Venting Thread- Vent about anything.

[kingslayer]

To be safe, I decided to apply to a Master's at my current school that is somewhat related to the field I want to go into (school psychology). I'm starting to second guess that decision. I only did it out of desperation because according to their FAQ they have accepted nearly everyone who has applied. It's basically my ultimate panic button. I probably should have applied to their social work program, or their ABA program where I could actually DO something with the degree before trying to earn a PhD. Instead, I applied to an unknown degree at an unknown school, all because I keep underestimating my abilities. Or overestimating. We'll see.

I'm so messy when it comes to all things non-school psychology. My heart is set on this 100%, so I didn't really plan scenarios where I WOULDN'T get into grad school (even though the likelihood is becoming more bleak with each passing day). I honestly don't know what I'll do if/when I get rejected from 15 colleges in one round.

Edited January 9, 2016 by highborn

[littlemoondragon]

17 hours ago, Need Coffee in an IV said:

We all need to vent and I hope everything works out for everyone! My vent is my reference STILL hasn't written any of my letters to any of my schools. I constantly keep checking the results page hoping there are still openings for my programs. Other times I look into Public History programs but I'm not a history major or have a minor. So I can't apply to those programs. I mean I could but it would be less hassle to just set money on fire. I just wish my adviser helped me out, she is an amazing geology professor. But shes so busy with other things that she hasn't helped me at all. I planned my course schedule for every semester and look into programs myself. It would have been nice to know what I needed to do to have more options. I'm severely limited now unless I want to try to gain a minor and add more semesters to my undergrad. But I'm a senior and its my last semester now. I mean my school has museum studies classes but I couldn't get into them because I didn't have the prerequisites! I like her but she isn't a good adviser at all.

That's super frustrating (referring to reference writer)!  Hopefully, he/she will pull through.

[Need Coffee in an IV]

30 minutes ago, littlemoondragon said:

That's super frustrating (referring to reference writer)!  Hopefully, he/she will pull through.

Oh she will! She waits till the last min for everything. Plus her sister is having major health problems so I'm just ranting to myself ha. Everything will work out for the best! I just like complaining sometimes, Larry David is my spirit animal.

[shadowclaw]

17 hours ago, Need Coffee in an IV said:

We all need to vent and I hope everything works out for everyone! My vent is my reference STILL hasn't written any of my letters to any of my schools. I constantly keep checking the results page hoping there are still openings for my programs. Other times I look into Public History programs but I'm not a history major or have a minor. So I can't apply to those programs. I mean I could but it would be less hassle to just set money on fire. I just wish my adviser helped me out, she is an amazing geology professor. But shes so busy with other things that she hasn't helped me at all. I planned my course schedule for every semester and look into programs myself. It would have been nice to know what I needed to do to have more options. I'm severely limited now unless I want to try to gain a minor and add more semesters to my undergrad. But I'm a senior and its my last semester now. I mean my school has museum studies classes but I couldn't get into them because I didn't have the prerequisites! I like her but she isn't a good adviser at all.

Don't underestimate yourself! You can apply to a program outside of your field, but it is a little more difficult. Making contact with POI's and demonstrating your passion and any independent knowledge you've gained in the field can go a long way.

Sorry to hear about your advisor. I switched majors several times and I only had a decent advisor for my first major and my final major. There was one who wouldn't even respond to email. For the major I actually ended up in (environmental biology), I was actually assigned a pretty terrible advisor. He rarely responded to emails, didn't meet with students about their schedules, and he screwed a few students over with their grad school applications by forgetting to write their reference letters. So I asked for someone that I knew would be awesome. One of my friends who was in education also got pretty screwed by her advisor. In her program, there are certain prerequisites offered once per year, and her advisor actually told her not to take it, which resulted in her spending an extra year and she couldn't take any major courses for a year.

[Need Coffee in an IV]

Just now, shadowclaw said:

Don't underestimate yourself! You can apply to a program outside of your field, but it is a little more difficult. Making contact with POI's and demonstrating your passion and any independent knowledge you've gained in the field can go a long way.

Sorry to hear about your advisor. I switched majors several times and I only had a decent advisor for my first major and my final major. There was one who wouldn't even respond to email. For the major I actually ended up in (environmental biology), I was actually assigned a pretty terrible advisor. He rarely responded to emails, didn't meet with students about their schedules, and he screwed a few students over with their grad school applications by forgetting to write their reference letters. So I asked for someone that I knew would be awesome. One of my friends who was in education also got pretty screwed by her advisor. In her program, there are certain prerequisites offered once per year, and her advisor actually told her not to take it, which resulted in her spending an extra year and she couldn't take any major courses for a year.

Thanks! I already applied to one iffy program, that's North Carolina. Their museum program is within the history department so I'll see how it goes. She's a nice person and she does great research. My professors have favorites and I'm not one of her favorites. Its mainly because I don't want to do igneous research. Oh well, I just planned everything out with my boyfriends help. He was a geology major too.  Plus another professor kinda took over being my adviser pretty much. He is my menator and he has provided me with great opportunities, so I can't complain too much. I'm just an anxious person.

[gingin6789]

6 hours ago, highborn said:

To be safe, I decided to apply to a Master's at my current school that is somewhat related to the field I want to go into (school psychology). I'm starting to second guess that decision. I only did it out of desperation because according to their FAQ they have accepted nearly everyone who has applied. It's basically my ultimate panic button. I probably should have applied to their social work program, or their ABA program where I could actually DO something with the degree before trying to earn a PhD. Instead, I applied to an unknown degree at an unknown school, all because I keep underestimating my abilities. Or overestimating. We'll see.

I'm so messy when it comes to all things non-school psychology. My heart is set on this 100%, so I didn't really plan scenarios where I WOULDN'T get into grad school (even though the likelihood is becoming more bleak with each passing day). I honestly don't know what I'll do if/when I get rejected from 15 colleges in one round.

Nervous is good, panic is bad. That's what my dear undergrad thesis advisor always told me. So try not to panic. (easier said than done) 

I'm currently at a terminal MA program in sociology. They do have a high acceptance rate, and it's a very small program. However, while I'm here, I've earned a 4.0 GPA at the master's level. Perhaps more importantly, I'm completing a rigorous master's thesis and have four publications in the works. This will look great on your PhD apps if you go this route! If you end up going to that master's program, just put a lot of effort into finding a professor to work with who will help you get started on research and who can help you get some publications and conference presentations out there! Also, your letters for PhD programs should be stronger if you go this route since your profs have known you through undergrad and master's-level work! 

[littlemoondragon]

2 hours ago, Need Coffee in an IV said:

Oh she will! She waits till the last min for everything. Plus her sister is having major health problems so I'm just ranting to myself ha. Everything will work out for the best! I just like complaining sometimes, Larry David is my spirit animal.

Oh! I understand needing to vent, because I have to or else I explode unnecessarily on people.

As you said, things will work out, but you probably feel a bit nervous as deadlines come up. You got this!

Edited January 9, 2016 by littlemoondragon

[hippyscientist]

So I got nominated for a college fellowship for one of my PhD programmes (my last choice but still). It's cool, but now there's a tonne of extra work to do so I'm trying to balance exam studying, reading for class tomorrow and writing this fellowship statement in collaboration with the PI. If it was for one of the schools I was more excited about I'd be jumping for joy, but right now it just feels like more work to the mountain that's got to get done. 

On a more positive note, the POI linked me a really useful site for science career development goal setting and targets! myidp.sciencecareers.org (not affiliated in any way, just highlighted some skills I hadn't really ever thought about).

[DrZoidberg]

Can I just vent about having a 1.5 hour commute to work (each way) on subpar public transport? It just sucks the life out of you. My working week is basically; work, eat, sleep, repeat 4 times. 

Edited January 11, 2016 by DrZoidberg
Typo

[random_grad]

1 hour ago, DrZoidberg said:

1.5 hour commute to work (each way)

same here!

[Cheshire_Cat]

AHHHHHHH!!!!   I am cross registering for a class at a different school, and it has been one screw up after another.  First, they get my email address wrong, so I don't get their email about everything else I need to do.  So I emailed them and asked about it, and they just told me to wait, they probably hadn't processed it yet.  Then, I  email them after the break,  and they said they dropped my application because I didn't have vacation records, because I didn't get the email asking for them.  So, I finally I got them past that, since they made a mistake, and they gave me until Wednesday to turn everything in.  I was raised in the state where this STATE school is, and yet their requirements are so different from the other STATE SCHOOLS in the state that I have attended before,  that I had to get titers run, which takes a few days.  

Then, to top it all off,  they get my freaking birthday wrong when they entered it into their system, and my handwriting was very clear there.  So I can't upload any of my vaccinations anyways because according to their system, I wasn't freaking born yet.   And I had to restart my tablet and lost all the work I did that is due by noon today.  I'm stressed out and the semester hasn't even started yet.   This school has a reputation for stressed students, and I'm beginning to think it is less because of the coursework and more because their administration staff is so lazy and dumb that the students are worried they will take all engineering classes and end up with an art degree because the staff will make a mistake. 

[hippyscientist]

D'oh I effed up the stats exam. Hopefully only about 4 or 5 marks but d'oh. I knew that would happen too - it's stuff I've been doing for years and years so I should have come out with 100%. Darn it!

[kjc]

In undergrad I thought I was an excellent writer. But now it is horrible. Everything I write I look back at and cringe, even if other people say it is fine. It's like I can't tell the difference anymore. 

I sent my advisor a second draft of a grant proposal today. He responded with "This is looking really good. Close to submission. See attached comments." My jaw dropped. I thought it was total slop. It's difficult to write well if I can't even tell that what I am writing is good. UGH. 

[Need Coffee in an IV]

My last reference has finally submitted all of her letters! Now I have to wait for months it looks like to see where I will be for the next two years! My boyfriend is waiting back to hear if he got the government jobs he applied for or not. On one hand I want him to start his career and not have to rely on his savings but I want to be selfish and have him move with me! We were long distance for 6 months and it was really awful.

[Cheshire_Cat]

2 hours ago, kjc said:

In undergrad I thought I was an excellent writer. But now it is horrible. Everything I write I look back at and cringe, even if other people say it is fine. It's like I can't tell the difference anymore. 

I sent my advisor a second draft of a grant proposal today. He responded with "This is looking really good. Close to submission. See attached comments." My jaw dropped. I thought it was total slop. It's difficult to write well if I can't even tell that what I am writing is good. UGH. 

 That happened to me.  But I think your view of writing actually gets a little warped when you read a lot of journal articles.  There are some not so good writers out there that get published.  Last semester, I spent a lot of time refining the verbiage of one of my papers, only to be told the writing needed work.  On another paper, I ran out of time and just wrote in my normal voice.  So of course the professor thought my writing was the best part of that paper.  Go figure.  I think for me, I need to relax a little and try not to sound like everyone else.

[hippyscientist]

5 hours ago, Cheshire_Cat said:

 On another paper, I ran out of time and just wrote in my normal voice.  So of course the professor thought my writing was the best part of that paper.  Go figure.  I think for me, I need to relax a little and try not to sound like everyone else.

This. So much this. The best way to write papers (I find anyway) is to just write. If it's a lab report I start with the methods as I've done the experiment, if it's a review I start with the structure. For example:

"Here is where i'm going to introduce the topic. I know this, this and this. I think this will be important. Do I know any key papers? If so pop these here. Then I'm going to break down my topic into lots of categories and write a bit in each"

It's basically how I talk. I will write an entire paper with words in there like "stuff" and "we did this because we were told to" or "the springy thing holds onto the thin thing" and then once the whole paper is written, I'll go back and science-ify the writing. This doesn't change the structure, but removes the stuff and things and puts in the proper words. Writing like this means my papers have a natural flow and conversational tone that is pretty hard to come by in scientific literature. 

The way I see it is if you try to emulate others writing, you end up losing your voice, and the whole point of us doing our research is to add our voice to the literature. If you make your voice the same as others, how are you going to stand out? We always are our best selves when we are ourselves so use that in your writing.

 

[Mattie Roh]

I'm totally onboard with writing that has a more natural style. That being said, I do love the jargon of my field as well! I even keep a list of phrases I like to incorporate in my own work someday. 

[hippyscientist]

There's definitely a difference between incorporating phrases and jargon-like terms to trying to copy another's writing style. Sometimes jargon cannot be helped, and for the most part the papers are going to be read by those who are knowledgeable of jargon. Key phrases are super useful too! I think my point is keep your flow and your voice, and build the sciency-jargon into it rather than try to be stiff and wooden from the start. You can really tell the difference in papers which are fun, informative and easy to understand and those which are disjointed and tiresome to read. Aim for the first!

[justanotherlostgrrl]

Need to vent about the lack of scholarships in my area - both geographically and in subject matter, and none of my circumstances like being an older student, having a learning disability or getting a good GPA after my first semester help me with any kind of scholarships.  I just came back from doing a day of research at a local library that had access to lots of scholarship info, and it's depressing to see you qualify for nothing.  Everything is geared towards undergrad, or your struggles that you do have don't get recognized.  I'm not asking for a free ride - just some opportunities for some kind of help, but there is nothing, and I'm reluctant to even put any more effort looking.  It's hunting for part time work for me, and I'm frustrated beyond all belief.

[mockturtle]

My PI just missed the deadline of LOR submission for my top choice school.

I've followed up with her repeatedly in the last month, asking if she needs any more materials... The graduate department in question has an automatic email system that also issues reminders to recommenders repeatedly, every 2 weeks, until they submit... I physically sat down with her today and was told with confidence that it would be done before the deadline.......... 

What more should I have done here 

[Neist]

41 minutes ago, mockturtle said:

My PI just missed the deadline of LOR submission for my top choice school.

I've followed up with her repeatedly in the last month, asking if she needs any more materials... The graduate department in question has an automatic email system that also issues reminders to recommenders repeatedly, every 2 weeks, until they submit... I physically sat down with her today and was told with confidence that it would be done before the deadline.......... 

What more should I have done here 

Really sorry to hear that.

Not sure if anything can be done about that. If she's willing and there was extenuating circumstances on her part, perhaps she can do something on her end?

You have unfortunately experienced what I'm fairly positive every single one of us fears. I'm really, really sorry.

[mockturtle]

53 minutes ago, Neist said:

Really sorry to hear that.

Not sure if anything can be done about that. If she's willing and there was extenuating circumstances on her part, perhaps she can do something on her end?

You have unfortunately experienced what I'm fairly positive every single one of us fears. I'm really, really sorry.

Two days ago I told my prospective advisors I was worried about this possibility, a few minutes after midnight I posted a comment on the application portal saying I had been assured that the letter would be on its way & asked how negatively this would impact my application, but I can't sleep and I just don't know what else to do. I can't believe this is happening.

[weilongli1]

Two of my applications have had wrinkles this weekend:

• One school emailed me over a week ago asking about a clarification on my application, and I didn't see the email until this weekend! It sucks responding to the email today, knowing that I won't get a response until Tuesday at the latest, making that two weeks since they emailed me! I just feel so stupid for not noticing the email and responding right away and I don't know whether it will hurt my application or not, which stresses me out a lot.
• Another application has a mail-in supplement, which I mailed in last weekend, ahead of the Jan 15 deadline, expecting it to arrive around the date of the deadline. However, I got it back today in the mail for having insufficient postage. That's what I get for printing on extremely heavy paper, I guess. I emailed them today to let them know, but like the first application, they won't get the email until Tuesday at the latest, and my supplement won't get there until late next week.

I think it's really the uncertainty of my dumb mistakes that is stressing me out so much, like what if I messed everything up because I was too stupid to put two stamps on my letter or if I paid attention to my emails a little bit more. And now I'm worried about the rest of my applications and if I messed up anything on them as well. It really sucks, because I'm not going to know about any decision until sometime next month, so there's a whole month here that this is all I'm going to think about. 

[Neist]

55 minutes ago, weilongli1 said:

Two of my applications have had wrinkles this weekend:

• One school emailed me over a week ago asking about a clarification on my application, and I didn't see the email until this weekend! It sucks responding to the email today, knowing that I won't get a response until Tuesday at the latest, making that two weeks since they emailed me! I just feel so stupid for not noticing the email and responding right away and I don't know whether it will hurt my application or not, which stresses me out a lot.
• Another application has a mail-in supplement, which I mailed in last weekend, ahead of the Jan 15 deadline, expecting it to arrive around the date of the deadline. However, I got it back today in the mail for having insufficient postage. That's what I get for printing on extremely heavy paper, I guess. I emailed them today to let them know, but like the first application, they won't get the email until Tuesday at the latest, and my supplement won't get there until late next week.

I think it's really the uncertainty of my dumb mistakes that is stressing me out so much, like what if I messed everything up because I was too stupid to put two stamps on my letter or if I paid attention to my emails a little bit more. And now I'm worried about the rest of my applications and if I messed up anything on them as well. It really sucks, because I'm not going to know about any decision until sometime next month, so there's a whole month here that this is all I'm going to think about. 

Well, let's consider the silver lining.

I've wondered how often people get turned down from programs because there was an inevitable mistake (no one fills out tons of forms without at least a minor flaw) and don't get notified about it. I imagine people looking at my application, scoffing, then ripping it into a million pieces and tossing it aside. Although, if a person or committee actually did that, I'm not sure if I'd want to attend such a program. That seems overly harsh.

I've read stories by others on these boards of people who've later found glaring and significant mistakes in their writing samples long after they've been accepted into the program which read said writing sample.

I try to hope that unless you're applying to a very, very exclusive program, like Rockefeller or Yale Law, there's going to be a little bit of sympathy exercised by programs. 

[Need Coffee in an IV]

I'm trying to create work schedule but the people I work with aren't helping me out at all! I'm this weird combination of fellow employee/boss. My mentor is the official boss and I'm right below him. But I can't really fire anyone so I don't have much "power". I made a mistake thinking we work 20 hours but its only 12 so I had to redo the schedule. Then one of the people is actually a volunteer so I'm waiting to hear back when she wants to work. Then the assistant keeps asking me why I put her in certain slots and the workshop manager hasn't answered any of my emails. Its just the beginning of the semester and I feel very frazzled.