Sorry about the hiatus. Traveling...Once in a while you get a letter from a student that makes everything you do worthwhile...
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It's me again. There are a good news and bad news.
I think I'll go for the bad news first.
Unfortunately, I didn't pass the second stage of [grad school interview]. Making it worse was that I'm not even on the waiting list. I think the reason I failed is that I embarrassed myself during self-introduction. My voice was shaking. How stupid am I that I wasn't afraid to stand on the [graduation play] stage with hundreds of people but I decimated myself in front of only two interview committees with hilarious shaking voice. With such lousy presentation I think I deserve it!!
Moreover, it's frustrated to know that I couldn't bring the recommendation letter in to the interview room after I got there. They claimed for leveling the playing field. Nevertheless, I GREATLY appreciate that you were willing to write me an excellent recommendation letter even though I knew I wasn't that good. I didn't prepare properly therefore I knew there is so much room I can improve to face another challenge.
Fortunately, there is another opportunity. I got pass the first stage of our school. Interview is going to be held next Saturday. This time I'll do my best to go for it since it's my last chance.
I'm sorry that I didn't make you proud, but I'll work one hundred and twenty percent harder next week.
So I guess I'll see you maybe on that day.
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And then there are the letters that make that connection with others........
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My name's [ ] and was having a good laugh at some of your more humorous observations on Taiwan life when I thought: this dude looks familiar. Then I looked at a photo of your car and 2+2 clicked together. One day I was walking in Taichung about to catch a bus back to Taoyuan and stumbled on a car accident with a scooter and a van that looked much like the one on your website. Anyways just wanted to say sorry for not being more helpful that day and was that the episode of November 2002 on your site?
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Yep. that was me! Nice to meet you!
[Taiwan]
Good luck for the interview!
ReplyDeleteMichael,
ReplyDeleteI hope your student doesn't take the rejection too hard--you might want to tell him/her that those sorts of things are very capricious. An outstanding student might not be accepted because no one on the faculty shares his interests or the faculty member whose interests best match his already has too many students. A more mediocre student might be accepted because he wrote in his application that he wanted to work on something a professor just happened to be starting a project on. I was rejected by many schools only to be successful with my "Hail Mary" app.
Good luck to him/her!