Acceptance Thread

[Duns Eith]

Moderator Note: The users of this forum asked for three separate threads for acceptances, waitlist and rejections. For your convenience, please follow these links to the appropriate thread:

Acceptances: (you're already here!)
Waitlists: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/86843-waitlist-thread/
Rejections: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/86842-rejection-thread/

----- original post follows below ----

Let's start...?

• University of Buffalo (SUNY) just sent out some initial decisions. I know of only myself and one other person who have received acceptances.

From the survey results, I see that some UK schools have as well (late December):

• Edinburgh
• Durham

Edited January 25, 2017 by TakeruK
As per user requests

[goldenstardust11]

Oh, congratulations on the first acceptance! That's wonderful!!

[Duns Eith]

2 minutes ago, goldenstardust11 said:

Oh, congratulations on the first acceptance! That's wonderful!!

Thanks! I am not shut out... which was one thing I was really, really hoping to avoid. To know this this early is shocking.

[goldenstardust11]

8 minutes ago, Turretin said:

Thanks! I am not shut out... which was one thing I was really, really hoping to avoid. To know this this early is shocking.

Yeah that's a really early result! I saw that come through and looked at stats from previous years and I'm hoping it's the start of a new trend? Maybe?

[anonmaly]

32 minutes ago, Turretin said:

Thanks! I am not shut out... which was one thing I was really, really hoping to avoid. To know this this early is shocking.

Congrats Turretin! That's awesome that your first notification was good news! 

[Dialectica]

2 hours ago, Turretin said:

Thanks! I am not shut out... which was one thing I was really, really hoping to avoid. To know this this early is shocking.

Congrats! This is precisely what I'm hoping for, an early acceptance. The stress of not knowing whether you'll go on to do philosophy (at least for me) is burdensome. I'm happy for you! It's so exciting to hear that results are already coming in (even if they are few). 

[Duns Eith]

Thanks all!

[753982]

I'm glad you got accepted, Turretin, but I must admit I'm not sure how to feel about lumping acceptances and rejections into one thread. It seems like there was something humorous and cathartic about the threads from past years in which people would post their rejections as if they were excited about them. I've never applied before, but looking through those threads gave me that impression. The irony of that might not be as fun in a thread in which people are also sharing their acceptances, about which they're actually genuinely happy. It's up to you, but maybe we could make another thread for rejections once people start getting them?

[Duns Eith]

2 hours ago, 753982 said:

I'm glad you got accepted, Turretin, but I must admit I'm not sure how to feel about lumping acceptances and rejections into one thread. It seems like there was something humorous and cathartic about the threads from past years in which people would post their rejections as if they were excited about them. I've never applied before, but looking through those threads gave me that impression. The irony of that might not be as fun in a thread in which people are also sharing their acceptances, about which they're actually genuinely happy. It's up to you, but maybe we could make another thread for rejections once people start getting them?

That works. But I can't change the title of the thread.

Edited January 16, 2017 by Turretin

[Schopenhauerfanboy]

Congrats on the early acceptance! 

I have to resist the urge to check my phone and email for responses. I'm sure many of you can relate. 

[Dialectica]

8 minutes ago, Schopenhauerfanboy said:

Congrats on the early acceptance! 

I have to resist the urge to check my phone and email for responses. I'm sure many of you can relate. 

I can relate. However, I don't resist. 

[753982]

1 hour ago, Dialectica said:

I can relate. However, I don't resist. 

It's not just the anxiety associated with waiting on results but the diffidence with which you start to think about your future as a result of not having any clue if you'll get accepted to a single one of the schools to which you applied. I really need to stop checking my email so much. An early acceptance like Turretin's definitely seems like it could ease the stress of the process greatly.

Edited January 17, 2017 by 753982

[goldenstardust11]

My phone and computer automatically notify me when I get an e-mail, so the temptation to check is already taken care of. Unfortunately, I'm subscribed to so many things that in a few weeks' time (once it's more likely that we will be getting notifications), I'll likely go completely a bit insane.

[753982]

25 minutes ago, goldenstardust11 said:

My phone and computer automatically notify me when I get an e-mail, so the temptation to check is already taken care of. Unfortunately, I'm subscribed to so many things that in a few weeks' time (once it's more likely that we will be getting notifications), I'll likely go completely a bit insane.

I definitely need to do this. At least that way, you know that you would've been notified if you had received an email, so you don't have to stress as much about it.

[The_Last_Thylacine]

Every time you see an email notification though... :'(

[Dialectica]

7 minutes ago, desolesiii said:

Every time you see an email notification though... :'(

It's going to really sting come February. 

[Kingoftherats]

22 hours ago, 753982 said:

It's not just the anxiety associated with waiting on results but the diffidence with which you start to think about your future as a result of not having any clue if you'll get accepted to a single one of the schools to which you applied. I really need to stop checking my email so much. An early acceptance like Turretin's definitely seems like it could ease the stress of the process greatly.

Agreed! Just need that first acceptance and all will be okay (or at least it will feel that way for a time). I hate the thought of waiting another year and doing this all over again, but am almost counting on it as an inevitability. Would love to be proven wrong, and hopefully sooner rather than later!

[The_Last_Thylacine]

19 hours ago, Kingoftherats said:

Agreed! Just need that first acceptance and all will be okay (or at least it will feel that way for a time). I hate the thought of waiting another year and doing this all over again, but am almost counting on it as an inevitability. Would love to be proven wrong, and hopefully sooner rather than later!

Firstly: incredible user name!  

Secondly, I feel the same way about the first acceptance. I will feel so much better for the whole application season if I know that I can go somewhere. As I see it, the worst case scenario involves being waitlisted, only to be rejected on the deadline after a protracted period of waiting and anxiety. 

[Dialectica]

3 minutes ago, desolesiii said:

Firstly: incredible user name!  

Secondly, I feel the same way about the first acceptance. I will feel so much better for the whole application season if I know that I can go somewhere. As I see it, the worst case scenario involves being waitlisted, only to be rejected on the deadline after a protracted period of waiting and anxiety. 

...that is precisely what happened to me last year. I had two waitlists. Ultimately I was rejected from both on April 15th. It was awful. 

[goldenstardust11]

Ouch @Dialectica- I'm sure the experience from last year has served your apps well this time! let's hope for a successful season all around! This waiting game is pretty incredible though. I feel pretty ridiculous not knowing what's going to happen at all and am trying to just throw myself into the two classes I'm auditing (with some success, but they've just started this week). Although, I still find myself here for commiseration

Edited January 18, 2017 by goldenstardust11

[The_Last_Thylacine]

8 minutes ago, Dialectica said:

...that is precisely what happened to me last year. I had two waitlists. Ultimately I was rejected from both on April 15th. It was awful. 

OH NO! 

Any acceptance will be all the sweeter for you this year at least. 

[Dialectica]

17 minutes ago, goldenstardust11 said:

Ouch @Dialectica- I'm sure the experience from last year has served your apps well this time! let's hope for a successful season all around! This waiting game is pretty incredible though. I feel pretty ridiculous not knowing what's going to happen at all and am trying to just throw myself into the two classes I'm auditing (with some success, but they've just started this week). Although, I still find myself here for commiseration

I changed what I could (for the most part). After asking the two programs at which I was waitlisted why I was waitlisted, they simply said it was an especially rough year—one even said I would have been accepted outright had I applied the year prior. If I learned anything it was this: it can be a very random process, so just aim to make the best file possible (though, focusing on the sample), and leave the rest to the adcoms. 

[Kingoftherats]

53 minutes ago, Dialectica said:

If I learned anything it was this: it can be a very random process, so just aim to make the best file possible (though, focusing on the sample), and leave the rest to the adcoms. 

It seems to me that this is the most important bit to realize. The whole thing really is a crapshoot. All anyone can do is play their best cards and hope for a little luck. If you lose that hand, ante up, double down, and yank that lever for one more spin (or two or three). Any other gambling metaphors I can mix in here? Ahhhhh you all get it.

[sleepingsusurrus]

On 1/16/2017 at 11:34 PM, Schopenhauerfanboy said:

Congrats on the early acceptance! 

I have to resist the urge to check my phone and email for responses. I'm sure many of you can relate. 

got my phone stolen last week, best thing that ever happened to me. Think I won't get a new one until the wait is over just so I'm forced to step away from my email 

[MickeyRay]

6 hours ago, Kingoftherats said:

It seems to me that this is the most important bit to realize. The whole thing really is a crapshoot. All anyone can do is play their best cards and hope for a little luck. If you lose that hand, ante up, double down, and yank that lever for one more spin (or two or three). Any other gambling metaphors I can mix in here? Ahhhhh you all get it.

“If we hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate.”