Hi, I don't think it is so uncommon for good students to have bad luck in the graduate admissions process. I also do think that there is a great deal of "luck" involved (i.e., arbitariness that students have no control over or knowledge of).
I routinely advise students (every chance I get) to approach the graduate admission process very differently than the undergrad admissions process. It is important that one wants to work with a mentor who sees the student as a viable candidate. Communicating with the mentor and program before applying is a good thing to do. What if that one mentor is going on sabbatical or deciding to retire or just taking a break from mentoring? But even if one has a mentor that is gung ho, there is always the matter of funding. In my department, I have had students that I have been enthusiastic about, but the department could not fund them. In my department, we do not admit students without funding. So great students may not get offers, because of lack of funds. It varies from year to year (in my department) whether a specific faculty member is "up" (i.e., can fund a student). So, the same student applying in a different year could land an offer. A student should never take a lack of an offer as an indication that they are not worthy. There are just so few spots available and the decision process at each place is different and often hard to surmise. Sometimes it is downright strange. It is also the case that faculty get students recommended to them by their own mentors or close colleagues, so a student without such connections is at a disadvantage when applying to a mentor that gets lots of applicants. This happened to a student of mine. The mentor said ... you're great, but I can accept just one student and that student is coming from my old lab with my Ph.D. advisor. So, students should be encouraged NOT to take it personally, but to persevere. I encourage students to apply to programs that get fewer applications; that can increase one's odds. But sometimes students are reluctant to move to the off-the beaten track towns and cities. (It's sometimes a hard sell to get students to move to Oklahoma.) Shelia Associate Professor & IRB Chair Department of Psychology 116 North Murray Hall Oklahoma State University [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=1437 or send a blank email to leave-1437-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
