Jump to content

PoetryPupil

Members
  • Posts

    20
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Female
  • Program
    English and American Lit

Recent Profile Visitors

1,368 profile views
  • wbw

PoetryPupil's Achievements

Decaf

Decaf (2/10)

0

Reputation

  1. PoetryPupil

    New York, NY

    Thanks! that does help, and I will try to make more of an effort to go to events and lectures for sure...
  2. PoetryPupil

    New York, NY

    Nobody answered my question! Come on people, don't be shy
  3. I am raising my hand for this thread. So happy that I am not alone . Last year for me was all about 7 MFAs and one backup MA. Needless to say, I got the MA haha. I didn't get full funding though and decided to defer it. It was a great school so that keeps me hopeful and this time around I've spread out my applications to both MFAs and phds. Worst comes to worst hopefully they offer me some consolation prize MAs. At the absolute worst I suppose I will take out a loan for the MA that I deferred in the first place. GOOD LUCK TO ALL!
  4. Good luck! I did 12 applications this year, contemplated the 13th as well but for superstitious reasons I think I am done after all
  5. Wow it has been a while since I visited this thread... I am pretty much all done with apps now... the waiting game begins :-/ Good luck everyone!
  6. PoetryPupil

    New York, NY

    A quick question that might be a bit misplaced but I am not sure where else to pose it (feel free to point me in the right direction): I just moved to NYC a month or so ago. I've applied for phds starting Autumn 2012 and still waiting on results. Anyway, meanwhile I am babysitting/ being an au pair and trying to save up but I find myself craving the company of likeminded grad school oriented people. I don't want to wait until August to make these type of friends! So are there any places in particular to mingle with - especially humanity majors - outside the classroom? I've moved all the way from Europe so it is all the more difficult to understand how you guys do academic connections... Cheers!
  7. Let me just add that I've written my first SOP of the year - and this one was for NYU. I have to say they made it easier for me in the end, as they were very clear in their instructions. They asked very directly to "avoid excessive personal or autobiographical anecdotes and offer a clear sense of your training in literary studies, your strengths as a scholar, and the reasons you are applying for the master's or doctoral degree". So I did just that and wrote eloquently and clearly of what I've done so far, where I'm at now and what I wish to pursue during the doctorate. Well, I hope I did this . Now that I've written one SOP in this manner, I doubt very much I should return to any anecdote or witty mode ever again. It just doesn't sound professional to me any more. Just last year I was in a much different state of mind with the MFA apps but phds seem to be a whole different ball park... ps - coffee is the best !
  8. I was wondering about this, and I figure there is no other nor better way to ask than among a forum filled with all-American grad students. So I'm from Europe. I'm applying for American phds this year and I was wondering about how good it will look in my application that I have been published a lot in my (small) country. I've also represented my country at an international literary forum abroad and my poetry (in English) has won international awards. Now, this isn't the same as getting published in the New Yorker, I'm well aware. I was just wondering how you think it will compare to those making application decisions. I am shooting for some great schools but being realistic as well. I just want to know what I can expect and if anyone has inside information on how international students who publish are judged, it would be great. B-)
  9. I just wanted to put my 0.2$ in. Applying from abroad can be a pain. This is experience talking, many times last year I found myself pulling my hair because of how limited I was by my location. Problems that occured varied from - very expensive and unreliable process of sending any supporting material - schools that only allow you to pay by US checks or some other limited method - I was lucky enough to have a family friend travel to the US briefly and he paid my application fee for me, otherwise I would have been screwed - official letters of acceptance/rejection take a LONG time to get to you and some schools only notified by snail mail I don't mean to be discouraging, but these are very real and nerve-wrecking problems that you might want to consider. If you have a way to apply from the US, do it now. I also have experience in deferring and I got my deferral no problem with no questions asked (it was an MA in the humanties from a very good school). HTH
  10. Sigaba, excellent advice. I just have to see how to spin it now. Any other thoughts?
  11. So, I'm in a strange position this year. After getting rejected for a lot of MFA programs, I have decided to pursue a phd in English instead, for a lot of unrelated reasons. I am finding the application process surprisingly different considering the related fields of study. My main issue at this point of the application is the SOP... Last year I wrote very narrative-based SOPs, witty and anecdoatal with carefully plugged in parts containing my background/education/employment etc. You have to understand that I was told over and over that the competition amongst other writers is tough in this field and they were all bringing their a-game to the table. So I did as well. This year, I have started some applications and for the most part they stress the academical background and state that "The SOP should avoid excessive personal or autobiographical anecdotes and offer a clear sense of your training in literary studies, your strengths as a scholar, and the reasons you are applying for the master's or doctoral degree." What do you make of this? I am struggling to find a "voice" to write my phd SOPs in, because I still fear they will be too generic and boring if I write them neutrally. Clearly though, they cannot be a piece of creative writing either. Please help :-/
  12. Exactly what I was looking for . Thank you!
  13. 26 over here. Two MAs in hand, applying for phds and MFAs this year.
  14. Hey runonsentence, could you link me to the Poets&Writers ranking you speak of? This crossover sounds perfect for me, I'm simultaneously applying for phds and MFAs, completely undecided which one would be better for me. MFAs are the holy grail of higher education, but so expensive and so hard to get into. Phds are fully funded and yet they don't do much for my poetry skills...
  15. Sarahmarie, I have to sadly tell you that MAs are barely funded, mostly not at all. I've gotten into a wonderful MA in English last year at a very prestigeous uni but had to defer due to lack of funding. They actually offered to pay a big part of my tuition but it was still incredibly expensive for an MA in the humanities. My advice: go for a phd if you're serious about postgraduate education. In case you really find it too lengthy and think the MA is enough, walk away after a few years and you will earn it in passing, without thousands of dollars in debt.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use