Grad school blues

Jet_ski · January 24, 2020

Anybody else here found out they won’t be going to grad school this year and have to try again next year and rethink everything?!

harryk · January 24, 2020

It sucks but don't beat yourself down over it. As someone who has knowledge of the acceptance process I can tell you that the final decisions might as well be random. This year we had ~70 students on the short list for 10 spots. Take some time for yourself and do activities that will raise your spirits.

Moving forward look over your application and reflect on where you might have been lacking. Reach out to the schools you applied to and ask for feedback on your application. No guarantees you'll get any helpful feedback but it never hurts to ask; in fact it may help as doing so is an indication that you are serious and willing to take initiative which will help in your favor if a spot happens to open up later this spring or if you apply again next fall.

Lastly understand that grad school is not for everyone and is not necessarily the only path forward. Getting an MS or PhD opens many doors, but it is not the only way to open those doors. Consider getting a job in industry, you may like it more than you'd expect, it certainly beats grad school in many respects. And if you're lucky you can find yourself an employer who will pay you to go to grad school.

bimmerman · January 24, 2020

I wouldn't lose hope for this cycle unless you've gotten a firm letter. I didn't start getting responses until mid/late-Feb and had until mid April to decide. STEM field tho.

That said...as @harryk said, definitely don't assume grad school is the only path, or even the best one. Depends what you want to do.

wasab · January 24, 2020

I'm not gonna attend grad schools. I consider them a waste of 2-10 years when I can be working and making money full time instead.

Bombastinator · January 25, 2020

39 minutes ago, wasab said:

I'm not gonna attend grad schools. I consider them a waste of 2-10 years when I can be working and making money full time instead.

Depends on what you do. Engineering is a grad school thing for example. So is med school. Some things also need masters or PhDs to be eligible to do. If it’s a generic masters in something you won’t be applying to work though it makes a certain amount of sense.