oops! why do i still have typos as if i am a n00b.
that was supposed to be: "now i know what to expect"

swantje,

you are totally right. it is such great way to practice. no i know what to expect.

procrastinator,

I know! some of the other candidate could have easily been more in tune with the research groups objectives because they are from more prestigious schools. that is why i was considering doing an Msc. Fortunately, i have had a positive response from another school that i am interested in and I am likely to get in at this point.

As for being disappointed. I can very well handle disappointments. sure i was disappointed but it is not like i sat there and cried the whole day or something, life goes on. I have been through a lot in my life and i know i want to do a PhD and i know i can do it.

yeah, i guess life is tough sometimes. And it is survival of the fittest. I am hoping one day when i make it i can play it fair and not be mean.

masters,

so essentially you are saying this is quite common? yeah exactly my point, people who have connections end up getting the positions. So i think doing a Masters at the department of choice might be a way to get to know the professors and increase chances of getting in. That is if i can secure a Masters position. Only downside is that funding is hard to find a Masters level

Thanks for words of encouragement.
What really hurts is that i know they are not looking for one student but many probably about 5 or so. If they know who they were going to give them too and still called me in for an interview that is bad. I spend a whole day of talking to people for their own formality? wow! i hope that is not how it works.

My downside is that i am from a university that ranks around 200 in the world but i am looking at institutes that are above hundred. I am starting to consider an option of applying for Masters (although i am about to finish one) as this will hopefully make it easier to get a PhD in the department of my choice.

Hi all,

What has been other people's experiences. i have had one interview so far, i thought my performance was promising until 2 weeks later when i got a rejection email. I am still distraught and i am finding a hard time applying to more schools. It appears securing a PhD at a prestigious departments is about being super smart or having connections?