Jump to content

I got in nowhere


lostandconfused

Recommended Posts

i know how you feel.

out of ten schools i have 4 official rejections and am really not expecting acceptances on the other 6 considering they have all made first round offers and some second round offers and have had their invitation weekends already at this point. an acceptance at any of those schools would basically be a miracle.

what are your plans for next year?

i'm gonna try and take some independent study classes over the summer at the very least. hopefully i can parlay that into some low paying research gig during the school year, but thats probably wishful thinking. regardless, i need to have something to add to my apps for next year.

honestly i dont think i'll be applying to 10 schools again. maybe just 5 or 6 and probably only 2 of those will be schools i've already applied to this year. and i'm gonna try and see if i can get some sort of communication with professors at those universities prior to applying.

i also think i'll completely scrap my current SOP and rewrite it more as a loose research proposal of sorts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got my last rejection from my top choice so I am officially 0-7/. This sucks and I just wanna crawl in a hole and disappear now. Anyone else with a similar fate?

I'm so sorry to hear that. I know how you feel because I was in your shoes not too long ago. I was rejected by all the programs to which I applied (was admitted to one with no funding, so that was a no-go), so I decided to wait two years, take an honest reassessment of my application, and reapply with a stronger application. I retook the GRE and earned a much higher score, reworked my SOP, got stronger letters of recomendation, have more work experience in my field, and worked on other areas of my application. I know this is a rough time, but it will pass. Best of luck in next year's process. I'm sure it will turn out better next time around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am in the same situation, I know how you feel. Not only that but I will be laid off in the summer. I'm reapplying this year and I did everything I could - I raised my GPA, GRE, research experience, I re-wrote my SOPs... They interviewed me everywhere and I have 0 offers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was rejected twice by TC-Columbia!!! I appealed their rejection and they wrote back: "...the additional information you submitted did not change the original decision made on March 9, 2009." I'm waiting for my last response which was rolling admission, so who knows when they'll respond. I've lost all hope. :x :( :x :( :!: :!: This in my second attempt at a PhD, last time was in 2004. It's painful!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last round I made it onto 2 wait lists but didn't get in. This time I applied to a more select group of schools...and one of the schools that wait listed me last time, did so again! I also got rejected from a school that rejected me last time, except that now I'm working for 2 faculty members at that school, doing the same type of work that their grad students and post docs do. And not even an interview. I am not as bitter as I sound, really :). I'm mostly impressed by how ridiculous and random this process is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi guys. Sorry about your bad luck this time around. As you guys all have heard before, I recommend applying VERY broadly and to tons of schools next time around (10+). I know several people that did not get in any where, but they applied to all Boston and S cal schools. Checkout places in the south and the midwest too. There are a lot of excellent schools in those regions and they do not get as many applications. I did not have much luck on the coasts, but I got into some excellent programs in the south and midwest. Best of luck to all of you! Next year will be your year!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no idea what everyone's specific story is, so I don't want to generalize. This has to feel awful...but DO NOT feel defeated. You're obviously bright and put forth a lot of effort in the application process. It's draining!

It's all about fit. Not to be mean, but you seriously have to evaluate programs based on what fits your research interests, what your UG rsch is based off of, etc. And if not straight up PhD's, apply to MA's and work from there. And of course apply to some "reach" schools and realize there are no "safe" schools.

You will see the results once you find places that are for you. for real!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup, I'm in the same exact boat. I applied to 7 clinical psych PhD programs and was accepted to 0. Not even an interview. And I already have a MA and 3.5 years of relevant work experiece. The worst part of my application was my GRE, so I'm retaking that. I wish someone would have told me a year ago that schools don't even look at your application if your GRE is below their cut-off...live and learn.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am in the same boat, plus I just got laid off at work! One waitlist, but otherwise across the board rejections. If nothing pans out, I am planning to take this year and improve my applications for next Fall - retake the GRE, submit papers to conferences and journals and keep myself involved in the field.

School is not everything people! There are numerous ways of finding meaningful, intellectually stimulating, creative lives outside the realm of academia. It involves more effort to create these kinds of opportunities outside of school, but it is certainly possible. I also know a lot of people who say that not getting into school was the best thing to happen them. They were able to re-evaluate their reasons for wanting to go to school and often found more meaningful pursuits through their unexpected year of exploration.

Just keep doing what you enjoy doing and do not get discouraged!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm 0 for 6 currently and am waitlisted but not really hopeful for the 7th. As others have said, evaluate each part of your application. I'm taking additional classes in areas that I didn't concentrate on for undergraduate but are touched on in graduate school, like economics classes to try to improve my gpa. I am looking at taking my GRE again, because I feel I can do better on my verbal section and am concentrating on that, since most schools will take the best score in each section. I will probably try to write some type of paper to use as my writing sample and take time to sit down and evaluate my recommenders to see if they really were the strongest possible people. I also made the mistake of applying to a lot of top schools during a time when applications increased everywhere and was competing against people who I couldn't beat. I am going to spread out my apps and focus not just on what schools have the best program but other factors like location and proximity to friends and family. Hopefully things go better next year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

I agree with the above poster. When I applid to Grad programs I got 2-36 for acceptances. Npw I'm applying to Ph.D's for the third year in a row since across the board it's been 0-12. I've studies admissions, testing etc. so much that I that not only will I get in this year, but I might as well become an admin consultant! I've learned one main thing about admissions and that is that a lot of it is out of your control. In fact the whole world is going out of control in a way. Everyone is losing jobs, going broke etc. There is one thing to live for...the possibilty of something good happening.

Best of luck to you and everyone applying again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

A lot of people get rejected from graduate studies. I was considering applying to Duke's Religion (not the Div school) program before I committed myself to being a Classicist and they have something on the order of a 3-5% acceptance rate. That's 95-97% rejection. That's a lot of people (considering hundreds apply). I think the unfortunate reality of it is: most people don't get into prestigious graduate programs. Such is life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Or you were equally matched with others but there were just not enough spots for you and you were unlucky.

I don't think any two people can actually be 'equally matched'. The reasons for choosing between two people may be arbitrary (they liked someone's font more than another's), but I imagine it's more than just a coin toss.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think any two people can actually be 'equally matched'. The reasons for choosing between two people may be arbitrary (they liked someone's font more than another's), but I imagine it's more than just a coin toss.

I don't know...a prof from my program told me that in the adcom for admits to the American Lit part of the Lit phds, they make lists of ten who are about equal, and at some point they get to the middle list and just kind of....pick. As he kept reminding me as I hyperventilated through application season, the adcoms aren't losing any sleep over this. So if you don't get in anywhere, there's not necessarily anything you could have done better (or maybe there was a LOT you could have done better...who knows?). Aaaaaand now I'm depressing myself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use