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! 

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! 

I'm a long time lurker. I created this account literally just so I can provide a different perspective than what has already been posted. Kansas, like any other state, has its ups and downs and I know that people will inevitably have different experiences. But I will say that K-State's MA program is excellent.  Because they don't have a PhD program, the faculty devotes a ton of attention and time to their MA students. When I was there I received SO many professional development opportunities that just aren't typically available at bigger programs (which definitely helped me get into PhD programs).  The stipend is somewhat tight, but living in Manhattan is affordable. There are many opportunities for travel funding and networking.  The city is fun and there is a small airport in Manhattan, which makes travel a breeze. I would highly recommend this program 10/10. 

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! 

At UNC it's a 1/1. At KU, where I got my masters, it's a 2/2. I taught straight out of my BA at KU, and it was fine. They know nothing. They'll believe everything you say. 

@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

@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! 

Anyone else annoyed / repulsed by the pictorial clickbait ads that now pop up on the results page? No, I do not need to see one "odd" trick to cure erectile dysfunction, nor would I be "shocked" by Barron Trump's IQ...

Maybe they've been there all along, and they've just recently found a way to circumvent my ad-blocker, but I'm seriously looking at the results page far less because of them.

Just walk away people, nothing to see here. 

O frabjous day! Calooh! Callay!

Where's the ambivalence and confusion? When you boil it all down, it's a case of them letting you know when they're ready to let you know. It really is as simple as that.

Ph.D. programs are making around a $100,000 investment (on average) in their acceptances...and I'm not even considering waived tuition and travel stipends in that approximation. You can rest assured that they have to be well-considered decisions from an institutional standpoint, and that simply has to be their first consideration...especially in a day and age where funding for our very field is rapidly dwindling.

If this were a situation where you have no idea if they will ever let you know about acceptance / waitlist / rejection, that would be one thing...but that's simply not the case. You know that they HAVE to inform you by April 15th (with a few minor exceptions), so that is the frame that you're yearning for, and it already exists. In other words, it really does come down to being patient and respecting the process.

I'm not going to say any more on this topic, as I'm frankly a little annoyed that this isn't just common sense. I recognize that emotions are running high right now, but be that as it may, I don't like this implication that programs need to kowtow and be utterly transparent about every facet of their process to their applicants. It's way too much to expect, and simply doesn't factor in the sheer enormity of the job admissions personnel have to do.

Argh. I don't want to sound like a surly old man, but here's the thing...

It's perfectly fine for you (us) as Ph.D. program hopefuls to be antsy about admission timelines. It's to be expected, really -- it's one of the biggest moments of our lives, and that's not hyperbole. BUT, you should also keep in mind that these admissions committees are often dealing with upward of 300 applications...and almost all of those applicants are in the same boat as you: worrying, antsy, emotional, on edge, and unsure of when they'll hear back. Admissions committees have an unenviable task, and while it's largely a mystery to us as to how they make their decisions (and it almost certainly varies by program), I just think that we have to respect that they do it the way they do it for a reason. Professors are usually busy at the best of times, and I can only imagine how hectic it is during this time of year when they're sitting on an adcom. Likewise, a DGS (and his/her staff) has to juggle all of these acceptances, rejections, and waitlists for a couple of months. 

All of this is to say that I completely understand the desire to know all of your options as soon as possible...but sometimes I worry that that desire starts to merge into an expectation that you are owed an answer right away. I simply think that you have to respect the process, and understand that adcoms have their reasons for doing the things they do the way they do them. They have to do their job...and it's a very hard job to do. Calls and emails from panicky applicants isn't going to speed up the process or change anything.

I hope this doesn't come across as a rant. I don't mean it as a rant. I just want you to remember that, as difficult as the waiting process is for us, it's also difficult on the adcom side of things. Just try your best to be patient. 



ETA: Cross-posted with AnxiousGrad

@natalielouise, I can also speak from experience on this--the first time I was applying to grad school I had no idea what I was doing. I knew what I wanted, but I was coming back from nearly 5 years of living abroad and was hopelessly out of touch with academic culture. Heheh, back then I didn't even know that this forum existed--all that stood between me and utter failure was the fact that some of my old undergrad professors remembered me fondly and a battered old Kaplan GRE prep book.
By the grace of God, I somehow found my way into WWU's MA program, and I'll be finishing up in June. Although a PhD program straight after a BA would have FELT more prestigious, I recognize now that there is no way in hell I would have been ready. These two years of studying my MA have been immeasurably helpful in getting my head into the "grad school game". Plus, an MA gives you a chance to present at some of the "big boy" conferences, get some practical teaching experience, and maybe even publish. PLUS, a lot of PhD programs will let you transfer a year of credits, or at least let you teach right out of the gate, when you enter with an MA.
All told, if I could go and do it over again, I would still have done the MA before the PhD--I wish you the best of luck in getting what you want, but don't feel bad if you end up doing the Master's first!

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! 

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! 

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!