TheMercySeat Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 The professor from a program that accepted me keeps ignoring my emails. I'm flying halfway across the country for visitation day. I will be at the airport in 12 hours and I have NO idea who is picking me up at the airport, where I am staying, and where I have to report to at what times. Again, the chair and the secretary keeps ignoring my damn email.
MidwesternAloha Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 The professor from a program that accepted me keeps ignoring my emails. I'm flying halfway across the country for visitation day. I will be at the airport in 12 hours and I have NO idea who is picking me up at the airport, where I am staying, and where I have to report to at what times. Again, the chair and the secretary keeps ignoring my damn email. Have you tried calling?
thepinkdragon76 Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 My husband will be going to grad school in California and I won't be going to school anywhere Two years apart and no degree for me unless I get in next year. Volunteer work is im my future, hopefully that will help. I'll find out what I can improve on my app for next year after April 15. I'm in shock but know I just need to get more experience in the field since I've been out of school so long and my degree is not SW related. I knew it was a 50/50 shot but man I feel like garbage.
VulpesZerda Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 This is a vent because wow I am frustrated. I'm also open to any advice - A program emailed me in early Feb to invite me to interview day. I couldn't attend, and thought that it would be fine since the email emphasized that phone interviews are an acceptable replacement that wouldn't hurt my admissions chances. I emailed the email address they gave me that week to try to set up the phone interview. No reply, so I sent a follow up about 1-2 weeks later. Still nothing, so I called and left a voice mail. Then one week later I left another voice mail with the department, and another with the graduate school. Meanwhile, other people posted acceptances on TGC. And I am starting to get very frustrated and confused about what I could have done differently, if anything. I have another offer and I will probably just accept it since this program clearly doesn't want me. That makes sense at this point, right?
TheMercySeat Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 Have you tried calling? Lost about 1.5 hours today due to ringing the office!!! FINALLY got ahold of a current student who got the ball rolling.
glow_gene Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 That sucks. My worklife imploded in February, and sometimes I find myself just staring at my computer screen too. It is ok to just be afraid sometimes. I know there have been times in my life when everyone tells me it will be ok, and I know logically it will, but that isn't how I was feeling right then, and I just needed someone to tell me that what I was feeling was ok. Keep holding out, take one day at a time, and realize that it isn't the end of the line... Thanks, guys . I went to talk to my PI and basically said, "I'm super having trouble motivating: Can I meet with you individually each week for a few minutes and decide on goals that must be presented at next week's lab meeting?" She seemed surprised but totally willing. She's too easy on me most of the time and I hope she holds me to this. Also, our R-01 (the one full of my data) was funded so woohoo!. Also, in additional venting-related news: why in the hell are grant applications so darn difficult? So much to write! So little time! What is my third rec-letter writer doing? How do I EVEN?! Sword_Saint 1
Sword_Saint Posted March 26, 2015 Posted March 26, 2015 Thanks, guys . I went to talk to my PI and basically said, "I'm super having trouble motivating: Can I meet with you individually each week for a few minutes and decide on goals that must be presented at next week's lab meeting?" She seemed surprised but totally willing. She's too easy on me most of the time and I hope she holds me to this. Also, our R-01 (the one full of my data) was funded so woohoo!. Also, in additional venting-related news: why in the hell are grant applications so darn difficult? So much to write! So little time! What is my third rec-letter writer doing? How do I EVEN?! Meeting with my adviser every week or every other week is how I am managing to finish my thesis; the deadline for showing him progress has helped to terrify me on a weekly basis into getting stuff done. Congrats on the funding! And grant paperwork is painful, in my experience first hand and second hand, it can be painful in every direction, and generally requires rewrites and re-submissions.
Rose Tyler Posted March 26, 2015 Posted March 26, 2015 This is a vent because wow I am frustrated. I'm also open to any advice - A program emailed me in early Feb to invite me to interview day. I couldn't attend, and thought that it would be fine since the email emphasized that phone interviews are an acceptable replacement that wouldn't hurt my admissions chances. I emailed the email address they gave me that week to try to set up the phone interview. No reply, so I sent a follow up about 1-2 weeks later. Still nothing, so I called and left a voice mail. Then one week later I left another voice mail with the department, and another with the graduate school. Meanwhile, other people posted acceptances on TGC. And I am starting to get very frustrated and confused about what I could have done differently, if anything. I have another offer and I will probably just accept it since this program clearly doesn't want me. That makes sense at this point, right? Wow that's awful. I'd say it's time to write them off as a lost cause and take another offer. Even if they did respond, interview you, and make an offer, do you really want to go to a school like that?
MangoSmoothie Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 (edited) This is a totally juvenile rant, but it is something that really irritates me. I know this isn't elementary or high school, and we do not have assigned seats. But we've all generally been sitting in the same seats that we choose for awhile now. It's the tenth week of class, and I sit in the same seats in all of my classes. I like my seats. I like the consistency. I like my view of the projectors and the professors. Why are you trying to change things now, classmates? Why would you get there and take the seat I love? You're breaking my heart, classmates. I just like having the seat I've always sat in, and I don't get what prompts people to suddenly switch things up ten weeks into the semester. I know it's petty and juvenile, but I just like the damn seat I've sat in for the whole semester! I've always felt there was a tacit understanding that after the first or second week of class, that's your unofficial seat, and you don't switch it up. Maybe I'm mistaken. Also, I am fortunate to have a decision between grad programs. Two extremes, though. One is a smaller rural school that will provide limited opportunities, but is very cheap. The other is a great program that I am in love with, with tons of opportunities, but is very expensive--twice as much as the other school. I keep bouncing between them. Which school I go to won't affect my future job prospects and salary much or at all, so it seems like the cheaper one is the way to go, but I just felt so much better about the other program, and felt I would learn more and get a bigger variety of opportunities. This is a hard decision, although maybe it shouldn't be. I don't know if it's really a vent, but I can't decide, and I bet my friends and family want to vent about how I won't shut up about this decision... Edited March 27, 2015 by MangoSmoothie
shadowclaw Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 I HATE when people take my seat. I don't understand why it happens, either. Everyone sits in the same seat all semester long, but if I happen to get there at the last minute, someone often takes my seat. When it happens, I always give the person a death stare haha When I was in undergrad, I took this course that was full. Every seat was used. There was some kind of desk shortage on the floor or something, because the math class next door kept stealing some desks after the first week. So it ended up being that if you were one of the last two people to come to class (and everyone showed up), you had to sit on the floor. It was a complete free for all with seats and it made me so mad. Today's vent is about my biostatistics course. I didn't want to take it, it was supposed to be taught using R but instead the professor decided to use SAS (which is pretty useless to me), and it is boring as hell. We haven't learned anything so far that I didn't learn in the research statistics course I took in undergrad. We learned one thing every 1.5 weeks. Which amounts to making box plots, determining how data is distributed, doing two kinds of t tests, and ANOVA. Did I just get a really good education as an undergrad and people really make it through a biology degree without learning such simple statistics?
Sword_Saint Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 Today's vent is about my biostatistics course. I didn't want to take it, it was supposed to be taught using R but instead the professor decided to use SAS (which is pretty useless to me), and it is boring as hell. We haven't learned anything so far that I didn't learn in the research statistics course I took in undergrad. We learned one thing every 1.5 weeks. Which amounts to making box plots, determining how data is distributed, doing two kinds of t tests, and ANOVA. Did I just get a really good education as an undergrad and people really make it through a biology degree without learning such simple statistics? This is one of my worst fears: That I somehow over prepared for future graduate courses, making the material boring or just review. It sounds arrogant when I say it out loud, but when the courses cost as much as they do, you really want the most for the cost of the course. I totally get it.
Marst Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 This is one of my worst fears: That I somehow over prepared for future graduate courses, making the material boring or just review. It sounds arrogant when I say it out loud, but when the courses cost as much as they do, you really want the most for the cost of the course. I totally get it. I have deliberately avoided courses that were not (almost completely) new to me. Can't stand it either. So far I have managed to take up new stuff, though!
scarvesandcardigans Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 This week, I had to send a letter to one university to decline their conference invitation. I applied for a program at this university as well. I felt awful because I was excited to go, and even let them know that I intended to, but the travel expenses ended up being way more than what I could afford. Their response was cordial and understanding, but I still feel bad for it. Today, I received their rejection email. I'm sure that these are completely unrelated events, but it still didn't make me feel any better. I am sending positive thoughts to everyone on this thread!
Sarochan Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 Well, I got my wisdom teeth out on Monday, and I have been very careful to follow all instructions (no straws, no vigorous mouth activities, the most boring and repetitive diet ever, lots of gentle saline mouth rinsing). Even so, it looks like I managed to get a dry socket. Plus, after calling the office, turns out the dentist isn't in the office today and I have to wait until my already-scheduled appointment on Monday to find out if it actually is a dry socket, get treatment, whatever. Somehow have to get through three days and still manage to eat, drink, take prescribed medications, keep my mouth clean, and promote healing in the other sockets. The only upside is that the ibuprofen does seem to help with the pain, and I still have all my backup pain relief in reserve, in case of emergencies. Sorry for venting about this topic twice, but I'm really upset with myself for screwing up and maybe giving myself a dry socket.
MoJingly Posted March 27, 2015 Author Posted March 27, 2015 Well, I got my wisdom teeth out on Monday, and I have been very careful to follow all instructions (no straws, no vigorous mouth activities, the most boring and repetitive diet ever, lots of gentle saline mouth rinsing). Even so, it looks like I managed to get a dry socket. Plus, after calling the office, turns out the dentist isn't in the office today and I have to wait until my already-scheduled appointment on Monday to find out if it actually is a dry socket, get treatment, whatever. Somehow have to get through three days and still manage to eat, drink, take prescribed medications, keep my mouth clean, and promote healing in the other sockets. The only upside is that the ibuprofen does seem to help with the pain, and I still have all my backup pain relief in reserve, in case of emergencies. Sorry for venting about this topic twice, but I'm really upset with myself for screwing up and maybe giving myself a dry socket. Ugh, I feel you. That is not a fun experience at all. I ate nothing but ice cream... it helped a little :-)
motrax Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 I'm just getting older and not much to show for it aside from shock out stories and bitterness. Bleh.
SublimePZ Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 Well, I got my wisdom teeth out on Monday, and I have been very careful to follow all instructions (no straws, no vigorous mouth activities, the most boring and repetitive diet ever, lots of gentle saline mouth rinsing). Even so, it looks like I managed to get a dry socket. Plus, after calling the office, turns out the dentist isn't in the office today and I have to wait until my already-scheduled appointment on Monday to find out if it actually is a dry socket, get treatment, whatever. Somehow have to get through three days and still manage to eat, drink, take prescribed medications, keep my mouth clean, and promote healing in the other sockets. The only upside is that the ibuprofen does seem to help with the pain, and I still have all my backup pain relief in reserve, in case of emergencies. Sorry for venting about this topic twice, but I'm really upset with myself for screwing up and maybe giving myself a dry socket. Got my wisdom teeth out last year so I know the pain Did your dentist give you one of those larger syringes to direct water flow at the sockets? That's what I used to rinse my sockets out with salt water every night, seemed to work.
Sarochan Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 Got my wisdom teeth out last year so I know the pain Did your dentist give you one of those larger syringes to direct water flow at the sockets? That's what I used to rinse my sockets out with salt water every night, seemed to work. No; I think he was going to give me something similar at the followup appointment scheduled for Monday. I wish I had thought to ask for one beforehand, but I was too dopey from anesthesia to remember. Bleh. I guess this is better than continually getting infections and having crowded teeth, but man, it certainly doesn't feel worth it right now.
shadowclaw Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 Well, I got my wisdom teeth out on Monday, and I have been very careful to follow all instructions (no straws, no vigorous mouth activities, the most boring and repetitive diet ever, lots of gentle saline mouth rinsing). Even so, it looks like I managed to get a dry socket. Plus, after calling the office, turns out the dentist isn't in the office today and I have to wait until my already-scheduled appointment on Monday to find out if it actually is a dry socket, get treatment, whatever. Somehow have to get through three days and still manage to eat, drink, take prescribed medications, keep my mouth clean, and promote healing in the other sockets. The only upside is that the ibuprofen does seem to help with the pain, and I still have all my backup pain relief in reserve, in case of emergencies. Sorry for venting about this topic twice, but I'm really upset with myself for screwing up and maybe giving myself a dry socket. I remember the joys of getting my wisdom teeth removed. One of them was apparently very difficult to remove, and that socket hurt the most and for a much longer period of time than the others. I hope for your sake that's what's going on! Just keep swishing your salt water. It tastes so bad, but it's important. I don't think you actually screwed up anything, either. All my doctor told me to do was to swish with salt water, to not use straws, and to not poke at the incisions with anything. I ate anything and everything I wanted to and just made sure I avoided the extraction sites. So you've got a leg up by limiting what you eat.
Sarochan Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 Thank you, shadowclaw. The one that hurts was the one with the most issues, so hopefully that's all it is. My anxiety about all things dental certainly isn't helping, haha.
Rose Tyler Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 Feeling continuously worse about my grad school prospects at the moment. I got invited to interview at a masters program, but I had to turn down coming for it in-person because of costs (I was looking at $1,000+ with plane ticket, hotel, and whatnot). The DCT assured me that a phone or video interview would be fine followed by radio silence. Interview day is coming up so I emailed her asking if there was any update on when phone interviews would be held. She told me that she was still finalizing slots but am I available on this day at this time? I emailed her back that I was. And...nothing. Haven't gotten an email back. I waited by the phone during the time she requested and only received a random call that my phone insisted was from another state (didn't bother answering that one). I know she's probably really busy, but this doesn't make me feel optimistic about their feelings toward me. Especially because the DCT at the program is also my POI.
EdNeuroGrl Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 I'm just getting older and not much to show for it aside from shock out stories and bitterness. Bleh. I hear you on that one... I don't mind being older, but the disappointment and frustration gets to me far more than I'd like to admit.
EdNeuroGrl Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 Today's vent is about my biostatistics course. I didn't want to take it, it was supposed to be taught using R but instead the professor decided to use SAS (which is pretty useless to me), and it is boring as hell. We haven't learned anything so far that I didn't learn in the research statistics course I took in undergrad. We learned one thing every 1.5 weeks. Which amounts to making box plots, determining how data is distributed, doing two kinds of t tests, and ANOVA. Did I just get a really good education as an undergrad and people really make it through a biology degree without learning such simple statistics? That would be soooo frustrating. I will be doing Bio Stats next semester and it is offered through the Stats department, soooo... I am not expecting it to be like that but I would be furious if that were to happen. I am in a program where the graduate students who come in have never taken a stats course at all, which blows my mind since this is a stats heavy field... *facepalm* Anyway, I came into my master's program with literally all my stats classes done (though not through the courses offered within the department)... so I've been continuing my study through the statistics and psychology departments. Some are not thrilled about it, but *shrug*... In any case, I know that biology majors do not really look at stats at all until they hit grad school, so it doesn't surprise me if it were offered through a Biology department that they would start so basic... However if it is a grad biostats course through the math/stats department I'd throw a pretty serious fit.
Cheshire_Cat Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 Work... if you are going to kick me off a project and make a big deal about taking me and a coworker off of it, and him getting fired even, then don't make me complete my work just because I'm still at the company. Get someone who knows what they are doing. I want a clean break. I'm happy doing other projects. I'm frustrated and annoyed working on that one. Also, when you push me, I push back. That is just how it is. Stop it before I tell you to go screw yourself. If you haven't gotten the reviews done so that I know what I'm doing, why should I do more? It's a big rush that will leave us nowhere. Also, my favorite guy is leaving for a summer internship in a month. He makes me laugh. I don't want him to go anywhere, I need someone to make me laugh. And I feel conflicted because I adore him and being around him, but I also want to not be around him and not talk to him because we dated and it didn't work out, and even though I agree us being together just didn't work well, a part of me still wants him, thus I want him to leave me alone. Complicated? I'm a girl, obviously it is.
Recommended Posts
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now