Lorelai_Gilmore

If the person who was accepted to the UMich English and Women's Studies PhD program sees this, could you please PM me? I'm interested in applying to that program next year if this round's applications don't work out. I would really, really appreciate some insight from a successful applicant.

I have heard of people accepting offers and then rejecting them later. You could ask yourself if that is a risk you are willing to take; it could involve burning an important bridge, but it could also save you a year off/the stress and money of reapplying if Vancouver is the only offer you get this round. Alternatively, could you ask the Vancouver school for an extension, and explain that you haven't heard from the majority of your potential schools? It could be worth a shot. One school told me their deadline was March 6 but then I asked for an extension and they turned out to be flexible, saying I could have 2 more weeks. I'm not sure if that's the norm, though...

I have a campus visit/interview coming up and my CV has improved since I applied in December. Should I bring a physical copy of my updated CV and hand it to the DGS during our interview, or should I just work in the improvements into my verbal answers? I'm not sure if bringing an updated version would be awkward...but the improvements are significant.

I would focus more on faculty than the name of the program. Find departments with faculty whose interests align with your own and apply to those. It's more a matter of finding the right 'fit' than finding the right 'field'.

^ I'm pretty sure its a selection of professors from across Canada who are pre-selected, and who teach/research in the areas of the group we're placed in. So for example, if your proposal is in the field of philosophy, the committee would be a collection of professors across history, religious studies, etc etc. I don't know more specifics than that and would also be interested in hearing more info! http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/apply-demande/background-renseignements/doctoral_committees-comites_doctorat-eng.aspx

Yes, congrats Kateosee!!!

I think it depends on how confident you feel in your ability to win an external fellowship. For example, I plan on reapplying to SSHRC every year for the first 4 years of my PhD until I win. Since I have a pretty competitive application, there is a good chance I will receive the award by year 4 (i.e. before the better school would funding run out). Could you do something similar? Applying to external fellowships is something every grad student should do anyways, since they are good for your CV and signal employers that you're capable of bringing in money (which I'm sure you're aware of). I'm just saying, do some serious research as to what external funding opportunities you could pursue before year 4. Good luck!

^ It seems like you have a good selection of academic-based plans! On a different note, I would also recommend taking a tour of the town/city if you're unfamiliar with the area. I find that I'm very affected by my environment and certain cities make me feel more at home than others, so I plan to go for a walk/catch a bus and spend some alone time checking out the establishments and architecture. If you plan to live in graduate housing, check out the options in person (apartment complexes can look awesome in online photos but in reality be disgusting). Also, if there was a specific uni resource that was important to you in the past, check that out at your new potential uni (e.g. libraries, gyms, campus lgbt centres, etc.)

^ I can sort of speak to Toronto. It's extremely gay (male) friendly, and there is also a pretty active lesbian community. I only go there every few months for a lesbian or queer lady night, and it's always packed. The few times I've visited U of T, I've instantly spotted queer women. A pansexual female friend of mine went to U of T for undergrad and she quickly developed an extended queer community.

happy little pill - my thoughts exactly. the timing is ridiculously inconvenient, as results will be released after the almost-universal April 15th program acceptance date

Congrats!! A good day for some on this forum, it seems

Congrats, dejadukes!

Thanks, ss2player!

Thanks for the additional comments! I appreciate all the solidarity. I actually feel less guilty now

Thanks for the responses, fuzzylogician and sickofthecold. I'm relieved that my logic makes sense to others - hopefully it will to my references, too. I guess I'm still leaning toward the year off. Such a shame that I sunk all that time with the apps, but it's best to cut my losses now I suppose. edit - sickofthecold, you're absolutely right that applying to schools while doing the MA was like having two jobs. It was INSANELY overwhelming and I would not recommend it to anyone, ever.

Hi all, I would really appreciate any advice you might have. My situation is complicated - to anyone who takes the time to read this, you rock. I applied to 4 PhD schools and so far I've been accepted to 3, and am pretty sure I'll be accepted to the 4th as well. However, my application period was extremely rushed (for many personal reasons that I won't bore you with) and I feel like I didn't choose the best programs to apply to. Since the deadlines have past I've been discovering other programs that would be a much better fit. The one program that I could justify attending has offered me acceptance without funding, which is just unfortunate. They will only *really* accept me if I win the external scholarship that I applied for, and that's a super long shot. I'm very close to rejecting my offers and reapplying next year. I know that this defeats the purpose of my back-up schools...but I really don't want to settle for them. I would actually enjoy a year off to avoid burn out, read all the untouched books on my shelf, spend quality time with family, try to publish something, etc. I should have realized that earlier, but I didn't, and I have to accept that and do the best thing I can with the current situation. I am in the middle of a condensed one year MA program that will end this August, which I began right out of undergrad. Rejecting this cycle's offers would have the added benefit of me having time to apply to more external scholarships, and of having a much stronger CV (more conferences, a completed MA, MA grades that are surprisingly higher than my already high BA grades, etc). I would reapply to better fits, and to the one program that is currently offering me an unfunded acceptance (this particular institution funds the top applicants and offers unfunded acceptances to the next-best applicants, so the goal would be to become a top applicant). I have three questions: 1) Will my references - who already know I have several acceptances - frown upon this/be annoyed that I basically made them write letters for nothing? Would it be appropriate to ask them AGAIN next fall to be references? 2) Is it frowned upon to reject an unfunded offer and then reapply to the same institution hoping for a funded offer the next year (this institution funds the top applicants and offers unfunded acceptances to the next-best applicants)? 3) Is this in general a stupid idea? Should I just take a funded offer to a mediocre school and save myself the trouble?

Wow, I am so glad I found this thread! Does anyone have any insights into queer/lesbian life in College Park MD (University of Maryland) or New Brunswick NJ (Rutgers)?

Congrats!

Thanks! I just realized my initial post didn't sound like I was excited, but I AM!! I really hope I can go.

I just got an unfunded offer to Rutgers - which essentially means I need to wait until late April to learn if I won SSHRC and can afford it. The wait continues...

^ Bacchanalia, your comment about assuming that there was something wrong with programs who would admit you really hits home for me. I was so excited about one program, then they admitted me and now I'm questioning their standards. I JUST realized that I was doing this. Thanks for opening my eyes.

Thanks to everyone for your advice. I really appreciate it. I'm going to send my POI a very brief email and attach an updated CV. At the very least it will allow me to graciously accept a rejection with no regrets, if it comes to that.

^ Now I am second guessing my decision to not do it. Any additional opinions are welcome.

Thanks for the replies, folks. I'm going with the majority and choosing to not contact them, even though I really want to follow fuzzylogician's advice. I feel like I need to do the equivalent of freezing my credit card in an ice block so that I don't use it in a moment of weakness. Is there an equivalent for email?

Ok, so here's the deal. My first choice PhD program had its application deadline early January and has already sent out some acceptances and rejections. I haven't heard anything, so I assume I'm hovering in the middle ground (back up if some top students do not accept). I'm going insane and need someone to talk me out of contacting the department to tell them more about myself. I know this is a horrible idea, but it's so tempting and I need someone to shake me out of this. I recently realized that the program requires students to know a second language, and I did NOT write that I am bilingual on my CV (even though I am fully bilingual). Also, I recently got 2 papers accepted to conferences, which would really bolster my application. But that's all irrelevant now, right? Contacting them at this point would be unprofessional and unfair to my fellow candidates, correct?