goldfinch1880

Anyone have theories as to why Tufts is ranked #27 for undergrad but #52 for English PhD? Their funding is competitive and the English department doesn't raise any red flags and also seems top-notch, private, liberal arts etc. Is there something I'm missing?

anyone know anything about Vanderbilt? I see a few rejections on the board but so far it's been silence on my end.

^thank you for this gif....it says everything I want to say and more about this process.

applause for the Foucault NYU rejection. I needed that today and I didn't even apply to NYU hahahahhaha.

Just wanted to chime in to say as long as you're transparent, I wouldn't worry at all about asking schools to pitch in together! I actually had a school suggest it on their own: "if you're visiting other schools in the area at the same time, we'd appreciate it if you split the cost with them." They just wanted you to be up front with receipts on how you made it happen!

it's all good!!

Yes to all of the above. to clarify: my comment wasn't meant to be prescriptive. I wanted to say "this is how I made it work, and I don't have an MA, so you shouldn't accuse a system of being biased against BAs because you didn't get into a PhD program right away." I don't want to discourage those lurkers who think they have to go the MA route necessarily, while there can be benefits there if you didn't get to that place in your BA. although all of this is taken with a huge grain of salt that it's a crapshoot in any case. I just don't think it's a worse crapshoot if you haven't checked the MA box, if you were able to focus enough in undergrad.

To those of you following along with BAs...don't be discouraged! It is possible! I think the real take-away here is to look at the tangible qualities of what you DID getting your BA. So far I've gotten into 2 PhD programs straight from my BA after two years in the "real world." I completed my BA at a small, liberal arts college with no famous faculty members, and I finished in 3 years instead of 4, which meant I was very focused the whole time (and I took the hardest classes I could, since I knew I was fitting them into 3 years). I also wrote an honors thesis that I set aside to use as a writing sample in the event I wanted to return to academia (which I did). I had no conferences, published papers, etc. All of this to say....sometimes people understandably don't know what they want to do until a couple of years into undergrad, which means grades and class choices can lack a certain focus, which can be remedied by a focused MA program. Also, I highly recommend preparing an air-tight writing sample, rather than just repurposing an essay or two. Again, I think it was the focus of my undergrad, and the opportunity to write a rigorous, interdepartmental honors thesis, that really gave me a sense of who I was as a scholar. but if you didn't have that opportunity (and there's nothing wrong with that), an MA to hone your skills and give you a focused edge could be a real help. I think schools are looking for a compact "package" and a focused scholar with a plan, so what seems like bias against BAs is really just the fact that some with a BA are less likely to have that scholarly identity and focus. Some can get that in undergrad, and some really benefit from an MA.

anyone planning to turn down an Emory offer? or know anything about their waitlist process? currently waitlisted and it's my dream school!

do you mind telling me when you got your rejection from Yale? I've had complete silence for months!

congrats Lycidas! looks like we have a couple of acceptances in common! How did you find out about Northeastern's visiting weekend? It wasn't in the email I received...

you're the best, hypervodka! I looked everywhere for something like this when I started this process for myself....

makes sense! I was hoping UChicago's method wasn't standard when I first heard about it! Makes me feel a little better about my waitlist conversion probability....

Tufts told me they cut 10 slots down to 8 this year, and their website says they get about 120 applicants on average. The 120 isn't a set statistic from this year, and it's been 10 slots for a while, but that should give a general idea. Also....how do we interpret statements like "180 applications for 7 slots." does this mean they accepted more than 7 assuming some will turn them down? Or do we assume that they only extended offers to 7 people, and will draw from the waitlist when they get openings?

you're my new favorite person! thank you for however you found this out!

did they give you any more details about how many they accepted and where they are in the process? oh and congrats!!

that was my gut feeling too---thanks guys! I hate negotiating so I wanted to make sure my gut feeling wasn't just a reticence to negotiate.

great advice---would you say if I am accepted at a school that out-ranks them it would be worth mentioning?

on a related note....does anyone know the protocol for using an offer to help your time on the waitlist? I have an offer from a school ranked in the low 50s, and am waitlisted at a school in the mid 20s. Is it any use at all to mention the acceptance to the waitlisted school, since they asked for me to keep them posted?

how do you know, if you don't mind my asking? and do you know if they plan to send out emails, or should I be refreshing the website?

thank you!

Are you going for a TT job or an alt-ac position? hmmm I didn't realize Emory's placement rate was so low...I do love the Druid Hills area personally though.

congratulations!! What would you consider the "cons" of Emory? (I still haven't heard back yet but I'm hoping to get all opinions in the event that I receive an offer)

Where else are you accepted? What do you like about Emory in particular? I've lived in Atlanta before and loved the area, for what it's worth:)