bgt28

This may be a completely useless addition, but I'm going to go ahead and make it anyway. I've often been accused of being an idealist for pursuing graduate school and academic work in general, but here are my points: 1) I feel that our particular cohorts will enter the job market at a unique moment, relatively speaking. A lot of the big wigs are going to retire when we're ready to apply for TT jobs. 2) We all knew the harsh environment we were committing to prior to admission/application. I often don't like participating in the "what if" and "why" forums, not only because they're touchy, but because so many of us haven't started grad school yet, and I think we deserve to experience things firsthand and develop our own reservoir of opinions, regrets, and complaints. Ultimately, speaking for myself of course, I don't mind entering the job market at an impossibly competitive juncture, and here's why. My parents already remind me that I'm signing up for a life of penury and mediocrity, vis-a-vis capitalist norms, obviously. They tell me daily I should find something to do that will guarantee bread on the table tomorrow. I can do that right now, but I'd rather be forced to settle for that with a PhD in hand. I know this sounds like a bs neoliberal "bootstraps" kind of comment, but it's the farthest thing from a derisive "stop complaining" post. I'm just trying to develop a perspective and a lot of time that's really hard with the dialogues that circulate in academia that are really very upsetting.

Word.

Hi! Just wanted to see if I could get people to coalesce around deep and heartfelt congratulations, MA/PhD planning/funding issues specific to people who are pursuing an MA, course selection, actually enjoying the program, and reapplication for the Fall 2017 cycle. How are you all doing? Looking forward to meeting (more of) my people. À bientôt, Aron

Any news/developments?

Moment of truth guys...meeting my prof for coffee and breaking the news that this cycle was brutal...ahhhhhhhh lmfao I hate this part

YAY!!!

I've been weaning myself off GC for a bit, so I've not been as active lately, but I have been perusing the forums and I'm surprised/amused/shocked to note that the app season brings out the best in some and the worst in others. How are you doing at the moment? What are your coping strategies to deal with the many consequences/synchronicities of the season, i.e. making a decision to attend a school, relationship issues, graduation, children, temporary unemployment, illness, etc.? I'm interested in sharing these things because I firmly believe our strength is in our numbers; many of us have either committed or will soon commit to a program, and many of the same challenges (and many different ones) await us on the other side.

I don't mean to sound like an ass, but I think the tempo needs to be kicked down a notch. We JUST got into grad schools. JUST now.

I just accepted my admissions offer for the NYU MA in English. I'm beginning to get excited about it. I talked to Professor Fleming yesterday about not being able to make the Open House, and she offered me MA student contacts to discuss the ins and outs of the program; it's a great fit so far, and it's super flexible. I was surprised to learn this is the most substantial MA funding they've ever offered English students. I'll take it. Future colleagues, maybe?

Rejected from Yale. This concludes my app season. NYU here I come. Sad, but now the wound licking is final at last.

I'm so sorry! At the very least, it's over. Finally it's over.

SAME. I honestly think it was a troll, only because it's such perfect wording to send everyone into a panic attack

What's up with Yale on the results page? This is kinda scary...

Rejected from Penn. "Luck an success"? Alright. Also, I'd just like to say it's so effed up that no email notifications are sent. Not cool. But hey, one more school before the season is over!

Lol

Theme song for the month: Wicked Game by Chris Isaak

I honestly just want to know if working with Salamishah Tillet is an option for me in life. Otherwise, same...

I applied to their African American Studies program, and was just perusing the gc results page when I saw a rejection via post. I then proceeded to check the portal and, lo and behold, my rejection letter was uploaded. No email, no notification, just random chance. This is absurdly funny and at once agitating. I seriously don't understand how some schools notify (or rather, don't notify) their candidates, regardless of the news that is to be relayed.

I just got rejected from Harvard's African-American Studies program, and found my decision was posted by sheer coincidence. No notice at all. This actually sucks.

Harvard rejection is official

Thanks so much for this, hypervodka. I just...don't know yet. There are so many things I need to think about and it's kinda shitty. I'm quite simply paralyzed by fear at the moment. I've not really considered the possibility of not being in school, like ever, and it horrifies me to my core.

Thanks so much for your responses! I appreciate it. At this point, I'm not ready to confidently make a decision until I have the three remaining decisions; I'm not even sure I'd choose a PhD program at Yale, Harvard, or UPenn over NYU MA at this point. Regarding the question of privilege, it's a difficult situation for me, since I'm coming from an Ivy school with a BA and attempting to get into another one for a PhD. It's difficult because I had to try really hard to get to carve my place in the humanities, and having finally done so with the help of great mentors and radical-socialist professors, I'm applying to work with POIs who directly confront privilege, whether it's racialized, gendered, classed, sexualized, etc., in the ostensible citadel of privilege/exclusion. I completely agree on all fronts. I'm however lost as to programs discriminating against MAs. I'd really appreciate some clarification. Thanks so much

Congratulations!! Here's to hoping for more news: tis after all the last week of February!

Thank you so much for your response. I agree completely. And, as I was telling a friend earlier, what's so wrong with learning a little more/a little longer? In fact, isn't that the point?

Congratulations to all the latest admits! I've got something hanging over my head. I have three programs left to hear from for PhD applications, but I have a funded MA offer at NYU and would really love to hear some of my GC friends' thoughts on the (often difficult to stomach) discussion around getting an MA before a PhD. I guess I'm just feeling insecure from reading all these online blogs saying things like "Oh, an MA sounds great if you come from a middle-of-nowhere undergrad school and didn't do so hot," which can be true for some, but isn't for many of us on GC who are facing the dilemma of getting MA offers when we set out to get PhDs. I guess I'm just feeling that for many of the online discussions surrounding the pros and cons of the MA-to-PhD route, it seems as though BA-to-PhD is somewhat of a statement on academic status/potential. This kind of analysis on the issue makes me uncomfortable (since who the f*@k knows why anyone is ever rejected?), and it would be nice to talk it out with you great people. Thanks for reading! xx