The Next Step

[Aurora12]

Right! so first posted this on the results' page (got deleted) then found my way here and again ended up posting it under the wrong subforum (somewhere one is allowed to post only about technical issues ) So this is my third attempt getting this post out (who knows if this the right place)... Person/s reading it (if any) here's what I wrote 

So application season is almost over, next will come the paperwork (a bucket load for the international students), followed by a little more paperwork and hopefully few weeks of summer respite. However, this will only be for a select few, and my heartiest congratulations to them ! Now coming to the disadvantaged lot like myself, hanging by a thread (literally!), praying on our knees that enough people backout and we make out of those infinitely long waiting lists ( with no clue as to where we stand) or begging for a miracle from those one or two schools we have not heard from -- the realist in us says that its an implicit rejection (which is most likely the case), however the hopeless romantic grabs on to that shred of hope. Right! so coming to what this post is really about.... Its time I (and many others like me ) start looking at the practical picture, weighing our options start thinking about "our next step". Now I am an econ undergrad still in the final semester (and believe me I am not able to pay ANY attention!!)... So I applied for a couple of Master's and PhDs in the Sates and 2 in the Netherlands ( 10 apps in total... less right!). Got accepted to all the Master's but without a penny of funding and a PhD (USA) w/o funding and one more PhDs still waiting to hear from ( we all know what its going to be ). So this post is to seek advice from all you guys and girls out there what should I do ? Also how many are considering dropping the PhD dream and going for a job or something like that ...(no judgments)

[fuzzylogician]

Can't tell you what to do, but if it were me I would not consider an unfunded degree. I would reevaluate my goals. If an advanced degree is required to achieve those goals, then I'd try again. It'd be important to get some feedback on your application to understand why you weren't successful this time. It may be that you are a strong applicant but you're just below where the really successful applicants are and you were just out of luck. Or you may have been uncompetitive in several or many of your applications. Knowing that changes the game plan somewhat -- is it insufficient experience? LORs that aren't strong enough? a weak SOP? schools that weren't a good fit? low scores? something else? You would choose to pay attention to different components of the application based on the answers to those questions. Once you know where you need to focus your attention, you do that. You may be able to get a job that is relevant to your interests, or just one that pays the bills. Either way, you start there*, and you work out a game plan for re-applying (or for moving on, if you decide that actually there is something else that you could do that would make you happy that is not grad school -- a totally valid choice!). 

*Also, a valid early step: be upset at this year's outcome. This is legitimate and needs to happen. You can afford to take some time to work through your feelings about this year before you put it behind you. It sucks to get rejected, regardless of the reasons for the rejection.