jungThug

Languishing on the waitlist at U Penn and Columbia. Losing my mind as each day comes and goes with no news from either program. Please, if anybody who has gotten accepted at either of these schools, would feel comfortable declining their offer, I will send all the positive vibes and good mojo your way. You and your progeny will get 10000 years of great luck and you'll never have to stand in really long lines ever again. Moreover, you'll never run out of gas! All for turning down an offer so that somebody else on the waitlist got into their dream school.

Does anybody else think that Harvard's top 10 ranking is manifestly unjustified? They haven't placed any of their grads in a TT position for over 2 years now. On the other hand, CUNY Grad Center has had a much better placement rate despite having a bigger program and a fraction of the resources at Harvard; moreover CUNY's faculty/grad students are getting published with more frequency than Harvard. Yet CUNY is 20 and Harvard is 8. It is also telling that the 2 "hottest" fields in English studies -- Rhet-Comp and Digital Humanities -- remain unrepresented in Harvard's English faculty, a sign that shows how entrenched Harvard's English program is in outmoded conversations. These rankings are pretty stupid and they uphold the illusion of elitism even when there's no substance in the matter.

Any idea on when waitlists start moving? Have people out there in the real world already started snagging waitlist spots? Is it still too early? I have a feeling that waitlist offers will go out after programs are through with their prospie visit days, which will give them a better idea about who is accepting offers, etc. My own dgs said she got into her phd program on April 15, after being rejected/waitlisted everywhere. There might be hope yet.

I meant UPenn

Penn sent out waitlists last night. Tried to update the results page, but its not working.

On a similar note, any news about Rutgers? Have they notified everybody? Is there a waitlist?

Anybody know if east coast schools are open for Presidents Day? I know some places have the day off... I JUST WANT A DECISION AAAAAHHHH

Some departments will negotiate with you to match offers. It depends on the school and the program and how much you expect them to raise the stipend amount. But for the most part, stipends are like salaries in that they are subject to negotiation provided you have better offers lined up as well. It helps if you ask one of your advisors/mentors to help you in the negotiation process because it can be a bit tricky. Best of luck! Its great to have options.

anybody know how many people CUNY typically accepts? Is it a big program?

snow day on the east coast today. might be a quiet day for decisions

Is it naive to hold hope that Berkeley might be sending some more acceptances after yesterday's initial wave? Is there any historical precedent to suggest that Berkeley might release their decision in batches? Just read this from Lauren Berlant's book Cruel Optimism, it pretty much sums up how I'm doing right now: "when something you desire is actually an obstacle to your flourishing” (1).

Really praying that berkeley's sending out some more acceptances. Its my top choice program, I haven't heard a lick from them and my online portal has remained unchanged.

Do English if you're open to the idea of not making as much money as a successful lawyer. Also do English if you have an idealist/romantic streak in you. If you're serious about English graduate school, try and read a few recent journal articles in the fields that you're interested, read a few chapters from academic books as well. Ask yourself -- am I willing and able to read/write this stuff for the next decade or so. These might help you make a more informed choice. As for your concerns about your age, I wouldn't let that hold you back. Nearly everybody in my graduate program in English is 30+.

Anybody else feel like they can't get anything done till they hear some news? My mentor says that I'm going crazy with stressing about the decisions and its hurting my progress in my MA. I blame Trump, racism, and capitalism. I also blame myself. I just want to be paid very little money in exchange for reading/writing/teaching books. Why is that so hard to get?

Do you think that it would be appropriate to send out decision letters today? Should I worry more about how Trump will destroy the world or about admissions committees?