SophieHatter

Hey, I'm a bit late replying since I'm already in a PhD program and check Grad Cafe once in a blue moon (and I was basically a lurker during my application season last year anyway), but I'd like to second what @throwaway2018 said! I did my MA in English at K-State, and had a wonderful time there. The program provides a lot of support both on a day-to-day basis and to provide other kinds of opportunities to make up for the relative geographic isolation. For example, they bring in a lot of really excellent authors and scholars that grad students get pretty easy access too (think fancy dinners on the department's dime, in addition to talks), and there's really generous travel funding available to make attending conferences much more affordable (much more generous than any of the PhD programs I ended up seriously considering, for sure). The MA also set me up really well for my PhD applications--I got into 8 of the 9 PhD programs I applied to, and the other people in my year had similar success. I specialize in children's literature, but I also took most of the foundational cultural studies courses offered and can definitely speak to their quality. Manhattan, KS is also a really lovely place to live, and I recommend going to K-State's Visiting Day if you can possibly swing it! It'll give you a much better idea of the feel of the program and the town. Though I can't guarantee an immediate response (see above about not checking grad cafe regularly anymore), if you have any questions, feel free to message me if you want any further information. Best of luck in your decisions!

Kansas State University has a funded Master's program and several faculty who do work on dystopias. I even took a grad class specifically on dystopian novels last summer with Carol Franko. It's not a terribly prestigious program in and of itself, but since there's only a Master's program, Master's students get all of the attention and opportunities. And (as has been discussed elsewhere at length on this site) the rank of a Master's program doesn't exist/doesn't matter, and students have had a lot of good luck getting into good PhD programs afterwards. Good luck!

I just declined an offer at UConn after more funding came through from the other school I was still considering. Good luck to everyone still waiting!

@mouthfulofstars So, I can't speak to your other offers, but I actually go to K-State right now, and if you have any questions, feel free to pm me about it! I can say that if you're thinking about more grad school after the MA, everyone who applied this year (me and two other people to PhDs, three other people to creative writing MFAs and PhDs) has gotten into their first and/or second choice programs. More specifically, my roommate and I both got into four R1 programs. Even though K-State isn't so highly ranked, it hasn't limited anyone's options for what to do next. (Also possibly I'll meet you at Visiting Day?) Anyway. Back to agonizing and guilt!

@piers_plowman I'm a bit of a lurker, but I know *exactly* how you feel. I'm weighing between four offers (which kind of feels like an embarrassment of riches, to be honest), and feel like my decision could tip any which way at the drop of a hat. I specialize in children's literature, so the rank of a school (which is already a wonky term anyway) actually has very little to do with how good a school is in my field. It's then super difficult to balance the different benefits of each of my offers because when it comes to the job market, if a school is looking for their one children's lit faculty member, they may not quite know that just because a school is lower ranked they have excellent children's lit. And to add more stress, since the field is super small, every professor I'm in contact with from each school is someone I'll come across in the profession (not just figuratively in the distant future--literally at the big children's lit conference this summer), and it's stressing me the heck out. My advisor and rec letter writers have been super helpful in talking through my options, but I honestly wish they would do more to just tell me which one is the best in children's lit and they won't do it (which I'm sure I'll thank them for later). I'm waiting to decide until I've gotten a chance to visit all of them to decide, but in the mean time I'm spending wayyy too much time agonizing over it. I'm trying to cope by doing a lot of yoga and making a lot of informational charts about the different programs, but I'm not sure it's working to decrease stress haha

@LuxuryBluez @Silabus I got the same offer plus an extra fellowship on top, but said fellowship only lasts for 3 of the 5 years, which is a bit odd. My roommate, who also got in there, is choosing between two fellowships (one the same as mine, another that would be less money but less teaching). I'm really happy about A&M's 1-1 teaching load, though! I was low key dreading having to tackle something heavier.

@jetleigh, I've been a bit of a lurker here, but I've definitely been where you are and remember how horrible it was, so wanted to give you a response. I had a fairly successful gap year teaching English in Poland. I learned a lot and got to travel a ton, and teaching in a country with a really low cost of living allowed me to save up a fair bit of cash that helped with moving costs to my current Master's program. I had applied to both PhD and Master's programs and been shut out of all 10 PhD programs, so I decided to defer admission at a Master's program and rethink my life choices while I taught abroad. I'm really glad I took the year off--a year abroad both allowed me a bit of a breather before diving back into academia, and gave me a lot of new perspectives (and time to grow up) that have really contributed to my current research. I've been dreading this application season for literally years, but I surprised myself by getting into arguably the two top programs in the country for my field (I'm at 4a/1w/1r/3tbd), and I think my year teaching abroad contributed just as much to my success as earning a Master's degree. I wouldn't have been as successful in my Master's degree without it. I'm also much less tired, for lack of a better word, than the people in my cohort who went straight from undergrad to grad. Everyone who did that's still interested in going on to the PhD is taking a gap year now instead. I know you said you've missed deadlines for teaching abroad, but it may be worth looking into more Southeast Asian countries. One of my roommates (applying to MFA programs this year) taught in South Korea, and had a similarly good experience. I personally couldn't teach in that part of the world so I don't know details (I have a peanut allergy that would sadly make living there too dangerous--although it sounds melodramatic when I type it out...), but living and teaching abroad definitely made my gap year the most successful it could be. But anyway, no matter what you do, keep the faith! Your next application cycle can absolutely be better!

Thanks! I've basically narrowed it down to A&M and UConn (I'm still waiting on a few places, but they're not especially tempting since they were my back-ups anyway). I do children's literature and cultural studies, and as far as I can tell, A&M is better for cultural studies and UConn is better for children's literature. It's probably going to come down to how I feel when I visit each place. I wish I could make it to the actual Visiting Day so I could meet more of the potential cohort, but ICFA (International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts) is one of my absolute favorites to go to and I refuse to give it up haha

I've been accepted at A&M, but unfortunately can't make it to the official Visiting Day--I'm presenting at a conference that weekend, so I'm coming on the Monday before (I'm from Dallas and I'll be briefly home for spring break). I hope the day itself goes well, and would love to hear about it!

I'm at Kansas State University, which has a decent MA program with full funding available that you might look at. They give preference for GTA-ships to applications received before February 1, but as long as they're not all gone yet (and they rarely are), there's still a chance you might get one if you apply now. It's not a top tier program, per say, but because there's not PhD program here, the MA students get tons of attention. In addition, everyone I know who has wanted to go on to a PhD program from here has gotten into one they're happy with. Whatever you decide, best of luck to you!

So, I was actually in your position three years ago--I applied to be a Fulbright ETA in Poland and to grad programs in English (although I went for an MA first instead of a PhD). I got the Fulbright, and my grad program of choice let me defer. Even if your program doesn't let you defer, based on my experience, the Fulbright is absolutely worth doing. If you end up having to play the application game again, a lot of places don't make you pay the application fee if you're currently on a Fulbright. That doesn't negate the amount of time it takes, but being a Fulbright will also make you a stronger applicant in the long run. Best of luck with both!