Hard times!

Heyya! Thanks for the info! Haha the more I read such info the more confused i am. About my field which is very broadly picturebooks and comics, indeed very few english departments do it. A lot of media schools do comics but then I borrow significantly from English studies and philosophy and media-specificity is only a very tiny part of it. Also, in my country, it's easier to find jobs if you continue in the same department you chose as an undergrad and in my case that is English. I agree with you though--even when jobs do open up they usually do for more traditional fields. Whatever I do or have done is steeped in the Comtemporary or the post-1945 sensibilities. So, at the end of the degree, I will probably have to apply for areas like Contemporary lit. And of course a UChicago contemporary graduate would be hundred times better off than mid-tier people. Also, by overall ranking, I meant the university ranking. There are cases in which specific departments stand out though the whole uni might not in the ranking systems. Like for instance most rankings are based off undergrad stats and very few rankings really take into account research (apart from the number of citations thing). So, for instance we all know CUNY has a great English department but it doesn't rank very highly as a graduate institution. Also, within departments, there are specialisations. So, again, CUNY does not have a very highly ranked Physics department but I have heard they are great on the astrophysics front. What were you to make of it if say the overall ranking of a uni went down by several notches despite a particular department's credibility in a certain field? I hope some of this makes sense haha and I am sorry for dragging in CUNY but CUNY serves as a great example really. I, as an international student, have heard great things about CUNY but they don't perform uniformly across departments. Also, take Rutgers (New Burnswick) for instance: they don't rank very highly among unis but has a remarkable English department. And they have had some great postcolonial studies scholars like Aankhee Mukherji (now at Oxford). Barring a few unis like Stanford, Chicago and the other usual suspects it would be rare to find unis that have uniform ratings across the board. Hope this rant makes some sense haha! I know statistics are no use but still they determine so much of how we think!

How do you look at departments that have been historically famous but have come down in the rankings in the past few years, especially if the decline has been steady? Also, how much does the overall ranking of a university matter in the job-market?

Yes, it is frustrating indeed! As someone with an acceptance and on a waitlist, I can totally see what a terrible place this is to be in--stasis--that's all it is. Good luck deciding though!

You are going in for a Masters, right? I feel choosing the one that pays you more will be more helpful. That's just what I think given Masters programmes typically end with a dissertation and your subsequent phd will depend on what you work on and around during your Masters...

You have an acceptance to fall back on even if you don't get your dream school which is good. I am just marvelling at what incredible amount of luck is involved in the whole process! Like someone said CU Boulder accepted only 2 people this year--that's crazy! And I saw several people on the dashbrown being disappointed over Yale's 3 admits (keeping in mind Yale has great funding sources from all directions). I am sure even if things are super-competitive, people being accepted at say Princeton would not be accepted at Yale for not being competitive enough. It all boils down to fit it seems and the area a school is going after in a particular year... I guess with CUNY, maybe they wanted more people from Early Modern this time around. Hope you hear from them soon--that's the best they can do--to let you know sooner so that it's easier for you to make a decision--whatever the final outcome Cheerio

Heyya! Thanks thanks! How are things looking with CUNY? It would be great if you can go! It helps to listen to others given things are very different in my country (the job situation isn't good anywhere though)! Haha if I were to aim for the top 20s I couldn't have applied at all because my fields super-specific and few people work on them and the top 20s mostly don't bother about them lol! In terms of my area, all three are well-known though I am not sure about the job prospects. But I will try to get an idea of what these schools do after their grad students have graduated... huh! But thanks for your opinion and advice

I am indeed on the hedonist side haha! Thanks a lot for your opinion and best of luck with your decision too!

Upvoting this. I am not sure about unequal packages taking into account fellowships and all that. But funding is becoming a central concern for me as well: do i select a uni that pays me more or one that is more highly-ranked (like significantly higher, though not in the same research area)? I know this question has been asked to death but am still stuck... would be glad to hear some informed opinions. Also, all my potential PoIs are quite well-known in their respective fields and I have three offers... many thanks in advance!

Hey ho! Many congratulations on the unburdening! Though I hope your waitlist works out for you. Sorry for the delay. Positive manifestation worked, eh? The other day I was watching Belfast and simply can't get the 'do not forsake me oh my darling'-track off my head but it seems so apt for the whole application season, especially when you are waiting for the last couple of schools or are on waitlists! Most of us have been starry-eyed and in the depths of despair in turns throughout the season! Hope you are happy with your offer

I am international student and didn't apply last year either. But I had applied back in 2019 and was waitlisted at two places though my application was absolutely terrible with very little focus. The cohort sizes did seem to be bigger back then or maybe more people reported their scores back then! I don't know if it's just the competition but public unis (at least some that I applied to) have managed the whole application process quite poorly. Don't know about acceptances but in terms of response and updates too, they have seemed pretty indifferent...

Anything on University of Florida? Are they always this late? Have all the acceptances been sent out? Anyone working on or around children's lit--have you heard from them?

Would you mind writing to them? Please? Maybe not about the invite but something more general--if you are in the 'good' lists you might even get a sign! They haven't sent out rejections yet. And as long as the rejection letter which you know is jingling down your way has not arrived you still have small pockets of optimism in your head, despite yourself :'|

Could mean something! I didn't receive anything of this sort and I am pretty sure it's a rejection for me (goodbye Hillary Chute dreams). If you are receiving things it would mean you are on some kind of list. Someone seemed pretty confident the other day about NEU's admits... but who knows how these admissions committees work! And some of these schools--their emails tend to so cryptic like "we invite you to view your admissions letter"--why would you invite someone to their rejection?! And who calls a rejection letter 'admissions letter'! Lord! Why so cordial! They could just say you have had a status update... It's like giving you a glimpse of the sky only to later bathe you in slime ?

Oh yeah I am waiting to hear from 5 (out of 9) as well and I know for sure that at least three of them haven't released decisions of any kind. But why this delay? I mean the covid situation was much worse last year and global conflicts cannot play a role because those have surfaced quite recently... can't see why some programmes are super-early and others are super-late!

@Shake829Any updates on NEU? Whatever is the matter with them? Pretty sure it's a rejection for me but why this drag?! They usually release their decisions by February... ?

From what I heard that 15 includes both PhDs and MAs... So, probably about 7-8 for PhDs.

Why don't they send out the rejection letters if they are sure about the rejections at least?! Even if they have some unranked secret waitlist I am sure that would not have more than 10 people. Why not just reject the rest? I mean I know NE is a great place for you since you do early modern and there are chances you are still be in the game. Then again, I am sure there are people like me who have applied because the department has an expert working there though the field in itself isn't the department's focus at all... I know for certain it's a rejection for me but knowing helps. They are already behind schedule (usually they release decisions in early February), aren't they? So unpredictable, their ways, oh!

So, there is a lone Northeastern waitlist on the dashboard which would mean acceptances have gone out already (I assume)? Their phd cohort sizes are incredibly small from what I know (4-5) and maybe those who have been admitted haven't reported their acceptances?

Haha yes, sure! Rejection. I knew by then. I wish you get some updates soon so that you feel relieved I am not sure if schools or graduate coordinators say outright that one is rejected. Unless you are talking to the Chair, it is unlikely, I believe, for anyone else to say that you are out of the game... People who are currently at Northeastern agree that they do interviews customarily. But who knows!

I have no idea really. I am international student and the US system is completely different from ours which is quite similar to the UK system... In the US, it seems some universities do interviews selectively: for some subfields or for some people. Sometimes they interview everyone. Pretty erratic in their patterns! From what I have heard (and I have only heard things) Northeastern always does interviews. So does Notre Dame. Not receiving an invite is not a good sign if the school you have applied to has been doing interviews historically... if only they were more transparent about the whole process!

Btw, anything on Northeastern? Have they sent out acceptances and rejections already? I didn't see much on the dashboard except a couple of invites (also interviews I assume?)--NE is a top choice though only one person does comics in the whole department which is Hillary Chute. But then again she kind of made comics academic enough in the US... I know it's a redflag to not have an invite or interview but knowing for certain would make things easier.

I thought I would have a dramatic response but nothing at all. Just some relief! How spoilt are you for choices? I mean have you had anything other than acceptances so far? Haha!

Rochester. It's a good fit but I am still waiting to hear from my top choices... if at all. Though I am relieved. How about you?

Oh yes, 'feeding off academic validation'--that defines this whole process! Without that validation we feel like our whole existence is invalidated which honestly is so delusional and yet, for all the world, we can only see grad school! And seeing some people on the dashboard with 6 acceptances and no rejections doesn't help at all ?

Yes, it has been like 'for god's sake reject me already and let me sleep'