Make the (irrelevant) emails stop!

[wannabePhD]

Hi all! I'm new here!

The hardest thing about this whole waiting thing is all the irrelevant emails. I feel like a horrible person, but I don't care about the forward of cute puppies from my mom, or the Google calendar reminders -- even the email saying I'd been registered at GradCafe sent my heart rate through the roof! And I knew it was coming!

The worst are the ones from one of my potential schools - I already have a degree from there, and I'm still on a whole bunch of mailing lists. I got one 10 minutes ago, and there is still a lump in my throat!

This sucks!

Ahem. Thanks for letting me rant.

[Medievalmaniac]

Hi all! I'm new here!

The hardest thing about this whole waiting thing is all the irrelevant emails. I feel like a horrible person, but I don't care about the forward of cute puppies from my mom, or the Google calendar reminders -- even the email saying I'd been registered at GradCafe sent my heart rate through the roof! And I knew it was coming!

The worst are the ones from one of my potential schools - I already have a degree from there, and I'm still on a whole bunch of mailing lists. I got one 10 minutes ago, and there is still a lump in my throat!

This sucks!

Ahem. Thanks for letting me rant.

right there with you....what really sucks is that I have my Facebook account set to send notifications to my email....AGH! lol

[bikefarm]

So true!! My heart skips a beat every time I see have a new email (I have my email open at work) and then it ends up being something I could care less about. Glad other people feel the same!

[scpy2010]

I am with you on this one as well! I received an email from my top choice school last week and, heart pounding, quickly clicked on it only to find out it was only telling me that due to the school being closed for a week (snow) it would take *longer* for me to hear back.

*hyperventilates*

[Nighthob]

Ditto on the emails. I'm part of a group of friends that regularly gets together every other Monday. Our last outing was canceled due to snow. So today, there have already been 10 emails of "Are we on for tonight?" and replies: "Yeah! Cool! Looking forward to it! Sounds good!" I love my friends, but I'm ready to strangle them today. My anxiety is through the roof.

[chimerical]

I've calmed down somewhat about this but last week it was driving me nuts. I purposefully cut down on lots of email contact and unsubscribed to many mailing lists because my heart would jump everytime I saw that little (1) next to 'Inbox.'

[Medievalmaniac]

I've calmed down somewhat about this but last week it was driving me nuts. I purposefully cut down on lots of email contact and unsubscribed to many mailing lists because my heart would jump everytime I saw that little (1) next to 'Inbox.'

If it's any consolation, I subscribe to several professional mailing lists (Medtextl, Chaucer, Arthur Society, etc. etc.) and the professors have been more or less silent the past two weeks....so hopefully that is because they are busily reading and trying to decide on us!!

[Medievalmaniac]

On the subject of off topic emails, my husband just sent me a news forward - article on whether or not coffee kills the benefits of taking vitamins. I emailed him back and told him DON'T EMAIL ME! lololol Unless it is serious, of course.

[grad_wannabe]

Ay, too true. Last week I got a text on my phone: "One new email received from MIT admission office." My heart leaped into my throat and I tore through the office back to my desk, practically knocking over the receptionist and two chairs on the way there.

Turns out it was just an, "applications are currently being considered, you will hear from us soon!" email. ARRRGHHH.

[Tiglath-Pileser III]

I get a lot of emails from head-hunters, and they often look like decision letters. They are really obnoxious at the best of times. My heart skips a beat every time I get one of those. The last email I got from a school said, apply for fellowships now, because a decision will not be forthcoming until March 1.

[pizzapie]

Oh, I know. I get way too many emails every day when at this point all I really care about is grad school updates. Every time I get an email I jump up, hoping that it's something, but it hasn't been any great news for awhile.

[BlueSwedeShoes]

I use Gmail. I have over 60 filters active that catches all kinds of mailing list emails, subscriptions, social networking notifications etc etc. The filters slaps on an appropriate label on the emails and send them right into Archive without touching the inbox. That way I only get things mailed directly to me on important/unique topics. Cut my inbox count down from 30+ daily to 5-10-ish. Much more manageable!

I actually put this system in use this fall when I was the producer for a rather large theatre organisation; I just couldn't deal with the 70-80 emails that came every day! With this system I can read all these unimportant emails in a lump during the evening or other free time, rather than being bothered during the day

Edit: Ok, I had to go count my filters. 68 total. 34 different labels. God knows my inbox would be a mess without labels and filters!

Edited February 22, 2010 by waylance

[JulesM]

Yeah. . . so, I wanted to call my husby a few minutes ago to say hi. I did not, however, just call him. That would be ridiculous, because I care about him, and don't want him to panic, have his heart rate go through the roof, hands shaking, all because I wanted to say hi.

So I emailed him, and in the subject line, asked if he was free to chat. The phone is our worst culprit for heart palpitations right now. Email is oh so lovely too, but the phone is by far the worst.

[danicalifornia]

I hate all the stupid people who sent me emails today. all of them. that's all I'm gonna say.

[papayadance]

I hate all the stupid people who sent me emails today. all of them. that's all I'm gonna say.

pahahahahha YES to this whole thread. Lord. I was already a Gmail addict, and this process has made me into a straight-up JUNKIE. Anyone else have the "Take a break" lab feature activated? (not that it necessarily works...)

[wannabePhD]

pahahahahha YES to this whole thread. Lord. I was already a Gmail addict, and this process has made me into a straight-up JUNKIE. Anyone else have the "Take a break" lab feature activated? (not that it necessarily works...)

HA! I have seriously thought about activating it - but I really can't bring myself to do it!

[qweticowoods]

All of my incessant email-checking led me to discover/manipulate an awesome mobile front-end for my university's email software. Now I can (with full features) check it at a moments notice, from anywhere. Whether or not this discovery will prove to be healthy or not is yet to be determined, I suppose.

[oldlady]

I was advised by a former prof in my master's program not to apply to the PhD program b/c it was a bad fit for me, so I didn't apply. Now every time I get e-mail from that school telling me about some alumni activity or asking me for $$, I want to scream. Three came in yesterday. Aaaaaaaaaaagh!

[Babbling Dweeb]

Ay, too true. Last week I got a text on my phone: "One new email received from MIT admission office." My heart leaped into my throat and I tore through the office back to my desk, practically knocking over the receptionist and two chairs on the way there.

Turns out it was just an, "applications are currently being considered, you will hear from us soon!" email. ARRRGHHH.

I got one of those yesterday (well, not from MIT...but...) and I think I grabbed my chest before I clicked the mouse. On one hand I hate them for emailing me that notice...on the other hand there is some comfort in knowing that for a few seconds at least their computer systems know I exist AND they have all the parts of my application.

[Babbling Dweeb]

pahahahahha YES to this whole thread. Lord. I was already a Gmail addict, and this process has made me into a straight-up JUNKIE. Anyone else have the "Take a break" lab feature activated? (not that it necessarily works...)

Heck no...what if the email comes in while I'm taking a break?!?! Must...check...email...must...check...zzzzzzz....REFRESH! zzzz.....

[solairne]

I am in the same boat as the OP.

I keep getting emails from my UG university that start with like 'University of' or 'Dr. such and such' and I pretty much go into cardiac arrest until I realize it's nothing special.

I also have avoided posting status updates on Facebook and sending emails to people so that I don't get emails as often, so there is a higher chance that when one hits it is legit. Wow, that sounds all kinds of crazy once I typed that out... haha

[MashaMashaMasha]

Yeah. . . so, I wanted to call my husby a few minutes ago to say hi. I did not, however, just call him. That would be ridiculous, because I care about him, and don't want him to panic, have his heart rate go through the roof, hands shaking, all because I wanted to say hi.

So I emailed him, and in the subject line, asked if he was free to chat. The phone is our worst culprit for heart palpitations right now. Email is oh so lovely too, but the phone is by far the worst.

Ha! Today I practically tore apart my bag looking for my ringing cell phone, and it turned out to be an automated message, which is probably good, since I may have gone ballistic if it had been a real live salesperson. I've actually slammed my phone down after one such incident, and cracked the screen... whoops.

[johntravis667]

Received two emails today from two difference schools and both of them were just advertising their Open House Meet & Greets that are happening in late-March. I'm actually quite shocked by the amount of Spam Mail I've received from schools throughout the grad school process.

When I have received acceptance emails, half the time they come from a director's private email address, so I don't even expect it to be important anymore when I see an email from one of the Department addresses.

[VUbrat08]

If you have a PDA/Smartphone (i.e. iPhone, Blackberry, etc) it's like 10x worse. I wake up in the morning and see that little number by the Mail Icon, and I'm automatically wide awake. Then I check my phone every 2 minutes throughout the day, trying to catch that e-mail. It's so frustrating!!

I just have to break my iPhone e-mail addiction.

Edited February 25, 2010 by VUbrat08

[Jillybean]

If you have a PDA/Smartphone (i.e. iPhone, Blackberry, etc) it's like 10x worse. I wake up in the morning and see that little number by the Mail Icon, and I'm automatically wide awake. Then I check my phone every 2 minutes throughout the day, trying to catch that e-mail. It's so frustrating!!

I just have to break my iPhone e-mail addiction.

Same... It's a love/hate relationship... Can't live with em, can't live without em