![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Wow, just wow.
Jan. 17th, 2013 01:52 amI got an email from one of the schools I applied to. It's the #3 school in the country for my field. They take about 10% of the applicants into their PhD program. These are the best Masters students. I know a bunch of people who were turned down by this program.
I expected the email to say, "thanks but no thanks".
Nope.
They have invited me to come to their campus in Chicago next month to meet with the staff, PhD students and other applicants. They want to size me up and give me a chance to size them up.
Every time I think about it my fingers get kind of tingly. I didn't say anything to anyone because I am afraid that I'm going to get a follow up email telling me they made a mistake. Just writing this out is making my stomach flutter a little.
This means that I got past the general university requirements (not a problem); I got past the departmental review *and* there are at least 2 professors who would be willing to work with me. Only 15%-20% make it to this point.
This is, "you have a good chance of getting in". Not a guarantee by a long shot, I'll still be fucking amazed if I get into this school. But I'm still thrilled, even if they don't accept me, this is firmly in the "it's an honor to be nominated" category. This is not luck, it's not the people I know. They invited me because of all the hard work I did, all the nights I stayed up till dawn, all of the papers I sweated over all of the articles and books I read. And my Master's thesis.
This is the payoff, as much as, if not more than, getting my diploma.
Yes, I had plenty of help from the professors who mentored me to you kind people who listened to me whine and moan. But, in the end, no matter what happens, I officially kick a teeny bit of ass.
I expected the email to say, "thanks but no thanks".
Nope.
They have invited me to come to their campus in Chicago next month to meet with the staff, PhD students and other applicants. They want to size me up and give me a chance to size them up.
Every time I think about it my fingers get kind of tingly. I didn't say anything to anyone because I am afraid that I'm going to get a follow up email telling me they made a mistake. Just writing this out is making my stomach flutter a little.
This means that I got past the general university requirements (not a problem); I got past the departmental review *and* there are at least 2 professors who would be willing to work with me. Only 15%-20% make it to this point.
This is, "you have a good chance of getting in". Not a guarantee by a long shot, I'll still be fucking amazed if I get into this school. But I'm still thrilled, even if they don't accept me, this is firmly in the "it's an honor to be nominated" category. This is not luck, it's not the people I know. They invited me because of all the hard work I did, all the nights I stayed up till dawn, all of the papers I sweated over all of the articles and books I read. And my Master's thesis.
This is the payoff, as much as, if not more than, getting my diploma.
Yes, I had plenty of help from the professors who mentored me to you kind people who listened to me whine and moan. But, in the end, no matter what happens, I officially kick a teeny bit of ass.
