Come on, authors, grab your guns

[fellmama]

Well.
Stanford's rejection was very gracious, I thought, especially compared to Penn's, which wins the official WTF?!? Award: "I trust that you have been, or will soon be, admitted elsewhere to a university of your choice, and I should like to take this opportunity to wish you luck and success in your graduate studies." That alone is enough to make me reach for the tequila.
For those of you following along at home, I have been rejected from every school except Cornell. Now the question becomes: do I attend? It's a good school and a good program. I know someone there already, and she recommends it highly. On the other hand, it is not known for ancient history per se, and I wouldn't have the same opportunities for interdisciplinary work (read: employability enhancement) as I would at other places. Also Ithaca = the middle of Nowhere.
If I didn't go, I'd probably move to Seattle or somewhere like that and try to get a job. Then the decision would become: work on languages and reapply to other schools in a year or two with French and this year's grades under my belt, or give up on grad school and find something that is enjoyable and pays adequately for the indefinite future?
Also, I have done no work this break and will probably fail everything. Well, not really. But if I don't get distinction on my orals, I'm dropping the thesis. It's not worth the aggravation, especially given how wonderful it apparently looked to admissions committees.
It'll be really embarassing to have to tell all the professor types: "Yeah, I didn't get in anywhere but Cornell." You know they'll all be thinking "Then what the hell is wrong with Cornell that they let you in?"
It would be nice to have a choice, y'know?

Comments

[superquail.livejournal.com]

You know, there is one option you haven't listed. Would it be a huge grad school faux pas to go to Cornell for a year, and then reapply to other grad programs and reassess your options at that point? I mean, maybe once the other schools realize that you've been accepted to Cornell, that will make your application stand out a little more and then they'll realize they were stupid idiots not to let you in the first time around.

Ithaca = middle of nowhere perhaps, but compared with Walla Walla and Moscow, Idaho? It's at least closer to somewhere by virtue of being on the East Coast!

[fellmama.livejournal.com]

The way to do that would be to stick it two years and get a Master's. Which is definitely an option. I suppose I'm just bellyaching.

[superquail.livejournal.com]

Bellyaching is totally within the relm of the cool. A Master's might be a more reasonable place to start, too, because it might take a while to find THE topic that you would be willing to devote to a dissertation.

[hesperornis.livejournal.com]

I don't know about a faux pas, but it's just easier to stay in one place for your entire degree, since thesis topics might not transfer well depending on your advisors. Don't know if you're planning on going for a PhD, but another option is to start with a two-year Master's and then go for the PhD elsewhere--it's what I'm doing, and some consider that to be a great asset in terms of variety of experience.

[hesperornis.livejournal.com]

It is possible, especially if you expressed a particular interest in ancient history per se but not many people at Cornell do that exactly, that they are trying to diversify their program, which could be good for you. No-one at Fort Hays does avian paleontology per se, and I've done fine.

Also, I wouldn't worry too much about the rejections. There's a limited amount of space and funding in graduate programs, and generally lots of applicants with similar qualifications. It may be as simple as a potential advisor taking a sabbatical or not needing new grad-students/slave labor, or it could be that one of your competitors just happens to have run into the head of the department at a professional meeting somewhere. Or maybe your application didn't make the cut when they threw them up in the air and grabbed a random dozen (I've heard stories, don't know if they're true!).

The important thing is that you did get in to Cornell, and there's no shame in that. After all, you got in. I'm pretty much expecting to get back to Hays after break to find four rejection letters in my mailbox. Also, isn't Ithaca in New York? You're so not allowed to talk about the middle of nowhere until you've been to Hays, KS. :-)

If you decide not to go, you might want to talk to other people who've gone out to "Seattle or somewhere," because everything I've heard from folks out there is that the job market is pretty tight right now, especially in Seattle. You might want to consider what kind of financial aid that Cornell is offering you before you make your decision, too.

Just 2 cents from a current grad student. Be proud that you've been accepted into a good school, and don't worry about the others too much.

[fellmama.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Nicole. You are awesome! And your point about Kansas is cheerfully conceded.
The job market is tight pretty much everywhere--Seattle'd be high on my list due to friends, family, and excellent language programs.

[smika.livejournal.com]

If the job market in Seattle is too tight, you can go in with me on an upscale cardboard box I have dibs on in San Francisco, really close to the financial district. It's even waterproofed, to handle the drizzle.

If you end up at Cornell, don't forget Liz is there (she's a freshman this year!) and while she's still a little anti-establishment, at least it would be a familiar face.

Sorry about my school. Who ever said our grad programs were good, anyway?

*hugs*

[dolphinlove.livejournal.com]

yeah, a choice would be nice, I hear that... on the up side - i know several people who went to Cornell and did very well and it is by no means a school to sneeze at.

[johnguenther.livejournal.com]

Cornell's a great school, from what I've heard. Cornell wants you. It doesn't matter what any other schools think.

[zoing.livejournal.com]

WARNING: self-indulgent rambling follows!!! Feel free to ignore.

At least you have somewhere to go and follow your bliss, as the case may be. At least you aren't stuck looking for a roommate and a job while having to defer what you want indefinately. At least you didn't get told that you should take a few classes in a dicipline you are majoring in and have taken copious amounts of classes in. At least you have somewhere that wants you. I mean, you need modern languages and you should know French for most of the schools you applied to, but it's not like you have taken those classes but are being told that you suck in them anyway. Choices would be nice, but to be fair (and you know that I love you right? 'cause I really REALLY do. I love you. You complete me.) if you did have these choices you lust after, you'd just be freaking out in much the same way about which to choose. This way, you can just say: "I'm going to Cornell bitches! That's right CORNELL! I'm smart, you're dumb, suck it!" You still have a choice, as you have outlined, but you have a fantastic opportunity set before you and I think you should grab on and never look back. Ithaca maybe podunkville, but it is podunkville, NEW YORK. It is a whole new, unconquered, podunkville for you to explore and make biting satirical comments about. A whole new breed of people to make fun of. A whole new level of pretentious knowlege to attain. (I really do love you...) If you didn't want to go to Cornell, why did you apply? Why did you apply? Think of the reasons that Cornell made the cut from the fourty something schools you started with. Cornell is a great school, you are a great girl, sounds like a match made in heaven to me. It may not have been your first choice for a plethora of reasons, but I'm sorry dear, not even you can have your first choice everytime. One last self-indulgent thought: at least you aren't still in Idaho, looking towards the rest of your life and seeing no actual exit strategy...You're getting out. Even if you don't like Ithaca, it is only three years, then you can move on to another vista. Stop focusing on the negative, poophead! It seems that you enjoy negativising everything you do, from the smallest to the biggest decisions of your life, in order to make it more insurmountable and seem like you are stuck. I think this tendancy means that you waste most of your life on worry and fret, instead of enjoying the fantabulous ride.

One last thought: if anyone thinks that Cornell is dumb or wrong for accepting you when no where else was enlightened enough to, FUCK THEM, fuck them hard, fuck them hard in the ass repeatedly with sharp instruments of pain!

[fellmama.livejournal.com]

Rachel, you complete me. I keep you around, not only because I love you and you are hilarious and fun at parties, but because sometimes I need a short sharp kick to the head, and I know no one better qualified to deliver it. *hugs*

[zoing.livejournal.com]

So, are you going?

[catka83.livejournal.com]

I agree with Ruty: someone who went from Moscow to Walla Walla has no room to criticize Ithaca for being the middle of nowhere. It's actually from what I gather similar to Moscow in that it is a pretty cool college town.

Speaking as someone who has already graduated from college and chosen the "forgo grad school for a couple years to work and save money" option, not being in school SUCKS. 2 months out you will be foaming at the mouth to get back into an intellectual environment where the people you talk to are not morons all the time. Stay in school as long as you can, is my advice.

[parksdh.livejournal.com]

6 more years! 6 more years!

[charmbucket.livejournal.com]

Ithaca = striking distance of NYC = best reason to go anywhere because NYC is the epitome of Not Nowehere. In fact, it is a great big wonderful Somewhere. And I highly recommend it. i say, go for it!