at one of my programs and somehow wound up in a class with one of my old bio professors and was bitten on the arm by a poisonous snake. I went to the health center and they sawed a big chunk of flesh out of my forearm with a serrated kitchen knife and wrapped it in a plastic bag. Strangely, it didn't hurt. I woke up to check to make sure I hadn't actually been biting myself in my sleep. Weird, weird dream. I think it was the result of planning to visit 3 schools in the next week and seeing a report on some killer pythons in Florida on the Daily Show last night. My brain synthesized it quite strangely.