orphic_mel528

I can give you some advice as to the matter of your threatened eviction. I was a social worker for 10 years and worked at my (then) county's legal aid office.
What housing is threatening you with is both illegal and prejudicial. Your daughter's diagnosed, documented psychiatric conditions may qualify her for APD benefits, if she does not receive those already. Even if she does not qualify for APD benefits, you cannot evict someone as a result of behaviors that stem from a psychiatric illness. That is a violation of the Fair Housing Act, which you can read here: https://www.justice.gov/crt/fair-housing-act-1.
You can afford to lawyer up; here's how: contact your local legal aid office. Their whole existence is based on the fact that people without a lot of financial means need legal services, too. Call them, complete the intake process, attend your appointment, and they will be able to help you with this. 
I have to echo Eigen's remarks: end-of-year or mid-program reviews aren't designed to make you feel good. They don't have to say anything positive about you at all, although many professors or advisors do. The criticism isn't personal and isn't a sign of your being "unwelcome;" it's standard criticism given by mentors whose job it is to prepare you for a career in academia. 
You certainly don't have to answer this question publicly, but it sounds to me like you are under an enormous amount of stress between being a graduate student and a working mother of multiple children, including one with severe psychiatric illness. So my (rhetorical) question is, how are you? Are you receiving any treatment or support for anxiety? Perhaps it would be good to access some support in that aspect.
Please send me a PM if you need any help or have any questions about accessing legal services. I'm happy to do what I can for you.

I can give you some advice as to the matter of your threatened eviction. I was a social worker for 10 years and worked at my (then) county's legal aid office.
What housing is threatening you with is both illegal and prejudicial. Your daughter's diagnosed, documented psychiatric conditions may qualify her for APD benefits, if she does not receive those already. Even if she does not qualify for APD benefits, you cannot evict someone as a result of behaviors that stem from a psychiatric illness. That is a violation of the Fair Housing Act, which you can read here: https://www.justice.gov/crt/fair-housing-act-1.
You can afford to lawyer up; here's how: contact your local legal aid office. Their whole existence is based on the fact that people without a lot of financial means need legal services, too. Call them, complete the intake process, attend your appointment, and they will be able to help you with this. 
I have to echo Eigen's remarks: end-of-year or mid-program reviews aren't designed to make you feel good. They don't have to say anything positive about you at all, although many professors or advisors do. The criticism isn't personal and isn't a sign of your being "unwelcome;" it's standard criticism given by mentors whose job it is to prepare you for a career in academia. 
You certainly don't have to answer this question publicly, but it sounds to me like you are under an enormous amount of stress between being a graduate student and a working mother of multiple children, including one with severe psychiatric illness. So my (rhetorical) question is, how are you? Are you receiving any treatment or support for anxiety? Perhaps it would be good to access some support in that aspect.
Please send me a PM if you need any help or have any questions about accessing legal services. I'm happy to do what I can for you.

Just being frank: no English admissions committee that I know of is going to accept a multimedia essay. Not even programs with strong interdisciplinary mindsets.
The reasons for this are many, but not particularly pertinent to explain because you're not going to get around it. Admissions requirements are what they are because ad coms are comprised of very, very busy people, hence the word limits and strict formatting guidelines. Moreover, they have to standardize the process so that students are judged on as much of an equal footing as possible. If multimedia presentations were desired, they would require it of all students. English programs are primarily concerned with whether you have a strong and specific focus and whether you can appropriately articulate yourself in writing.   
If you are very strongly predisposed to a multimedia approach, I would take that as a sign that you should focus on media studies programs rather than English.  

I can give you some advice as to the matter of your threatened eviction. I was a social worker for 10 years and worked at my (then) county's legal aid office.
What housing is threatening you with is both illegal and prejudicial. Your daughter's diagnosed, documented psychiatric conditions may qualify her for APD benefits, if she does not receive those already. Even if she does not qualify for APD benefits, you cannot evict someone as a result of behaviors that stem from a psychiatric illness. That is a violation of the Fair Housing Act, which you can read here: https://www.justice.gov/crt/fair-housing-act-1.
You can afford to lawyer up; here's how: contact your local legal aid office. Their whole existence is based on the fact that people without a lot of financial means need legal services, too. Call them, complete the intake process, attend your appointment, and they will be able to help you with this. 
I have to echo Eigen's remarks: end-of-year or mid-program reviews aren't designed to make you feel good. They don't have to say anything positive about you at all, although many professors or advisors do. The criticism isn't personal and isn't a sign of your being "unwelcome;" it's standard criticism given by mentors whose job it is to prepare you for a career in academia. 
You certainly don't have to answer this question publicly, but it sounds to me like you are under an enormous amount of stress between being a graduate student and a working mother of multiple children, including one with severe psychiatric illness. So my (rhetorical) question is, how are you? Are you receiving any treatment or support for anxiety? Perhaps it would be good to access some support in that aspect.
Please send me a PM if you need any help or have any questions about accessing legal services. I'm happy to do what I can for you.

I can give you some advice as to the matter of your threatened eviction. I was a social worker for 10 years and worked at my (then) county's legal aid office.
What housing is threatening you with is both illegal and prejudicial. Your daughter's diagnosed, documented psychiatric conditions may qualify her for APD benefits, if she does not receive those already. Even if she does not qualify for APD benefits, you cannot evict someone as a result of behaviors that stem from a psychiatric illness. That is a violation of the Fair Housing Act, which you can read here: https://www.justice.gov/crt/fair-housing-act-1.
You can afford to lawyer up; here's how: contact your local legal aid office. Their whole existence is based on the fact that people without a lot of financial means need legal services, too. Call them, complete the intake process, attend your appointment, and they will be able to help you with this. 
I have to echo Eigen's remarks: end-of-year or mid-program reviews aren't designed to make you feel good. They don't have to say anything positive about you at all, although many professors or advisors do. The criticism isn't personal and isn't a sign of your being "unwelcome;" it's standard criticism given by mentors whose job it is to prepare you for a career in academia. 
You certainly don't have to answer this question publicly, but it sounds to me like you are under an enormous amount of stress between being a graduate student and a working mother of multiple children, including one with severe psychiatric illness. So my (rhetorical) question is, how are you? Are you receiving any treatment or support for anxiety? Perhaps it would be good to access some support in that aspect.
Please send me a PM if you need any help or have any questions about accessing legal services. I'm happy to do what I can for you.

I can give you some advice as to the matter of your threatened eviction. I was a social worker for 10 years and worked at my (then) county's legal aid office.
What housing is threatening you with is both illegal and prejudicial. Your daughter's diagnosed, documented psychiatric conditions may qualify her for APD benefits, if she does not receive those already. Even if she does not qualify for APD benefits, you cannot evict someone as a result of behaviors that stem from a psychiatric illness. That is a violation of the Fair Housing Act, which you can read here: https://www.justice.gov/crt/fair-housing-act-1.
You can afford to lawyer up; here's how: contact your local legal aid office. Their whole existence is based on the fact that people without a lot of financial means need legal services, too. Call them, complete the intake process, attend your appointment, and they will be able to help you with this. 
I have to echo Eigen's remarks: end-of-year or mid-program reviews aren't designed to make you feel good. They don't have to say anything positive about you at all, although many professors or advisors do. The criticism isn't personal and isn't a sign of your being "unwelcome;" it's standard criticism given by mentors whose job it is to prepare you for a career in academia. 
You certainly don't have to answer this question publicly, but it sounds to me like you are under an enormous amount of stress between being a graduate student and a working mother of multiple children, including one with severe psychiatric illness. So my (rhetorical) question is, how are you? Are you receiving any treatment or support for anxiety? Perhaps it would be good to access some support in that aspect.
Please send me a PM if you need any help or have any questions about accessing legal services. I'm happy to do what I can for you.

I can give you some advice as to the matter of your threatened eviction. I was a social worker for 10 years and worked at my (then) county's legal aid office.
What housing is threatening you with is both illegal and prejudicial. Your daughter's diagnosed, documented psychiatric conditions may qualify her for APD benefits, if she does not receive those already. Even if she does not qualify for APD benefits, you cannot evict someone as a result of behaviors that stem from a psychiatric illness. That is a violation of the Fair Housing Act, which you can read here: https://www.justice.gov/crt/fair-housing-act-1.
You can afford to lawyer up; here's how: contact your local legal aid office. Their whole existence is based on the fact that people without a lot of financial means need legal services, too. Call them, complete the intake process, attend your appointment, and they will be able to help you with this. 
I have to echo Eigen's remarks: end-of-year or mid-program reviews aren't designed to make you feel good. They don't have to say anything positive about you at all, although many professors or advisors do. The criticism isn't personal and isn't a sign of your being "unwelcome;" it's standard criticism given by mentors whose job it is to prepare you for a career in academia. 
You certainly don't have to answer this question publicly, but it sounds to me like you are under an enormous amount of stress between being a graduate student and a working mother of multiple children, including one with severe psychiatric illness. So my (rhetorical) question is, how are you? Are you receiving any treatment or support for anxiety? Perhaps it would be good to access some support in that aspect.
Please send me a PM if you need any help or have any questions about accessing legal services. I'm happy to do what I can for you.

I can give you some advice as to the matter of your threatened eviction. I was a social worker for 10 years and worked at my (then) county's legal aid office.
What housing is threatening you with is both illegal and prejudicial. Your daughter's diagnosed, documented psychiatric conditions may qualify her for APD benefits, if she does not receive those already. Even if she does not qualify for APD benefits, you cannot evict someone as a result of behaviors that stem from a psychiatric illness. That is a violation of the Fair Housing Act, which you can read here: https://www.justice.gov/crt/fair-housing-act-1.
You can afford to lawyer up; here's how: contact your local legal aid office. Their whole existence is based on the fact that people without a lot of financial means need legal services, too. Call them, complete the intake process, attend your appointment, and they will be able to help you with this. 
I have to echo Eigen's remarks: end-of-year or mid-program reviews aren't designed to make you feel good. They don't have to say anything positive about you at all, although many professors or advisors do. The criticism isn't personal and isn't a sign of your being "unwelcome;" it's standard criticism given by mentors whose job it is to prepare you for a career in academia. 
You certainly don't have to answer this question publicly, but it sounds to me like you are under an enormous amount of stress between being a graduate student and a working mother of multiple children, including one with severe psychiatric illness. So my (rhetorical) question is, how are you? Are you receiving any treatment or support for anxiety? Perhaps it would be good to access some support in that aspect.
Please send me a PM if you need any help or have any questions about accessing legal services. I'm happy to do what I can for you.

I can give you some advice as to the matter of your threatened eviction. I was a social worker for 10 years and worked at my (then) county's legal aid office.
What housing is threatening you with is both illegal and prejudicial. Your daughter's diagnosed, documented psychiatric conditions may qualify her for APD benefits, if she does not receive those already. Even if she does not qualify for APD benefits, you cannot evict someone as a result of behaviors that stem from a psychiatric illness. That is a violation of the Fair Housing Act, which you can read here: https://www.justice.gov/crt/fair-housing-act-1.
You can afford to lawyer up; here's how: contact your local legal aid office. Their whole existence is based on the fact that people without a lot of financial means need legal services, too. Call them, complete the intake process, attend your appointment, and they will be able to help you with this. 
I have to echo Eigen's remarks: end-of-year or mid-program reviews aren't designed to make you feel good. They don't have to say anything positive about you at all, although many professors or advisors do. The criticism isn't personal and isn't a sign of your being "unwelcome;" it's standard criticism given by mentors whose job it is to prepare you for a career in academia. 
You certainly don't have to answer this question publicly, but it sounds to me like you are under an enormous amount of stress between being a graduate student and a working mother of multiple children, including one with severe psychiatric illness. So my (rhetorical) question is, how are you? Are you receiving any treatment or support for anxiety? Perhaps it would be good to access some support in that aspect.
Please send me a PM if you need any help or have any questions about accessing legal services. I'm happy to do what I can for you.

I can give you some advice as to the matter of your threatened eviction. I was a social worker for 10 years and worked at my (then) county's legal aid office.
What housing is threatening you with is both illegal and prejudicial. Your daughter's diagnosed, documented psychiatric conditions may qualify her for APD benefits, if she does not receive those already. Even if she does not qualify for APD benefits, you cannot evict someone as a result of behaviors that stem from a psychiatric illness. That is a violation of the Fair Housing Act, which you can read here: https://www.justice.gov/crt/fair-housing-act-1.
You can afford to lawyer up; here's how: contact your local legal aid office. Their whole existence is based on the fact that people without a lot of financial means need legal services, too. Call them, complete the intake process, attend your appointment, and they will be able to help you with this. 
I have to echo Eigen's remarks: end-of-year or mid-program reviews aren't designed to make you feel good. They don't have to say anything positive about you at all, although many professors or advisors do. The criticism isn't personal and isn't a sign of your being "unwelcome;" it's standard criticism given by mentors whose job it is to prepare you for a career in academia. 
You certainly don't have to answer this question publicly, but it sounds to me like you are under an enormous amount of stress between being a graduate student and a working mother of multiple children, including one with severe psychiatric illness. So my (rhetorical) question is, how are you? Are you receiving any treatment or support for anxiety? Perhaps it would be good to access some support in that aspect.
Please send me a PM if you need any help or have any questions about accessing legal services. I'm happy to do what I can for you.

I can give you some advice as to the matter of your threatened eviction. I was a social worker for 10 years and worked at my (then) county's legal aid office.
What housing is threatening you with is both illegal and prejudicial. Your daughter's diagnosed, documented psychiatric conditions may qualify her for APD benefits, if she does not receive those already. Even if she does not qualify for APD benefits, you cannot evict someone as a result of behaviors that stem from a psychiatric illness. That is a violation of the Fair Housing Act, which you can read here: https://www.justice.gov/crt/fair-housing-act-1.
You can afford to lawyer up; here's how: contact your local legal aid office. Their whole existence is based on the fact that people without a lot of financial means need legal services, too. Call them, complete the intake process, attend your appointment, and they will be able to help you with this. 
I have to echo Eigen's remarks: end-of-year or mid-program reviews aren't designed to make you feel good. They don't have to say anything positive about you at all, although many professors or advisors do. The criticism isn't personal and isn't a sign of your being "unwelcome;" it's standard criticism given by mentors whose job it is to prepare you for a career in academia. 
You certainly don't have to answer this question publicly, but it sounds to me like you are under an enormous amount of stress between being a graduate student and a working mother of multiple children, including one with severe psychiatric illness. So my (rhetorical) question is, how are you? Are you receiving any treatment or support for anxiety? Perhaps it would be good to access some support in that aspect.
Please send me a PM if you need any help or have any questions about accessing legal services. I'm happy to do what I can for you.

I would not accept an offer of admission from this program based on the factors you've mentioned. 
As to your question about the MA: if you can, I would definitely do it in the US if you plan to pursue the PhD in the US. For your situation, I suggest finding an MA/PhD program, where one leads directly into the other.

Just being frank: no English admissions committee that I know of is going to accept a multimedia essay. Not even programs with strong interdisciplinary mindsets.
The reasons for this are many, but not particularly pertinent to explain because you're not going to get around it. Admissions requirements are what they are because ad coms are comprised of very, very busy people, hence the word limits and strict formatting guidelines. Moreover, they have to standardize the process so that students are judged on as much of an equal footing as possible. If multimedia presentations were desired, they would require it of all students. English programs are primarily concerned with whether you have a strong and specific focus and whether you can appropriately articulate yourself in writing.   
If you are very strongly predisposed to a multimedia approach, I would take that as a sign that you should focus on media studies programs rather than English.  

My bachelor's degree is in psychology, while my MA is in literature. I wouldn't say the learning curve is steep, but there is one, and some might consider it more or less steep, depending on who you are. Anyway, my first semester was spent catching up. I was in a room full of people who threw around theory like it was nothing, while I had no idea who Derrida was, much less how to apply him to literature. Fortunately, I caught on quickly, and I reached out to professors who were happy to suggest extra reading for me to help me catch up to my classmates' breadth of knowledge. 
I guess the point is that like most things, some people might find it harder than others, but it's certainly not impossible. 

Really good point. Your discussion of race could be reframed toward classism, i.e. white elite or white "trash"; plenty of discussion of that to be found in contemporary American lit. My writing sample for my MA discussed this, in fact.

Ah ha! Thank you!

Have to ask a silly question: I've seen the usage of 1/1 or 2/2 before. What does that refer to? Like one section of one subject, ex. you teach 1 section of Comp 1? 
Thanks in advance to whoever replies.

I think we agree more than you think we might agree

Yes yes! So exciting!

@FeetInTheSky @tvethiopia See you both there, although not in R/C. Can't believe there's no one else here from the lit PhD cohort. 

I had a ton of Milton on mine, and a lot of contemporary poetry. 

I had a ton of Milton on mine, and a lot of contemporary poetry. 

For those of us who have accepted offers: Is anyone else wondering what happens now? I'm not afraid to look clueless.
When do I sign up for classes? If I want to submit a proposal syllabi for independent study, when do I do that? How do I do that? Who do I give it to? 
I assume once the April 15 deadline passes, we're all going to be getting a lot of info, so maybe a better question to any of you lurking "already in the midst of my PhD" people is: what should we all expect in the first month?
 

I grew up in the northeast--in a small/sad town that enjoyed a "real" winter, so I might be biased, but the 1/1 load sounds a lot better than a 2/2 load. Also, I've spent the last 5 years in Kentucky (where Gov. Bevin attempted to cut university funding MID-FISCAL year). I am thrilled to be getting out of a political climate where higher education is constantly under siege. The danger to HE in states like Kentucky, Wisconson, and other states with governors who want to run HE like a business is very real. I'd go to the New England school. 

I'm an old married lady, so my considerations about living arrangements are a bit different. Thank you for the info on independent study and the rest, though!
@Old Bill: I think Stephen King overlooked the inherent horror of my father, Prune Man, when he wrote "It." 
"Georgie looked down into the sewer drain, desperately hoping for a glimpse of his lost boat, and was surprised to find a man grinning up at him with a soulless but not unkind expression.
"HIYA, Georgie! Do ya like prunes?!"
"Do they taste good?!"
"Of course they taste good, Georgie! There's a lot of flavor in that glass! There's a lot of flavor in ALL THE GLASSES DOWN HERE!"