Dr. Old Bill

Okay, so proof that I am a very old man: I don't have Instagram, but I'll just assume that you posted the same pic or (since we're English majors) "trope" as the optimistic one above. But I DO have to ask...is cinnamonsquirrel a punny Neil Young reference?

True story: when I was in grade 9 (so '93 / '94) I had a habit of writing down lyrics in class of favorite songs. One day some jerk of a classmate stole my transcription of "Bat Out of Hell" and gave it to some girl, telling her that I wrote her a poem. They never found his body. Just kidding. (Just kidding because they DID find his body...or what was left of it when I was through with him...) Okay, just kidding for reals this time.

In my book, Virginia Jackson IS a celebrity! Congrats to you -- she's one of the best prosodists in the business.

Oh. Oh! Ohhh. Somehow that makes it even funnier...

So for ... and giggles, I just looked up "Old Mel" on Google to see if there was any good thread fodder...and I wasn't disappointed. Those Aussies, man.

My [spontaneously arrived at] rule of thumb: if someone older than you calls you "old," it's a compliment; if someone younger than you calls you old, it's the Battle of Marston Moor.

A Joe Walsh and a Styx reference in one day? Old Mel, you're cut off!

Oh man. It's so true.

And you're two of the best "tenured" posters in this forum to boot. I've never read a post from either of you that I didn't find valuable.

There are quite a few of us this year! Once we're all nestled in our cozy little programs in the fall, we should make a point of touching base with each other to see about which conferences we plan to attend. I'd be glad to have a drink or two with any of you. :-)

In all seriousness, it is a shame that we'll all be going our separate ways soon enough...like The Breakfast Club. I'd be the Judd Nelson character, because everyone else is going to move on, but you just know I'll remain here for years to come. (Yes, yes, I know the comparison breaks down under scrutiny)

But in fairness, life's been good to him so far... /micdrop

I could write a long post, but I think my basic suggestion is succinct: go for the M.A. first. Doing well in an M.A. program can go a long way toward eradicating deficiencies like a low GPA in an undergraduate institution. There aren't many funded M.A. programs (you'll be able to find several threads listing many of the funded options if you search), but depending on your circumstances, if you really want to go the Ph.D. route, you're probably not going to pass muster with a substandard GPA when applying with only a B.A. It's possible, but you'd be a definite outlier in a process where the odds are long to begin with. Even if you go to a mediocre program for your M.A. and do good work, that should significantly boost your chances. Your chances will never be high, but that's only because no one's chances are ever particularly high. Just one man's opinion / advice. Hope it helps.

And let's not forget...Vancouver is really beautiful! For what it's worth, UBC is out of frame, but not far to the left of this image, basically on its own peninsula.

It's funny -- I've been in a couple PMs with other GCers and we've all said the exact same thing: it's hard not to just commit to one program (even if we only have one and are waitlisted elsewhere...) and be done with it. But as I always say...it's best to respect the process and just wait it out. It's more vexing, but it makes the most sense. #adulting

Pretty sure the ship has sailed on Penn and Rutgers acceptances, alas... Perhaps there will be some waitlists though? He asks optimistically...

Huzzah! For the Strode program, I know it's just a case-by-case basis -- I was told that if I get off the waitlist, they'll make travel arrangements for me to visit etc. I'm not sure if it's the same for non-Strode acceptances, but it's definitely a question worth asking the DGS.

"Eyes I dare not meet in dreams In death's dream kingdom"

There are a couple up there, and a couple rejections from folks who emailed the DGS...

No, that part I got right the first time: OSU anticipates a final cohort of 18 (9 to each track). I don't know how many offers were made to get to that number, however.

Not naive at all! It's easy to forget how long the odds are for acceptances, which is even one is a huge relief and a major luxury! And humbling...very, very humbling.

Sorry about that! I had one thing in my memory, but when I rechecked the email, it was a little different...

I slightly misspoke: they plan to accept 9 with B.A. to their M.A./Ph.D. track, and 9 with M.A. to their Ph.D. track.

Doesn't everyone have an abacus beside their desk? I don't know their total numbers, but OSU anticipates a final cohort of 9 M.A. and 9 Ph.D. students.

Well, if the following results post is to be believed... ...then that other result might be legit, and the rest of us might be hooped. 14 out of 550 suggests an expected yield of 7 or 8, which seems low...but is also in line with a lot of programs this cycle. It also means (in pure statistical terms) that we all had a 2.5% chance of acceptance. I guess I can't be too sad about an implied rejection when the odds are that long...