Branwen daughter of Llyr

I applied to the MFA / PhD - and it's basically like applying to two different degrees (only you don't have to send out two applications). As Kam wrote above me, you can get in to the MFA, or the PhD, or both, or none. I'm assuming that the MFA considers mostly your creative writing sample, while the PhD considers your academic writing sample (and that both take LORs and SOPs into account quite heavily). My undergrad is the same - it was a great program, and I had really stellar scholars as profs, but I've never seen them listed anywhere in the rankings. I should probably look . Which is why I was so hell bent on getting good GREs and am now mainly concerned with acing the subject GRE in April - it can show that despite 9 years out of a school and an unranked UG, I can still kick-ass in the Lit department. LORs from my stellar scholar profs helps too. Since I don't really expect to get in this year, I know i'm applying to Cornell again next year - same program - they have a few profs I would REALLY enjoy working with.

My motto has become "never lend a Gaiman or Pratchett". I'm thinking of adding Stephenson to that list, since my mother still hasn't returned Quicksilver.

hooooooooooooooooly shit - I just checked. That's two notifications of acceptance from schools i've applied to today. why oh why don't they send me the reject letter and put me out of my misery already??? Yup. Yup. Yup. especially since I was so ill prepared this year.

Don't apologize, you goof!! You got in, that's FABULOUS. You have every right to be super excited and happy and to post it on the Results page! We're all just freaking out from every single peep regarding a school we applied to, be it an acceptance or a rejection.

All cats rule, clearly fake talking ones, comic strip ones, or ancient egyptian ones with earrings. Mark Twain once said that he would "rent" cats to make any house he was staying in feel homely. One of mine is especially fond of joining me at the computer. When she sees that I'm sitting here, she immediately jumps on my lap. I think she likes to participate by proxy

I wasn't exactly a spring chicken when I graduated from college in 2001 (I was 29, I only started when I was 22, and my undergrad was a long, rambling story, including a major change, and two moves - one to NYC, and one back to Virginia). Then I moved back to Israel because the job market crashed, and I found myself working at Starbucks with my honors degree in English lit. I probably should have stayed in the states and applied to grad school, but that's all water under the bridge now. So I'm nearly 38 and applying to direct-track PhD's. But I'm actually glad I have all that life experience under my belt. I've worked as a Tech writer, so my writing skills have actually improved, I've taught ESL, so I know I love teaching (just not ESL. I want to teach Lit), and I've worked in a lot of different fields. After eight and a half years, I came to one, single conclusion. What I love is academia. I get a buzz just being in this forum and having amazing discourse with other like minded people, whose greatest passion is learning, researching, and teaching the subject they love. So, in a way, there are minor twinges of regret - but mostly... I'm glad I'm applying now. I have an odd feeling that I would have messed things up in my early thirties - I had to go through everything else before really daring to really commit to my dream, to what I love, rather than "being practical" (which didn't work out too well, anyway).

If I get in this year... I'll start when I'm 38. Since i'm not counting on getting in this year, I'll most likely be 39 when I start. Meaning I'm done (at the earliest) when I'm 44. On the other hand, I have no doubts that I belong in academia (that's my mitigating factor).

Neal Stephenson rocks. I've read Snow Crash about 30 times, I think. He's another one I would stalk quite happily (that is, if it was socially acceptable and legal...). I'll keep Delia Sherman and Ellen Kushner in mind the next time I have a book allowance for Amazon, thanks for the recommendation Here are a few more from the bookshelves: Pope Joan (was so good. I was riveted to it for a few days), Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (yet another 800 pager, but seriously, you don't want it to end. Amazing world she created, with footnotes, and everything, and you wish that all the books she's "citing" actually existed...), Sci-Fi lovers MUST read Iain M Banks (Player of Games is my personal favorite), and a really obscure British Author named Scarlett Thomas wrote two wonderful books called The End of Mr. Y and PopCo, very counter-culture, edgy, and extremely suspenseful and fun. And then of course, for some light reading, none compare to Terry Pratchett. Also Neil Gaiman (Stardust, Neverwhere, American Gods, Anansi Boys, Coraline, The Graveyard Book, and with Terry Pratchett, my all time favorite - Good Omens). Did I mention I'm a bookworm?

AWESOME Cornell is definitely on my list for next year - same program. although I MIGHT have a chance for just the MFA this year (they don't require the subject GRE, and I'm only doing it in April). I guess it just depends on how much they like the writing sample I sent them...

minnares, did you also apply to the cornell MFA/PhD program? or just the straight up PhD?

The Thirteenth Tale was fantastic - I read it a couple of years ago. I'll recommend Michael Chabon - I just finished reading Summerland (FANTASTIC - it's technically a children's book, but it isn't really), and am now on to The Yiddish Policeman's Union (also fantastic). For those who want to get really really involved in an awesome story combining history, the birth of the Royal Society, convoluted court and state politics, swashbuckling pirate adventures, and a spy story, I highly recommend Neal Stephenson's three volume Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of the World). It's huge, it's entertaining, and you really get sucked in to it....

Yah, Luna (my pup) is first in line for obedience school ASAP prepping for this move. She's a sweetheart, and overall she's a good girl but she's a golden retriever / Samoyed mix, with a whoooooole lot of energy and a fondness for people's crotches (embarrassing ). I'll have to get her to NOT run up to people that come into my house and sniff... Quarantine issues are also why UK is a long shot for me. I just can't imagine leaving the babies behind, and no way can I afford UK's quarantine facilities... And thanks for the welcome. I especially missed the chinese food in the diaspora... (and the Barnes & Nobles)

feel free to pick mine as well. I lived in NYC for three and a half years (although it was ten years ago hahaha, but I know where the best Barnes & Noble in the city is)

Oh, I just have the pets - no little ones or s.o. involved in the process (can you imagine trying to drag an s.o. to a different country? I've realized that I'm probably LUCKY that I'm single and without kids, and that my main worry is the pets re the whole grad school thing)

OMG - it's the first one of mine posted as well *freak* *freak* *freak* (is first rejection coming?????)

OMG - one of my cats is a seal point too! The other is a Burmese with a serious Garfield temperament. The Siamese isn't extremely vocal, though (thank god), although she is extremely spoiled. You think 3000 miles in a car is bad? Try 11 hours on a transatlantic flight with two cats crammed in one carry box, after their happy pills have worn off. I thought El-Al's ppl were NICE letting me take them in the cabin with me... my fellow passengers probably cursed me every single minute of the flight. One thing for sure - on the flight BACK to the states - both they and the dog are going to the special pet area in cargo. They can scream their lungs out as much as they want there (while I obsess frantically that they're ok)

Yoga is supposed to be relaxing!! I'm with you on the baking though. Wish I had money for good baking. *sigh*. Maybe when I get a decent job, I can continue my quest for the perfect Brownie.

Thanks for the info - I'll keep it in mind. As a non-Canadian, I'm not sure what my chances are for funding there, but I'm looking into all options for next year anyhow. I'm not really interested in pursuing a terminal MA - so I'm really hoping that I get in to a program I love next year (funding goes without saying. I still owe money from my undergrad loans...)

I forgot the most important thing!! 12. The Stress-Relief Program All applicants receive the stress reliever of their choice immediately when done with applications. Prozac, SSRI's, stress ball, full-scale home gym (or all-inclusive gym membership), and free therapy for those wacky dreams, daydreams, and generally obsessive behavior.

Many thanks But Children's / Fantasy is my cross field, not my main. First and foremost, I'm a medievalist. So whatever schools I end up applying for next year (no, not too late, this year is a long shot anyhow) must have a strong medieval department, as well as at least one prof I can work with for the secondary field. I just like comparing our "need for fantasy" and how it altered from way back when ppl still thought that Gawain and the Green Knight was a true story to today, when we only wish it was I will check out the website, though.

I've only seen one prof who actively researches children's lit when looking into potential programs - at Cornell. That's why I widened the scope to include Fantasy (found some more, but not many). But yeah, I LOVE children's lit. I still read it, and I think it's an extremely valuable genre to examine - after all, future readers are hooked with it. I was lucky that my dad used to send me all the Newberry medal winners from the states every year, so I got exposed to a good deal of excellent children's literature during my formative reading years (also the reason my English remained so good despite not being in an English speaking country for school). My honors thesis during undergrad was about Welsh Legends in children's lit - how "Celtic magic" enabled child protagonists to change their subject positions in four different book series. I was also lucky that my thesis advisor was a medievalist who also researched children's lit. I got hooked, and I'm hoping to stay in the field