Warelin

I did not choose the "most prestigious" program I got accepted into last year. I chose to go somewhere where I felt I could grow and be happy. I chose the environment and department which I felt would allow me to grow my potential and one where I felt that there were several people that I would work very well with. In order to produce the best work, I felt there were several important factors to consider.

1) Living arrangements: Can I afford a 1 or 2 bedroom based on my stipend without needing to live with roommates?  How far/close do I want to be to campus?
2) Do I feel the campus/city is bikeable/walkable? 
3) How do I feel about the department as a whole? Are there multiple people I see myself being able to work with?
4) Are there additional opportunities outside the department?
5) Are the schools placing in schools you'd be happy in? Getting accepted into a highly ranked school might help your job prospects in some of the better known schools. However, 90 percent of schools aren't considered R1 schools. Schools that focus on teaching make up the majority of universities doing the hiring and they care more about your teaching record than they do about what school you graduated from or about your publication history. (This isn't to say that either group doesn't care about the other at all. Rather, they just weigh thinks differently. Some schools worry that graduates of "elite programs" will leave their school as soon as another opening happens elsewhere.)

I agree that stats about where students end up only tell part of the story. However, I would argue that students from "top programs" aren't the only ones getting multiple offers. It's very likely that a good candidate is likely to get multiple offers of differing types. Part of that might be based on their school. But it's also likely that certain candidates will get looked over by the hiring school if the hiring university has had a high turnover from that school. I think it's also important to note that not everyone's end goal is to be placed at a school which focuses heavily on research. And I think it's equally as important to remember that we often have very little choice of where we end up if we decide to go on the job market. Considering most schools are not research-focused, being open to non-R1 schools will broaden our chances of being placed.
As a side note, there are some fairly well-known colleges that do have a permanent teaching-track. This remains to be a viable option for a fair amount of people and I wouldn't consider people holding these positions to be less deserving of tenure than those on a research-track. Different departments have different needs at a time and it's possible that a person's specific subfield may never open up at the R-1 school they were hoping for.
Some students might also have no desire to leave their city. I can't remember how many people I spoke with doing their Ph.D. in NYC and Austin that said they had no desire to leave their city. They said they would rather adjunct than be placed elsewhere. Likewise, there are a number of candidates in my program who have made a decision to stay because they're ready to settle down and start a family. Many have started the process of buying a house. They don't plan on entering the job market but demand from local colleges for permanent positions have always been high here. Likewise, some have expressed interest in alt-ac jobs and have no interest in the job market.Those who put in the extra effort here tend to be well rewarded on the job market. This is not a top 10 program but there are a lot of resources offered to those who do seek it.
I agree with this so much. Funding is critical. You won't be rich at anytime during your program. But not having to worry about funding is important. Even if a program guarantees five years of funding, it might be worthwhile to ask what the average time-to-degree is. If there's a difference, it might also be wise to ask them how funding is determined for the additional years and whether you're responible for any additional fees.

I did not choose the "most prestigious" program I got accepted into last year. I chose to go somewhere where I felt I could grow and be happy. I chose the environment and department which I felt would allow me to grow my potential and one where I felt that there were several people that I would work very well with. In order to produce the best work, I felt there were several important factors to consider.

1) Living arrangements: Can I afford a 1 or 2 bedroom based on my stipend without needing to live with roommates?  How far/close do I want to be to campus?
2) Do I feel the campus/city is bikeable/walkable? 
3) How do I feel about the department as a whole? Are there multiple people I see myself being able to work with?
4) Are there additional opportunities outside the department?
5) Are the schools placing in schools you'd be happy in? Getting accepted into a highly ranked school might help your job prospects in some of the better known schools. However, 90 percent of schools aren't considered R1 schools. Schools that focus on teaching make up the majority of universities doing the hiring and they care more about your teaching record than they do about what school you graduated from or about your publication history. (This isn't to say that either group doesn't care about the other at all. Rather, they just weigh thinks differently. Some schools worry that graduates of "elite programs" will leave their school as soon as another opening happens elsewhere.)

I think this is really important to note. Equally important is that the college you graduate from determines your initial placement. Afterwards, it depends more on the reputation that you've built as a scholar and/or professor. It's often difficult to transition from a teaching-to-research school because the schools have different objectives they consider to be important. 

I did not choose the "most prestigious" program I got accepted into last year. I chose to go somewhere where I felt I could grow and be happy. I chose the environment and department which I felt would allow me to grow my potential and one where I felt that there were several people that I would work very well with. In order to produce the best work, I felt there were several important factors to consider.

1) Living arrangements: Can I afford a 1 or 2 bedroom based on my stipend without needing to live with roommates?  How far/close do I want to be to campus?
2) Do I feel the campus/city is bikeable/walkable? 
3) How do I feel about the department as a whole? Are there multiple people I see myself being able to work with?
4) Are there additional opportunities outside the department?
5) Are the schools placing in schools you'd be happy in? Getting accepted into a highly ranked school might help your job prospects in some of the better known schools. However, 90 percent of schools aren't considered R1 schools. Schools that focus on teaching make up the majority of universities doing the hiring and they care more about your teaching record than they do about what school you graduated from or about your publication history. (This isn't to say that either group doesn't care about the other at all. Rather, they just weigh thinks differently. Some schools worry that graduates of "elite programs" will leave their school as soon as another opening happens elsewhere.)

I did not choose the "most prestigious" program I got accepted into last year. I chose to go somewhere where I felt I could grow and be happy. I chose the environment and department which I felt would allow me to grow my potential and one where I felt that there were several people that I would work very well with. In order to produce the best work, I felt there were several important factors to consider.

1) Living arrangements: Can I afford a 1 or 2 bedroom based on my stipend without needing to live with roommates?  How far/close do I want to be to campus?
2) Do I feel the campus/city is bikeable/walkable? 
3) How do I feel about the department as a whole? Are there multiple people I see myself being able to work with?
4) Are there additional opportunities outside the department?
5) Are the schools placing in schools you'd be happy in? Getting accepted into a highly ranked school might help your job prospects in some of the better known schools. However, 90 percent of schools aren't considered R1 schools. Schools that focus on teaching make up the majority of universities doing the hiring and they care more about your teaching record than they do about what school you graduated from or about your publication history. (This isn't to say that either group doesn't care about the other at all. Rather, they just weigh thinks differently. Some schools worry that graduates of "elite programs" will leave their school as soon as another opening happens elsewhere.)

Dallas bound y’all!

Off CUNY's waitlist :') 

CONGRATULATIONS! I hope the funding works out for you.

I'd also like to stress that there's also a chance that you will even get accepted to the same school the following year.
 
There are way too many factors to consider here. How recent are the placements? Are students refusing to take on certain tenure-track positions because they want to stay in their city or closeby due to family or culture? Some students choose to stay in their city even if the job is "lesser" because they really enjoy the feel of the city. Others choose to stay because they like the affordability of where they're living and/or starting a family makes going to the job market a bigger challenge. Some professors within universities really stress R1 universities and might not know as much about teaching-focused institutions. Small note here: Non R1 universities account for around 90 percent of schools and as such make up the majority of hiring. Teaching experience is often more important than research experience for them.

GOT INTO THE VILLANOVA MA! Funding pending, but I am OVER THE MOON! 

There are some universities that have rules that state you can only apply to one program per cycle. As a precaution, I'd check with the Graduate School to make sure it's something they allow.

I think this is really important to note. Equally important is that the college you graduate from determines your initial placement. Afterwards, it depends more on the reputation that you've built as a scholar and/or professor. It's often difficult to transition from a teaching-to-research school because the schools have different objectives they consider to be important. 

I'd also like to stress that there's also a chance that you will even get accepted to the same school the following year.
 
There are way too many factors to consider here. How recent are the placements? Are students refusing to take on certain tenure-track positions because they want to stay in their city or closeby due to family or culture? Some students choose to stay in their city even if the job is "lesser" because they really enjoy the feel of the city. Others choose to stay because they like the affordability of where they're living and/or starting a family makes going to the job market a bigger challenge. Some professors within universities really stress R1 universities and might not know as much about teaching-focused institutions. Small note here: Non R1 universities account for around 90 percent of schools and as such make up the majority of hiring. Teaching experience is often more important than research experience for them.

I think this is really important to note. Equally important is that the college you graduate from determines your initial placement. Afterwards, it depends more on the reputation that you've built as a scholar and/or professor. It's often difficult to transition from a teaching-to-research school because the schools have different objectives they consider to be important. 

FWIW: The unsubsidized Graduate direct student loan rate was 6.6 percent in 2018-2019. There are no subsidized loans for Graduate Students.

Let's assume you decide to go to this unfunded program and take out a total of 60,000 for tuition and living expenses. Let's also assume that you can't afford to pay any of this loan back while in school because you're focused on writing great papers and developing deeper connections with your professors. You finish your 1-year program and take a gap year while working  at a new job and paying for applications.

After the deferment period of 12 months, the new loan balance is $64,059.09 , including $4,059.09 in accrued interest.

Let's suppose you manage to make interest-only payments during your gap year. You work hard;  save up money for grad applications and get accepted into a Ph.D. program. Your stipend isn't high enough to cover payments though so you defer.
 
After the deferment period of 72 months, the new loan balance is $88,864.53 , including $28,864.53 in accrued interest.
Without the interest capitalization there would have been 120 payments of $684.34 , for a total payment of $82,120.80 (including a total of $22,120.80 in interest) plus an additional $23,760.00 in interest paid during the deferment period.
With the interest capitalization there are 120 payments of $1,013.57 , for a total payment of $121,628.40 (including a total of $32,763.87 in interest plus $28,864.53 in interest accrued during the deferment period).

But: I will pay that off in 25 years, you say.

Without the interest capitalization there would have been 300 payments of $408.88 , for a total payment of $122,664.00 (including a total of $62,664.00 in interest) plus an additional $23,760.00 in interest paid during the deferment period.
With the interest capitalization there are 300 payments of $605.58 , for a total payment of $181,674.00 (including a total of $92,809.47 in interest plus $28,864.53 in interest accrued during the deferment period).

(Information grabbed from FinAid's calculator)

Costs not covered: Conferences, Moving Expenses, Emergencies,  Private loans if unable to find work, etc.

 

100 is actually pretty very big for a class. 15 students per program is actually considered huge for most programs. Most programs also have to accept 1.5 - 3x as many students to obtain their target class size. I imagine that the number is significantly higher for unfunded programs.  When I was an undergrad, everyone I knew that applied to Chicago was offered a spot in their MAPH program. As far as I'm aware today, the only people who aren't offered referred to the MAPH program are those who have a master's in the program they originally applied to. Because the program is not fully funded, I imagine the number of acceptances is somewhere between 500-1,500. 
 
You're making this sound as if only a MAPH degree from Chicago would get you noticed to get an adjunct job. I can assure you that there are plenty of adjuncts who have obtained their Master's degree elsewhere and have been offered similiar positions.
 
There are ways to stay in academia without adjuncting and without MAPH. I think @punctilious' story does a great job in explaining the success her husband has had. I'm also convinced that @punctilious' husband could have pursued work as a private tutor or writing consultant if he were interested.
 
I think most programs are aware that sometimes life happens. I don't think a program is going to fault you for having to tend to any of life's emergencies. Most people are aware that there are certain things that we have no control over. I also think that it depends on how you handle things. That Starbucks job you had during the summer? You learned how to work in a fast-paced environment, learned the importance of service and how to serve a large diverse group of individuals. Summer spent copyediting? You learned the importance of maintaining deadlines and the true importance of grammar. 
 
FWIW, If I were on the adcomm and I received an application like this, I'd flag the application for interest. I'd be curious to know more about you. I'd want to know about how certain yoga techniques would influence your writing and how it might impact the way you approach thinking and teaching writing in the classroom. I'd also be more interested because I know you must have a lot of experience in time management to ensure that you were able to accomplish everything you did. Your experience as a waitress would also intrigue me because this would show that you have a lot of experience in dealing with a large diverse set of people (some who may have little to no respect for you as a server) and it would also showcase to me that you've had your downs and will do anything to make ends meet. I think that would show that you're willing to do anything to reach your end goal and I think that would make an adcomm more interested in learning about you.

I'd like to echo the defense for taking a break from academia. In fact, programs in foreign language literature typically have students who took time off university -- perhaps living in France, Italy, working at a high school teaching English (very common), in a bar, in a café, in a summer camp, etc. It is an important part of our formation. It is rather unusual to go into a foreign language literature PhD immediately after college. Very few do it, and even those who do wish they had spent time abroad. 
I think people are aware of what you mean by 100 students, @MetaphysicalDrama. Aren't these students allowed to take whatever courses they want within the humanities, though? This would make this "divisions" between departments more fluid... It also doesn't really change @Warelin's logic, which is solid, esp. about the "selectivity." I attend a "top" school with no equivalent of MAPH. My courses are way smaller than those at Chicago (from what PhD students tell me) -- I've taken courses with 2-9 students, while Chicago grad courses are 15-20 or more. It really affects the classroom experience for everybody, and affects any one person's ability to develop a relationship with the professor.
If PhD admissions are a crapshoot, then attending Chicago's MAPH program to better your chances for admission is pointless. It would be better to improve your profile by attending a funded MA program and writing, publishing, and doing good work generally--and just hoping for the best. Why pay, especially since the 'famous' faculty whose recommendations help with admission -- don't end up writing a letter for you? Why go into debt for an overpriced program (unless you are privileged to complete the program without debt)?

Yes! Thank you for this encouragement. It's like the Sanskrit saying "sarvam annam"--"everything is food." All experiences offer nourishment, all experiences give us something, all experiences contribute to the cycles of our lives in one way or another. Even negative experiences have things to teach us (have DEFINITELY been learning that in the shutout), and like your post really demonstrates, all experiences (even non-academic ones) can teach us things about ourselves as scholars and as people. It's all about your perspective. 

100 is actually pretty very big for a class. 15 students per program is actually considered huge for most programs. Most programs also have to accept 1.5 - 3x as many students to obtain their target class size. I imagine that the number is significantly higher for unfunded programs.  When I was an undergrad, everyone I knew that applied to Chicago was offered a spot in their MAPH program. As far as I'm aware today, the only people who aren't offered referred to the MAPH program are those who have a master's in the program they originally applied to. Because the program is not fully funded, I imagine the number of acceptances is somewhere between 500-1,500. 
 
You're making this sound as if only a MAPH degree from Chicago would get you noticed to get an adjunct job. I can assure you that there are plenty of adjuncts who have obtained their Master's degree elsewhere and have been offered similiar positions.
 
There are ways to stay in academia without adjuncting and without MAPH. I think @punctilious' story does a great job in explaining the success her husband has had. I'm also convinced that @punctilious' husband could have pursued work as a private tutor or writing consultant if he were interested.
 
I think most programs are aware that sometimes life happens. I don't think a program is going to fault you for having to tend to any of life's emergencies. Most people are aware that there are certain things that we have no control over. I also think that it depends on how you handle things. That Starbucks job you had during the summer? You learned how to work in a fast-paced environment, learned the importance of service and how to serve a large diverse group of individuals. Summer spent copyediting? You learned the importance of maintaining deadlines and the true importance of grammar. 
 
FWIW, If I were on the adcomm and I received an application like this, I'd flag the application for interest. I'd be curious to know more about you. I'd want to know about how certain yoga techniques would influence your writing and how it might impact the way you approach thinking and teaching writing in the classroom. I'd also be more interested because I know you must have a lot of experience in time management to ensure that you were able to accomplish everything you did. Your experience as a waitress would also intrigue me because this would show that you have a lot of experience in dealing with a large diverse set of people (some who may have little to no respect for you as a server) and it would also showcase to me that you've had your downs and will do anything to make ends meet. I think that would show that you're willing to do anything to reach your end goal and I think that would make an adcomm more interested in learning about you.

100 is actually pretty very big for a class. 15 students per program is actually considered huge for most programs. Most programs also have to accept 1.5 - 3x as many students to obtain their target class size. I imagine that the number is significantly higher for unfunded programs.  When I was an undergrad, everyone I knew that applied to Chicago was offered a spot in their MAPH program. As far as I'm aware today, the only people who aren't offered referred to the MAPH program are those who have a master's in the program they originally applied to. Because the program is not fully funded, I imagine the number of acceptances is somewhere between 500-1,500. 
 
You're making this sound as if only a MAPH degree from Chicago would get you noticed to get an adjunct job. I can assure you that there are plenty of adjuncts who have obtained their Master's degree elsewhere and have been offered similiar positions.
 
There are ways to stay in academia without adjuncting and without MAPH. I think @punctilious' story does a great job in explaining the success her husband has had. I'm also convinced that @punctilious' husband could have pursued work as a private tutor or writing consultant if he were interested.
 
I think most programs are aware that sometimes life happens. I don't think a program is going to fault you for having to tend to any of life's emergencies. Most people are aware that there are certain things that we have no control over. I also think that it depends on how you handle things. That Starbucks job you had during the summer? You learned how to work in a fast-paced environment, learned the importance of service and how to serve a large diverse group of individuals. Summer spent copyediting? You learned the importance of maintaining deadlines and the true importance of grammar. 
 
FWIW, If I were on the adcomm and I received an application like this, I'd flag the application for interest. I'd be curious to know more about you. I'd want to know about how certain yoga techniques would influence your writing and how it might impact the way you approach thinking and teaching writing in the classroom. I'd also be more interested because I know you must have a lot of experience in time management to ensure that you were able to accomplish everything you did. Your experience as a waitress would also intrigue me because this would show that you have a lot of experience in dealing with a large diverse set of people (some who may have little to no respect for you as a server) and it would also showcase to me that you've had your downs and will do anything to make ends meet. I think that would show that you're willing to do anything to reach your end goal and I think that would make an adcomm more interested in learning about you.

I think this is a bit unfair. Husband took two years between undergrad and his PhD to work a non-academic job and, yes, read and write. He chose not to attend any of the MA programs he got into during that time (Trinity College Dublin, Edinburgh, and Cambridge) because they didn't provide funding. I think it is absolutely helpful that he took the time to read, refine his research interests, and write (getting some book review & short story publications). I do not think whatsoever that it "didn't look good" on his CV, and instead of spending a ton of money on an MA, we saved money and he's now at Harvard for his PhD...

I've never heard of any school reimbursing you for the amount of money you spent on the GRE. I would advise against asking for reimbursement as this is not something that is typically seen as eligible for reimbursement purposes.

This! (But only the ones with Mary Berry)
 
What kind of photography do you enjoy shooting?

There are some universities that have rules that state you can only apply to one program per cycle. As a precaution, I'd check with the Graduate School to make sure it's something they allow.