Kamisha

Most UK schools have very late acceptance deadlines. UEA’s isn’t until July 31st and I remember from my first go-around (two years ago) that just about every school didn’t have a deadline to accept/decline until mid-June at the earliest. I don’t think it would be inappropriate to email the coordinator if you are concerned.

I think we’re all pretty excited for you! We need to get started on our comic book.

WOOHOO!!!!! Villanova is going to be so awesome. And think--with that fellowship, you won’t have to financially struggle for the next two years like most grad students.

Your an absolute gem. This is hugely helpful.

I seriously don’t understand U of Washington’s notification process. Haha. Who else is still waiting to hear something?

This is both sad and interesting. I’m an American student and was accepted to a second MA in Film Studies at UEA for this upcoming semester. As of this morning, they've actually awarded me a half-tuition scholarship. I’m now wondering where those funds are coming from.

That is SO frustrating. I’m sorry I hope it works out. If not...you’ve been successful this year! Taking what you know and reapplying with what you’ve learned will probably make you unstoppable!

What?! Oh no! I hope that’s because you are doing the Fulbright somewhere fabulous. The UK actually does offer some overseas funding for PhD students....sometimes. Typically, though, you don’t get to teach. That’s my understanding, anyway. I’m considering completing a PhD program in the UK and, if I do, I’ll adjunct online for a US school while I’m there so I can keep up the record of teaching, albeit in a different way. That would probably be my recommendation, though I’m no expert by any means and have no authority to comment on the subject.

The US News 2014 rankings come out tomorrow. Any predictions? Note: I’m not one who buys into the idea that rankings are absolutely everything. I just think it’s interesting to watch the trends!

Hmm...I’m not sure. Perhaps cautiously optimistic?

I think the long and short of it is this (as many others have brought up): if you know what you’re getting into, then you understand that there’s a good possibility you could be working as an adjunct for the rest of your life. You have to make the decision for yourself.

I think it’s significant that the OP has posted this same “discussion” on four different pages here on GradCafe. We’re all beginning to wonder what the true motivation is here.

Dude is a lecturer at UC-Berkeley. I’m not feeling too bad for him.

Am I the only one here who doesn’t care if I never land a tenure-track position? I have a dream of teaching two classes a semester (preferably pop culture related) in an English department and owning a coffee shop. Couple that with having a family and I think I would be happy for life.

Welcome, friend. We’re glad you’ve joined us on the dark side

I find this post confusing. Can you clarify what you mean by “nearly everyone in I know is studying something, which in my opinion is not novel?” You have to study a topic before you can produce new information about it. The question “When did you realize that your topic wasn’t original?” is one that should only come at the very, very beginning of your research and when you stumble upon it, you need to move on to a different topic. In graduate school, you are expected to master the scholarly research on a topic before you begin writing and proposing new information about it. Thesis projects/dissertations include a literature review wherein you are supposed to illustrate that you have become an expert on your subject matter. So say you want to write something about Shakespeare, for example. Sure, there’s a LOT of information out there about Shakespeare and if you just have an idea off the top of your mind, chances are that it might be written about. But if you master the scholarly research on Shakespeare, you realize that there are still a lot of holes in the scholarship, a lot of questions that still need to be answered. You should focus research where there are holes, not where there aren’t.

Make sure to avoid any and all drinks with aspartame. This is going to be most of your diet sodas, Crystal Light, etc.

But hey--you have Duke and UConn! That’s HUGE!

Yeah, I have two faculty members in mind who could advise me

That’s a good question. It’s a really great offer that’s difficult to turn down. There are a couple of faculty members there who I would really enjoy working with and I was able to meet some of the graduate students and really clicked with them.

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I am hoping to defer for a year so that I can first complete a second Master's in Film Studies in the United Kingdom (which I can do in about eight months) before I start my PhD. The program that I’m thinking about deferring doesn’t have a wide range of film classes (or any, for that matter), which is going to make it difficult to work in my area of interest. My current Master’s thesis and my undergrad thesis were both film-related, but I don’t feel like I have enough experience in what I’m trying to do to make it work without more in-depth knowledge about the subject. I’m hoping that the school in question will consider that a valid reason for deferring. They know that their courses are limited in my area and maybe having a student with two strong Master’s degrees will appeal to them? Hmm... We’ll see what happens.

What do you guys know about deferring offers? I have a friend who deferred an offer last year, so I know it’s possible. How would you go about asking a university if it’s an option? How likely do you suppose it is?

Ugh. I know I’m usually very positive, but I’m feeling like a pretty spectacular failure about PhD programs today.

I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with you on this one. What you’ve put forth is a blatantly false dichotomy. Some of the lower-ranked schools have far better placement records than the top schools these days and offer better stipends and benefits to students. Top schools are wonderful, to be sure. I would love to go to Berkeley. I mean, who wouldn’t? But this sort of academic elitism simply doesn’t reflect the reality of the job market. You can get a good job without going to a Top 10 school and you can not get a job coming out of a Top 10 school.

bgguitarist--Is that second acceptance post you as well, or is that a new person? Congrats again!