Decision

Dear Pupu

I applied for 15 graduate schools and only 6 have replied me. Out of the 6 replies, I have 5 rejections and 1 acceptance. I was sad, but it was also kind of expected since those were very good schools. I was also glad because that one acceptance was important to me. As for the rest of the 9 schools, I have no idea what's taking them so long.

The national deadline for acceptance in US is 15 Apr. I don't want to end up in a situation where acceptances start coming during the last few days and I would not have much time to decide. The deciding factor is not only the school ranking, but the professors that I want to work with, the city that the school is situated in and the weather. Well..... I guess the last factor should have no concern since all the schools I applied are in the US.

Maybe I should start emailing the 9 schools.

As I am about to enter the next phase of my life, it is no surprise that I would also ponder about the alternate path that I could have taken, which is working in the society. I compared the advantages and disadvantages between the 2 paths, and I finally came to a conclusion. Money is not an important factor here. The bottomline is interest. Do I really have interest in research? Or do I just want to get another certificate?

Life as a PhD student is not easy. That's for sure. I shall take a leap of faith, and hope for a better future.