Oklash

This may seem random but I just realized one of my prospective schools does not have an MFA program. Only lit and rhetoric. It's not that serious, but in my experience an adjacent MFA program and classes with non "academic" students have been incredibly valuable. But maybe I'm just nitpicking

This definitely. I finished a fairly intensive MA program and while there, the social environment was really made the grad school experience. Everything from faculty to students on a personal level. That support is really important. I had a pretty similar experience with a school's welcome days. I met one of the professors and he gave me some really bad vibes. And I've just made a mental note to maybe stay far away from him. So maybe we should make an "avoid at all costs" list. But I sympathize with your frustration since the other school is better "ranked." Overall, I hope you end up happy at whichever program you choose!

I don't know if this helps but my brother was also deployed for a year in the navy reserves. It's tough but it is fairly silent as in there is not much communication from the deployed person. So if you start the program, by time your husband returns, you will have completed one whole year! If you defer admissions, that is also a whole year. So maybe, while he is gone, you don't fully relocate. And while the year passes, you will have more time to weigh your options. In the mean time, does your university have any plans in place for military/navy spouses? Child care? Etc... Did he get the job in new york? Congrats to you both!

I can go first! I am down to two offers and can't decide. UW-Madison is my dream school. Wonderful faculty and perfect for my interests and it suits my needs as an academic perfectly. But as a person...I'm not sure. It is a very far move, especially considering my other offer. SMU is geographically closer to my current location. The stipend is also significantly higher (31k vs 24k) and they provide a moving fee. My friend also lives nearby and owns property we could live on, which means I'd have no rent for at least the first year. I mention location and funding a lot because my mom is getting a heart transplant. It's a fairly long process and in all honesty, it's a gamble on whether we can survive the waiting list. And if we do, then things would move quickly. (As in an organ will be donated and the transplant would happen within the next couple of hours). And I know it sounds simple, but we're looking at 4-5 years of waiting, surgeries, and recoveries. So considering my finances and family, SMU would be better. And even though the faculty is great, incredible even, they aren't UW-Madison, my dream school. So like I guess I feel like I'm trying to pick between my dream school and my family. Like a dream school that's far away with a weaker stipend or a different school with an incredible stipend and more reasonable 'real life' compromises. And one of the worst parts is that I really don't have anyone to really talk about this with. Everyone who isn't an academic says "just go to SMU" like its a no brainer because its closer and pays more. But every tenured academic advisor is like "just go to UW" like its a no brainer because they don't have to worry about money as much as I do.

I haven't seen many threads for people who are struggling making a decision so here's one now! Are you having trouble making a decision? . Does faculty make you nervous? Does your cat like warm weather and not cold weather? Any reason...big or large is welcome. If you don't have decision anxiety, how did you make your final decision?

I was accepted into Fordham a while back and just declined. If they don't have an official waitlist and instead a few pending applications, maybe a spot will open up soon.

I haven't seen Fordham mentioned here yet, but I just declined their Phd offer. Hopefully, a waitlisted student will be notified quickly because their open house/welcome days begin March 23rd. They're really nice people!

Still, I don't mean that there will be a change in the literal sense. But instead suggesting that the application process will never go back to normal or back to the way we've grown accustomed to. And just giving potential reasonings as to why and how. The academy itself is changing and so are the expectations for incoming students and their role in it.

Nope! I sent an email to DGS but no response yet. I’m a bit worried....

Yea definitely after the move for me too. But I am looking at the 15 inch Cambridge Satchel in Oxblood

Email sent! And will do. I feel like i’m going to throw up now!

I’m about to just bite the bullet and email Emory. They are my only application left pending. ? I shouldn’t be surprised by thier long response time though. I applied in 2018 and didn’t get a rejection till April.

This is random but I am from the deep south and talking to departments that are definitely not in the deep is jarring. ? I suddenly feel very self-conscious of my voice and speech patterns.

yea, you’re right. i was just rambling a lot of nonsense! i have a skewed perspective because i am very specific and have a distinct scholarly goal. And committees were “impressed” by the tangible the goal was. So maybe I assumed that that is what committees are starting to want. I put impressed in quotes because it wasn’t that impressive. I just talk too much.

I don’t know about “better,” but I forsee a shift in the admissions process that will probably remain permanent. I think admissions will continue limited admissions but will begin prioritizing academy trends rather than pure potential. And by trends, I mean that committees are going to want hyper specific things from potential scholars. Its just that the academy has known for a long time that they are producing more phds than their are jobs. And for years, there has been a moral debate on whether or not accepting students is the right thing to do. Universities have been very afraid of over saturation. And before the pandemic, there was huge discussion on limiting admissions. But there’s no nice or non embarrasing way to announce a drastic change in student admissions. BUT I think Covid forced them to actually put those abstract thoughts of limitation into action. Before, we could only speculate would limited admissions would look like. Now the academy has experience on limited admissions. And even more so, they have begun considering how limitations can achieve a broader academy goal. Just look at U. Chicago, they have chosen rather experimental forms of assessment this year. And they have done so in a way that will directly sway the future of research. They will only accept black phds this year! Now I’m not saying that other schools will go that route. But just watching how this plays out and seeing academy reactions, I see universities embracing very finite binaries. “This year we want scholars for victorian queerness” “This year we only want Shakespeareans who are interested in our digital studies department.” Like they are going to both limit the number of entry for scholars but they will use that limitation to directly sway their own self interests. Specialty is one thing but committees are probably going to want something more specific than even that. I’m rambling but my point is that I don’t think admissions will go “back to normal” next year or even after the pandemic. Yale will stay at 3 admissions for some time. Other schools will decrease admissions or prioritize certain applicants. Either way, I think we are looking at a shift in admissions and instead of it being “better” next year, we may just be playing an entirely new game. Heck, we were playing an entirely new game THIS year. —— So like, back to the admissions I mentioned, I think committee’s are going to look for different things when it comes to accepting applicants: - Will this student sway the job market and research trends in ways that we, collectively as a department, have deemed important and necessary? How? - Does this student have a solid idea of what their specific kind scholarship looks like? And do they have a scholarly identity that is, in our opinion, distinct enough for future employment? - Does this student know what they are getting into beyond academics (poverty, job scarcity, etc) How does their background let us know? So to sum all my garbage rant into a final point: Admissions committee have a different stance on admissions now. They will prioritize a very limited number and from that limited number, they will choose students based on a desired outcome rather than potential. Applicants have a different set of expectations....or they will have next year or in years’ future. ———- Another thing I want to note is that a good majority of applicants are not ready for a phd. The number of applicants may be huge, but in all honesty, there’s far fewer who are actually “ready.” Like yea, a lot are ready for scholarship and research but don’t prove that they are also ready for the reality of external factors out of their control. I’m not being cruel. If I am, I apologize. I think potential and skill is there for most applicants. There are so many amazing scholars out there. And in a perfect world, that’s all you’d need. But with the job market and humanities the way it is, its not enough to be a “good scholar.” You have to also be a firmly convicted one. And that has to be proven by proving that you have a very solid, and very unique idea, of what kind of scholar you are or are going to be. So yea, the number of applicants seem scary but not many meet this unspoken requirement. You also have to be good at teaching, the landscape of higher education is prioritizing instruction so students also need to understand that.

I’m in at Fordham! Though I am very confused by the funding.

There’s one university that does not have anyone in my subfield! But after looking at their student placements, I found that they have produced a few dissertations within the field. I took it as a sign that the department was interested in the field and had a bit of experience. I’m hesitant to make a decision until I actually speak to someone. And I am very concerned about the potential lack of support. But if it helps anyone, try looking into and reading a few dissertations from recent graduates. See if any are in the subfield. And when meeting department talk about that project and get a sense of how the department handles your subfield. See how they could support you if you end up in this situation

Wait? You can do that? You can actually ask for a rank increase. (and yes, I do have an MA)

This is difficult for me too! But I’m considering finances. I currently have two acceptances. One has incredible prestige and is highly ranked but the stipend is decent. Still the town is great, the faculty is wonderful, and its a great fit. It was actually my top choice! The other program is less highly ranked but has a higher stipend and awarded me an additional diversity scholarship/fellowship. So now, this school is offering almost $10k more than than what the other university is offering (22k vs 31k). This school is also only 4 hours from my current location while the highly ranked school is a 16 hour drive. So the lower ranked school also has a much cheaper moving cost. The fellowship would also look good on my CV. The program is good but truthfully, but not highly ranked. They are not as shiny of a name as #1 despite offering more money. Part of me really wants to follow the money. But another part of me knows that both stipends are still below the poverty line so why prioritize it. I have no idea what i’m going to do... rank or cash????

I can see why it is a bit rude. There’s very little consideration for the applicant and their materials. And the entire focus is instead on the committee themselves and thier rather defensive and distant perspective. This letter talks way more about themselves than they do the applicant in particular and yet (!) I don’t even know if this if from the english department? Not to say that a self centered approach is *wrong,* but in a rejection letter, it’s probably not the best time. This letter also seems incredibly generic and its 2021?! This is one of the first application cycles of its kind and if this is the only part of the letter, the lack of awareness for social circumstances and covid is pretty sus. And I really only say this because I applied to Vandy 3 years ago & this was the exact same letter! You’d think they’d update it a bit given *gestures at everything.* But anyway, this letter says way more about how “busy and sad” Vanderbilt is and almost nothing about the quality of applicants. - WE recieve so many applications - WE reviewed all materials (even though there were sooo many!) - WE made a decision - YOU are disappointed, but back to ME, because WE do wish you luck. (No seriously we do!) And to exemplify: here is cornell’s rejection letter to contrast. Your application for admission to the Graduate School at Cornell University has been given careful consideration by the Department of Literatures in English. I'm very sorry to say that we are unable to offer you admission to our PhD graduate program for Fall 2021. This was a very difficult decision. We received hundreds of applications for very few places in the program, and we've had to turn down an enormous number of talented people with very impressive records, many of whom no doubt will go on to distinguished careers. This email will serve as your only notification of your application results. We appreciate your interest in Cornell's Department of Literatures in English and wish you success in your graduate studies. Thank you for sharing your work with us. We also wish you good health and much support during the ongoing pandemic. It expresses gratitude and then condolences. It also acknowledges the talent of all applicants and seems to genuinely believe in the future success in their careers. I’m not saying you HAVE to do something like this. But this is a rejection letter and the fact that forums like this even exist says a lot about how stressful the process is. A little kindness goes a very long way. But idk, it’s not that rude. I just think it leaves a lot to be desired.

What did it say?????

I’m just venting but it’s really hard to make a decision when your parents don’t really want you to go. I’m from the deep south and there aren’t any strong programs within a 6 hour radius. And the ones who have accepted me are a good 10 hours away. Its not like she’s being really nasty and she won’t go out of her way to stop me. Its just frustrating to get an acceptance and hear, “is there anything closer?” or “can you do it from home?” Idk, i’m justifying venting but I don’t feel any real excitement about any of these decisions anymore. Even though I should.

Has anyone else heard from SMU? I just got an update about my application status and was offered a visit. But its only made me even more nervous! I will be doubly hurt if i’m rejected after a visit

I’m starting to accept that I probably didn’t get into duke