ke6904

This makes me feel a lot better. Thank you so much for your advice-- and seriously, congratulations to you too! You're right, we should be more proud of ourselves, and I should take my own advice, but it is awesome to be chosen. I was just talking to a professor yesterday who was saying that one of the biggest battles is getting in, and not a lot of people are doing that these days. I had the same feeling you did when I was applying, all I wanted was one program and I knew I could prove myself once I was there.. but I ended up getting two (so far) and have a choice to make.

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.

For an outsider's perspective, I often forget that kayrabbit doesn't have an MA. She is quick, funny, dedicated, and ambitious. Our cohort (6 with MA's and 2 with BA's only) hangs out together, and I've never once thought to myself, "Oh that kayrabbit! She is soooooo behind the rest of us!" In fact, when I do remember she is sans MA, I think to myself, "Wow. I could have never handled the transition from undergrad to PhD program as smoothly or gracefully as kayrabbit did." 

Ironic. I actually have a yoga exam in thirty minutes. An exam (STRESS) over something that stresses stress relief.
 
 
LOOK HOW MANY TIMES I SAID STRESS!
I must be stressed or something.

I actually find that reading these makes me feel a ton better. I don't feel so alone or like I'm bothering people who really don't give a fuck. Ten points right back at ya, DB, for being so damn relatable   

Thanks all of you for some great advice. I more than likely will be rejecting the offer, because I just can't do that to myself -- as disappointed as I am to miss out on such an opportunity. But, I'm sure more doors will open, as they say. 

I'm not that experienced with this (it's my first application season) but I have sought tons of advice from professors about this issue. It is their recommendation, and mine, that you should NEVER pay for a graduate degree in English. The reasons for this are 1) You will never get the "take-back" from an English degree that would make your debt "worth it." I'm sure the job market is no secret to you, and even though so many of us are still willing to go "all in" and see what happens, we should NOT be going into debt trying to do it. 2) There are so many programs that will pay for your degree. You might have to wait a until next year, but it would still be worth it because of the funding.
 
Not to mention, NYU is very pricey, and living in the city is excruciatingly expensive.

I still haven't heard anything. I'm obsessively checking my email. Needless to say, I'm not being very productive at work today.

Mr protagonist, if you are just coming out of a BA and didn't get in anywhere this round, I would certainly not rule out an MA if there is funding, but you probably know that. My suggestion, from my experience, is to look outside of the top schools and just get that MA in hand with funding. Even if that means applying to places that seem "crappy."  I got into Creighton, NIU, and Georgia Southern (where I go now) with some funding after getting rejected to the top tier PhD schools. It was terrifying making a big move for relatively little foreseeable payout, but it worked for me. Doing the MA at a small school with no name recognition allowed me to be a relative star in the department. I got the chance to teach in my second year, two sections of a world lit class, plus I had great access to faculty members who certainly changed my life. I know that I only got into the schools that I've gotten into this time around (UCONN, UC Riverside) simply because I did the MA, got teaching experience, got advice from faculty members, and was able to network/go to conferences. If anything, taking your "lumps" now and going to a less than stellar program will be like extra preparation for the solid PhD program you hope to/will get into once you are done with the MA. 
 
I would look into NIU and Ga. Southern, despite the academic address. Even though it doesn't seem too appealing, NIU has a good linguistics department and offers many opportunities (lots of conferences in the Chicago area--driving distance). Especially if they will give you some money. My school (Ga.Southern) is trying to grow their program and I can attest to the fantastic faculty/career prep. I hope this helps somewhat, I was utterly devastated when I was in your shoes a few years ago, and now I am soooo glad I made the choice to do an MA.

Thanks all -- really good advice. 

I was also told, by *every* faculty member I consulted, never to do an unfunded degree. I also have nearly $60,000 in undergraduate debt. So, realistically, I don't think I'll be taking the offer. I will think about it, but TDazzle, your points are very helpful. This also makes me skeptical of such an offer. And I am in contact with faculty in the department about funding opportunities, etc. 

arober6912 -- my areas of interest are international modernism, American post-modernism, theory, and linguistics.

shortstack51 -- your posts are very uplifting (much thanks), but I think our circumstances are different. However, I would think NYU would offer some student jobs, work study, etc.

This is tough! 

I'm going to chime in with those who have been told by our professors to avoid unpaid grad programs. My post might come off as harsh and brutally honest, so I apologize for that in advance.
 
No, you should never pay a cent for grad school. Even if you got your degree from a high ranked program and that helps you to get into a high ranked PhD program, remember that your debt will not go away the moment you start a new program. The fellowships you may and should receive for the PhD program you enter won't pay off the debt you collected while doing your MA. And we all know what the job market situation looks like. If not, buy a copy of Semenza's Graduate Study for the 21st Century and educate yourself by reading The Chronicle of Higher Education.
 
Besides, think about where you will be attending grad school at least for a couple years (or more if you got your PhD at NYU). New York isn't cheap. The cost of living is high. Do you really want to juggle your coursework, research, possible teaching opportunities with other jobs just to survive off of ramen soup every night? I don't know where you're from, but the winters back east are severe. I wouldn't want to imagine how much heating costs in the winter while I'm trying to find some extra cash to pay rent. Coming from CA and moving to the Midwest for grad school, I have to say it was quite the culture shock. I needed a full blast of AC in the summer and the heater on all throughout the winter, and luckily I have the means to pay for it without losing sleep.
 
Since I assume you've never attended grad school, it's probably hard for you to imagine how much work it is to juggle all the different responsibilities you have to your coursework and research while trying to remain sane. As much as my mentors prepared me for it as an undergrad, I was still shocked at how quickly time flew by whether I was ready for it or not. There's already so many things to worry about while in a grad program like taking the right classes, meeting the right professors, getting along with your peers, contributing to scholarship, etc. that you shouldn't let something like debt distract you from doing what you're supposed to be doing.
 
I would suggest taking the year off to do something outside of academia. Do an internship. Do volunteer work. Do something that you love as well as something that will make your applications stronger even if it means just studying for the GRE. Do research on funded MA programs if you think a year off without classes won't help make your app stronger for a PhD program. Learn a foreign language because it will help fulfill one of the requirements for practically all doctoral programs.
 
Of course, you're going to do what you want. And if you think attending an unfunded MA program at NYU is a viable option, go for it. Just do your research. Consider all your options. Imagine the worst case scenarios and decide for yourself if you can live with them. Just don't go into any program blindly.

I would not do an unfunded MA for two reasons:
 
-the prospect of getting a well paid job with a graduate degree in English is relatively low
 
-funding begets funding. i would recommend against doing any MA (even a funded one) that doesn't give you teaching experience. If you were unable to get into a well-ranked PhD right out of undergrad, your chances of landing a job at a research university or ivy or whatever are not good, and you're going to have to rely on teaching experience to get work after your degree.
 
$.02

I'm not that experienced with this (it's my first application season) but I have sought tons of advice from professors about this issue. It is their recommendation, and mine, that you should NEVER pay for a graduate degree in English. The reasons for this are 1) You will never get the "take-back" from an English degree that would make your debt "worth it." I'm sure the job market is no secret to you, and even though so many of us are still willing to go "all in" and see what happens, we should NOT be going into debt trying to do it. 2) There are so many programs that will pay for your degree. You might have to wait a until next year, but it would still be worth it because of the funding.
 
Not to mention, NYU is very pricey, and living in the city is excruciatingly expensive.

I'm not that experienced with this (it's my first application season) but I have sought tons of advice from professors about this issue. It is their recommendation, and mine, that you should NEVER pay for a graduate degree in English. The reasons for this are 1) You will never get the "take-back" from an English degree that would make your debt "worth it." I'm sure the job market is no secret to you, and even though so many of us are still willing to go "all in" and see what happens, we should NOT be going into debt trying to do it. 2) There are so many programs that will pay for your degree. You might have to wait a until next year, but it would still be worth it because of the funding.
 
Not to mention, NYU is very pricey, and living in the city is excruciatingly expensive.

You mean clicking refresh on my email/grad cafe/application status pages isn't suppose to take up all 24 hours of the day?

How do I possibly stop myself from refreshing the results page over and over and over again? 

How do I possibly stop myself from refreshing the results page over and over and over again? 

Congratulations to both of you! I'm waiting to hear back from UConn's MA program.. hopefully this means I'll hear soon.