onerepublic96

*No* PhD degree is worth going into debt for, no matter the program. I know this sounds disappointing, but in terms of getting the best "value" for your time and effort, I truly believe the best bet is to try again for a fully-funded residential program (with stipend) in the next cycle. Since we're just coming off the end of the current cycle, this would be the prime time to start re-thinking your application portfolio and making preparations for how to improve in the next round. I'd reach out to the places that turned me down to see if they could offer any feedback (it's often the case that t

There is, of course, always a grain of salt, but in my honest opinion this is not a very good road to go down for several reasons, some of which @harleth has already mentioned. First of all, deciding against the PhD offer you discussed in another thread is not silly nor counterproductive, because, for all the reasons discussed in that thread, along with the class scheduling conflict, it would put you in a rather risky position. However, this online UK PhD is not without potential problems, either. First of all, is it funded? I won't pretend to know which program this is, but funded PhD positio

Respectfully, this does not sound like a good idea.

Aw thank you! I am totally still traumatised from my own cycle, but also incredibly grateful for where I ended up, because I really love it here. I can't even imagine how much tougher this new cycle has been, emotionally, mentally, etc., so I just wanted to cheer everyone on, because every single person here deserves to get into a great program. Wishing you the best of luck! Especially with Michigan, since I'm a little biased, haha. Please feel free to reach out if the stars align and you end up coming here! 😊

The meeting is today! I expect decisions should come sometime next week.

Michigan decisions are being made today. Good luck to everyone!

Okay, that's good. I haven't looked at your other thread but I will say this: keep in mind that most full-time PhD programs nowadays take about 6 years, so I'm not sure what completing a part-time PhD in 7 years would look like. Have you spoken to anyone in the department or admin staff? What happens if you end up needing more than 7 years?

Hang in there! In my cycle, I got into my top choice off the waitlist. 🙂 These things happen!

That is some wonderful advice from @Tybalt. I would like to echo the idea of a 2-year MA program, for all the reasons already mentioned, and also because—as someone who completed a 1-year MA program (albeit in the UK rather than the US, which is a bit different)—I really don't think that two(?) semesters will be enough for you to build up the content knowledge and critical apparatus necessary to be competitive on the PhD application scene. My program ran for 12 months straight, and even though it was quite intense and I produced an MA dissertation at the end of it, in retrospect, certain

Will it be funded?

I agree with @WildeThing. The way this cycle has worked (or next cycle will work) is not going to stick around for too long, but on the other hand, some of the changes being made regarding drastic cuts in admissions: I truly believe these things will never return to "normal." We'll be looking at much smaller cohorts for many years to come, I reckon.

Hi all just popping in to wish you all another round of good luck! Also, I saw someone on the results board post about UMich notifying in the first week of March, so if anyone gets in and would like to have a chat with a current student, please feel free to reach out!

Hi all! I've been pretty MIA on this site for a while after last year's cycle ended, but I just wanted to pop in and wish you all good luck. I can't even begin to imagine how stressful this process must have been this year, and each one of you smart, strong candidates deserves to make it into your first-choice programs. 🙌

There are many, many reasons why doing two (incredibly strenuous) degrees at the same time is an awful idea, and potential visa issues aren't even among the foremost concerns.

Hi there! I like to think of myself as a modernist but I also am specifically interested in Southern lit (though my subject interests are a bit different from yours). Honestly, I'd disagree that Southern lit is a dying field. When I was applying in the last cycle, I found that the programs at Boston U, Harvard, UMich, and UPenn were my favourites. While it's true that you won't necessarily find tons of scholars branding themselves 'Southern lit specialists' and working in large numbers at any one department, there's a fair number of them in quite a few departments (even at large universi