A couple rejections and nothing else?

[katpillow]

1 hour ago, kseeful said:

Not sure, but I've got some travelling musical friends based out of San Miguel de Allende that I would likely follow around
AK would be somewhere I've lived before. If I get rejected (or maybe even if I accepted??), I'm leaning toward the new experience.

Agreeeeeed. Life as a PhD candidate might be challenging, but I'd rather be challenged than aimless (and harshly reminded of my own overestimation of my abilities/potential) any day.

Dude. I hate "you'll get in". So. Much. .....great, so now all my friends and family think I'm just being humble but they might be about to realize that I actually am underqualified, over-reaching and not as smart as they think I am. (Oh my god, sorry. That was a lot of anxiety in one sentence. I need to go find a puppy to pet.)

 

Maybe I should sign off the Grad Cafe for the next 15 days or so?! Stop willfully riddling myself with anxiety?? 

I agree with the "you'll get in" bit. But don't let an unsuccessful cycle get you down. It doesn't mean anything about whether you are qualified. It's just the shitty reality that shooting this high is bound to produce some dud attempts. You wouldn't be taking this shot unless you have the right stuff- and in many ways it's the heart that matters here. Keep your chin up, and if you really want to pursue this path, don't let some failures stop you. Reassess, reforge, and reattempt. Ultimately, this is going to be an experience about creating better you. You're going to have to break yourself up a bit first.

[Ilikekitties]

Checked one of my online apps and I got rejected to another place

[Ilikekitties]

Ditto on the "oh, you're going to get in!" and "Actually...I might not." All of a sudden this is being humble? This is the reality for a lot of applicants and it's looking more and more like that for me as time goes on.

[burcet]

27 minutes ago, Peanut said:

Ditto on the "oh, you're going to get in!" and "Actually...I might not." All of a sudden this is being humble? This is the reality for a lot of applicants and it's looking more and more like that for me as time goes on.

dont worry, i think i already got rejected by 5 and will get another rejection from northwestern. so that will be a rejection from everywhere i applied to oh well, time to look at masters programs or try to submit a better application next year. tbh i also applied to places like yale which i wouldnt do again. just no chance.

[yayspace]

7 hours ago, kseeful said:

 

Maybe I should sign off the Grad Cafe for the next 15 days or so?! Stop willfully riddling myself with anxiety?? 

I've been thinking the same thing!!

[Ilikekitties]

Why is anthropology in particular competitive?

 

Also, it's SUPER hard not to compare myself to my peers who are getting into awesome places. One of my peers got into the anthro PhD program at Brown and I envy her.

Edited March 6, 2016 by Peanut

[Ilikekitties]

That's not what I meant! I think you're right. Whatever happens will happen for a reason. That's how I'm trying to think about it. There's a crap ton of reasons why I could have been rejected. My top choice program isn't taking cultural apps for this year, so I retracted my app there. Maybe next year will be a lucky year!

[ChrisTOEFert]

On 3/4/2016 at 2:27 PM, charlemagne88 said:

I'm in the same boat there Patti. Now all my family members keep calling and asking if i've heard anything yet. I'm feeling pretty ashamed everytime they call and I have a new rejection to tell them about. I get why getting into grad school is so hard/competitive, but sometimes I just wish they admitted everybody. 

 

BTW, not to be a D**k or anything, but that Chris guy can't really know what it's like for us peons that only have rejections and no acceptance letters yet. -I mean, our entire futures are riding on the whim of several committee members whom we've never even met. The stress is immense and people like Chris who already have 7 yeses sitting on their high horse saying grad school isn't as great as it's cut out to be make me sick. I know you're just trying to make us feel better, but it doesn't really help. Just makes me realize that there are people out there who are already lucky enough to have heard back from their programs, which makes me sweat that much more. 

First, if they admitted everybody, the degree would be worthless, so we wouldn't be in this boat to begin with because nobody would shoot for this.  Second, I am not "sitting on my high horse", I'm trying to give you some advice on what to do to improve your application.  Yes grad school sucks and is hard, but it wouldn't be worth it if it wasn't, would it?  So all that aside about it being a suck on your psyche, I'll move on.  I may have 4 acceptances, so far 4/4, but there is a reason I have that many.  No, I'm not some rockstar candidate with perfect GREs, perfect 4.0, external funding from 3 places, etc. etc.  If you have followed the thread you would realize I was rejected across the board in my first master's attempt.  I was 0/3, and even got rejected from my undergrad institution by MY OWN UNDERGRAD THESIS ADVISOR!!  I saw that my application was weak and I actively worked to change it to make it better.  

What I am trying to do is give you an idea on how to improve your applications for next year.  If you got rejected all around, you are, and to put it as bluntly as possible, not a competitive candidate.  Period.  That doesn't mean your research sucks, or you're not cut out to be a grad student, or your project is worthless.  It just is a weak application.  While it could be that all the POIs who do what you're interested in aren't taking students this year.  Maybe they thought they were going to have an opening (i.e. a PhD student of theirs is finally graduating and then BOOM, they hit a snag in their research or their SO dies and they need to take a leave for a couple of months which means they are still on the advisor's payroll for another year).  It's just there is so much OUTSIDE of your control, so why worry about it?  So focus on the things THAT YOU CAN AND DO HAVE CONTROL OVER.  Such as your SOP or GRE scores, to name a few.  I know when I got rejected all around my SOP sucked.  It was vague, lacked focus, and probably showed the adcoms that I was not capable of completing the research I was interested in within the 2 year Master's time frame, so why should they pay me if there is going to be no breakthrough or insight?  

IF YOU GET REJECTED ALL AROUND, CHANGE SOMETHING.  Make it better.  Don't just throw your hands in the air and say I did the best I can and then re-apply the next season with the exact same project, marks, and scores, as the end result is likely going to be the same.  While the scenario I talked about above (advisor thinking they had room and then suddenly at the last minute, 45 seconds before they are going to start reviewing applications their PhD student says they need one more year), is very rare, it does happen.  But chances are if you aren't getting in anywhere there is a reason.  And yes, I know grad school is competitive, 1-2% blah blah blah.  Still, why settle when research is always being pushed forward?  Push your application to be the best it can be.  Yes, our entire futures are riding on people we have never met, but I hate to break it to you, that's how the world works.  You don't hear the people getting in making that excuse.  "Oh I just wish they could meet me and then I would be in."  If "paper you" doesn't adequately explain why you are the best candidate of all the candidates, then you have a weak application.  Change it.  Make it stronger.   

I'll use myself as an example because why not, and I don't know any of you or your situations.  0/3 in Master's first try.  So what did I do?  I volunteered at an archaeology lab to show them my extra curricular activities were also my work passion.  I took some extra credits at my undergraduate university to boost my GPA because my major GPA was fine (A- average) but my cumulative GPA was lower than I would have liked (B average), so I changed it, I strengthened my GPA.  I started working on my SOP months ahead of time to make sure I knew everything about my topic of interest and I could show 1) what my project was, clearly and strongly, 2) the steps I was going to take to successfully complete it, and 3) why the project was important to the field of anthropology and archaeology.  Round 2 I was 3/5 and still rejected from my undergraduate school and undergrad thesis advisor.  I obviously took one of those other positions and am almost done my thesis for my Master's, but I still wasn't happy completely with where I was in my academic career.  So I did what I had to do.  I volunteered at a lab closely aligned with my interests, I'm taking online courses, I'm taking graduate level courses that are outside of my discipline that are allowing me to grow my interests and apply new concepts to my research interests, I am going to conferences, I am actively engaging with the public by joining societies aligned with my interests and even those outside of it because I know it will help me grow as a person, I am seeking out research collaborations with the top minds in my field because their research actually interests me.  

That is how I got 4/4 and accepted into the best Ancient DNA facility in the entire world without having to worry.  It wasn't because I was sitting smugly in my room and given the world on a silver platter.  I worked my god-damn ass off to be where I am today and I am sick of the jealousy and venom this forum spits every time someone else gets in somewhere while they are still in the dark or a person in their program got into a top school and they didn't.  Stop moaning about it and fix it. Change yourself for the better and be the person who gets into a Top 5 program with a full ride with that rockstar POI and amazing lab.  Or just be complacent and have the same result year after year after year and say to yourself "If only the adcoms could meet me, my application doesn't do me justice, I'm so nice, I deserve a PhD and so does everybody who applies."

Good luck with everything.

Edited March 6, 2016 by ChrisTOEFert

[COGSCI]

Although ChrisTOEFert's comment is definitely not warm and fuzzy, he made some good points. If you do get rejected all around this cycle, it is time for you to re-examine your application and work on yourself. Even if you have 4.0 and perfect GRE scores, you might be lacking research experience. Even if you have 4 years of research experience, you might be lacking publications. One thing I realized is that there is always someone better than you in academia. SO WE MUST WORK HARD (till we get that tenured professorship LOL)!! Also, your life DOES NOT depend on grad school because school is not everything. There is a life outside of academia, seriously.

Waiting sucks, especially when you just have bunch of rejections in your hands. BUT that acceptance email/letter feels that much sweeter when you finally get it  

[left_write]

"IF YOU GET REJECTED ALL AROUND, CHANGE SOMETHING.  Make it better.  Don't just throw your hands in the air and say I did the best I can and then re-apply the next season with the exact same project, marks, and scores, as the end result is likely going to be the same."

**sprints toward the door, trips over garbage can, barks both shins on lab table, gets back on feet, begins running again, makes it out of door into cold, night air: screams**  

EUREKA!!

Pure genius.

(PS) stop humblebragging, you're making everyone's eyes roll 

[Ilikekitties]

Just because we don't get in anywhere doesn't mean that we are not competitive. I've been told by numerous faculty that I am competitive.

[NikeGolfer]

10 hours ago, left_write said:

"IF YOU GET REJECTED ALL AROUND, CHANGE SOMETHING.  Make it better.  Don't just throw your hands in the air and say I did the best I can and then re-apply the next season with the exact same project, marks, and scores, as the end result is likely going to be the same."

**sprints toward the door, trips over garbage can, barks both shins on lab table, gets back on feet, begins running again, makes it out of door into cold, night air: screams**  

EUREKA!!

Pure genius.

(PS) stop humblebragging, you're making everyone's eyes roll 

Yeah that is exactly what he/she is doing.....typical response from this forum.  I've been a lurker for 2 years and finally made an account.  Ignore the albeit non-sugar coated advice about changing your application for the better because it made you realize that there may be somebody out there who knew what they wanted and did all thhey could to make it so they got there.  I for one, along with the others apparently, think it is decent advice.

20 minutes ago, Peanut said:

Just because we don't get in anywhere doesn't mean that we are not competitive. I've been told by numerous faculty that I am competitive.

I was told that too...but only 1 accept to my home school makes me think otherwise!  I've got 6 rejections sitting in my inbox all from equally-ranked schools to my home school, which is admittedly not high on the list.  But I can't afford to get my hopes up too high since I'm on the fence about whether grad school is for me.

[Ilikekitties]

I would say that if your profs think that you are competitive, then you are.

[left_write]

40 minutes ago, NikeGolfer said:

I for one, along with the others apparently, think it is decent advice.

 

To make your application better? Errrm . . . don't you think that's a bit obvious? That was my point. My snark was aimed at Chris's use of his "advice" as a launchpad for an enormous tome of humblebrag.  To wit --> "I may have 4 acceptances, so far 4/4, but there is a reason I have that many." <-- so gross, right there

[Ilikekitties]

Exactly! 

[katpillow]

1 hour ago, left_write said:

To make your application better? Errrm . . . don't you think that's a bit obvious? That was my point. My snark was aimed at Chris's use of his "advice" as a launchpad for an enormous tome of humblebrag.  To wit --> "I may have 4 acceptances, so far 4/4, but there is a reason I have that many." <-- so gross, right there

He certainly could have chosen a better voice to express his point. Mentioning stuff like the acceptances in the same breath as the advice just makes the whole thing a little more condescending. I'm happy for him and hope that he's successful with whichever acceptance he takes- he, just as anyone here who pursues a PhD or masters has earned their way. I get that he's not sugar coating the advice, nor does he have to. Benefit of the forum is that we're able to rock our opinions as we see fit. But if he or anyone else here things that a healthy dose of harshness or "reality" as I've come to know it- people need to get over themselves. This process is hard enough on people who are putting a fair bit of effort into it. They don't need to be reminded even further.

Negative reinforcement is never as good as positive. Sure, they may not get into any programs, but I think that in itself is all that's necessary for them to step back and say "hey, where can I improve this?", even if it takes them a little time to get to that mode of thought. And if someone does return to the process without trying to do anything, and then gets rejected again- who cares? Sure, they may complain, but that is ultimately their problem. I doubt that someone who can't work on improving themselves (even if there is nothing to improve, which has been never been the case in the history of humanity) is cut out for grad work as it is. Especially a PhD.

Just by the sheer fact that many programs accept 10% or less on a yearly basis, with hundreds of applicants (many of which probably overlap at the same schools), it should be expected that profs are going to aim at acquiring the same general 10% as their competitors, leaving many people in the dust. And many of them, not necessarily all of them, are qualified. So if you think that using a non-sugar coated opinion to tell other people who supposedly haven't worked their asses off to apply to grad school is justified because you did so and it worked out for you... get off your high horse. Encourage people, don't step on top of them. Everyone will be better for it.

edit: @ChrisTOEFert I get where your frustration on this comes from, too. There are plenty of people, especially in the results, who say "I don't get it- I was PERFECT and they rejected ME!" Don't forget that many of these applicants are probably people who have never been rejected once in their life, or who have been perhaps fairly sheltered, or maybe they are just trying to find a way to vent their frustration. Be bigger than that and just let their whinings go. I should probably get off my own high horse at this point. I'm not a fan of telling others how to live their lives. I just don't want the good in your message to be clouded by things that may rub others the wrong way.

Edited March 7, 2016 by katpillow

[Ilikekitties]

Yes. This.

[TakeruK]

I want to add a few things:

1. Maybe it does vary from field to field, but when people in my field (whether it's grad students, postdocs, or faculty member) says that a person is "competitive" for something, it doesn't mean that they have a good chance of winning that thing. For most people, when we say "competitive", it means that it is worth your time and money to apply for it. I would say that if something has a 10% selection rate, I would call everyone in the top 30% "competitive". Note that this means a lot more "competitive" people get rejected than accepted. 

2. Grad school admissions are not just a function of how competitive you are or how qualified you are. They don't just set a qualification threshold and take people above that. They don't just rank people by competitiveness and take the top chunk. There are tons of unknown factors and factors you cannot control that goes into the decision making process. For example, there may be extra funding for subfield X in one year, so they take more students in subfield X. This means that if the top 5 students applying are in Subfield Y but they only have 2 spots for Subfield Y, then maybe only students ranked #1 and #2 would get in, students ranked #3-#5 would get rejected, but students ranked #6 or below might still get in because they are meeting other needs. Competitiveness is just one factor in admissions.

3. Profs tend to be encouraging and will generally overstate how good you are. Part of it is because a lot of people don't like saying bad things to their students. But another reason is that overstating your value does a lot less harm than understating your value. No professor wants to be the prof that said a negative thing and discouraged an otherwise good applicant from applying. If they say great things about you to you and you don't get in, well that sucks but it's not as bad as you passing up on an opportunity that would have been great for you had you not been discouraged. I do this too---for the undergrads I've supervised, if they ask if they have a chance at X, I always phrase it in the positive.

4. To the statements that "if you don't change your application, the results won't change", I have to both agree and disagree. I'll start with agreement here: Overall, the competitiveness of the applicant pool does not change very much from year to year. So, if you are approximately in the 80th percentile of applicants this year, you will probably be similarly ranked next year. In addition, if you reapply to the same school with the same profile, you will probably get a similar result.

5. However, I disagree that all your results will be the same if you reapplied with the same profile. Again, maybe this varies from field to field, but a lot of factors that you cannot control (see #2 above). I've noticed this with my program admissions as well. In some years, we make 8-10 offers. In other years, we've only made 4 offers (especially after a big government funding cut). This means it's likely that a student who got accepted in the year with 8-10 offers might not have been accepted in the year with 4 offers (or vice-versa, a student that got rejected in the year with 4 offers might get accepted if they reapplied in a year with 8-10 offers). Also, it feels like we tend to accept students with a certain goal each year (e.g. one prof needs more students, or we want to expand a subfield). So, if you happen to be applying in the subfield we're not looking for, you have to be extra good to be accepted. 

[yayspace]

14 hours ago, left_write said:

"IF YOU GET REJECTED ALL AROUND, CHANGE SOMETHING.  Make it better.  Don't just throw your hands in the air and say I did the best I can and then re-apply the next season with the exact same project, marks, and scores, as the end result is likely going to be the same."

**sprints toward the door, trips over garbage can, barks both shins on lab table, gets back on feet, begins running again, makes it out of door into cold, night air: screams**  

EUREKA!!

Pure genius.

(PS) stop humblebragging, you're making everyone's eyes roll 

LOL

This is great. 

[Ilikekitties]

I got into a Master's in anthropology program with partial funding!

[reddog]

4 minutes ago, Peanut said:

I got into a Master's in anthropology program with partial funding!

I was just lurking on this thread with a bag of popcorn in hand but, congratulations!!! I am very happy for you

[Ilikekitties]

lol thanks! I'm sooooo happy because I didn't think that I was gonna get in anywhere. Maybe my dream to live in a city will come true!

Edited March 10, 2016 by Peanut

[ChrisTOEFert]

31 minutes ago, Peanut said:

I got into a Master's in anthropology program with partial funding!

Congratulations!  What school and for what project?

[Ilikekitties]

The New School for Social Research - the letter didn't say anything about who I'd be working with, but I hope to work with Hugh Raffles on human-animal stuff.

[vandemataram]

Maybe we can turn this thread around? 

I definitely feel like I'm coming in 2nd place a lot. I applied to 6 programs and have heard from 5 of them...1 rejection, 2 waitlists, and 2 master's acceptances (applied for Ph.D.)

I know I should be proud/happy that they haven't all been rejections, and I should stay hopeful about the waitlists, but it's getting harder to stay positive. My fingers are crossed so tightly that the last school, or one of the waitlists, comes through! And ideally soon...I thought the wait from December to February was more than I could handle, so looking at another month (or more) is pretty daunting.

Sending good vibes to everyone else stuck in limbo!!!