That awkward moment when...

[faithfullywaiting]

...When you get rejected from one of your "safety schools" 

[unbrokenthread]

...Your recommender points out that you've been calling Penn State UPenn for the last month or so.

Your SOP to that school has already been submitted, in which you repeatedly refer to them as UPenn.

Your multiple attempts to request to reupload your SOP before the Penn State application deadline are ignored.

 

/whimper

 

(I'm not even applying to UPenn. /pout)

[VioletAyame]

...Your recommender points out that you've been calling Penn State UPenn for the last month or so.

Your SOP to that school has already been submitted, in which you repeatedly refer to them as UPenn.

Your multiple attempts to request to reupload your SOP before the Penn State application deadline are ignored.

 

/whimper

 

(I'm not even applying to UPenn. /pout)

 

Ouch. But your signature is still showing "UPenn"?

[unbrokenthread]

HAHA so it is. I haven't been on the site in a while. Seeee?

[Broken_Bottle]

...when your POI leaves you 2 hours to prepare for a Skype interview, you realise that you'll have to do it in your dorm room, and spend this time removing the pink glitter cowboy hat and the left over halloween decoration from the walls, instead of preparing for the interview. I noticed the full drying rack with my underwear was in the picture 5 minutes before the interview was scheduled and shoved it into the bathroom.

[VioletAyame]

HAHA so it is. I haven't been on the site in a while. Seeee?

 

Haha it happens. Just a heads up, I tried contacting Penn State several times to confirm if they got my GRE score report (I put in the right school code but wrong departmental code after I took the test, long story) or I should have it resent, and I heard back nothing. I emailed both the grad school and the department several times, called the department coordinator 3 times, still nothing. When I logged in my application later I saw the GRE section had been updated and that they got my score report. So they're probably just very bad at responding to student inquiries, not necessarily ignoring your requests. Maybe keep trying and let us know how it turns out. I also heard quite a few stories about people getting accepted even after getting the school's name wrong or misspelled, so don't lose hope even if you don't get to fix your SOP.

[calliope_dogstar]

...in contacting a backup letter writer you misspell "thing" as "thong". You are also taking a seminar course with said letter writer the following semester. 

 

damn autocorrect... why did it choose thong?

[unbrokenthread]

Haha it happens. Just a heads up, I tried contacting Penn State several times to confirm if they got my GRE score report (I put in the right school code but wrong departmental code after I took the test, long story) or I should have it resent, and I heard back nothing. I emailed both the grad school and the department several times, called the department coordinator 3 times, still nothing. When I logged in my application later I saw the GRE section had been updated and that they got my score report. So they're probably just very bad at responding to student inquiries, not necessarily ignoring your requests. Maybe keep trying and let us know how it turns out. I also heard quite a few stories about people getting accepted even after getting the school's name wrong or misspelled, so don't lose hope even if you don't get to fix your SOP.

That's...really reassuring, actually. Thank you!! I'll keep trying.

[HicklePickle]

...when you ask a school if they received all of your documents when they sent you a confirmation a few weeks ago. In my defense, I did search my emails but their original email didn't have the name of the school. It was only abbreviated in their email address!

Their response to my second email was "Yes, as you were notified on x date, we have received all of your documents."

Ugh.

[Tomoe]

You re-read your personal statement and realize you'd submitted it with a glaring grammatical error in the first paragraph...

[NOWAYNOHOW]

You re-read your personal statement and realize you'd submitted it with a glaring grammatical error in the first paragraph...

 

Oh, I think rereading is a horrible habit.  I reread my SOP and found a missing comma in an in-text citation AND a missing quotation mark.  On one hand, how could I have not noticed?  On the other, how could my THREE readers not notice?  This process is the WORST.

Edited January 9, 2014 by NOWAYNOHOW

[Tomoe]

I know! I must have re-read it at least 10 times before submitting, and had friends do the same, but after a while your brain just stops processing! Your mistake sounds better than mine though, I'd switch between "gain a better understanding" and "better understand" and ended up with "gain a better understand..."     

[starofdawn]

... when you join GradCafe and realize everyone applying to your programs has better work experience/GPA/GRE scores!

[sys88]

... when you join GradCafe and realize everyone applying to your programs has better work experience/GPA/GRE scores!

In all fairness, the applicants seeking out Grad Cafe and posting their stats are more likely to have better stats than those who don't seek out the forum or post their stats:)

[starofdawn]

In all fairness, the applicants seeking out Grad Cafe and posting their stats are more likely to have better stats than those who don't seek out the forum or post their stats:)

 

I figured! Still makes me nervous.

 

I wish I knew about GradCafe before yesterday. None of my friends are applying to graduate school, but once they do, I'll be sure to tell them about GradCafe... so many good resources here.

 

Edit: grammar

Edited January 10, 2014 by starofdawn

[gwualum4mpp]

Just turned in my last US application (one left in the UK) and the catharsis was overturned by my realization that I emphasized "I want to improve on X" in like 4 different parts of my application. I'm thinking, now it's going to look like a deficiency on my part, and dammit I should have reviewed all my essays at the end....bad idea to review apps once they're sent out, just gotta let it be, man! 

 

*gradcafe ventage*

[glm]

… I realized I did NOT like the location, culture, even (and especially) the POI of the program as soon as I stepped onto campus. To compound the situation, I had taken a redeye from Seattle to Atlanta right after working in the field for 10 hours, and did not sleep a wink on the plane. I am innately horrible at hiding my feelings, and being exhausted just made things more grueling as I slogged through an interview process for something I knew in my heart was not for me.

[gellert]

......you are Facebook friends with one of your POI's (since before I knew I would be applying there-their move not mine)

 

Same here. >.>  Happily I'm also FB friends with my grandmother, so I don't post anything embarrassing.  EVEN SO.

[Alterman]

...you methodologically go through GradCafe Result Search to find out the while you've told your entire family (and much worst, yourself) that results are due early February, they're most likely only due around mid-March... 

 

 

Noooooo....

http://youtu.be/WWaLxFIVX1s

[PsycD]

...You realize that you may have made a mistake by literally giving up everything to further your education only to fail to get accepted into a PhD program.  THEN, having to tell everyone who knew that you gave up everything to go back to school that you failed.

[novacancy]

...You realize that you may have made a mistake by literally giving up everything to further your education only to fail to get accepted into a PhD program.  THEN, having to tell everyone who knew that you gave up everything to go back to school that you failed.

 

Hi, are we the SAME EXACT PERSON? ugh.

 

I quit my job last year after saving enough money and went back into volunteering and unpaid research assistance for more experience in my intended field (unfortunately paid work is... hard to come by). I tried my best to not reveal to my friends that I was applying to PhD programs this fall, but when you have little else going on, it's hard for others not to find out what you're up to. It's the least of my worries, but I will be so embarrassed if I don't get in anywhere.

[Don't Panic]

...one of your recommenders tells you that they forgot to change the SCHOOL NAME throughout all 9 of your applications. 

 

One of my recommenders did the same thing. Would that ruin my chances of getting admitted?   

[phdapp]

You realize that you put the name of another school in you SOP.

[NOWAYNOHOW]

...when you hear your 'safety' might only take one student this year due to funding concerns.

UGH

[PsycD]

...When you find out your "Safety" isn't taking students at all.