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Warelin

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Posts posted by Warelin

  1. An institution's prestige from the PHD or undergrad level does not translate onto Master programs. What does translate is whether or not they're viewed as cash cows for the institution. People often warn against going to places that have both terminal MA programs and PHD programs because a lot of the resources and faculty attention are often directed towards PHD students. There's a possibility that you'll be able to work with the professors you'd like but there's also a real possibility that they could be overbooked due to working with other students on their dissertation projects. Because of this, it's often easier to find support for your projects at the MA level at institutions that offer only the MA as the highest level.

    As a whole, departments don't care where you do your MA nor that you got rejected in previous cycles. People have varying reasons why they decide to do their MA.

  2. 45 minutes ago, R Westy said:

    It’s pretty shocking. Two of the smartest folks I know had to apply twice, even in non covid times, so I’m reassuring myself with the fact that it’s hard in general and nearly impossible this year. Still sucks tho! At least we have good memes and satire (your amazing essay) to get us through. 

    I think it's always helpful to remember rejection isn't any indication of how smart someone is. :)

  3. On 2/28/2021 at 7:49 PM, PHDandTEACH said:

    I'm tenured. Almost impossible for me to be laid off.

    I'm confused with why you're concerned with the below then. Are you hoping to land a job elsewhere?

    On 2/28/2021 at 1:41 PM, PHDandTEACH said:

    What I'm concerned about though is that I've read posts about how students without funding have pretty much zero shot at landing a tenure track position. 

     

  4. 1 hour ago, Rehana202 said:

    Does anyone have any insight on how many people usually get put on waitlists? I assume it depends on cohort size and other factors. Also, it seems there is quite a bit of variation in terms of how people get notified of being on a waitlist: people receiving calls, emails, or finding out on their own by contacting the school Wondering if any of this matters. Just thinking out loud. 

    Different departments at different schools have their own procedures. How you're contacted doesn't matter. People might even be contacted in ways that are different than in the past because of COVID. Some schools rank their waitlists regardless of field. Some do it specifically by proposed sub-field. I think it is sometimes helpful to remember that being on a waitlist already means the school is interested in your work.

    Some schools might have a very small waitlist because they accept 1.5-3x as many people as they have spots for. Some schools might waitlist as many people as they have spots for. Some schools waitlist 2-3x as many people as they accept. Some schools might also have a "hidden" waitlist. Some schools might not ever get to their waitlist. The number of available spots might also depend on if they had an unexpected amount of people accept or reject their offer in the previous year(s).

  5. On 2/15/2021 at 2:20 PM, mashatheicebear said:

    Thank you for your input! I think it would be okay for me to apply for transfer if I find I can't complete my research in said comp lit departmen

    Quick note: What do you mean by transfer? I'm not aware of any grad program where you can just transfer into. Changing programs will often require you to reapply and start from year 1 if accepted.

  6. 3 hours ago, Oklash said:

    Wait? You can do that?

    You can actually ask for a rank increase.

    (and yes, I do have an MA)

    Not at all schools. Some schools will have this information laid in either its handbook or FAQ. This is no option at some schools.

    Also, if you're looking for a school to increase its funding, the competing school should be closely ranked.

  7. 1 hour ago, 1 Pint of Ricotta said:

    This has been really hard for me to deal with when it's coming down to decision making.  Is it the best school for me, or is it just the highest ranked school I got into?  I had all these personal rankings before I applied that I essentially threw out the window once I got into some USNews-well-ranked universities.  Now I'm struggling to decide how important the ranking is to my future, especially in terms of job applications.

    To add onto @mashatheicebear,

    There are several "top" programs that don't have certain subfields. It would be rather difficult to pursue a subfield if it isn't something the university currently has. If accepted, you'll be able to do your own research on it but not having someone to guide you through that process is going to make you not feel as supported by the department. It'll also likely make the job application process more difficult.

    I don't think there is any wrong answer to this. I think one of the best things you can do is figure out what your goals are. If your ultimate goal is strictly to teach at an R1 school, your chances are significantly higher if you attend a top 10 school. Though there have been cases where people not attending a top 10 school have gotten tenure-track jobs at an R1 school. Likewise if your goal is to teach at a small liberal arts college, certain schools might decrease your chances because they might not think you have a good understanding of what their culture is.

    Years ago, a job applicant got their job offer rescinded from a school because the applicant was making requests that would be more commonplace at an R1 school. A school is making significant investments when they make offers so they really want to make sure you understand the culture of the school and would be happy there. There are things that you can do to make you seem like you understand the culture more but it be nearly impossible to do for every type of school. This is often also the reason why a lot of schools also tend to place better in their geographical location. While nobody is guaranteed a tenure-track job, it might be worthwhile to consider whether there are any locations you be content to be living in and apply to schools within that region.

    It might also be worthwhile to consider how many students are a part of a typical cohort and comparing that with how many students get placed. There's a big difference between 2 students (of a cohort of 3) being placed per year and 4 students (of a cohort of 18) being placed per year. Think of you'd be happy being placed at the types of schools they're placing at.

    Consider if their stipend is enough for you to live on. If you prefer to live alone, is it enough to get by without roommates? If the city is expensive, how far would you need to be from campus in order to afford rent? Do students need to work additionally in order to live there?

    What's the college like? While sports might not impact you, it might also be considering how undergrads deeply involved with D1 sports might impact the way you teach or interact with the town at large. Would you feel okay with living to a town that revolves around the university (a college town) or would you prefer to live in a city? What about the weather? Do you prefer cold weather? Do you prefer hot weather?

  8. 20 hours ago, WildeThing said:

    , here's my take: school prestige is a thing and it is very important.

    To add to this, I think it's important to realize that school prestige is different between different departments and even between subfields and can change significantly in the years. I think Davis and Indiana are both new to the USNew's top 20 (2017?) list. Likewise, there have been schools which have jumped in rankings and others who have slid in rankings. I'd like to stress that professors leaving a program might also impact that program's overall rankings as well as their placement. Paying attention to new hires (whether they're at the assistant or associate or full professor level) might indicate the direction in which a program is heading.

    This article from the WSJ shows just how far rankings can jump depending on "information ranging from test scores to surveys of alumni satisfaction with education and job prospects." By contrast, I think it's important to note that current USNews rankings don't consider placement when they're doing rank. But rather the USNEWS process is outlined below:
    (Source is here)
     

    • Programs in the social sciences and humanities are based solely on the results of peer assessment surveys sent to academics in each discipline by IPSOS Public Affair
    • For the surveys conducted in fall 2016, Ipsos sent each school offering a doctoral program two surveys per discipline.
    • Questionnaires were sent to department heads and directors of graduate studies in economics, English, history, political science, psychology and sociology – or, alternatively, a senior faculty member who teaches graduate students – at schools that had granted a total of five or more doctorates in each discipline during the five-year period from 2011 through 2015, as indicated by the National Center for Education Statistics' Completions survey.
    • The questionnaires asked respondents to rate the academic quality of the programs at other institutions on a 5-point scale: outstanding (5), strong (4), good (3), adequate (2) or marginal (1). Individuals who were unfamiliar with a particular school's programs were asked to select "don't know."
    • Scores for each school were determined by computing a trimmed mean – eliminating the two highest and two lowest responses – of the ratings of all respondents who rated that school; average scores were then sorted in descending order.
    • 138 programs in English were evaluated. The response rate for English was 14%. This means that 276 surveys were sent and only 38/39 responses were sent back

      It's improbable that all 138 programs are paying attention to all other programs so the data can be impacted significantly from who's paying attention to which program. It's more likely that schools are paying attention to only schools that share overlapping traits with them or are within the same city.  It's also unlikely that schools are not as aware with programs who are strong in certain areas if they are not strong in the same subfield.
  9. 2 hours ago, carakay said:

    Hi all, 

    I'm new to this forum so just wanted to say a massive congratulations to all of you receiving offers and i have my fingers crossed to all of you awaiting positive news. I am in the latter camp ☺️ I have received quite a few rejections already and the only school I'm still waiting on is Princeton so I am not holding my breath, but I am eager to learn from this cycle and apply again next year. I'm an international student and don't know anyone from the US education system so I'm feeling a bit lost in this whole cycle and am trying to work out where to focus my energies next time. 

    I'm really interested in hearing your thoughts on... Do you think being an international student has any impact on admissions (positive or negative)? Do you think me not being able to speak/write another language may have an impact? Is there anything else you think I should be aware of when applying again next year?

    Just for a bit of context, my background is: 

    • first class undergraduate and master's degrees from good universities (Cambridge and Oxford) 
    • GPA 4.0 equivalent 
    • GRE 95 - 99 percentile (subject and verbal) 
    • 1 publication (not a particularly well known journal!) + no conference presentations 
    • Strong references 
    • Contacted faculty in the schools I applied to and had positive email exchanges r.e. supervision
    • What I think is a well-researched SOP (but I have not had anything to compare it to, as over in the UK our SOPs are more like a thesis proposal) 
    • No facility in foreign languages 

    Part of me is wondering whether I am in a position to make a competitive application at all and maybe I should not spend the money, hope and time again next year. I have a full time job and caring responsibilities so the thought of trying to get any more articles published in my spare time is a bit daunting for me.  So I'm so grateful for any of your thoughts! 

    Please let me know if this isn't the most appropriate thread for this question - just looking for any insight from those of you who may know the US system better than me. Thank you so much! C

    What are your interests? I think your application is competitive but it's likely that universities might have felt that they did not think they had someone free who could currently advise you. It's possible that they might have someone free next year and it's also possible that they won't. Unless you're applying in specific subfields, most universities won't require you to have a working knowledge of foreign languages from the start. It is likely that they'll request you to either take a course or test out of a language at some point during the program. I don't think you need to spend time on more publications.

    @wildsurmise- I've heard the same things about several California schools as well as some other state universities. I think state schools generally tend to be harder for international students because of how much tuition waivers are for public schools. There is no cost difference in tuition waivers for international student at private schools.

  10. 4 hours ago, gloryous said:

    Hey guys, I have been keeping up with this thread for the past few days. It seems like you all have been in this together for a long time and are super supportive. I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I was wondering if any people here with their master's degree could help me out? 

    I don't have any friends in the same field of me and no one else in my family has gotten their master's. I was just acceptedi into a program, but kind of feel lost. I have no idea how grad school actually works. Haha, I don't know if I sound dumb or not, but I would genuinely appreciate any advice/guidance anyone could give!

    Always happy to provide any help I can as well. Feel free to drop me a PM. :)

  11. I think it's also important to remember that rankings does not equal placement. Some schools are better at ranking in certain industries. Some schools are considered better in certain fields than their rankings would indicate. Some schools might be better in placing in certain localities. Some schools are better at being able to provide certain professionalization opportunities. Some schools offer better funding or might offer a better healthcare package than others.

    Your advising experience would depend on who your advisor is. It is also possible the person responsible for certain placements might retire or leave.

  12. 1 minute ago, Cordelipup said:

    I've noticed that most of the schools that have released results had late November through early December deadlines. Does anyone think that December 15th deadline schools will release results this week? This is my first cycle, so much of this process is new to me!

    Application deadline does not determine how quickly schools send out acceptances. Estimated acceptance dates can be found here or on the results page :) :

     

  13. 55 minutes ago, LtotheOG said:

    How much of a difference (if at all) does your POI being or not being on the admissions committee make towards chances of acceptance?

    From conversations I've had, it makes no difference in the humanities. Professors understand that the department at large is funding you and also understand (and expect) that many applicants will change interests as they progress with their coursework.

  14. 1 hour ago, The Maritime Scholar said:

    I saw that someone posted an acceptance for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on the results page. I went to check my email and nothing. My portal also still says "awaiting." I'm assuming they don't send out all decisions at once. Let's see what happens!

    There are a few schools that notify their graduate school fellowship nominees before they notify the rest of their acceptances.

  15. 42 minutes ago, CCort said:

    How common is it for English PhD programs to conduct interviews? Does it generally vary depending on school to school? Does applying with an MA make a difference as to whether they conduct an interview, as opposed to applying directly out of undergrad?

    Most schools don't conduct interviews. From the top of my mind, Duke (Literature), Chicago (their process was explained above!), UMass (because their funding is separate?), Emory, Northeastern, Notre Dame, and Southern Methodist University conduct interviews.

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