wheel_of_fire

I did my undergrad at Chicago and know friends in the MAPH program. Everyone I know had a good academic experience, and I don't think any one of them felt that professors treated them differently from PhD students. You may not be able to participate in some of the workshop opportunities, though. Those are usually reserved for advanced PhD students. You also have to work harder than PhD students in coursework--while PhD students get paper extensions well into the summer, MAPH students have to turn in their essays (along with the undergrads) at the end of each quarter during finals week. One of the best things about the MAPH program is the opportunity to get strong recommendations from professors who are at the top of their fields. I do think that recommendations are often the deciding factor in final rounds of admissions selections, so having strong recommendations can't hurt. The program culminates in a final masters thesis, about 30 pages, just the right length for a polished graduate writing sample. If you do pick MAPH, the program would provide an opportunity for you to produce an updated writing sample and have your adviser then write a strong letter of recommendation in support of your application.

Really? That's not what I was told. I hear the list is ranked within subfields.

I just got an email notice from Chicago's department chair today notifying me that I've been put on a "short" waitlist for the English PhD program. Did anyone else here get this email or know anything more about our odds of getting off the waitlist?

As of today, I got an email from the department chair that I'm waitlisted at Chicago, but that they might not be able to make a final decision until April. I guess they'll be making acceptances until then. No other news, though.

Hey all, I need your suggestions. I'm deciding between two unfunded masters programs--the M.St. at Oxford in Renaissance literature and Columbia's terminal MA in English and Comp lit. I suppose I'm leaning toward Oxford primarily because I thought it would be cheaper, but after calculating costs, I think tuition is about the same. Airfare to the UK will bring Oxford livings costs to about the same as one year in Manhattan. My goal is to eventually get into a competitive US PhD program. It seems like the Columbia masters is mostly course-based while the Oxford M.St. would entail more independent study, and more and longer research papers. Columbia has a US theory component; Oxford has British skills-based coursework (history of the book, editorial theory, material texts, paleography, etc.) I feel that I would benefit more from the Oxford program, since I haven't done any real historicist or methods-based coursework during undergrad. Plus I get to travel around Europe during the month-long breaks! I also feel that the Columbia requirements are rather similar to what I did this past year in college (some theory, some general course work, a shorter thesis). However, I'm wondering if doing a masters in the US system might make me more competitive if I want to go back to doing a US PhD program. Thoughts on this? Thanks!

Nope, from Nicole Horejsi. I also just got the official email notification from the GSAS linking me to the Apply Yourself site. No funding. Probably a no go in Manhattan!

I just got this random email notifying me I got into the Columbia terminal masters program--or so I think. The email came out of nowhere and mentioned a previous slew of other email/letters that I haven't yet gotten. What's up? Anyone else get one also?

Thanks for the helpful comments, everyone. Anyone have an idea when we can expect notifications about colleges?

Any idea when we can expect to get college and adviser assignments?

Wow both of these are really different from my statement. I was told by one prof to add in more personalized anecdotes, and another told me if I used any at all, the board would laugh at me. So I ended up taking it all out. Now I'm wondering whether it would have been useful to put some back in. Hm.

So I just got my acceptance to Cambridge's M.Phil today. I'm thinking of using this degree as a stepping stone to a U.S. PhD program in the future. Any thoughts about this plan? I also have a few U.S. PhD acceptances--but not from top 10 schools. Instead of pursuing a PhD program with heavy teaching loads and little job prospects upon graduation, I feel that doing the UK masters options would enhance my graduate school options in the long run. I also applied to Oxford's M.St program as well. In the event I get into both masters programs, does any one have thoughts on which department or program is stronger or better geared toward eventual PhD research? I'm doing Renaissance, by the way.

These emails aren't really personalized. I got that same huge paragraph in my email from a different professor. I think they have professors send out standardized emails and add a few personalized sentences based on the statement of purpose. Seemed obvious from the disjointed email I got.

Hey Yellow, congrats! I just saw a UVA PhD acceptance posted today (March 18) on the main page listing. Was that you? If so, were you taken off the waitlist? I'm also wondering what subfield you've been selected too. It seems like tons of people are on the UVA waitlist...

I don't know how true this is, at least about U of C. There was in fact a student admitted who already had a PhD, in addition to a handful others with MAs.

UPenn has a good post-bac program. Several people at my top ten school did that program before coming to the PhD program in classics here.