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Thanks to everyone who has replied so far! This has been helping A LOT!!!

Caved, your professor's advice is precisely why I worry about continuing at my current school. I've asked lots of people about this, and have gotten different opinions on the matter. I'd say the general consensus is that, while it won't necessarily hurt you, it's better to be safe than sorry. Tarski, you're also right that there aren't many other places that are good fits for me. Whenever I expand my searches it seems like I have to give up something in terms of the kind of research support a school could offer me. While there are a few schools that are perfect (about 3), the rest leave me less than excited. Applying to so few schools seems incredbily risky though, even if I do put together an amazing application next year. Anyone else have some advice based on their own experience?

Yay! Thanks, Shepherd. I don't have high hopes, but it'll be nice to get some info.

I have been readmitted to the PhD program at my school, which is not bad by any standards, but I also got my BA from this school. I didn't, unfortunately, receive offers from any other schools. I actually only managed to squeak out 2 other applications (one fell through b/c of missing materials) because I was seriously overworked during the application process. I'm torn at this point because I really wanted to go somewhere else since I've been at my school so long, but since I don't have any other offers I feel like I don't have much choice except to either accept the offer or take a year off. The latter option seems kind of scary to me, but I have a couple of concerns about continuing at my current school: 1) That going to the same school for all my degrees will hurt me when I go on the market 2) That I have rushed my schooling and am not as prepared as other students who have taken longer (I finished my BA in 3 years and went straight on to the MA). Everyone I talk to (grad students only so far) has said that taking a year off is actually a really, really good thing. Still, I'm not sure if rejecting my school's offer would be a poor decision on my part, since I really don't feel like I need a break. If anything, I just feel like I want to take more seminars than I would be taking if I continue at my school. This school, btw, though not a "top" school, has one of the top programs in my field, which is the main reason why I stayed for my MA. I'm having a really hard time making a decision, and still haven't managed to get advice from my professors yet. I also want to make sure that, if I do decide to take a year off, that I'm really well-informed, so that I don't regret the decision later. I'd appreciate any advice at this point! I'm so anxious right now b/c I have no idea what I'm going to do next year! I might also add that I'm afraid that if I take a year off, I won't fair any better next year and will have wasted my time. I'm not sure how much better people typically fair in the process when trying again, but from previous posters comments it seems like people generally do better.

Why don't you try looking for funded Post-Bac programs. Currently, I know of one, which is at UPitt and is called the "Hot Metal Bridge Program." Students who are admitted are fully funded (on fellowship), and it sounds like a really nice, supportive program. You also take graduate courses, which can be used towards your future graduate work. This option could give you the type of opportunity you are looking for, while also allowing you time to work on apps for next season. I really hope this helps!!! The weblink for Pitt's program (in case you are interested) is http://www.as.pitt.edu/graduate/diversity/hotmetal.php.

Does anyone happen to know if Pitt is still admitting people? Even though I think this is unlikely, I noticed no one is listed as being waitlisted. The past results show that those waitlisted and those accepted have been contacted around the same time. So perhaps there is still a little hope for those of us who haven't heard yet. *fingers crossed*

Durkin65, I'm sorry to hear that the apps haven't been going well! I take it you haven't heard from Pitt either:( I'm particularly interested in this thread b/c I'm also in a similar situation. I'm 22 and will be finishing my MA this semester. I have been readmitted to the PhD program at my school, which is not bad by any standards, but I also got my BA from this school. I'm not worried that my age hurt me, but I am worried that rushing through school might be a bad thing, since it prevents me from digesting things in the same way as others who have taken longer. Also, I hear different things about whether or not getting all your degrees at the same school will hurt you when you are on the market. Everyone I talk to (grad students only so far) has said that taking a year off is actually a really, really good thing. Still, I'm not sure if rejecting my school's offer would be a poor decision on my part, since I really don't feel like I need a break. This school, btw, though not a top 10, has one of the top programs in my field, which is the main reason why I stayed for my MA. Also, Durkin65, I'm going to talk to one of my professors soon about taking time off, and I'll let you know what she says if you're interested, since we're sort of in similar situations.

Also, are graduate students responsible for paying tuition fees? Even thought tuition is "covered" by a stipend, some places have you pay tuition fees each semester, which can be substantial (e.g., I pay $500 in Fall/Spring and $300 in Summer).

Personally, I was never that interested in stats before joining this site. When I kept seeing it mentioned, I thought that maybe I *should* have been more concerned about it. I agree about a basic cutoff, since you probably want to at least clear 1000, but otherwise I think stats may only be important for fellowships. That said, I still have somewhat of an interest, since I've discovered as a grad student the importance of $. Despite what adcoms might say, everyone does *not* receive the same financial package. I don't think that stats would necessarily be the first thing adcoms would look at when making a fellowship decision, but it could be used as a tiebreaker. So, on the off chance that I ever made it into the final round for a fellowship decision, I'd rather be prepared. I'm also curious, speaking of weird hang ups on this discussion forum, what the problem with the MA is? I am finishing up my MA now, which was fully funded. As far as I know, some schools only have PhD programs or terminal MAs, while others have you enter the MA first with the idea that you will continue to the Phd (for instance, my school automatically accepts you into the PhD program, so long as you have been doing well). However, some people talk about the MA as if it's a bad thing (i.e., something people who couldn't cut it for the PhD do). I think this may be misleading for people applying to grad school for the first time. It really just depends on how the school structures their program. Anyway, that's just my 2 cents based on my own experience as a grad student. I'm sure there could be exceptions, or things that I just plain don't know about.

I was told that PhD candidates would be notified "by the end of February." I'm guessing that people who have been accepted might hear as soon as the next couple of days, but this is just a guess. Perhaps the storm, as you mentioned, is the reason they're a little later this year. Who knows? Anyway, best of luck on your app!

Although it may be a little late in terms of schools, a good resource is the Children's Literature Association's website (www.childlitassn.org). It has a list of all the universities (both US and abroad) that have children's literature programs. It's also good if you want to keep up with CFPs for conferences in the field. Also, the International Association for Fantastic in the Arts always has a children's lit panel at their annual conference (www.iafa.org). Best of luck!

Yay! Nice to see someone who is interested in children's literature:) I haven't really seen that on these boards.

I wouldn't panic yet! There's no point in making yourself crazy before you know for sure. Like others have said, there are always options. Several of my classmates worked as high school teachers for a year or two before starting their PhD. While no one said it was fun, they did come back and are doing well. Basically, if you want to do it, then it will just work out. Good luck!

Thanks! It's the University of Pittsburgh.

The deadline for this school was Dec. 11th, so I definately waited awhile. My response wasn't quite as specific, unfortunately. It read: "The PhD applicants will be notified by the end of February. You will either receive an email, a letter or phone call. I hope this helps!" It was, however, a kind reply, so I do agree now that a nice e-mail isn't really a problem (just don't write too soon or too often!). Good luck to everyone! I hope this thread will be helpful to other nervous wreaks like me:)