Villain Elle

I just took myself off the waitlist at Rutgers. Hope that opens it up for someone else here!

They're going to want everything, AA included. In my experience from this year, most schools (except for 1 out of 14) want uploaded scans of all transcripts. Only if you enroll do most schools want the official transcripts mailed directly to them. So you only have to order twice--ones for yourself to scan and the official ones to go directly to the school. (Unless I was just lucky this year???)

Yes, got wait listed at Rutgers about 2 weeks ago. Haven't heard anything since though!

NYC is so incredibly expensive. Consider that you will have to fund the program plus a NYC lifestyle. (Take a look at NYC apartments online and you will see what I mean.) NYC offers a lot in terms of opportunity, but even people with fully funded offers struggle to make ends meet there. I wouldn't do it myself.

I would try contacting the department DGS (Director of Graduate Studies) instead of the POI. They might be more helpful/responsive.

I agree--do the interview if the school is a dream for you. Give yourself all the opportunities and options possible. Interviews are the worst, but you don't want to have regrets later just because you weren't willing to be slightly uncomfortable for a couple hours. Good luck!

I heart this thread. In one of my SOPs, I forgot to update the document and named the wrong university. Soooo embarrassing! Thank goodness they were kind enough not to hold it against me. In all of my applications except the final one (when I finally caught the mistake), I accidentally listed the wrong undergrad GPA.

I think that's only if the acceptance is attached to a funding offer. http://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution To the OP, you might also consider requesting an extension from the school that accepted you. They may be willing to give you more time.

Congrats on your admit! I can't speak to finishing in four years since I'm just applying this year myself. But as for the deadline, I don't think they can compel an answer before April 15th for a funding offer (see http://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution). I would politely ask for an extension at least long enough to hear back from your other schools. Best of luck!

New to this thread, but many congratulations to those with acceptances! I mostly applied to English programs but did apply to the joint program in English and African American Studies at Yale. Anyone have any intel? So ready to start making decisions!

Columbia English is breaking hearts today. No e-mail, just caught my rejection from a random website check.

I agree that you don't have to justify your decision to anyone, and I get that you don't HAVE to tell any DGS where you've accepted. But why would you specifically want to keep it secret if you HAD decided?

aw, thank you!!!

That was me--thanks! :-)

FWIW, I applied to a bunch of schools that use ApplyWeb and so far one of them has posted the decision letter using the ApplyWeb interface (right above the recommendation letters). So I've been checking AW for my other schools. Also waiting for Brown English!

FWIW, I was waitlisted at UMD and I'm doing African American/poetry and poetics.

Not an acceptance but I was wait listed at UMD today. I was surprised they notified this early!

Thanks for asking this--I was wondering, too!

Although I love my pro for its functionality, I just started grad school last fall and find that it is way too heavy to carry to campus on a regular basis. I definitely wish that I'd gotten the air! I could definitely have lived with an external optical drive and smaller hard drive. Best of luck!

I'm a poetry applicant so my letters were written by writing professors. I got them each the newly released book of poems by my favorite poet and included a handwritten note. I didn't wait until the end of the "acceptance" season. I just waited until I got my first acceptance and mentioned it in the note. The gift doesn't need to be extravagant, just a gesture of thanks. But I agree with the previous poster--splurge on some nice stationery. Without these people we wouldn't have even been able to apply!

People apply to a range. For my field (Creative Writing), I think I read that people apply to an average of 6 to 10. I applied to 10. Although I'm happy with my result, I would up that number to 15 if I were applying again just to give myself more options. Anyway, professors are used to students having long lists of schools. Just make it as easy on them as you can by organizing their materials and giving them as much information as you can up front. If changes need to be made, just let them know right away.

@ callista - thanks for reviving this thread! I find it really inspirational. And I don't think you are delusional at all. I think the most important first step is envisioning yourself there and you've done that. The stars are aligned and it feels right so go for it! I'm 36 years old and will be starting my MFA in Poetry this fall. Completely different field from what I'm currently doing for a living, but it's my passion and I've wanted to do this for a long, long time. I won't be quite as close to home as you, but I did apply to programs within a 3-mile radius of my current home and my (aging) folks (the program has to work for your life). Frankly, I'm really glad that I waited as long as I did because my writing is much more mature. I think time may have given me an edge, rather than been a hindrance. Anyway, like you, I feel like the time is right. Best of luck as you start your new program...it sounds like you're going to kill it!