positivitize

The value of having a support system so close by is huge. Especially if you suffer from anxiety. As others have said, there's no shame in falling back to the personal when it comes to choosing a fantastic program where you fit over another fantastic program where you fit. If they are both top 20 programs, the job prospects should be what you make them. Say you go to the program with the certificate, but due to stress of a long distance relationship (along with the stress of graduate school), you only publish 85% of the work/attend 85% of the conferences you would have if you went to a program where the long distance stress wasn't there. The more productive you are the better job prospects you'll have. The more stressed you are, (usually) the less productive you'll become. Will the certificate offset 15% less work? Obviously, I've made these numbers up, it's up to you to determine how well you excel in stressful environments. If you think you'll perform equally well at either location, go for the one with the certificate. Also... moving across the country is expensive, both mentally and fiscally. If you want to see your SO at all, you'll probably have to factor in the price of airplane tickets/lost hours at work. I personally would choose the environment where I felt more comfortable, which would be the one where I had access to my supportive SO. Grad school is hard and it's good to have someone outside of the program there for you all the time. I'd choose the NYC program. Source: I've been the SO to a stressed out PhD who did her MA far away from her support system (13 hours) and her PhD fairly close to her support system (4 hours). I've also done long distance for 2 years while attending college.

Me, on Sundays during grad application season.

I spent a week or two playing around with a GRE Vocabulary prep application on my iPhone when I had downtime at my job. I did okay (162) but I don't feel as if the vocabulary app helped much. The Verbal section felt more like a comprehension/speed-reading ability check than a vocabulary check, and I'm not exactly sure what you can do to get better at that, beyond consistently reading, thinking, and writing--especially if you are already familiar with the style of the question. You can, on the other hand, improve the AWA by studying directly for it. Buy one of the ETS booklets and maybe register for an online class. The AWA, while it's supposed to measure writing ability, looks for a super specific pattern/approach to the essay that is easily replicated if you know the style the computer-graders prefer. I would not call that style "good college writing." If I sound bitter, it's because I went in there thinking I knew how to write and ended up pulling a 4, which of course prompted a month of researching why the AWA was wrong where I went wrong. If I'd had the formula to the AWA from the beginning, I would have done much better. It's worth paying for an online course if you want that 5.5/6; however, lots of departments are realizing that essays scored by computers are not necessarily the best way to determine an applicant's writing ability. It might not be worth it.

I waited until my final four semesters to fulfill my language requirement. I'm sitting in French class surrounded by 18 and 19-year old freshmen, and we're introducing ourselves in small groups using simple phrases. A first-semester freshman hears my broken "Je suis ____, J'ai vingt-neuf ans." and basically yells, "Wait.... You're 29!??!" The next thing out of her mouth (albeit quieter) "can you buy me and my friends alcohol?" No honey. I cannot buy you Smirnoff ice.

Aw man. I haven't received an interview request from them. I'm probably out. Thanks for the information though, it's better to know than not!

Thank you for this. I've been on pins and needles for both Syracuse and the University of Kentucky. Did you contact Syracuse?

I'm with Mel. Go for the funded PhD unless you've got a compelling reason to do otherwise.

Just received an official waitlist from IU that was VERY complimentary of my work. Apparently this year's crop of Americanists was amazing. Fingers crossed!

I'm just in it for the Hot Pepper from ratemyprofessors.com... ...I suppose I can be a part of a calendar if I'm Mr. May. It's for a good cause after all.

Hahah I'm glad to hear it. I changed my picture just for you as a kind of Memento Mori.

Washed up like a fox!

yeah. you're basically a corpse by 30. You can put Silabus, PhD, RIP "(s)he loved books" and a picture of a gravestone as your dating site profile picture. Sarcasm aside, while grad school is time-consuming and puts a ton of pressure on relationships, it can be done. I've been with my fiancee for 7 years--2 for her Masters and 5 for her PhD which she'll earn this August. It is possible to earn a Doctorate and find love at the same time. Also--I dropped out of undergrad at age 20 and didn't go back til I was 27. Now I am just STARTING my Masters at 30. I'll be lucky to be almost 40 by the time I earn my PhD. Point is, you are not nearly as old as you feel. A PhD by 30 is an amazing accomplishment and downright speedy. That's not to say that earning a Doctorate isn't a long and difficult process that sets you up to earn far less than your friends with BA's in other fields. It is. But just because we sacrifice our 20s and financial security doesn't mean we have to sacrifice love too.

Congratulations man. I was told that I am "high" on the list. I assume now that you've got your funding I'm higher. =D *fingers crossed*

You know it. I think we all go crazy to a certain extent during application season.

I've got a deal with myself when it comes to emailing DGS. Obviously, I want to email everyone all the time for all the information ever; however, before I email any DGS unprompted, I've decided to read a book of theirs cover-to-cover. That way, for every (unprompted) email I've sent, I've read a scholarly work. Usually my questions shift from "TELL ME WHEN I'LL HEAR SOMETHING!!" to "Wow. I really enjoyed X about your book. *Thoughtful question about the text that displays comprehension and engagement* PS: I'm an applicant, what's the deal with Y?" If nothing else, it slows down the outgoing emails I send, trains me to read unfamiliar scholarly works quickly for comprehension, and exposes me to a ton of cool ideas. Best case scenario, it makes the difference between the bin and the long shortlist.

You've likely been waitlisted while they wait for other applicants to accept/decline offers. It's better than being rejected outright but it's impossible to know how high up on the waitlist you are. You could be the next one in and have a high chance for admission, or you could be 10th in line and need a bunch of people to choose other programs. There's still hope.

Congrats! I'm thrilled for you! Way to go!

I've done that phone thing before. I was trying to get a young hotshot professor to be my advisor during her first year teaching at an R1 university. She was an attractive young woman who was basically my age (because she was a new hire and I'm non-traditional). I fumbled my iPhone and sent her a gigantic animated facebook Kissy Face emogi that made smoochy sounds and heart emoticons that covered the screen. I quickly typed a very panicked "OMG fat fingered cold keyboard / Ignore that please." Her response (a day later) was "Haaaa that is the weirdest giant emoticon ever." She decided to become my advisor and has been invaluable in my application process. All's well that ends well. Still, I can empathize with sending the wrong thing to the wrong person. What an awful feeling.

Way to go! Congratulations!

@Silabus Hey there. I just got confirmation through back channels that initial offers have been made. I was also told that since I haven't heard anything (and haven't been rejected yet) it means that I am on the waiting list. It sounds like you might be too! I know you and I were talking about that in the UW-Madison thread, but it seemed more appropriate to continue the Indiana talk here.

Congratulations! You did it!

I'm in the same boat as you. I haven't heard anything at all yet from IU, but my application status still says "Submitted"--not even "Under review." I'm hoping that they're just sending acceptances to the PhD students and then they'll send out the MA>PhD's after. I've probably been rejected though. Oh well. IU was a longshot.

Hi there, First, it might not matter at all. Some departments have caught onto the whole ETS racket and don't subscribe to the idea that future English major success can be measured by multiple choice. A surprising amount of admittance committee members that I spoke to suggested that they did not even look at the GRE when an applicant's Writing Sample, SoP, and Letters paint a much clearer picture. Second, your Verbal is slightly below average and your Written is average (depending on the program of course). If your goal is to show that you are a competitive applicant for an English program, these scores don't do that. I don't think that they will hurt you overmuch, but I wouldn't offer them up if it's optional. Focus on your Writing Sample and Statement of Purpose to show the admissions boards that, even though your BA is in another subject, you are a fantastic candidate for their English program. Good luck with the next round of deadlines! You'll find the right place. Edit: Basically what wyatt's_terps said

"even though I totally wanted to be your friend at UNL" .....Same! Congratulations! it sounds like a perfect match!

Just added mine to the list. Gotta show those future applicants that it _is_ possible to get into a decent program with a less-than-stellar GPA.