snyegurachka
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Posts posted by snyegurachka
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I am reading Domesticating History, a history of the political origins of American house museums.
Oh, and my thesis. Millions of times over and over again.
I can't even remember the last time I read a fun, fiction book for something outside of school. I was on a pretty big Marguerite Duras kick but mostly reading short stories, essays, and newspaper articles.
The joke here is that I am terrible nearsighted and have astigmatism that my glasses/contact lenses only sort of correct. The most comfortable way for me to read without getting a headache is to sit at a desk with a book in front of me at enough of a distance that I don't get dizzy. My days of being able to read in bed ended long ago....
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This is what I did last year, and the feedback, while hard to hear at the time, resulted in better applications this time around.
The funny this is, at least at Berkeley, there wasn't anything wrong. I just wasn't what they needed this year. He told me that I was clearly talented and serious about my work and should just keep going what I'm doing—the implication being that eventually I will get in somewhere....though probably not Berkeley.
Anyway, I think it confirmed what everyone has been telling me, that it is a matter of fit + luck, especially with these hot-ticket programs. It was nice to know that I made it to the short list despite having a mediocre undergrad GPA and okay GRE scores.
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On 2/12/2015 at 10:19 AM, lazaria said:
What is the etiquette for getting feedback from departments that reject you? Respectful emails, I assume. Anyone done this before and have any tips they can share?
I waited a few days, thanked the DGS/admissions committee for taking the time to read my application, and asked for some feedback on my application. I think the etiquette is to mirror the politeness of your rejection. If the department is polite/personal about the rejection (say, sending an email rather than a "check status on website" automated message), or you have been in contact with your POI or the DGS for a while, then writing them back seems like the correct thing to do. I am glad I asked for feedback and may do this at other schools once I receive official rejections.
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I've got only rejections so far, so I echo this. I was really in "maybe I'm just not good enough to even make it to the waitlist" sort of self-doubt. But hey, I don't even have time to dwell upon this thought since I recently moved to a new town, have another semester ahead, and also have a whole MA thesis to finish. I guess we just need to keep telling ourselves that the applications are just a tiny part of our lives, which will go on with or without acceptances (not to mention that you are already accepted to wonderful places
)I think the best thing to do is ask for feedback once the sting is gone and you feel comfortable. Even though it made me more anxious to hear what Berkeley's adcom had to say (mainly that who is ultimately chosen is not exactly random but is for reasons outside of my control), it was good to hear that there wasn't anything bad to say about my application. I should probably try to save up money and find more interdisciplinary programs to apply to the next time around (if there is a next time around) that aren't Rhetoric and MTL and hope I will fit into a niche for one of them.
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Did anyone else apply to Brown? I expect acceptances might be coming this week!
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I was a little crushed by my UC Berkeley (Rhetoric) rejection. I am sensing implied rejection from Emory and University of Chicago, but those hurt less, as in retrospect were not as good a fit. I asked for feedback from Berkeley (as I am anticipating I may need to apply to schools another year), and was told that there was nothing wrong with my application, I made the short list (which was still long), my POI liked my proposal, but ultimately the candidates who were accepted were chosen for reasons outside of my control, like balancing the research interests of the department, which faculty were taking new advisees, available funding, etc. This gives me simultaneous hope and dread. I only applied to two more schools (Brown and Stanford), and whether or not I am chosen—even if I am on the short list—is at its core going to be a little random. Though I haven't seen anyone post about Comp Lit at Brown, I know that the new student recruitment season will be in March (a colleague was accepted to the Performance Studies program a few days ago), so I am wondering if I may have been rejected there as well since I have not heard yet. I am hoping that I may have a right place, right time situation with Stanford, as MTL is a similar program to Rhetoric. I also submitted that application a bit later and think it may have been an improvement.
Alas.
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The Lit PhD -- assuming I don't get a follow-up email in a little bit being like "oops, we sent this out to everyone, you are totally not accepted."
Although the result search is back up (finally!!) and it looks like other people got notified in the same way, and that this is how Brown does it...so I'll settle down with my impostor syndrome for now.
Comp Lit or English, if you don't mind my asking?
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I emailed the DGS at Berkeley and wish I hadn't. I read the email as positive, then negative, then annoyed, and overall feel just as bad or worse than I did before. Not worth the trouble/the feeling stupid and embarrassed afterwards.
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Thanks snyegurachka! It's an email from Prof. Maschuch saying the official admission from the grad school is on the way. I got the impression that he is still contacting the others and he may do so by phone for he says he wanted to call but don't have my number... (cause I am too cheap to have a phone...)
He also mentions that the grad school may have already contacted me (which they haven't), even though my status in the system is still "submitted". So I guess you should be able to hear from them very soon. Keep my fingers crossed for you!
Hm...well I emailed with professor Mascuch and think that maybe he would have said something if I was accepted if these acceptances are so informal? But what do I know. These people are a mystery to me.
Thank you for the deets.
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I just got in UCB's Rhetoric....don't know what to say....shocked.....
big congrats also to SubmarineReflection!
Oh boy! Congratulations? Can I ask about the specifics of that (via phone, website, email, whatever)? I emailed the DGS to ask when admissions decisions might be coming out. He said very soon, but that was all he could tell me for now. Gives me anxiety.
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I don't know...while I'm enjoying the assertion that I will hear amazing and unexpected news ~February 3, I am a little wary that ms Miller has noted that I will be thinking about doing my taxes this month...no shit.
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Director of Graduate Studies - or, sometimes, the Department of Graduate Studies.
Is that generally for the department of the whole graduate school? I am suddenly having terrible anxieties that no adcoms actually read my application. All of my statuses only say "submitted," and I haven't received any notifications except from financial services (fee waivers) and a note about my app being received by Stanford. I think I'm starting to crack.
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I've been online shopping obsessively out of nervousness, so there better be a lot of
goodany kind of news this week
I know how that goes. I've been obsessively buying higher end fitnesswear from ebay...and I work out in my apartment.
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All of mine just say "submitted." Cannot attest yet whether that is good or bad.
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I have another friend who discovered that her application was actually never even read at her dream program--despite the fact that she far surpassed all minimum standards regarding grades and test scores.
This is one of my worst fears! How did she know it wasn't read/how could/did this happen? These adcoms can be such assholes.
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For you guys (I'm certainly not getting in), I asked when she thought decisions might go out. She just said she didn't know.
I wouldn't necessarily assume that. From what I understand, letters don't really matter very much (unless perhaps the professor has ties to the school?) because every school assumes that the letters are glaring recommendations. Don't give up yet.
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Congrats to all the Berkeley admits. I am very impressed
I think this is the first English tippy-top program to have results so far, and I'm glad to see that the forum is so well represented (it seems).but then...thoughts on when Rhetoric might come out? Just seeing English acceptances go up gave me butterflies. Guessing there are a few others on here feeling the same way.
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I'm secretly hoping that maintenance means uploading results. Oh but let's just not get paranoid, eh?!
it is down for 30 minutes...
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"shouldn't you apply to some safety schools?"
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I hope that Berkeley Rhetoric notifies soon. I just want to know, whichever way it goes. *fingers crossed*
Same thing—ever since I saw the January 28 acceptance from a few years ago on the results board, I have been on the edge of my seat. Especially after someone in Berkeley, CA viewed my academia.edu profile about a week ago
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I can almost guarantee that these 14 publications are not academic publications. I really don't mean to sound like a dick, but I think this is a perfect example what's been discussed in another thread -- applicants placing an emphasize on a quantity of something, instead of talking about the quality or prestige of those things (pubs, conference papers, etc.). Now, it seems like it worked out in this applicant's favor this time. But I don't think we should extract anything generalizable about this. You do NOT have to have a thousand publications -- or even one -- to get into a good program.
You never know though. I have friends who have been involved with editorial work, have taught for a while with an MA or no degree (generally not in the US), have had residencies and grants for research, etc. I think it depends on how old you are, how active you are in the field/in which ways, and how you are connected. If you have been sitting on the editorial board of a publication for a while, you are probably more likely to have publications there and in related works than someone who is outside the scene. As a person entering a program with a writing MFA, I think it is somewhat more likely that s/he has been involved with publishing in some way, has been teaching in English or some related field with the creative writing degree, and has decided to move forward some time later. I could also be wrong about this, but I know some of those 14 publication people, and they are real. Often international and older (than I am)
Fall 2015 Acceptances (!)
in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Posted
I would recommend considering it if things don't work out. I got an MA and switched programs after the first semester so that I could better prepare for a phd program and live near my partner. If you don't get in to any phd programs this year, your chances will improve significantly if you take the time to work on honing your interests and writing with supportive faculty without significantly uprooting your life. A lot of people in my program still work full time and take 2 classes per semester instead of 3. I got a half tuition scholarship at the first school I attended and have about 1/3 where I am now plus work study and loans and T.A./instructor positions (might not be available for MA students at a school with a PhD track) to cover expenses. I am also able to receive food stamps because I am a work study student. I am poor but am doing an okay job of not getting into the crazy debt that people talk about with unfunded MA programs. Even if I don't get in anywhere this time around, I feel confident that I have the tools and focus to do it if I apply again. It's a step along the way, not a detour.