Kamisha

I’ve admittedly been a bit AWOL from my University for the last two weeks (I’m thankfully writing my thesis right now, so I’m not tied to my office) just because I haven’t wanted to deal with the “Have you heard from any schools?” comments from colleagues/other grad students and faculty. I finally ventured up to campus today and immediately ran into one of my committee members. He told me, “It’s good to see that the rumors of your demise were greatly exaggerated." Oops. Anyone else feeling the I-Want-To-Avoid-Everyone-And-Their-Questions Blues? PS: Who doesn’t love Twain (even when he’s misquoted)?

Thank you, loyal comrades. Chocolate--always chocolate.

Farewell, ASU. I was kind of hoping for that one. It’s so close to home and it’s a city I’m familiar with. BOO. Send cookies.

Annnd now I want a hamburger. Thanks.

If it makes you feel better, this is part of my reply from UC-Davis when I asked what I could do to become a more competitive applicant in the future: One reviewer got what she called more of a "creative non-fiction vibe" from your file than the kind of future literary critic/scholar vibe, as it were, that we are looking for. This admittedly made us wonder if a PhD in literature program was the best fit. Um...ouch? Haha

I’m no expert on all matters placement, but I’m going to respectfully disagree with this on a a couple of points. This is NOT a flame post, so please don’t take it that way: Plenty of students get into Ivy and First-Tier PhD programs after completing an Master’s degree rather than just applying with a Bachelors. Perhaps I’m wrong, but the implied sentiment here is that if don’t get in right off the bat, you’re somehow not good enough to hack it in academia. That’s simply not true. As the anecdotes from the boards indicate, some people are completely shut out one year and get into three or four top schools the next. It isn’t everyone’s goal is to teach at an R1 or an Ivy. Even if that is the goal, bear in mind that most candidates--even those who graduate from top schools after a straight BA-PHD route--will likely not get these positions. There are currently recent Harvard and Penn State grads who are working at liberal-arts colleges ranked in the 120s and below. I agree with the idea that your MA should absolutely provide teaching experience. Everyone is going to have to rely on teaching experience to get their work, even those who come from top schools. As mentioned in my previous bullet point, most candidates will end up working at teaching universities, not R1 universities. You don’t have to graduate from a first-tier program to get a job. Baylor is ranked 121 and their placement records for tenure-track positions are almost unmatched. That being said, I agree with the sentiments by several posters that unfunded MA’s typically aren’t worth it. I understand, though, that some people do them and it propels them into a great position. You really just have to decide what is best for you. Edit: grammar issue

Ding ding ding!

Wendy, I love that expression: “PhD = People Have Dreams.” How wonderful! From what I understand, age is relatively unimportant. It’s all about your program fit. I’m in my mid-twenties right now and, though I don’t have any statistics to back this up and could be entirely wrong, I’m pretty sure the average age of a PhD applicant is likely between 22-35. It’s becoming more and more common to take a year or two off and work before beginning advanced degrees. As you are only in your late-twenties, I wouldn’t let concerns about age drive your decision to apply nor or wait until Fall. It’s only a few months difference, really, and if waiting until Fall means you have more options that you’d be happier with, it might be worth it. I don’t have any personal experience with the two universities you mentioned, though I’ve heard great things about Loyola Marymount. If you do apply, best of luck!

I’ll “ditto” this. I mean I can’t say for certain, but I think they’ll likely take the most competitive applicants for the position no matter what. They wouldn’t accept PhD applicants to the MA as a “consolation” prize; they’d only take them if they really want them. I know it sucks, but you’ll find your fit! I don’t think Syracuse has even started notifying MA students other than those who applied to the PhD.

I have no comment on this topic. I just wanted to chime in and pay microarray mad props for his/her Daria avatar.

I mean...he’s stuck around, so you can’t be that bad? Am I right?

Only on Sundays. The rest of the week I’m a real piece of work.

Looking for an automatic good mood boost during stressful rejection times? My tip: when you go to Starbucks, randomly pay for the drink of the car behind you. Who doesn’t love a random act of kindness? It really will make you smile.

Wendy, I’m sorry that you’ve had such a hard time this season. I’ve also faced a lot of disappointment and am very seriously considering applying next year instead. I’m currently finishing a Master’s degree and, while I realize that it’s not everyone’s favorite option, it honestly does wonders to acclimate you to the environment of graduate schools conventions. I have a feeling that this likely especially true for foreign applicants. Your cultural experience allows you to bring SO much to the table, especially in your field of comparative literature. It may be a little harder to reach your goals, but you’ll be such a strong scholar as a result of the unique insights you can bring to your field based on international (and personal) experiences! Remember that through the disappointing times. I would worry less about facing discrimination because of where you received your education; I don’t think that US adcomms are necessarily biased against international students. Rather, it’s just much more difficult to compare applicants when you aren’t familiar with their university. What’s more, several universities have international quotas that they like to fill or are extremely international-student friendly. Don’t approach your applications as if you have to justify your education: sell the benefits of internationalism and cultural understanding in your field. I’m actually seriously considering completing a second Master’s degree overseas, partially for those benefits. What’s more, I’d like to say kudos to you on your accomplishment in learning another language to the point that you feel confident applying for PhD programs that are largely disassociated from your native tongue! That’s so impressive! I’m trying to learn two languages independently right now and it’s such a challenge. Definitely continue (as others have suggested) to try to strengthen your English syntax and structures, but be proud of your current success! Best of luck! I’m not sure what schools will have deadlines this late, but I hope you find something.

New rankings come out on March 11th, so maybe there will only be a half dozen instead of ten this time I also applied to a school that was ranked 63. Haha.

You will be Most of your schools haven’t even started notifying!

You know what’s interesting? All of us in here are stressing about getting into the “best possible” PhD program and are often feeling glum because, though we have acceptances, they aren’t what we were hoping for (I’m including myself in that, by the way). According to the 2012 US Census, though, only 3.07% of Americans hold a PhD. That’s it. No matter where we end up, we still kick more academic ass than 97% of the population.

I don’t know if mine is the best wording in the world, but this is what I used: Dr. NAME, Thank you for the opportunity to apply to NAME AND PROGRAM. If a moment in your schedule allows, would it be possible to find out what I might do to become a more competitive applicant in the future? Thanks again for your time and consideration during this undoubtedly busy time. Best, SIGN I hope that’s helpful!

The idea of emailing schools is controversial to some, but of the 7 schools I’ve been rejected to thus far, 6 have responded very, very positively (Oregon said they wouldn’t respond to individual inquiries). As a matter of fact, several of them thanked me for taking the initiative to write them and said they very much appreciate when students do so. I don’t think you have as much to worry about on your writing sample as I did: my area of interest is film studies and my writing sample was in postcolonial literature...so, you know, not remotely related. Haha. I was planning on submitting part of my thesis, but had to do major reworking on it. It was a last-minute swap out and wasn’t a good plan. I really, really regret it. The only tangential connection that it had was that it was largely a study in cultural liminality, which is what I want to study in film. I’m sure your sample is great and that you’ll have far better luck than me I should say that even with my writing sample being out of my area, I do currently have two acceptances, so it wasn’t the end of the world. It just kept me out of the schools (I should say I’m sure it was part of the reason I was kept out of schools) that I was really excited about.

It might because the person just entered “Fordham,” not “Fordham University.” I know what you mean about demoralizing I’ve had quite a few rejections and applied rejections, as well. It looks like you already have an acceptance though, which is fabulous! And still so many schools left to hear from!

It looks like that wait list notification just popped up today. They may have only just started notifying wait lists Don’t give up!

What foods would you love to know how to cook on a grad student budget?

I made an egregious error on my applications this year: submitting a writing sample that was out of my area of interest. It was a calculated risk (and one that my current advisors signed off on), but when I’ve emailed the schools who have rejected me and asked what to do in the future to make myself a more competitive applicant, every single one said this was my downfall. I have a couple of options for next year (and am still waiting to hear back from 5 schools), but we’ll see if I apply again. If I do, I definitely will be making sure my writing sample is directly related to my area of interest.

There’s a Waitlist on the Results page right now.

I see three for Fordham. Two appear back-to-back above an acceptance to Boston College and one beneath the latest Vanderbilt rejection. I say don’t give up hope From the looks of it, you’re both ridiculously strong applicants who will get into wonderful schools!