Fall 2017 Applicants

[Dr. Old Bill]

9 minutes ago, Warelin said:

According to the results page from 2013 (last presidential year), Jan 24th was the earliest OSU accepted. But anything can happen.

Please save me.

Not to get all forensic, but January 24th was a Wednesday in 2013, while January 20th (the main acceptance day) was a Wednesday last year...and January 20th was a Tuesday in 2015. So if past results are any guide, then it's probably more likely that we'll hear from OSU mid-week.

But a science, this ain't. Reading tea leaves or animal bones might be just as fruitful.

[anxiousphd]

18 minutes ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

Not to get all forensic, but January 24th was a Wednesday in 2013, while January 20th (the main acceptance day) was a Wednesday last year...and January 20th was a Tuesday in 2015. So if past results are any guide, then it's probably more likely that we'll hear from OSU mid-week.

But a science, this ain't. Reading tea leaves or animal bones might be just as fruitful.

I'm not sure if this is reassuring, or just prolonging our worries. 

 

Regardless, best of luck to you, Warelin, and all other OSU applicants. I'd love for us all to get in and have a wonderful GradCafe cohort.

[angel_kaye13]

23 minutes ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

Not to get all forensic, but January 24th was a Wednesday in 2013, while January 20th (the main acceptance day) was a Wednesday last year...and January 20th was a Tuesday in 2015. So if past results are any guide, then it's probably more likely that we'll hear from OSU mid-week.

While today is my hope, I plotted out projected dates against past days-of-the-week, a couple weeks ago (because I'm dorky), so this exact thing has been in the upper-right of my brain, encouraging me to wait.

I'll still hope for today, but...eh. We'll all know soon enough.

[Dr. Old Bill]

11 minutes ago, anxiousgrad said:

Regardless, best of luck to you, Warelin, and all other OSU applicants. I'd love for us all to get in and have a wonderful GradCafe cohort.

Thanks...and you as well! A GC cohort would be amazing.

6 minutes ago, angel_kaye13 said:

While today is my hope, I plotted out projected dates against past days-of-the-week, a couple weeks ago (because I'm dorky), so this exact thing has been in the upper-right of my brain, encouraging me to wait.

I'll still hope for today, but...eh. We'll all know soon enough.

I'm rather surprised that I didn't do this earlier myself! I mean, committees change from year to year, so it's hard to say how predictive such endeavors can be...but they're oddly comforting (and simultaneously nerve-wracking, if that's possible)...

While most of me wants just one -- ANY one -- acceptance...OSU is one of my top choices, and has at least two hand-in-glove POI fits for me. I have a slightly ominous feeling that how OSU goes for me might telegraph how the rest will go. My rational mind tells me that feeling is almost certainly nonsense...and yet...

[angel_kaye13]

13 minutes ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

I'm rather surprised that I didn't do this earlier myself! I mean, committees change from year to year, so it's hard to say how predictive such endeavors can be...but they're oddly comforting (and simultaneously nerve-wracking, if that's possible)...

While most of me wants just one -- ANY one -- acceptance...OSU is one of my top choices, and has at least two hand-in-glove POI fits for me. I have a slightly ominous feeling that how OSU goes for me might telegraph how the rest will go. My rational mind tells me that feeling is almost certainly nonsense...and yet...

Chin up, friend; it's early, and (this goes for everyone) your worth isn't decided by whatever decisions are made in the coming months. 'Twil be alright, one way or the other.

[KikiDelivery]

Anyone else been freaking out about Trump's announcement to cut down on the humanities, and what that might mean for us? I'll be at the march protesting, but I can't help shake the feeling that even if I get into a program that things may look even dimmer than they currently are.

[imogenshakes]

6 minutes ago, KikiDelivery said:

Anyone else been freaking out about Trump's announcement to cut down on the humanities, and what that might mean for us? I'll be at the march protesting, but I can't help shake the feeling that even if I get into a program that things may look even dimmer than they currently are.

Yes. Here's another easy way to get involved, I sent my emails yesterday:

http://www.nhalliance.org/help_us_nip_efforts_to_defund_neh_in_the_bud?utm_campaign=blueprint_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nhalliance

[Caien]

57 minutes ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

While most of me wants just one -- ANY one -- acceptance...OSU is one of my top choices, and has at least two hand-in-glove POI fits for me. I have a slightly ominous feeling that how OSU goes for me might telegraph how the rest will go. My rational mind tells me that feeling is almost certainly nonsense...and yet...

Feeling you WT, this is my situation with Notre Dame. If I don't even make the interview round...  

[NoirFemme]

1 hour ago, KikiDelivery said:

Anyone else been freaking out about Trump's announcement to cut down on the humanities, and what that might mean for us? I'll be at the march protesting, but I can't help shake the feeling that even if I get into a program that things may look even dimmer than they currently are.

I'm not freaking out per se, but I'm worried. NEH grants are what universities pull from for major projects. One of the programs recruiting me got one for a cohort of incoming PhD students, and I wonder if the Trump administration would leave me hanging with no funding if I attended that school.

[loganondorf]

On 1/19/2017 at 8:14 AM, Sunsy said:

Did anyone else who is applying to Notre Dame get a call about their Interview weekend (I assume that's what it is)? Just got the call today.

Medievalist here! The call came yesterday. I'll be spending the next three works swimming in the professors' books. Congrats on the call!

[FeetInTheSky]

Weirdly enough, checking the OSU portal five minutes after I last checked the OSU portal has yielded no new information.

[anxiousphd]

9 minutes ago, JeremyWrites said:

Weirdly enough, checking the OSU portal five minutes after I last checked the OSU portal has yielded no new information.

Glad I'm not the only one

[Thersites]

6 hours ago, imogenshakes said:

Yes. Here's another easy way to get involved, I sent my emails yesterday:

http://www.nhalliance.org/help_us_nip_efforts_to_defund_neh_in_the_bud?utm_campaign=blueprint_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nhalliance

• Thank you for posting this! I've been freaking out all day after a coworker brought it to my attention.

[pippi]

On 1/20/2017 at 4:21 PM, ThePomoHipster said:

So how worried should I be if I didn't get an email for an interview? I'm an international applicant so I don't know if that changes anything. I'm so nervous now (shouldn't have checked The Grad Cafe).

Hi ThePomoHipster! unless a member of the admissions committee happens to be lurking, i would assume that no one here has a definitive answer to your question. 

but my general strategy for remaining sane throughout the admissions process has been to expect the worst. that way, i can be prepared in the case of bad news and pleasantly surprised if things unexpectedly go my way. my partner helps me out with that too, e.g. whenever i am like, "i will probably hear from X school this week!", he looks me in the eye and says, "come on, you're not going to hear from any schools this week, next week, or the week after that." 

[claritus]

4 hours ago, pippi said:

Hi ThePomoHipster! unless a member of the admissions committee happens to be lurking, i would assume that no one here has a definitive answer to your question. 

but my general strategy for remaining sane throughout the admissions process has been to expect the worst. that way, i can be prepared in the case of bad news and pleasantly surprised if things unexpectedly go my way. my partner helps me out with that too, e.g. whenever i am like, "i will probably hear from X school this week!", he looks me in the eye and says, "come on, you're not going to hear from any schools this week, next week, or the week after that." 

I love this! I've been telling myself that I don't deserve anything, which has worked, but coming from a partner would make it even better. 

[angel_kaye13]

4 hours ago, pippi said:

Hi ThePomoHipster! unless a member of the admissions committee happens to be lurking, i would assume that no one here has a definitive answer to your question. 

but my general strategy for remaining sane throughout the admissions process has been to expect the worst. that way, i can be prepared in the case of bad news and pleasantly surprised if things unexpectedly go my way. my partner helps me out with that too, e.g. whenever i am like, "i will probably hear from X school this week!", he looks me in the eye and says, "come on, you're not going to hear from any schools this week, next week, or the week after that." 

You guys are weird/a hoot!  (Meant in the teasing way between friends "weird," not in any actual mean or name-calling way.) I actually like that my husband thinks the sun shines out my rear - he tells me all the time that I'll get in, but we both equally and simultaneously agree that, if I don't? Well, then I get to be with him (we're military) and work and build up my resume. (And, personally, I like to think that maybe there are adventures I can't see yet, because I want my PhD so much...Life has twists and turns, yeah?)

All that to say, whether you like to beat yourself up or preen under praise, this was a hoot. And, to all of us, just...eternal ray of optimism: grad applications don't decide our worth. ^^ <3 Best of luck, to all!

[Abyss21]

5 hours ago, pippi said:

but my general strategy for remaining sane throughout the admissions process has been to expect the worst.

Thanks for the advice! I was expecting the best and now I'm pacing myself for the worst. Seeing people starting to get interviews has definitely helped with that mindset change haha. Also my partner actually has been the positive one in this whole experience. 

[Dr. Old Bill]

Personally, every time I think I'm a sure bet to get accepted, I begin a sequence of self-flagellation and bathing in vinegar while reading Heidegger. Works like a charm.

[pippi]

4 hours ago, angel_kaye13 said:

You guys are weird/a hoot!  (Meant in the teasing way between friends "weird," not in any actual mean or name-calling way.) I actually like that my husband thinks the sun shines out my rear - he tells me all the time that I'll get in, but we both equally and simultaneously agree that, if I don't? Well, then I get to be with him (we're military) and work and build up my resume. (And, personally, I like to think that maybe there are adventures I can't see yet, because I want my PhD so much...Life has twists and turns, yeah?)

All that to say, whether you like to beat yourself up or preen under praise, this was a hoot. And, to all of us, just...eternal ray of optimism: grad applications don't decide our worth. ^^ <3 Best of luck, to all!

Haha yeah I guess people have different ways of dealing.

I'm definitely NOT suggesting that anyone beat themselves up over anything admissions-related. It's just that, for me personally, it was really, really hard to get past my self-doubt and go through with the application process; the only way i could bring myself to do it was by treating it as an exercise in failure. I told myself that the object of the process wasn't to get in somewhere, but rather to summon the courage to put myself out there, knowing that the likely outcome would be rejection, given the hyper-competitive and arbitrary nature of phd admissions.

I'm already ridiculously proud of myself for all the work I did to apply. Anything that comes after is just super delicious icing on an empowerment cake.

Everyone on these boards should be proud of themselves for applying! Plenty of people quit before they even take the GRE.  

Edited January 22, 2017 by pippi

[Caien]

21 minutes ago, pippi said:

Haha yeah I guess people have different ways of dealing.

I'm definitely NOT suggesting that anyone beat themselves up over anything admissions-related. It's just that, for me personally, it was really, really hard to get past my self-doubt and go through with the application process; the only way i could bring myself to do it was by treating it as an exercise in failure. I told myself that the object of the process wasn't to get in somewhere, but rather to summon the courage to put myself out there, knowing that the likely outcome would be rejection, given the hyper-competitive and arbitrary nature of phd admissions.

I'm already ridiculously proud of myself for all the work I did to apply. Anything that comes after is just super delicious icing on an empowerment cake.

Everyone on these boards should be proud of themselves for applying! Plenty of people quit before they even take the GRE.  

You make a good point here. For months I've been in the library after work and at weekends, and put off visiting home or going out with friends to work on application materials. When I explain I'm applying to PhD programs, people always assume its just a matter of filling out a form and maybe firing off an old essay. Even when I explain all the research and preparation required, it really doesn't seem to me that people appreciate the amount of work and dedication involved just to get to the point where you hit submit.

Part of me seriously thinks that the real purpose of the GRE is to make us jump through as many hoops as possible in order to weed out all the people who might only apply out of curiosity or because they think grad school is an easy way to put off joining the work force for a few more years. Given that the consensus seems to be it signifies almost nothing about our ability or potential as scholars (particularly the Subject) and its ridiculous stress and expense, it must really reduce the numbers of applications the adcomms have to wade through...

[FeetInTheSky]

Enough time on this website has taught me that if you're sure of yourself, you're delusional. 

I mentioned this on the "waiting it out" board, but whenever I start to freak out I work on my "what if I don't get in plan." Rather than sitting at home and thinking about it, I actually have like a physical document of which steps to take, what jobs to apply for, which summer programs to consider, etc. So if the worst happens, I have an "in case of emergency break glass" document  

I'm one of those colossal dweebs who finds solace in productivity, and so it makes me feel better to work on something that will remedy the very thing that I'm freaking out about. 

[angel_kaye13]

1 hour ago, pippi said:

I'm already ridiculously proud of myself for all the work I did to apply. Anything that comes after is just super delicious icing on an empowerment cake.

Everyone on these boards should be proud of themselves for applying! Plenty of people quit before they even take the GRE.  

^THIS!!! a million times over!!! I bet you put forth your very best work, and my heart echoes that way: at the end of the day, what more could I have done that I didn't think I did? Rock on, all the way. 

We're all such dorks, in every good way.  Thank goodness we don't obsess the same way, else we'd drive each other, and our people, batty! ;-) 

[Abyss21]

35 minutes ago, JeremyWrites said:

I'm one of those colossal dweebs who finds solace in productivity, and so it makes me feel better to work on something that will remedy the very thing that I'm freaking out about. 

That's literally me too. It's definitely better than wallowing in self-pity while I wait and letting my anxiety and self-doubt destroy my self-esteem and my nails.

[Dr. Old Bill]

Out of upvotes for the last few, but yes...YES! We're definitely all in the same boat in this regard. With so many intangibles involved, it's impossible to be confident with one's application, but it IS possible to be confident in how effectively you prepared your own application (a subtle, yet crucial distinction). It might be the most amazing application in the world, and still not get you one of the rare slots, just because of factors you cannot possibly know. In other words, @angel_kaye13's infectious positivity rings the most true here. Whether any of us or all of us get in or not, most of us can take solace in the strength of our applications.

It's a grueling process -- one that, like @Caien says, most people just don't understand. There's a lot of attrition along the way, and in a way it's just nutty that anyone even goes down this path in the first place. But we do, and that's something.

Edited January 22, 2017 by Wyatt's Terps

[Warelin]

Note to self: Reading this at midnight will make you have all the feels.

You are only allowed to give reputation 5 times per day. You cannot give any more reputation today.

And I've run out of upvotes for the day. First time I've run out within 5 mins.