DisneyLeith

Miami University of Ohio and The University of Kentucky both have funded MAs.

I think I'm definitely going to pick up a copy of They Say/I Say, and using David Sedaris sounds like a great idea. Does anyone else have any books on teaching writing they really wish they'd discovered earlier?

Ah, so you did! I quickly got overwhelmed with all the titles I've been sifting through and forgot you had mentioned it already. I just ordered it for $0.01 on Amazon!

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far! Does anyone have experience with Gary Tate (et al.)'s The Writing Teacher's Sourcebook or The St. Martin's Guide to Teaching Writing?

I know very little about teaching composition, and so I'm wondering if anyone can recommend books that will help a newbie gain some knowledge about navigating this world. Thanks!

Declined a fully-funded offer from the University of Kentucky's English MA/PhD program.

I think your best bet would be to get information about their placement, particular for PhD graduates in your field. Whether the placement is good or bad should be the best indicator of the program's reputation.

Has anyone heard anything from CUNY over the past month regarding funding?

That's weird...mine still says "Not Reviewed" even though I received a rejection from the PhD program (with an unfunded acceptance into the MA program) a couple weeks ago in the mail. Perhaps you're on some kind of waitlist? I'd email the DGS and see what's up if I were you.

For history programs it's really unlikely that your GRE score is what killed your applications. It's all about Writing Sample, Personal Statement and Letters of Recommendation.

I didn't apply to UT and just happened to be browsing, but congrats! This must be an incredible feeling!

How much, on average, does everyone wind up spending per semester on books? I realize the costs could vary wildly from class to class, program to program, etc., etc., but I'm just trying to get some sort of general picture of what to expect. Thanks!

I've heard this sort of thing quite frequently, too, but it went more like "if you don't go to a top 20(ish) program, it'll just make finding a job afterwards that much harder." So, if you want to teach at a top-tier research university, you'll pretty much have to get your PhD from a top-tier research university. A quick search through the faculty at these programs will confirm this fact. That being said, if your desire is to teach elsewhere--say, lesser known local college and universities, those without graduate programs, community colleges, and just lower ranked schools in general--the going to a top 20(ish) program issue isn't quite as imperative. Contact both programs to find out about where their MA students wind up going for PhDs. Contact current students in the programs to find out more information about each. These insider perspectives can't be beat. The universities to which you apply for jobs with your PhD in hand aren't going to care where you got your MA; they're going to care where you got your PhD, so whatever helps you get into the best PhD program possible is what you want to do.

This is the summary of the accumulated advice I have heard from current English graduate students, as well as professors: Go with whichever school you think will help you produce the strongest possible writing sample, statement of purpose and recommendations. These are really all that seem to matter when you're applying to PhD programs. The school at which you received your MA (and even the fact that you have the MA at all) generally seem to matter very little. So if Villanova is a poor fit, and thus its program isn't going to help you refine and deepen your research interests in order to produce more compelling PhD application documents, going there probably doesn't make sense. Also, unless you are financially capable of shelling out the money for Villanova, I'd steer clear of going into that much debt. It's just not practical when there are funded MAs out there (like your Seton Hall offer!) that will get you to the same place. But the financial thing really boils down to personal situations. Hell, if I were accepted to a top MA program with no funding but had some way of paying for it, I sincerely doubt I'd turn it down.

I declined a fellowship MA offer from Boston College, as well as the MA program at Buffalo and Chicago's MAPH. Edit: Also just declined a fully-funded MA offer at Miami University of Ohio.