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M(allthevowels)H

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  1. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to dr. t in Academia Is a Cult   
    Having been around for both the original (2015 was my first year of my doctorate), and being currently on the job market (30 applications, 1 interview, 8 outstanding, in case you want to know how that is), some thoughts in no particular order:
    A PhD from a program with substantial resources (note: this is not equivalent to a top program, though there is substantial overlap) is still a worthwhile experience in and of itself. $30-35k yr plus good health insurance isn't nothing in this pre-postapocalyptic hellscape. Plus, I've had multi-month paid trips to Europe each year. My teaching load was light but engaging, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process of researching and writing my dissertation. The experience wasn't stress free, but it wasn't a bad sort of stress. A PhD in the humanities takes more than 5 years. Make sure you're funded accordingly (part of the first point). Going to a program without those resources, one where you have to scrape and claw and hustle to get even your basic needs met, is not a worthwhile experience. It's just volunteering to be exploited based on a lie as to future possibilities. The actual line between the two situations is a bit fuzzy, but err on the side of caution. Do not apply to programs just to make sure you go to grad school. I have very little sympathy for those who have recently finished their PhD and are left jobless or in adjunct hell. This includes some of my own friends. Yes, that's more than a bit brutal to say. But at this point, if you didn't know what the academic job market looked like going into it, that's on you. There are abundant resources that not only provide ample warning as to what lies ahead, but that also explain how to set yourself up for a non-academic career outside the academy, or at least outside a traditional professorship track. If the state of the world on the other side of your degree blindsides you, that's because you ignored several hundred flashing neon warning signs accompanied by air-raid sirens, or thought that, for some reason, they were trying to warn everyone else besides you. Have a plan for your post-degree future before you apply. That plan should both identify several possible career paths, most of which should not be "be a professor", and have intermediate goals that set up those career paths roughly mapped out.  Do not adjunct. Do anything other than adjunct. Hopefully that's useful.
  2. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to MaoistTowelette in 2021 Applicants   
    How do folks like us with great record collections strike out?
  3. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to mashatheicebear in 2021 Applicants   
    Just got an email titled "From the Office of Admissions" and I almost choked when I saw the notification...
    It was just a spam message from a school I signed up to get notifications from, but didn't end up applying to.
    They should be FORBIDDEN from sending out stuff like that during response/rejection/dejection season. SERIOUSLY.
    I'm still waiting on two schools but am about ready to give up on them ever getting back to me. I submitted my applications the third week of October, so this wait has felt interminable. 
  4. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to Shake829 in 2021 Applicants   
    I got an acceptance today, y’all!!
  5. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to missmarianne in 2021 Applicants   
    In case anyone is wondering how I'm coping with the the waiting process, I put my sleeping tabby cat on chatroulette last night and watched people's reactions until 4AM. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!
  6. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to missmarianne in 2021 Applicants   
    McSweeney's took my essay, y'all!! I'm so excited to see something that's not a rejection in my inbox!
  7. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to helloperil in 2021 Applicants   
    For what it's worth, I also received acceptance letters from my POIs but I didn't contact them before submitting an application; they were simply given my name because their interests aligned with mine and they sent an email and offered to chat on the phone as part of the recruiting part of the admissions cycle. I guess, personally, I wouldn't read too too much into getting acceptance letters from POIs, they're pretty much just given a list of admitted students to reach out to in order to woo them to accept. 
    I want to make clear that I don't think there's any harm in reaching out to POIs but myself and fellow cohort members who have gone through the admissions cycle just don't really see any correlation between reaching out and acceptances/rejections. If you have the time to do it, that's great but if you're pressed for time, I wouldn't worry about it. 
  8. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to dianechambers in 2021 Applicants   
    Hi guys! I've also been a lurker since last night, but I am the Vandy admit. No trolls here, just one very pleasantly surprised gal. Wishing everyone else the best of luck -- this process has been excruciating. 
  9. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to jjmcgu19 in 2021 Applicants   
    Yeah, as someone who has gotten a fair number of rejection letters so far, that Vandy letter is pretty typical. There is a lot that is actually rude, cold, and unethical about this process (exorbitant fees, emphasis on institution prestige, LORs, access privilege, etc.), so I feel like the form letters aren't exactly the best place to focus our energies! 
  10. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to WildeThing in Good African American Lit PhD programs?   
    I dunno what mid to low tier would mean but some schools that seemed strong when I applied were UVA, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, UConn, Brown, Emory, Columbia.  But Af-Am is so broad now that most schools will have at least 2-3 for you to work with. Also, a lot of schools also have Africana or other interdisciplinary PhD program you might want to consider.
  11. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to feralgrad in 2020 Applicants Forum   
    To be frank, I would try to untangle your admissions chances from your self-worth. You applied to very competitive programs; they get way more wonderful applicants than they have space for, so the decisions are incredibly subjective, sometimes even luck-based. You're basically asking a handful of people from each program if they personally can offer you mentorship, and on that level creative chemistry is more important than talent. It's possible that you won't get in this year, but if that's the case, it says more about the markets you were selling to than your work itself.
    Not to mention I've read books from MFA grads that are still crap, so... take that as you will.
  12. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to Rrandle101 in 2020 Acceptances   
    Hi all! I was accepted to OSU today via the online portal so I created this chat so we can all announce our acceptances and celebrate the accomplishments of ourselves and of each other! Best of luck everyone
  13. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to merry night wanderer in 2020 Applicants   
    @DanArndtWrites I'm in the same boat. Based on the advice I've received, if you did well in the graduate lit classes, it's a great asset - it shows you can do graduate work, but also doesn't put you in the "already has a Master's" admissions category. 
  14. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to DanArndtWrites in 2020 Applicants   
    Hi everybody
    I'm a current MFA Fiction student in my final year at Wichita State. I'm looking into my PHD right now and hoping to study 20th c. American, with a particular look towards the Midwestern Gothic and an interest in Folklore and Interdisciplinary work. I have no idea if my MFA will help or harm my application 
  15. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to Narrative Nancy in 2020 Applicants   
    University of Virginia, Rutgers, UMich and NYU are currently on my list since I can identify at least 2 faculty members (sometimes 4 or 5!) I could work with. I've gone back and forth with Cornell, for example, because after looking at dissertations in the last several years I noticed that Boyce Davies hasn't served as chair. It makes me weary of applying to any institution in hopes of working closely with 'superstars' in the field. I've been pretty picky, but there are some programs that I get the feeling my interests would be supported however I can't pinpoint exactly why. I am also toying with Florida State, Brown, WashU, Vanderbilt, Boston University and Northeastern. Like you, I will only apply to a handful of schools, which is both daunting and oddly comforting! 
  16. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to dr. t in Can I straight up email a department and ask what their typical funding package is   
    But to the initial question, yes of course. If they cause you problems over the question, it's not a place you'd want to be, anyway.
  17. Upvote
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to Pezpoet in Can I straight up email a department and ask what their typical funding package is   
    Can confirm that UOregon offers a $13,500 stipend, tuition remission, and health insurance to all its incoming graduate students.
  18. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to SomethingWicked in 2020 Applicants   
    Maybe it is a bit early to start a thread for the 2020 applicants, but I've been lurking for the better part of six months and couldn't wait any longer. I'm curious about who is here for the 2019-2020 application cycle. 
    A little about me: I am a 20th/21st century Americanist with concentrations in Genre Studies (speculative fiction and postwar fiction primarily), Media Studies (video games and the like), and contemporary socio-political discourse. I am currently writing my thesis on the evolution of the apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic genre during the cold war and post-9/11 eras. I am also drafting SOPs and working on my WS with little to no success. How is everyone else doing so far? Is it too soon to begin stressing out over this process?
  19. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to Dogfish Head in 2020 Applicants   
    Wowowowowow, I have been lurking on this forum since around 2015. Was an occasional poster when I was applying to MA programs (and some PhD programs unsuccessfully) in 2017, and now, finally, a thread has been started for the application cycle where I will be applying to PhD programs. This is so exciting! I am still narrowing down my list of programs, I have some ideas about my SOP (none of which I have written down), and as for my writing sample: I have a term paper I like, that is in my field, and that I will presenting at a regional MLA, or, who knows, I may use part of my thesis (if it is ready in time). Super excited to talk about apps with all of you! This is gonna be great (and stressful)!
  20. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to spatial_person in 2019 Applicants   
    Three cheers for UT offering the seminar, "Weak Theory." friggin stoked. 
  21. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to havemybloodchild in 2019 Applicants   
    I got to visit Dallas for a few days last week to apartment hunt and I absolutely fell in love with the city and the people, which I wasn’t really expecting. Then I found out the day after I got home that I got my dream apartment in my dream neighborhood. I’m over the moon right now and it just makes the amazement and gratitude I feel about grad school that much bigger and better. I’m so happy right now.
  22. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to madandmoonly in 2019 Applicants   
    The reading list for the What is the Contemporary? course currently looks like this: Teju Cole, Open City; Don DeLillo, Cosmopolis; Mohsin Hamid, Exit West; Barbara Kingsolver, Flight Behavior; Jamaica Kincaid, Lucy; Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being. I haven't read any of these novels before, so that's exciting! And that it's almost all POC!
  23. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to kaimcc22520 in First-Generation Grad Students Thread   
    So happy to see this thread! 
    I am a first-generation high school graduate and college student, and have been offered acceptance into two PhD programs. Unfortunately, I grew up in a home that did not support my educational pursuits, and I might end up being the only one of my siblings to be able to claim any of that. I actually had to move out at 13 because the environment was so toxic. Despite that, I graduated second highest ranking student in my high school class and summa cum laude from my undergraduate institution. 
    The region I grew up in is extremely rural and not nearly as supportive of higher education as it should be. Many people start families too young  or start working in a manual labor sector (i.e. why my family never finished high school) instead of pursuing other opportunities. I'm hoping to return to rural regions after completing my degree to help change the perception of education and assist with bringing better services (educational, mental health, etc.) to the area. 
  24. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to Adelaide9216 in First-Generation Grad Students Thread   
    Also a first generation here! Thanks for this thread.
  25. Like
    M(allthevowels)H reacted to CafeteroJr in First-Generation Grad Students Thread   
    Hey GC,
    I'm a first-gen college grad entering my first year of grad school at Villanova this August, pursuing my MA in Political Science! I would love to see if there are other first-gen students on here so that we can all get to know each other a little ?I'll start:
    So my parents emigrated from Colombia to the USA in the late 80s to flee the cartel violence, and roughly eight years later, I was born in Miami! I went to pretty rough-around-the-edges public schools in my neighborhood for elementary and middle school, where I hung around with MS13 kids and other gang kids. Since my mom was afraid of me being a part of "those kind of people", or as she would put it in Spanish "con esos pelados", she put me in a private Catholic high school on a full scholarship. I graduated top 10% of my class, went to the Bay Area for college, currently doing a year of service as a volunteer, and this August will be moving to Philadelphia to pursue my MA in Villanova.
    What's your story? How did you get to where you are now?
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