Rational Yet Irrational Fears

[EccentricAcademic]

Hello all,

I am brand new here on the forums.

 

I'm currently applying to schools for Middle Eastern/Near Eastern studies, and I'm a good candidate (I know this from feedback and from my research and linguistic skills). But honestly, even though my advisor told me last week that I am the best student that he has ever taught (he wasn't joking either) and even though I have a clear research interest, research experience and plenty of languages under my belt, I just have this irrational fear that it's all going to fall through.

 

Does anyone else go through this? I just submitted my first application and am getting ready to submit the rest and I'm starting to go slightly crazy....

 

 

[yhakak]

It's completely natural. This is my third-go around for grad school (did an MBA, then an MA in sociology, and now applying for public policy), so i speak with some experience here. It's completely natural to freak out a little bit after you've done everything you can and it's out of your hands, the loss of control is unnerving because you go from a situation in which you control everything and you can change, update, and improve all your application materials, to a situation in which you have nothing to do but sit around and think.

 

I know this is easy to say and hard to do (and i'm in the same situation, submitted my apps and now just waiting...) but try to find a big project that will take your mind off of this until notification season rolls around. I'm trying to write an article (and wasting time on gradcafe  )

 

And finally, keep telling yourself: I am DAMN good at what I do. 

 

good luck

[yhakak]

Don't worry about minor typos. You'd rather be the person who submitted an app with a typo than the person who calls the admissions office and bugs them.

 

You'll be fine, really 

 

I know! Especially when you look at something you submitted and see a couple of typos. 

 

How bad are two typos on a minor application question? (i.e., not the statement of purpose?) Is it worth contacting the admissions secretary and asking if it is possible to correct them?

 

I am DAMN good at what I do. How many undergrads do you know that speak three languages, are starting their fourth, and can read 6 (three I taught myself)? And I'm publishing texts in these languages.

 

I'm still terrified.