mouthfulofstars

Hi all! I'm currently in an MA in English program with a concentration in Cultural Studies. I'll be graduating in Spring 2019, so I'm preparing to apply for Fall 2019 PhD programs now. My research interests include gender, women, and sexuality studies and 21st Century comics, animation, and visual rhetoric. For my PhD, I'm hoping to examine gender performance in animation. At the moment, I'm interested in the University of Florida, the University of Texas at Austin, Ohio State, Michigan State, and UC Davis. Can anyone speak to these programs and/or recommend additional programs with faculty in my area(s)? As it is, I'm coming across plenty of GWSS and visual rhetoric faculty, but they aren't typically looking at the same time period I am. Would this be an issue? Thank you!

Anyone have any news regarding the University of Miami's PhD program? I unexpectedly got waitlisted by them today and they're looking like my only (potential) option to go straight to a PhD.

Thank you so much for your reply! PMing you now.

This thread is everything I've been thinking about lately. I've been quite unexpectedly lucky in my applications this year and now that I'm trying to make a decision, I'm feeling incredibly frustrated, anxious, and worried. A lot of the schools that accepted me are immediately out because the funding offers are far too low when you factor in university fees. I accrued a lot of debt in my undergrad years, so there's no way I'm going for more loans. I'd finally figured out that KSU was my top choice (good stipend plus an additional scholarship, low university fees, great professors who have shown a lot of interest me) and I actually placed a deposit on a graduate apartment, which is itself an incredibly good deal. Then, my funding offer from FSU came through and it's unexpectedly high. Even though I don't think it's as good of a fit, it's still a great offer and it's in-state, which means I would be only three hours from my family. I keep having this guilt over saying no to more money, to a good school that's higher ranked (although neither are 'top' rankings, so does it even matter?), and to a place that's so close to my mom. On the other hand, I went an expensive route for undergrad and I don't regret it for a second because I learned so much. Long story short: I am confused!

They just emailed me back and responded with the correct letter, so that's good. I was seriously worried I was mistakenly accepted.

Just got an acceptance to the U of Tennessee MA program. The email said 'Caitlyn,' although my name is Cailin. I figured it was a small mistake and posted my results. Only then did I see that the letter is addressed to Caitlin S____. Again, my name is Cailin R______. Most uncomfortable email I've ever had to reply to.

Just got an email from Northeastern. Rejected from PhD program but accepted to MA program with a Dean's scholarship (which, unfortunately, only grants a 25% tuition waiver). I definitely won't be accepting this offer, as I have some fully funded offers already. Hopefully that means a person on the waitlist (if they have one) will get some good news!

It definitely is! Thank you so much. You've given me a lot to think about.

I got an email last night stating that while I was not admitted to the UMD PhD program, they were happy to offer me a spot in the MA. I'm really interested in UMD and I think their faulty is a good fit for me, but there's no guarantee of funding. They did say that 'most' students find graduate assistantships offering full or partial tuition waivers and stipends, although they aren't necessarily teaching assistantships. That was a bit disappointing to me, as I am very much looking forward to gaining more teaching experience. Meanwhile, I have received three acceptances so far with generous stipends (and additional scholarships from two of the schools), but they aren't as highly ranked as UMD. I also have a lot of debt from my undergrad degree, so it's difficult for me to justify the possibility of plunging myself into further debt. Does anyone have any thoughts about the UMD Master's program? Anyone know how many students get full funding?

Hey all! Not sure why, but the board isn't letting me post a decision at the moment. I just received a rejection from Umich's PhD in English and Women's Literature program. Pretty bummed, but not too surprised. They said they only accepted two people, so here's hoping at least one of them was one of the lovely people on here!

Just saw this in the acceptances thread. Looks like we'll get news regarding the English/Gender Studies program very soon! (And thanks for the info, acidtooth!)

I did the exact same thing! Not for UCLA, but for KSU. I ended up emailing them to say that I attached the wrong SoP and asked if they would accept a new one. They did, but then I got my acceptance the next day, so I don't think anyone got to read the SoP with the fixed name. Honestly, I would not be surprised if UCLA has seen that error before. Submitting applications is really stressful, and I doubt they would write you off for one mistake.

Your research sounds fascinating, and it's really impressive that you're graduating with both BAs! My undergrad degree was in English with Creative Writing, and I really liked the joint aspect of that. Thank you! I'm very pleased to have a couple of choices, although they're obviously from lower tier schools than Umich. I only applied to a couple of top ranking schools and the rest were around the lines of the three I've been accepted by. I was really interested in OSU too, but I ended up not applying. Since my undergrad GPA is only ~3.7 from a UK university, I was anticipating rejection by the top ranking programs. I've been quite worried about the Umich app, especially since I know they only accept two or so people a year. But it doesn't seem like nearly as many people apply for the join programs, so that's something! Maybe (hopefully) we'll both get accepted! Like you said, it's also just nice to hear from someone in the same boat!

Hey! I applied for the joint PhD in English and Women's Studies. It's definitely one of my top choices (if not THE top choice), so I have been ridiculously nervous waiting for a response. What's your area of interest, if you don't mind me asking? I'm interested in the physical representation of women's bodies in 20th/21st Century literature and comics. My writing sample was a piece on the monstrous feminine (and the subsequent abjection and exploitation of female sexuality) in Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Kelly Sue Deconnick's Bitch Planet.

Hi all! I've been accepted to two programs so far: Kansas State and West Virginia University. I know these aren't exactly top ranking programs (although, truthfully, I applied to a lot of lower ranking programs since I only have a ~3.7 UG GPA from a UK uni), but I haven't heard much about them on the forums. Anyone else applied to either MA program?

Thank you all so much! Definitely checking all these out.

I'm applying for both MA and PhD programs in English in Fall 2017. I know a lot of universities say it's important that your interests fit with members of the faculty. I am primarily interested in comics/graphic novels, the relationship between literature and visual art, and feminist writing. I'm having some difficult finding university professors with similar interests (aside from women's literature, which seems pretty popular). Does anyone know of any grad schools that offer specialization in comics and/or visual culture, or that have faculty interested in these topics? So far I've only come up with the University of Florida and the University of Colorado Boulder. Thanks!