Warelin

Congratulations on your final decision! It's always an exciting time! "Vanderbilt's intercollegiate athletics teams are nicknamed the Commodores, in honor of the nickname given to Cornelius Vanderbilt."

Thanks! It really is! I couldn't be more excited. The faculty, program coordinator, staff, students have been nothing short of wonderful. Thanks. I think I'm the lucky one though. Thanks. I hope that all goes well for you and your husband in Cambridge! Ha! I'll need to get (more) ready for that exam soon.

Officially declined my spots at Illinois (Writing Studies) and UConn (Literature). Good luck to everyone.

I'd also like to add that Washington University in St. Louis' English department is very interdisciplinary and has close connections to the American Culture studies program in which you can get a certificate in AC. The American Culture studies program has concentrations in Popular Culture and students in the English department have been able to propose and teach courses in multiple subjects, including Comic Studies.

I'd like to add a note here that part of USC's success is that it has one of the best dual Creative Writing and English PHD programs. If I remember correctly, the creative writing department is highly prized within the English department there and most students are part of the creative writing program within the department.

I would advise against doing so. Schools do communicate with each other and if they find out, you will find yourself to be disliked by a lot of schools.

Here's to hoping you hear back soon!

Which schools are you waitlisted at?

Congrats on making your decision! Denver's a fun city though! I have some friends near Denver that say commuting from Boulder to Denver is easy due to the connecting buslines. Maybe you can find a cheaper city between the two? Congrats. Vermont is a very gorgeous state! Enjoy the winter wonderland. Congrats! It's a very friendly program! Both of you are going to take the department by storm. It has been a pleasure reading both of your posts.

Do you know if Michigan has already sent offers out? Have you tried calling the coordinator? I think it's alright if you accept the best offer, but remember that you'll need the program's permission to withdraw if Michigan accepts after the 15th. Accepting after that date might also result in a previously-funded offer becoming withdrawn from the other two schools.

I think it would be worthwhile to note any special grants. I think separate lines were created by people for people who were a part of Alabama's strode program and a separate line once existed for another fellowship too but it doesn't seem to exist now. I think listing the college's name followed by an asterisk, and then mentioning the special circumstances in the note section would help the most people be aware of it.

Thanks! I think between the 3 pinned boards, we cover the basics. For anyone who has contributed information, thank you. All contributions have been an immense help! The following schools are missing information in English: Boston University, Brown, Cornell, Houston, Kentucky, Miami University of Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, University of North Texas, Northwestern, New York University, Old Dominion, University of Oregon, University of Rhode Island, Rice (Website lists a different amount; is this correct?), Stanford, Syracuse, UT Austin, Texas Christian University, Tufts, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, Utah, Washington State. The following schools are missing information in Rhetoric: Arizona (RCTE), Bowling Green, George Mason, Georgia State, Illinois State, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, New Mexico State, North Dakota State, Saint Louis University, Syracuse, UNC Greensboro, Texas Women's University, UT Austin.

@TakeruK Is there any chance this can be pinned?

Ahh, that is unfortunate. Unfortunately, under the same token, the CGS is not legally binding so a school can break it without penalties. You could choose to name the university, but doing so might reflect poorly on you. You might be able to contact CGS and tell them about the behavior, but I'm not sure if/what they could do. I'm not sure if there's anything you can do. Your best approach here does seem to be to decide whether or not to accept the offer tomorrow. The risk here is that an offer received after April 15 will require a written release from the first school in order to accept the other offer.

Yes, you could do that and are perfectly within your rights to do so. And while it is acceptable to do so, there is unfortunately no guarantee that school A won't be happy about it since it may result in them turning down people from the spot and having to move deeper down the waitlist. Have you tried asking for an extension explaining the situation, expressing your interest, but also stating that you'd like all the results from schools in order to make an informed decision? Good luck.

Only if they're a part of the CGS. Not all schools are. A list of members can be found here.

Congrats! I’d also like to add a small note here that some universities also “guarantee fewer years” in order to make it easier to increase your stipend after certain exams at some schools. Other schools guarantee your stipend for one year only in order to adjust their stipend for inflation and to ensure all students receive equal funding in the program.

Congrats on making your final decision!

Small question here: Have you talked to Rutgers/ French department to let them know this? It might be possible that when they assign teaching, that they could make it so it's on the same day as your coursework! Trying to juggle three different colleges for the past two years has been tricky because of SEPTA delays. Are there any events with Rutgers requires you to attend? (FWIW: I know that John Hopkins requires its English Students to attend ALL English graduate events.) Some public schools also require its students to establish residency after the first year. Do you know if this is the case for Rutgers?

Officially turned down my waitlist spot at Penn State (rhetoric). Good luck to everyone.

@swarthmawr There is a lot to address at it, but: 1. I think the first thing to realize is that there are NO safety schools. Some people get accepted into schools that have a 3-4 percent acceptance rate but rejected by schools with a 20 percent acceptance rate. 2. FIT matters. However, the way you determine fit might be different from how the school determines fit and there is no way to figure out what that specific fit is since those things may change from year to year. and being rejected this year does not mean you would get rejected the next year and vice-versa. ( @punctilious' husband was accepted at Harvard's PHD program but rejected at other programs of similiar 'prestige' and waitlisted at others.) 3. Re: Application costs https://www.btaa.org/resources-for/students/freeapp/introduction The above link provides application fee waivers for programs in the B10 Alliance. There is no guarantee that all programs will grant a fee waiver, but it's worth filling out in case any of them do send you a fee waiver. 4. Some of your interests overlap mine. Shoot me a PM to discuss schools. 5. Some of the top schools might be worthwhile if the fit is right. Very few schools at the top are top at the same thing though. And some schools that are on the top of their field may not be on the T20 list. 6. The number of applicants with just a BA differs from school to school. Some schools prefer straight from BA applicants; others prefer applicants to have a Master's. 7. When asking for letters, please make sure to ask them if they feel they can write you a "strong letter of recommendation." If they feel they can't, thank them for their time and honesty, and then ask someone else. 8. At the BA level, it is not expected that you have any publications or conferences under your belt.

I don't think there is an official rule. There are some programs in English and Rhet/Comp which require an MA to be considered for admission into a PHD program.

My interactions with Washington University in St. Louis have all been positive. I also wanted to provide an update to this thread (for future readers) that the subject test is now optional at WUSTL. The SOP and Writing Sample remain the two most important components of the application.

I think it's important that you're happy with where ever you're at in order to produce your best work. I turned down a few offers with a better placement rate because I couldn't see myself being happy with living there. If you're stressing about funding, you won't produce your best possible work.

Are they both offering similar amounts of funding? Is there a professor you prefer? Is there an area you prefer?