breemartini

Committed to the University of Washington :^)

I think that if you have at least a year or two of experiencing working PT while in school FT (although undergrad intensity might not measure up to grad school intensity), and that if the thought of working for the entirety of your studies at WF is somewhat exciting rather than daunting, then go for it. Sometimes it is energizing to have more on your plate/to have responsibilities outside of school/academia, but only you know what kind of energy you want this next stretch of your life to bring : )

Off CUNY's waitlist :')

Today I received notice of acceptance to the MA program at NYU (as well as rejection from PhD). The offer comes with 60% of tuition covered, no help with fees/registration, and no stipend/benefits. Will most likely turn down, but happy to finally hear some news from this school!!

Is anyone else still waiting on UC Davis, NYU, or Brown PhD? Still haven't heard a thing from any of these programs ?

Still waiting on UC Davis, Brown, and NYU for English PhD - although acceptances, rejections, and some waitlists have been out for a minute ?

Duke: Feb 21-23 University of Alabama: February 28-March 2 Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL): February 28-March 2 CU Boulder: Feb 28-March 1 Indiana University: March 1 Queen's University: March 1 U Wisconsin-Madison: March 3-5 SMU Interview Visit: March 3-5 Illinois (Urbana): March 4-5 Stanford: March 6-8 UC Irvine: March 7-8 Northwestern: March 7-9 Saint Louis University: March 8 UC Santa Barbara: March 8 Florida State University: March 12 UC Santa Cruz: March 14 University of Minnesota: March 14-15 CUNY Graduate Center: March 15th UC Berkeley: March 16-18 Kansas: March 17-19 UVA: March 18-19 UPenn: March 19-21 Vanderbilt: March 21-22 UNC Chapel Hill: March 21-22 Rice University: March 21-23 BU: March 22 USC: March 24-26 Penn State: March 24-26 Rutgers: March 25-26 UT Austin: March 28-30 UC Davis: April 2 SUNY Buffalo: April 2-3 NYU: April 3-4 University of Washington: April 4-5 U Oregon: April 4-6

Last year I applied to one MA program abroad via Fulbright, and did not advance past the Semi-Finalist round (but was admitted to the graduate program without any real funding, and therefore could not attend). I was definitely bummed, but ended up applying to/being admitted to a one-year AmeriCorps Tutor program in lieu of grad school. Highly recommend this experience if you are looking to: gain more "hard" workplace experience/skills; potentially move to a new city for a year; meet/make new friends and expand your networking circle; and learn a lot about yourself and your goals in the process. I think this addition to my resume/CV definitely helped my applications. My specific program includes housing/utilities, stipend, and a $5-6k education award upon fulfillment of the one year commitment which can be applied to loans and/or future schooling. Happy to chat with anyone looking for opportunities like this! Also look into this potential opportunity, for those in the Los Angeles area: https://www.thebroad.org/dap

Hello! I started my first full-time job in August of last year, and my application season felt impossibly overwhelming at times. That being said - I felt like I absolutely covered all of my bases by the time I hit 'submit.' My biggest advice (especially if you are applying to more than a few programs): create your own handwritten chart/checklist for deadlines and program requirements, as early as possible. This really helped me feel grounded/organized, and prevented me from feeling frantic. I can share my layout if that would help!

@The Wordsworthian thank you!! maybe we can PM soon about offer details?

Also my first acceptance yesterday! congratulations : - )

@mwils15 congratulations to you as well! : ) Broad focus is Postcolonial and Transnational Literatures; more specific focus is magical realism/feminism in Latin American and Afro-Latinx fiction, poetry, and performance : ))

Today I was rejected by Columbia (email to check portal), waitlisted at CUNY (a nice email with an invitation to an open house mid-March), and accepted to University of Washington with funding! I'm overwhelmed :,)

@trytostay ahh hopefully you're right!

I also have not heard back from any programs yet! : / I see that some Columbia rejections have gone out, so not sure if continued radio silence represents a glimmer of hope for that program.

Thank you! : 0 ) Two fantastic (and foundational) magical feminism texts are Their Dogs Came With Them by Helena Maria Viramontes and The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. I am currently making my way through a collection of short stories by García Márquez - his stories are always a safe bet. Borges also has a ton of short stories that are must-reads. I love your goal of moving to Chicago! It is definitely unhealthy and unrealistic to attach your worth to this application cycle. Your worth is tied to all of your great ideas and how you move forward with them, independent of institutions! If I am not admitted to any programs, I would move back home to Los Angeles and work towards landing a job that would help me gain more experience leading creative projects that are social-justice oriented. I really want to connect my love for art and writing with my desire to help young people from underrepresented backgrounds.

Hello everyone! I graduated in December 2017 with a BA in English. I am currently an AmeriCorps Tutor in Newark, NJ with MMUF, the Leadership Alliance, Sigma Tau Delta, and a variety of professional experiences under my belt. I was also a Semi-Finalist for a Fulbright Taught Masters. This is my first time applying to PhD programs, and it was definitely more intense than I expected - I learned a lot about my organizational skills in the process, and I am happy/proud to have finished everything with a bit of time to spare. A very brief description of my research aspirations: I hope to center my studies around magical realism and magical feminism in Latin American and Afro-Latinx diasporic fiction, poetry, and performance. I intend to evaluate how textual elements of magical feminism are physically manifested in performances, and how performative spaces foster the creation of writer-activist communities that are continuously in conversation with the original works. Regardless of results, everyone should feel accomplished for making it to this point. I hope that the new year motivates us all to stay productive with personal/professional projects in the interim - I know I am devoting some time this month to ground myself by re-establishing some long-term goals that will not be affected by upcoming acceptances and/or rejections. Sending love and best-wishes ?

I called their offices on the day of the transcripts deadline, and the woman I talked to let me know that Fulbright will only reach out if your transcripts have not been received. She also said that any holds up in this process are not cause for disqualification.

Hi all! I had my transcripts physically mailed (since my college does not offer "official" electronic transcripts), and I was freaking out a little bit since I haven't received notification by either Fulbright or my home institution's transcript tracking service that my documents reached their destination. As you all (hopefully) know, today (Feb. 20th) was the deadline for Fulbright to receive transcripts. I called this morning, and the woman who answered looked up my name and let me know that while my transcript hasn't been processed yet, "there is no reason to worry," and that a potential holdup with transcript processing/receiving is not cause for disqualification. She said they have received thousands of documents, and they they are definitely bogged down. Just thought I'd share for those who sent out physical transcripts as well! Best of luck to everyone!

I am a bit late, but I am a semi-finalist for a Taught Master's Award for University College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland. I have already been accepted to UCD, with a Global Scholarship offer. I applied to UCD with the intention of studying English Literature, with a focus in American Lit. I am currently a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, and my project is a cross cultural analysis of works by James Joyce and Carlos Fuentes. I am considering looking into alternative funding as a back up plan, because if I do not receive funding I will take a gap year before applying to PhD programs. I need to do my own research, but does anyone know of scholarships/fellowships that are still open for application? Finally - is anyone else potentially headed to Ireland?

Try to develop more loving non-romantic relationships. Sometimes loneliness can be alleviated by friendship. I know they aren't the same as relationships with a significant other, but friendships can be supportive, nurturing, inspiring, tender, and altogether wonderful. Isn't going out with a best friend like a date? (Minus the sexual intimacy, maybe.) On another note, have you considered being more open with your sexuality? Or are you completely certain of what you want in a romantic relationship? Sending you positivity throughout the rest of the holiday season~~~

Whenever I start to get stressed about acceptance rates/the general difficulty of PhD programs/the question of whether or not this is all worth it, I stop and remind myself that, well, of course these programs are competitive. You said it yourself: "any program with decent funding is insanely competitive." Admitted individuals are being paid and supported (often with housing, healthcare, etc.) to perform intellectual labor. All fields, including those that are outside academia, are competitive. Corporate America is competitive. I think that most students who are really cut out for PhD programs will find a way to get a decent deal from a school that will fit them well. It will take some longer to gain access to the needed resources/experiential opportunities that will ultimately make them one of the most desirable applicants in the pool for a given program. Of course, the programs you apply to will play a large role in your likelihood to receive an acceptance/awards package. If you are dead-set on getting into an Ivy, you have to be prepared for the possibility of rejection. If your goal is to get into a department with faculty who are well-equipped to help you and your research, then you can worry less about the prestige/competitiveness of a given program. If you end up not getting into any programs (after giving it your best shot, perhaps for several admissions rounds), then you have to decide if/when you will move on. Even in that scenario, you will be leaving with an abundance of experience and skills that will make you competitive in other fields. Still, best of luck! Making it this far is an accomplishment in itself.

I applied for the Taught Master’s Program Award at University College Dublin. This award requires applicants to be enrolled as an MA student at UCD, and I was accepted to my intended program (MA in Literature and Culture with a focus in American Literature)! Now just waiting to hear about the other half of the process in January. Best of luck to everyone throughout the waiting process; hopefully the new year will bring some exciting news!