againstourfaces

Are you implying you'd sleep with James Joyce, Medievalmaniac?! He's got too much of that Catholic guilt for me. I'd choose the Earl of Rochester.

Totally not a bad thing. Just a funny thing. Anyway, it's Friday. I should hope we all proceed to do the aforementioned.

If we got everyone in this forum to a bar, with pints in front of all of them, what would happen?! We'd probably start talking about which literary figures we'd like to have sex with then cap off the evening crying into a plate of nachos.

I have decided that I really like you, harpyemma.

I thought this too! Especially since the first two schools I submitted to I spelt Renaissance like Reniassance. ooops. typo overlooked.

I ended up crying in the washroom of my university's main library yesterday. It's pretty awful.

SAY HI TO JAMES FRANCO FOR ME. OXOX

Yeah, I guess I could call. Most of the time I've realized this after I've noticed an acceptance posted on the results page... so it's kind of tough love.

Ugh, yeah. I don't know. I applied to JHU but I'm assuming this means an implicit rejection. Another one to add to my list!

With every online application I've had, each of them has said my status is "Incomplete;" and yet all my information says "received." Sometimes it will say my TOEFL is incomplete, but TOEFL doesn't apply to me. I'm international, but I'm Canadian and did my degree at a bilingual university for two years then transfered to a fully English speaking university for the remaining three. Most of the time it says TOEFL is not applicable. Anyway, perhaps "incomplete" just means a decision hasn't been rendered by the graduate committee. Am I missing something completely obvious?

You are amazing for just posting this. Valentine's Day. Period. Rejections. YES! The world loves us. I think it would be really gross if I signed, 'your menstrual sister' but I kind of want to.

sarandipidy has a point. although i'd normally say 'don't be discouraged' i know it's hard not to be. i am totally discouraged, and way too lazy and sad to try capitalizing this reply.

Anyone else wanting to give up now and cry into a pillow?

I think the 3.7 GPA thing is a bit of a stretch. International schools that work on a 4.0 system don't always grade the same as American schools. And I am almost positive that review committees are wise enough to know that. I think people are underestimating those who are actually looking at the applicant files. They know that students aren't robots, and they also know that a 4.0 and 700 Verbal, etc does not mean a thing in the long run. I do not think it comes down to GPA and GRE. I think it comes down to $ and how many spots they have to fill for each subfield: Renaissance, 18th century, American, etc. I definitely know people who've been accepted to a few schools with C's on their transcripts. I definitely have an embarrassingly low GRE score (I have anxiety problems. I take pills. I panicked) but I didn't address it in my SOP. I don't think we should be defined by our mistakes.

Oh, yeah. I'm international. Guess that doesn't apply to me, then. phew. p.s. thanks

I applied to Irvine, but what is FAFSA? I didn't receive an email.

I'm doing a B.A. still. I actually find I'm doing okay in terms of stress. My focus is on school right now. I'm in the middle of midterms/essay writing, and so I'm always at the library / rarely on the Internet. I think it's really awesome to be in school while waiting out acceptances/rejections. It means you have another way to occupy your time. I'm also just pretty bored, so I'm kind of enjoying experimenting with what I can get away with writing in my assignments. It's kind of fun. So far so good.

Ha.... nice video... but.... this song makes all our problem seem so delightful.

I think McGill is riding on its reputation among Americans. I've never actually heard of anything come out of McGill's English department. I don't know anyone who has ever gone there or applied. None of the publications I've read have been from there. The University of British Columbia seems to be doing very well these days, and I've only heard good things about their English department.

Yeah, sure. I don't know much about UK Universities apart from what I've heard from Canadians who've travelled abroad to study/international people I lived with. They both said the workload is different, or rather, there are different expectations. My understanding is that there is a lot of emphasis on finals in the UK where in Canada it's more emphasis on term work. I don't know much else apart from that. Most Canadian universities will fund their grad students. U of T, where I go, is tricky about funding. It's not guaranteed for an MA, but it is also possible to get. The English department here has a really good faculty and I'd definitely look into applying. I can't say much about the workload, etc for MA/PhDs but as an undergraduate my hobby is school, and I don't really have a choice around it. U of T pushes its students hard, funding is weird, marking tends to lean towards 60-70% average for classes, but it is definitely possible to get a 90 (on an assignment, that is). U of T is like a scholar producing factory. If you're serious about school, I'd say it is the best place to be. It is also not very expensive, in relation to UK or US tuition costs. Apart from U of T, though, Canada doesn't really have any schools that are 'top ranking' in world standards, which means that getting a job outside of a phD from a Canadian institution may be more difficult. The education system is good, it's just not really present (Canada's story, right there). American schools have better connections, at least, that is how I understand it. I don't know about their workload, but coming from U of T, I'm not really worried about it. I think I've been trained to handle anything, hell and all its loveliness.

I'd have to agree. That seems ridiculous. I also go to a Canadian university where many of the English professors refuse to grant students above 85, even if it may be warranted. It means that 4.0 GPAs are practically unheard of. Perhaps I see things differently, but GPA (and GRE) only measure so much. People make mistakes, take the wrong courses, get sick, etc. I should hope this isn't an attitude most schools have.

I think the key is: don't be at home at all during the day and disconnect yourself from the internet. In the evening, go dancing.

Just wanted to say, nice name Tybalt. Good to see another R+J fan out there.

Yeah. The McGill thing baffles me. I've heard UBC has a really good program but I've never looked into it.