©har1ie

My undergrad performance was pretty mediocre at a pretty mediocre institution and I took 6 years to complete my BA. I never bothered to write an explanatory note about it for either my MA apps or these PHD ones. Mostly because I don't really have a compelling narrative to share ("I took three years to decide what I wanted to do in college and never really studied" doesn't really leap off the page). Maybe that's affected my chances at some programs, and I'm okay with that. I'll let my writing/research speak for itself, for better or for worse.
I definitely second the advice to get a funded MA. I'm certainly way more prepared for a PHD than I would've been right out of the BA. It gave me more chances to prove myself as a researcher and writer. And it reinforced my decision to pursue an academic career by giving me practical experience in that world.

My undergrad performance was pretty mediocre at a pretty mediocre institution and I took 6 years to complete my BA. I never bothered to write an explanatory note about it for either my MA apps or these PHD ones. Mostly because I don't really have a compelling narrative to share ("I took three years to decide what I wanted to do in college and never really studied" doesn't really leap off the page). Maybe that's affected my chances at some programs, and I'm okay with that. I'll let my writing/research speak for itself, for better or for worse.
I definitely second the advice to get a funded MA. I'm certainly way more prepared for a PHD than I would've been right out of the BA. It gave me more chances to prove myself as a researcher and writer. And it reinforced my decision to pursue an academic career by giving me practical experience in that world.

Waitlisted at Rutgers. Nice phone call from DGS today. Would be a tough decision between that and ND if I got into both.

It’s nice to read both of those responses! I think the only guaranteed funding I’d get for an MA would be with my undergrad institution, and I’m trying to convince myself it’s not the worst thing in the world to happen to me if I end up pursuing that first.

My undergrad performance was pretty mediocre at a pretty mediocre institution and I took 6 years to complete my BA. I never bothered to write an explanatory note about it for either my MA apps or these PHD ones. Mostly because I don't really have a compelling narrative to share ("I took three years to decide what I wanted to do in college and never really studied" doesn't really leap off the page). Maybe that's affected my chances at some programs, and I'm okay with that. I'll let my writing/research speak for itself, for better or for worse.
I definitely second the advice to get a funded MA. I'm certainly way more prepared for a PHD than I would've been right out of the BA. It gave me more chances to prove myself as a researcher and writer. And it reinforced my decision to pursue an academic career by giving me practical experience in that world.

Waitlisted at Rutgers. Nice phone call from DGS today. Would be a tough decision between that and ND if I got into both.

My undergrad performance was pretty mediocre at a pretty mediocre institution and I took 6 years to complete my BA. I never bothered to write an explanatory note about it for either my MA apps or these PHD ones. Mostly because I don't really have a compelling narrative to share ("I took three years to decide what I wanted to do in college and never really studied" doesn't really leap off the page). Maybe that's affected my chances at some programs, and I'm okay with that. I'll let my writing/research speak for itself, for better or for worse.
I definitely second the advice to get a funded MA. I'm certainly way more prepared for a PHD than I would've been right out of the BA. It gave me more chances to prove myself as a researcher and writer. And it reinforced my decision to pursue an academic career by giving me practical experience in that world.

My undergrad performance was pretty mediocre at a pretty mediocre institution and I took 6 years to complete my BA. I never bothered to write an explanatory note about it for either my MA apps or these PHD ones. Mostly because I don't really have a compelling narrative to share ("I took three years to decide what I wanted to do in college and never really studied" doesn't really leap off the page). Maybe that's affected my chances at some programs, and I'm okay with that. I'll let my writing/research speak for itself, for better or for worse.
I definitely second the advice to get a funded MA. I'm certainly way more prepared for a PHD than I would've been right out of the BA. It gave me more chances to prove myself as a researcher and writer. And it reinforced my decision to pursue an academic career by giving me practical experience in that world.

My undergrad performance was pretty mediocre at a pretty mediocre institution and I took 6 years to complete my BA. I never bothered to write an explanatory note about it for either my MA apps or these PHD ones. Mostly because I don't really have a compelling narrative to share ("I took three years to decide what I wanted to do in college and never really studied" doesn't really leap off the page). Maybe that's affected my chances at some programs, and I'm okay with that. I'll let my writing/research speak for itself, for better or for worse.
I definitely second the advice to get a funded MA. I'm certainly way more prepared for a PHD than I would've been right out of the BA. It gave me more chances to prove myself as a researcher and writer. And it reinforced my decision to pursue an academic career by giving me practical experience in that world.

Recent update: I got into Oklahoma to study Native American lit and culture, and Utah waitlisted me with a nice note about my potential and "very impressive" achievements. For context, my undergrad performance, working against my fellowships, grants, conferences, and writing as an MA, was spotty at a difficult institution. This is my first round. I want to say this because despite what people say about undergrad performance, if you did not do yourself favors in undergrad (like me), I'd say you still have a chance. It's all a crapshoot. Go get an MA--try to make sure it's paid for.
That being said, there are tradeoffs when your MA is paid for, in terms of how much time you will have to focus on your work--if you are curious about what those are and are considering an MA, I'd be happy to talk. I wish someone had given me some facts before I started on my journey. But the objective is to be financially supported to write and do research, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to do that.
Congratulations to all who have found their fit and some good news, as part of this grand exercise in masochism.

I was one of the Notre Dame admits from yesterday. I'm ecstatic, not just because it's my first acceptance. I really enjoyed visiting the campus during their recruitment event, I love the fit for me. It's nice to have something concrete. 

I was one of the Notre Dame admits from yesterday. I'm ecstatic, not just because it's my first acceptance. I really enjoyed visiting the campus during their recruitment event, I love the fit for me. It's nice to have something concrete. 

I was one of the Notre Dame admits from yesterday. I'm ecstatic, not just because it's my first acceptance. I really enjoyed visiting the campus during their recruitment event, I love the fit for me. It's nice to have something concrete. 

I was one of the Notre Dame admits from yesterday. I'm ecstatic, not just because it's my first acceptance. I really enjoyed visiting the campus during their recruitment event, I love the fit for me. It's nice to have something concrete. 

YES!! Enormous congratulations!!! That's a huge acceptance, especially since you already know it's a great fit from the visit.
I got my first acceptance, to Utah (hey @sheherazade11, once again!), and it Is a huge relief. I'll still be waiting anxiously for the waitlist results and news from other schools, but I'll definitely be going somewhere in the fall!!! 

I was one of the Notre Dame admits from yesterday. I'm ecstatic, not just because it's my first acceptance. I really enjoyed visiting the campus during their recruitment event, I love the fit for me. It's nice to have something concrete. 

As a recent MA grad I’m also open to answering UGA questions if needed 🙂 Congrats.

As a recent MA grad I’m also open to answering UGA questions if needed 🙂 Congrats.

I tend to feel the same, but I go back and forth on the idea because I am determined to leave secondary education. I might not mind going back to an office job though, and I keep telling myself that not getting in will probably be much better for my mental and fiscal health in the long run. As for my spirit, otoh…
 
Anyways, wishing you the best of luck for your ND interview, though it sounds like you won’t even need it!  

 
 

I also got that 3:00am rejection notification from UMD. As mentioned I’m a little bitter about that one, was most confident about the fit there out of all my applications. It just goes to show how competitive things really are.
For me, I am pretty much planning to be one and done when it comes to the PHD applications. If I don’t get in this year, I’ll just move on. I’ll either commit to secondary education or try to do something else in higher Ed, like work in admissions.
With that being said, I’m trying to stay confident. My app was strong enough to get positive attention from two good programs, and I now know which professors I’ll be interviewing with at ND. I feel like I’m a strong interviewer and I have some time to prepare for each one. It feels good to have something to DO, some way to influence my results.

I also got that 3:00am rejection notification from UMD. As mentioned I’m a little bitter about that one, was most confident about the fit there out of all my applications. It just goes to show how competitive things really are.
For me, I am pretty much planning to be one and done when it comes to the PHD applications. If I don’t get in this year, I’ll just move on. I’ll either commit to secondary education or try to do something else in higher Ed, like work in admissions.
With that being said, I’m trying to stay confident. My app was strong enough to get positive attention from two good programs, and I now know which professors I’ll be interviewing with at ND. I feel like I’m a strong interviewer and I have some time to prepare for each one. It feels good to have something to DO, some way to influence my results.

seeing that we're both waitlisted at Illinois and rejected by Northwestern, maybe our paths will cross more or we'll be parallels, it's ok, glad to have camaraderie here on the forums

Same. 😔

got the Northwestern email 😞 at least was straight to the point and direct

I did. Looks like it will work out for me to attend in-person.
ND is really the only thing I have going for me at this point besides the Illinois waitlist. I am pretty disappointed to see the Maryland interviews and acceptances going out; out of all the schools I applied to, it was the program I was most confident about fit-wise. I'd met and talked with faculty a few times, there were good connections between them and my MA program, and it just seemed the most likely spot for me. Oh well. Still ~5 programs left. Up to me to nail the ND interview.