ratanegra19

That's so cool! Congratulations--it's a kickass program!

Hey, where there's precedent there's hope! Thanks, Steve

Does anyone have info on UCLA? I emailed the DGS last week, but all he could tell me is that there are 12 people on the waitlist, that the waitlist works in terms of maintaining field distribution rather than a ranked list, and that very few people have made a decision one way or another at this point. I'm pretty much sold on Santa Barbara, but turning down a funded offer from UCLA (if I end up getting it) would truly be madness.

Unless UCLA pulls a rabbit out of its hat and I get off the waitlist, I've decided on UC Santa Barbara! UCSB is a great program with friendly people, awesome faculty, and is actually committed to interdisciplinary amalgamations (as opposed to just saying that to seem hip). They've offered me great funding, and it's also a gorgeous campus right on the water. Bike-friendly, and I wouldn't have to deal with any real kind of "winter" for at least half a decade! Since UCLA is practically a public Ivy, it would be silly to turn them down if they gave me a shot--however, for my own peace of mind, I'll wait a week and then just take myself off the waitlist--butting up THAT close against the deadline isn't worth it when I already have a bird in the hand. Everything about this application season has culminated in a kind of vindication one rarely receives in academia, and I'm basking in it

Thanks, same to you!

Sorry not to see you at UCSB in the Fall, but I'm sure you'll be super happy at Davis--it was great to meet you IRL! @Joasia0429, I was also at the Recruitment Day for IU. It was very big and impressive, and I actually really liked Bloomington. The cohort was great, and the faculty were solid. Like @positivitize said, it's actually a mind-bogglingly big school, too. However, I feel like my other choice (Santa Barbara) is a better fit for me overall, so I will be turning down my funded offer from IU today or tomorrow. IDK how their waitlist works (if it's in terms of strong candidates or if they're trying to maintain a certain field distribution--I'm 20th/21st century American, emphasis in cognitive approaches to literature), but I'm crossing my fingers that maybe you can receive my offer!

Hoo boy...I leave the thread for a couple of hours, and this is what I come back to! Humanities people are crazy

Rhet/Comp or Lit? I have a buddy who just officially accepted for Rhet/Comp, and the way I understand it they only accept about 2 ppl per year--of course, she could have been exaggerating about that number...

Holy crap, I was gonna say... From the context of the letter above, though, I'd say they probably mean the WHOLE Grad School of Arts and Sciences. I hope. Otherwise there is no hope for any of us, ever.

Dude! That's awesome. I was accepted there too--PM me if you're going to the visitor's day, so that I'll be able to talk to at least one person there

Thanks for the info! I'm also in this position, though I'm leaning toward the two "in the hand" offers I have--just because I don't want to stress over something that may never happen. Still, good to know!

I just got my rejection from Michigan yesterday via email--I know they sent out a bunch of waitlist offers like two weeks ago, so unfortunately you'll probably be hearing the bad news soon, too.

I'm in a similar situation right now. I can't tell you exactly how to negotiate--department cultures are very different in this regard, and how much money they have to throw around varies widely regardless of quality. What I CAN tell you, however, is what my advisors told me: go and visit both before making a decision and/or negotiating. The thing is, no matter what the funding offer actually entails (assuming they've offered the full package), whether or not you gel with the cohort culture is key to both your success and happiness. This is the next 6-10 years of your life! A number of my professors tell me that when they were students, they were actually leaning toward other schools before their own visit. The way they were received, however, sealed the deal. No matter how "good" the school is, you really have to ask yourself whether or not your personality, research interests, and way of being fit in with what you see when you visit. True, they'll be rolling out the red carpet for you--but talking to other grad students usually helps you "read between the lines" on these matters. Worse case scenario--getting in debt sucks, but taking out a couple thousand per semester in Stafford loans (assuming you don't have quite enough to live comfortably on) in the first couple of years (before you can apply for fellowships) is a much better idea than being thoroughly miserable in a place where the stipend goes further. That being said, sometimes negotiation indeed works--but why waste all that time and energy, as well as risking the disfavor of the DGS and the department, on negotiating for an offer you might not even end up accepting?

Yeah, I just got a rejection letter in the mail today. Bummer (I wanted to live in MA), but it's been an implied rejection for like, a month now.

From what I've heard and read (unless they've changed recently) is that they only fund about half the students. Funding is certainly available, but they seem to have the notion that competition for funding is good for students' success :/ UW is a good school, and some of my professors at WWU went there--they just seem to have an uber-competitive cohort culture that I'm not really down with. That's one reason I didn't apply. Still, here's crossing my fingers for you! Who knows--you may very well be offered funding