Kamisha

Looks like people are having success today. Congrats, guys!

I don’t think anyone knows for sure, but I’m assuming they have based on their typical notification pattern. We’re all still hoping they haven’t finalized their decisions, but it’s likely that they have!

Exciting news! Congrats!

Upon emailing another school from which I was rejected to find out how I could become more competitive in the future: “The admissions committee was impressed by your admissions packet and has no doubt you are a fine scholar and will find success in your future studies. An applicant with your qualifications, capabilities, and research interests is sure to find great success in any American Studies, Film and Media Studies, Cultural Studies, or Media and Modern Culture program.” So...I guess English programs weren’t the best idea? Haha. Well if I go 0/14 across the board, I will assume this is why. I’ve done Film and Cultural Studies emphases in both my undergrad and grad degrees, but it looks like my interest areas might be moving more into visual media than English departments are going to want. I actually consciously thought about this before I applied, but I want to teach in an English department, so I was stubborn. Should I go 0/14, I won’t make that mistake again. Disheartening, but at least they aren’t saying, “F*** you. Nobody will ever want you. Get out of academia.”

Interesting article on this topic: http://chronicle.com/article/article-content/136823/

I’m interested in hearing any all all takes on this because I’ve heard so many different opinions from faculty: how important is it to attend a highly ranked school? Here are the takes of some faculty members at my undergrad and MA institutions, as well as folks that I’ve met at conferences: Ranking is everything. If you’re not in the Top 50, you’re not getting a job. Ranking is everything. If you’re not coming from an Ivy or a “Public Ivy,” you’re not getting a job. Big names matter and rankings matter little; the latter changes so often that it is largely the prestige of the university as a whole, not the individual department, that matters to a hiring committee. Hiring committees know that strong applicants exist in all ranked schools. As long as you aren’t attending an unranked university, you are fine. Rankings are secondary to ability. Hiring committees look for people who can teach, write, publish, and speak with intelligence and will value that over the name of your PhD program. Don’t worry about rankings--Apart from the very top schools, they won’t be the same in five years. Faculty move on, retire, or die with surprising frequency, which means school rankings change frequently, as well. Schools not ranked in the first and second tier don’t like to hire first-tier PhDs because they look upon them with skepticism (i.e. “why would this person coming out of this university be interested in teaching at a smaller, teaching-based university rather than an R1 institution?”) In terms of hiring, it’s better to be an “All-star” at a lower-ranked institution than be struggling for attention at a top-tier institution. The former may not have the prestige, but will have stronger letters of recommendation and more faculty devoted to their success. You’ll never teach at a top-tier university unless you attend a top-tier school. Then again, most applicants attending top-tier schools will never teach in a top-tier school. I don’t know where I fall in all of this. I’m just curious as to what everyone thinks!

Andrewcycs, When my mentor advised me to stay off GradCafe this week (first in person and then via email when i didn’t listen. Though I make start to take him more seriously), he wrote this: “Veteran applicants who hang around on [GradCafe's] site tend to discourage and sometimes downright bully ‘virgin’ applicants. The ‘I’ve been here longer and therefore know better than you’ mentality runs rampant, as do the “It’s so hard out there than you may as well not even try...Trust me, I know. You’re better off...' conversations. These are the disillusioned, frustrated students who become the Rebecca Schumans of English departments. They feel it is their duty to educate you on protocol and will drive you about as crazy as the Results." I’m starting to think this is true. At least some of it. I like a lot of the vets around here and I can see why they do it. I just don’t think it’s called for. It makes me feel like I’m a little child that people feel the need to pat on the head and someone to whom you must speak slowly. Edit: hit enter before I’d finished.

It looks like sometimes Vanderbilt sends out rejections in March, so it might be good for all of us to just put them out of our minds.

For what it’s worth, I tend to be wrong a lot of the time. Haha. Looks like we both also applied to Chapel Hill!

i could be wrong, but I have a feeling that Vanderbilt is done. Sometimes I forget that everyone who receives acceptances isn’t on GradCafe. It’s very possible that they accepted 5 or 6 more people who haven’t yet posted their acceptances on the Results page. I’d like to think it’s a “roll out” thing, but they don’t typically do wait list notifications until they’ve made all of their acceptances. Here’s to hoping I’m wrong. I applied to Vanderbilt, as well, so I’d definitely love to be wrong!

Yeah. I’m still fairly certain I’ll be rejected from all of those places, but I’ve just decided to take it one day at a time. Booyah! Hooray positive energy!

Is that even possible?

Disliking a post that encourages people to be civil and friendly? Seems legit.

Haha well, they’re very philosophical, you see...

As people who know how to write and are well-versed in rhetoric and the concept of tone, I think it might be best if all of us really think about what we are trying to say and how we want to say it. These boards should act as a community where we build each other up and share our experiences, not speak to others (who we really don’t know) with a critical or condemning eye. We can start a thread for that, if certain individuals feel the need to point out everything that others are doing wrong. Why don’t we all just try to keep it civil and friendly? In the words of Troy Bolton from High School Musical, “We’re all in this together.”

“....they just made a terrible life choice!”

I keep hearing about growing tension between Literature studies and Rhet/Comp studies. Has anyone else? What do you guys think about that?

I love you so much right now.

Did you apply there, as well?

There’s actually two Irvine acceptances posted now (one is under Irvine and one is under UCI). Historically, they only send out acceptances on one day and then rejections follow. As such, I’m assuming rejection. I haven’t yet heard back from Davis, but I noticed someone else posted a rejection, which is curious.

I’m extremely wary about emailing departments, which is why I don’t typically do it. Also bear in mind while it is “the beginning of notification season,” it is the end of the notification process for some schools. If all acceptances and wait lists have already gone out (another GC member called UC-Davis to confirm this and informed me), then why twiddle my thumbs in misery knowing that they likely won’t sent out official rejections until March? Again, I absolutely agree that you must be weary. I, myself, posted the article you are referencing on this thread. You have to way the benefits and costs.

The intermediary step is alcohol, but yes, violence is on the way. Haha. I’ve told myself that I’m signing off today at 2PM and not getting back on GradCafe until I have once acceptance and can relax.

Just broke down and emailed UC-Davis to confirm my rejection. I don’t know why I’m so anxious to have my dreams crushed, but I sure am. Haha. I even broke my own rule (never email departments) to do it. I guess I’m just sick of being in limbo; good or bad, I want to know.

I meant Penn State. Sorry ya’ll.

For that matter, can anyone who has applied to ASU shed some light on their acceptance and rejection process? I find it so odd that they have posted acceptances, rejections, and wait lists already, but I’ve heard nothing. Looking back over the years, they seem to report in rounds from early February to Mid-March, but I’ve never seen wait lists so early. I’m getting concerned. It looks like this week has potentially wiped out 7 of my 14 schools. How is that for a shitty February?