slightlymoreanonymous

Inhacspevivo, I'm WRAC! But an MA, not a doctoral student

I've turned down Nebraska, Iowa State, Purdue, and TCU. Still need to talk with Clemson and Michigan State and officially accept Florida State. I hate sending these emails though--it feels like a break-up each time!

So not really a rejection, but slightly a grad app fail. I just realized that I applied to Florida State by accident instead of Florida. I was talking to my adviser about applying there because of one cool prof whose book we read in class, and he told me I had the wrong school. Oops?

Comebackzinc, that photo makes my heart happy.

So I just read the crazy-intense debate happening in "reputation" thread, and it made me really happy to be rhet/comp. Yay for interdisciplinary research with broad applications. Correct me if I'm wrong, but are there any Ivy-type schools that even offer degrees in rhetoric/composition/professional writing? I'm sure the market is fiercely competitive, and prestige still a factor, but at least our field seems to lend itself to a greater diversity of opportunities post-grad. And I'm with y'all! We switched around bringing food to my last seminar class too...baked goods always make discussing Burke better:)

Hurrah for MAs! I'm in the same boat as you, erosanddust. So far I've received funding/teaching assistantships at 5 programs, and I'm completely unsure of how to weigh the offers. You've definitely brought up good issues to consider. My great-aunt's a prof at Boston University and we were talking today about the decision-making process, and she reminded me that while teaching experience is great, having support for research and publication is huge at the MA level, especially if we're trying to pursue doctoral programs later. Just another thing to add to the list:)

True dat. Haha I've reading a lot lately about how individuals form communities in online spaces for my thesis, and it's been so interesting to see all of those things come to life on GradCafe:) As for the new rejections, hang in there, y'all! It's absolutely a crazy process, but we're getting much closer to having survived the 2015 application season!

Congrats to all the new PhD admits! I know it's small stuff compared to most of your crazy awesome schools, but I was just accepted to Iowa State and Purdue's MA programs with teaching assistantships...eek!

Good point, WT. I redact my previous post. Haha commence usual grad school discussion/celebration/condolences!

Not to derail from the dark night of the soul stuff (sorry BLeonard!) but I'm curious as to what your proposed substitute is for capitalism? I'm an econ student at a very heterodox department, so I've read Keynes, Hayek, Marx, etc, and while I absolutely disagree with some of the fundamentals of Neoclassical models, I'm still unsure of a viable alternative completely divorced from capitalism. Collaboratives (like Mondragon in Spain) have their benefits, but still operate on basic assumptions regarding price, production, etc. And please don't tear me to shreds for saying this. Haha I'm with everyone on the emotional roller coaster that is the grad app process and so perhaps unduly sensitive to the opinions of others.

Aww, sorry guys! As usual, I don't check here frequently enough to reply individually, but hang in there! I don't know if this is helpful, but I've found that channeling rejection blues into running or something active helps. And I think a certain amount of confidence (haha maybe a little arrogance) makes getting those letters easier. School X doesn't want me? Their loss! We can still do great things and have amazing, meaningful lives beyond this process. It in no way determines our worth as individuals! (Sorry, my inner resident assistant came out in full pep talk fashion.) Also, interesting conversation about capitalism and the academy! I think it might be too simplistic to equate capitalism with evil, though. It has its flaws, but works pretty well in many respects. (Just not in valuing humanities research, maybe.)

Congrats guys! It seems like tons of fantastic acceptances have been coming in lately! Go y'all:) I was wondering who the other Florida State rhetoric person is. I don't know much about their program, so I'd love to hear someone else's perspective! Haha and maybe know someone at their open house next month?

Hang in there, teaovercoffee! This process is miserable (like ice storms..eek!) but you're going to make it through it!

I'm not sure if this is a similar situation, but I have one funded offer with a very early deadline to reply back, and was told by a few current professors that it would be perfectly acceptable to send a brief email in a few weeks to schools I'm still waiting to hear from that I have [X offer] and have to make a decision by [certain date.] I don't think it's a matter of negotiating an acceptance as just wanting to know your options?

Yay MA friends! I applied for a mix of PhD and MA programs, but it's now looking like I'll be definitely going the MA route and applying to doctoral programs in two years. I actually don't have student debt (praise God) and so far have received a few fully-funded teaching assistantships, so I'm not unduly fussed about spending a few extra years working towards a masters. It would've been nice to get into a direct-enrollment PhD program, but I feel like it would be more difficult to face the job market getting out of school at 25 as compared to being a little older and having more teaching/professional experience. (Or at least that's how I'm justifying it to myself.) Haha and I'm with y'all on the anxiety of waiting! I just want to know my options and move past this uncertainty! And Empress-marmot, I'm hoping to work in the intersections of rhetoric and economics, particularly within the digital humanities. What about y'all?

I just was rejected from UT Austin too:( It was one of my top schools with fit, interests, etc, and Austin's a pretty rad city. Looks like I'm going to have to leave Texas.

This juxtaposition makes my heart happy. I've been getting more and more into quirky, folksy music (Ugly Casanovas, The Oh Hellos, Ben Howard) as I write about the rhetoric of attention economics. It doesn't really help with writing, because then I'm reminded of how much I want to camping/climbing instead of spending weekends locked in the library. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkn-4yIlhPw

Sorry, Wyatt's Torch:( Houston is icky, so you dodged a bullet there. Haha but my irrepressible state pride has to put in a positive word for Texas. We're friendly and (aside from some grad admissions committees, I guess) generally really welcoming folks! And to add to the general woe, I'm one of the multitude of Berkeley rejects. I think I still prefer actually knowing to waiting hopefully though. Query: at what point can we email and ask for an update? I've got one school with a fairly early (mid-March) acceptance deadline, and I'm not sure if I'll have even heard back the other 6 schools on my list by then.

Congrats, mmmscience! Iowa State is fantastic, especially for rhet/comp stuff:) I received a friendly email from them a few weeks ago asking if I would mind being switched from a PhD applicant to an MA one (since I'm coming straight out of undergrad with less teaching experience). Hopefully that's indicative of future good news? In any case, I'd definitely like to hear your thoughts on ISU! What are you hoping to research?

Question, y'all. After the initial acceptance email, how much are you hearing from your programs? I've got one school that sent a friendly email and that was that, and another that sent an email followed by a phone call, and several further emails from current grad students and faculty. Are some departments just more friendly or better at recruiting than others, or should I assume that a department I've heard a lot from in a short amount of time probably wants me as a student more?

Always the voice of steadfast realism, huh? I get it--I read The Chronicle too--but I'm not about to give up on a life dream before trying just because it's hard. If, or when, I get to the place where the dreaded job market ignores my pretty academic qualifications, then I'll figure something else out. And that'll be just fine:) I think realism is necessary and admirable, but to live without hope seems pretty grim. [Edit: Not trying to sound snappy, ComeBackZinc! Haha I just spent the evening getting lectured to for choosing a lower-paying grad school stipend over potential analyst jobs and it made me grumpy. I just want to be idealistic now while I have the chance! Haha before life beats me down.]

After reading everyone's discussion, I'm curious: are fully funded MAs that bad of an option? Maybe it's just because I'm applying straight out of undergrad, but it seemed like a reasonable step on the way to doctoral programs. (Especially since many programs won't let you apply without one.) As for plan B, I'm actually taking a NOLS outdoor instructor course this summer so I could be a wilderness guide if need be. It's marginally less realistic than dusting off my Econ degree and applying for analyst jobs, so that's on my list too. And with the dismal job market discussions, I know it's crucial to go in with your eyes open, but surely the outlook isn't so bleak if you're prepared to work in all parts of academia? I have a family friend who's the president of our local community college, and they're facing increased demand and hiring more full-time faculty for rhet/comp positions. Not as glamorous as R1s, but if you want to teach and have more flexibility, it doesn't seem too bad.

Man, it's hard to keep up with everyone's fantastic acceptances! Haha admittedly I'm more of lurker here, but way to go, y'all! Stellar humans all around. Does anyone here have experience with Nebraska? I just was offered full funding for their rhet/DH MA and their program sounds pretty amazing, but I'd love to hear more from students:) Also, I can sympathize with your UCLA rejections--I just got the Berkeley form letter. Sigh. I mainly applied because of its proximity to Yosemite and other epic climbing places, but it still stings a little.

Hey Heja, Haha this is a little bit of a late response, but I'd love to hear more about your experience at MSU:) I was just accepted to their MA program, and it seems pretty rad (except cold. I'm not sure about the whole crossing-the-mason-dixon-line-thing.)

Congrats, you lovely people! Hurrah for good news:) Just wondering, but what's the protocol when you get acceptance emails? (Besides jubilant dancing, telling friends/neighbors/strangers, etc haha.) Are you supposed to reply back?