FoggyAnhinga Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 I can't sleep. As much as I try to take my mind off of applications, they're really all I think about. I keep checking my email, junk mail, and gradcafe to see if anyone's heard from the same schools. THIS IS TORTURE. Same here! Some of my POIs have been taking up to a week to get back to my emails, so sometimes I've been calculating the average time it takes for them to respond haha. Three of my schools had mid-January deadlines so I don't expect to hear from them anytime soon until mid-February or even early March at the earliest lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
braindump Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 My day usually goes like this: Go to lab > check GradCafe/Results page (20 mins) > misc. online procrastination (10 mins) > Ok time to do work (10 mins later) check GradCafe/Results page (20 mins) > misc. online procrastination (10 mins) > Ok time to do work repeat until 5.30 PM. ...You get the idea. :/ Lol.. this is me, too. Except I realized how time consuming it was so I just installed a Chrome extension that notifies me every time a results page gets updated for one of my programs. Now I just refresh that obsessively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busybeinganxious Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 I keep checking my application status page. They all still say "Submitted." I've started wondering if they keep track of how many times I check to see if my status has changed. Rejected due to overzealous webpage checking? ilnomedellarosa and Mrs. C 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grad_wannabe Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Lol.. this is me, too. Except I realized how time consuming it was so I just installed a Chrome extension that notifies me every time a results page gets updated for one of my programs. Now I just refresh that obsessively. Can you walk us through how you do this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
braindump Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Can you walk us through how you do this? Sure! I just downloaded "Page Monitor" for Chrome (there might be a better one, but it's the first extension I tried and it works fine). I'm sure there's similar apps for other browsers. Then I go to the Results Search page and search for the keywords I'd normally search for when checking updates (for instance, "BME," or "biomedical engineering," or "bioengineering") and then I click the app icon in the top right of the browser and hit "Monitor This Page." I go through and do this for each of the schools I check up on (so, "Texas biomedical engineering," etc.) and keywords I normally monitor. Then, a couple times a day (let's be honest.. a million times a day) I just click the icon and hit "Check All Now" and it tells me which, if any, results pages update (you can click to see the highlighted changes). Now I can worry obsessively AND time efficiently! Gvh, -hermes-, MattNazario and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopeful21 Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 I just tried to 'vote up' some of your comments one-too-many times it seems. Grad cafe said that I've 'reached the limit of positive vibes you can give out' today. How depressing. Even the forum thinks that we should be miserable while we're waiting! jamesy1116, GhostsBeforeBreakfast, Mrs. C and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsgriffey Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I've been mountain biking and surfing a lot. Nothing like getting exercise in the beautiful outdoors! Also, trying to find work (I'm in a gap year) that will take me knowing that I'll only be here until August. Hard to find a decent temp job; had one at a law firm when I graduated that was awful! I'm also trying to avoid checking my email too much and researching the cities that I may move too - makes me way too excited and impatient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolZero Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I have more applications to do and the anxiety of submitting them keeps me away from refreshing the results page on gradcafe. Although this is another kind of anxiety I definitely prefer it to obsessive email checking. But every time any one of my friends tells me about the update on his/her application I get anxious because I have not heard anything from any one of my applied universities yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoggyAnhinga Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 For last night at least I tried watching The State of the Union address to distract myself away from this waiting anxiety, but no, before I knew it, I was back online, checking my email constantly and checking everything thoroughly (through spam folders, etc), lol. Also re-watching Breaking Bad isn't a bad way to distract yourself from the waiting game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
braindump Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 My goal today is to not talk about graduate school.. is anyone else having that problem? Lol, just saying it makes me feel crazy. My boyfriend has been incredibly supportive and has yet to show any sign of "god when will she shut up about graduate school," but there's no way he isn't sick of it by now so I'm trying to give him a break. We live together and I don't really have much to distract myself with (it's so easy to procrastinate on this forum when you only have two classes), plus almost none of my friends are going through the process (or just plain don't care). It's just so hard not to talk about it when it's all I'm thinking about! I'm sure sitting on thegradcafe and googling cities I don't even live in yet isn't helping.. but not having anyone else to talk (read: obsess) with kind of sucks. Maybe I should take up knitting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostsBeforeBreakfast Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I started playing violin again; it's not really helping. I'm also in this weird position where I'm too bull-headed to apply to jobs outside my field, like Whole Foods or something, but can't really apply to any actual jobs in my field because I don't want to be a dick and only work there for a few months because I have no idea what city I'll be in come August. Of course, I'm going to have to figure out something soon because I can't just live off savings from now until then. cbspot 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busybeinganxious Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Maybe I should take up knitting. I signed up for a swim class...I'm pretty unfit and thought it would prove to be a distraction. Now I just hurt as I click refresh. juiceboxrampage, Gvh, Biohacker and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChineseAmigo Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Checking my email every 10min is not helping me to deal with my anxiety Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-hermes- Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 I signed up for a swim class...I'm pretty unfit and thought it would prove to be a distraction. Now I just hurt as I click refresh. Switched from the mobile version to the full site just so I could upvote you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianocognition Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Maybe I should take up knitting. https://www.yahoo.com/makers/ditch-the-prozac-take-up-crafting-108671160605.html This article specifically talks about how knitting is good for mental health. That explains why I have taken up knitting again during this waiting period! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesy1116 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 I've pretty much convinced myself I'm not getting in anywhere, and all my deadlines were in January and some haven't even passed yet. This is what it's come to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 January needs to hurry up and end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theory411 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 January needs to hurry up and end. I agree with you jamesy1116 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-hermes- Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Sure! I just downloaded "Page Monitor" for Chrome (there might be a better one, but it's the first extension I tried and it works fine). I'm sure there's similar apps for other browsers. Then I go to the Results Search page and search for the keywords I'd normally search for when checking updates (for instance, "BME," or "biomedical engineering," or "bioengineering") and then I click the app icon in the top right of the browser and hit "Monitor This Page." I go through and do this for each of the schools I check up on (so, "Texas biomedical engineering," etc.) and keywords I normally monitor. Then, a couple times a day (let's be honest.. a million times a day) I just click the icon and hit "Check All Now" and it tells me which, if any, results pages update (you can click to see the highlighted changes). Now I can worry obsessively AND time efficiently! Thanks for this! Hopefully it'll save me a few shreds of sanity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
braindump Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Thanks for this! Hopefully it'll save me a few shreds of sanity! Actually.. being able to do check results so quickly and so easily (and therefore, so often!!) is making me feel even crazier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uselesstheory Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I'm getting more involved with volunteer work (keeping my eye on a positive trajectory forward when everything else feels as if it's in limbo is helpful) and seem to be drawn toward repetitive kids' video games. It's almost like meditation, but with annoying background music. I guess it helps me take my mind off of my future/grad committee decisions, at least temporarily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octoberstormxx Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I'm not coping well with my anxiety and depression right now due to the stress of waiting. I have terrible insomnia and am desperate to just sleep. Not sure if the waiting has affected anyone else physically. I applied to schools that reject a lot and am feeling terrified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Uhh, I'm dealing with a school that has not received my transcript yet. I pray that it gets there by early next week tops. Anyone else in the same boat? This was also the only program that required my university to mail in the transcript instead of uploading it electronically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujubea Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Uhh, I'm dealing with a school that has not received my transcript yet. I pray that it gets there by early next week tops. Anyone else in the same boat? This was also the only program that required my university to mail in the transcript instead of uploading it electronically. Two of my schools received my transcript, but can't see the "degree conferred" anywhere.... So I have to resend, and in one case, I'm overnighting another copy for a program who WOULD have been sending out decisions possibly as early as next week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-hermes- Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Actually.. being able to do check results so quickly and so easily (and therefore, so often!!) is making me feel even crazier! I actually set Page Monitor to perform checks regularly in the background, and to display an alert and play a sound if there's anything new. Might help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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