fancypants09

Congratulations! And quite the happy and enviable position to be in. And congratulations to you too, Sukasa! I have to agree with the others in saying that your financial package sounds super generous for an MA, especially in IR---many years ago I applied to and was accepted to Tufts Fletcher MALD and the Geneva Graduate Institute, but I only received a penny drop in aid from Fletcher and nothing from Geneva. In addition to looking at on-campus jobs, I'd suggest that you also look at part-time positions in and around DC at embassies, government organizations, as well as non-profits and think tanks---I know that the market there is pretty competitive, but I also do know that many organizations have positions specifically for students and the connections established could lead to job opportunities, references and/or recommendation letters.

Congratulations to all who received good news in the last two days!

Yeah, I'm with everyone who is scratching their heads at how this thread has devolved into a fetischization of the Ivies. I'm privileged in certain ways, but severly not in others and have no problems owning up to it, though I'm not sure whether GCers want to hear my story. How about you own up to your own prescription, App, eh? And I am still very much up for discussing viable alternatives to TT professorships. I do share your sentiments, ProfLorax, but perhaps we can think of alternatives that will take some of the concerns you mention into account?

I've mostly been a reader on this thread, but the sentence above does capture one thing I did want to bring attention to those who have kept the conversation going here. Privilege isn't some monolithic, unitary thing. Most of the focus on the lack of privilege in the discussion has been on socio-economic background. Yes, I understand that having or not having money is related to whether someone is privileged. And besides the whole concern regarding privilege, I understand that not having money has very real and concrete impact on what we can or cannot do. But so does race. And gender/sexual orientation. And geographical location. To name just a few. I also want to respond to a comment earlier about how everyone shouldn't go into academia thinking that they will end up being professors. I think the problem pointed out by the recent Slate article is that there are people who do very much want to become professors coming out of "less prestigious" programs. It's one thing for those amongst us who are going to "prestigious" programs or have other options for income/career advancement to make the case that there is a choice, or for those entering academia with the goal of not staying in academia (which begs the question of why enter at all, but that I feel is another discussion altogether), but aren't we simply averting our eyes away from those who are really affected by the problem? If there are indeed viable alternatives to becoming a professor, I think now is a good time as any to begin discussing what they may be.

Just to clarify my earlier posting: Referral to MAPH = having to survive the Ad Comm there too; not an offer for the MA. From the posts around here, today seemed to have been Chicago's PhD rejection > MAPH referral email day!

Thanks! It stands for Master of Arts Program in the Humanities, their one-year MA program.

Chiming in about UChicago: Applied to non-English national lit, thought I was rejected given the number of acceptances to the program earlier in the month, but just received email stating that I was referred to MAPH. It was marked as spam (I love my inbox---if it ain't an acceptance it's spam! LOL) so check your mailbox thoroughly, folks!

OMG CONGRATS!!!!!!!!

If I may chime in about the necessities of MA in pursuing a PhD...my impression is that there is a pedagogical divide on this issue. I took a convoluted route but essentially am going from BA to a PhD (the JD may help with certain aspects of my research later on but doesn't "count" in the same way as a humanities MA). Some POIs expressed concern that I didn't have a MA in the humanities, even though the programs at their schools grant master's in passing to PhD students after completion of coursework; others told me that the lack of MA didn't matter because I had other skills to offset the lack of literary training (proficiency in languages, since I am in non-English national lit and plan on doing quite a bit of comparative work) and that they would guide me through the coursework and any other background knowledge necessary for me to do well. Those concerned with me having/not having the MA were worried about whether I was more than a burnt-out attorney/literary-studies dilettante who could hold her own amongst others who had BAs and MAs in English or other literary studies (my BA is a joint humanities and social science degree but decidedly not literature), and whether I could pass the candidacy exams on time. This did put extreme pressure on me to produce the best writing sample that I could under the circumstances (I had to write one from scratch since I hadn't written a literary analysis since the last time I had such a course in college). My one acceptance thus far came from the school/program with the POI who specifically told me not to worry about not having the MA. I've said it elsewhere before but my admissions results underscored for me the importance of talking to POIs beforehand to get a feel for their take on this and other issues, all important in determining that elusive fit. Regardless of what we make of the admissions process, many highly qualified candidates are rejected not because they aren't smart/worthy/hard-working but because they don't "fit" as well as others do.

I feel like age is just one of a myriad of issues that affect acceptances and job prospects down the road. If a school REALLY wanted you they would seriously put up a fight for you regardless of age; if not, they will find every reason to turn you away, age being one of them. I've heard the argument against younger candidates, both for PhD student and later TT jobs; that they didn't have enough life experience to bring new perspectives into scholarship being a major one.

Congratulations everyone! Such an honor to be a part of a smart AND nice cohort at GC

Not to hijack this thread but I think the age factor depends on rhe culture of the department and the school to which you apply. I'll be 32 when I start this fall; my POI at UCLA (non-English lit) and the faculty in my area of interest are a good 10 years older than me. I did have a (quite literally) one minute chat about age with a professor from college in a related field who told me that I am still young and that I should go for it; many other friends in academia echoed similar sentiments, except for those who succeeded on the conservative/traditional track.

How long is the program? And are you looking to apply for a PhD at the end of it? If not a PhD, what jobs would/could you apply for? I think these questions will guide your thoughts in the right direction. I, for one, think the education is worth the loans if you make a fully informed decision, one that includes planning especially for the worst possible scenario.

THIS. Just to echo what has already been expressed in slightly different terms: I think you should be pretty careful about relying on rankings for determining reputation, especially of a doctoral program. For example, certain top ranked programs (may include OMG College) may have scholars that are well-renowned and amazing resources, but have really poor placement. Great for reputation of the school and the scholars, but not so much for the students. On the other hand, professors at some lower ranked programs may go to bat for their students through personal connections (something you won't be able to perceive unless you know the details of the layout of your field rather well) so that they do get the jobs that they want post-graduation.

Awesome!!!! Congrats!!!!!!

Congrats! And yes to fighting for the spots. May I ask how you heard back? Checked my Applyweb account and no decision letter there yet...

Joining the crowd here. Officially rejected from non-English national lit department at Columbia. I had expected a rejection since acceptances were announced earlier (thank you, Results page!). No hard feelings since I knew that a rejection was most likely in the works, but oh man, rejections suck all the same!

Thanks for the advice---I think I'll go with some "fancy" pants (thanks WT!!) and blouse/t-shirts with sandals.

Just PM'ed you! Hope to see you there too Not sure whether my visit is part of "welcome week" or any formal orientation by my department; literally a day or two after I received my acceptance, my POI proposed a specific date for visiting (I had expressed interest in visiting before making my final decision), and the department and I have been planning for my visit based on that date. When are you going to be visiting, and are you with the English dept like kurayamino? It would be great to meet fellow GC/UCLA admits in person!

Big hugs! As with all break ups, time will heal. In the meantime, I suggest indulging in sappy break-up songs and wine, in addition to the ice cream.

How am I out of upvotes already?! BUT THIS. IS. THE. BEST. LOLLLL

I'm in need of some sartorial advice from the wonderful people on this forum---specifically, from the ladies---for an upcoming campus visit to UCLA in early March. I'm totally clueless on how to dress for this particular occasion. I'm used to corporate dress from my previous day job (suit, or a more formal business casual take on the suit---twinsets, blouses of all colors and stripes, you name them I've got them) or a variant thereof for teaching, but I think I'd definitely be way too overdressed. I thought about doing nice casual---flow-y pants with a short-sleeved blouse or a nice t-shirt, or a less business-y dress, so that I'd fit in more with the students there, but not sure if it would be formal enough. Then the shoes: Heels or no heels? I so want to wear flat sandals since I don't know how much I'll be walking through the day. I thought I'd ask for advice from lit folks as dress tends to be specific for the field. Thanks in advance for your input

I'm a huge fan of this, and see if you can get your LOR writers and/or your favorite professor(s) to help you reach out to your POIs. And see if you can meet with any of them in person during application season. I believe that my application to UCLA was helped immensely by meeting with my POI before I submitted my applications. I live overseas and had been contemplating a trip to LA to see said POI (yes, dead serious), but luckily he was presenting at a conference in the city where I live. I took a day off from work, contacted friends who knew said POI and were also attending the conference, and asked them to make the introduction. I hung out with the POI at the conference and then set up a meeting separately to talk shop about applications, and came away from that meeting (1) really liking the POI as a potential advisor, and (2) a sense that I would have a fighting chance. I think face-to-face meetings are important because there are some factors in determining fit on your end that you won't get from emails. You may meet POIs from your "dream school" only to realize that they are a horrible fit; then you can save yourself the time, effort, money, and the heartbreak in reconfiguring your list of schools.

I would definitely recommend thank-you emails. In addition to the general thank-you message, I used mine to elaborate on an answer to a question I felt like I didn't to well on during the interview.