Fall 2015 Acceptances (!)

[InHacSpeVivo]

Congrats childermass and TeaOverCoffee (definitely a step in the right direction)!

 

 

fangirling over Harper Lee news

 

 

 

Welcome, Krystal! I made it my job to deliver this news to half of my campus today. Are you a 20th c. Americanist too?!
 

[NMLogan]

^ welcome back!  

 

I just bought chocolate chips, butter, sugar, and whiskey.  oh and a gluten free pizza crust.  no particular destination in mind--ideas welcome, with the caveat that you must use at least 4/5 ingredients.  

 

Does anyone else play the time-zone negotiation game with yourself?  It's only 8 PM here, which means it's still 5PM in Berkeley, which is still kind of part of the work day...etc ad inf.

[bookworm915]

Hello all!

 

I was super active here when I was applying to programs but have fallen off the wayside a bit! Congratulations on all of the wonderful acceptances to all of you wonderful applicants! I've got one rejection under my belt (Duke) with 8 programs left to go! Ways to distract myself from checking my email every ten minutes include: counting backwards from 1000 by 7, making really long crochet chains because it's the only crochet I know, fangirling over Harper Lee news, sledding using lunch trays I stole from my high school in 11th grade, and tenderly loving whiskey.

 

GradCafe has been a little haven of joy and support, and I just wanted to get in on this! xx

 

Good to meet you, Krystal!

[bookworm915]

^ welcome back!  

 

I just bought chocolate chips, butter, sugar, and whiskey.  oh and a gluten free pizza crust.  no particular destination in mind--ideas welcome, with the caveat that you must use at least 4/5 ingredients.  

 

Does anyone else play the time-zone negotiation game with yourself?  It's only 8 PM here, which means it's still 5PM in Berkeley, which is still kind of part of the work day...etc ad inf.

 

NMLogan: Dessert pizza with a sugar-whiskey glazed crust. Make it work 

[DarthRoma]

Congrats everyone! I'm still getting nothing but dead silence.

 

 

Same here. Should we be worried? There's only so much "distracting" I can do..

[InHacSpeVivo]

^ welcome back!  

 

I just bought chocolate chips, butter, sugar, and whiskey.  oh and a gluten free pizza crust.  no particular destination in mind--ideas welcome, with the caveat that you must use at least 4/5 ingredients.  

 

Does anyone else play the time-zone negotiation game with yourself?  It's only 8 PM here, which means it's still 5PM in Berkeley, which is still kind of part of the work day...etc ad inf.

 

So true. I only applied to three schools out-of-time-zone, so theoretically life will be much easier when I hear from them!

[Lycidas]

Same here. Should we be worried? There's only so much "distracting" I can do..

 

I wouldn't be too worried. Even though it seems like there's been a lot of notifying already, in reality the heavy notification season is just beginning. February will likely be a crazy month for everyone on this board. 

[NMLogan]

[post deleted]

Edited February 3, 2015 by NMLogan

[DarthRoma]

I wouldn't be too worried. Even though it seems like there's been a lot of notifying already, in reality the heavy notification season is just beginning. February will likely be a crazy month for everyone on this board. 

 

Thank you. Kind of needed to hear that. Applied to so many schools so I figured I would've heard something by now.

[lyonessrampant]

I don't know if this will make people worry less or more, but the year I applied (started in 2011-12), I got rejections from Berkeley, Duke, and Stanford all on Valentine's Day.  They'd notified acceptances a week or more before that if I recall correctly, though in the case of Duke there had been a lot of both acceptances and rejections.  In communication with the DGS I was in some sort of quasi-waitlist limbo.  Anyway, I thought that was kind of a mean thing to do but fortunately started the day with an acceptance to my current program.  Of course, it seems like places are notifying earlier this year, so maybe you'll hear one way or the other for sure on Berkeley sooner than mid-February.  

 

Best of luck to everyone!  While whiskey is a great coping strategy (one I used/use a lot), I would also say that these next couple months are going to be (for many) long and anxiety ridden between waiting to hear, seeing others hear and not hearing yourself, waiting out the waitlists, deciding between offers, etc.  I definitely wore myself ragged during this time and wish that I'd eaten healthier and worked out more in addition to my other coping strategies.  Just my 2 cents.  Best wishes to you all!

[jean-luc-gohard]

Best of luck to everyone!  While whiskey is a great coping strategy (one I used/use a lot), I would also say that these next couple months are going to be (for many) long and anxiety ridden between waiting to hear, seeing others hear and not hearing yourself, waiting out the waitlists, deciding between offers, etc.  I definitely wore myself ragged during this time and wish that I'd eaten healthier and worked out more in addition to my other coping strategies.  Just my 2 cents.  Best wishes to you all!

 

Thanks so much for this reminder about the importance of self-care, I definitely needed the extra push to make it to the gym today!

[fancypants09]

Congratulations to everyone!! One of the perks of being in the other hemisphere is waking up to the good news on GC It definitely makes up for waking up to 17 emails, none of them from the schools to which I applied. 

 

I mentioned this elsewhere yesterday, but just telling myself not to expect any communication has been really helpful---I've learned to refresh my inbox less, and I actually got some decent amount of sleep last night! And also, I second lyonnessrampant's suggestion on taking care of yourself during this process. I started cooking at home again last night, and I found that smashing tofu for my tofu scramble was the first thing that made me laugh in a long time. 

[obrial42]

Or Tequila. Wine is good, too. 

Tequila, wine, scotch, and tight hugs. Got it. 

[Dr. Old Bill]

Thank you (and other upvoters)!!!! I sent a request to the admins to change my post so as not to taint WT's (I'm sure unblemished) record.

 

Oh pshaw! You didn't need to do that!

 

Best of luck to everyone!  While whiskey is a great coping strategy (one I used/use a lot), I would also say that these next couple months are going to be (for many) long and anxiety ridden between waiting to hear, seeing others hear and not hearing yourself, waiting out the waitlists, deciding between offers, etc.  I definitely wore myself ragged during this time and wish that I'd eaten healthier and worked out more in addition to my other coping strategies.  Just my 2 cents.  Best wishes to you all!

 

Yes, I've been eating healthy since the summer (low-carb / low-calorie), but it's been very tempting lately. I nearly gave in to the impulse to buy a pint of Ben & Jerry's on Saturday...but didn't, fortunately. Then today, one of my professors brought in three boxes of Duck Donuts. Anyone who has ever been to the Outer Banks in North Carolina knows the legend that is Duck Donuts. I refrained from partaking, but boy was it difficult.

 

If I get an acceptance, I AM going to go out for a nice sushi dinner with my wife, however.

 

But LyonessRampant's point is well-taken: let the sting of rejection stop at the emotional level. It's too easy to descend into despair and the dark things that come with it if you're not careful.

[kurayamino]

First of all I can't thank you enough for all your warm and generous responses to my acceptance. I unfortunately do not have enough "positive vibes" to upvote you all, but each and every one of them was treasured.

 

Second, congrats to all the other admissions!

 

Third, I know good news is just around the corner for so many of you and I can't wait to celebrate in your happiness!!

[InHacSpeVivo]

I wouldn't be too worried. Even though it seems like there's been a lot of notifying already, in reality the heavy notification season is just beginning. February will likely be a crazy month for everyone on this board. 

 

Indeed! As I keep telling myself (and others have said), I shouldn't expect to hear for another week or so (and a couple places don't usually notify until the first week of March).

 

I will likely set up a commiseration thread when my first rejection comes in this season (if one isn't up already). Having accumulated over fifty (yes, 5-0) rejections since I first applied to higher ed in 2001, I can attest that they are no reflection on you as a person, your capacity as a scholar, or your abiity to contribute to academic discourse.

Edited February 4, 2015 by In hac spe vivo.

[ProfLorax]

I have to echo the sentiment about emotionally detaching from rejections. As I've mentioned on this board in the past, no matter what stage you are at in your academic career, rejection is an integral aspect of it. Applying to graduate school and applying to jobs provide the highest stake experiences, but even as a grad student and then as a professor, you'll have conference proposals, manuscripts, grant applications, and more rejected. And really, it's so rarely about the worth of your work and more about what vision the person or committee on the other side of the game had in mind. Within my first year and a half of a PhD student, I have had my fair share of losses and victories, and I'm trying to embrace and learn from both. 

 

Also, self-care rocks! I hope you are all embracing some self-love during this tumultuous time. I took yoga for the first time last year, and I have to say, really focusing on my breath has been a life saver. Breath, music, and movement kept me going throughout an unmedicated birth (YES I'M BAD ASS), so I imagine those techniques could be helpful in other stressful situations! I only wish I discovered yoga during my application cycle.

 

Cheers, and congrats to all those who have heard good news! 

[fancypants09]

Agreed on the sentiments expressed regarding rejections---when I applied for jobs in my last year in law school and immediately after graduation in the economically amazing years of 2008-09, I received upwards of hundreds of rejections before landing at the job I had before I went into teaching. Not going to lie, rejections suck regardless of magnitude, but you learn to weather them better. I've always likened job search and the application process to dating: You're trying to figure out if you're a good fit with the other person. But at the end of the day, you want to be with the person who wants to be with you! 

Edited February 4, 2015 by fancypants09

[snyegurachka]

oh my oh my...who is the Berkeley Rhetoric admit? Or has it been posted already and I just missed it?

 

Whoever it is...congrats! I am impressed.

[jhefflol]

Same here. Should we be worried? There's only so much "distracting" I can do..

 

I'm not too worried, mostly because the programs that are notifying this early are programs to which I did not apply. Its too early to worry as far as I'm concerned!

[1Q84]

 I've always likened job search and the application process to dating: You're trying to figure out if you're a good fit with the other person. But at the end of the day, you want to be with the person who wants to be with you! 

 

Out of upvotes but I love this! I want to emblazon it above my desk or something.

 

(until I get to the point where I'm just wondering, "why doesn't Berkeley want to be with meeeee?" like a moonstruck teenager.)

[sillyrabbit]

"why doesn't Berkeley want to be with meeeee?" like a moonstruck teenager.)

 

I might have actually said these exact words today

[drownsoda]

I am so happy for the acceptances on here; I can't even imagine how great that must feel. You deserve it.

 

I still haven't heard anything back either, but I believe it's too early for any of my programs to start notifying (mid-February is when I'm expecting at least one response). In the meantime, I've been pacifying myself with endless bowls of Honey Bunches of Oats. Oh, and I bought a pair of Dr. Martens today, because, well, I gotta look fabulous, right? 

 

Alas, the waiting game is stressful, as everyone in my camp knows— "the unknown," or maybe I'll start referring to it as limbo since I was raised Catholic. Miraculously, I've actually been losing weight in spite of my cereal addiction. Maybe it's the fiber? 

 

Good vibes for everyone— try to stay healthy!

[Katla]

Congratulations to all you awesome new admits!    

 

 

(until I get to the point where I'm just wondering, "why doesn't Berkeley want to be with meeeee?" like a moonstruck teenager.)

 

At the moment I'm trying to shrug it off, but I have a feeling that teenage-territory is waiting for me around the corner. Still, I appreciate that instead of toying with my feelings and stringing me along with false hopes for months they gave me a quick death. I'd like to think this may help me move on faster...

Edited February 4, 2015 by Katla

[t1racyjacks]

Congratulations to all you awesome new admits!    

 

 

 

 

At the moment I'm trying to shrug it off, but I have a feeling that teenage-territory is waiting for me around the corner. Still, I appreciate that instead of toying with my feelings and stringing me along with false hopes for months they gave me a quick death. I'd like to think this may help me move on faster...

I agree with the r/s analogy. This is why I might choose to go to a less prestigious uni provided all things are equal -- you don't want the partner who has all the stats on paper but whom you like slightly less than the one you're crazy about (even if the one you're crazy about isn't as good on paper!). also like breakups I would rather they just tell me and 'give a quick death' as you say than wait. Here's to hoping that the UCB comp lit results mean that most other uni comp lit departments will release the news soon. I'm hoping that they do it before chinese new year.... (18th jan is cny eve)

Edited February 4, 2015 by t1racyjacks