j.j.pizza

Sure sure of course those calculators are very general and people's money choices are individual and sometimes unpredictable. I made a pretty egregious error in reported calculations anyway, lol, turns out it would be more like $2900/month in Toronto for my preferred standard and like $2200 removing most of the joy from my life. But even in the joyless state, the stipend would not cover it.

Yes, Toronto offers full tuition remission for PhD English students for 5 years, but the guaranteed stipend on top of that is only $18,000 per year (Canadian dollars) (source: http://www.english.utoronto.ca/grad/financial.htm). Further funding is competitive and not guaranteed. Some quick internet research let me know that rented housing in Toronto is $1000-3000 per month, with the lower end of that requiring roommates and likely living far from the city center. This nifty website (https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city-estimator/in/Toronto) told me that my current standard of living (including a one-bedroom apartment, no restaurants, no entertainment costs besides internet, no kids) would cost me $4500 per month in Toronto. So the money concern is real.

Dear alszd, I’m no expert, but since no one else has responded yet: My sense is that Rutgers and the University of Toronto English program rankings are roughly the same (both quite high) with IU Bloomington being only slightly behind—but those published rankings list, as we all know, are not always hyper-updated and also leave plenty of things out, especially quality of life/pleasantness of experience type things. None of those schools are a slouch and you should be proud to have been accepted to any and all of them. I wouldn’t rule out any of them in terms of excellence of education and opportunity. Canadian academics are definitely taken seriously in the world, and the University of Toronto is by nearly all published rankings the "best" in Canada. If funding/living expenses are a big concern, Toronto will probably be the hardest to swing unless you get bonus fellowships, as Toronto is an expensive place to live. Toronto has the pros and the cons of big city living. Rutgers is in New Brunswick, sure, but it’s also pretty close to NYC, if that matters to you. Bloomington is not terribly far from Chicago, though you are more likely to need/want a car there than you would in the other locations (speaking from my upbringing somewhat near there)—and you can probably afford to own and park a car there, which is also a perk! Teaching load concerns are real! That would probably be worth speaking to current Bloomington students about, if you haven’t already. Sometimes (but definitely not always) the teaching obligations look worse on paper than they are in actuality (and sometimes they are worse—speaking from my MA program teaching experiences). My general advice would be to see if there are any negatives to any of the programs/living areas that loom large enough to be likely to make you quite unhappy to handle for 5+ years. If there are no deal breakers, then try considering which professors and resources excite you the most. I hope my random stranger advice was fun to read at least!

I'd like to add that my current MA program is so supportive that they even provide financial support to students applying to PhD programs--even up to 3 years after completing their MA. It's a good environment.

This is exactly why I pursued both of my MAs at institutions where the MA is the highest level. When you are at the highest level, you get more of the attention, resources, opportunities, and respect. Both of my MAs were also funded, which is less likely at places where there are both PhD and MA tracks. I encourage other MA applicants to make this a strong factor in their choices.

Painfully relatable.

My partner is waitlisted at BC and as they do not yet have an acceptance (just two waitlists so far, like you) they hope BC will work out for them too. I can post again if they do get accepted elsewhere and choose to leave BC's waitlist. Their field is poetics and they have an MA and an MFA.

@NervousYolk I'm sorry UofT didn't work out for you. I really do feel for you--this is my fifth graduate application cycle, the second cycle for PhDs, and I don't have an acceptance yet. A shutout will be very hard to bear. Wishing you well. Solidarity!

@NervousYolk Hi! Yes, that's me. I skew toward 19th and 20th centuries, with a special focus on artists' books, so it's been sort of hard to find good potential advisors as the lion's share of book specialists tend to focus on medieval/early modern or are in library science/information studies programs. I am applying from the US, so that makes me an international applicant in the context of U of T. Word on the street is that it's harder to get in and funded if you're an American, so we'll see.

@NervousYolkI am one of the waitlisted applicants to the University of Toronto. They emailed me yesterday afternoon. But hey, it's not over 'til it's over! Good luck to you! (Oh, and my research interests include book history and interdisciplinary humanities--UofT is probably my top pending choice because of their interdisciplinary print culture specialization)

While this is my first post, I’ve lurked on gradcafe off and on for 8 years (this is my 5th graduate school application cycle, it worked out twice—I will soon have two MAs—but I’m still striving for the right PhD fit). Alongside many of you, I’ve read and felt dozens of versions of what semiotic_mess (and as I drafted this, Lighthouse Lana) just posted. My first application cycle, I had insomnia, jaw pain (from stress-clenching and teeth-grinding), a lack of focus, a gradcafe addiction, and frequent anxiety attacks for months. This cycle, I am really only plagued with the lack of focus—but even that could be just as easily attributed to persistent pandemic malaise or to my personality. Application season got better for me, but it did not get easy. What I mean to say is, many of us will suffer, to some extent, every time we go through an application cycle—and that is so understandable, even natural. And while we may recognize the discomfort of dwelling in uncertainty as inevitable, that doesn’t stop us from trying to escape that discomfort. My practical advice is to set additional goals for your progress as a scholar that are more independent of application outcomes—such as to submit a paper proposal to a conference you are interested in, or to compile and work through a bibliography of material that will help you enhance your expertise in your research area, or to make some scholarly connections in your field through professor networking or academic society memberships. This strategy may help subdue a feeling that EVERYTHING rides on your applications. It may help you feel as though you are still progressing on your scholarly path, even if not in the efficient way you first imagined. Most importantly, many of those strategies lie more in your control: no application review committee can prevent you from reading and learning more about your field. Wishing everyone hope for the future and healthy coping strategies.