phdapplicant321

I'm just finishing up my MFA now and about to commit to an English PhD so can speak a little to this. I think it's vital to not equate an MFA in Creative Writing with an MA in English, and to view them as being very different entities. The MFA is primarily for your development as a creative writer. Although you can—as I did—take English classes, the focus of the MFA isn't the literary study of texts. Nowadays, even having an MFA alone is not enough to get a bad adjunct job teaching creative writing. Even though the MFA is, technically, a terminal degree, you'll need a history of publications, and a book—at the least—in order to get a job teaching CW. Having just an MFA alone also won't easily let you transfer your skills to teaching English literature; but having an English PhD (as well as published creative work) will let you teach creative writing and apply for creative writing positions. I do think having an MFA can help when you apply for English PhDs but that also depends on your various accomplishments as a writer, and whether you have a 'public-facing' practice. Because the academic job market is so bad, I get a sense that graduate programmes find students who have something 'alternative' (e.g. a practice as an artist/writer) as increasingly attractive candidates.

What's the etiquette on declining offers? Are you expected to say why you are declining, where you are going... And should you inform faculty who have taken the time to speak to you?

Hey! I am just finishing up my MFA in poetry and going into an English PhD. Do you mean rejected from (English) PhDs and accepted to MFAs, or MAs in English?

can the penn rejection come faster please ?

Ahh this is great, thank you! Question 3, especially, is one I would not have thought to ask.

What kind of key questions are people asking faculty/students?

I emailed them and their response was "applicants can generally expect to hear by the end of the first week in March, give or take".

Thanks! Ethnic studies and poetry/poetics. Email was a portal update email linked to a letter from the Dean.

Just got the email that I'm in at Columbia! Ahhhhhhhhhh

Congrats! I am sure I will see you at some of the acceptance events for Cornell and Brown, if you are going? When did you hear back from Berkeley, may I ask?

wish berkeley could just hurry up and send me the inevitable rejection ?

got into virginia late last night which was a nice surprise. anyone hear anything about penn or princeton?

I think they added onto their tweet saying it will be next next week, beginning of the 21st! (In case people on here don't click on the link and are stressed, for no reason, this week.)

remind me what does POI stand for? i received a very standard (automated?) email that was from the dean of the graduate school. research area is contemporary poetry + diaspora literature. where/when did they reject people, if you dont mind me asking?

they wouldn't tell me details about what being interviewed meant, how many were interviewed etc., but it did feel as if they probably didn't interview everyone, but also that not all interviews had been done yet. thank you! no, sorry, I don't know if they have or not!

didn't realise there was a forum. wanted to say hi and see what things are happening here. it's been a wild few weeks, got offers from cornell, brown, and recently had my columbia interview. anyone else here interview with columbia??