andromache

I'm still waiting to hear from almost everywhere...but assuming several rejections. I still have actual hope for CUNY, Boston U (PhD programs) and Case, Fordham, Denver, and Washington for the MA. And it makes me a feel slightly better that our app statuses seem to be similar, so maybe it's just how their system is and not any fault on our part. Their application process was ridiculously convoluted compared to everywhere else I applied.

I've been accepted to Carnegie Mellon's MA program! So I at least have somewhere to go if nowhere else works out for me, which is something of a relief, and I'm hoping it's a good sign that my application might help me into a few of the other MA programs that I applied to, and give me some options. Of course, at this point, CUNY would be ideal, and I felt like there were quite a few professors there to make it a good fit for me. One of the really dumb things that stresses me out is that on my application status page it notes that my GRE scores were not received until Dec 20th, when I actually had them sent a few months prior to that, and CUNY in particular seemed to emphasize the importance of their Dec 15th deadline.

When I made that post I hadn't even seen the most recent one, and was referring to the one from several days ago. Oh god, now there's another one I can stress over. I'm pretty sure CUNY is the only funded PhD program I've applied to that hasn't seemed to send out all its acceptances yet, so my last shot at a PhD program this year. Otherwise I will be settling for an MA program, and probably having to take out way too much money in loans for it. So I'm really on edge about wanting to hear from CUNY XD.

I'm also not sure what to think of the single CUNY acceptance that's been posted. Surely there would be more?

One of the things I'm wondering about though, specifically regarding CMU's MA program, is that, based on their webpage for the program, is that it seems to be primarily aimed toward students who only want their MA to "augment their BA" (is close to what the webpage says) or for teaching secondary school or community college. There is very little enticement for students who definitely do want to go on to earn their PhD, which is kind of disappointing. I'm hoping I get another acceptance or two, if only to MA programs, so that I can figure out which programs seem to have the best placement rates in PhD programs. Of course, I will happily take CMU's offer if it seems like the best fit in the end. The work that a few of their current MA students are doing does seem to fit with my interests. Also, seconding igetstuffdunn's shock that we've heard from them so soon.

Just a note--I do think it's very strange that CMU acceptances for their MA program seem to have gone out whereas their PhD ones seem to have not... I will add, in my MA acceptance (applied for the PhD, accepted to MA only) they said that they could only admit 3 of about 150 applicants. I know other applicants sometimes want to see tidbits of information like this, so I thought I would share.

I was accepted to the Carnegie Mellon MA program! Applied to PhD, but I'm happy to have an acceptance somewhere!

This is exactly how I've been feeling. Even if I only get one acceptance, it will do wonders for my anxiety.

It would be nice to get into the UChicago unfunded MA program, honestly, but that was one of the university's that one of my recommenders simply didn't get a rec letter to. What a disaster my first application season has been.

I just emailed Northwestern! It would be lovely to hear something helpful back, but I'll understand if I don't.

Is emailing departments asking how to be a more competitive applicant in the future an acceptable thing to do? Do they look upon it as annoying? I've considered doing the same thing myself, but in just about ANY circumstance (even ones not at all related to the grad school process) I'm terrified I'm being annoying/imposing on them. If it's a good idea, who does one email? Just the general department email to be forwarded to the correct person, the DGS, someone else...? I'd really like to find out where I went wrong with my applications as I start to receive more rejections.

Inferring rejections from both Pitt and NYU now. How disheartening. I'm trying hard to stay positive, but it's incredibly difficult, especially when I don't have a plan B, really.

There's an acceptance from Pitt posted! Here's hoping I hear back from them...I worked hard in my statement of purpose to demonstrate how their Children's Lit program (which PhD students can take classes from) would be fascinating while also studying gender and sexuality in contemporary media. Gahhhhhhhhh.

A little disappointing that Vanderbilt did not send out rejections first this year, like they seemed to in the past.

Many of us are feeling SUPER anxious because unfortunately we haven't had any acceptances yet and are starting to feel a little desperate. If a phone call can relieve some of that anxiety--great. I'm sure we're all capable of weighing the pros and cons of making such a call, given the advice that various others have given on here. If someone here is calling a department to ask about the status of their decisions, they probably know what they're getting into. Those of us who have not received acceptances anywhere and are waiting on decisions really don't need to be condescended over how anxious we might be feeling. Anyway, I'm going crazy over not hearing from Vanderbilt or UCI yet! Also waiting to hear from NYU, but at least no one else has yet either.

Trying not to panic about the UC Irvine acceptance on the results search page...

That's awesome! And I will definitely do so--I love this topic so much and I'm hoping to get in somewhere and pursue it further! I will say, I struggled with the "fit" portion of choosing schools because I had a hard time finding programs that seemed to have some strong focus in online media and discourse. Maybe if Maryland is strong in that regard I'll apply there the next time around? Then again, as discussed in another topic, determining fit is so arbitrary anyway...

I graduated last May with a BA in English (concentrations in both Literary Studies and Writing Studies), and minors in History and Women's Studies. 168 verbal and 156 quantitative GRE scores, 630 on the Literature subject test. I graduated with a 4.0 in my major, and also participated in my university's Honors College. I was both the English Department's and the Women's Studies Department's valedictorian. I was president of our English Club for two years, and re-started our department's Book Club as a freshman. I also earned a place on the English Department Recruitment committee with several faculty members, aimed at recruiting new majors and minors in English. I have volunteer experience at a domestic violence shelter, and at two animal sanctuaries. In addition, I worked a terrible food service job all through college, which probably doesn't count for anything--but I feel like it should??? Working through college and attaining academic accomplishment should probably demonstrate something important about work ethic, ability to succeed, etc. But, it probably won't matter to academic committees, ha. (I'm only noting this because there were a ton of people I knew who did not have to have jobs while they took classes. One summer I studied abroad in a very competitive program at Cambridge in the UK, and earned a tuition scholarship from the program to do so. As a senior I did an honors thesis (which are rarely allowed for funding reasons, etc) on the portrayal of post-9/11 conservative hypermasculinity in the Fables comic book series, and its negative implications for the comic book industry. I used this as my writing sample, cutting sections of the paper and some images when necessary due to page count. And that's about it? No conferences or publications or anything like that. Also, my focus in pursuing my MA/PhD is to study gender and sexuality in contemporary literature and popular culture, especially in online literature and media, and particularly the work and the portrayal of gender and sexual minorities in these mediums.

I'm just thinking I made a mistake applying to so many prestigious programs, considering my background from a low-tier public university. My GRE scores are good, GPA is good, and I was proud of my writing sample--but I feel like that means nothing coming from Nowhere University with no conferences or publications. I'm just getting disheartened already, and terrified of working in retail/customer service for the rest of my life (which is what I'm doing now, and I don't think I can take another year of this.) /whining

At least it was a kind form email....

First official rejection, from Northwestern. Ugh. This feels AWFUL.

I wish! There's been a few acceptances posted and that's it...I'm thinking they just haven't gotten around to notifying the rejections yet, and taking it as an implied rejection until I hear otherwise. Tempted to email the department and enquire as to my status, though. Same with Northwestern.

By the way, I'm surprised there's been nothing at all from NYU yet. Didn't they notify by this time last year?

Still haven't heard from ANY programs. Geez. No news is good news? At least better news than a rejection?

Changed my signature to reflect the schools I am applying to--looking back, too many prestigious programs, not enough ones that I have an actual shot at. Some of them are MA programs, others PhD. (I earned my BA last May.)