3 invites of 12 applications

[Isi]

Hi,

I applied to 12 PhD-programs. I received just three invitations (1 Harvard, 2 MIT), and got rejected mainly in California.

The three programs where I'm invited are great, and I really hope that I will be accepted in one of them. Nevertheless it leaves a bitter taste since one of my LOR worked in Boston for 5 years and he is known there.

Is there simply so much randomness involved, that a well-known LOR really helps, or should I worry that I am maybe not good enough? I am thankful for any helpful answer :-)

[Darth.Vegan]

You got an interview at MIT and Harvard, you are definitely good enough. That is super exciting, congrats! 

[Isi]

You got an interview at MIT and Harvard, you are definitely good enough. That is super exciting, congrats! 

 

Thanks a lot for your answer! And don't get me wrong: I am really excited about the invites and if I get admission at MIT or Harvard - WOW!!

But of course every rejection is a bit painful and makes me wonder if I am just invited because my supervisor is known there..

[Monochrome Spring]

Your advisor being well-known in Boston probably had a small impact, because people reading your LOR in Boston are most likely more familiar with him than with someone on the other side of the country. But, I don't think that's reason enough to accept you for an interview, or reason enough to reject you from a school in CA. You must have other great aspects of your application, SOP, transcripts, etc. that the committees in Boston like. And maybe you just weren't the right fit for those other programs that you were rejected from. Congratulations on your interview invites. 

[Faraday]

You've gotten your foot in the door and now you need to show them why you should be accepted. The LOR this writer wrote for you isn't going to matter when you interview with people at this program, they are looking at you to see if you will be a good fit for their program. So don't worry about whether or not you got an extra boost from that LOR, think about how you are going to convince them that you belong in their program at the interviews!

Edited February 14, 2013 by Faraday

[realestate101]

Buddy- You have an interview from Harvard and MIT. Who cares if that guy helped a little- you had to have the credentials and great factors for that guy to push you over the edge in the application process. If you didnt cut it- there would be no way they invited you just because the guy is well known. Get excited. 

[Isi]

Thanks for all your messages!

Yesterday I received a post-interview rejection by Harvard. I am super super bummed, disappointed and very sad. I am obviously really not good enough.

The other two interviews (HST and MIT) are coming this week and next week and I have honestly currently a lack of motivation and I am quite pessimistic about them. I am really afraid that I won't get any acceptance (out of in total 12 apps!)..

Any advice how I could get back on my feet?

[zabius]

If you're not confident in yourself, there's a good chance that your interviewers at HST and MIT will pick up on that, and it could be detrimental. Confidence is really important! As others have said, you wouldn't have gotten interviews at these prestigious schools if they didn't think that you were qualified to be there. You're obviously a strong candidate; your letter writer may have helped you a little bit, but even the most stellar recommendation wouldn't have gotten you an interview if the rest of your application (SOP, GPA, etc.) weren't also very strong.

 

The best way to get back on your feet is to tell yourself these things and believe them! Go into the interview with confidence, and show the professors there why you are a good candidate for their program. Make them see that you are a good fit and that you have good qualifications! if you're ambivalent or doubtful about your own abilities, then your interviewers will be too. Of course, there is a difference between confident and cocky... so don't overdo it! Just be sure of yourself.

 

You also shouldn't dwell too much on your post-interview rejection from Harvard. Many schools interview more candidates than they can accept. It doesn't mean that you weren't "good enough" to be at Harvard. It means that there were simply too many people there who *were* good enough (yourself included) and the department just had to make some tough decisions. It could have been based on research fit, or maybe they detected that you weren't very confident in yourself. In any case, don't let this get you down to the point that it affects your interviews at other schools. 

[Linelei]

Getting into grad school isn't like getting into undergrad; you can't judge how "good" you are by how many interviews or acceptances you get. There are many, many more factors at play than your stats or who wrote your letters, such as faculty politics (who has more influence which years to fight for a student), research fit and direction (the prof may have done the sort of research you want to do in the past, but is interested in heading in a new direction now), funding limitations, etc. So it doesn't make sense to judge yourself so harshly when you heard from top schools. It's a little bit like when really thin people talk about being fat; I understand you may be perceiving yourself as inadequate, but that doesn't mean it is true. And, if you feel like you are not good enough after hearing from two great schools, people at those schools may pick up on that when you are interviewing and may take offense. I hope your next two interviews go well!