hypervodka

Trailing on hypervodka, my two cents, bgt28: I'm a huge proponent of taking some time off between undergrad and grad. One of my undergrad professors advised me to do so when I was terrified as a senior and lamenting the end of an era. I was all "I've only ever known school! Of course I should stay in school! I'm good at school and rubbish at everything else!"
 
But "everything else" turned out not to be so terribly frightening, and I gained a lot of valuable experience in a non-academic career. Now I'm embarking on the PhD with a great deal more perspective and determination. I'm not doing it because I don't know what else to do -- I'm doing it because I want to and because I know it will enrich my future career plans. 
 
In the end, there's much you can do to prepare yourself for a future in academia even if you're not ensconced in a classroom.  
 
ETA: P.S. I should add that I did end up in a career IN academia after my first few years out of it. But the experience I gained outside of academia allowed me to get my first job in a university, which led to a master's degree and a clearer understanding of the PhD process.

This is mentioned in the Professor is In link someone posted awhile ago, but going into debt for an education was considered "good debt" until fairly recently, when people began to realize that many jobs graduates can expect to receive don't actually allow debtors the financial stability to pay off the substantial debts that often come from student loans, and there's no reprieve for those unable to pay these loans off. It used to be considered an "investment," but the pay-off just isn't worth the buy-in.

This is mentioned in the Professor is In link someone posted awhile ago, but going into debt for an education was considered "good debt" until fairly recently, when people began to realize that many jobs graduates can expect to receive don't actually allow debtors the financial stability to pay off the substantial debts that often come from student loans, and there's no reprieve for those unable to pay these loans off. It used to be considered an "investment," but the pay-off just isn't worth the buy-in.

There are only a few things that I would add: I'm another one of those no-name B.A.-only and it didn't hurt me, but that isn't to say that a Masters would hurt you. However, pretty much all of the programs you applied to strongly prefer candidates with only a BA (particularly Harvard and Yale).
 
Even though I don't think applying with a Masters is a bad thing, and it could give you the necessary opportunity to assess and refocus your research goals in a structured environment (which I think is the more important part of an application), but, to my knowledge, NYU's MA program doesn't have a particularly solid placement record in PhD programs (this is just what some professor at Rutgers obliquely told me in the past couple of days) and even "full funding" at NYU in general is actually difficult to maintain with New York's substantial cost of living. It may be stressful (especially in regards to trying to make ends meet), but it is a good program and may be a good opportunity. I just... I really just don't want you to feel like you have to continue school at this point. You really can just... stop for a second. You've graduated from a prestigious university: you can get a job--an internship, at a non-profit, overseas--you can get a part-time job with no direction. NYU is not the only option, and it may not be the best option.
 
I honestly think you will just benefit from time. I think that your undergrad was ample preparation, and you just need a little time for the ideas you're entertaining to percolate. You have the benefit of being rejected from the school you actually went to, so that's a great opportunity to work with people in your department to assess what parts of your application need to be improved. I was shut-out the first time I applied, I stepped away, got a job I loved and had fun with. Then, at the last minute (like September), I wrote the writing sample I used to submit. My real world experiences made my research goal far more focused than they would have been otherwise. I realized how lofty (and, worse, amorphous) my original goals were and made sure to be more specific. I also had more time, because I wasn't simultaneously studying for ETS's gibberish standardized tests and my undergraduate actual tests. Even with a job, I had more time to devote to my applications, because it didn't feel like I was going straight from working on schoolwork to working on MORE SCHOOLWORK to back to working on real schoolwork. I was exhausted and shaken. I didn't enjoy the experience of applying my first time around.
 
Still, I'm extremely biased against undergraduates applying right out of UG, especially so young (I say as if I'm not a pesky whipper-snapper myself) because there's just so much we can do that does not involve stressing about school, so, please, others chime in...

This is mentioned in the Professor is In link someone posted awhile ago, but going into debt for an education was considered "good debt" until fairly recently, when people began to realize that many jobs graduates can expect to receive don't actually allow debtors the financial stability to pay off the substantial debts that often come from student loans, and there's no reprieve for those unable to pay these loans off. It used to be considered an "investment," but the pay-off just isn't worth the buy-in.

There are only a few things that I would add: I'm another one of those no-name B.A.-only and it didn't hurt me, but that isn't to say that a Masters would hurt you. However, pretty much all of the programs you applied to strongly prefer candidates with only a BA (particularly Harvard and Yale).
 
Even though I don't think applying with a Masters is a bad thing, and it could give you the necessary opportunity to assess and refocus your research goals in a structured environment (which I think is the more important part of an application), but, to my knowledge, NYU's MA program doesn't have a particularly solid placement record in PhD programs (this is just what some professor at Rutgers obliquely told me in the past couple of days) and even "full funding" at NYU in general is actually difficult to maintain with New York's substantial cost of living. It may be stressful (especially in regards to trying to make ends meet), but it is a good program and may be a good opportunity. I just... I really just don't want you to feel like you have to continue school at this point. You really can just... stop for a second. You've graduated from a prestigious university: you can get a job--an internship, at a non-profit, overseas--you can get a part-time job with no direction. NYU is not the only option, and it may not be the best option.
 
I honestly think you will just benefit from time. I think that your undergrad was ample preparation, and you just need a little time for the ideas you're entertaining to percolate. You have the benefit of being rejected from the school you actually went to, so that's a great opportunity to work with people in your department to assess what parts of your application need to be improved. I was shut-out the first time I applied, I stepped away, got a job I loved and had fun with. Then, at the last minute (like September), I wrote the writing sample I used to submit. My real world experiences made my research goal far more focused than they would have been otherwise. I realized how lofty (and, worse, amorphous) my original goals were and made sure to be more specific. I also had more time, because I wasn't simultaneously studying for ETS's gibberish standardized tests and my undergraduate actual tests. Even with a job, I had more time to devote to my applications, because it didn't feel like I was going straight from working on schoolwork to working on MORE SCHOOLWORK to back to working on real schoolwork. I was exhausted and shaken. I didn't enjoy the experience of applying my first time around.
 
Still, I'm extremely biased against undergraduates applying right out of UG, especially so young (I say as if I'm not a pesky whipper-snapper myself) because there's just so much we can do that does not involve stressing about school, so, please, others chime in...

There are only a few things that I would add: I'm another one of those no-name B.A.-only and it didn't hurt me, but that isn't to say that a Masters would hurt you. However, pretty much all of the programs you applied to strongly prefer candidates with only a BA (particularly Harvard and Yale).
 
Even though I don't think applying with a Masters is a bad thing, and it could give you the necessary opportunity to assess and refocus your research goals in a structured environment (which I think is the more important part of an application), but, to my knowledge, NYU's MA program doesn't have a particularly solid placement record in PhD programs (this is just what some professor at Rutgers obliquely told me in the past couple of days) and even "full funding" at NYU in general is actually difficult to maintain with New York's substantial cost of living. It may be stressful (especially in regards to trying to make ends meet), but it is a good program and may be a good opportunity. I just... I really just don't want you to feel like you have to continue school at this point. You really can just... stop for a second. You've graduated from a prestigious university: you can get a job--an internship, at a non-profit, overseas--you can get a part-time job with no direction. NYU is not the only option, and it may not be the best option.
 
I honestly think you will just benefit from time. I think that your undergrad was ample preparation, and you just need a little time for the ideas you're entertaining to percolate. You have the benefit of being rejected from the school you actually went to, so that's a great opportunity to work with people in your department to assess what parts of your application need to be improved. I was shut-out the first time I applied, I stepped away, got a job I loved and had fun with. Then, at the last minute (like September), I wrote the writing sample I used to submit. My real world experiences made my research goal far more focused than they would have been otherwise. I realized how lofty (and, worse, amorphous) my original goals were and made sure to be more specific. I also had more time, because I wasn't simultaneously studying for ETS's gibberish standardized tests and my undergraduate actual tests. Even with a job, I had more time to devote to my applications, because it didn't feel like I was going straight from working on schoolwork to working on MORE SCHOOLWORK to back to working on real schoolwork. I was exhausted and shaken. I didn't enjoy the experience of applying my first time around.
 
Still, I'm extremely biased against undergraduates applying right out of UG, especially so young (I say as if I'm not a pesky whipper-snapper myself) because there's just so much we can do that does not involve stressing about school, so, please, others chime in...

There are only a few things that I would add: I'm another one of those no-name B.A.-only and it didn't hurt me, but that isn't to say that a Masters would hurt you. However, pretty much all of the programs you applied to strongly prefer candidates with only a BA (particularly Harvard and Yale).
 
Even though I don't think applying with a Masters is a bad thing, and it could give you the necessary opportunity to assess and refocus your research goals in a structured environment (which I think is the more important part of an application), but, to my knowledge, NYU's MA program doesn't have a particularly solid placement record in PhD programs (this is just what some professor at Rutgers obliquely told me in the past couple of days) and even "full funding" at NYU in general is actually difficult to maintain with New York's substantial cost of living. It may be stressful (especially in regards to trying to make ends meet), but it is a good program and may be a good opportunity. I just... I really just don't want you to feel like you have to continue school at this point. You really can just... stop for a second. You've graduated from a prestigious university: you can get a job--an internship, at a non-profit, overseas--you can get a part-time job with no direction. NYU is not the only option, and it may not be the best option.
 
I honestly think you will just benefit from time. I think that your undergrad was ample preparation, and you just need a little time for the ideas you're entertaining to percolate. You have the benefit of being rejected from the school you actually went to, so that's a great opportunity to work with people in your department to assess what parts of your application need to be improved. I was shut-out the first time I applied, I stepped away, got a job I loved and had fun with. Then, at the last minute (like September), I wrote the writing sample I used to submit. My real world experiences made my research goal far more focused than they would have been otherwise. I realized how lofty (and, worse, amorphous) my original goals were and made sure to be more specific. I also had more time, because I wasn't simultaneously studying for ETS's gibberish standardized tests and my undergraduate actual tests. Even with a job, I had more time to devote to my applications, because it didn't feel like I was going straight from working on schoolwork to working on MORE SCHOOLWORK to back to working on real schoolwork. I was exhausted and shaken. I didn't enjoy the experience of applying my first time around.
 
Still, I'm extremely biased against undergraduates applying right out of UG, especially so young (I say as if I'm not a pesky whipper-snapper myself) because there's just so much we can do that does not involve stressing about school, so, please, others chime in...

There are only a few things that I would add: I'm another one of those no-name B.A.-only and it didn't hurt me, but that isn't to say that a Masters would hurt you. However, pretty much all of the programs you applied to strongly prefer candidates with only a BA (particularly Harvard and Yale).
 
Even though I don't think applying with a Masters is a bad thing, and it could give you the necessary opportunity to assess and refocus your research goals in a structured environment (which I think is the more important part of an application), but, to my knowledge, NYU's MA program doesn't have a particularly solid placement record in PhD programs (this is just what some professor at Rutgers obliquely told me in the past couple of days) and even "full funding" at NYU in general is actually difficult to maintain with New York's substantial cost of living. It may be stressful (especially in regards to trying to make ends meet), but it is a good program and may be a good opportunity. I just... I really just don't want you to feel like you have to continue school at this point. You really can just... stop for a second. You've graduated from a prestigious university: you can get a job--an internship, at a non-profit, overseas--you can get a part-time job with no direction. NYU is not the only option, and it may not be the best option.
 
I honestly think you will just benefit from time. I think that your undergrad was ample preparation, and you just need a little time for the ideas you're entertaining to percolate. You have the benefit of being rejected from the school you actually went to, so that's a great opportunity to work with people in your department to assess what parts of your application need to be improved. I was shut-out the first time I applied, I stepped away, got a job I loved and had fun with. Then, at the last minute (like September), I wrote the writing sample I used to submit. My real world experiences made my research goal far more focused than they would have been otherwise. I realized how lofty (and, worse, amorphous) my original goals were and made sure to be more specific. I also had more time, because I wasn't simultaneously studying for ETS's gibberish standardized tests and my undergraduate actual tests. Even with a job, I had more time to devote to my applications, because it didn't feel like I was going straight from working on schoolwork to working on MORE SCHOOLWORK to back to working on real schoolwork. I was exhausted and shaken. I didn't enjoy the experience of applying my first time around.
 
Still, I'm extremely biased against undergraduates applying right out of UG, especially so young (I say as if I'm not a pesky whipper-snapper myself) because there's just so much we can do that does not involve stressing about school, so, please, others chime in...

There are only a few things that I would add: I'm another one of those no-name B.A.-only and it didn't hurt me, but that isn't to say that a Masters would hurt you. However, pretty much all of the programs you applied to strongly prefer candidates with only a BA (particularly Harvard and Yale).
 
Even though I don't think applying with a Masters is a bad thing, and it could give you the necessary opportunity to assess and refocus your research goals in a structured environment (which I think is the more important part of an application), but, to my knowledge, NYU's MA program doesn't have a particularly solid placement record in PhD programs (this is just what some professor at Rutgers obliquely told me in the past couple of days) and even "full funding" at NYU in general is actually difficult to maintain with New York's substantial cost of living. It may be stressful (especially in regards to trying to make ends meet), but it is a good program and may be a good opportunity. I just... I really just don't want you to feel like you have to continue school at this point. You really can just... stop for a second. You've graduated from a prestigious university: you can get a job--an internship, at a non-profit, overseas--you can get a part-time job with no direction. NYU is not the only option, and it may not be the best option.
 
I honestly think you will just benefit from time. I think that your undergrad was ample preparation, and you just need a little time for the ideas you're entertaining to percolate. You have the benefit of being rejected from the school you actually went to, so that's a great opportunity to work with people in your department to assess what parts of your application need to be improved. I was shut-out the first time I applied, I stepped away, got a job I loved and had fun with. Then, at the last minute (like September), I wrote the writing sample I used to submit. My real world experiences made my research goal far more focused than they would have been otherwise. I realized how lofty (and, worse, amorphous) my original goals were and made sure to be more specific. I also had more time, because I wasn't simultaneously studying for ETS's gibberish standardized tests and my undergraduate actual tests. Even with a job, I had more time to devote to my applications, because it didn't feel like I was going straight from working on schoolwork to working on MORE SCHOOLWORK to back to working on real schoolwork. I was exhausted and shaken. I didn't enjoy the experience of applying my first time around.
 
Still, I'm extremely biased against undergraduates applying right out of UG, especially so young (I say as if I'm not a pesky whipper-snapper myself) because there's just so much we can do that does not involve stressing about school, so, please, others chime in...

There are only a few things that I would add: I'm another one of those no-name B.A.-only and it didn't hurt me, but that isn't to say that a Masters would hurt you. However, pretty much all of the programs you applied to strongly prefer candidates with only a BA (particularly Harvard and Yale).
 
Even though I don't think applying with a Masters is a bad thing, and it could give you the necessary opportunity to assess and refocus your research goals in a structured environment (which I think is the more important part of an application), but, to my knowledge, NYU's MA program doesn't have a particularly solid placement record in PhD programs (this is just what some professor at Rutgers obliquely told me in the past couple of days) and even "full funding" at NYU in general is actually difficult to maintain with New York's substantial cost of living. It may be stressful (especially in regards to trying to make ends meet), but it is a good program and may be a good opportunity. I just... I really just don't want you to feel like you have to continue school at this point. You really can just... stop for a second. You've graduated from a prestigious university: you can get a job--an internship, at a non-profit, overseas--you can get a part-time job with no direction. NYU is not the only option, and it may not be the best option.
 
I honestly think you will just benefit from time. I think that your undergrad was ample preparation, and you just need a little time for the ideas you're entertaining to percolate. You have the benefit of being rejected from the school you actually went to, so that's a great opportunity to work with people in your department to assess what parts of your application need to be improved. I was shut-out the first time I applied, I stepped away, got a job I loved and had fun with. Then, at the last minute (like September), I wrote the writing sample I used to submit. My real world experiences made my research goal far more focused than they would have been otherwise. I realized how lofty (and, worse, amorphous) my original goals were and made sure to be more specific. I also had more time, because I wasn't simultaneously studying for ETS's gibberish standardized tests and my undergraduate actual tests. Even with a job, I had more time to devote to my applications, because it didn't feel like I was going straight from working on schoolwork to working on MORE SCHOOLWORK to back to working on real schoolwork. I was exhausted and shaken. I didn't enjoy the experience of applying my first time around.
 
Still, I'm extremely biased against undergraduates applying right out of UG, especially so young (I say as if I'm not a pesky whipper-snapper myself) because there's just so much we can do that does not involve stressing about school, so, please, others chime in...

There are only a few things that I would add: I'm another one of those no-name B.A.-only and it didn't hurt me, but that isn't to say that a Masters would hurt you. However, pretty much all of the programs you applied to strongly prefer candidates with only a BA (particularly Harvard and Yale).
 
Even though I don't think applying with a Masters is a bad thing, and it could give you the necessary opportunity to assess and refocus your research goals in a structured environment (which I think is the more important part of an application), but, to my knowledge, NYU's MA program doesn't have a particularly solid placement record in PhD programs (this is just what some professor at Rutgers obliquely told me in the past couple of days) and even "full funding" at NYU in general is actually difficult to maintain with New York's substantial cost of living. It may be stressful (especially in regards to trying to make ends meet), but it is a good program and may be a good opportunity. I just... I really just don't want you to feel like you have to continue school at this point. You really can just... stop for a second. You've graduated from a prestigious university: you can get a job--an internship, at a non-profit, overseas--you can get a part-time job with no direction. NYU is not the only option, and it may not be the best option.
 
I honestly think you will just benefit from time. I think that your undergrad was ample preparation, and you just need a little time for the ideas you're entertaining to percolate. You have the benefit of being rejected from the school you actually went to, so that's a great opportunity to work with people in your department to assess what parts of your application need to be improved. I was shut-out the first time I applied, I stepped away, got a job I loved and had fun with. Then, at the last minute (like September), I wrote the writing sample I used to submit. My real world experiences made my research goal far more focused than they would have been otherwise. I realized how lofty (and, worse, amorphous) my original goals were and made sure to be more specific. I also had more time, because I wasn't simultaneously studying for ETS's gibberish standardized tests and my undergraduate actual tests. Even with a job, I had more time to devote to my applications, because it didn't feel like I was going straight from working on schoolwork to working on MORE SCHOOLWORK to back to working on real schoolwork. I was exhausted and shaken. I didn't enjoy the experience of applying my first time around.
 
Still, I'm extremely biased against undergraduates applying right out of UG, especially so young (I say as if I'm not a pesky whipper-snapper myself) because there's just so much we can do that does not involve stressing about school, so, please, others chime in...

I started formally declining because the deadline for the RSVP for visit weekend was coming up, and I wouldn't have felt right not being upfront about why I wasn't now going, given how obviously excited I'd been for it previously. I also knew that, as much as I really, really loved the program and the people (and it's one of my absolute top choices in terms of pure research fit), given some of my other acceptances and the job market, there was no realistic way I would have chosen them over a couple of other equally-fitting choices I have. I've heard from all of my schools at this point, and I've been lucky enough to have seven acceptances; while I would have been absolutely thrilled to attend any one of those schools, there are naturally some I'm more excited about than others. I won't formally accept an offer until the latter half of March, though (when my visits are complete), and I think that's far too long for me to be tying up the resources of a couple of other places I'm pretty sure I won't attend, so, for me at least, yes: it's time.
 
Here's hoping somebody got a call off the wait list!

There are only a few things that I would add: I'm another one of those no-name B.A.-only and it didn't hurt me, but that isn't to say that a Masters would hurt you. However, pretty much all of the programs you applied to strongly prefer candidates with only a BA (particularly Harvard and Yale).
 
Even though I don't think applying with a Masters is a bad thing, and it could give you the necessary opportunity to assess and refocus your research goals in a structured environment (which I think is the more important part of an application), but, to my knowledge, NYU's MA program doesn't have a particularly solid placement record in PhD programs (this is just what some professor at Rutgers obliquely told me in the past couple of days) and even "full funding" at NYU in general is actually difficult to maintain with New York's substantial cost of living. It may be stressful (especially in regards to trying to make ends meet), but it is a good program and may be a good opportunity. I just... I really just don't want you to feel like you have to continue school at this point. You really can just... stop for a second. You've graduated from a prestigious university: you can get a job--an internship, at a non-profit, overseas--you can get a part-time job with no direction. NYU is not the only option, and it may not be the best option.
 
I honestly think you will just benefit from time. I think that your undergrad was ample preparation, and you just need a little time for the ideas you're entertaining to percolate. You have the benefit of being rejected from the school you actually went to, so that's a great opportunity to work with people in your department to assess what parts of your application need to be improved. I was shut-out the first time I applied, I stepped away, got a job I loved and had fun with. Then, at the last minute (like September), I wrote the writing sample I used to submit. My real world experiences made my research goal far more focused than they would have been otherwise. I realized how lofty (and, worse, amorphous) my original goals were and made sure to be more specific. I also had more time, because I wasn't simultaneously studying for ETS's gibberish standardized tests and my undergraduate actual tests. Even with a job, I had more time to devote to my applications, because it didn't feel like I was going straight from working on schoolwork to working on MORE SCHOOLWORK to back to working on real schoolwork. I was exhausted and shaken. I didn't enjoy the experience of applying my first time around.
 
Still, I'm extremely biased against undergraduates applying right out of UG, especially so young (I say as if I'm not a pesky whipper-snapper myself) because there's just so much we can do that does not involve stressing about school, so, please, others chime in...

There's also this handy living wage calculator you can use for communities throughout the country.
 
It's similar to what MM posted, but also different enough to make it worth posting on its own -- both are definitely great resources.

Finally got a response to my email from UGA. All it said was, "Yes, decisions have been sent out. If you were accepted, you would've gotten a letter in the mail."
 
The last time I was applying, the season where I ended up taking a funded MA, UGA pulled this same thing. They would not tell me when letters when out and they refused to check my actual status. I just got this same line, over and over. They never sent a rejection. I called them in April, the person on the phone just repeated the same darn thing. This time around, if I hadn't emailed, I doubt would have ever received any notification of any kind. This method of rejection is so insulting and rude. Maybe I'm coming across as bitter, but I can't fathom why they would refuse to actually tell someone they're rejected, opting instead for this wishy-washy crap.

Hi!
 
Congrats on the admission, and I look forward to seeing you in March at the open house!
 
Almost all the English graduate students live in Highland Park; it's a sleepy little town with mostly families and professionals right next to New Brunswick. It has a good coffee shop, great restaurants, some bars (one in an amazing gourmet wine store) and little town activities like a farmer's market on Fridays and movie nights throughout the warmer weather. I love it here. HP is about a 20 minute walk to campus if you live anywhere from Adelaide (the first street after the bridge from NB) to 5th ave. The streets are numbered. I live on 11th street (so about 12 blocks from NB), and it's a little far for walking. But HP also has a great bus service. There's one right at the top of my street and one at 3rd street. So if the weather is ever bad, you can always take the bus to class for a buck fifty. I don't think many people in the program have cars, so no worries there. There are safe and well maintained sidewalks the whole way, including on the bridge.
 
I can't say off the top of my head what the good apt. complexes are here. You might look up Olde Queen's, however (which is where another early americanist lives, incidentally). I'm sure that people who live a few blocks closer to town will have more precise recommendations.
 
Also, I'm the phone coordinator this year for incoming students - the phone coordinator matches prospective students with grad students in their field. So as soon as the email list of all the accepted students is released to me (should be in a day or so), I'll put you in touch with our Americanist grad students.

Hello! I have a couple programs to suggest, though I don't know how "prestigious" they are. They do, however, offer funding. Funding is good.
 
Kansas State University has been discussed on the forums before, and I've heard nothing but good things about the program. The professors I've been in contact with are really friendly. Their deadline is Feb. 1st. 
 
Virginia Tech was recommended by one of my rhet/comp professors. Their deadline is Feb 1st as well.
 
Colorado State was also recommended by another rhet/comp prof. Deadline Feb. 15th, but you have to mail in the application.
 
Creighton U is a private Catholic college. I heard that the funding for English majors is quite nice. Deadline (for assistantships) March 15th, but they still had fellowships to award into April (at least, they did last year). 
 
I hope that helps, for those people who aren't on the lit track, or who don't want to move to the east coast.

So as someone who days ago had steeled herself for another round of applications, it is with great pleasure I can say what a difference a few days makes. So far I've been offered MA slots at UVA, Boston U, and University of South Carolina. While the first two were unfunded and sent me into a fury of Scotch sipping and accounting tape, USC offered me very generous funding for their MA (50% tuition abatement year one, 100% year 2, and generous stipends for both years PLUS I GET TO TEACH IN YEAR TWO YAAAASSSSS).
 
Honestly, I think I've learned a lesson in being humble. I applied to USC as my complete and utter everything-has-gone-to-shit backup (which is extra ridiculous because they are ranked #77 and have a great reputation). I was so grateful to get that e-mail and know that I don't have to sit out another year AND I won't have to be in debt $100k or $64k respectively for UVA or BU. More than that, now that the worry of finances is gone, I can see what an honor it was to get offered MA slots from UVA and BU. Yeah, it is somewhat a "consolation" and the lack of funding gives me sad face, but as someone coming from a generally unheard of SLAC with a 4 year gap in my undergrad career and a writing sample I now realize could've been stronger, I am impressed that my application was given such consideration.
 
I'm now hoping that an MA at USC will further prove my track record in academia, prove I can cut my own at graduate-level work, and polish my skills up enough so that when the time comes for me to apply to PhD programs UVA, BU, and (god willing) a few others will offer me that golden ticket.
 
Congrats to everyone and any Uni of South Carolina peeps hit me up~*
 
P.S. Lesson to the kiddies - don't let something like a desire to get out in the world let you demean the value of local programs. Seriously.

Hello!! Yes, it's me! But, watching yours, hannalore's and hreathmus' (sorry for the intentional typo, I'm on my phone, and that's the closest it'll give me!) credentials, I felt I wasn't I the same league. (Hence my holding out on ND and Toronto.^^) I am very excited to {hopefully?!?} work with Dr. Gwara, he was my first contact at USC, and my reason for choosing them. His studies are closely allied to where I want to go (philological), and he's followed the trajectory I hope to, institution-wise. He said there is another Medievalist there, as well, a Holly Crocker? Her line wasn't as closely aligned, but...it have me excitement to get to work, that I could be working on real and relevant research, with colleagues who are there!
This is VERY encouraging, thank you so much for your encouragment, really. Though I've wanted this for so long, and have been working towards it, some days I still feel that "I'm SO behind my peers!" feeling. And, as small as our specialization is within the English realms, it's nice to hear kind encouragement, rather than the converse.^^

How was the ND visit? that's right near my hometown, relatively speaking (I was a bit south and easy of South Bend).^^ Beautiful area, and I've grown up all my life hearing its accolades.^^ I've never stepped foot on campus, if you can believe it, but I studied for a time at Oxford, and...I imagine that kind of feeling: the intoxicating sense of having, literally, vast amounts of resources and ancient manuscripts at your fingertips.

ETA: I guess I listed on my profile my interest in OE, but It doesn't show on my posts. My fault. Still. I've a long way to go!^^

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.

I was accepted to Rutgers as well! This is all so unnerving.

I was accepted to Rutgers as well! This is all so unnerving.

I was accepted to Rutgers as well! This is all so unnerving.

I was accepted to Rutgers as well! This is all so unnerving.