deadwriter

Thanks!

Where do you see that message on the site?

I just spoke with the Graduate Studies department, and they said that if the online status just says "successful" you're good, but if it says "successful with restrictions" you're not so good...

My Graduate Director just told me that, due to an error at OGS, there have been some false positives on the website (i.e. some people have gotten a "successful candidate" message even though they are not actually successful candidates). I double checked mine, and it still says I am successful. Has anyone else heard this?

Thanks for your advice everyone. I have decided to take the plunge. I will get decent funding with the prospect of more in a city that gives me the opportunity to develop a backup plan if academics doesn't work out. Furthermore, in seeing how important academics was to me, my partner has decided to support me (with the caveat that I have to find ways of making money during and after the PhD). Thanks again, Andrew

Has anyone done any online tutoring? Any companies you can recommend (especially Canadian based companies)? Anything I should watch out for or avoid?

Hi There, I need some advice. After many years of school, I have racked up 80 000 in student debt and am currently 33. My most recent schooling was a MA in English, where I did quite well. Unfortunately, all of my 8 initial applications to PhD programs were rejected. I did received one nice rejection from a very good school that encouraged me to reapply. Panicked, I looked for schools that accepted late applications, and am waiting to hear back from those schools. They are pretty much unknown, or bottom tiered schools. My girlfriend (and potential wife) has been urging me to reconsider getting a PhD even if I am accepted and pursue another career. She is concerned that my job prospects will not be great because of the lower tiered schools, and that I would be missing out on 4-7 years of good income (4 for the degree, and maybe 3 or more after that before I get a stable position). She is not comfortable supporting me through that process, and the more I think about it, the more I wonder if maybe it is time to move on. I would love the work of the PhD, but I would probably be in my 50s by the time I paid off my loan IF I got a tenured position. Since many successful English PhDs are unable to find tenured positions (especially those looking for contemporary lit, especially American, or Creative Writing in Canada) it may even be longer before my loan was paid off, and I may end up looking for a job outside academia anyway. So, what is you advice? Are my perceptions of the academic job market inaccurate? Is it really not that bad? Or should I throw in the towel and look for something else that won't make me miserable? NOTE: I have posted this in a few different forums because I am looking for as much input as possible.

Hi There, I need some advice. After many years of school, I have racked up 80 000 in student debt and am currently 33. My most recent schooling was a MA in English, where I did quite well. Unfortunately, all of my 8 initial applications to PhD programs were rejected. I did received one nice rejection from a very good school that encouraged me to reapply. Panicked, I looked for schools that accepted late applications, and am waiting to hear back from those schools. They are pretty much unknown, or bottom tiered schools. My girlfriend (and potential wife) has been urging me to reconsider getting a PhD even if I am accepted and pursue another career. She is concerned that my job prospects will not be great because of the lower tiered schools, and that I would be missing out on 4-7 years of good income (4 for the degree, and maybe 3 or more after that before I get a stable position). She is not comfortable supporting me through that process, and the more I think about it, the more I wonder if maybe it is time to move on. I would love the work of the PhD, but I would probably be in my 50s by the time I paid off my loan IF I got a tenured position. Since many successful English PhDs are unable to find tenured positions (especially those looking for contemporary lit, especially American, or Creative Writing in Canada) it may even be longer before my loan was paid off, and I may end up looking for a job outside academia anyway. So, what is you advice? Are my perceptions of the academic job market inaccurate? Is it really not that bad? Or should I throw in the towel and look for something else that won't make me miserable?