kayrabbit

I don't have a direct relationship to the grad program, but I did my undergrad at Oregon State before attending a PhD program elsewhere, and I'm very passionate about the program and the people there. Congratulations and I hope you enjoy it if you attend!

When I was looking for a house near UMD for an August move in, I started looking seriously that May, but I had a hard time finding landlords who wanted to talk to me about even 2-3 months in the future (as in, I called people to respond to their listings and they laughed at me). I was looking for places that weren't extremely close to campus though, so most of the people I talked to were trying to rent houses that weren't inhabited by students who'd be leaving at the end of the school year, but were either empty or about to be and that they wanted to fill as quickly as possible. I lucked out in finding a house a few miles from campus that the owner was preparing to rent for the first time and that wasn't quite ready for immediate move in. I actually found that place by checking a university page for housing listings. I think it's this page, which will likely have more private listings at the end of the school year: https://ochdatabase.umd.edu If you're looking for an apartment, complexes like Graduate Hills and Franklin Park at Greenbelt Station were happy to talk a few months in the future.

Ha! Too apt — I recently discussed this passage from the Gilbert and Gubar chapter "Infection in the Sentence" with my Women's Writing class: "...As the Romantic poets feared, too much imagination may be dangerous to anyone, male or female, but for women in particular patriarchal culture has always assumed mental exercises would have dire consequences. ... And as Wendy Martin has noted in the nineteenth century this fear of the intellectual woman became so intense that the phenomenon ... was recorded in medical annals. A thinking woman was considered such a breach of nature that a Harvard doctor reported during his autopsy on a Radcliffe graduate he discovered that her uterus had shrivelled to the size of a pea. [18]" So, literally, yes, that seems to be the underlying rationale.

Mine also started as the tiny runt of the litter, @angel_kaye13, but she's remained small — she's five years old and only five pounds. I love grey and white cats, though, I have three cats and consider this one to be the cutest, lol. (And yes, I feel rather crazy to have three cats and a Siberian Husky in grad school. Ah well. My only defense is that the third cat wasn't exactly intentional.)

No problem @Yanaka! I wouldn't say undergrads who are admitted to PhD programs are typically more prepared than those who already hold an MA — I was primarily comparing those who are admitted direct from BA to PhD and those who are admitted to MA programs with a BA, but it does vary across the board. Completing an MA first is certainly the best preparation for a PhD (though not necessarily the ideal path or timeline for everyone), and consequently those who have completed an MA are usually able to move more quickly through the process of defining a research field and developing a dissertation project than someone who enters with a BA. Regarding admissions, however, I just think that being prepared in the sense of having established and fixed research interests doesn't always translate directly to how an adcomm evaluates candidates or determines who will be admitted. Definitions of "prepared" or "desirable" candidates vary across programs, which I suppose is essentially what can make admissions results feel confusing or arbitrary.

It sounded to me like the suggestion was that her "colleagues who were the direct-admits" to PhD programs with only a BA were better prepared (at time of application) than those who applied with BAs and were admitted to the MA rather than the PhD, and that's the reason those direct admits were admitted to the PhD while others weren't. I could be wrong about what was intended and won't dive further into the questions of interpretation that Yanaka and angel_kaye have been discussing, but I can weigh in a bit on the difference between applicants with a BA who are admitted to an MA vs "directly admitted" to a PhD program, at least in terms of perceived difference in qualification. As far as differentiation within a PhD program between those who enter with a BA vs an MA, it's basically just a difference of requirements, depending on the program. I had to take more classes than my cohort mates with MAs, and took my qualifying exam about a semester later than their average, but there's no distinction within the program between those who entered with BA or MA, and people often forget who came in with what. Regarding differences in application quality or preparedness, the answer isn't a clearcut one by any means: I was admitted with a BA directly to a PhD program, but I don't feel that I was significantly more prepared than others who were admitted to the MA. There are so many factors at work in determining who is admitted where. I did write a BA Honor's Thesis and was able to sketch out a direction of research and state who I wanted to work with, and the person I identified as my primary POI at my eventual program is my director now, but there was so, so much I didn't know at the time as well. Perhaps my interests were more defined than some students who were admitted to the master's program, who went on to switch their research fields, but there are also PhD students at my university who entered with MAs and went on to switch research fields during PhD coursework. I do think that having two more years to develop your interests, particularly in the context of graduate coursework, is a huge advantage for those applying with an MA (and angel_kaye makes a great point that students who complete the MA can then choose which PhD programs to apply to with a more developed understanding of their research interests). But I've known students who were accepted into an MA who had more thoroughly defined research interests (and were certainly more well read) than me, and PhD students who entered with MAs who still felt they were starting from scratch with their research interests. It's a mixed bag. Angel_kaye seemed to suggest that her initial application was clearly only suitable for MA acceptance, but I could say the same thing about the straight-from-BA application that did end up getting me into a PhD program. My writing sample and SoP had plenty of problems, revealed massive ignorance about what constitutes a research field, and were outdated and canonical in focus. The problems with my writing sample and stated interests were problems that I wouldn't have even been able to identify until I completed my first year or two of grad school. Many of the straight to PhD applicants whose posts I read on GradCafé seem far more in touch with current conversations and trends in their fields than I was when I applied. Yet, I got into a PhD program, and plenty of students with extremely developed research interests (some of them formed over breaks between BA and graduate work) begin in the MA program instead. It's a complex process, and I don't think it's very easy to label any application as "only MA material," because there are so many factors at work. Certainly, if I hadn't gotten into a PhD program during my cycle, I probably would have said that my application was clearly not suitable for PhD entry. Regardless of the results of a particular application cycle (which I hope are positive for both of you!), in addition to the qualities we can analyze in our own work, applications have less definable strengths and weaknesses that are specific to the programs, the people looking at them, and the moment. I suppose the moral I'm going for is that, given the fairly strong base qualifications common to most applicants (GPA, GRE, sophisticated writing), there's no hard and fast way to count anyone out. I can't say exactly why I was accepted into my program — I'm very happy that I was — but I think my application could have just as easily, and not necessarily inaccurately, been labeled as "not quite at PhD level yet."

You're wonderful I know not how to gif but would love to gif-express cohort love to you. Also, I think it is true that the differences are mostly just apparent from your own perspective. I'm realizing that the one of the people I included in the seven MAs is actually someone pursuing an MA/PhD in a slightly different program, and I never think about them as not having an English MA. They're smart and impressive!

I also came from an undergrad program that was very personally enriching but wasn't advantageous name-wise, and I was the only English undergrad applying to anything but MFA programs (though I think one of my school's then-MFA students got into a PhD program that year, too). How did I end up here? I ask myself that all the time. Surely there were mistakes made! But, like I said, if you can't drown that voice, accept it and move on. You get this opportunity either way, and that's awesome! When I was waiting for application results and thinking of how terrible an applicant I was and how impossible it was any school would take me, I thought how if one school would just let me in, I'd do anything to be the most amazing asset to their program. Now that I'm in a program, I realize I don't have the confidence to jump in and say, "I'm know I'm going to be fantastic and show you how worthwhile I am!" But I'm doing what I can, and ultimately that needs to be enough for me more so than it does for them. Thinking of it that way lessens the pressure slightly, at least for me. There is one other student in my cohort that came in with a BA, and seven with MAs, but a couple students were admitted with BAs in previous cohorts too. I think my program started accepting BA applicants just a few years ago, so maybe the number will increase over time. I posted something about this in another thread; there is definitely anxiety associated with feeling like you have less training than the people around you. I think there are real benefits to getting an MA first that I wasn't aware of at all as an undergrad. But that doesn't mean you don't deserve the opportunity to begin your PhD right out of undergrad or that you can't do amazing things with it. And several of my MA-bearing classmates feel very similar things, which demonstrates that, outside of certain personality types, we'll all usually make ourselves feel inferior regardless of previous experiences and capabilities. P.S. Congratulations on the amazing accomplishment of getting into a program! I never believe it of myself, but I can say to you that you clearly distinguished yourself from a field of incredibly smart and skilled people, and that's fantastic. Since we never really believe this of ourselves, it's good to say it to each other instead.

I began a PhD program with my BA this year. It does feel like you're less prepared than other people, and it is scary, and you keep asking how the hell you got in. But it doesn't really matter how you got in; you're in, and schools probably wouldn't invest in you like they do based on a "fluke." But even if they did, it doesn't matter — they don't get to change their minds, you just get to do as much as you can with the opportunity. I'm still here, and I think (hope?) the gap that I perceive between myself with a BA and those with more advanced degrees will shrink as I continue through program. It's OK to feel cold feet, for lots of reasons, but don't let it hold you back from going to a program that you know is right for you. I moved 3,000 miles to be here. It's crazy, it's scary, there's no guarantee of, well, anything. But man, I would've hated myself if I didn't come, or if I hadn't tried. It's true that you miss home even more once you leave, and I think about the opportunities I could have had at home without graduate school. "Wouldn't I have been happy doing that?" I ask myself. At home, I could have had good career choices, plus family, familiarity, peace — but at least for me, I know I wouldn't have been happy knowing that I gave up this opportunity, or never found out whether I could have it. Whether that's the case for you is entirely personal, but don't give anything up because you feel scared or inferior. Even if your fears are correct (which they almost certainly aren't), the best thing would still be to take all the ground that your scared and inferior self can get.

Hey! I identify with your situation a lot, both because I am a first-year Ph.D. student who enrolled straight out of undergrad and because I've wondered lately about the advantages of getting an M.A. first, largely because the other members of my Ph.D. cohort who came in with M.A.s clearly gained so much from those programs. First a word on the application question. I planned to apply to six top level schools during the fall of my senior year. Cornell, Yale, Stanford, UPenn, UChicago -- you get the idea; all tippy-top-tier schools. My advisers suggested adding some state schools to the list; some that were still top schools like Michigan and Virginia, and others slightly lower (in terms of "official rankings") like NYU, Buffalo, and Maryland. Had I not added those schools, I would have been in a similar position to the one you're describing, left with an MAPH offer that I really couldn't accept. I don't think this is even just about applying to higher-ranked programs vs lower-ranked ones. The schools that did make me offers were technically higher ranked than some of the ones that didn't (such as Notre Dame and Buffalo). Variety does matter, because there are so many fantastic candidates out there that luck and fit (as it is mysteriously interpreted by admission committees, not just you), do come into play, and the best way to make sure you end up with a favorable result (beyond making yourself the strongest candidate you can be) is to give yourself as many chances as are financially feasible. I didn't directly apply to any M.A. programs, but did receive some Ph.D. rejections that came with M.A. offers with less than ideal funding. If I were doing the application process again, I would make an effort to identify and apply to M.A. programs that were well funded in addition to Ph.D. programs. This is not just because of the whole application lottery, but also because everyone in my cohort with an M.A. (seven out of nine of us, by the way) is a badass. No question that an M.A. at a decent program is completely worthwhile. I am glad that I'll be completing my M.A./Ph.D. in five years rather than seven, but I also wonder whether the extra time and training they've had will make them better candidates on the job market. I can offset that with great work in my program, but it definitely cuts down on the time you have to become an amazing job candidate. They've already acclimated to this environment and the demands, and are ready to take steps in their work that I'm not. So there are benefits and drawbacks to the M.A., and whether you can find one that is funded or semi-funded is certainly a big part of the question. But I definitely think it's worth trying to find a funded one, because it's not a waste. Even the people I know who had to pay for an M.A. before starting the Ph.D. are anything but regretful. It made them better Ph.D. candidates, gave them opportunities to teach, adapt to graduate school, and define their career plans, and, in my opinion, that could be an asset on the job market. So overall, I think yes, apply for funded M.A.s and Ph.D.s next time. Acceptance into either represents a great opportunity. The same opportunity can potentially exist with unfunded M.A.s, but you have to know that you're in a financial situation where that could be a good idea for you, which definitely wasn't the case for me and probably isn't for a lot of us. Also, did you reply to your parents by saying that you'd attend the MAPH if they paid for it? I mean you had to at least say that, right?

I decided I wanted to pursue graduate school in December of my junior year of college, and immediately felt overwhelmed and wished I'd started thinking about it long before then. I basically had one program I was seriously interested in from then until nearly a year later when I had to actually start working on applications (and no, that "one program" is not the program I ended up in). It's great that you've already put enough thought into this that you have so many schools on your radar. As someone who entered a Ph.D. program from undergrad (and has little to no idea how I managed to draw lucky in the acceptance lottery), I wish you the best! Also, applying to graduate school your senior year is...rough. I also wrote a senior thesis that doubled as my writing sample that year though, which didn't help. Acceptance or no acceptance though, for me applying was a worthwhile process that I learned from immensely. I'll ask for mercy from others who are on this thread still waiting for this season's results if that last statement is not a helpful one right now. Edit: Does not starting to think about it until October include not getting ready for the GRE? Because I think I had to schedule my GREs (subject and general) in September, and took one in October and one in November... so with that, combined with getting a strong writing sample and personal statement together, I'd definitely have to agree with you that October is far too late.

That's great that you have some fun stops planned. We're leaving Friday and we'll have two cats with us, so we're going to try to keep the trip short, but we're hoping to see a couple interesting things regardless. The heat has been awful. I actively hate summers, and I don't even live in a particularly hot place. DC in the summer will be... interesting. I hope your trip goes well!

Did you end up going with Franklin Park? I went to see a couple apartments there and got the impression that, while some of the apartments that have not yet been renovated have issues, the renovated ones are of good quality (and I felt that it would be easy to push for a renovated one because they want people to move in). I am also attending UMD College Park in the fall, and location-wise I thought Franklin Park was excellent — especially with shuttles to the metro and the university available. I ended up getting a house instead as we were looking to move out of the apartment scene, but for anyone looking for an apartment near UMD I thought Franklin Park seemed like a good option.

Thanks for the positive outlook, ComeBackZinc! I do think it will be a lot of fun, regardless of whether it results in any advancement. If nothing else, it's a great way to round off a project that I've been working on for quite awhile.

Thank you, somethinbruin. I appreciate the response. I think I'm experiencing a sudden case of skepticism as a result of having my first proposal accepted. I've been accepted to present in the Scholars Seminar at the annual meeting of the T.S. Eliot Society, so it isn't a particularly large conference, but considering that the society is full of people who are well versed in Eliot, I am pleased to have been accepted. I have the (perhaps incorrect) impression that the society is probably not receiving a massive amount of submissions so I'm not sure what level of selectivity is in place, but I agree with you that interacting with other scholars and attending conference sessions will be an excellent learning experience if nothing else. I believe my school will pay for travel but not membership dues, though I'll certainly have to check whether those can be covered as well, so there is little reason not to attend. Thank you for the insight though, I think you're correct to say that conferences should be viewed as an investment in professional development, and that is the perspective from which I'll evaluate this and any future acceptances.