anthcat

So it's official now, although I sensed it a couple of weeks ago. I have been rejected by all 9 of the programs that I applied to. Anybody else find themselves in the same situation?

Has anyone in this thread/forum been accepted to Columbia? I got my rejection too, which is the last of them and makes me 0 for 9... Oh, and I just got laid off, too. This has not been a good week.

Wow, thomasjnh, we are in precisely the same boat. I think I'll be seeing you at the campus days in Chicago. When I spoke to my undergrad adviser, it turned out he used to be a preceptor for MAPSS and he recommends it very highly as a "machine" to connect bright students with the contacts necessary to get into a top program. He said he sent a couple of students on to PhDs at Chicago, one to Columbia, one to Berkeley, one to UVA, and that all of his students who wanted to go to top PhD programs did, usually to their first choice and usually with generous funding. My thoughts right now are that, given the feedback I'm getting from programs that rejected me, some of it was insufficient contact with prospective advisers, and some was the poor funding climate. I got compliments on my SOP. At least one place hinted that I was the next on the list of desired students when they came to the end of their funding. Now the contact point I could improve on next year without paying for Ms. MAPSS Preparatory School for Young Scholars but funding is a toss-up. If it gets worse, reapplying next year may not do me any good. So I wonder if it is worth the money (loan) to make sure I'm at the top of their fundables list in two years... Still pondering.

Here's the info I have from my adviser, who used to be a preceptor (adviser) with MAPSS: MAPSS never offers a stipend. 2/3 of tuition is the most they generally offer. MAPSS being, after all, an MA program, they do want to make some money for the school. MAPSS is a program intended to connect people with the credentials and skills necessary to get fully funded offers from top programs. Think of it as a prep school. The idea is to give you a (relatively) cheap year to take a whole lot of courses with the top people in the Chicago school of whatever it is you're studying. The reason most people don't finish the masters within a year is because you are encouraged to spend the first year just taking courses and making connections. Then your second year, when you're no longer paying tuition, you spend up to the first 6 months working on your applications to PhD programs, using the fact that you have taken classes with, and can get recommendations from, the very best faculty at Chicago. After that you can get back to your thesis and finish it in your own time. By the end of year one you will know some of the top people in your field, and be able to write like someone out of the Chicago school (for better or worse). My adviser said that his students in MAPSS who wanted to go on to PhDs at top programs did so without exception, and most went to their first choices with full funding. Those are the benefits you get for your money. Now, my opinion: Now, I don't know just where UMD stands in Sociology (ok, USNews lists it as "top 25", but those rankings mean little), but it is hardly a safety. It sounds like you have already gotten exactly what MAPSS would help get you, i.e. a fully-funded offer from a top program. If you think you will be a competitive job candidate after taking your PhD there, then for goodness sake, go there! There doesn't seem to be much benefit to going into debt and taking 2 years to maybe bump yourself 5 or 10 fictitious places up the ranking ladder. Let me also point out that the economy is likely to get worse. I know a lot of people (myself included) who would kill (possibly literally) to have an acceptance with promised funding right now. Is it really smart to gamble yours? Outside of your personal interests, I'm also sure those of us who have no acceptances this year, who know we will be applying again and that school budgets may keep shrinking, would be happy to see you settled in a nice program with your generous slice of the funding pie, instead of trying to compete with us for a bigger, shinier slice in a year or two. My suggestion, fwiw, is to take the funded acceptance and get on with your academic and personal life.

Just to clarify, I am self-supported and have no trust funds squirreled away. Regardless of what I think of the wisdom of going for an interdisciplinary MA, even with tuition covered by the school, I don't think I can subsist for a year on a whatever part-time job I could get. I did just find out though, that my undergrad adviser is a former MAPSS preceptor, :shock: so I will be hearing about the good points of the program at length today. I'm waiting to hear back on my last extant application before I make any decisions.

For me, getting rejected would remove the very difficult SO vs. school decision for at least another year. Because I would move away (and end the relationship if I must) to go to a great program. We are both young, and she has her own program to worry about for the next 3-4 years. But if I don't get any acceptances, then as long as I can work the great job I currently have I would be perfectly content and very happy to stay here and rent a house with her. :oops: Maybe that makes me a bad academic, that I'm not willing to commit seppuku upon complete rejection. But I can actually envision a perfectly acceptable alternative, especially for just a year. Maybe this is because I already took a year off, and this will just be a better year off.

Oh, I don't think I'm going to accept it. Just wanted a thread up since I know several of us were admitted there. From the research I've done, I agree pretty much with what's been said. I doubt it would help me since I have well-defined research interests and am going for the PhD. Besides which, I simply don't have the money, even with full tuition coverage, to live in Chicago without working. The acceptance letter was so "sweet" in pointing out that although MAPSS students are not eligible for TAships, there are some jobs in the library for them. I love library work, but I doubt that's going to keep me from starving or freezing. I am holding off on the final decision till I hear back from my adviser, who went to UC (PhD, of course). Since they offer travel reimbursement, it might be worth it just to go up there and make appointments to talk to some of the anthro faculty.

So, for those of us anthers who were rejected from Chicago's PhD program but accepted to MAPSS, what do you think? Great opportunity or consolation prize? Deal or cheat? Have you been accepted anywhere else? And if not, are you considering accepting?

OP, another consideration is your family's finances. If you have a catastrophic accident, would they be able to cover your deductible? If the answer is yes, and you are in good health, individual insurance might work for you. You can agree to a high deductible to get a low premium and low copays that you can afford to pay yourself with any kind of job. Essentially, you bet that you will only need routine care. If you are seriously injured, your parents back you up financially (or you take on some debt). If they were willing to keep paying to have you on their insurance as a student (even with the company covering most of it, you still pay more for each dependent), or cover your tuition, then ask if they would take the money they save on their premium and save it in case you have to pay your deductible. NB: None of this will work if you have serious pre-existing conditions. This is a good bet only for the young and those with very low health risks. BUT, whatever you do, please DON'T let your insurance lapse while you figure it out. Apply for COBRA (under which your parents pick up the full tab for covering you through their insurance) if you must, but do not go without insurance. It's just not a good idea. Even if you are healthy enough to bet against a high deductible - if something happens to you, once you or your parents have paid that $2000 or $5000, then the rest of your care will be covered. Whereas if you have no insurance and have to spend a long time in the hospital, you can put yourself or your parents into debt for the rest of their lives.

Pay it, or get a job that offers it. Your parents may also be wrong to assume that classes will be cheaper. Depending on your age, gender, and preexisting conditions, you may be able to get individual health insurance quite cheaply (mine is well under $200/month). But you should start looking at that now, because if you have any gap in coverage the price goes up.

sunny out there now but in my heart March drizzle continues to fall advisor-fostered dreams of grad school seem now but ill-advised fancies only one school left to reject me, after which i'll adopt a cat

Dear anthcat, We regret that we are unable to offer you admission to the Anthropology PhD program at this time. Your application was impressive, and we were right on the verge of accepting you with full funding, a private office, and a complementary kitten. Luckily for us, the warning written by a group of female students from your undergraduate institution arrived before we had finalized our decision. In light of their revelation that you are a smoking hot queer woman who, upon arrival in our department would immediately assemble an activist geek-girl harem, we feel we have no choice but to deny your application. This is not because we are homophobic, of course! Our program is very queer-friendly, but the lesbian community here is fragile enough as is. We simply could not stand it if you kept all the queer-girl loving for yourself. The fact remains that your application demonstrates your strong preparation, enthusiasm for cooperative ethnography, and well-developed talent for research. In a few years, when you have settled down with a monogamous girlfriend and no longer threaten our dating pool, we would look upon your reapplication with great interest. In fact, we'll start saving up for your stipend now. In the meantime, should you need employment, you might consider joining RecycledViking's crew as a professional recruiter of valkyries. As thanks for considering our program, we have refunded your application fee and sent you the kitten by overnight courier mail. We wish you the best of luck in your future dating endeavors. Sincerely, Ms. Wishi Were-Single Graduate Program Coordinator XX University

If you look at the results search, you'll see that they are always late notifiers, and my advisor confirms that.

Stanford is sending out rejection emails. I know 'cause I just got one. Signed by my first choice of advisors, who was the chair of the adcom.... *sigh*

0. anthcat 1. 1 2. 9 3. 6 4. not enough contact with POIs, primarily 5. yes 6. email people at every school and get some dialogue going, more research on lower-ranked programs, convert my honors thesis into an article and try to get published 7. well, this is my second off year. if I can keep my job, I'll work, get an apartment with my girlfriend, cook a lot, and adopt a cat. also read journals.