Dreams DO come true

Many of you (and by "many of you," I mean the 2 people who actually read this blog) know that I've been applying to graduate school in psychology. You also know that this is my second try at applying to graduate school because last year I was a big fat failure and got rejected across the board (no interviews, no waitlisting, no nothing). Yesterday was a good day for me. I got accepted into a program that is 2,536 miles from my current home, in a place with an annual (ANNUAL!) average of 8 (EIGHT!) days above 90 degrees. 

  

A picture of a snow day at this place.

(Stolen from Google Images) 

(Also, for some reason, when I googled "[this place] snow," I got a very disturbing picture of a tattooed and naked old man, with his wrinkly naughty bits just out there for the world to see)

Regardless of the cold, it's a pretty sweet program where they're doing some pretty hot science. And right now they're my only acceptance, so they're looking mighty fine to me. It was really exciting to get that acceptance, but it didn't/still doesn't feel real. I've spent so much time preparing myself for the worst that allowing myself to believe the best is...difficult.

But The Good News Doesn't End There

Last night, as I was watching "You Again" with my mother (not very good, by the way), my phone rang. Being someone who NEVER gets phone calls, let alone phone calls from a long-distance area code, I answered the phone, expecting a solicitor or a wrong number. Nope! It was ANOTHER professor calling me to say she was interested and invite me out to their interview weekend.  

A picture of this place.

(Also stolen from Google Images)

So, a week from tomorrow I will be flying out there and observing a morality seminar taught by the person I want to work with, and then spending Friday at the "department dog and pony show" (her words, not mine), interviewing, eating with the graduate students, touring, and partying with the graduate students. Very exciting... and slightly terrifying. You know what they say about being careful what you wish for. I'm already suffering from impostor syndrome, I can only imagine it gets worse from here on out. 

In the mean time, I'm still waiting to hear from the first school to interview me, because they have yet to send out any decisions. This is the school that my family and friends are rooting for because it is geographically desirable. 

 Can you blame them?

(Also stolen from Google Images)

(Also worth noting-when I googled [this place], a lot of pictures of pretty girls in scarlet and gold bikinis popped up. Somehow I see the culture here as very reminiscent of home)

My parents say I need to send them an email and ask what's up, but I am nervous about seeming pushy and annoying.

I'm also waiting to hear from the other school who put me on their "short list." I'm less hopeful for this school because it's one of the most competitive programs that I applied to (it's one of 4 top-20 programs that I applied to and 2 of them have already rejected me and I'm expecting a rejection from the other), plus I haven't heard from them in weeks, even though I sent a brilliant research idea to the professor I wanted to work with. Cest la vie. 

 This place is beautiful, even if they don't want me.

(Also stolen).

 

Sorry about the annoying font colors. Instead of saying the names of each of these places (because I want to maintain some degree of anonymity and discretion), I used their school colors as their fonts.

Anywhoodle, wish me luck. I will be sure to let you know how it goes.