I think I'm becoming immune.

[whateverneveram3n]

I'd like to blame myself, but all the schools who I emailed asking for suggestions on improving told me, "It's not you, it's us"

I'm actually not comforted. I'd much rather they told me why they didn't want me.

I'm sure a professor you know well would be happy to take a look at your application and give you some pointers for next time, especially if said prof has been involved in application committees before.

[illinoisellie]

I'd like to blame myself, but all the schools who I emailed asking for suggestions on improving told me, "It's not you, it's us"

I'm actually not comforted. I'd much rather they told me why they didn't want me.

That's awful!!

Reminds me of that recent movie "He's just not that into you" - the whole breaking up thing - "its not you, its us" is just a lazy cop-out to relieve them from actually analyzing applications for bad points...

Which makes me think that perhaps they

1) have cutoffs in GPA/GRE etc.

then they

2) read the application and "intuitively" look for a good candidate...

It makes sense given all the intuition research I've read... When experts (in this case, committee members) become good at doing something, it becomes automatic, so they may not know exactly why they rejected you, your application just doesn't feel right to them. (Jam study, anyone?)

Or perhaps they're doing some recognition-primed decision making.... (yay, Klein!!)

It would make sense then, if they told you they didn't know exactly why they rejected you, or if they just tried not to tell you at all...

I'm not dissing intuition - I love it. Its just not a decision making process you can describe.

[whateverneveram3n]

That's awful!!

Reminds me of that recent movie "He's just not that into you" -

Bahaha...if I got a rejection letter from a school saying, "Sorry, we're just not that into you", I think I would bust out in laughter instead of the usual tears.

[psycholinguist]

I was actually just thinking about this since I have been (mostly) blaming my rejections on the economy. I think once I know for sure, and take some time to let them all sink in, I'm going to have to really critique my applications. Because if it is me then I have the ability to change this.

The economy surely has something to do with it. A professor at one of the schools I applied to told me, "You could get in anywhere!" - which already isn't true. Another was astonished to hear about my having been rejected from a program she has worked fairly closely with in the past. So I think there's a noticeable new discrepancy emerging between professors' expectations for admissions and the reality.

[OnceAndFutureGrad]

The economy surely has something to do with it. A professor at one of the schools I applied to told me, "You could get in anywhere!" - which already isn't true. Another was astonished to hear about my having been rejected from a program she has worked fairly closely with in the past. So I think there's a noticeable new discrepancy emerging between professors' expectations for admissions and the reality.

While no one should use the economy as a catch-all excuse for a lousy application (either in form or content) I must agree with this statement. My aunt who has an MA and MBA and works as a college financial assistant, told me that I had a strong application and that she felt very confident that I would receive multiple acceptances. This was backed up by a professor who was a recommendator and who is on an app com at my undergrad.

My aunt became absolutely shocked as the rejections poured in. The professor let me know that there was exactly one grad student admitted to his dept's program, when there would usually be as many as 5-6. I feel very grateful to have a waitlist and a chance at foreign acceptance.

You look at the stats for most programs, especially more specialist humanities programs, and slots have dropped by halves, two-thirds, or more. That can add up to the loss of a hundred slots across the country, and that's one hundred students who would be accepted in brighter economic times - in one type of program. I think I would hazard to say that the number of dissolved slots across the States numbers around a thousand.

And you know that up to a point, there's just fairly no picking out the 3 best of two dozen thoroughly qualified and impressive candidates. It's going to come down to some app com saying - I like the sound of that name, I like that turn of phrase in her SOP, I personally know his recommendator, we need someone from the West Coast this year. Really arbitrary stuff.

I think it's fair, more fair this year than ever, to say that getting rejections from graduate schools is absolutely no indication of a lack of ability, promise, determination, or intelligence. I certainly have met some VERY eloquent, deep-thinking, and passionate people on this forum who are striking out, and I KNOW that it's not from a lack of anything.

[frankdux]

While no one should use the economy as a catch-all excuse for a lousy application (either in form or content) I must agree with this statement. My aunt who has an MA and MBA and works as a college financial assistant, told me that I had a strong application and that she felt very confident that I would receive multiple acceptances. This was backed up by a professor who was a recommendator and who is on an app com at my undergrad.

My aunt became absolutely shocked as the rejections poured in. The professor let me know that there was exactly one grad student admitted to his dept's program, when there would usually be as many as 5-6. I feel very grateful to have a waitlist and a chance at foreign acceptance.

You look at the stats for most programs, especially more specialist humanities programs, and slots have dropped by halves, two-thirds, or more. That can add up to the loss of a hundred slots across the country, and that's one hundred students who would be accepted in brighter economic times - in one type of program. I think I would hazard to say that the number of dissolved slots across the States numbers around a thousand.

And you know that up to a point, there's just fairly no picking out the 3 best of two dozen thoroughly qualified and impressive candidates. It's going to come down to some app com saying - I like the sound of that name, I like that turn of phrase in her SOP, I personally know his recommendator, we need someone from the West Coast this year. Really arbitrary stuff.

I think it's fair, more fair this year than ever, to say that getting rejections from graduate schools is absolutely no indication of a lack of ability, promise, determination, or intelligence. I certainly have met some VERY eloquent, deep-thinking, and passionate people on this forum who are striking out, and I KNOW that it's not from a lack of anything.

thank you for this confirmation.

however, it only makes me feel even more likely to be rejected from everywhere.

[whateverneveram3n]

The economy surely has something to do with it. A professor at one of the schools I applied to told me, "You could get in anywhere!" - which already isn't true. Another was astonished to hear about my having been rejected from a program she has worked fairly closely with in the past. So I think there's a noticeable new discrepancy emerging between professors' expectations for admissions and the reality.

Yeah, I've witnessed this too--not just professors, but other professionals who went to school in my field, too, who thought I stood a much better chance with my credentials than my spate of rejection letters seems to be implying...

[OnceAndFutureGrad]

thank you for this confirmation.

however, it only makes me feel even more likely to be rejected from everywhere.

What can I say? You're in EXCELLENT company. I think the thousand or so of us should form a roving band of freewheelers until economic times improve - rove the country doing what work we can for food, communal living, that sort of thing. Very f

[whateverneveram3n]

What can I say? You're in EXCELLENT company. I think the thousand or so of us should form a roving band of freewheelers until economic times improve - rove the country doing what work we can for food, communal living, that sort of thing. Very f

[ElusiveMuse]

Yeah, I've witnessed this too--not just professors, but other professionals who went to school in my field, too, who thought I stood a much better chance with my credentials than my spate of rejection letters seems to be implying...

This is happening in my case as well. People are baffled at some of the rejections I've received. It really makes you wonder what is going to happen in the years to come.

[inactive_since_inf]

...

...

This is happening in my case as well. People are baffled at some of the rejections I've received. It really makes you wonder what is going to happen in the years to come.

A prof who had interviewed me, said that 'the applicant pool has been really better than the past few years'.

[whateverneveram3n]

A prof who had interviewed me, said that 'the applicant pool has been really better than the past few years'.

So you mean...our generation are the victims of our own awesomeness??

...

I don't know how I feel about that.

[riss287]

MDLee, aw, your signature is the quote I was trying to think of earlier about hope deferred And in other news, I just burst into tears for no good reason because of stress and the waiting...and the fact that my parents won't even listen to me before they start ridiculing me. Fun stuff. I'm ok now though.

[MDLee]

MDLee, aw, your signature is the quote I was trying to think of earlier about hope deferred And in other news, I just burst into tears for no good reason because of stress and the waiting...and the fact that my parents won't even listen to me before they start ridiculing me. Fun stuff. I'm ok now though.

oh Riss, that bites severely. I completely feel you. I have had a few random nervous breakdowns myself in the last couple of weeks. Buck up, it'll be okay. The world will continue to spin and you'll end up exactly where you're supposed to be at exactly the right time. :mrgreen:

[riss287]

From your lips (or fingers I guess) to God's ears. I think hormones added to stress is just making for a bad few days. You're having a worse time than I am with waiting and results, but you have a better outlook.

[MDLee]

From your lips (or fingers I guess) to God's ears. I think hormones added to stress is just making for a bad few days. You're having a worse time than I am with waiting and results, but you have a better outlook.

Hormones, stress, deadlines, family drama...I've had it all and then some. It has almost gotten comical. I'm beginning to look forward to some time off, actually LoL! I haven't heard back from USC yet (::drums fingers: but I put in an email today. This should all be over soon.

I think I have a good outlook because I know that this is not the end all or be all. Its what I really desperately want, but my end all and be all is something that can't be taken away. I'm pretty comfortable in the knowledge that I'll end up where I'm supposed to be. Here's hoping its someplace warm with funding