woolfie

I'm having similar problems as far as being discouraged, but not in the way people are describing. I'm on top of the work because I was lucky enough to get a fellowship and honestly, I have a lot more time on my hands than I thought I would and find it difficult to find the motivation to do anything outside of my apartment and my TV. I'm mostly feeling it in the inadequacy department; the mingling and the small talk terrify me, and I thought that I can always at least keep up with scholarly ideas, but I'm feeling so intimidated by how smart everyone else is that I just have performance anxiety all the time. Basically I just don't feel right yet. I'm hoping by the end of the term this will pass, but it sucks so far. I don't need anymore self-consciousness than I already have.

Anyone else experiencing this? I have only been in school for a week and a half but man, I'm feeling very intimidated right now. I don't so much feel like an impostor as I just feel constant fear about my inadequacy. I'm in an English graduate program so all of class time in my seminars is devoted to discussion. I had no problem participating in undergrad, in fact, I was annoying in how much I talked. I was confident and didn't overthink and second guess all my ideas. Now, I can barely force myself to speak, and when I do, it's very obvious that I'm nervous and its rambling and incoherent. My program doesn't seem to have levels of difficulty in the seminars, so one of my classes has me in a course with 3rd level Ph.D. students while I'm the only first year MA with no graduate experience in the class. So I just feel completely lost and sometimes I have no idea what people are talking about. I managed to summon the courage today to ask a basic question and I just ended up feeling humiliated afterwards. Luckily I am not teaching this year. If I were this would all be way worse as it's a fear of being public and on display that's bothering me. But I'm finding myself slipping into a depression and feeling avoidance tendencies. I am starting to dread class and I don't spend much time on campus because of this dread. I don't want to start out this first year being completely withdrawn as it is a huge department and I know I will get lost if I do. Since I'm not teaching, I wasn't in the TA class that everyone seems to have made friends in. I know that I will eventually get to know people, but not with this avoidance behavior that I seem to be developing. Tomorrow I think I'm going to try and go to student counseling as a start, but basically I was just wondering if any strangers out there can commiserate with me. I know that the feeling that everyone else knows what there doing and I don't is completely false, I just need to hear it from another person. Suggestions for completely getting rid of this self-consciousness and focusing on the issues would be great. Or we can just complain together

OSU is having funding problems like the rest of the country (especially in Ohio with the new governor) so they have downsized. I've been kicking myself for not applying the year before when they still had the MA program, which admitted about 30 funded students! It definitely is no more though.

U Washington and Illinois no longer has a funded MA, they have a funded MA/PhD program. So you are applying to the PhD basically, but you could, theoretically leave with a master's.

The bitter cynic in me agrees with you. But then again... when I see billionaire celebrities spending their money on plastering themselves with designer names and houses on every continent, it's refreshing to see someone who uses his money to better himself. If he was taking funding away from someone else to do this, then it would be unethical. But he's paying his way to spend his time learning and being immersed in an academic community. While we who are trying to start careers see it as somewhat superficial, I wish more people would spend their money on reading, writing, and critical thinking as what one does in their free time and on a whim like this guy does, even if it's obviously not going anywhere. He doesn't have to go anywhere, he's set.

Hey guys, I just officially accepted my offer of admittance. My period is early american with emphasis in narrative theory. Anyone else accepted officially yet? I just visited and had to make a tough decision between staying in state and moving way way across the country.

I think that the above advice is good, however I think if you have funded offers you should choose them over the unfunded one. In this economy and market, there's no reason to turn down money to get an English MA. The work you do is the most important. I do not deny the above advice about having more time, getting access to great faculty, etc. But I guess it depends on how "lowly ranked" your other schools are. If they are anywhere in the top 75, I think they are fine. Unless you have stellar credit, no debt, and tons of money, take the funded offer. While being free from teaching might be a bonus to some, teaching experience is invaluable to me. I haven't taught before and I need to see if it's something I can do, something I will love or hate, etc. Maybe you are in a different situation, but the teaching experience is part of what I want out of an MA. If you decide to not go on to the phd after, and want to teach at community college or high school, that teaching experience is going to get you that, not an MA with no teaching. So yeah, it depends on what you want out of it, your financial situation, and your personality. In MY case, I would take the funded offer.

So I wanted to suggest some things for English major types to see while they are here or when they move here, to get a feel for the kinds of places and social activities people from the department frequent. Social life is important as work life! I suggest visiting the bar Surly Girl. It's got great food and local Ohio beers and a lot of people go there frequently. It's on High St. in the Short North. There's also St. James Tavern on 4th Ave. That's just a straight up bar. Bodega is a kind of hipstery bar, that has good food and a good trivia night. On High St. If you're into dancing and clubbing, which if you are an English major, you probably aren't, there's Skully's and Axis. Thursday night is "ladies 80s" at Skully's. I'm not into it, but I know people who love it. Food: The North Market, Spruce Street I believe, it's right behind High Street in the Arena District. Lot's of great food and affordable. I suggest you try the Chicago Cheddar Popcorn from the popcorn stand. It's like crack flavored popcorn. Northstar is good, but can get pricey (short north and clintonville locations). Tasi has great brunch (in the short north). In Clintonville there is Lavash (lebanese). If you have a car, maybe check out Grandview. It's farther away, but it's cute, places to walk, and good food. Grandview Cafe is standard American food, and they have a trivia night that's good (better than Bodega). Stauf's is in Grandview and it's the only decent coffee in town. Sorry if you like coffee, Columbus is the wrong place for you! Other stuff: Goodale Park is this little park behind the Short North. It's nice to walk around in, and you can get a feel for the neighborhood around that area. That's the best neighborhood in my opinion. It can get expensive though, so you might want to wander north, where it's cheaper. Apropos is on 3rd Ave, west of high street in the Harrison West neighborhood (very affordable, nice neighborhood). It's a cafe but it's also got beer and wine, and they have the best happy hour special in town. Ask for some free snacks and sit outside! You always see someone you know at Apropos. German Village is south of Livingston Ave, just south of downtown. It's this historic district where the German ghetto was in the early 20th cent. It's cute as hell. I suggest going to Schmidt's if you want some german food or a great cream puff. Metro parks: lots of close parks to the city, look up the website for a complete list. Olentangy bike trail: it's awesome. I'd suggest living next to it. Studio 35: the best part about Clintonville is this old theater. Unfortunately they only place mainstream movies, it's not an art house theater, but it's classic Ohio- booze and pizza served there and all the games are broadcast there. There are tables! They show games for free, and they usually have a Sunday night beer tasting where they show an old movie. One time it was Pee Wee's Big Adventure and that was really fun. Rocky Horror once a month if you're into that. Sorry, nobody asked for that. Just thought I'd share. I'm kind of getting sad that I'm leaving.

Part of me doesn't ever think that old people know how to use the Internet, but I think that's me being naive. If they know about grad cafe, it would be a great resource, at least administratively. Lots of people put their schools applied to in their signature and posts their acceptances and denies to each school. Also, I tend to discuss whether or not I'm interested in attending more honestly here than I would with the school. Though that might be presumptious to think they care about that- most schools probably aren't as invested as browsing the Internet looking for answers. I do think that it would be a great resource for the numbers game that admissions plays with what their competing schools are and the like. Thoughts?

I should clarify since I made a typo. I was told that the SECOND person always gets in. BUT I still stand by my statement that this means that you'll get int, since I'm second and there's a good chance I'll be going to UW. I just straight up asked where I was on the list. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, and she immidiately told me 'you are second.' I also asked about visiting and they were more than welcoming. So don't be shy! Show that you are very interested and it will be more likely that you will get in I think. I made sure to show I was interested, and if they are one of your top choices, you should tell them so. I don't think Miami is the kind of place that will switch around their waitlist just because you visited, however. But I think showing your very real enthusiasm about the program is better than being silent. Maybe send an email asking about the position on the list, saying you would like to weigh your options realistically. Good luck!

I'm second on the waitlist and the first person has been accepted according to the results page, so I'm assuming you're third. I was told in past years that the third person on the waitlist always gets in, at least in the past. I really like the program and am still considering it- but I have a very generous offer from a much highly ranked school that I'm also considering. Nothing is for certain, but I would assure you that you can keep hope that you will get in.

Yes, perhaps it is because I'm talking about the far east side of Clintonville. The western side near the bike path, or the community market is nice. But closer to Indianola or Hudson or Summit Ave is where there is lots of crime and the antagonistic relations that I'm talking about. Perhaps I just had a bad experience but I wanted to share it just in case it helped someone. I came from a small rural college town so maybe some of it was just the shock of city life in general.

Ugh, that's awful. They should refund your application fee for such a horrible thing. Or at least try and CALL you instead of just emailing saying PSYCH MY BAD

I don' t know anyone that lives there, it's pretty far from campus. I've driven through it once, but that's it. Seemed okay, but it's more near downtown and Bexley, which is a nice neighborhood. But again, this is very far away from campus. If you don't want to be right in town, I'd suggest Grandview. There is more walking and there are coffee shops and restaurants, but it's away from town. What exactly are you looking for? City living, biking, nightlife?

I think it is, relatively. But you are still in a decent sized city close to a downtown area. Columbus is weird in the way that a couple blocks are very nice and safe and then a street over all the sudden it's not. It's very varied. I think the area around Goodale park is very safe as far as being very close to downtown can be. Harrison West is a little cheaper and decent. Neil Avenue is very loud and closer to the partying. Same with Italian Village on the east side of high street, which I think is a bit cheaper too. It depends on what you want and what you are used to. I was used to living in a smaller college town where I walked everywhere, and that's what VV feels more like to me. If you want a suburb feeling you should be in Worthington, Upper Arlington, or Grandview. Cville and Vic Village are urban. As long as you are smart, you know, keep your doors locked and the like, everything should be fine. Usually if the price is low it's probably less safe. Again, the only places I've heard about crimes happening are near campus (ESPECIALLY south campus, north of King and south of 12th Ave) or in Clintonville, but maybe I just know more people in those areas, who knows. Really you should visit to get a feel for the neighborhoods. But that's hard to do, I know.

So I cracked and emailed. I got "Letters were mailed out yesterday, so you should be receiving a letter soon." That's a reject, isn't it?

I live in Clintonville and it is not quiet whatsoever. Maybe if you are on a very specific backstreet it's quiet, but those homes are never for rent, and there are few apartments. Maybe you can find a gem in cville, not saying you can't, but on the whole, my opinion living in Clintonville is that I would NOT have lived here had I known what it is like. There is a very antagonistic relationship between homeowners and renters, there is ALOT of noise, lots of drunkenness, I know many people who have witnessed homes being broken into and lots of bums. I mean, that's fine, and they have that in Vic Village too, but at least VV is in walking distance to lots of stuff, has nightlife, better food, etc. Clintonville was sold to me the way you put it: that its quiet, where grad students live, and family homes like a suburb. It's not, it's crazy loud , drug addicts asking everyone for money, and they only thing suburban about it is that you have to drive everywhere. Worst of both worlds in my opinion. If you do live in Cville, I'd suggest living west of high street, by the bike path. Still a party neighborhood though.

If you are excited about college sports than Columbus is the place for you. It's psycho here IMO- I came from IU where college basketball is crazy and I can't believe there is a school more insane than IU. Football weekends are a HUGE event here, places shut down, cars get towed. It's absolutely crazy. Honestly I'm glad to be getting away from it

Campus is alright, but it's very undergraduate-y and kind of slummy. My advice, if you are wanting to see Columbus in general, is to take a short bus ride, or a long walk down high and go to the Short North and Victorian Village. Near there is the arena district, too. This area has the best food and night life if you ask me. It's more young professional/graduate student then the campus area, which is very fratty and someone is bound to barf on your shoes or date rape you. And sorry to say but Columbus is not easy without a car. The cab and the COTA are the only ways I know to get from the airport. I'd say contact your dept at OSU and try to get in contact with a fellow student to give you a ride. I don't know about your department, but the English dept is always doing that for people.

I don't know anything about Environmental Policy programs and what the funding is usually like, but this is the advice I'd give someone in the humanities, see if you can use it. I'd say, do not take any unfunded offer. Reapply next year and reapply to programs that are known for funding. With your debt, you can't afford more debt. It depends on if you have a job or not that you can continue on, and if you do, I'd say reapply next year. I have about 5K in debt from undergrad, I worked full time during it, and even I'm not considering paying for graduate school or taking out more loans. With the economy the way it is, it's not worth it.

Exactly, I think one should respond to a program the way they expressed interest in you. For instance I have one school that sent me a cold email and didn't respond to my response that had questions. They'll be getting a cold one-liner. However I had one program pay to fly me in, called me personally, and wined and dined me at a faculty dinner at a fancy restaurant. The DGS will be getting a phone call from me when I decline, or at least a very personalized email where I explain where I chose to go instead.

What helped me was that I was lucky to be near a top 25 university and I audited a graduate course as soon as I found out I was rejected from all my schools. I had to send them a transcript to let them know I was serious, but it was no problem getting in the course when I explained what I was doing. I audited the course, attending and working just as hard as the other students, gave a presentation, got to know the professor, and most of all, worked on a writing sample. The professor was very very helpful in critiquing the sample, and she also ended up writing me a letter of recommendation. I also had a year to study, think, and write about my interests and I ended up really changing them and now I feel like I have a clearer focus. It helped my SOP and my professional outlook. I can't recommend this course of action enough; it's what got me in this time.

A school I was very interested in was very generous with travel funds and very nice about everything, yet I just have a better offer. Some schools have just sent me emails and not really shown as much interest, so I'm just going to turn them down with a kind of generic email. But as far as the two schools that I have met with faculty and visited and which spent money on me, is it a faux pas to tell them why I'm not choosing them? I have an offer I can't refuse and these schools I feel like deserve a better explanation than "it's with regrets that I must withdraw my application." I feel obligated to let them know my better offer. Is that appropriate? EDIT: Oh man, I hate it when I make typos in an English forum.

Hey I just wanted to give you my experience. I'm sorry you got rejected from all your schools.. last year I did too. It hurt. But I reapplied this year, and applied to 16 schools this time around! And I have been successful, I have a fully funded admit to my dream school. If I had applied to just 6, I might not have. So I just want to encourage you in that, if you truly believe this is what you should do, keep trying. It really is a lottery at one point and you only want to go to a school that really fits and really wants you. So please try again, you'll make it next year, I know it!