fall-11

That's interesting.

Here are a few I know of that have funded MA programs: Purdue Delaware Villanova U of Connecticut U of Maryland U of Maine U of Vermont Illinois at Urbana Champaign U of Washington When I was applying to MA programs a few years back, I know these are some places that offered funding at the MA level, but things can change from one year to another, so definitely double-check. Good luck!

Those are all the toughest places to get into. Would you be willing to diversify your portfolio a bit? As in, apply to some places that are top 50 but not top 20? Definitely go for 'fit' rather than the prestige of the institution (sometimes the two may coincide, but sometimes not), and try to demonstrate your fit with the program in your SOP and writing sample. As others have suggested, it might be a good idea to re-take the Lit GRE. I studied primarily using the Princeton Review book and the Vade Mecum and Hapax Legomena websites, and I ended up with a pretty high score despite not having an

Okay, so based on posts like the one above, I'm a bit intimidated and confused about finding an affordable studio apartment. I'll be attending BU in the fall, so I'm looking for a studio in one of the areas surrounding BU. I've been looking on Craigslist and bostonapartments.com, and there do seem to be studios in the 950-1050 range (that's my budget) around BU, particularly in Allston/Brighton as well as some in Kenmore/Brookline. Am I missing something? Do those places have some hidden defect that's not obvious to a novice? A related question -- I've narrowed down my search to the followi

Just to add a further note of encouragement to anyone who's still waiting -- when I applied to MA programs two years back, two of the schools I was waitlisted at eventually offered me funded spots -- one on May 1, the other on May 6. I had already accepted an offer by the April 15 deadline, so I didn't end up going to these other two schools, but I just mean that even if it's after April 15, you might still hear good news in the coming weeks as a result of other folks turning down offers or whatever. And even if anyone does end up having to reapply next year, it might seem discouraging righ

Rhet Man, KRC, and anyone else still in limbo -- I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. I know it's an awful feeling to be in limbo -- hang in there, and good luck! And of course, we're here if you need to talk or vent.

Just to chime in with Tybalt, lyoness, and others, this is a truly wonderful community. It's just such a relief to be able to share the agony of waiting, uncertainty, etc. with a community of people who understand. And it's true that ideally we should get application advice from our profs, but profs are busy people and it's often hard to get hold of them, and I feel bad bothering them with every tiny detail. So having the GC community for advice and support has been wonderful. Another 'real life' resource is current PhD students, but since I'm sort of introverted, I haven't really gotten to kn

That's great, and you're amazing for being able to handle it all with such aplomb. Go you!!

That's totally awesome I remember you posting a while back that you were hoping not to get screwed over by undergrad transcripts issues that you had no control over. It's good to know that good programs judge candidates for what they're really worth, and not for things that happened 10 years ago, or that they had no control over. Congratulations again! After going through all the blood and sweat and tears with everyone else on the board, it's so nice to be able to celebrate each other's successes. Yay! We rock!

That's awesome! I respect the program all the more for doing the right thing and allowing you to defer, as well as finding other options to help you. Of course you are worth it!! Good luck, and keep us posted.

Congratulations, Tybalt!! Woohoo!! Folkloredude: I'm an old lady myself (all of 30), and I feel a special kinship with all the oldies: you, Tybalt, Medievalmaniac, etc.

I survived February only thanks to the "doom/unrest/insanity" thread

That's easy -- just make up a name and an email address, and write to them under the assumed name

I'll be attending BU as well, for the PhD in English. Also combing through craigslist looking for housing, but really excited to be going there!

It's definitely not a good idea to go into debt, so I'd say wait and see if you end up getting a funded offer at either Buffalo or ASU. In case you don't end up getting a funded offer, I guess you'll have to decide whether or not to do an unfunded (or partially funded) MA. My own inclination would be to stay away from debt -- I'd rather wait a year and reapply to more programs and with a stronger set of materials than go into debt. Let's just hope either Buffalo or ASU ends up giving you a funded offer, and that'll solve the problem! I know it's nerve-wracking to be waitlisted, but definitely