omgninjas

Unfortunately, according to the graduate FAQ, the English department doesn't allow you to defer.

Huh? I think I'm misunderstanding you, but are you saying that people in the top programs desire a more competitive job market so they can feel better about themselves?

The most terrifying thread in the history of this forum. Celebrating a recession as an easy ego booster, Libertarianism, and vaginal infections. Not even 10 posts yet, and critical levels of :shock: are being reached.

I hate to drag out this derail, but come on.. The original comment, whatever. Your response afterwards, damn.

Hey there Jackie, Here's what I would do. I would email the programs I was rejected from and ask them for feedback on my application, as blunt as possible. I would work on whatever deficiencies they pointed out until app. season rolls around again, then apply to a wider range of schools than I did the first time. I don't know where you applied this season, but I would still shoot for some of the reaches, while adding in a bunch more schools where admissions were more likely Unfortunately, the way the economy is going suggests that admissions will be just as, if not more difficult than this year, but between the stories I've read here and on other grad. admissions board, a good candidate will always eventually find a home. So in short, between the two options you listed, I don't see why you can do both. You're set on applying for the MA, not the PhD?

I am not, but I am considering entering the PhD program and visited last week if you're interested in talking about Brown in general.

*announcer voice* kfed wins flawless victory by the way, when someone points out the racism inherent in something you've said, I HAVE BLACK FRIENDS is not a good defense.

I was fortunate enough to get accepted to all of the schools I applied to, but I had pretty much ranked them before I'd started on the whole process. After all was said and done, (i.e. I'd gotten the funding info, figured out where I'd be able to visit and where I wouldn't), I cut it down to my top 4 schools, which matched up pretty well to where I had them ranked beforehand. Then, I took a closer look at the faculty and started reading some of their work. My opinion pretty much stayed the same, and now I'm down to the top two, which I'm visiting. I think in the end I'm probably going to end up at the school I've been leaning towards the entire time, but I'm glad I didn't rush my decision too much.

If you're responding to me, that's totally exaggerating my argument. I have a tough time believing that people at the most well-renowned schools don't have an easier time getting jobs, especially when I peruse the faculty lists of major departments. Whether it is because they are incredible in their own right (since such schools usually attract the top candidates) or because they sleaze their way into the networking system these schools tend to have access to, I think that saying they lack jobs neglects the fact that they lack these jobs to a lesser extent than most other programs. Finally, it's much harder to be at the head of your field at a subpar school. You're forcing me to come off as more elitist than really I am, but honestly, my point is that the articles in the OP shouldn't make applicants give up their dreams, it should make them more selective about the schools that they apply to. Getting a job now means you gotta be good. You can be good at any school, it's just easier to be good at the ones which lead your field and have peers who will push you.

I actually want to go a bit more in-depth about what I meant

In my opinion if you retitle it to PhD Humanities - Just Don't Do It Unless You Can Get Into A Great School and it is more accurate but unfortunately less sensationalist. If you go to a top 30 school and you are a good scholar, I think you should still be able to get a job. Obviously this varies by specialty and exactly WHICH school you go to, and as times get worse it may get harder and harder, but Berkeley, Harvard, Yale PhDs typically don't lack for jobs. Just my two cents.

Although I am probably going to end up picking an Ivy over UCLA (English), I would say in your case you should probably go to UCLA. It sounds like the program and school is a good fit for you, and do you really want to go through applying again? Who knows how things will go the next time around? Broadening your academic network is wise, but I don't know if Dartmouth would be great for that (don't get pissed at me, D'mouth people). Beyond being the most isolated Ivy, Dartmouth also has the smallest graduate community, especially if you exclude the B- folks and the Med students. Also, I feel as though a one year program isn't going to allow you to make a whole lot of meaningful connections with the faculty. Anyways, you're going to visit Hanover soon, so why not find out where their graduates typically end up heading after receiving their MAs? If they place well, and you're really hoping to shoot for a school at the absolute top, it might be a good decision. Otherwise, I'd go with LA.

In this light it kind of makes sense that schools might favor strong students coming out of undergrad over strong students coming out of the MA, since they might tend to be ahead of the curve. Another thing with the MA is the funding issue...some programs, not all, but some really rely on MAs as cash cows to fund their PhDs. I've spoken to two DGS' now who have kind of expressed distaste for this system and the way it influences the education of the MA only students, who are kind of shunted off to the side. This doesn't apply to all programs, of course, but there are a few which are notorious in this regard.

Michelle that's an unfortunate situation. If I were in your shoes I would strongly consider choosing against the MA and applying again next year. I don't think your age is that huge of a factor provided you've shown you can do the work, and if you can get into a UVA MA, with a bit of tweaking you can definitely get into some top-notch PhDs and get paid instead of shelling out the cash yourself. I don't presume to know anything other than what you've shared, but I feel like the job market for Humanities PhDs does not warrant wracking up $150k in debt..it makes me sick that the system allows you be in that position at all, particularly considering that getting into a PhD program is nothing compared to trying to getting an actual job.

I grew up in Syracuse and I can confirm that it is as cold as people say. Winter typically goes from about October/November to March/April. Temperatures in the negatives are not uncommon; I remember having classes canceled in high school not because of the snow, but because it was too cold (water in pipes freezing, etc). Snowfall is outrageous, as well. All of the upstate New York cities have a contest to see who receives the most snow (the golden snowball, if you're curious), and Syracuse has won the past 7 years. Honestly, if you can't drive on the snow, you will need to learn fast. The city is good with clearing the road and putting salt down, but you're going to inevitably get caught in a blizzard, which can be nerve-wracking even for those of us native to the reason. Hope this doesn't seem too harsh, but it's difficult to really exaggerate how rough Cuse can be in the winter. I'd be willing to answer any other questions, but honestly, the universities are really among the town's few redeeming qualities.