On the one hand, the silence may not be a bad thing... It could mean that I made at least the first cut. I wasn't rejected outright. On the other hand, it could be a bad thing. Most programs hold interviews between mid-January and the first week in March. Having not been contacted by schools, this might mean I won't be invited for interviews. This, in turn, would indicate that I'm not a top pick at any school. Should this be the case, I'll likely be wait-listed, and my position on said wait-list and the decisions made by the top picks will determine my fate.
There's also a chance that programs have already made their admissions decisions, but haven't yet sent out rejection letters. That's the thing about grad schools- they'll inform their admits right away. The rejection letters? Meh... they'll get around to it, eventually.
Further adding to my near-constant state of nervousness is the confidence others have in my chances. My undergraduate professors, my family members, my friends, and the people I work for-- all are convinced I'll be accepted somewhere. Few people realize that meeting requirements doesn't guarantee admission, nor does surpassing them. Good GPA, research experiences, test scores, statements of purpose, and letters of recommendation might get my application to committee, but it doesn't mean that I'll be accepted. In many cases, "fit" is more important than ability. There is no such thing as a "safety school" for graduate admissions. And sometimes, even fitting well and having potential won't get you where you need to be. Sometimes, it really is just a crapshoot.
Especially this year. With large increases in the number of applicants and large decreases in funding, many schools' acceptance rates have dropped below 5%. Brown's graduate school, for example, has seen a 27 percent increase in applications compared to last year. Undergraduates graduating this spring have noted that the state of the economy has made them want to continue their education and avoid the workforce. Many undergraduates are looking to grad school as a way to defer loan payments until the economy sufficiently improves.
Thousands of applicants are competing for graduate school admission in the hopes of avoiding the job market during the economic recession. Most universities, however, have taken hits to their endowments. As a result, they are unable to provide more spots for Ph.D. students, and many schools have been forced to either accept fewer applicants or fund fewer of their admits. Stanford and Northwestern, for example, are planning to reduce class sizes for their incoming Ph.D. students by 5 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
According to an article recently released by Harvard's newspaper, The Crimson:
Ph.D. applications have increased by 16 percent at Northwestern, 7 percent at Michigan, 8 percent at Dartmouth, and 12 percent at Johns Hopkins. Overall applications for graduate study—most of which are for Ph.D.s—are up by 15 percent at Duke, 9 percent at Dartmouth, 5 percent at Stanford, 9 percent at Yale, and 9.5 percent at Princeton, according to deans at those universities.
These increases are dramatically higher than the 3 percent average annual increase in graduate school applications over the last decade, noted in a 2007 report by the Council of Graduate Schools.
Many applicants likely had not planned on attending graduate school until this year. Applicants are fearful of the economy and the job market, and view attending (or returning to) school as the most viable option during the recession.
If I don't get accepted this year, it will likely have more to do with odds and bad luck than it will my quality as an applicant or my potential for graduate study. That may just be the most frustrating part of this all-- that I've done nearly everything I could to make myself a successful applicant, yet I may still have to face another year outside of school, another round of the application process, and another fretful season of admissions decisions.
Please, universe, help me out on this one... I could really use a break. Just one acceptance. Just one.
1 comment:
It's so hard to feel like your fate rests entirely in the hands of people who don't even really know you and have a zillion other things to take into consideration. Very frustrating. I also agree that it can be annoying when other people are so confident of your acceptance and downplay your anxiety. While some of that is probably an effort to convince you not to worry about it (it's out of your hands at this point anyways), it sometimes breeds more worry about failure or disappointment if you aren't accepted!
My take on it is that, for the most part, you just need to go with the flow. I am rooting for your acceptance! But if you aren't accepted anywhere, take it in stride and find something to pay the bills and keep you happy while you try again next year. Waiting another year isn't the end of the world, and I think you're unlikely to feel like it was a total waste of time if you can find something interesting to do.
Mid-Feb isn't too late, especially considering that university budget negotiations may be delaying offers of acceptance longer than in previous years. If you are accepted somewhere but waiting to hear from other place, you should follow the advice of FSP who says you should respond promptly thanking them for their offer and that you are strongly considering it but waiting to hear from n other schools and that you will notify them of your decision asap.
Good luck!
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