The Wordsworthian

seeing people who have already committed somewhere gives me a weird second-hand peace/life stability. like at least someone knows what the next 5ish years of their life are going to look like, even if it’s not me ?

AHAHAH. That made me die!
I definitely have so many pages of the Purdue OWL bookmarked--it's everything! Especially as my research is moving more into some cultures work. PTL for a guide that tells you how to cite a tweet or a youtube video!
*snaps* to the "y'all" discussion. I will defend y'all forever. The lack of a plural "you" or a formal "you" in the English language is a no from me. But I have NEVER heard "yinz"--wtf is "yinz"!?

FWIW: The unsubsidized Graduate direct student loan rate was 6.6 percent in 2018-2019. There are no subsidized loans for Graduate Students.

Let's assume you decide to go to this unfunded program and take out a total of 60,000 for tuition and living expenses. Let's also assume that you can't afford to pay any of this loan back while in school because you're focused on writing great papers and developing deeper connections with your professors. You finish your 1-year program and take a gap year while working  at a new job and paying for applications.

After the deferment period of 12 months, the new loan balance is $64,059.09 , including $4,059.09 in accrued interest.

Let's suppose you manage to make interest-only payments during your gap year. You work hard;  save up money for grad applications and get accepted into a Ph.D. program. Your stipend isn't high enough to cover payments though so you defer.
 
After the deferment period of 72 months, the new loan balance is $88,864.53 , including $28,864.53 in accrued interest.
Without the interest capitalization there would have been 120 payments of $684.34 , for a total payment of $82,120.80 (including a total of $22,120.80 in interest) plus an additional $23,760.00 in interest paid during the deferment period.
With the interest capitalization there are 120 payments of $1,013.57 , for a total payment of $121,628.40 (including a total of $32,763.87 in interest plus $28,864.53 in interest accrued during the deferment period).

But: I will pay that off in 25 years, you say.

Without the interest capitalization there would have been 300 payments of $408.88 , for a total payment of $122,664.00 (including a total of $62,664.00 in interest) plus an additional $23,760.00 in interest paid during the deferment period.
With the interest capitalization there are 300 payments of $605.58 , for a total payment of $181,674.00 (including a total of $92,809.47 in interest plus $28,864.53 in interest accrued during the deferment period).

(Information grabbed from FinAid's calculator)

Costs not covered: Conferences, Moving Expenses, Emergencies,  Private loans if unable to find work, etc.

 

I also got (and immediately turned down) the MAPH offer. Me @ Chicago: 

I declined Brown. I committed to Chicago. I hope that gives someone on the waitlist good news!

I feel that way about all of you ❤️

Super happy for you.  You've been such a beacon of light on this forum

Just got a call from Dr. Sae Saue offering me admission to SMU

Can I ask what is considered a top 10 school? The qs rankings are flawed, obviously, as are the us rankings. Are top 10s Ivy/ivy-adjacent? (e.g. Stanford, Chicago..)

Not a book, but a fantastic poem recommendation: just recently reread Spenser's Daphnaida and wow, I forgot how harrowing that poem is.  Highly recommend.

Declined offer from Rutgers 

Declining waitlists at Princeton and Stanford, declining offer from Rutgers.

I also did that... sigh. 

Not going to UW for grad school, but I've been living in Seattle for 6 years now and have had great luck using Craigslist (most people do).
 
If any of you guys have specific questions on living in different Seattle neighborhoods, prices, public transit, etc., feel free to DM me.

Oh, I also realized 20 minutes before my (weirdly early) first deadline that an entire paragraph in my writing sample had “(xx)” for all my page citations, instead of the correct pages. I just went and inserted random numbers...and I got into that program! Lol. 

Wouldn't have wasted $$$$ to retake GRE!

Wow, thank you so much for this--might copy paste and save this so I can read it whenever I'm feeling discouraged! You don't sound patronizing at all, this is actually really encouraging. It's good to hear from someone older that there is so much time. I think on the days I got my rejections it felt like the end of my dream. But now that the sting has faded a bit, I know this is just a roadblock and not a end-all be-all. Thank you ☺️

Thank you friend ☺️ I'm really sad that the cycle didn't shake out the way that we hoped for either of us. What's your backup plans looking like?
Good luck with your thesis, and I may be in the same boat regarding being back in the summer! Don't give up--my advisor says over half of the faculty in our English department are people who were shutout on the first attempt and accepted on the second!

Does anyone know where to find that list of things to consider/ask faculty and grad students on prospective visits? I've been searching for ages and haven't been able to find it! Thanks in advance!!! 

I think it's important to note that a "top 20" program can look very different depending on who's applying. Some programs are known well for very specific fields even if they're ranked "lower". Fit is often considered important because happiness will allow you to produce much stronger work.

it's nice to still see you here @jadeisokay and @Bopie5!

@jadeisokay Honestly, same. Haven't posted or been on as much, but I've still been lurking all the topics! 

Just turned down my waitlist offer for Buffalo. Hope this helps someone on their waitlist  

Thought I recalled your name/Yale on another comment...surprise admit @dilby