bowdoinstudent

dissertation

Wake Forest has guaranteed funding for MAs with admission. Sometimes the package comes with a TA and a laptop, too.

Good point. Bottom line is, funded or unfunded, if you are serious about your work, have great work ethics, and know how to network with the right people at the right time within your deparment, anything is possible. Now, that sounds really cliche and lame, but this entire application process is lame. A full-ranking professor at my school, who has published 3, 4 books, went to a very, very medicore UC school due to relocation difficulties with his wife back 20 years ago, finished his dissertation in 4 years (whattt???), and was granted tenured and full-rank professorship in a top 5 LAC. He is super smart and I personally believe (and he had admitted himself, too), that he could've gone on to much more competitive schools like Stanford or Berekely had not been relocation conflict with his spouse. The point is, if you are good at what you do and stay good at what you do, no MA from any program can stop you from fulfilling your goals (lame phrase #2 :wink: ). This is completely off topic, but look at Cary Nelson! I believe he got his PhD from Univ of Rochester, which is a great school, but you'd think someone like him would've gone to Harvard or Yale or something. Now look at him, with his gigantic white beard protesting all over college campus for academic freedom....how very radical. 8) I'm taking a seminar with him next year....ohhh God. I'm too excited for words.

Too funny.

1. I'm not a prestige whore, so I don't understand what you meant by "your life is missing something if the name on your (non-doctoral/non-professional) degree matters that much to you." I think the most misinformed way that prospective students pick their graduate programs is by looking at US News & World rankings. There are actually a lot of really good programs who voluntarily choose not to participate in reputational rankings, because let's face it, these ranking formats don't really account for the intangible qualities and distinctions between different programs, but instead resort to university endowment, or peer assessment, which US News and World claims is "subjective," but that is highly debatable. So, please, save the

Tho, I must warn you, I heard not very good things about the Columbia Terminal Master's in Eng Lit. My professor, who was a Columbia PhD, told me that the program there is really big, they let almost everyone in and don't guarantee PhD admissions by all means, etc. But again, if you don't want to pursue a PhD later on, who cares - an Ivy League graduate degree sounds pretty impressive to most people, right? :wink:

How is a MA in English Lit "useless?" :?: There are tons of job opportunities for someone with that degree (copy editor, secondary teaching in private schools, event manager, ediotorial assistant, communications assoicate, publicist, speech writer, paralegal...etc) And some of those positions even accept BA in English, if you come from an elite university or LAC. Actually, if you ultimate goal is just to obtain a Master's and then go into the work force, I'd say go with the program with the most prestige or recongnition. Why bother paying couple of thousands for a CUNY degree, when average, non-academic places really prize on great schools like Columbia, or even Chicago's MAPH (the consolation prize, I assume?). Of course, the rules are a little different if your goal is to get a PhD eventually, become a scholar, conduct literary research, publish, teach, and etc; then things like funding, program fit, location, loans obviously become more substantial when making your decision about the unfunded Master's.

When I visited my graduate program, it seemed like most people were unattached, so I definitely felt weird about being in a serious relationship. But, I guess it's not really an issue unless I make it into one. Just because I'm attached doesn't mean I can't make new friends or be excluded from social activities.

Wow, I know exactly what you mean. I posted a very, almost eerily similar post in the Literature forum about how I was nervous and felt bad about declining offers even tho I have already made my decision sometimes ago, and the responses I got from people were hostile to say the least. Some said I wasn't a very "decent human being," some said I needed to get off my high horse and let the people on the waitlists a chance and stop wasting my and other people's time, some said I needed a "smack" in the face for being so whiny about the dilemma/luxury of choosing schools. But I am glad to know that in this forum, I can relate to y'all and get some empathy. Anyway, I already accepted an offer and declined at 3 other places, so there. People can be so petty and bitter sometimes. :roll:

In hindsight, after the whole thing was over, I did feel slightly empty or unmotivated - before I got up in the morning with some purpose like fixing my SOP or studying for the GREs. Since then, I did have to find ways to keep myself occupied, er?

a J-Butler biscuit doesn't sound very appealing/exciting either

Wow, so now I've become an alright human being, but just of an "indecent behavior" and "apparently no regard for the many people on the waitlist." You, catherinian2, clearly ignored my other posts about how I understood that how my first post might have come off selfish, but sadly, you are now reducing the psychological difficulty of the entire process. I think I stated it before how unfair it is that only people who are waitlisted or rejected are entitled to claim "mental agony" over admissions and those accepted aren't, as if the accepted students have no personal conflicts to overcome and that we are all delusional-happy-carefree-admits.You obviously mistake the application process as "one applies, one gets in, one goes," and overlook the many, many factors that lead the person to his/her rightful place. Oh, and just because I have made a decision "mentally" two months ago, doesn't mean that I am emotionally ready to take that next step and say, "I am ready to pack up my bags, leave everything I've known for 22 years and move to corn field state for 6 years."

Hm, thank you, windsweptvoid. That's I needed to hear, that it was okay that I am terrified about making such a big committment to a school/location but that it's gotta be made and made soon. Everyone here is very "on edge," I sense. Anyways, for someone like me, who nicpicks and overanalyzes every freakin' aspect of my not-so-important life, I just needed a little nudge to get 'er done. Thanks.

I do have other reasons that are making me waivering back and forth on everything and I understand how my first post probably came off sounding selfish and inconsiderate, but geez, to simply label me as something of a sub-par human being? C'mon, this is a life-changing decision (at least for the next 6,7 years) for me, my SO, my family, why is that only waitlisted people are allowed to have anxities/fears/insecurities over grad school admission and those who have already gotten in aren't? It just seems petty to me that if the schools aren't even pressuring me to "haul my ass" and give me a notice, why shouldn't I chew over everything?

I think it goes without saying that I am still a "decent human being" even if I take all the damned time in the world to make my decision. How f-ing arrogant of all of you to assume the worse of me when I have my own reasons and pros/cons to consider, even if I got into my first choice early on. So really, back off. If you can't handle the waitlist and the ups and downs of graduate admission, do me a favor and take yourself off the list.