rainy_day
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Posts posted by rainy_day
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No question. Take the funded offer and run.
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If you contact publisher's reps for your area at various publishing companies (Heinle, Pearson, McGraw Hill, Bedford St Martin's, etc.) they will listen to your needs and send you desk copies that you can choose from. Bonus: free books! Also, these books usually have instructor support materials.
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For better or worse, your GPA and GRE are completely irrelevant to an MFA program. The only thing that matters is your writing portfolio and, once you make it to the finalists, your statement of purpose and letters of recommendation. This may not be the case for PhD programs in creative writing, however.
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I am officially a member of this thread, now. Next time I plan to get into ALL THE SCHOOLS.
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Sorry rainy! Best of luck next year! With those three waitlists this season, I'm sure you WILL get into ALL the schools next season!
Thanks, lyonness! Maybe we'll be classmates, yet!
Also, I'd really encourage anyone who didn't make it in this year to write to their respective schools, especially where they were waitlisted, and ask for some feedback. The feedback I have received has been extremely helpful and actually very uplifting.
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Well, it's official, I'll be back here next year. 2013 we will get into all the schools.
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Just found out I'm 2nd on the waitlist and it doesn't look so great for me. The word "unlikely" was used in my latest email update...
Wow. Two people away from the dream program. What a shame.
Oh, Trip, I'm so sorry to hear that. Crazier things HAVE happened!! Internet hugz.
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Thunder paws, mad mad congratulations!!!! I've been rooting for you. Here's more good vibes for everyone on this thread!!
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OH MY GOD, I left my phone at home today.
This is so totally unacceptable. SHAME ON ME.
(P.S. I remember actually thinking Stansbury = Stanford when I was a kid.)
Oh, dear, I'm sorry. Although, maybe it will be liberating? Wishful thinking.
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Congrats, Timshel!
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My advice, which should be obvious from my last post, is to spend little time on the Lit GRE and more time on your writing sample and SOP.
I promise you, you will fare better with strong SOPs and writing samples than you will with high GREs.
I would be willing to bet that my GREs, particularly my subject test scores, were among the lowest of the students admitted, and I would also be willing to bet that the majority of students who applied and were not accepted also scored higher than I did. I admit that most of it was just luck, and that's just how the cards were dealt this round, but I also believe that it was because I spent several months (like, eleven) working on my writing sample and five months working on my SOP. By contrast, I spent about a month studying for the general test.
I'll second this. I scored incredibly high on the GRE, and i've yet to be accepted to a program. I wish I could go back and spend the time on my writing sample.
Studying for the GRE is easy; you just follow what a book tells you to do. Write a statement of purpose and and editing a writing sample is much, much scarier and much harder to do, so studying for the GRE becomes, I think, a distraction that we convince ourselves is "productive." It's not, spend the time on your SOP and WS.
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Has anyone else not heard from the department yet? I called on 3/30 and the secretary was somewhat positive about my application. Even if this meant a speedier rejection, she seemed to think the answer would come very soon. Well, that was nearly two weeks ago . . .
At this point, I'd definitely call back! It's only 5 more days until decisions have to be made, so I'm sure they've made a decision about you! At another school, they thought they'd alerted me to my waitlist status, but the announcement was still sitting in a file somewhere.
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Ugh, sorry to hear my absented spot couldn't come through for you. At least they had the courtesy to let you know either way...
Good luck with the other two!It's quite alright! I've received some really helpful feedback on my application, and I've already started prepping for next year. Is it strange & masochistic that part of me is hoping for rejections so that I can fix my app and try again? Yes, yes it is.
Btw, I'm really pulling for Rutgers to pull through for you, Trip.
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Just got rejected off one wait list, but not the school I'm really gunning for, so we're still holding it together at chez rainy day.
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Only six more days....I don't know if I should be relieved or terrified that the wait is almost over.
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If you look through these boards, lots of people don't get in the first time around. With the average PhD acceptance rate somewhere around 10% (probably lower than that when we limit to funding) it's not unlikely or surprising that some people with lots of potential didn't make it in. Try not to take it personally. Talk to your mentors, maybe contact the schools you were rejected from, and identify the weaknesses of your application. Then fix those and reapply if this is what you want to be doing.
- dancewmoonlight and Ransom
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So, I take it, this does not go toward your first month's rent, it's simply a huge sum of money that the broker runs off with?
It's their payment for service rendered, and it exists across the country. In most places, the landlord pays the fee, but the Boston housing market is so competitive that it is the tenants responsibility instead. If you see a place with "half fee" that means the landlord has agreed to pay for the other half. Sometimes you can avoid the fee if you go directly to the management company and ask what they have available. Subletting a room in an apartment is another way to skirt the fee, but then of course you have roommates you don't know.
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My advice, based on my mistakes this time around: create a clear narrative of your academic work and perspective. Your sop should be an "intellectual biography" 50% backwards looking and 50% forward looking, and your writing sample should be a strong continuation of that. make sure your writing sample is in your time period.
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Hi collikl, congrats on the waitlist!
After writing my comment, I finally called Florida and spoke with Kathy Williams (who is insanely nice) and they let me know I am also on the waitlist. Anyone else still waiting, I suggest placing a call.
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Is there anyone still waiting to hear from Florida? I haven't heard a thing, and I have not received a response to my two inquiry emails. It just seems awfully late.
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I worked in the publishing industry for 3 years between undergrad and grad. I had benefits and a decent salary, was able to afford a few vacations, save some money, etc. I would recommend looking for a 9-5ish job that interests you and make the most of it. Or teach abroad! MrBrookyln's suggestion sounds awesome.
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I'm presenting what is my thesis at a national conference days before the 15th decision deadline, and the paper is currently a hot mess. I simultaneously can't wait for the 15th to get here and need time to sloooow down,
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Well, this is just.. wonderful. They never even considered my application.
Somewhere between the FedEx in Ohio and their office, my writing sample vanished. No notification, no nothing. It was my first choice and I never even got the chance to be considered. (I had to call to find out this horrible news, too.)Oh, notabaker, I'm so very sorry. That is heartbreaking. At least you have some great acceptances & waitlists to consider! *internet hugz*
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Also, with regard to Waltham, is there literally nothing there (i.e. no grocery stores, cafes, bars, etc.) or is it just quiet compared to Boston? I would easily be able to bring a car, but would prefer not to if I can to keep costs down.
Thanks in advance!
There is some stuff going on-- decent restaurants, grocery shops, a second run movie theater. But it's mostly a quiet suburban town. It would be really hard to live in Waltham without a car. There is not any public transportation around Waltham, and everything is pretty spread out. If you live in Boston (or more accurately, Somerville or Cambridge) you definitely don't need a car. If you're looking into living in the city and commuting (which about 60% of grad students do) check out these neighborhoods: Inman square, union square, porter square, teele square, Davis square. PM me if you have any questions!
Two degrees? Am I crazy?
in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
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I know someone who did a PhD and MLS concurrently. The PhD program knew about the MLS degree, but he did it at a different school. Considering the state of the job market right now, it's really not a terrible idea. My program actually had an info session for PhD students on earning an MLS, because it might be helpful in the job search.
I definitely would give yourself the first year or two to just focus on your PhD program, to get a sense of the expectations and work load. I would also suggest you look for an inexpensive option, because Library degrees really are not as name-conscious as PhD programs. My friend who did both really regretted the $$ he invested to go to a top program, because he realized he could have gone to a lower ranked program for less $$ and the same benefits. Also, here are a number of reputable online programs (which are based in a brick-and-mortar school, so we're not talking UPheonix here) that could really help you with the time-management side of things.
On one level, it's a crazy things to do, but then isn't he PhD program in and of itself a little nutty? Be careful that you don't bight off more than you can chew with coursework or finances.