Ufffdaaa

I grew up in North Dakota, but have been living in California for the last three years. I don't know if I want to deal with winter again (I assume that's what you mean).

@katie64 @maengret: It looks like we have Purdue in common. The last email I received from Purdue said, "we make offers of admission over the course of several months beginning in early February and ending in mid-April, and candidates may receive admission or rejection notices at any time during that period (even, occasionally, as late as the April 15 national deadline)." So, it really feels like a waiting game with them.

I did my MA at the same school that I went to for undergrad, but then I moved across the country for my husband to pursue his MA. I totally understand the comfort aspect of staying at the same school. However, everyone is so against "inbreeding" when it comes to going to the same school for all of your degrees. You didn't mention which schools you are applying to @mk-8.

Well, Wisconsin is probably the school that I would quit my job/move for... so I'll keep hold of that glimmer of hope.

Ok, so I'll write off OSU but not Wisconsin quite yet.

It feels like the majority of active users under "Lit and Comp/Rhet" are Literature, so I'm happy to see this thread. I'm applying to PhD programs. My interests include composition pedagogy, second-language acquisition, ESL, and writing program administration. I haven't heard back from any programs yet, but I think Wisconsin and Ohio State are implied rejections at this point because of all of the acceptances that went out this week. I feel really torn between wanting to be accepted somewhere and wanting to stay in my current teaching position/location. Are you MA or PhD @mk-8?

Not a lit PhD or in the South, but... The deadline for North Dakota State's PhD in Rhetoric, Writing, and Culture is February 1st. It's also the same for their MA program (lit or composition). They fund their students (including MA) and have a pretty high acceptance rate, fyi. Also, they have a pretty good tenure-track placement rate for recent PhDs. Link: https://www.ndsu.edu/english/graduate_programs/admissions/

Congrats to everyone who received good news today! I'm going to *try* to disconnect from my computer/phone for as long as I can with the hope of regaining some sanity.

What about a PhD applicant with a 157 verbal and a 4 writing? I have a relatively strong application (2 publications, 6 conference presentations, 5+ years of teaching college composition/ESL, 4.0 MA gpa, high undergrad gpa), but I'm worried that my low GRE scores will tank my application. I was so busy teaching a full load of classes in the fall that I didn't study for the test. Also, I could only find time to take it once. I know that schools say they look at applications as a whole, but do they really? They have to use some aspect as a gate keeper when they receive hundreds of applications, don't they? How do they even narrow it down to a manageable amount that they can talk about?

@Mellowyellow I can't answer your question, but I just wanted to tell you that I really wish I could buy Mello Yello in California. I'm from the Midwest and miss it sooo much! </3

What was your approach this year? Did you apply to mostly the same schools? Did you broaden the net? Did you lower your expectations?

If I get rejected from every school, I think I'll take it as a sign and stay in my current teaching position/location.

I've basically fallen into a self deprecating hole. So, self-shellacked! Cue impostor syndrome! Then, I try to be positive and tell myself "If you get rejected from all of the schools, you get to stay in Southern California where it's 70 degrees and sunny in January." After that, I'm not even sure if I'd want to move for a PhD and I fall into another self deprecating hole to make me feel better about wanting to stay where I am. It's an uncomfortable cycle.

We talked about it over on page 10 of the "Projected Acceptances" thread. The PhD deadline was a month and a half before the MA deadline, so it makes sense that acceptances/rejections go out earlier. Also, one person noted that historically UTK sends out a wave of PhD rejections first.

Yes! Congrats! Does anyone want to claim it? What's your area/sub-discipline?

The amount of people waiting to hear from OSU makes me even more nervous! I've already written off most of my "reach schools" because I have lower GRE scores.

Thanks for the info! I guess it's "good" that I haven't heard anything yet.

Someone posted a result for a school that I applied to (Tennessee-Knoxville). It's finally getting real. My app status on the website still says "In Review- Program." I'm obsessing over it now. Has anyone else heard from UTK?

I double majored in Business Management and English as an undergrad. When I told my business major advisor that I was going to grad school for English, he said, "But you'd make so much more money if you didn't." So, it was almost business/accounting for me.

Confession: I still have trouble spelling "Tennessee" when I try to Google it/search the results board. I think I caught all of my misspellings, but I never checked again after I submitted my app.

I've been binge watching The Good Wife. I'm at the end of season 7. I have no idea what I'll watch next. Any recommendations? Watching tv doesn't stop me from checking the schools' websites/gradcafe repeatedly throughout the day though. And I'm not even sure I'd actually accept an offer if I receive one!

I finished my applications early (end of October). This dilemma coupled with the tax plan (and the dismal academic job market) has me writing off going for a PhD altogether. I want to make an objective decision before I know the results because I think that I'll be blinded if I get any offers.

I've always planned on getting my PhD (in comp/rhet), but I put it off while my husband got his masters. I have an MA in English composition. This year, I somehow landed a job as a full-time lecturer in a writing program at a top university. It has benefits and a good salary. After 5 years, it also comes with some job security. I've already applied to PhD programs for fall 2018. But, my question is: do I leave the job for a PhD that might not get me a job that's any better than the one I have? Many of the other lecturers have PhDs.

I think I'd be okay with one lit class. I took a lit theory class during my undergrad and it was really challenging for me though. I'm just really aware of my weaknesses. My MA program required one lit elective and I struggled to get an A. I just couldn't think or write papers in a way that the lit prof expected me to. In the end, I survived the class (and earned an A), but the effort (and risk of receiving a B ) , wasn't worth it to me.

That's good to know. However, I think it's worth putting the time into (even if the chances are low). Hey, we all know the admission rates and we still apply to MA and PhD programs! I just looked at the application and I see that it's a lot of check boxes. Too bad. I thought that I could use my first-generation college student status to help me out. Here comes the regret of not knowing about the McNair program until I was a grad student.