Tinoply

I know how you feel! I haven't lost my Master's thesis, but I'm months behind. I am so sorry that happened . . . I lost a couple pages a while ago and wanted to die, so I can only imagine how you're feeling. I'm filled with panic over my thesis; my director and I aren't seeing eye to eye, and we're at an impasse. The other day, I cried because a friend threw a goldfish cracker at me. Needless to say, you're not alone in being on the verge of a major meltdown. Here's hoping things start looking up for you!

I would just like to say that I love this thread. It is occasionally the only thing that helps me through the day. I'm riding 2 rejections with only 6 schools left, and I get the feeling no good news awaits me. Bring on the wine!

Ack!

18th & 19th century British lit, with a particular interest in Romanticism and William Blake. I'm trying so hard not to obsess about hearing from UCLA, but it seems like we're closing in on the time frame when they usually notify. Everyone in my department keeps reminding me that it's too early to panic yet . . . not that it's stopping me.

PhD, actually. A couple years ago, I was applying to MFA programs, but since then I've switched over to literature. UCLA is my top choice, too. What's your field of interest, if you don't mind me asking?

So, I've been lurking for a long time now, and I haven't seen anything UCLA-related, which begs the question: has anybody heard anything? The silence is driving me crazy!

Professors coming onto/dating students is certainly taboo to a lot of people, but I think as long as there isn't a conflict of interests (i.e. they get romantically involved while the student is taking said professor's class), it shouldn't be such a big deal. I am somewhat biased, I suppose, seeing as how my dad was my mom's undergrad chemistry professor before they started dating and my husband was the TA of my freshman composition course a few years before we got involved. Like I said, though, as long as no lines are crossed with a prof while taking his/her class, there's nothing really wrong with it. In fact, I highly endorse marrying a former teacher!

It never hurts to ask. One of the programs that accepted me originally asked me to notify by March 15th. I promptly let them know I would likely not have heard from all of the other schools I'd applied to by then and they backed off. Good luck!

Thanks, everybody, for all the support! I'm feeling much better about my decision already. The more I think about it, the more manageable the situation seems. I've pretty much gone as far as I'm going to within my field without getting a Master's, so while I don't disagree with the soundness of oldlady's advice, I don't think it would get me where I want to be (namely, teaching at a university). With an MFA, I could start teaching straight out of grad school, and when I think of it in those terms, this is the only choice that makes sense. Now I just have to decide whether to shout for joy or barf out of nervousness. . .

I'm facing a rather difficult decision (although I'm 99% sure I know what I'm going to do), and I could really use some affirmation from anybody at this point. Here's the situation: I've been accepted to two programs, one for an MA in English with a writing concentration and one for an MFA in Writing for playwriting and creative nonfiction. The MA is at a local university that I attended for the first year of my undergrad. It's not a bad school (in fact, I met my husband there -- he was in the English MA program) and the town is nice enough. Tuition will be waived and I've been offered a teaching assistantship plus enough of a stipend that we could live rather comfortably. While this is all good, I would have to go on to get a PhD, which was not part of the plan (particularly because I also plan on getting an MA and PhD in Religious Studies at some point). It's also not the degree program I applied for and the curriculum does not excite me whatsoever. The MFA, on the other hand, would require relocating to San Francisco, where the rent is at least 4 times what we currently pay. The school doesn't offer assistantships in the first year, and I would very likely have to take out federal loans to be able to cover the cost of tuition and living expenses. I'm not entirely sure what kind of financial aid I'll be offered, and I might not find out until the deadline has passed to notify the other school of acceptance/rejection. There are positives, however: the program is extremely exciting to me, the MFA would be terminal, I am massively enamored with the coast, we would be closer to my husband's family and friends, there would be more job opportunities for him in San Francisco, and we would be much closer to Alaska (my husband works there in the summers). The more I think about it, the less I want to accept the first offer, but I'm still a little unsure because of all the risks we'd be taking in moving across the country. It breaks my heart to think about turning down the MFA, which pretty strongly indicates to me that it would be a mistake to do so. What I really need is someone to tell me I'm making the right decision and that I'm going to be so deliriously happy in San Francisco that the debt won't matter to me. If you want to disagree with me, too, please feel free to do so (as long as you're nice ).

I was also rejected by Brown. At least the agony is over, although I'm more than a little heartbroken. Best of luck to the rest of you!

I've contacted just about everyone I can think of at Brown, and the responses I get are not really giving me any answers (i.e. the department says they're waiting on the graduate school and the graduate school says that decisions for the program haven't been posted yet). I'm dying to find SOMETHING out, but I've probably done all the pestering I should for the time being. If you're feeling brave, though, you might try emailing Erik Ehn.

I broke down and emailed the director of graduate studies for the playwriting MFA at Brown. Here's the reply: I am still awaiting word from the graduate school as to when notification of decisions for applicants to our graduate programs can be made. Technically, Professor Erik Ehn handled the MFA applications in his capacity as head of the MFA Playwriting Program, so I do not know what decisions were made. Either he or I or the graduate program will be in touch soon, but I cannot give you a timeline until the graduate program gives me one. Sorry that I cannot be more specific at this time. I had hoped for a response that would make it easier for me to be patient and wait for their decision, but I'm even more high-strung now. I should have known better.

Has anyone heard anything about the MFA playwriting program? I know I should just be patient, but the lack of contact from them is maddening.