<p>My goodness! I feel like the ultimate neophyte compared to many on this board!</p>
<p>All the questions, all the intracacies, all the differing views on what works, what doesn't, etc.</p>
<p>And to see how many folks with great credentials still get rejected!</p>
<p>This feels like a game that has rules, but the foundation for these rules is unadulterated jello!</p>
<p>Maybe we should have our heads examined! At this point, I'm starting to feel like a major reason to get into a PhD program is to ultimately get a professorship at a top 20 school so maybe I can sit on a committee and ask, "what in the hell are we doing?"</p>
<p>I just saw a friends acceptance letter to a top 5 poly sci jprogram and he had a 630V, 680q! what the hell?</p>
<p>He can't even tell me what was special about his app and doubts he could replicate the feat!</p>
<p>Well, unfortunately (or fortunately?) I know absolutely nobody who is applying to the same types of programs that I am… I know these people exist, just not at my university and not within my groups of friends.</p>
<p>I just wish I had somebody to whom I could complain and they respond with “I KNOW! Gah” and we would add nothing to the process but it would be a momentary relief of all the anguish and stress that comes with waiting.</p>
<p>Yes, my head is spinning. This isn’t what stress was designed to help with. I wish that apcoms could give you comments as they review your applications–I applied to MIT, but don’t expect to be admitted or asked for an interview (GPA too low, GREs not low enough…it screams slacker). I wish they would I would at least get an email along the lines of:</p>
<p>From the Desk of the Admissions Committee:</p>
<p>Dear Idiot,</p>
<p>You suck.</p>
<p>Regards,
MIT</p>
<p>but that’s probably just wishful thinking. At least it would collapse the infuriating waveform of indeterminacy into an austere “NO WAY” so I could quit worrying.</p>
<p>Know that grad school admissions is worse than undergrad when it comes to making decisions because it’s all much more subjective. At this point, you probably wished that you were a HS senior all over again trying to apply HYPS instead of being a college senior (or adult) applying to top PhD programs that don’t have clear guidelines of what it takes to get in.</p>
<p>Know that you’ve done what you thought you could. If you need more reassurance, ask your LOR writers to smack you.</p>
I know these people exist, just not at my university and not within my groups of friends.</p>