What happens to your GradCafe persona once it's all over?

[Loric]

"We all romp about, grieving, wondering, but with rare exception we mostly remain suspended in the rhetorical colloidal 'Forever' that agglutinates between Might and Do."  - Tony Kushner

 

So what will become of you when the application season is over? Will we never see you again? Should we start saying our goodbyes..? Will some of you be back, because you're reapplying?

 

I mean really, it occurs to me that GradCafe is mostly supplied by transient personalities - those who are only here while a single task is completed and then they move on. How does that breed real community? Why are people so "tight knit" in cliques when you've known each other all of a millisecond? Is the adaptation to a clique so knee jerk and ingrained in the muscle memory?

 

I'm ever curious. What will become of you? Will you find a husband in grad school..? And will you tell us if that downvote was the little extra nudge that got you into the program of your dreams? Ever so curious...

Edited January 28, 2014 by Loric

[Usmivka]

There are plenty of us still here years after our initial applications. Perhaps for the schadenfreude, but also because getting in is just the beginning.

Edited January 28, 2014 by Usmivka

[rising_star]

Loric, I'd say that GradCafe is more than just transient personalities. The reason "Officially Grads" exists as a separate forum is because of demand from community members who didn't want to have to say goodbye to the site after they were admitted and decided where to go for their graduate degree.

[Eigen]

I actually didn't use the site at all during applications, and didn't start posting here until I was in grad school. Definitely not transient for me. 

[peachypie]

There are many topics for research/publishing/jobs and fellowships and funding.  it is still a great resource for all things grad related not just the application which as some have said is just the beginning.  Maybe the questions are more diverse and the buzz in the hive is bigger in those application areas, but there are many resources and still active users currently in programs looking for support, answers, and who have questions they want to pose to the greater grad community.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

Ideally, panicked applicants would join GradCafe to get their questions answered and their neurosis calmed, and after getting in they'd become more confident and then do their part--answering questions and calming neurosis. Is that the way it works? In some cases. There are a lot of people who just join to get a single question answered (sometimes it's just a homework question and not even related to grad school), and there are people who only stick around until their applications are sent, and there are those who stick around because getting accepted is just the beginning. 

[Usmivka]

I have to admit I too am curious what happens with the husband search...

[Loric]

There are plenty of us still here years after our initial applications. Perhaps for the schadenfreude, but also because getting in is just the beginning.

 

I wonder if I should even post if I get accepted.. it'd disappoint so many people.

[GeoDUDE!]

I wonder if I should even post if I get accepted.. it'd disappoint so many people.

 

post either way. 

[Psych_Mom_15]

Ideally, panicked applicants would join GradCafe to get their questions answered and their neurosis calmed, and after getting in they'd become more confident and then do their part--answering questions and calming neurosis. Is that the way it works? In some cases. There are a lot of people who just join to get a single question answered (sometimes it's just a homework question and not even related to grad school), and there are people who only stick around until their applications are sent, and there are those who stick around because getting accepted is just the beginning.

[Psych_Mom_15]

I joined to use the search engine. I couldn't search topics without being a member. But, since I'm here...

[gellert]

I've been accepted, and I plan to stay after I start grad school to seek advice on the Officially Grads board as well as give advice to applicants.  I might make an account over at the Chronicle's fora as well.

Edited January 29, 2014 by gellert

[Sarah Bee]

Ideally, panicked applicants would join GradCafe to get their questions answered and their neurosis calmed, and after getting in they'd become more confident and then do their part--answering questions and calming neurosis. Is that the way it works? In some cases. There are a lot of people who just join to get a single question answered (sometimes it's just a homework question and not even related to grad school), and there are people who only stick around until their applications are sent, and there are those who stick around because getting accepted is just the beginning. 

Seconded

[VioletAyame]

Ideally, panicked applicants would join GradCafe to get their questions answered and their neurosis calmed, and after getting in they'd become more confident and then do their part--answering questions and calming neurosis. Is that the way it works? In some cases. There are a lot of people who just join to get a single question answered (sometimes it's just a homework question and not even related to grad school), and there are people who only stick around until their applications are sent, and there are those who stick around because getting accepted is just the beginning. 

 

Third...ed? I plan to stay and do my part so to speak, but mainly because I'm obsessive and neurotic and thus fascinated with the process, I'm likely to have many more questions of my own and I like the community. It's nice to have support in anonymity.

[CageFree]

Once you're in a program, it's a good way to procrastinate, especially when you have epic threads like the husband one.

[RedPill]

I'll always use Gradcafe to learn about students in other programs easily and for free(conferences cost $)

[spectastic]

I seriously have nothing better to do. My job sucks.

[Socrates1]

Ideally, panicked applicants would join GradCafe to get their questions answered and their neurosis calmed, and after getting in they'd become more confident 

 

I'm lucky there's nobody else in my lab right now because I just burst out laughing.

[kaister]

I'm still here! I can't guarantee it once I'm finished with grad school though.  We shall see...but for now even in grad school it's still plenty relevant and entertaining. 

[LittleDarlings]

Well I got into pretty much everywhere I applied so I think I am done on here for the most part, I got my SOP proofed by some really cool people, I now know what to expect from my program and how to make friends so I think I am pretty much done on here. I accomplished my goals 

[Loric]

Well I got into pretty much everywhere I applied so I think I am done on here for the most part, I got my SOP proofed by some really cool people, I now know what to expect from my program and how to make friends so I think I am pretty much done on here. I accomplished my goals 

 

And there is much irony in all the people who shouted you down, said you were doing everything wrong, and many of them probably wont get accepted to many, if any, schools.. Always interesting how that works out.

[LittleDarlings]

And there is much irony in all the people who shouted you down, said you were doing everything wrong, and many of them probably wont get accepted to many, if any, schools.. Always interesting how that works out.

That makes me feel bad for them, I hope they are accepted somewhere.  I definitely did think about that though yesterday when I got one of the last acceptances  

[gingin6789]

I want to stay so that I can support those going through the application process!! I also hope to frequent the graduate student forums.

[microarray]

If i'm not incredibly busy, I'll probably pop on here next application season to help out (whether or not I get in to grad school this cycle). I'm also interested in using the already a grad student forum.

[Roquentin]

I’m late to the party, but I don’t find that there’s currently much here for the ABD set (besides an opportunity to procrastinate). The top 30 threads in my branch of the humanities all relate to the application process (yawn - sorry!). Maybe ABD folks don’t need/have time to solicit advice from strangers on the net as much as those who are starting out, or maybe reddit/Chronicle forums/blogs etc. already fill that niche. I think you’d have to be a white knight, really passionate about helping applicants, to continually find reasons to post here as an intermediate/senior level PhD.

 

Just my two cents. I’m sure I’ll continue to lurk here for a while yet…