This is my second cycle applying for PhDs and I ended up at a fully funded Masters with a TAship and an additional award. I came into this cycle from a very dark place last cycle. I've been a public school ELA teacher for the past 5 years (without a Master's), and desperate to realize my dream of a PhD program but feeling stuck and unappreciated as an educator. My research interests are in Rhetoric and still K-12 focused.
I'm very happy with the program I ended up with. It was absolutely about "fit" more than anything else. I really didn't think that a fully funded Master's program with a TAship was even in the realm of possibility because they seem so difficult to find, especially after COVID. But I'm excited to be a part of a program that is excited to have me!
I guess I'm writing this because it is what I would have appreciated reading as I scoured these forums this cycle or last cycle. I hope everyone else ended up somewhere they are happy with as well.