Musmatatus

Wow, you are the poster child for waitlist movement!! Are you going to be able to visit Johns Hopkins?

I met a decent number of people who were finishing up their senior year during visits. They had gotten into some two or more top 10 programs. I would say they seemed like the minority (with more people on a gap year, or having worked for a few years, or in MA programs), but I definitely don’t think it’s impossible. For me, taking a gap year to gain some work experience has been really great. I have enjoyed my experience being out of school for the first time(!) and how my life could be like with a normal office job—on the other hand, it’s been really dull at times, and reinforced how much I want to be back in school. I think there are pros and cons to both decisions, but if you are prepared (and you mentioned taking the subject test) then it sounds like it’s worth a shot

Is the visit just one day or does it stretch out so they have you there on the 15th? I just have this image of them saying, "No, you can't leave until you tell us if you're coming!"

Movement is real!!!! Yay!!!! I feel like you especially deserve this b/c you are so good about declining and this is good waitlist karma!!! Does it knock out any other choices for you?? I wonder if you get off the waitlist this early if you can visit/do you have time to visit?

I'm so sorry; I should have been clearer--I am NOT on Columbia's waitlist, but on a different one. I was just empathizing with the specific person who was and had posted on the Results board. (Would be super surprised if I were on Columbia's list because I didn't apply hahahha) Huge congrats to you!!!

I feel that waitlisted Columbia person on the results thread! I went back through old GradCafe threads and found that for the waitlist I'm on there weren't any results of people getting off of it (and confirmed that for at least 2 years in the last 5-6 years it hasn't been used). I'm really glad I have a school that I really like and would happily go to, but not being able to make a concrete decision until basically April 14th/15th is hard!

I was just at a visit where someone from a different Bay Area university talked about how he found his apartment through a departmental email. Did you ask about help finding affordable housing and how the current students manage to make ends meet?

I feel like the best thing to do would be to ask your specific program(s) for how many students have done it in the past 6 years, and if you could be put in touch with them.

I love this thread b/c of the role reversal!!! So nice to see students doing the rejecting, for once

Who was that? @snorkles, maybe? Do the honors?

We are waiting on you to create it!!

I would think they are asking about preferred specific flights.

I've only done one visit so far, but I did really appreciate the time to just walk aimlessly around the neighborhood and on campus. Also, seconding the part about not smiling too much--I have RBF, too... oops.

I would reconsider this part of your motivation. That said, I think your goal is certainly attainable.

@FiguresIII So glad to hear that taking classes all around is doable. I was a bit worried that you were stretching for reasons to take Yale, but this sounds like a legitimate benefit!

I have no familiarity at all with the Northeast, but how doable would this be? I can imagine going to a lecture every semester, but according to Google it would be 1.5 hours from Yale to Columbia driving. That said, I agree that from your post you’d much rather be at Yale. It seems a little like you’re really trying to justify the decision—but to whom, I’m not clear! It’s your life, and considering you’re choosing between excellent programs, you have the luxury of just going with the one that feels right.

I mean, the Chicago MA is a year, right? Let’s say you have the money or inclination to take out loans and you did do it— are you going to apply for a PhD program and ask for letters from people who have known you for 6 weeks? Would you complete the program, then take a gap year to apply? It honestly doesn’t actually seem like a great transition timeline-wise. Otherwise, I don’t know much about Chicago’s program, but it would make sense if the professors don’t care too much about MA students. You would be competing with PhD students who have years to cultivate relationships with professors, whereas the MA students are basically a revolving door.

Whoa!! I knew it was expensive, but tuition alone is HOW MUCH???? That’s not including living costs, and it’s only a year???

An Ethnic Studies class I took was shaped around both Sharpe’s text and Eve Tuck’s Suspending Damage piece!! If you haven’t read the latter, I think you would appreciate it

What would be the best way to prepare during the summer? I’m coming off a gap year, and I would like to try to get back into the swing of things. So far, what I have on my list is to brush up on my critical theory and language skills.

There's a really great list of questions earlier on in the first page of the pinned Campus Visits thread, by the way. In your situation, though, given how you feel about Yale being a nebulous fit, maybe you could try to suss out what they saw in your application? If you're talking about your research interests with a faculty member, you might ask what ways they see your project or interests growing or something like that. Something that's come up a couple times on this forum is that departments may see fit differently than we do, as applicants. There may also be some faculty members that you overlooked, too.

I know some grad students in other fields, and it seems like there's the general idea that offers without funding are more "soft rejections" than actual acceptances. I do think this isn't entirely transferable to English as it seems like at least some schools do find the funding for their applicants eventually, but I found an interesting blog post that you might consider reading: https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/unfunded-phds-go-or-not-go It's about PhD programs, but I think it's still applicable to MA programs. Additionally, when I was figuring out program applications, I commented that even if I didn't get into their PhD programs maybe they would offer me a MA slot...I had one of my mentors say that unfunded MAs are looked down upon as cash cows and could possibly hurt me down the line rather than help me. As a note, I have seen the Chicago MA (notorious for being $$$) on some students' CVs at top programs, but usually it's when they're pivoting from a different field after majoring in bio or something in undergrad. Edit: I know the programs you're considering aren't entirely unfunded, but still! Ya gotta eat.

Even in the US, it varies greatly by region, too. On the West Coast, people outside of academia might not recognize Michigan as a top school as much as they would UCLA, for example.

Seconding @amphilanthus--a waitlist at UVA is a big deal! Fingers crossed for both of you.

Is the waitlist for the PhD or the MA? I declined an offer to the MA last week.