Anxiety awaiting interview offers

[MayJuneJulie]

Hi guys, this forum tends to be very helpful for me and I'm also hoping others can relate. Now is generally the time that people are waiting for news regarding interview offers for PhD programs. I know that my deadlines haven't passed yet but seeing other people receive offers while I'm still waiting for my first is a little disheartening and worrying. I've seen a couple of my programs in the forums here and at gradcafe, but of course not everyone who gets an invite is going to post about it online... which means those programs may no longer be an option for me at all... Ugh this is worse than the actual application process!

The last few days I've been checking my email constantly, checking my mailbox every day, and looking through my call history to check for unknown members. I woke up at 7 am today to work a 12 hour shift. All day on my feet running back and forth, no break (I'm a waitress), I come home exhausted and yet it's somehow 3:30 AM and I am checking my email and these forums again. I'm trying to limit my worrying by distracting myself or talking about it with others but no one in my family or friend group are going through quite the same thing. But I know that so many others are going through the same thing, so if you are checking this forum/your email/your whatever constantly, know that you are not alone. Remain optimistic because there may be an exciting offer coming your way soon... and good luck!

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[rerope]

Totally understand where you're at right now. This is my second time going through this process and it bites but hang in there. The best thing I found was making checking the forums etc a reward after working on something (paper, novel, project, cleaning, working 2-3 hrs at my job). With this in place I checked less often knowing I had a schedule to follow (and POIs don't get mad if they have to wait an hour or so for a reply

 

[blakjak12]

I would second not letting yourself check too often. I think you can drive yourself crazy doing so, and it really maintains and enhances anxiety/worry. Plus, I think it can generate a lot of negative thinking when you see someone else post something about a program you were interested in; however, they are a lot of moving pieces (many of which you won't know being on the applicant side of things), and it's best to let it go until you hear one way or another from a program. That being said, if it's already late in the process (i.e., March, April) and you haven't heard, you probably can cross a program off the list. I think there is still time and hope though!

 

[forcefive17]

Hi guys, this forum tends to be very helpful for me and I'm also hoping others can relate. Now is generally the time that people are waiting for news regarding interview offers for PhD programs. I know that my deadlines haven't passed yet but seeing other people receive offers while I'm still waiting for my first is a little disheartening and worrying. I've seen a couple of my programs in the forums here and at gradcafe, but of course not everyone who gets an invite is going to post about it online... which means those programs may no longer be an option for me at all... Ugh this is worse than the actual application process!

The last few days I've been checking my email constantly, checking my mailbox every day, and looking through my call history to check for unknown members. I woke up at 7 am today to work a 12 hour shift. All day on my feet running back and forth, no break (I'm a waitress), I come home exhausted and yet it's somehow 3:30 AM and I am checking my email and these forums again. I'm trying to limit my worrying by distracting myself or talking about it with others but no one in my family or friend group are going through quite the same thing. But I know that so many others are going through the same thing, so if you are checking this forum/your email/your whatever constantly, know that you are not alone. Remain optimistic because there may be an exciting offer coming your way soon... and good luck!

Try to focus on others things that you can project may be neglected during graduate school instead of checking incessantly! The next few years of your life are going to be intense, time consuming, and full of waiting for similar notifications (practica placements, internship, post doc, Licensure, etc. ). I think that now might be the best time to learn to cope with the anxiety in healthy and adaptive ways.