Phoebecaulfield

I completed an M.A. in English Lit this past May. Though it was a Literature degree, I focused on film studies throughout my time in the program. During my two years there, I did well in my classes, put effort into building strong relationships with certain professors, and also threw myself heart and soul into a select few of the projects that I worked on. I think I made a positive impression, but because I always was working other jobs and because I saw myself going into an alt.ac career post Master's, I didn't really invest in the grad school culture very much or do things to add to an academic C.V. By that I mean I didn't really ever go to colloquium, other events, I didn't try to go to conferences or anything like that. I was just focusing on my classes and when I wasn't doing that, I was working on my freelance writing career. Despite that, I am really passionate about academia and the only reason I shied away from it is the knowledge of how thankless it can be. Well, now despite that, I think I want to apply to Ph.D programs. I just can't get enough of this stuff. Sorry, future self. One of my professors recommended a publication as a good way to get something solid on my C.V. This method is also cheaper than affording a conference. I have a film theory paper I wrote in an independent study with this professor that I think I would like to work with and submit to some publications; even if it's not good enough for a more prestigious pub, there are zillions of smaller online film journals where I might have a shot. Any advice? Do you think this is a worthwhile pursuit?

Got an email today asking for a financial aid component, saying they had reviewed my financial aid file... I haven't heard yet whether I've been accepted or rejected, however. Should I be excited?

I deferred last year. It was very easy. I just emailed and requested a year to gain work experience and also to try to find funding. It was for an unfunded MA, though. Now, a year later, I most likely am going to be telling them I won't go at all. Not sure how that will go over, but considering it's an unfunded MA... Don't think it will be a big deal.

Lol no worries whatsoever

No sarcasm!!! Somehow people think that in real life and in writing whenever I try to display enthusiasm, haha. Good luck to you and to Eternal Optimist with securing funding. :/

Great, the opportunity to talk about Nova is pretty much my dream come true.

Wooooooonderful. Can't wait to work with you. Yo, it's crazy how hard we work just to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars so that we can work more. It's a rat race. Also I noticed in your signature that you applied to Villanova. I went there for undergrad, and am well acquainted with many of the professors who teach in the graduate program. They are some of the best people I've met in my entire life. Please feel free to PM me if you get accepted and have questions about them, the school, the area, etc.

I'll put in a good word. Interns take care of most of the hiring process, so shouldn't be an issue. I can probably get you a kingship pretty fast.

Never go to school again!!!!!! But seriously, I have a pretty good internship at a publishing house in New York. I might just try to get a job there and say screw you, higher higher education.

To a million unfunded MA's Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh

Went to Villanova for undergrad... I took classes with a few of the professors who teach in the MA program and they are great. Extremely supportive people and great teachers/scholars. I would definitely recommend the program 100%. If you have any questions or anything please feel free to PM me.

This should be an easy question to answer... I hope... Otherwise we're all going to be screwed in grad school. I'm going to be sending stamped envelopes to a few of my recommendation writers. How should I format the address on these envelopes? As in... Just the address for the program? Or, c/o [My name]'s application one line above the address? Thank you so much!

Thank you so much for that info. I think I'm going to apply to the program you did at Pitt. I love Pittsburgh and have been looking for an excuse to move there for two years now.

I didn't read all of these responses yet, so I apologize if I'm repeating something. I was in the same position last year. Out of a bunch of PhD, I ended up with only one acceptance from NYU, for their unfunded master's. I ended up accepting the offer, but then deferring for a year. I am still not sure if I will end up going or not. Everyone tells you not to pay for a master's in English or any humanities discipline, and I can see why. I've spent the past two years reading Chronicle and Higher Education and all sorts of articles and talking to professors. I've heard all the reasons why you shouldn't attend unfunded. Still, even though that is the opinion that is in vogue, I'm not entirely convinced. If you're aware of all the setbacks you will face, and still want to do it, I say go for it. I most likely will end up doing so... And hey, if we both end up at NYU next year, that would be pretty sweet.

Fiz, you could always take a year off and next year apply to some programs that are closer to home. I know that technically you are supposed to pick schools based on fit, but you can't completely discount location. If being close to your significant other and your home will help you be happy, then I don't think you should force yourself to leave, if you can find a way to compromise.

Haha, yeah. I haven't left the house since Wednesday, except to shovel snow. I've read the entire internet twice, I think. I actually forgot it was even the weekend. I feel like frankenstein's monster, banished from society. SOS. Need chocolate.

This is my second year applying. In the interim, I realized that the process of applying to graduate school is so massively daunting, that I'd be amazed if anyone gets it right the first time. So I wouldn't fret. I think that colleges should offer a fall-semester senior year course that is purely to help students organize their grad. application process and to give them important information about it. I know so much more now than I did then, but I had to spend two years reading every internet article I could get my hands on and fail one application season to reach any level of understanding. Maybe I'm being a bit dramatic. Last year I applied to all PhD and MFA programs. I applied to 10 or 11, about half PhD and half MFA. I was rejected from everywhere, except NYU offered me an (unfunded) spot in their Master's program. This year I only applied to three programs, all Masters, and all programs that have competitive funding for their master's students. Also, I picked my programs based more on location and cost of living than on prestige, which I think is a more realistic way of going about it. Basically, I focused better, and realized I wasn't prepared yet for PhD level work. Good luck to you! Hopefully we're not both back here next year.

Let's assume that we all have good reasons for wanting to go to grad school. We've all heard the sermonizing, don't go to avoid the real world. Yeah yada yada, I genuinely want to pursue my area of study (English) and will work hard and am aware of the obstacles I will face in academia. ... I mean, anyone who doesn't do their homework on grad school or academic life shouldn't be pursuing it in the first place. It's the easiest homework any of us will have for the next 2-7 years... Am I right? But when I think back to my undergraduate years... Or when it's 11 pm on Valentine's day and I'm browsing my emails in my inbox from two years ago... I really miss the accessibility to professors more than anything. That made me feel so warm and fuzzy. You know, being able to email your favorite professor then meet with them the next day to get solid advice about your life. They can be such great mentors. Academia is an amazing field in that your career mentors are literally the same people who you spend four years with in college. You don't have that in any other profession, unless you meet a professor who happens to have professional experience in what you want to do, or if you are doing a trade apprenticeship. I mean, I felt like I learned more about what it takes to be an effective English professor from my college courses than I really did about English. And the number one thing I miss about college is the accessibility to my mentors. It's very weird that now I can only communicate with them via email, and obviously because they are very busy people, I very rarely contact any of them and when I do, it is a very brief exchange. It's disconcerting. Logically, I understand, but I can't help feeling very sad about it. I've gotten strangely attached to my teachers since grade school, so this might be just me, but can anyone else relate? One of the things I'm most looking forward to in grad school is forming these professional relationships with academics, and if I'm lucky enough to one day become a professor, I'm going to really dig getting to know my students. (I hope. Unless they all come at me with their hologram iPhones and Google goggles demanding higher grades and that I import the exam answers directly into their brains via laser usb or some technology thing. I don't know, I'm in English.)

Hey, I might be going to their master's program in English. I was accepted last year and deferred... Not sure if I want to stay in the area though. New York is so expensive!

Hey everyone. Do you think it's wise to contact the programs to which I applied for an English MA in order to let them know about a new job on my resume? Ordinarily I wouldn't bother, because I doubt the resume is a big factor in their decision, but the job is an internship at a big publisher, an academic publisher, nonetheless. Still can't determine whether it's a significant enough addition to my application to warrant bothering the admissions office over it. Thanks for your feedback! Bonus question: This is a stupid question, I know this is a stupid question, please don't point out how dumb this question is: I followed my top choice program on Twitter and they followed me back, could this is any possible way affect my application outcome in a positive way?

Thank you for all of the feedback everyone!

Is getting into NYU's Master's program (when you applied and were rejected from their PhD--) an accomplishment? I've heard that they accept many applicants to their master's because there is no funding. So for the past year or so I've been wandering around wondering whether it means I was actually a strong applicant or not. After a big round of PhD applications last year, I only received one acceptance-- to NYU's master's program. I did not go because of the no funding... This year I applied to two master's programs that do offer competitive funding-- one much lower ranked than NYU, one about the same level as NYU. My first choice is the lower ranked school because of its location. I didn't really change my application all that much. Just rehashed the SOP a little bit. Based on this super vague description, would you guys think that an acceptance last year to a good program means that I have a fair chance, with the same application, of getting into a lower ranked program, with funding? I told myself I wasn't going to let myself be swept up in all the speculation that we do here, but here I am!!

Thanks guys. I didn't really think it would make a big difference... But you never know. I went to Villanova for undergrad! Maybe I knew your grand pop. Jk jk.

I went to a Catholic high school and Catholic undergrad. Didn't really mean to, it just kind of happened that way. And hey, I just realized that the two grad programs I just applied to are both at Catholic universities. What a weird coincidence. Anyway, do you think this gives me a better chance of being admitted? I know that most professors at Catholic universities don't really care about the religious affiliation, so the admissions committee might not give a shit, plus technically even if they did, they most likely aren't supposed to discriminate based on religious affiliation. Even so, I imagine that on the level of intra-university politics, many catholic universities might have good reputations with one another-- I know it was like this between my high school and my undergrad. Wondering if this sort of thing might exist with grad school admissions as well? Sorry for the long and rambling way in which I asked that question.

Thank you for the input, everyone! It definitely eased my worries. I had my mind made up on an Air, but then I found a great deal on a Macbook Pro on Amazon, so I ordered that instead. Hope I don't regret it. Cheers!