karamazov

North Carolina State, UT-Knoxville, and UNC-Wilmington offer funding packages to some students! @cruel optimism also shared this list of MAs with info on their funding packages a while back: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XZ7ejtJETaRH7ufh2O1S21HOeTTy9EYgi7Z5vUHCRLI/edit#gid=0
Edit: This information was accurate as of last app cycle, but I'm not sure how COVID-19 will impact funding for future MA students. I'd definitely check with the departments that interest you to see if funding is still available for the upcoming cycle. 

Friends! I got off the waitlist at CUNY. I’m so happy!!

Wow. This site is an actual trigger, but I'm BACK Y'ALL. Let's see how this goes. 

And I'm over here, virtually screaming, "For the love of God, think about your 401k!" 
In all seriousness, I think it's incredibly difficult to convince 22-year-old humanists that they should care about job security, or money, or work-life balance. At that age, I thought worrying about money and all that was so crass and small-minded. Now, I just want a job that doesn't drive me crazy and gives me the comfort to pay my mortgage, go on vacation (...eventually), and pursue my hobbies and interests.
*Cue Progressive's "We can't protect you from becoming your parents" commercial.*

AHHH I got into UVA! Brb as I commence a weeklong celebration ?

I have decided on Howard University. I made the difficult decision to reject my offers from UConn and University of Delaware. I hope this helps someone on the waiting list! 

I have decided on Ohio State! UConn, UM, KU, University of Mississippi, and Auburn have been notified. 

I JUST GOT ACCEPTED TO BOSTON COLLEGE! I'm crying so hard. I'm so thankful and in disbelief, I've been shaking since I got the email. I'll be emailing shortly to take myself off of the UConn waitlist and I hope this helps someone else out. Thank you all so much for your kind words and support through this whole process. It's especially wonderful because yesterday marked one year since my dad passed away, and I can't help but feel he's looking out for me.

Yessssssssss! PANTHERSSSSS!!!

GUYS! IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE!!!! THE BABY ARTICLE IS OUT IN THE WORLD NOW!
I do hope some of y'all can relate to this as well. 
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-graduate-school-rejection-letter-as-written-by-my-anxiety-disorder-at-3-am

I just got an email from OSU saying I was accepted! It's the first decision I've gotten, and I'm glad it wasn't a rejection ?
Congrats to those who also got accepted to OSU!

North Carolina State, UT-Knoxville, and UNC-Wilmington offer funding packages to some students! @cruel optimism also shared this list of MAs with info on their funding packages a while back: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XZ7ejtJETaRH7ufh2O1S21HOeTTy9EYgi7Z5vUHCRLI/edit#gid=0
Edit: This information was accurate as of last app cycle, but I'm not sure how COVID-19 will impact funding for future MA students. I'd definitely check with the departments that interest you to see if funding is still available for the upcoming cycle. 

North Carolina State, UT-Knoxville, and UNC-Wilmington offer funding packages to some students! @cruel optimism also shared this list of MAs with info on their funding packages a while back: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XZ7ejtJETaRH7ufh2O1S21HOeTTy9EYgi7Z5vUHCRLI/edit#gid=0
Edit: This information was accurate as of last app cycle, but I'm not sure how COVID-19 will impact funding for future MA students. I'd definitely check with the departments that interest you to see if funding is still available for the upcoming cycle. 

North Carolina State, UT-Knoxville, and UNC-Wilmington offer funding packages to some students! @cruel optimism also shared this list of MAs with info on their funding packages a while back: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XZ7ejtJETaRH7ufh2O1S21HOeTTy9EYgi7Z5vUHCRLI/edit#gid=0
Edit: This information was accurate as of last app cycle, but I'm not sure how COVID-19 will impact funding for future MA students. I'd definitely check with the departments that interest you to see if funding is still available for the upcoming cycle. 

Now that we've had a minute to process our decisions, anyone else getting hit with that good ole' impostor syndrome? 

I like this a lot. I had something longer written out in response, but I decided it was a bit of a bummer. In short, I've learned in my first year the truism that one should not compare oneself to one's peers is crucial for one's mental health in graduate school. Setting your own metrics for success is important, especially for those coming from nontraditional backgrounds. 
 
 
 

Imposter syndrome is real. Remember your programs want you to succeed and are (literally) invested in your doing well. In a way, the adcomm are able to see better than you that you are no imposter. They waded through all those applications of stellar candidates and said "yes" to you, and they likely have the experience of previous cycles to make solid predictions about who will do well in their program. Between their expertise and self-doubt, go with the former. And ultimately, now especially, grad programs need you more than you need them. One other general tidbit I have is don't let imposter syndrome cause you to clam up from fear of looking unknowledgeable. I've seen this in my masters' program: people who I know are capable but too timid to talk in seminars; it's such a lost opportunity because this is the time to ask a million questions so you and your instructors can figure out the gaps in your knowledge. And chances are other graduates have the same questions as you and will be grateful someone has the guts to speak up. 

Yup, that plus I'm constantly anxious that I'll wake up one day and get an email revoking my admission due to budget cuts. The department chair had assured me a few weeks ago that they wouldn't do that to anybody yet I'm still so worried. I don't want to defer, I'm nearly in my 30s so the thought of waiting another year for me is depressing. Damn it, and I thought waiting for an admissions decision was the hard part ?

i'm caught somewhere between the two — between feeling like i should be reading/writing more to catch up with everyone else and thinking that i'm way behind in preparing for a future-relocation-that-might-not-happen (not this year anyway). i just wish the latter could be settled as quickly as possible, so i can focus on the former instead. but i doubt that's happening any time soon.

Lil bit! Accidentally devoting way more of my energy into trying to predict what will happen in the fall ?

Now that we've had a minute to process our decisions, anyone else getting hit with that good ole' impostor syndrome? 

I'd definitely suggest really scoping out the rental markets in the areas around all of the schools you're considering. Before applying I made my list of schools based in part on areas I liked and could imagine myself (and my partner) living in for 5-6 years, but I (stupidly) didn't crosscheck my assumptions about the cost of living in certain cities with actual rent prices. This mostly applies to Boston- I had visited before and really loved the area, and just, for some reason, assumed that since it wasn't NYC or DC, rent would be moderately reasonable. I ended up applying to four PhD programs in the area, and not until after I started getting acceptances did I really begin to understand just how much it would cost me to keep up the standard of living to which I'm accustomed. So, definitely be realistic with yourself about how much you (and, if you're planning to move with a partner, your partner) are comfortable spending on living expenses each month. I had more or less assumed I wouldn't really be getting into any PhD programs straight out of undergrad, so I guess all of the details just didn't seem real to me? Since I saw being accepted anywhere as such a long shot, I think I had a sort of "I doubt I'll get in but if I do I'll figure out the details later (as if getting in would even happen, lol)" attitude. So, I'd say that while yes, you need to be prepared for the worst, you also need to be prepared for the best. Oh, and another aspect of preparing for the best- if you're applying as a senior in undergrad, even if you doubt, like I did, that you'll come out of your first cycle with any acceptances, make sure you figure out beforehand how you'll handle missing class to visit programs. I had been so stressed about completing my applications and hearing back that I never really gave much thought to the logistics of campus visits while still a full-time undergraduate student. So I guess that while yes, there's always a very real possibility of not getting any acceptances, there's also a very real possibility of getting acceptances, so make sure you're ready for both outcomes and all that those outcomes entail. 
 

Now that we've had a minute to process our decisions, anyone else getting hit with that good ole' impostor syndrome? 

Now that we've had a minute to process our decisions, anyone else getting hit with that good ole' impostor syndrome? 

Now that we've had a minute to process our decisions, anyone else getting hit with that good ole' impostor syndrome?