Time to reconsider my life plan?

[drglasner]

hello friends! I found this fantastic site far later than I would have liked, but I must say, it is awesome, and the positive vibes are great.

 

anyways - I'm wondering what people who haven't gotten into their programs are doing/are planning to do/have done in the past? I know the saying goes "it's not over until it's over", but at this point, I'm assuming the worst and starting to plan for a future without a Fall 2013 phd program. does anybody have any insight into the best way forward?

 

for me, this may be a blessing in disguise, as I'm not entirely sure what I want to do with my life (well, do we ever really know?). all I knew going into this year was that: 1. I wanted to further my education because I enjoy learning; 2. I love infectious diseases, their evolution, and their ecology; and 3. my current job is not what I want to do for my career, and I most likely need another degree to move forward.

 

so now I'm left with the option of staying where I am for another year (which wouldn't be the end of the world, but it's not ideal) and trying again next round (but would it really help all that much?), accepting an offer that I hope is coming for an MPH program from a school I was rejected from for the phd, or something completely different (changing jobs, going on an extended road trip, running away, etc.).

 

for what it's worth, my undergrad GPA was not fantastic, but it was not awful. I graduated from what a public ivy with departmental honors for my thesis. I earned my M.S. with an outstanding GPA from a great school. And I have 2 years of work experience in a government lab, plus my undergrad research experience. All along with stellar letters of recommendation.

 

I hope this post isn't out of place! I mostly needed to put thoughts down somewhere and (semi-)vent a little bit. I'm still holding out a faint glimmer of hope that it's not over, but I'm not gonna get my hopes up!

 

good luck to everyone and congrats to all of those who have gotten in!

[Quant_Liz_Lemon]

Well, here's my back-up plan if that helps.

 

IF I don't get into either of the programs I'm interviewing at. (There might be a funding problem if the fiscal cliff fiasco doesn't get dealt with by March 1st).

 

1) Volunteer full time in one of my ug labs.

2) Keep working part-time on consulting

3) Work on getting publications churned out

4) retake the GRE, bump up my quant gre into the 165+ range

5) See if I can get paid to be a TA for experimental psych or psych stats instead of consulting.

6) Apply to a broader range of PhD programs where there are quant phd programs OR personality phd programs with quant minors / funded stats masters

7) Apply for NSF, NDSEG, and any other math/psych fellowship.

[WishfulThinker]

My backup plan is to get a job and apply again next year. Maybe start learning some German to apply to German universities next time. Also, might retake the GRE. Hopefully I won't have to go through this

[geitost]

First of all, "I love infectious diseases" is my favorite statement in your post

 

Second, I can only speak from my own experience. I was unsuccessful in my first round of applications last year and this time around I've gotten into two great programs. I didn't really change anything in my life. I kept my old job, stayed where I was, but retook the GRE and improved my quant score, thought a bit harder about what exactly it is I want to do - both in life and in my potential PhD program and, probably most importantly, wrote a whole new statement of purpose. Sometimes things just fall into place more easily if you're doing them the second time and you realize where you went wrong the first time. Especially if you have a break of several months in between.

 

Other things you can do: diversify your work experience, get international experience (either because it is likely to benefit your application or for personal fulfillment, "broadening your horizons" and "finding yourself"), learn a language, take some time off and focus your mind on something else (a different job etc.) for a while... What you shouldn't do: give up

Edited February 20, 2013 by geitost

[drglasner]

y'all are fantastic, and I'm glad I'm not the only one going through this (I knew I wasn't, but...confirmation is nice, or something or other...). hearing other people's plans and advice/words of encouragement are super helpful, and I really appreciate it. I'm trying to resign myself to the fact that whatever's gonna happen will happen, and it is mostly out of my control. I just need to sit back and be patient for the moment, then see where I stand in a few weeks and move forward from there...

[biotechie]

y'all are fantastic, and I'm glad I'm not the only one going through this (I knew I wasn't, but...confirmation is nice, or something or other...). hearing other people's plans and advice/words of encouragement are super helpful, and I really appreciate it. I'm trying to resign myself to the fact that whatever's gonna happen will happen, and it is mostly out of my control. I just need to sit back and be patient for the moment, then see where I stand in a few weeks and move forward from there...

 

I love how passionate your two posts are; that says a ton about you right there, and I'm positive that there is a program for a student like you. You remind me of other students I've seen, just in your writing. They were always able to make an impact and somehow be successful in the lab and in classes no matter what, even when they seemed destined to fail. The kind of determination and workmanship those students displayed is welcome in just about every program. You just have to make them see it in your essays and interviews. Letters of rec are going to also play a huge role.

 

If you find yourself needing to apply for a second round, really try and emphasize your research experience and what you learned from it. Show them how human you are. Make sure they know that not only do you have an impact on research but that it has an impact on you. Let them know why it is important and why it is important to you. Make your essay pull them in and show them who you are.

Your interest in infectious disease suggests that you wouldn't be unhappy in a medical based program. Maybe broadening your applications out to different but related programs will help. Try applying to some interdisciplinary programs; Baylor College of Medicine's Interdepartmental Cell and Molecular Biology Program has faculty from Microbiology, Virology, Immunology, etc... all of whom are doing really cool stuff. They are also contributing the the microbiome project, which I think is really neat. You can also apply into any of the departments, there. University of Florida has all of this as well!

[the green saint]

There is definitely a bitter-sweet moment about failing first time round. A year is a long time to be waiting around, but a year out can really help!

 

For me I'm from the UK, and applied to 4 PhD programs here whilst I was studying for my Masters last year- although I got accepted to some, there was no funding, which meant I couldn't go.

 

By the time the second applications came around I realised I wanted to shift my perspective in my studies, given what I had learned in the rest of my Masters. In preparation for the second round I researched all the places I would be happy to go, who I would want to work with, and got in contact with some professors - most to my surprise were really willing to give advice. I wrote a strong research proposal (i'm in the social sciences, so I know this might differ for you) and because i targeted those who I sent it to, most were really enthused by it, or at the very least sent me in the right direction.   

 

I also broadened my horizons. Applying to 3 US universities, and in my first response, I got accepted with funding (still waiting on the other two). I will only find out UK ones much later (I applied to 8 here - but mainly because its free to apply, and didnt have the cost of sending GRE/Transcripts/Application fees), but I think the challenge/experience of the US will suit me, and I'm really amped I have a place in something I love to research .

 

One final point - Although I have an OK academic record, it's by no means exceptional - what I did was to make sure that all my experience and educational background lead to this point (it helps that it actually does !) And why my 'unique background' was the 'perfect fit' for their course - try and make yourself incomparable in something you've done.

 

All the best, and enjoy deliberating your options.

[n_psych]

Well, this is my second time applying (although I did change fields).

Last year I had these Plan B's:

   -MPH in Biostatistics (what I ended up doing)

   -Post-Bacc

   -RA/Coordinator job

This year, my plan B's are (hope they are not necessary!): 
   -Re-take the GRE (this is a must)

   -Take Calculus and Linear Algebra
   -Research job (either where I worked as an undergrad or at another University)

   -Revise a publication that is pending

   -If I could teach a stats class that would be awesome

I'm not giving up yet but I think it is healthy and realistic to think of what you could do if you either get all rejections or don't really like the program that accepted you. Hope this helps. Best of luck. 

[sansao]

N89, good plans. In general, I'd advise anyone in any field to take Calculus and Stats, just for the understanding of change and probability. Whether or not you're doing a plan B, understanding maths will always be good for you. That said, I think it's far too early to be assuming rejection. Save that for April.