2nd (or more) Time Applicants - What's Your Feeling This Year?

[sansao]

The "best" I got last year was an unofficial waitlisting from a school that, in the long run, never even bothered to send me an official decision. No acceptances, no interviews, very little feedback. Additionally, I got five rejections spread out from February to August (yes, it took one school ten months to send me a decision). It was drawn-out and painful.

This year, I already have two interviews lined up and it's only the 3rd. POIs are telling me my app is "quite competitive." It's a little surprising to me, to be honest. I don't think my application is *that* much stronger. These fora seem pretty quiet this year too, though - at least compared to last year. What do y'all think, was last year a fluke with many more applicants than usual? Is it just still early in the season? Do you feel like your chances are better (or worse) this time? Why?

[bamafan]

Even if you don't feel your app is much better, it probably is from your experience alone. This is my second time as well, and I've gotten two interviews so far (both 2-3 weeks ago). I'm hoping the next few days/weeks will yield more good news. 

 

I like my chances better (knock on wood) simply because, though like you, I know my "stats" aren't significantly improved, the app itself is miles ahead. I published a few papers, did some more research in the off year, reused two of the three recs but substituted a superior third, rewrote my SOP from an embarrassing trainwreck to a fairly serviceable one, and perhaps most importantly, got my apps out way, way clear of the deadline (mid-November roughly, for all apps, regardless of if they were due 12/1 or 1/3). 

[wolfman_jack]

I had actually almost forgotten that I had apps in this year because I've been too busy trying to figure out what I'm going to do if I don't get in somewhere. I saw in another thread that it's a roller coaster ride - "of course I'm getting in, I'm awesome" to "I'm never getting in anywhere, I'm worth nothing" and back again.

 

Still, I've allowed myself to hope my chances are a little better this year due to having a full transcript with all my upper level courses, some research experience and even stronger recs. My SOP is better too, and they probably sat up and took notice when I mentioned I had some GI Bill left. Last year I applied to seven schools and was rejected outright from six and not offered funding at the last, effectively a rejection. This year - we'll see. This next month or two will be a constant nail-biter.

[Datatape]

Just having been through this before I think will automatically give the second (or third) time applicants a bit of a leg up.  I know I was much more prepared this go-round than last year and I was able to focus in on what image I wanted to project of myself.  Last year, I applied to seven schools, was rejected outright at four and waitlisted at three.  This year, with a stronger writing sample, much stronger statement of purpose, and several promising contacts with professors at various institutions, I feel much better about my chances.  Oddly, I've also been a little more detached about the whole process; I certainly am checking the forums and having my email close by at all times, but I've taken much more of a que sera sera approach to it.  Last year I was so emotionally invested that each rejection (even from the schools that weren't high on my list) felt like a slug to the gut.  This year, I'm aiming to be as zen as possible about it.

[sansao]

Oddly, I've also been a little more detached about the whole process; I certainly am checking the forums and having my email close by at all times, but I've taken much more of a que sera sera approach to it.  Last year I was so emotionally invested that each rejection (even from the schools that weren't high on my list) felt like a slug to the gut.

^^^this. It's weird, though, because it's like I didn't have a say in it. I turned in my apps, expected a repeat of last year's obsession, and then poof... I was surprisingly detached. I forgot to check my email at all for a couple days there. That would have been flatly impossible last year.

[Lilac13]

This is my second time applying to PhD programs. I applied directly out of undergrad the first time and I applied because I thought it was what I "supposed to do". Five years later, I feel more confident about my chances of being accepted somewhere this time around for a number of reasons:

1. I have a more refined research interest (so much that am applying to a completely different discipline than what I originally applied to).

2. I have over four years of related research experience (when I applied before the only research experience I had was through two summer internships- a total of 2 months each)

3. I have three very strong letters of recommendation, all from people who can speak to my research abilities(last time I had one strong letter and two mediocre letters).

4. I improved my GRE verbal and AW score (still couldn't get my quant score up- so that concerns me a little)

5. I have a masters degree in a related field with a 3.9 gpa (when I applied the first time, all I had was my low undergrad gpa which wasn't anything to brag about).

6. I am more confident in my statement of purpose this time around. I really spent a lot of time writing it and got tons of feedback from the right people.

7. I have publications and have presented my research at a number of different professional conferences.

I feel pretty good about my chances this year. I don't think I will get accepted to every school I applied to, but I think someone will see my potential as a successful graduate student.

[sansao]

EW33, those are the types of improvements that I felt like I should have made. I did push my GRE scores up a little. I'm just floored by the completely different response my applications (and even emails to professors) are getting this year. It almost feels too good to be true.

[sr0304]

i got into 2/6 programs for Fall 2012, but dropped out of the program i chose b/c it was an awful fit. (the university misrepresented themselves on their website and in their acceptance letter, so i was fooled!)

 

this year i wanted the best chances i could get b/c i miss school so much. i planned to apply to 13 but in the midst of filling out my 10th application, i was accepted into one of my top three choices on the 21st. crazy! so ja, i'm feeling pretty good about this turn around. good vibes all around. : )

[Lilac13]

EW33, those are the types of improvements that I felt like I should have made. I did push my GRE scores up a little. I'm just floored by the completely different response my applications (and even emails to professors) are getting this year. It almost feels too good to be true.

Did you apply to any of the same programs?

[Ablukhov]

^^^this. It's weird, though, because it's like I didn't have a say in it. I turned in my apps, expected a repeat of last year's obsession, and then poof... I was surprisingly detached. I forgot to check my email at all for a couple days there. That would have been flatly impossible last year.

 

I feel the same way.  I'm nervous but not anywhere near approaching last year's anxiety levels. I don't know how long the calm will last, but I hope it will get me through Jan at least.

[kaister]

I feel like this year my statement is a lot more focused and the area I am going into seems like there's more potential than last year (tweaked it a little bit). I was only waitlisted at one school last year. I haven't heard anything this year so far. I am optimistic about the place I was waitlisted at because they do seem to like me and the POI didn't take in a new person last year (they were just override in terms of funding). I am volunteering in a lab that I also applied to and this has given me an invaluable relationship with the POI and she has said numerous times that she wants me in her lab and will "pull for me" when it comes to decision time. She even reviewed my SOP. I feel like I have a really good chance to get in there. I'm just paranoid some random obstacle will come and this almost sure thing will be slipped away from me. So I try to not assume anything about the situation. It's hard though, especially when I know it's such an amazing fit and I get along so well with the POI. SIGH. Fingers crossed. Plus this POI wrote LORs for me and my other school applications (including to some POIs who she knows) which may make my application a little better? So in general I feel a lot more hopeful, but also that added pressure makes failure that much more devastating. So I guess, I'm a lot more scared this year too. Also being out of school, I feel like I'm not getting as much done in terms of research this year, so I'm scared of the consequences of that should I not get in this year.

[VBD]

Same. I'm a little more desperate, but a lot less nervous this time around. 

 

This year, not much was different. I tweaked my SOP a little, researched more into POIs and contacted them, took some opencourseware class, and got a new LOR. If anything, I feel my resume got a little worse since some publications I was expecting to have didn't work out. Yet, I have one interview. Odd, right? So I know how you feel Sansao. 

[stereopticons]

Last time around, I kept getting told my app was competitive, but there was always someone who edged me out. This time, I'm hoping that it's just competitive enough to get me in. Like others have said, I have more focused research interests and only applied to two of the same schools I applied to last time around. I didn't retake the GRE, but I have more pubs, and more conference presentations. I'm still incredible anxious, though. My emotional state does not seem to have improved since last year, haha.

[sansao]

My feeling right now, with all the positive feedback, is that my GRE scores were the entire problem. That's the one quantifiable change that I made. But yeah VBD, I didn't feel like the rest of my application was really better. I was concerned that I didn't really do anything between graduation and now, for example. But, interviews ahoy, so I guess I can't complain.

[HigherEd2013]

I waited two years before applying again and completely changed what I wanted to study and the degree. As sad as I was at the time, getting rejected the first time was the best thing that ever happened to me. Instead of going straight to grad school after undergrad, I got some work experience and found something that fit me more.

 

This time around I think I have a much stronger application. Same GRE scores, but I was happy with them the first time. My undergrad GPA went up my last two semesters so that was a bonus. I did much more research on the programs I applied to, did many informational interviews with people in my field, attended all online info sessions, visited a few of the programs and spent more time tailoring the SOP. Also, I started my SOP about 6 months in advance and got many people to review it. It was a painful process, but I'm really happy with the final product.

 

Lastly, the first time I applied, one of my recommenders put in her recommendation a month late for every single program. I have a different one this time around that has unfortunately kept me biting my nails, but he always submits on the day the ap is due so I guess that's what counts.

 

I'm more nervous this time around because I care more about the programs I applied to. However, I am proud of my applications (as opposed to "winging it" last time) and know that if they reject me, it wasn't meant to be. Good luck to everyone applying!!! The wait will be over before we know it!

[socanth]

Second time here, after a somewhat rushed application last year. I decided during undergrad that I wanted to do a phd, but then for various reasons had to put it on the back burner.

I decided around mid to late October last year to apply, and rushed up a project and wasn't able to do much reading for it, so couldn't really place it in the field which I'm hoping was the problem. The other problem was that I applied to three top tier, ridiculously competitive programs, but that's another story.

This time, I stopped working in September/October so that I could concentrate on my applications, and really threw myself into it. The result is a statement that I'm happy with, and from the little feedback that I did get last year the rest of my materials are all strong, so fingers crossed!

Having put so much work into it this time round, if I don't get in I'll know that I've done the best that I possibly could. I've decided that at that point I will just have to walk away and find another path, as I'm about to begin the push towards 30. Here's hoping it doesn't happen.

Edited January 13, 2013 by socanth

[Lisa44201]

I feel a lot better this time around. I'm finishing up my Master's, and have more research experience & publications under my belt. I also have a sharper focus in my SOP this time - I almost like this one. I have two interviews this time, and one is with someone who I've met at various symposia, so it's not like I'm facing a complete stranger. We'll see what happens!

[3point14]

I had to go for a second round of apps as well. It wasn't too fun to have to re-apply and rewrite all those statements of purpose, but worth it in the end. Good luck to everyone here!

[NeuroTU]

I know this is none of my business but how many of you interviewed and were rejected? I won't have that many interviews (2-3) so I'm a tad nervous. I think I'll interview well but >.< this is me losing my mind

[sansao]

Having put so much work into it this time round, if I don't get in I'll know that I've done the best that I possibly could. I've decided that at that point I will just have to walk away and find another path, as I'm about to begin the push towards 30. Here's hoping it doesn't happen.

I wonder if it's easier to walk away when you're younger or older? I'm in the "push towards 40." I feel like I've invested my future in this, but on the same token it's pretty nervewracking to be looking at 5 more years, knowing that I could just work, and have stability (albeit at a much less fulfilling career with significantly lower income) within a couple months. One of my friends asked if I felt like I was putting off life, and that's a good question.

[Amerz]

Last year I was a mess, the whole process took so much out of me. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack everytime I hit a "submit" button, and then was on-and-off manically confident and then depressively self-defeatist. In the end I didn't get in to any of the 6 schools I applied to, but really, who could blame 'em. I was all over the place with the programs I was applying to, and they were pretty much all top-tier "reach" schools. I wanted schools and programs that sounded good, not that necessarily fit me.

 

Anyway, this year, like most of you, I've gotten more research experience, been published, presented at a conference, gotten MUCH better letters of rec, and put a lot more thought into where I'm applying. I also put a lot of effort into striking up a rapport with professors before I even applied to the school.

 

I haven't finished submitting all my apps yet, but of the 5 I have, I have one interview so far and one almost-definitely-maybe interview (the prof there told me not to worry, he is "on the admissions committee and [tends] to be loud". So we'll see.

 

But at least this time I don't feel like I'm going to have a coronary at the ripe old age of 25.

[VBD]

You know, I suddenly got to wondering this yesterday. Some of my applications asked if this was a first time applying. Did you guys have that on your apps? Do you think that impacts the application?

[socanth]

I wonder if it's easier to walk away when you're younger or older? I'm in the "push towards 40." I feel like I've invested my future in this, but on the same token it's pretty nervewracking to be looking at 5 more years, knowing that I could just work, and have stability (albeit at a much less fulfilling career with significantly lower income) within a couple months. One of my friends asked if I felt like I was putting off life, and that's a good question.

That's an interesting question... I have no idea of course . I feel that I've done the best I can and if this doesn't work out then I'll have to look at other options. (This is partly due to visa issues - my partner can't sponsor me to immigrate into the U.S. and so if grad school falls through she'll be looking to move to Europe, and I'll have to sponsor her. I need a relatively well-paying job to be able to do that.) I could certainly foresee, though, trying various things and then finding I just come back to academics all the time. If that happens, and I know that I've given other things a good go, I imagine I'd keep at it and not walk away. Typing all this just makes me so hope that it happens this time round. Good luck to you, hope it works out.

[sansao]

That's an interesting question... I have no idea of course . I feel that I've done the best I can and if this doesn't work out then I'll have to look at other options. (This is partly due to visa issues - my partner can't sponsor me to immigrate into the U.S. and so if grad school falls through she'll be looking to move to Europe, and I'll have to sponsor her. I need a relatively well-paying job to be able to do that.) I could certainly foresee, though, trying various things and then finding I just come back to academics all the time. If that happens, and I know that I've given other things a good go, I imagine I'd keep at it and not walk away. Typing all this just makes me so hope that it happens this time round. Good luck to you, hope it works out.

Good luck to you too. I probably sounded a little flippant in that last post, but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a certain amount of exhaustion related to all things academic.

[St Andrews Lynx]

On one hand I feel more confident about my application. New (& better) referee in the mix, more experience, better awareness of the field, more links with the schools I'm interested in. So as it stands I'm confident of doing better than last year.

 

...On the other hand I think I was very naive about the whole graduate admissions process in 2012. I didn't know how strong my application was compared to everybody else's, I didn't know just how competitive the programs I applied to really were. I didn't even know when I could expect to hear back from my chosen schools (the nasty surprise is a whole other story!). At this point in time I know exactly when the decisions are likely to come out and what the admissions rates are. I think the extra knowledge has raised my stress levels.