Friendinme

I've removed myself from the wait lists at UT Austin and Johns Hopkins. Hope this helps you sooner rather than later, Reader.

Just wanted to chime in to recommend the program at the University of Houston. My experience as a student has been overwhelmingly positive. This year so far we have first-round offers from Northwestern, Michigan, UCSD, UCR, and Ohio State. High wait-listers at Cornell, UNC, and Arizona. I'm happy to answer questions about working with particular faculty and the like. Deadline info is below. Applications for Teaching Assistantships may be accepted as late as April 1, 2020, but for full consideration, the deadline is March 1, 2020. (It can take some time to process transcripts, both at the sending and receiving ends, so it is wise to send in your application well before the deadline. For further information, contact the director of graduate admissions.) Applicants who do not wish to be considered for a teaching assistantship may submit completed applications as late as May 1, 2020. However after April 15, the department will close applications as soon as the class entering in Fall 2020 is full. Therefore, it is to your advantage to apply as soon as possible.

It's possible both to appreciate the frustrated responses to C&C and to understand C&C's disappointment with app outcomes. Putting in the extra push of doing an MA program, largely for the purposes of improving one's PhD candidacy, is a real commitment of money (no MA program funds adequately, as far as I am aware) and heart. It's understandable to be upset that the commitment didn't pay off in quite the way hoped. And, especially because the job market is supposed to be so tough, I can sympathize with the interest in being admitted to a program that (unfairly or not) improves one's career prospects. Moreover, it seems as though C&C took the rejections to indicate something about performance/ability. We all struggle to keep our thoughts from going that direction, I think. It's a painful preoccupation, and it may have prevented a tuning in to how the venting would feel to others. Thanks, C&C, for being genuinely accountable for the mistake here. Godspeed to all of us dealing with our disappointments right now and trying to put ourselves together to move ahead. Ps. To the handful of folks who gloat by listing off one top program after the other to which they've been admitted (here or on FB or twitter): this is short of tasteful at best.

Don’t despair. Your situation sounds a lot like mine, and I have been admitted to a very competitive program. If you don’t have the success you want this season, I would recommend working hard at ~3000 word papers, getting comments from as many people as possible (especially current faculty, with whom you should keep a dialogue going anyway), and submitting these papers to ‘serious’ conferences and APA meetings. My guess is that a couple conference successes helped me stand out and reassured folks who might’ve been worried about my inconsistent undergrad record. Congrats on the work you’ve done in the MA program. Very best wishes.