I [FELT] feel like such a total loser

[disjecta]

I'm so digusted... 10 rejections, 1 waitlist, waiting for news on 5 others. At this point, *any* news would be better than this constant lingering doubt. Any confidence I once had has been shattered. I can't think. I can't work. I can't sleep. And I can't take much more of this stress. I suppose I should just accept that it's over.

[Reinventing]

(((HUGS))) You're not a loser. I know what you mean about the waiting,though. Ugh.

[flit]

of course you're not a loser.... can't believe that there are still so many schools that haven't bothered letting people know anything... not nice

hang in there...got my fingers crossed for you

[professor2000]

Yes, hang in there.

I only applied to one school....and I waited forever for a decision. I'm sure you can imagine my anxiety, because if I didn't get in....i truly had no idea what I would have done next.... I just found out I got accepted. So the waiting could be good, don't automatically think its a bad.

Just try to enjoy life, until the decisions come in....b/c you may be surprised and may get an acceptance soon.

And you'll look back at this time you wasted being nervous of the outcome. I know its hard....its all out of your hands now anyways. So do as much as you can, to get your mind off of it.

[djrg]

Hang in there! You are not a loser at all!

[wishingforPHD]

Hang in there. I applied to 12 schools, and so far I have been rejected from 5, wait listed to 3, and I am still waiting to hear from 4. So I really do understand how you feel. The waiting is killing me, its a stressful time at work anyway and I can't concentrate at all. I really hope this will be over soon.

[Profe143]

You're not a loser...It's just really competitive and you just have to keep trying. You can also appeal if you want to state your case, some schools accept them, such as Teachers College at Columbia. I applied to 4, was rejected my two and am waiting on two. In 2004, I applied to four and was rejected by all four. I'm hoping this year's different. Just keep trying!!!

[washdc]

ditto. but we're all in the same boat, at least we can blame the economy for part of it- not just us as candidates.

I've been rejected at one school, wait listed at another, and no word from my last school.. although it seems as though the responses coming back at this late stage are rejections (from this school)- so don't feel bad. I refuse to give up

[disjecta]

Thanks all. It's nice to know that I'm not alone in feeling this way. Doesn't stop me from feeling like a total loser, but it's nice to know anyway :wink:

[ElusiveMuse]

You are in good company. I could have written the original post myself. :|

[frankdux]

dont feel bad! i'm looking at straight across the board rejections myself. i'll be 0/10 within a month i'm sure. right now i only have 4 confirmed rejections, but everything else is looking pretty grim at this point.

[Jakrabite]

I'm five down with five lame ducks to go. Sign me up for the loser list.

[piccgeek]

Dijecta,

From one lit person to another, I completely feel your pain. Applying to literature programs this year was a nightmare. I got rejected by six of the seven programs I applied to when professors were telling me nine months ago that I would have plenty of options. The program I finally *was* accepted to is a Master's program offered by my undergrad institution. I can't help but have this sneaking suspicion that I only got in here because of a precedent rule: at Purdue, the College of Liberal Arts has each department elect their top senior for an award, which I won this year. Apparently a couple of years ago Purdue English waitlisted their own top senior and the professors not on the adcom threw a fit (the argument being if our own program isn't good enough for you, then why are we bothering to have a program at all?). So I wonder if I would have even gotten in to Purdue if I hadn't been elected for this prize just three weeks before I got my letter...it made me feel like they admitted me because they had to. With my boyfriend headed off to MIT to Illinois's, Notre Dame's and Michigan's disappointment I can't help but feel inferior.

BUT I know that I shouldn't feel like a loser and neither should you. I've been talking to my professors, and they said this year every single literature program with which they have contacts has been cutting back severely. For our own MA program, I was told that the people at the bottom of the acceptance tier were people they would kill to have, and that they were waitlisting and even outright rejecting dozens of people they would have accepted before. The economy is pressing us both ways--more people applying for less spaces because of less funding. So I guess I'm trying to say two things: One, don't give up hope...even if things don't work out this year, things seriously have to get better. Two, you cannot take the rejections personally. The adcoms know that at some point their decisions are arbitrary and they are probably rejecting people who could have been excellent assets to their program. It's a flaw in this whole horrible system.

*HUG!* Try to feel better!!!

[Reinventing]

I know a lot of programs have scaled back on their cohort size because of the flooded market (and unhappy grads), and it's gotten even tighter over the years. There's been a shrinking going on for a while now, and with the economy like it is English programs are probably taking it on the chin in a major way. Don't take all this as a reflection on yourself. It's just one of those "this stinks" things.

[commcycle]

Also, if it makes you feel better, two years ago I applied to 4 schools and was rejected by every one. I worked my ass off between then and now. This year I applied to five and got into four.

[disjecta]

Thanks to all of you for the support and kind words of understanding. Yesterday, I *finally* received my first full acceptance letter (whew!). And whether or not I decide to go to that school, the acceptance, at the very least, validated my efforts. I'm also waitlisted at another school, with hopes of getting in. At this point, I feel uber fortunate to have gotten in anywhere.

So many of you have pointed out (and rightly so) that this year has been especially rough on grad students. It's crappy and it doesn't seem fair that so many talented, viable candidates are being shut out of programs as a result of the economy and job markets. I just hope that by the time we are all done with out PhD's that we will emerge to a better job market.

Again, I really appreciate the time all of you took talking me off the narrow ledge of despair. Best of luck to all!

[Reinventing]

Yay! Congratulations!

[psycholinguist]

Thanks to all of you for the support and kind words of understanding. Yesterday, I *finally* received my first full acceptance letter (whew!). And whether or not I decide to go to that school, the acceptance, at the very least, validated my efforts. I'm also waitlisted at another school, with hopes of getting in. At this point, I feel uber fortunate to have gotten in anywhere.

So many of you have pointed out (and rightly so) that this year has been especially rough on grad students. It's crappy and it doesn't seem fair that so many talented, viable candidates are being shut out of programs as a result of the economy and job markets. I just hope that by the time we are all done with out PhD's that we will emerge to a better job market.

Again, I really appreciate the time all of you took talking me off the narrow ledge of despair. Best of luck to all!

All right! Congrats! Enjoy the relief!

[Profe143]

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm happy for you! Best of Luck!

[flit]

More good news! Congratulations!