Rejection woes.....

[supaslim]

Got my first rejection of the season at the start of the month, from Edinboro University in PA... and I think I'm handling it fairly well. My odds aren't good to begin with (only 1 MFA ceramics student is accepted into most programs any given year due to space issues) and I've been hearing rumors recently that Edinboro is majorly downsizing the arts, with 30+ professors laid off- I don't know what the state of the ceramics program is and nobody's talking. My rejection letter came so soon after application deadline, I'm wondering if they're accepting anyone. I'm slightly discouraged because Edinboro was possibly my second best chance, but I'm not at all surprised. At any rate, it's better than my attempts at getting into grad school last year. *shudder*

 

Anyway, I also applied to University of Montana, Florida Atlantic University, and University of Nebraska. Montana told me they received my materials and I haven't heard back since. They're pretty old school though; I suspect I'll be getting my acceptance or rejection via snail mail, and in this weather... well. Let's just say a package shipped from Australia reached me before a package shipped from Idaho around the same time did.

 

I just checked U of Nebraska's site, too, and it looks like my application has been reviewed by the art dept and grad school and I should know the verdict soon. I'm a bit anxious, but I really don't know what my chances of getting into a larger school like Nebraska or Montana will be.

 

Florida Atlantic is my best shot. My ceramics prof used to teach there, and I'm friends with (and used to work with) somebody who got her Ceramics MFA there. It's also a small school that not many people know about, so I think I have a shot. That's the letter I'm most nervous about.

 

Good luck, fellow applicants, and remember that if you don't get in, it's probably not because of you. A lot of people apply for very few openings, and other people might be deemed a better fit, but that doesn't mean you aren't great yourself.

[ihatepencils]

Out of the 13 schools I applied to...I got 3 rejections followed by 3 wait-lists...hopefully 3 admits next?! hahaha

[katiegud]

I'll join in your misery, except mine isn't an admission rejection. I completely bombed my funding interview last week, so even though I was admitted, I get absolutely no money! Still waiting to hear from one school, and waiting to hear about funding at two others, but it is really disheartening. 

[SLPosteriorCricoarytenoid]

I feel your pain(s)! I applied to 12 programs, and so far I've only gotten four rejections. The first one stung the most, but after it I feel like I've gotten more desensitized to the others. Also, it is kind of dirty when they send the rejection letters TWICE, like you didn't see it the first time. I got a duplicate rejection letter of one I received last week. Blah. 

[hellojennx0]

Is anyone else having a hard time telling their advisors? I'm a work-study in the department my research mentor is in and even though I have seen him almost every day in the last week, I just can't find it in me to tell him, even though I know he won't freak out or anything. I just totally feel like I let him down. Is that odd?

[supaslim]

Is anyone else having a hard time telling their advisors? I'm a work-study in the department my research mentor is in and even though I have seen him almost every day in the last week, I just can't find it in me to tell him, even though I know he won't freak out or anything. I just totally feel like I let him down. Is that odd?

 

Maybe it;s a bit of a different situation for me, since MFA ceramics programs have somewhat unusual acceptance guidelines compared to most degree tracks (eg. only one student admitted a year pretty much anywhere, no GRE required, they are prejudiced against young people and fresh graduates, etc), but my ceramics professor who was the one to originally encourage me to try for grad school was also the one to reassure me it wasn't my own failings that got me denied from the programs I applied to last year. He actually seemed a little personally offended that I was denied from some of them; I was his studio assistant and only graduating ceramics person, so he was sort of rooting for me hardcore. In the end, for us at least, it really comes down to luck and whatever voodoo the grad committee uses to determine if they like your work or not.

[pdh12]

You could always start your own ceramics collective. What do you need the establishment for? Don't let the man keep you down!

But on another tone, it ESPECIALLY sucks to get rejected from MFA programs. Only moments ago I was rejected from UMass' Poetry MFA, literally while I was in the midst of writing a poem....it all feels so futile!

[supaslim]

You could always start your own ceramics collective. What do you need the establishment for? Don't let the man keep you down!

But on another tone, it ESPECIALLY sucks to get rejected from MFA programs. Only moments ago I was rejected from UMass' Poetry MFA, literally while I was in the midst of writing a poem....it all feels so futile!

 

Teaching! I'd love to teach at a university level for several reasons, and for that I need a Masters. If this application season doesn't go well, though, I'll just go back to hunting for a salary graphic design position somewhere and when I get situated do ceramics with whatever money I can put away. That's what I tell myself, anyway. It's proving extremely difficult to find work where I live, and moving without the promise of work or school is terrifying.

 

Best of luck with the rest of your applications! Sucks about UMass. You're right, it sucks getting rejected in MFA programs because really, it kind of is more personal than other programs. You're not being judged quantitatively, but qualitatively, and quality is subjective.

[east-coast-girl]

Is anyone else having a hard time telling their advisors? I'm a work-study in the department my research mentor is in and even though I have seen him almost every day in the last week, I just can't find it in me to tell him, even though I know he won't freak out or anything. I just totally feel like I let him down. Is that odd?

 

I received my first official rejection this morning and I'm terrified to tell my professors because I don't want to disappoint them.  Two of them are rooting for me so hard to get accepted to programs and I'm afraid I'm going to be shut out everywhere.  ):

[WritingTrouble]

Got my first rejection of the season at the start of the month, from Edinboro University in PA... and I think I'm handling it fairly well. My odds aren't good to begin with (only 1 MFA ceramics student is accepted into most programs any given year due to space issues) and I've been hearing rumors recently that Edinboro is majorly downsizing the arts, with 30+ professors laid off- I don't know what the state of the ceramics program is and nobody's talking. My rejection letter came so soon after application deadline, I'm wondering if they're accepting anyone. I'm slightly discouraged because Edinboro was possibly my second best chance, but I'm not at all surprised. At any rate, it's better than my attempts at getting into grad school last year. *shudder*

 

Anyway, I also applied to University of Montana, Florida Atlantic University, and University of Nebraska. Montana told me they received my materials and I haven't heard back since. They're pretty old school though; I suspect I'll be getting my acceptance or rejection via snail mail, and in this weather... well. Let's just say a package shipped from Australia reached me before a package shipped from Idaho around the same time did.

 

I just checked U of Nebraska's site, too, and it looks like my application has been reviewed by the art dept and grad school and I should know the verdict soon. I'm a bit anxious, but I really don't know what my chances of getting into a larger school like Nebraska or Montana will be.

 

Florida Atlantic is my best shot. My ceramics prof used to teach there, and I'm friends with (and used to work with) somebody who got her Ceramics MFA there. It's also a small school that not many people know about, so I think I have a shot. That's the letter I'm most nervous about.

 

Good luck, fellow applicants, and remember that if you don't get in, it's probably not because of you. A lot of people apply for very few openings, and other people might be deemed a better fit, but that doesn't mean you aren't great yourself.

Good luck! I am finishing my masters at FAU. Good school!

[WritingTrouble]

Is anyone else having a hard time telling their advisors? I'm a work-study in the department my research mentor is in and even though I have seen him almost every day in the last week, I just can't find it in me to tell him, even though I know he won't freak out or anything. I just totally feel like I let him down. Is that odd?

I feel that way all the time! But they are only there to help. I broke down in my advisor's office when I was rejected from GSU.

[WritingTrouble]

I am waitlisted for funding at NCSU! I really want to go there!:/

[seeingeyeduck]

In my field there is a lot of rejection for any sort of career opportunity so over the last couple of years I've learned to deal with it. I find that if I have a mindset of focusing on outcome rather than emotion, that keeps me motivated to try again. If I focus in how bad it feels, I'll stop trying, which leads to the worst of all outcomes (ie no opportunities). But if I brush it off and try again, that's the only way that good things will happen for me.

I've also found that it does help to get feedback. When you get a form letter rejection your mind makes stuff up and you think of the worst possibility which is that you suck and are not qualified. What I've learned from asking for feedback is that that's not always the case. Sometimes you came reeeeeally close and it was just circumstances that got in the way. The take away from that would be to keep trying! Asking for feedback also dampens the sting a little bit because at least you are in contact with a specific (sympathetic) human and it makes the rejection less impersonal.

IMO you do have to square yourself with the very real possibility that you will not be accepted before you even apply. I feel worse when I think I have good chances and am rejected. The key is to be very aware that you can be rejected for so many reasons and if is after all the most statistically likely outcome. That way your hopes aren't so high and it won't be so terrible if they are dashed. It helps to have a plan. Sometimes I deal with rejection by applying to more things, perversely. It keeps me occupied and I feel like I am actively doing something about the rejection. It's absolutely necessary to construct a life you are okay with even if you are rejected. I think we give programs too much power to make or break our careers if we believe everything hinges on getting in. If you really look for other opportunities I think it becomes obvious that there are a lot of other alternative routes. If might not be as easy to see when you're younger, right out of undergrad.

I've learned to just not apply to things that aren't a good fit or are long shots. Doing a bit of research and being realistic about what level you are at saves some money and pain. To me there's no point in applying to something where I know they have a record of choosing someone whose work is very different than mine even if their description of the grant or program seem theoretically to fit my work. Sometimes it's worth it to apply to the long shot but you have to really steel yourself then! I think generally if you have someone who you can ask to reliably assess your qualifications and tell you the truth, it's better to do that than to apply to things that are out of your reach at the moment. That doesn't mean they always will be though!

Lastly, embrace the place that really wants you even if they are not your top choice! It's better anyway to go somewhere where you are appreciated - it'll be a better experience. Don't think that it's the ranking of the program that will make your career - it's what you make of the opportunities you do get. You can do something good or interesting almost anywhere! It ultimately is still within your power to succeed.

And don't take rejections as a judgment of you. It really is about fit. I look back on some of my undergrad rejections and I see now that they really were right to reject me because I would have been terrible in their program. But at the time I was all butt hurt. I guess getting older helps too.

Hope that helps!

Edited February 19, 2014 by seeingeyeduck

[NOWAYNOHOW]

If it makes anyone feel better, I told my advisers and supervisors (RA, TA) and they are more angry than I am.  it feels nice to have a team behind me that is acting so surprised and offended about what is looking like an utter washout (3 rejections, one implied, 3 unknown but not holding my breath) and definitely softens the sting of all the bad luck.

[MoJuiced]

Seeingeyeduck said it well and comprehensively.

 

None of my schools are fall back options, so I've got my fingers crossed for 1/11! So, far three rejections. As an aspiring writer I have actually mentally trained myself to like rejections -- it just adds fuel to the fire. 

 

There is plenty of applicable fortune cookie wisdom:

 

"Failure is not the falling down, but the staying down"

 

"Fishing: if it were easy, they'd call it catching"

 

"Diligence is the mother of good fortune" 

[pdh12]

Yes, it's quite a heightened insult to be accepted with No Funding. I was just accepted to the Erasmus Mundus Master's in Cultural Narratives along those lines, which is just an extended rejection. I wish rich people would pay for themselves!

 

MoJuiced, I applied to Indiana and UMass for poetry, too!  Have you heard anything from Indiana? I can't bare waiting any longer, and yet realistically I'm sure to receive a rejection.

[krishnalynn]

I'm constantly swinging between "I'm going to be rejected across the board, there's no way my stats compare to anyone else" to "I have a great chance of getting in, I have nothing to worry about." 

 

Right now I'm in the "I'm going to get rejected..." mood. I had a vivid dream last night that I was accepted into my top choice and I felt horrible when I woke up. 

[pdh12]

Those dreams are running rampant around here!  I dreamed I was accepted into the CLS program...if only it were real!  I read someone else dreamed they were rejected.

[MoJuiced]

phd12, I haven't heard back from Indiana yet, but I can barely stand the suspense as someone I know got accepted there, though she may have been fiction. I really really want to go there since they place such a premium on preparing to teach. I also have a good friend in the sociology program there. 

 

It would be really nifty if we both got in and could look back on meeting on these forums ;-) I wish you very well.

 

I'm already planning on doing round two if I have to -- one way or another, they're gonna recognize me. I'm climbing this mountain and nobody can stop me!

[pdh12]

That's the spirit, MoJuiced! *cue Mary Tyler Moore theme*

 

I'm trying not to set myself up for devastation upon hearing word from them, but definitely let it be known if you get in! Maybe it would rub off on me for the future.

[MoJuiced]

You're gonna make it after all!

 

How many programs did you apply to?

[aurora_nova]

Got my first rejection today. It wasn't unexpected, but with 1 wait-list and 1 rejection and no word from any of the other 5 schools I applied to, I'm struggling.

[pdh12]

For Poetry so far:

 

Aberystwyth (accepted)

University of Kent Canterbury/Paris (accepted)

UMass (rejected ><)

Cornell (rejected)

Indiana (...)

Oxford (...)

 

Then for Comp Lit/Translation I went for:

Binghamton (accepted)

UMich (rejected)

UMass (...)

Erasmus Mundus (accepted)

 

I should have applied to more!  Though from this I've learned that my passion really lies with poetry. I love the workshop setting and crave that kind of vital community. I'm an undergrad senior right now, with great poetry professors, and I want to keep that going.  

 

Where are you in your "practice", and where are you going?!?

[PhDerp]

I realize now, rejection benefit: never having to turn down the offer.

edit: phone typo

Edited February 20, 2014 by PhDerp

[colalalala]

After 3 consecutive rejections now my mind is actually at peace, first cut is always the deepest, now I am just numb...