I Got In!

I got in! This is all that has been buzzing around in my head for the past four days.

What am I talking about? I had applied to graduate schools a couple of months back. Finally, after no news winter, results started flowing in. By results I mean, rejections. Harsh, cold rejections which universities try to smother with honey to make you not feel bad. I had applied to fifteen universities. After receiving six rejections and hearing from people that most of the places I had applied to had already sent out their admits, I had lost all hope. Mid-term exams were around the corner when all this went down. So I just decided to focus on the exams and start looking for a backup after the exams were over. I know I still hadn’t “officially” heard back from nine universities, but I wasn’t expecting much. Just clinging onto a “foolish” hope is what it felt like. Who knew I was in for a surprise!

Mid-terms went by pretty fast like they always do. I had four exams in three days. Despite being an engineering student, I had to study some biology for my last exam: working of the heart, pulmonary system, and the nervous system. Having finished my final exam and going back to my dorm to refresh before going out to play tennis, I habitually checked my emails. There was an email from the University of California, San Diego.

I quickly opened up the email, which told me that there has been a status update in the application portal, and I should have a look at it. Dread and anxiety started flooding me. I had received similar emails already (two of them during my mid-terms), and all of them ended badly. I click on the notification in the application portal, which opens up a letter. I start reading it: “Dear Mohit, Congratulations! I am plea-“. Instantly I close my internet browser window. It’s as if I had seen a ghost! I was shocked and awestruck. I build up my courage and open up the letter again, and this time carefully read it. I was euphoric when I finished. “I did it,” “I am not a complete reject,” and other “positive” thoughts were filling my mind. On March 7th, 2020, I had been accepted to the Masters in Computer Science and Engineering program at the University of California, San Diego.

UCSD was the last place I was expecting anything from. Through friends and the online community, I had heard that they had already sent out their admits a month ago. But miracles do happen. UCSD was one of my top choices. There are amazing professors over here that are doing incredible research, which I find exciting and aligned with my goals. I’ve also heard the STEM fields are exceptionally good at UCSD. The cherry on top is the fantastic weather and the beauty of San Diego that I’ve heard a lot about.

I download the offer letter and emailed it to my dad, followed by calling home and telling my parents the good news. I had given up hopes of going to graduate school this year, but my parents were still hopeful and helped keep my morale up. In fact, I still have an uncanny feeling deep inside me that all of this is just a fluke. As a result I pretty much end up checking the UCSD application portal every day; to make sure the offer letter is still there! The last couple of days have just been unreal. I can’t wait to start graduate school. Hopefully, the Coronavirus outbreak gets subjugated in time. Other than that, I still have to figure out funding for the Maters program. Other than the tuition, I’ve heard that San Diego is an expensive city, and this may cause problems.