Are you all as confused as I am?

Question

One day, while thinking about an essay or while drafting one, I start feeling very strongly about my candidacy. It feels as if Wharton and Stanford will have a very hard time dinging me. But the next day, while thinking about the same essay and about my candidacy, I start feeling that even Emory will give me a straight ding (No offense meant for Emory - honest!!).

So, are (were) you guys also as confused as me about your candidacy?

zakk · Answer

So much that I feel like schizophrenic 

I have yet to take the GMAT and I go from planning my classes to where I'll drink when I get dinged.

mba2010 · Answer

I am in the exact same boat as you. Yesterday, I was super confident--why wouldn't Wharton want me.

Today, I'm thinking...geez...I haven't done **** this year.

kryzak · Answer

Got the same feeling here... except it's hour-by-hour for me instead of day-by-day

Sometimes I talk about "when I start at Stanford, I will..." and other days I'm trying to figure out what I would do when every school dings me...

router79 · Answer

it depends on how much coffee i had. once i'm wired, i'm ready to take on the world and can zoom through an essay in a hour. After the caffeine level drops, I reread the essay, tear it up and make sure to cross out my name in case anyone actually reads it.

nervousgmat · Answer

What are you guys talking about here? I am confident that I will be accepted everywhere and offered a full tuition scholarship too! :lol:

I am so scared about the application process and my essays in particular, I feel like pooping in my pants!

mba2010 · Answer

I'm terrified of being one of those people who get dinged across the board. 

It does help to remind myself that the bar is pretty high on these types of boards. Although GMATClub is soooooo far from being BW. Although the bar is high here, everyone is very helpful.

ncp · Answer

If you are going nuts now, imagine how paranoid we will be waiting for results to come out.

I think we will need to have a weekly sob session on chat.

kryzak · Answer

I'm not looking forward to that period...

rhyme · Answer

Hah! You think its bad now??? Just wait until you hit submit and then end up waiting to hear back. Especially if its rolling admissions like Kellogg and EVERY SINGLE DAY for like a month, EVERY email, EVERY phone call and EVERY blackberry buzz your heart stops for a split second "Is that them? Could it be them?" Or, if you were fortunate enough not to apply to a school that has rolling admissions... then you have the same to look forward to - but at least its condensed to the one or two days decisions come out... and you do absolutely nothing at work but hit refresh all day long on the threads waiting for your phone to ring - and if it does, and it just happens to be a friend - god help them for having called you that day (I had a friend with an 847 number call me on the day Kellogg started releasing admits. What a punk).... and then you get all super paranoid when the clock hits 5pm because you feel like that must be it, but of course they are still making calls.... You guys have so much to look forward to.

kryzak · Answer

thanks rhyme, we love you too

pelihu · Answer

Yeah, just look back through the message from last year, and you'll see posts from lots of people (including me) expressing big swings in outlook on a day-by-day basis. Rhyme is right, it will only get more intense once your application is submitted, and as decision day approaches.

This is a really good reason to apply to at least a few schools during R1. If you have all your eggs in the R2 basket, and know that you won't have a chance to submit any more applications this year, the anxiety can start to drive you nuts.

rrajiv · Answer

good to know that i am not the only one feeling this way...

rhyme · Answer

haha <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" />

mNeo · Answer

Haha. Exactly my thoughts.

kryzak · Answer

the best part is, in my procrastination of writing the essays, I actually READ most of you 09-er's posts from last year around November-December time frame... I'm *not* looking forward to all that panic attack... I guess it's good I scheduled a 3 week vacation to South America right after the Berkeley R1 deadline...

I hope I find out early enough to apply for R2...

aviroop · Answer

I completed all my essays - read them yesterday, downed a bottle of smirnoff vodka and tore apart everything.

My girlfriend left this morning - she accused me of being schizophrenic. Time to start hitting the night clubs again.

I already bought 2 tickets for a romantic getaway to Italy - now that my gf has momentarily left the scene (I am unsure if she will get back), any takers to join me to Rome?

All this is while I am yet to complete my application essays and submit the app package.

The **** will really hit the fan once the apps are submitted.

Rhyme - I feel for you brotha!!

To all my gmatclub brethren - hang in there :wink:

kryzak · Answer

Wow... wow... Dang... that's a lot of things to happen to you in a short amount of time... Sorry to hear about the gf aviroop!

On the other hand, you finished ALL your essays, for all 3-4 schools? I worship you! I just finished the outline for all the short answers and Long Essay 1 for Haas... still need to tackle Long essay 2.

Haha, if it weren't for apps, I'd join you in Rome, haha =)

aviroop · Answer

kryzak,

No, I only finished for 2 - UCLA and Cornell are still not out with their app essays. So I would be cheating if I said I finished all.

The problem with the essays is when to stop editing - I showed it to my friends, they slathered praised over it, then one moron texted me and told me the why MBA needs to be solidified... screw that.

Are you being able to keep within the word limit? - how is it with the Haas Essays?

I think I will drop Haas off my list - one less applicant for you!!!! and that will cost you a beer :lol:

kryzak · Answer

so which two did you do? Stanford and Harvard? Still not sure what "matters most", but I'm narrowing it down to a few things... I'll worry about that after Haas drafts are done. I'm dreading when I have to show my friends my essays... it'll probably get shredded... then it has to pass the "rhyme test" (no, not a poetry competition

) so we'll see. I'm finding out that 250 words is INSANELY short... my OUTLINE is longer than 250 words already! Not good! I'm glad i got the "Successful HBS Essays" book... they conveyed everything in 300 words. Why are you dropping Haas? While I'm happy that I have one fewer competitor, it would have been cool to go to the same b-school or admit weekend. I guess there's still UCLA

Are you all as confused as I am?

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