chagrin_falls

CONGRATULATIONS! I am so thrilled for you! I was really hoping there would be some kind of last-minute reprieve, since it is so obvious that you TOTALLY deserve funding. Have you seen the course listing for September yet? Last I checked, you can find titles (but not descriptions) and RCW-L is teaching two, one of which I would kill to be in... Let me know if I can do anything to help you get settled in New York... Congratulations again!!!

hi lxs, me again...i didn't want to mention this before, because even though the decisions are so RANDOM, they can still be kind of hurtful--but i actually ended up with one of the fellowships... and you're right, it's not such a fabulous package. i still plan to work full-time next year and am pretty worried about managing all of the obligations. after that, i will probably have to take loans to supplement the adjunct pay. so--i guess the thing is, if you really want to be at CUNY, the money situation is probably going to be somewhat wretched no matter what. if you think you might be happy somewhere else, it really might be worth waiting. i am so desperate to get back to school that i am going to at least try to swing it--but i admit that the financial side really, really worries me as well. i guess the other thing is... if you were to wait and reapply next year, would you be able to add some kind of significant experience to your CV before then? or would you possibly consider applying to a different set of schools? before i'd heard back from CUNY, i was all set to just rewrite my personal statement, fix up my writing sample, and give the applications another go during the next cycle--but my advisor seemed to think that more polished materials wouldn't necessarily make enough of a difference to get me in... i don't know where you live, but maybe you could use the money you would have spent at CUNY to take a few courses somewhere else... and then maybe you could try to get one of those profs to help you out with an additional recommendation? ...or maybe you could try to strengthen your german/french/whatever language might be useful to you or you could develop some other concrete skill? i'm sorry if i'm stating the obvious--i've been mulling over my options for the past couple of weeks, and nothing seems to be a perfect solution. i really wish i could help you, though.

lxs-- I'm going to CUNY next year for sure, and my funding situation is also still up in the air... but I have things a bit easier, because I already live in Manhattan and have a job here... and I qualify for in-state tuition, so that makes paying out of pocket a more manageable prospect. You should totally do whatever feels most comfortable, but these are some other things to consider (um, if you haven't already)... If you could get a teaching job within the CUNY system (which you would be eligible to have after year one, I think) then your tuition would automatically be waived (and you would still get paid on the side!) The CUNY system is also (slooowwwly, I hear, so it may not help either of us) discussing the possibility of giving health insurance benefits to adjuncts. Also along these lines, if you can find work at the Met (and probably other large museums, but I only know for sure about the Met) they will pay a huge chunk of your tuition... ... and speaking of jobs in general, I had a really useful meeting with a current CUNY student who went to the same undergrad institution as I did... He told me that professors are excellent about setting their students up with good, flexible jobs in arts organizations around the city. He was very honest about the potential downsides of CUNY, so I tend to believe him about the positives. Maybe you could contact an advisor in advance and ask for suggestions? I'm sorry the department hasn't been more forthcoming with financial aid news--it seems incredibly frustrating, especially for someone coming from outside the city. If you do wind up at CUNY, though, it will be nice to meet you! P.S. Ha, it's a long story that isn't funny to anyone apart from the two of us, but a friend and I use "being from Chagrin Falls" as a metaphor for being generally anxious and gloomy... and if there is anything to make me feel as though I'm from Chagrin Falls, it's the grad school application process.

Hi there, I've been lurking on the board for a while... lxs, you're the person considering CUNY, right? Has someone there confirmed that you won't be offered a fellowship? The department still seems to be making some decisions in this area... Sorry to be cryptic--it's not really my information to tell--but maybe all hope is not lost. The other thing is... do you know how many transfer credits you'll end up getting from your MA? I've known quite a few people who have worked full-time while carrying two courses per semester in the art history department at CUNY... Maybe this would be an option for you? I may end up doing this myself, although I'm concerned about how long it would take to finish the degree... but then I was thinking, maybe you're way ahead of the game, and you could manage this arrangement and still actually finish within the next decade? :wink: It might be something to consider. This has been a pretty grim process for me as well, so I know how hard it is, but try to keep your chin up.