[Factors to consider when committing to a program]

19 minutes ago, gregs said:

I have a question: how locked in are funding offers? In whatever document/terms you sign onto when you accept a funding offer, is there any type of clause that gives the school the right to rescind or renegotiate funding in future years, even in the case of good performance by the student?

I ask only because, even if this week's stock market woes are fake news, there's still a not insignificant chance that the economy takes a downturn sometime while we're all in grad school. Should that happen, and money potentially dries up, would schools still be required to abide by the terms of their offer letters? I wonder how this was handled for students entering programs ~2006.

I haven't really thought about this, but I think it's a really important question. Just imagining the situation is so painful.

[2018 Acceptances]

1 hour ago, pronountrouble said:

Got into Boston College! Wowowow! 

That's great!! Congrats!!! 

[2018 Acceptances]

On 1/31/2018 at 11:32 AM, JustPoesieAlong said:

I'm originally from Texas, and will second @CulturalCriminal's assessment of the area. College Station is a very conservative area--much more so than most university towns. Austin and College Station are basically different worlds. That said, I would bet that you would spend most of your time with people in the department/university, other than when teaching, so it wouldn't necessarily be that bad.

1

 

Thank you for sharing! I had lived in the US only for about a couple of years and I was in California then. But as you said, it seems likely that I would spend most of my time at the university.   

[2018 Acceptances]

54 minutes ago, JustPoesieAlong said:

Congratulations on the acceptance! I was accepted there as well. Are you planning on attending the recruitment event in March? If you don't mind my asking, what is your area of study? I'm early modern.

I was just contemplating over the email question as well. I think I will go ahead and send a basic thank you and that I look forward to hearing more. I don't know what to say about the recruitment weekend, though. I'd love to go, but I've visited once before (I almost went there for my master's) and am afraid I won't be able to go to visit events at other schools if I were invited. 

Congratulations on your acceptance, too! It's great we got accepted into the same school. 

I also haven't made my mind up about attending the recruitment event. I've never visited Texas before and I'd love to go, but it's so far away from where I live. Since it seems like one-day event and it will be 30 + hours of travel total, it's difficult to decide. I share your concern and I'm afraid I won't be able to visit other events if I get invited. Then, it won't really help me make my decision. So I'm still thinking and haven't said anything about the recruitment weekend in my thank you email.

Oh, and I'm interested in 20th and 21st century lit and race and ethnicity. 

By the way, could you share your experience of your visit to TAMU?   

[2018 Acceptances]

2 hours ago, jrockford27 said:

Definitely write a thank you e-mail back in the case of an acceptance or a waitlist.  It lets the administration know you've received the decision.  Something as simple as, "That's wonderful news!  Thank you!  Please let me know if you need anything from me."  They know that you're probably waiting for all of your offers to come in and they definitely know that you have until April 15 to make a decision.

Thanks a lot!! Your example was really helpful.  

[2018 Acceptances]

9 minutes ago, CulturalCriminal said:

I emailed back with what boils down to a thanks for the update/look forward to any developments on my waitlist email.

 

Feels weird not responding.

Also, congrats on TAMU. It’s an odd place, but I know many folks that are quite fond of it.

Thank you!

By the way, could you tell me about what you mean by odd? Just curious to know! Since I'm an international student, every bit of information is precious!

[2018 Acceptances]

I got accepted into the Ph.D. program in English at TAMU with a funding offer, and I'm still shaking with joy! This is the first acceptance offer I've received so far. I got one rejection and still haven't heard from most of the schools I've applied to, so I need some more time before making a decision, but TAMU is definitely one of my top choices. 

Has anyone already written a reply to the director of graduate studies (not necessarily TAMU but in general) and thanked her/him for the acceptance before deciding whether to attend the school or not? I'm thinking about writing a thank you email, though I'm not sure whether or not it is standard to do so. I think I should anyway since I noticed that they mistakenly thought that a part of my first name to be my middle name (because there's a space between the two parts) and omitted that part. I should probably write and let them know about this problem. Sorry, I'm rambling and almost started talking to myself. I think part of me still can't believe this really happened and has this irrational fear of my acceptance being revoked if I don't immediately accept the offer. I guess I need to calm down first. I'm too happy to do that, though! 

 

[Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) / Projected Rejections]

I just received an email from CMU. This was my first rejection email. I somehow thought the school might not be a great fit for me during the application process, but it still hurts. I also haven't heard from the U of Minnesota, but it seems like at least some applicants have already heard from the school, so it probably means I'm either waitlisted or rejected? 

[2018 Acceptances]

3 hours ago, clinamen said:

I have a question for anyone who can offer some advice. Though I was accepted via the application portal on Wednesday, I still haven't heard directly from anyone in the English dept at the University of Minnesota. What is the appropriate course of action here -- do I wait to hear from them? Or should I be reaching out? 

Congrats!!! I've also applied to the U of Minnesota, but mine still reads Awaiting Program Decision.  

[Should international students change their names in class?]

As someone who had lived in the US for a couple of years as an international student when I was a high school student, I think the fact that you have this question tells a lot about how thoughtful and considerate you are of others' feelings. Back when I was in the US, not many people asked me about the reason I went by an English name made up by me. In my case, it was after one accident that I invented a new name. One of my teachers in the public high school I went to could not pronounce my name and I thought he was calling another student and ended up getting marked absent a few times. (This happened especially because he mistakenly thought that the second part of my long first name is my middle name and only called the first part of my name.) And then I decided to get myself a new nickname for my own convenience.

But the thing is, though this new name was something Americans could pronounce easily, I actually got this name from a Filipina singer I admired so much (I'm not Filipina, but I loved her so!), so I ended up really liking this name. I would put my actual name in parenthesis sometimes for my school records. Having a new name somehow made it much easier for me to emotionally adjust to a new environment since my mind could accept the fact that I'm in a foreign country and likely to face cultural and language barriers as a foreign student. Of course I also loved it when my friends were curious to know my real name and call me by that. But I also got attached to my new name. You wrote about how it is not "his responsibility to change his name to make it easier for his American instructors to say." I think this is considerate of you to think this way, but I think it is also possible that he changed his name for other reasons or maybe he came to like it like I did. I think having the "freedom to" and not just the "freedom from" is nice and can be refreshing.

So, although I think that it is quite insensitive and even rude to demand someone else to have an English name just because that someone moved to an English speaking country, in my personal opinion, it is perfectly fine to call "Leo" Leo if that's what he wants to go by. 

If I were you, I would either ask him about his preference or, if he didn't hesitate when he first told you that he goes by Leo, I might just call him that!  As you already suggested in your post, that could make him feel more comfortable. Of course, I'm aware that the fact that I have an experience of being an international student does not mean that I could represent other international students. I just wanted to share my perspective, especially since I really liked and appreciated your question! 

 

 

 

[What will you do if you get your first acceptance letter?]

16 hours ago, TheScienceHoney said:

-Probably scream

-Call my parents, then my boyfriend, then my best friend

-Post on social media, email my rec letter writers

-Cry

-I hadn't thought of taking a day off but I'm totally going to now, I've been working my ass off, I deserve it lol. Probably do some day drinking with friends to celebrate. Relax. Enjoy the happiness.

-Then after that's all passed I'll actually look into accepting admission, the timeline I'll have, places to live, etc. All the practical stuff that comes with it  

I haven't gotten a single interview or acceptance yet. When my first rejection came, it was at 2 AM and I was awake and I definitely cried reading it. It's still gnawing at me.

This is a solid plan. Maybe I'll do just the same, except that taking a day off won't be necessary for me, since I've already been indulging myself in heavy binge-watching and "taking days off" ever since the application process ended. 

I also haven't gotten any interview or acceptance yet. I expect them (or rejection) to arrive from early February, but I'm not so sure. I'm so sorry to hear that you got your first rejection. I really hope you get your first acceptance soon from your favorite school! Best of luck to you!    

 

[What will you do if you get your first acceptance letter?]

19 minutes ago, Carly Rae Jepsen said:

Being totally honest--I'll share the news on social media and cry.

Afterwards I'm gonna have a chat with myself in my head and wonder if this school is the right fit, if I should wait for the rest of the schools etc.

Of course! Why didn't I think about it? I think I'll cry too, remembering the time I struggled with the application process, thanking those who helped me along the way. I hope we all get accepted by our favorite schools!    

[What will you do if you get your first acceptance letter?]

9 hours ago, PlsAdmitMePls said:

Just imagining that gives me a dopamine rush!  Best of luck with your results! Here's to getting our acceptances!

 

 

I know, right? Knowing that I'm not alone on this somehow makes me feel happy and even less lonely! I wish the very best of luck to you, too! Let's get accepted! 

[What will you do if you get your first acceptance letter?]

 

Hello,

I'm an international applicant for fall 2018 and I'm feeling more nervous than ever as the admission decision season for my major seems to be approaching. And though I'm not entirely hopeful, I keep imagining myself getting an acceptance letter. (yay!) And I ask myself this. What will I do first when (if) I get an acceptance email? Well, first, I guess I'll tell my family and my closest friends about it! But what will I do afterward?

Will I write a quick thank you reply to the school right away before I make a final decision? Will I talk to my MA thesis advisor about it or will I wait until I receive decision letters from other schools and almost finish making up my mind? Will I tell my recommendation letter writers about the news? 

I assume many of you have imagined the same situation. When and if you get your first acceptance letter (I hope we all do!!!), what will you do? I know that it may depend much on whether the school is your top choice or not. But what do you easily imagine yourself doing afterward besides jumping for joy and possibly sharing the news with your loved ones?  

 

  

[Let’s just TALK about it...]

14 hours ago, WatchfulWombat said:

Well, of course I'm not really an authority on graduate literature programs, but still! 

Out of curiosity, which schools have you applied to?

Some of the schools I've applied to that I'd be so excited to go are Texas A&M, U of Pittsburgh, and Purdue.  

[Let’s just TALK about it...]

16 minutes ago, WatchfulWombat said:

Good luck! If this helps at all, I don't think you need to worry too much about not having the right "preparation" for an English lit program. I'm sure having read in other languages will be equally helpful, and you'll still be able to catch up whatever you need to read.

I'm European but I have a degree in English literature and linguistics (from a European university) and have lived in the US for a while. I definitely noticed that the literary canon in the US is somehow different, and US students are assigned "classic works of literature" that I have never heard of, while ignoring others that I thought were essential from my European perspective. But all of that is easily remedied once you get into a program. 

Thank you! You really helped me feel better. Good luck to you, too!!   

[Let’s just TALK about it...]

I am an international student and my major is English. I've applied to 11 PhD programs (all in the United States) and, so far, I haven't heard from any.

It means so much to me to get accepted and funded by at least one of these programs, because there is no way that I can take to achieve my professional goal other than this.  And I am not so sure if I could take another chance, applying all again, asking for the recommendation letters again from the professors of the university I've already graduated from, because, honestly, I am not sure what I could do to significantly improve my application if I were given another chance. Of course, it doesn't mean that there is no possibility of improvement. I just don't know 'how.'  I have poured in much effort in my SOP and my writing sample. I guess I could probably try to improve my GRE scores a little bit, but I am not so sure if that would make such a difference in my application.  

Also, I have this anxiety that, even if I do get in, I won't do very well. I think that part of this feeling comes from my status as an international student and the fact that my major is English (literature). Although I had lived in the States for a few years when I was much younger, I haven't had any higher education in the States, and I often feel unconfident if I could catch up with others who are native English speakers and who must have read so many more literary texts written in English than I have. I know it might be silly to worry this much about what would happen if I got in, since it's either too late or too early to do that. (I should have thought about this more before the application process. Or, I could start worrying about this later if I am accepted, since I haven't actually been accepted to any.) And that's why I'm talking about it here, without censoring my emotions and leaving them as they are.

This is my first post in the gradcafe. Thank you for your post and this chance to talk about it.