CulturalCriminal

Though I consider myself more interested in Cultural Studies and contemporary lit/film/tv/comics, I am applying to a few American Studies programs (UT, UMD, USC, UNM). I just looked over last years thread and appears to be filled with tears and heartbreak, so here's to knowingly plunging into a world of disappointment!

Got an email an hour ago with my first acceptance—University of Oregon!!! I have been feeling down because I got three rejections in quick succession and started to wonder if I wasn’t cut out for a PhD program, so getting this email made me immediately burst into tears! 
I have 6 more programs to hear back from, but having an acceptance to an awesome school definitely eases my anxiety!

You never know, they could have done waitlist first. I have my fingers crossed for all you UMich applicants on here!

You never know, they could have done waitlist first. I have my fingers crossed for all you UMich applicants on here!

I'm rooting for you too. There's a lot of February yet! 
And for what it's worth, I did apply to one MA. I thought if I didn't get into any PhD programs then it would give me the opportunity to strengthen my application over two years. It is also an unranked MA and that didn't really matter to me. If I was going to gain solid teaching experience, write a well-advised thesis, and earn good grades, then all the better. 

We have a Science Fiction and Technoculture Studies designated emphasis at UC Riverside--it's a huge thing here, and Sherryl Vint is pretty big in the field.

Yes, I am here to defend the unranked MA (though, mine is unranked due to the lack of a PhD program; I can’t imagine we’d be lower ranked than certain other Texas programs I have some friends at).
People from my little known MA program have made the jump to a # of prestigious places (Penn, UCIrvine, UCLA film, UCSC hiscon, UT, etc). Despite not having a PhD program here, there are professors that are kicking ass and taking names in their area of interests. The Assistantship program has shaped me into a far stronger educator. Most important though, my MA has allowed me to grow as a researcher. The quality of my writing has skyrocketed since coming here. Likewise, the  mentorship relationships I’ve forged with professors are everything I could hope for (a little worried I want have similar dynamics in doctorate). 
There is benefit to getting an MA from an unranked university.
That said, check the fit and snag an assistantship/fellowship. It also helps to have leftover GI bill or be in a state that exempts tuition for veterans and/or their children.

Yes, I am here to defend the unranked MA (though, mine is unranked due to the lack of a PhD program; I can’t imagine we’d be lower ranked than certain other Texas programs I have some friends at).
People from my little known MA program have made the jump to a # of prestigious places (Penn, UCIrvine, UCLA film, UCSC hiscon, UT, etc). Despite not having a PhD program here, there are professors that are kicking ass and taking names in their area of interests. The Assistantship program has shaped me into a far stronger educator. Most important though, my MA has allowed me to grow as a researcher. The quality of my writing has skyrocketed since coming here. Likewise, the  mentorship relationships I’ve forged with professors are everything I could hope for (a little worried I want have similar dynamics in doctorate). 
There is benefit to getting an MA from an unranked university.
That said, check the fit and snag an assistantship/fellowship. It also helps to have leftover GI bill or be in a state that exempts tuition for veterans and/or their children.

FYI, I just talked to the graduate coordinator.  If anyone else is waiting, they're going to be sending out decisions (including funding information) the week of Feb 19th.  Their welcome days, at least for the Media Studies program, are March 22-23.

For the TAMU folks, it is a good program that many of my friends are hoping on getting into. Likewise, I’d say placement is good afterwards (quite a few folks working as profs in the Aus/San Antonio and DFW area have phds from there). 
I say it’s odd because of two reasons: location and undergrad population.
It’s at least two hours away from the more forward thinking TX metropolitan areas (DFW, Aus/SA, Houston), which means the immediate area outside of the typical University neighborhoods can be a bit conservative (in the evangelical way). That said the actual campus and sorroundings are safe and mostly hospitable to the kinds of ideas that tend to come with having spent 6+ years in a discipline driven by empathy.
As for the undergrad population (who you’ll be teaching), there are certainly liberal- and moderate-thinking people. That said, the immediate image most Texans conjure of the student body is white, conservative frat boys who come from family’s that are (at least in their area) considered wealthy. Though I think that is a tad unfair, I will note that it is one of the few public universities in this state that isn’t recognized as a Hispanic serving institution. Likewise, while it certainly isn’t as conservative as Baylor of Stephen F Austin, it certainly isn’t as liberal as UT or Texas State.
all of that said, it’s a good program with cool profs and grad students. 

Anybody have any news? Good, bad, lukewarm? 

Wish list:
-no GRE
-PDFs of transcripts from only degree granting universities accepted
-cap application fees at $30
- make a uniform checklist across the board of:
    a. How many slots are going to be open for that year
    b. The minimum funding offered
    c. Length of funding available   
    d. Preferred broad areas of interests (if you know you’re not taking any more medievalists, why not say that and avoid having to review those applications)
    e.  A list of which professors are going to be available for guiding a dissertation   
    f. When first and last acceptances go out
    g. if the Masters alternative offer is funded (if yes, tell me  points B and C)
    h. link to a clear spreadsheet that tracks where graduates of the program are at. Don’t give me some statement like: “we have graduates working at professors at many prestigious schools.” I just spent the last 6+ years being taught, and last year teaching, the importance of well-documented argument; I want actual data from the place I might spend the next 3-7 years of my life doing research at.

Wish list:
-no GRE
-PDFs of transcripts from only degree granting universities accepted
-cap application fees at $30
- make a uniform checklist across the board of:
    a. How many slots are going to be open for that year
    b. The minimum funding offered
    c. Length of funding available   
    d. Preferred broad areas of interests (if you know you’re not taking any more medievalists, why not say that and avoid having to review those applications)
    e.  A list of which professors are going to be available for guiding a dissertation   
    f. When first and last acceptances go out
    g. if the Masters alternative offer is funded (if yes, tell me  points B and C)
    h. link to a clear spreadsheet that tracks where graduates of the program are at. Don’t give me some statement like: “we have graduates working at professors at many prestigious schools.” I just spent the last 6+ years being taught, and last year teaching, the importance of well-documented argument; I want actual data from the place I might spend the next 3-7 years of my life doing research at.

IMO, there is no shame in starting know. This is a serious endeavor that needs to be done right (a lot of money wasted otherwise on app fees). 
As I wish I had figured all this stuff out earlier, I’ll share 25 steps that I think will make you a stellar candidate. Don’t rush them, but also don’t shirk them (should you use them).
 
1. Figure out what makes you relax (if it’s whatever you’re studying, find a new hobby or something)
2. Start working out a little bit on a regular basis, if you don’t already (everyone talks about the freshman 15, no one talks about the grad school 30 and the wheezing after going up three flights of stairs)
3. Talk to your professors 
4. Talk to your professors 
5. Talk to your professors 
6. Narrow focus (e.g. theory that explores geo-political questions, Slavic lit, etc.)
7. Talk to your professors 
8.Talk to your professors 
9.Start researching what programs have faculty doing research in what you’re interested in
9. Narrow that focus down further (e.g. space and place theory, 19th century Russian lit)
10. Start studying for GRE
11. Create a theory reading list. Make space to read at least a book-sized length of theory each week.
12. Submit a paper to a conference (https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/) related to your area of interest 
13. You’re talking to your professors right? Get one of your professors opinions on the conference paper you’re presenting.
14. Take the GRE
15. Take at lest two weeks off (go to the beach or something)
16. Apply for conference travel grants (your school might even have x amount for students that just require receipts)
16. Present your paper somewhere (try to go to a publishing panel, if they have one and it is free; talk to people so as to learn more about what your future might look like)
17. Talk to professors 
18. Work out a specific research question in your area of interest that you can talk about in a way that fully shows you are familiar with key thinkers and works 
19. Run said question by your professors 
20. Build an SOP that revolves around you trying to pitch the need for you to answer that question (with help of the education they can offer)
21. Dig through professor faculty pages and CVs at grad schools, then compile a spreadsheet tracking ideal faculty that could help your project at universities that you want to apply to
22. Talk to your professors and email them formal requests for letters of rec
23. Expand out that spreadsheet with application details
24. Turn your SOP into your dream school’s SOP
25. Get as many eyes on your SOP as possible (especially any professors who have served, or currently are serving, on grad school admission committees)
 
With these 25 steps down, it’s just the business of creating individual SOPs and applying that you have left (though you should keep up the physical activity, your hobbies, and the theory reading). Oh, and don’t forget: talk to your professors.
 
 
 

IMO, there is no shame in starting know. This is a serious endeavor that needs to be done right (a lot of money wasted otherwise on app fees). 
As I wish I had figured all this stuff out earlier, I’ll share 25 steps that I think will make you a stellar candidate. Don’t rush them, but also don’t shirk them (should you use them).
 
1. Figure out what makes you relax (if it’s whatever you’re studying, find a new hobby or something)
2. Start working out a little bit on a regular basis, if you don’t already (everyone talks about the freshman 15, no one talks about the grad school 30 and the wheezing after going up three flights of stairs)
3. Talk to your professors 
4. Talk to your professors 
5. Talk to your professors 
6. Narrow focus (e.g. theory that explores geo-political questions, Slavic lit, etc.)
7. Talk to your professors 
8.Talk to your professors 
9.Start researching what programs have faculty doing research in what you’re interested in
9. Narrow that focus down further (e.g. space and place theory, 19th century Russian lit)
10. Start studying for GRE
11. Create a theory reading list. Make space to read at least a book-sized length of theory each week.
12. Submit a paper to a conference (https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/) related to your area of interest 
13. You’re talking to your professors right? Get one of your professors opinions on the conference paper you’re presenting.
14. Take the GRE
15. Take at lest two weeks off (go to the beach or something)
16. Apply for conference travel grants (your school might even have x amount for students that just require receipts)
16. Present your paper somewhere (try to go to a publishing panel, if they have one and it is free; talk to people so as to learn more about what your future might look like)
17. Talk to professors 
18. Work out a specific research question in your area of interest that you can talk about in a way that fully shows you are familiar with key thinkers and works 
19. Run said question by your professors 
20. Build an SOP that revolves around you trying to pitch the need for you to answer that question (with help of the education they can offer)
21. Dig through professor faculty pages and CVs at grad schools, then compile a spreadsheet tracking ideal faculty that could help your project at universities that you want to apply to
22. Talk to your professors and email them formal requests for letters of rec
23. Expand out that spreadsheet with application details
24. Turn your SOP into your dream school’s SOP
25. Get as many eyes on your SOP as possible (especially any professors who have served, or currently are serving, on grad school admission committees)
 
With these 25 steps down, it’s just the business of creating individual SOPs and applying that you have left (though you should keep up the physical activity, your hobbies, and the theory reading). Oh, and don’t forget: talk to your professors.
 
 
 

I'm watching videos of Obama giving the medal of freedom to people for the tenth time and I'm weeping. Is it an acceptable cathartic method? 

For the TAMU folks, it is a good program that many of my friends are hoping on getting into. Likewise, I’d say placement is good afterwards (quite a few folks working as profs in the Aus/San Antonio and DFW area have phds from there). 
I say it’s odd because of two reasons: location and undergrad population.
It’s at least two hours away from the more forward thinking TX metropolitan areas (DFW, Aus/SA, Houston), which means the immediate area outside of the typical University neighborhoods can be a bit conservative (in the evangelical way). That said the actual campus and sorroundings are safe and mostly hospitable to the kinds of ideas that tend to come with having spent 6+ years in a discipline driven by empathy.
As for the undergrad population (who you’ll be teaching), there are certainly liberal- and moderate-thinking people. That said, the immediate image most Texans conjure of the student body is white, conservative frat boys who come from family’s that are (at least in their area) considered wealthy. Though I think that is a tad unfair, I will note that it is one of the few public universities in this state that isn’t recognized as a Hispanic serving institution. Likewise, while it certainly isn’t as conservative as Baylor of Stephen F Austin, it certainly isn’t as liberal as UT or Texas State.
all of that said, it’s a good program with cool profs and grad students. 

While I am every person here who sees other acceptances coming in as proof that I’m not going to get into X school, I do feel the need to point out that just because people are getting in to those programs right now—doesn’t mean they’ll actually go to that program. Here’s to hoping I’m a second or third round pick!

Wish list:
-no GRE
-PDFs of transcripts from only degree granting universities accepted
-cap application fees at $30
- make a uniform checklist across the board of:
    a. How many slots are going to be open for that year
    b. The minimum funding offered
    c. Length of funding available   
    d. Preferred broad areas of interests (if you know you’re not taking any more medievalists, why not say that and avoid having to review those applications)
    e.  A list of which professors are going to be available for guiding a dissertation   
    f. When first and last acceptances go out
    g. if the Masters alternative offer is funded (if yes, tell me  points B and C)
    h. link to a clear spreadsheet that tracks where graduates of the program are at. Don’t give me some statement like: “we have graduates working at professors at many prestigious schools.” I just spent the last 6+ years being taught, and last year teaching, the importance of well-documented argument; I want actual data from the place I might spend the next 3-7 years of my life doing research at.

Not a flat-out acceptance, but I got waitlisted for UT-Austin’s AmStudies PhD!

@Ragu welcome to the American Studies thread!
Has anybody heard anything back? On the literature side, there seems to be quite a few programs sending in their first round picks and rejections.

While I am every person here who sees other acceptances coming in as proof that I’m not going to get into X school, I do feel the need to point out that just because people are getting in to those programs right now—doesn’t mean they’ll actually go to that program. Here’s to hoping I’m a second or third round pick!

Wish list:
-no GRE
-PDFs of transcripts from only degree granting universities accepted
-cap application fees at $30
- make a uniform checklist across the board of:
    a. How many slots are going to be open for that year
    b. The minimum funding offered
    c. Length of funding available   
    d. Preferred broad areas of interests (if you know you’re not taking any more medievalists, why not say that and avoid having to review those applications)
    e.  A list of which professors are going to be available for guiding a dissertation   
    f. When first and last acceptances go out
    g. if the Masters alternative offer is funded (if yes, tell me  points B and C)
    h. link to a clear spreadsheet that tracks where graduates of the program are at. Don’t give me some statement like: “we have graduates working at professors at many prestigious schools.” I just spent the last 6+ years being taught, and last year teaching, the importance of well-documented argument; I want actual data from the place I might spend the next 3-7 years of my life doing research at.

While I am every person here who sees other acceptances coming in as proof that I’m not going to get into X school, I do feel the need to point out that just because people are getting in to those programs right now—doesn’t mean they’ll actually go to that program. Here’s to hoping I’m a second or third round pick!

This topic=mood