minnares
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Posts posted by minnares
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We are SO NOT second class citizens!! Quite the opposite!! It takes profs extra long to go through our applications because there is SO much to factor in!! - Think about it - past the numbers cutoff it's all soooo subjective - fit, writing abilities, SOP, LoR's... The fact that it takes a while actually makes me feel more confident that they're actually READING our apps rather than just playing eeny-meeny-miney-moe with them...
And
about your prof friend. Hopefully once the economy improves somewhat, tenure jobs will start coming back (by the time we all graduate, you think?)Oh, I didn't mean within the discipline. I meant outside of it. Consider how much emphasis is placed on sciences and mathematics in terms of funding, scholarships, and available fellowships. Consider the emphasis placed on those areas by the government. You don't hear the president(s) standing up at the State of the Union address to say that the United States has to be more competitive in hermeneutics and literary theory. When a university is pooling applications for university wide funding and the science/math majors have already been chosen, it would seem that they get the first crack at the really meaty offers. My brother in law is at UC Davis doing biochemistry (AIDS research). He's got a ridiculous $35k stipend, summer funding, tuition remission, the works. The most I've heard of in English so far was $24k. So, while we recognize that folks in other professions need our discipline in order to learn how to publish and present their research (someone has to teach them how to write, yes?), it's low on the totem pole socially for importance. Right up there with getting a degree in art, though we know differently.
And thanks for the sympathy. She's really a Grade A instructor, author, and director (of documentary film). I was her RA for her first monograph. So I'm really shocked she was denied. Another good reality check.
~ m
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(unlike the scientists, who are pretty much done, right?).
Seems that way, and also most of the social sciences. One more way to make the humanities folks feel like second class citizens
. I really appreciated the article someone posted yesterday about rethinking getting a humanities graduate degree, just a good reality check. One of my favorite professors just told me this morning she was denied tenure. Though the article just confirmed what I'd already been warned about by others (and didn't change my mind about going at all), it still made some strong points. Anyway, sorry, that was a bit afield of the thread 
. I'm just annoyed for my professor-friend, who was very deserving and is a fantastic instructor. Moving on...~ m
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Minnares - I emailed my prof in a blind panic the other day, and she told me basically the same thing - "February is early for English, don't expect to hear anything until next week or the week after, and don't start fretting until the end of March, if then". Penn State, for example, isn't expecting to get through it all until close to the end of March, according to someone on the board.
Precisely. I also noticed in the results from 2009 that several programs had additional admits after April 15th. People probably declined offers, and those represented folks getting in off the wait list. And zo... Coolin' my jets
. I think finding these boards and seeing so many people having contact with programs sort of blinded me to the fact that they weren't even in my discipline. I probably could have saved myself a lot of stress this month by just knowing it'd probably be March before I had answers. Last year, Harvard and IU Bloomington did the bulk of their admissions the first week of March; those who received rejections got them the second week of March. I've got little post-its on my desk calendar to track this (how mental is that). More waiting. It's a good thing I'm pretrial at my job right now. Busy!~ m
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I haven't heard from them either, and from reading other people's signatures it seems like lots of folk haven't heard anything. I'm not going to write them off just yet...
I've heard nothing as well. My faculty advisor keeps telling me that February is considered "very early" for responses in many English programs. So, I'm not writing any of my other five off until I get the Letter of Doom or the "You've been found wanting" email.
~ m
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date night
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Well, my letter did not come yesterday. It's probably because I'm on the west coast. I expect it'll be in the mail today or tomorrow. Alas, more waiting.
~ m
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I wonder how the rolling admits DO work, in the end...it can't be alphabetical, or nobody with a last name T or lower would ever get in, right?
Maybe they go by waves of candidates according to similarities in scores, etc.? Or by subfields?
That would make sense. That would explain why some get called or emailed very early on, or the bulk of them, because those folks would then have the highest scores, etc. Yes?
~ m
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Thanks, hon. I don't know if acceptances come in thin envelopes. I assumed they came in fat envelopes filled with confetti and cash, and when you open them, a band plays the Hallelujah Chorus and zero-calorie chocolate falls from the sky. No?
Woman, you are hee-hee-larious. Too funny. I imagine something similar.
I just PM'd with a UNC-CH admit that heard today in another department. She had never contacted any of the professors before applying, nor had she heard by email. She just got the letter today admitting her. SO... even if you get a letter, you might be in the hunt, people! Also, for those fretting over the lack of date change, keep in my UNC-CH is doing the rolling admits. They've been admitting people the last three weeks. My name is right in the middle of the alphabet. Last year, they admitted someone in the second week of March. And zo... Again, you might still be in the game.
~ m
P.S. I am not giving up hope until I open the envelope, skinny or not!
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Check your online app, specifically the last updated date. I found this on a Chapel Hill thread from last year:
If you go into your application and look at your actual application (I believe), there are 2 dates--one the date you submitted the application and one the last time it was modified. For a long time the 2nd date said sometime in early January, I'm sure when all my transcripts/info got processed. Yesterday I noticed that it now said modified on 2/23. So I'm assuming I'm getting some sort of notification (positive or negative) based on previous posts from others. Let me know if you still can't find the spot on your application, and I'll actually go to the web site and be more specific on how to find that part. Good luck!!
**********
I just checked my own. It says last updated February 17th, last Wednesday. I imagine my mailbox has a little gift for me this afternoon. Could go either way since it seems like they mail acceptances too. Here's hopin'
.~ m
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The reason I'm wondering is that so many schools list "try to match your sample to the area you want to study". I HAVE medieval lit papers, but they're short. My honors thesis is primarily about children's lit (modern), while most of my future scholarship will be medieval. The main question is - to strengthen my thesis (a VERY long 45 pager, which needs tightening up and shortening to aim for the 20-25 pp limit) or write new / expand existing (e.g. my Gawain and the Green Knight paper) in the medieval field. Basically, I'm trying to hit for both - a polished, well written paper, in the field (or area of the field) I intend to study. Gawain is actually a good choice, since it's also based on the Celtic-derived stories.
So basically it's a toss-up - expand (by quite a bit) and enhance an existing, or shorten (by quite a bit) an existing not quite in the field. Or - write new (not looking forward to that...)
GAH.
I'd go with shortening. It's easier to cut than add. You'd probably want to reverse outline it though and make sure you were still retaining your argument. I cut one of mine from 44 pages to 23 with help from several folks. Ultimately, you'd want to pick the one you were most confident of or perhaps most proud of. Which one do you feel best exemplifies the level of work you are capable of doing? Best foot forward type of thing...
~ m
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Did anyone else write a sample on their own like this? Or did you guys just expand and re-vamp something from school (UG or grad)? I'd really like some advice on this...
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And I really don't mean to fight or squabble. We're all just trying to make it, in the end. I do wish, though that privilege were more of an open subject of discussion.
The fact that some have used the term Podunk U speaks to and demonstrates that privilege and snobbery. I went to a Pac-10 school, but it was still a state university in the Pacific Northwest. I also find the notion that a "pedigreed" university will more rigorously train a student and on the quality of the instructors, which does not necessarily have anything to do with a professor's publications and writing ability. I think that rigor falls on the student. Even in such institutions, there are those who have the Cs get degrees mentality. It's up to the student to seek out TAships, RAships, fellowships, and extracurriculars. It's up to the student to get the grades and the GRE scores. However, you are absolutely correct in your assessment that there is an unspoken gap between those who can and those who are allowed. Further, there is an element to this that I haven't seen brought up yet, that being the gap between teaching ability and ability in the subject area. I wonder how many on these boards took and actively sought out pedagogical training for their subject area prior to applying. One of my minors was in pedagogy for this precise reason. Just because someone is an excellent writer and researcher, it doesn't mean they will have any skill to transmit that knowledge in a classroom setting. So you might get well known scholars teaching at these "pedigreed" schools, but that tells me nothing about their ability as instructors. The two are separate skill sets, which is why we've all run into professors we know are brilliant but we also know are horrendous instructors (or have no business teaching whatsoever). Just my two cents, for what it's worth. I appreciate that you're brave enough to bring up and debate this subject TC3. I am largely in agreement with you and wondered if someone would broach the subject on the boards. It'd be interesting to see a demographic study on these boards, wouldn't it?
~ m
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7:19 a.m. this morning from Johns Hopkins, which would be 10:19 their time. It looks like I was about in the middle of the batch and my last name is about midway through the alphabet. So maybe they started at 10. In any case, a rejection is a rejection is a rejection. Think I'll be doing some major self soothing this weekend. Chocolate ice cream anyone?
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First round of rejects went out yesterday, apparently. So anyone who didn't get the ax must have made it to the second round. I'm just relieved to finally have heard from somewhere, anywhere at all. My kids are overjoyed they don't have to move to Baltimore
.~ m
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Let me just be firm about this up front: a BA in English (or in any language) is not impractical at all, despite what business and engineering majors would like to tell you. Aside from clearly related jobs like teaching (as Dant points out: do not underestimate the cache English fluency!) you need to know how to write and edit in almost every business or office-type job.
First, melusine, I'm so sorry that you've had a rough go of the application process.
I haven't heard anything yet and am fearing the same. But... I totally agree with Pamphilia. A colleague (who is also trying to get into an English PhD program) and I work at the same law firm. I've worked in law firms for 15 years. Lawyers LOVE having assistants, paralegals, litigation assistants, and clerks who know all the tricks for word processing programs, can spell well, have excellent punctuation and grammar, and are bright enough to understand the legal side of things too. Also, law firms can be a very lucrative and comfortable place to work. I love all three of the attorneys I work with. They're great guys and I feel valued every day. I'm not just a glorified typist. In most cities, there are placement companies that the larger firms work through. You could find one, get your resume spruced up and throw your hat in the ring for a number of jobs. Plus, the legal field is pretty job secure. Even with the bad economy, people will always sue each other. Yes, that's very Macchiavellian, but true. Might as well take advantage while you give grad school apps another try next year. You might be surprised at how much you could make. For almost a decade, my husband was able to be the stay-at-home dad, and I was the sole provider for the family. So... All is not lost. You can try again. And you have many, many options.Best wishes to you,
~ m
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It's also worth noting...some programs shift out "theory" (poco, pomo, feminism, ethnicity studies, gender studies, etc) as a separate category. Depending on the schools, THIS can be the most competitive field. The "slot system" is also going to vary drastically from program to program. Some programs don't work with slots at all, and simply accept the best (however many) applications regardless of field. Some (many, I suspect) will tweak their slots to balance out numbers from previous cohorts, and/or based on their recent faculty hires.
@SOM: Thank you for bringing up critical theory as a subfield. So far I've seen many Victorians on the boards, but it seems like very few folks going into theory or having that as their subfield. I identified theory as my subfield with all the schools, specifically gender and religion. While the gender might be a bit more common, religious theory is just emerging in many departments. The professors I've spoken with at various schools find this combination really interesting. I'm hoping the fact that my bent goes this route will be in my favor, but who knows
. It's just where my interests lie. I found that no matter what time period or culture I was reading from, my readings were New Historicist and went to the gender and the belief systems. So I figured I should just stick with what I am good at and enjoy. We'll see if it's interesting to any of the programs I've applied to. ~ m
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Many programs don't notify all at once. In fact, on UNC's English department website, it says that they have rolling acceptances (not rolling admissions; I think it means they send offers in waves). I'm sure they will make more offers!
Oh, thank you for pointing that out. I hadn't seen that. That makes me calmer, somewhat. Somehow I just know the next six weeks are going to be rollercoaster. Good times.
~ m
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Eeeek! Who got accepted? Who? Whooooo are you? Who, who, who, who? I really wanna know
Now, I am feeling abject terror. The Chapel Hill acceptances are rolling in and now this. Gah. Terror.
~ m
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Edit: Just checked again. I am NOT the most recent acceptance on the board! More evidence toward the whole strange-acceptance-pattern thing!
Agreed. It seems to be about one a week. Maybe they're just really taking their time to read everything and then select a person and notify them. Who knows how the adcomms work behind closed doors? I imagined they would select their group and notify them all at once, but maybe not. Maybe they do it this way so they can move up wait list folks?
~ m
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I wouldn't scratch yet!
I think I'm the most recent acceptance on the board. I received my notification days after the others (last Saturday). It was an informal email asking me if I'm still seriously considering UNC or if they should extend the invitation to someone else. Has anyone else had a program ask this? Could they have done this because I listed the other schools I was applying to on my application? Was that a bad idea??
Aaaah, that is a horse of a different color. Very interesting. I don't think it was a bad idea to include your other schools. Most of the schools I applied to asked that somewhere on the application. I figured if they asked I would answer. Maybe it plays into the funding they offer. I read on another board this very interesting post about public v. private schools in terms of funding. Chapel Hill is public, and so they might to try to woo a stronger candidate with a larger package. While a private school, especially in the Top 20, might not feel the need to woo with cash and make a smaller offer, yet still an offer. So maybe they asked based on the list you provided? Seems early in the game to be asking that though. Odd. Now I'm inclined to email the department and ask if those emails went out to everyone. I've double checked and triple checked my spam filter, but nothing. I have their confirmation email from back in November about my app and others from when the LORs were submitted. So I think it's OK. That is a very odd question to ask though. You applied there. Why on earth wouldn't you be "still seriously considering UNC"?
~ m
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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...I know! I was actually excited that Cornell asked for a critical and creative writing sample for that program. It felt like an opportunity to give a fuller picture of my abilities. I'm just now working on getting some articles published (which is terrifying I might add), but I've been fortunate with poetry publications for a decade even prior to my UG. So that I knew I could do pretty well
Still, it's upstate New York, and ultimately for my family, this will all come down to financial package/job for my DH/selling the house. Not asking for much, I know .Veering back onto the JHU topic... (Branwen feel free to PM, if you'd like to talk more about this or books).
~ m
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minnares, did you also apply to the cornell MFA/PhD program? or just the straight up PhD?
Yes, I did. I don't have an MA or MFA yet. So all of the programs I applied to were either MA/PhD or MFA/Phd. Actually, Cornell is the only MFA/Phd I applied to. The rest are MA first. My research essay writing is really my strong suit and what I'm excited about for grad school. I've been writing poetry all my life, so I can always do that on my own time
~ m
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The diaspora! Love it
.~ m
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Now recommending: The Thirteen Tale by Diane Setterfield, Sepulchre by Kate Mosse, and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski.
I LOVED The Thirteenth Tale! Blew through it in a day, could not put it down. Just a pure pleasure read, right?
I'm going to add Edgar Sawtelle to my Goodreads now. This is about the tenth time someone's recommended it.~ m
Cornell
in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Posted
Amen. Maybe that's up to all the wicked smart folks on these threads. We're the future of the profession (hopefully). It's my hope that we find a way to bridge the gap between academia and society, to bring the impactful nature of the work we do to a wider audience. There are some academics whose books are incredibly popular (Stephen Greenblatt comes to mind). I'd like to see more approachable work of this nature. Perhaps then the value of what we do will be more widely recognized. Here's hoping at least.
~ m