empress-marmot

I will be 25 when I earn my MA and go into a PhD program... I know I'm a young'un here, but I really love that most people on the GC and in my field are older than me. Reading about your experiences has helped me gain perspective on what I'm supposed to do in this wide, wild world of academia. I will admit being ridiculously naive before I discovered this website. So naive, in fact, that a couple months ago I thought the world would be over if I didn't get into one of the PhD programs to which I'd applied. It's still so early in the season, but I think it's interesting to note that three of the MA programs I applied to accepted/funded me. Users on the GC have graduated from these programs and were accepted to fantastic PhD programs, ones to which I didn't dare apply. A couple months ago, I might have turned up my nose at the three "safety" programs which accepted me. Thanks to you fantastic people, I think going to a teeny-tiny school where I can learn a bit more might be the best choice. Some people have mentioned teaching overseas as a Plan B. Mine was to apply to EPIK and go teach in South Korea.

David Tennant meant to wink at you, ceaselessly. It was just at that moment, he got a crick in his neck which prevented him from turning his beauteous gaze upon you. But he definitely meant to. I came across a website devoted to RhetComp Ryan Gosling the other day (worth a read). Can we do RhetComp David Tennant?

I'm so sorry! I'm hoping for an acceptance in your inbox to make the day a little brighter.

Wyatt's Torch, you are brilliant.

I was so irritated with myself when I realized Cs was in Tampa this year. I just moved to Tampa--I could have submitted something! Is anyone else going?

Please jump in! Tell us about your research!

I assumed I was hearing echoes from a parallel universe, one where I was awesome enough to be accepted to every school, even ones to which I never applied. I'm glad to know others are having this problem too.

Hey, obrial42! I'm a freshfaced BA. I would like to complete my MA and PhD at the same school. Programs: Nebraska, Oregon, Minnesota, South Florida, Florida, Purdue, and Arizona. Kansas State and Southern Illinois accepted me. The good folks at Wisconsin rejected me. Could you give me an example of a real-world issue manifested in rhetorical/critical theory? That sounds fascinating!

Hello! I'm Rhet/Comp as well, and I applied to a mix of MA and PhD programs. In my SOP, I wrote something about wanting to study how the basic writer acquires rhetorical skills. Also some stuff about creative methodology. I have no clue whether this is a legitimate research topic or not. I tried saying it to some comp/rhet professors at a university. They gave that customary deep understanding nod of professors everywhere, which either means it's a perfectly acceptable thing to study, or I'm a complete idiot. Imposter syndrome already! I'd love to know what you all are researching!

Me too (though for an MA)! What field are you in?

Has anyone else not heard back from Wisconsin? I'm kind of assuming at this point that someone decided not to reject me on my birthday, and I'm probably on their to-do list for Monday.

Thank you for your advice! The offer won't be finalized till sometime in February, when they let me know if I have a fellowship. By then, maybe I'll have some more options to consider. Also, congratulations to all the Wisconsin admits! I'm a little bit jealous, but these are early days yet.

I was checking elsewhere in the forums, and I found mixed reactions to replying to acceptance emails. The DGS of one of my schools sent me a personalized welcome email today, and I'm not exactly sure how to respond. I definitely want to thank this person for the acceptance and funding, but should I mention that I applied to other schools, and that I'm going to wait to accept/decline till I hear back from them? Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Thank you for your insight!

I don't know what program you're in, or what the general protocol is for this sort of thing. Since it's Friday afternoon, you may want to call or email the person who sent you that rejection email. If the graduate coordinator was the sender, it's possible s/he hit the wrong button and the email was in error. Either way, if you contact that person now, you may still get an answer before Monday. If your PI regularly replies to email, you may want to ask him/her instead. I hope this all resolves for you! Good luck!

Hello! As kurayamino said, you sound like a really qualified applicant. I'm not a math person, so I can't do a probability calculation on this. Anyway, if you've done everything possible on your end of things, just relax. Eat foods you aren't supposed to eat. Indulge in a free trial of Netflix--by the time it ends, you'll have some results back in. (at least, that was my reasoning) If you're really terrified about it, you can always research some safety programs with late deadlines. I'm sure it won't come to that, though. Good luck!

Don't worry, that's just advice I got from a friend! I get nervous really easily, so I wanted to be completely done with everything before I started posting. Nice to meet you!

May I join this happy group of B.A.s to PhDs? I was advised not to hang around the forums till all my applications were in, but the last professor submitted the last recommendation yesterday. It's nice to meet you guys/read your forum posts! Are there any other B.A.s going for the PhD in Rhet/Comp?