Admissions anxiety: dreams/nightmares?

[Chiqui74]

A few nights ago I dreamed that I got into UPenn....and it was good!

[mkm2119]

I had a dream a couple of nights ago (after accepting an offer) that I showed up to orientation late just to find out that I missed an assignment. The professor then told me that I was holding up the entire class and that she hoped this wouldn't be indicative of my career there. 

 

Worst dream.

Edited February 18, 2015 by HighlyCaffeinated

[GhostsBeforeBreakfast]

I keep having acceptance dreams, which I find torturous.

[MathCat]

I had an extremely vivid dream that Berkeley updated my application status page to accepted. Every detail of the webpage was there, and it felt so real. Waking up sucked...

[RosyPosy68]

I had an interview last week for a Fulbright scholarship for a MSc in the UK, and three days before the interview (still hadn't heard back from the actual University about acceptance, either, but had already been planning a master's thesis with my PI) I had this dream:

 

I had already had the interview, and in order to find out about whether or not I got the Fulbright, I had to fly out to England for a meeting with my PI. I got into this huge laboratory room with really bright lights and sat down at a table with a stack of folders in front of me. My PI quickly pulled the papers away from me like she was hiding them. Then she said "Well... you had one of the best interviews we've ever heard. Seriously, you should hear the other people I've talked to." I was so excited, waiting for her to tell me I got the scholarship.  Then she said "However, I gave your application to the head of our department, and he says that everything you say in your PS goes against everything this department stands for (what?! I'm still not sure how this makes sense). We could NEVER give you a Fulbright. How could you use profanity in this statement (once again...WHAT?!)...so incredibly unprofessional. In fact, don't even bother to apply to the master's here. You made a TERRIBLE impression."

 

I was so spooked by that dream that I couldn't even make myself prepare for my interview anymore.  I woke up crying, and I was irritable with my SO all day because I was so  upset.  Fortunately I got my acceptance letter from the University the day before the Fulbright interview, or I swear, I would've still been too dejected to function.  What a mess!

[Shamrock_Frog]

I dreamed I got accepted to <first choice>. So of course I checked my email right away. Even though it's Saturday.

[HashtagKitKat]

I had a dream the day after I got home from a school visit: I stayed at the school for a couple days to have my own follow-up interviews with profs where I was uncertain how the interview went. I got an offer of admission.

 

I woke up when I tried to call my parents to tell them. I was in bed, saw my phone in my hand and thought to myself, "it's 8am and you haven't checked your email yet. what are you doing? what if you didn't actually get in?" I put my phone down and checked my email, it's Sunday, of course there's nothing yet.

[hyronomus4]

I keep having acceptance dreams, which I find torturous.

Me too!  I would have thought rejection dreams would be the worst but at least with those you wake up and realize you're wrong. 

[ssynny]

I had an acceptance dream last night. In my dream, I woke up, saw the email and was so excited. I laid back in bed and closed my eyes to make sure it was real. When I opened them again, I checked my phone and couldn't find the email anymore. Then I realized that it was a dream and that I was now back in reality. 

[PurpleZephyr]

Last night (after being rejected by Berkeley), I dreamed that Stanford had excepted me. The funny thing was, I couldn't find the strength to wake up. My subconscious was arguing with reality, and I knew that I had not received any notification from Stanford of an acceptance, let alone any interest, but I couldn't move my body. My subconscious wanted me to enjoy the dream.

Annnnnnnnd now its Thursday! Sigh.

[thepinkdragon76]

I had a dream that I got pregnant and had to choose between having a baby and going to grad school...

That dream wasn't a dream for me in 2007. Of course I had been trying to get pregnant and when my husband was set to deploy and we thought we missed out chance; I started the MSW application process back then. Of course, just when everything was getting under way, I discovered two weeks later that I was indeed, pregnant. Now my son turns 7 next month and I'm waiting for my dream last night to come true, that I get accepted into the only program I applied to.

[thepinkdragon76]

I have this too! And in the dream, I'm stunned and dismayed that I either willfully chose to neglect an entire class or totally forgot it existed -- but it's always too late to do anything about it!

My nightmares always have me having to go back to high school as an older adult because I missed some crucial class and didnt actually graduate, even though I already have a BA. Our minds really do a number on us when stressed!

[Glitter1nTheAir]

That dream wasn't a dream for me in 2007. Of course I had been trying to get pregnant and when my husband was set to deploy and we thought we missed out chance; I started the MSW application process back then. Of course, just when everything was getting under way, I discovered two weeks later that I was indeed, pregnant. Now my son turns 7 next month and I'm waiting for my dream last night to come true, that I get accepted into the only program I applied to.

Oh wow.. GOOD LUCK

 

Last night I had a crazy dream that involved me registering for all the wrong classes for my first quarter at grad school.

[MidwesternAloha]

Oh wow.. GOOD LUCK

 

Last night I had a crazy dream that involved me registering for all the wrong classes for my first quarter at grad school.

I'm just curious because I don't know much about grad school and curricula outside my field - what types of classes do you have to take? Is it not a standard regimen? In my discipline, you just take a specialized Cancer Bio 1-4 with everywhere else matriculating in the program, and maybe some electives later on. I'm genuinely interested in learning how other schools and fields do it.

[scarvesandcardigans]

I had a very realistic dream the other night about getting an interview letter from my top choice school. However, during the dream I had a faint knowledge that it was JUST a dream (people who are no longer in my life made appearances, I was hanging out at a biker bar, the email was written in Comic Sans font and looked like it was sent in 1996, etc.) However when I woke up I was so desperately hoping that it was real.... :/ 

[Kloppo]

Just had a dream (at noon) where I was applying for a research scholarship and was very confident of getting it in order to boost my application...Suffice to say, like all dreams with such happy ending in sight, it got interrupted by a call from my boss.

I just...

I can't even...

[ineedwine]

I had a dream I was accepted to Oregon, my absolute dream school, but the funding was unacceptable. Like $2,000 a year. I was so upset.

[FoggyAnhinga]

Had a dream that I received an unofficial acceptance phone call from my POI from my dream school after an interview. Gosh, what an amazing dream (it was crazily vivid too!). Only to realize that it was only 4am and I was still in bed after opening my eyes, ugh (I do remember opening my eyes very reluctantly lol).

[plui92]

I had a dream that I got accepted into the top three schools of my choice and I couldn't make a decision between two of them... woke up feeling pretty frustrated/ angry realizing it was only a dream and that acceptances (or rejections) had not come in for me yet   This was right before another interview I had and my boyfriend ended up laughing quite a bit at me. 

[Amayan]

I had a dream that the programs I applied to did a google search and somehow found ALL the fanfiction I wrote as a teenager.  Including the one I never even put online where Amelia Bedelia falls in love with Annie Lennox and remixes her Diva album from 92.

 

Then dream-me got a full ride to Madison.

[Glitter1nTheAir]

I'm just curious because I don't know much about grad school and curricula outside my field - what types of classes do you have to take? Is it not a standard regimen? In my discipline, you just take a specialized Cancer Bio 1-4 with everywhere else matriculating in the program, and maybe some electives later on. I'm genuinely interested in learning how other schools and fields do it.

 

For my program, you get a prescribed set of core courses for your first quarter. Starting in the second quarter, you can mix in electives in your area(s) of specialization with your core courses.

In my dream, I signed up for all electives my first quarter haha

[caltecher]

About 3 weeks after I submitted my applications (around Christmas time), I had the most terrible dream.

 

I dreamed that I got an email from MIT, telling me that I was one of the best applicants they had ever seen, and while they usually don't do this, they were going to offer me admission ahead of everybody else in the pack because my app was so good. I was ecstatic. Then dream me goes... wait a minute. My GPA was shit. I'm super unlikely to have actually gotten this feedback. At this point I realize I'm dreaming, so I wake up....

 

And of course I immediately check my email. There's an email from MIT Graduate Admissions in my inbox. Sitting in bed, my heart pounding, I open it and read it. It said something along the lines of they don't usually do this, but since I was one of the most un-qualified and terrible applicants they'd ever seen, they were sending me my rejection now so that I don't hold on hope. I start crying, would they really think /that/ poorly of me? My application wasn't that bad! Then, somehow, I realize that even if they thought this, they wouldn't put it in an email like this, it's far too non-diplomatic. At this point, I realize I'm still dreaming, so I wake up.... 

 

For real this time. I check my email again: nothing (of course not, it's the winter hols, nobody is going to be making admissions decisions now). I lay back in bed, completely and thoroughly mentally exhausted from my imaginary ordeal, and it's just 8am.

 

Who knows, maybe I'm still asleep, and the (much nicer) rejection I got from MIT 2 weeks ago is just a dream?

[zadigblue]

I had a dream two nights ago that I opened my spam inbox and found all these emails from one of the schools I was admitted to (but haven't accepted or declined the offer yet) asking me why I hadn't responded and getting more and more aggressive with each email until it culminated in an ultimatum that I needed to respond within 24 hours or lose my admission status... dated two days prior. I woke up with my heart racing.

 

And now I'm obsessively checking my spam filters.