But not personable enough, Jordan.

(In reference to http://arfer.net/pms/topics/57989511#post005)

My applications to PhD programs initially did very well. In five cases, I was among a small number of applications invited (paid, even) to visit for interviews. But in all five cases, I was then rejected. About half of each batch of invited students was admitted, so if admissions decisions were made by chance alone there was only a 1-in-32 chance of this happening. I can only speculate as to what quality makes me so undesirable in person that isn't evident on paper, but in any case, I am really hating myself right now.

:(
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"Monads are easy. Think of them as burritos."

*hugs*

There there... I got rejected from UPenn too...
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Well, there is a new accent of n00b language. It's called: Vet LUEser goes Foreign!-MegaSpy22
Those must be the pants of the gods!-Digitalpython

:(

Don't give up!

But now would be a good time to start valuing relationships. :)
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Seth: What are you making?
Evan: I'm just drilling holes. Last two weeks, **** it.

From: LinkPrime1 | Posted: 3/14/2011 12:10:28 AM | #002

There there... I got rejected from UPenn too...

*hugs back* Which gives PMSians an admit rate of only 50%. What do they have against us? Well, at least 50% is better than the rate for the general population.

From: AzumarillMan | Posted: 3/14/2011 12:16:46 AM | #003

But now would be a good time to start valuing relationships. :)

Oh gosh, I don't know. It could've been that I wasn't personable or outgoing or aggressive enough; it could've been that I didn't dress up; it could've been that I expressed my research interests too narrowly; it could've been my youth; it could've been my not exactly Ivy-League college; it could've been my nystagmus (I am, as you know, literally shifty-eyed); it could've simply been that I was too unhappy. The most aggravating part of it all is that there's no actionable feedback. I can (must, perhaps) change my behavior the next time I get interviewed for something, but I have no way of knowing whether it will make a difference until, once again, it's too late.
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"Monads are easy. Think of them as burritos."

From: Kodiologist | #004

it could've been that I didn't dress up

Right there.
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Well, there is a new accent of n00b language. It's called: Vet LUEser goes Foreign!-MegaSpy22
Those must be the pants of the gods!-Digitalpython

Why didn't you dress appropriately?
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Seth: What are you making?
Evan: I'm just drilling holes. Last two weeks, **** it.

I don't feel like myself in fancy clothes, and I doubted that academics would care much compared to, for example, what I said in interviews. I never got a negative reaction to my T-shirt, but I suppose that doesn't mean much.
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"Monads are easy. Think of them as burritos."

And after a lot of soul-searching and talking to my adviser, I'm thinking that I may've, by and large, applied to the wrong programs, or at least asked to speak to the wrong faculty, given what I really want to study. I care less about neuroscientific or quantitative-model-based studies of elementary decisions than about heuristics, biases, beliefs, attitudes, motivation, emotion, and self-control.

What I'm sayin' is, I've made a lot of mistakes over the last eight months. Now let's see if I can get some things right.
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"Monads are easy. Think of them as burritos."

Y'know, they also have interview coaches. You can totally take classes for that sort of thing.
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Willis, it seems like every other time you post, I need to look up a word that's in the OED or Urban Dictionary but not both.
-Mimir