arober6912

If it helps any, I lived in Bloomington/Normal for several years and I would gladly move back. It is a great little town. Perfect size and statistically the most restaurants and bars per ca pita in the United States. Loads of stuff to do, super low crime rate, low cost of living.

As far as gift suggestions, anything tea/coffee related always goes over well with academics!

I got my LoR writers each something small, inexpensive, and fairly personal. One was an inside joke (novelty mints in comic tins) one prof was having a baby relatively soon so I got a literary themed onesie and the other some fancy loose leaf tea. Silly stuff that is below 10 bucks and just shows some thought to go a long with a nice letter. I wouldn't think any awkwardness would ensue if the gifts aren't lavish/inappropriate. My profs really appreciated the gesture.

UC Riverside! Sunny SoCal

I got a B from a prof who is so rigorous everyone claims their Bs are really As in another class. I got into some great places. I would hardly say an A- is a problem. A B- or a C? Probably need to be able to explain it in the PS

1. Foucault 2. Bakhtin 3. Freire 4. Benjamin Hon. mention goes to Bhabha

sorry I missed this post. Yeah I talked with Tina, she was fantastic. Gave lots of great details. Though as a poor grad student whose stipend runs out May 31st I'm not that excited about the first pay from UCR coming in October (I think? I guess I'm getting paid two ways due to fellowship/stipend). Regardless, this program is the best fit for me. Are you still considering UCR highly? Your signature is impressive! 5 acceptances?! I have three but am only really deciding between two, and one of them isn't in southern California, if you know what I mean. What is your field of interest?

Yeah, my wife is my best friend and I've been successful to date (I've just completed my MA this semester). If you have a SO that is willing to work with/alongside you in all aspects of the marriage/relationship and they understand that you are often under great stress, life will be just fine. Some of the posters on this forum have kids and families etc and are very successful (from their acceptances in their signatures, at least!).

David Bowie/Lou Reed on shuffle.

I mean, how hard is it to send an en masse email to us sorry souls? I kinda wonder how the program would be if they handle things like this. I'm not mad or doubting their quality, I just feel like I'd end up being a number. A well-paid number

Horb I did not send an official. I'm guessing with the way they handle things as far as number of applicants they said "screw it, 90% will be rejected anyways" and didn't want to bother with officials.

Here to join the Rutgers bloodbath. That ruined my post-yoga feels.

Don't fear, I'm the king of nowhere schools and I did it. I didn't get into Ivies (I didn't apply) but I got into a top 50 with a fellowship and a fully funded program ranked 63. My undergrad school had 800 students! Anything is possible don't give up!

Looking at the Rutgers acceptance on the board, all I can think is "The audacity! How could one hear on the 23rd and not notify the general populace ASAP!?!?" Is that sad? Have we reached that level yet?

And so it begins.... Good luck!

I think the phone call is the most terrifying. That is why I asked if UCONN randomly called you mikers, I really enjoy the time I can spend crafting that email perfectly. I'm worried I'll screw it up and they'll change their minds!

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.

mikers86, did the DGS at UCONN call you or did you call them?

Good advice. I was rejected at 11 PhD programs and then got into an MA program applying in mid-late March. Mr protagonist can I ask what fields you are interested in? I know of some good (but not really strong in name) MA programs but they are only relevant if your field aligns well with them.

I feel like I'm slightly anomalous in that I have a spouse that is entering the higher ed administration job market at the same time I'm getting accepted. As of now, it's looking good that we will be working/attending the same school. So my financial situation will be much easier than a standard TA stipend allows for. However I do feel the "I'm not good enough" I barely got out of HS, went to community college, a tiny lib arts school in IL for my BA, and a no-name state school for my MA. How will I stack up at the top 50 programs I got into next to Ivy grads and public Ivy grads? I feel like I will be slightly out of place...

Purpleperson including you I'm sure! (We're going to need the feels today)

Well folks, from what I gather on this forum today is the day for Rutgers. Good luck! "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, for he today who sheds his blood with me will be my brother"

Mmorrison, I found it cheaper to fly into Ontario. Around $350 from my area (south GA) I think, though I'm not sure, it's possible to get from Ontario airport to downtown Riverside without renting a car by some sort of shuttle so you might want to look into that. I'll be out there Tuesday evening (it was cheaper and easier than getting there Wednesday).

I'll most likely be attending, English PhD.

For the fellow UCONN admits, the DGS said that it was totally fine to go beyond the March 15th deadline, but to let him know asap. So I wouldn't fret too much about making your decision in the next two weeks or so, the DGS made it seem like these decisions were very important and to not rush.