I mentioned this in a randoms thread last week when I got my first grade back, but wanted to say it in a separate post for those who may have missed it. And now that my last grade is in (squee!), the timing feels right.
The last semester was so hard for me--on many levels, but one of the things that helped me through each and every day was knowing how many people were rooting for me. Lots of those cheerleaders were here on this board. It means the world to me that you would all take time out of your days to send good wishes, thoughts and prayers to someone you might never have met. When I sat down for every exam, I remembered that all of you were hoping for the best for me. In an environment that is ultra-competitive, it is so touching to have a personal cheering section. I can't say thank you enough or adequately express just how very grateful I am to have this kind of support.
From the bottom of my heart, Thank You!
Re: Huge thank you to my GR Besties
Definitely. I'm so happy and relieved right now I can't even stand it. My grades were completely book-ended.
I had sort of staked my entire future on this last grade, which is completely irrational, but it's so validating to get good news here.
*Ignoring the "staked my entire future" comment so I can say: I am super-duper happy for you.
On the other hand, I understand. My program is not as competitive as yours, I don't have a scholarship to keep, and the curve is something that most social science profs have discarded, but I get kind of bent out of shape when I miss points.
You've worked hard. Go have a dance party!
Thank you so much, GRSP. This weekend is definitely going to be full of celebrating.
The future staking was somewhat tongue in cheek, but from the information I had as of last Friday, I had made some extrapolations about exam-taking, my strategies and what I could do moving forward. This exam was similar in format to the first one (straight essay) and this was my 2nd favorite class (favorite was the first exam). Getting a disappointing grade here would have thrown a wrench in my personal assessment, not to mention left me with ground to make up GPA-wise this semester to keep the scholarship.
But beyond that, I was in a really fragile state last Friday (and all last weekend really) after getting the next two grades. More than anything, I needed a big confidence boost from this one and nothing less than outstanding would have done that.