hadunc

Thanks for that info Musili. I hope it's not true about acceptances having gone out already, but it seems like we'd have seen at least one posted on the results page. I mean, UMN is a pretty popular program. I suppose it's possible though if they are taking very few applicants this year. Sigh. I'll be waiting for my rejection...

Mine still says the same thing. I don't think there's another web site to check, I'm pretty sure "Apply Yourself" is the only one that UMN uses.

Ugh, yes, totally know what you mean woolfie! I also live in the midwest and my fiance's family is what I'd call your classic midwestern blue collar conservative family. None of them have graduated from college, let alone gone to grad school (though for the most part they have successful careers probably making more money than I ever will as a professor!). I remember at a family gathering last year someone asked me what I wanted to do after college and I told them I planned on going for my PhD and the room went totally silent. Not a single person said a word to me for the rest of the day and I've pretty much gotten the cold shoulder ever since then. I'm not sure why it rubs them the wrong way, I'm far from an intellectual snob. The majority of my friends are not interested in pursuing any sort of higher education and I totally respect that. I just wish that my fiance's family (and others in general) would respect that scholarship has its merits too and that you can go to grad school and still be a "normal" person!

I can sympathize as well. Growing up my parents, but especially my Dad, really pushed me toward the sciences despite the fact that it was always very clear that my real aptitude was for reading and writing. Yet for some reason, my Dad would always disparage people who went for what he called "soft liberal arts degrees" and would tell me how worthless they were and that "any moron could get a PhD in English." HA!! So when I started college I went for neuroscience, but after one semester completely deprived of literary study I became extremely unhappy and ended up dropping out to attend community college and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. It was there that I came across one of the best English professors I've ever had, and she took me under her wing and convinced me to change my major to English. There was quite a bit of fallout as a result of my decision, but my parents slowly came to accept it. And now that they've seen me go through this process twice I think they realize just how demanding and competitive it truly is. When I called my Dad to tell him about my first funded offer, he expressed his shock that a school would actually pay me to study literature (his way of telling me he's proud) So I totally understand family/friends not getting it. Fortunately I have a partner who is extremely supportive and who kept pushing me to pursue my dreams even when I felt like giving up. I think the best you can do is absorb the positive and deflect the negative. God knows this process is already stressful enough!

I agree, seems a little odd. But Loyola did the same thing this year, so I'm holding out hope that no acceptances have gone out yet. I've got my fingers crossed because I really like their program, it's one of my top choices.

Wow, that's insane! It's too bad you can't take that funding and go live in a more affordable city though. I would imagine it's still not much in NYC. And I thought I was lucky to be getting something in the range of 18-20K!! I had no idea that kind of funding was even possible in the humanities.

Fellowship money is absolutely taxable income. In fact, I think it's usually taxed as though you were self-employed, but I can't say for sure so you'd probably want to ask an accountant about that. But yes, you will definitely pay taxes on it. As to changing state residency, I'm not sure how you could NOT change your residency if you plan to stay for 5 years. Do you own a car? If you do, you typically have to register it in the state within 30 days, unless you plan to use your parents address as your permanent, but that would probably make things more complicated than just changing your residency (which isn't very difficult at all). Also, if you're going to a state school that's giving you a tuition waiver you will have to change your residency or you'll probably have to pay them the difference between in state and out of state tuition. If you're attending a private school, it shouldn't matter. Hope that helps!

Not only that, but many schools require you to apply at the Master's level if you want to pursue a PhD and only have a BA. Quite a few of the programs I applied to were these types of MA/PhD programs where as long as you are progressing decently it is assumed you will continue on to the PhD. So assuming that an MA can't lead directly to a PhD is pretty misinformed. Even so, not everyone applies to grad school with the PhD as a goal, and I agree with you that these types of comments are offensive, even if they are written in the heat of the moment. We all need to respect each others personal and professional goals.

Hi, I'm going into an English PhD program and one of my primary interests is cultural studies and theory. I know George Mason University offers a PhD in Cultural Studies, and UC-Davis also offers a PhD in cultural studies with an emphasis on gender so that might be one for you look into. SUNY-Stony Brook also has an interdisciplinary cultural studies PhD. If you're really interested in theory, I would recommend looking into some English PhD programs. It's somewhat difficult to find programs specifically in the field of cultural studies, especially funded ones, but you'll find that a lot of English departments are strong in cultural studies and theory. SUNY-Buffalo's English department, for example, is a great place to go for cultural studies. Hope that gives you a start!

Yeah, I totally agree, applying as a senior at least for me was really tough. There's just too much going on, and that last year is crucial. I didn't choose to take a year off from literary study but the time working independently (after being rejected) really gave me the focus I needed. I recently looked over one of my papers from senior year and was horrified at how amateur it sounded. I couldn't believe it, it didn't even feel like my writing. My four years in college were nothing compared to what that year off did for me in terms of growth as a writer and a scholar.

I got an email today from one of the schools I was accepted to prompting me to fill out a FAFSA by March 1st. However, funding still hasn't been determined, so I may or may not need financial aid if I choose to go there. I have never filled one out before and I'm pretty sure I couldn't get it done by the deadline anyway. Do most people wait and see about funding first or is it typical to fill out the FAFSA preemptively? Just wondering if anyone else is as confused as I am.

I think I'm one of the few people here who did not do a senior thesis, nor did I do a double major. I did take a lot of art history classes that would probably have qualified me for a minor had my school offered it, but that's it. I was offered acceptance into the honors program at my college, but declined because it would have meant staying at least an extra semester or two to complete my degree and I couldn't afford to do that. However, I think I made up for it by doing a lot of independent research. I've been fairly successful this season, so I don't think not having one immediately excludes you from getting accepted to grad school.

I had a similar experience. I really thought I screwed myself over by not contacting many profs beforehand, but so far I have an implicit rejection from the one school where I actually did contact a faculty member. I didn't contact anyone at the schools I got accepted to, and didn't even mention any faculty in my SoPs. So I don't think it matters that much. However, if you're really familiar with a faculty member's work and you think you could start a meaningful conversation about it, I don't think it can hurt.

I'm still waiting on 8 schools, and I'm getting anxious because I want to be able to visit any schools I get accepted to before I make a decision, and finding out in March will mean cutting it pretty close. And is anyone else here still waiting on either Duke Literature or UIC? I'm pretty sure I've been rejected from both but WHY can't they just update my status!! So frustrating!!

Subzoo, it really seems like you're trying to start arguments. What exactly DO you like about academia? I've never seen you mention one thing you're looking forward to about grad school. This board is full of people willing to sacrifice money, time, and sometimes even personal relationships to be able to pursue their dreams. Of course we all know that there are quite a few seemingly arbitrary hoops to jump through, but we are here because we WANT to be. I'm not sure if you're aware that your remarks come off as very snide, but those of us who have worked very hard to get where we are don't appreciate the constant sarcasm.

This is an excellent response, and I would second everything in it. Aside from polishing the SoP and writing sample, I think it's really good to have something to show for the year off. As in, do some independent research, present at a conference, teach, or try to get an article published. This will demonstrate that you have the motivation to engage in scholarly work whether or not you have the backing of an institution. Grad schools invest a fair amount of money in their students, so if you can prove that you're a "safe investment" (I hate to put it in those terms, but I think it's true nonetheless), in that you really can/will do the work, that goes a long way. I have to agree with intextrovert regarding test scores. Unless you're applying only to schools that are likely to have a high minimum score requirement, I don't think it's worth the time and money. Better to focus on developing your research interests and improving the SoP and writing sample.

Cool! It's really hard to meet people who are interested in digital studies. You'd think it would be a lot more popular than it is given how reliant we are on technology these days! My stats are by no means super impressive: 690V, 610Q, 5.0W, 3.9 GPA. I don't come from a well known UG, and I think the reason I was accepted, other than fit, is because I spent my year off working independently and then presented my work at a conference (and used this paper as my writing sample). Given that SUNY-B gives their students so much independence, I think they felt I'd be motivated enough to do well there. Good luck to you, I hope you make it in!

I think if the unfunded MA is something you'd consider then it can't hurt to tell them you're interested. After all, being admitted doesn't bind you to going there. I don't know if you have to tell them right away, but I would imagine that sooner rather than later would probably be best, especially if you want a chance at the partial funding. And it couldn't hurt to just send an email back asking how soon you'll need to make your decision.

This is exactly what they did to me last year. After being wait listed, I was rejected and offered the exact same option. I think if they recommend you there's probably a good chance you'll be accepted, but more than likely without any funding. I think this is basically Loyola's way of funding their PhD students. Were you also wait listed or was it an outright rejection?

It's really a relief to see that so many grad students struggle with panic attacks. Not that it's particularly surprising! But it's great to hear about others thriving in grad school despite the hurdles of having a mental illness. Makes me feel much more confident that I'll be ok. Anxiousapplicant (love the name btw), I can totally relate to the triggers you described. I know for sure that one trigger for me is experiencing leg cramps or aches, because I always start to think that I have a blood clot and I'm going to die from a pulmonary embolism. Crazy, I know, especially since there's no history of clots in my family and I'm not a smoker, but terrifying nonetheless. I really wish I could conquer my anxiety without meds, but in my case I think my disorder truly is bioloically/genetically based. I've had these issues in one form or another almost since the day I was born. I've tried all sorts of coping methods, but nothing seems to help as much as the medication does. I hope to one day be able to deal with it entirely on my own, but I've also come to accept that I may need meds my whole life, and that's ok. It's like any other illness, and there's nothing to be ashamed of. And I think at this point the best thing I can do for myself is take the meds during what I know will be a very stressful time of transition in my life. I have gotten much better at public speaking, which used to absolutely terrify me. I'm no longer in school, but when I was I participated regularly in class and even presented at the school-wide academic conference. Last November I presented again at a regional undergraduate conference, and did even better. Though I'm sure my first day will be pretty nerve-wracking, I'm fairly confident that teaching in front of a classroom will get much easier over time. I'll probably pop a klonopin the first couple of times to ensure that I don't break down, but after that, I'm sure I'll be fine. I will also keep that train exercise in mind, it sounds like a very good way to visualize and conquer the anxiety. Thank you for the kind words of encouragement!

Another great response in this rather contentious discussion, Branwen! I don't have too much to add, except that I at one time probably would have agreed with a lot of what Subzoo said in his/her most recent post. However, that was before I started to get a firm grasp on theory and realized what a useful tool it could be! Using theory doesn't mean you are "conforming," it means you are participating in a discourse, which is what literary study is all about. Just like literature is never produced inside of a vacuum but rather responds and reacts to what has been produced before, literary criticism also evolves and responds to what has been said in the past. If you want to be taken seriously as a scholar, you must place your work within some frame of reference, otherwise, to put it bluntly, it's rather meaningless. Even if your views are anachronistic, which is not necessarily a bad thing, you are going to need to at least understand the scholarly work that's being produced today and make reference to it, otherwise it doesn't really contribute anything to the field. I think I've said it before on this board, but before you can break the rules, you need to learn the rules. You must be able to articulate exactly what it is you object to about today's theory, and why. Subzoo, you strike me as rather abrasive and close-minded when it comes to criticism that you don't agree with, and I think you might find yourself very unhappy in a PhD program as a result. While there's nothing wrong with trying, I think if I were you I would do a Masters first, to make sure this is really what you want to pursue. You may very well find that graduate study is not anything like what you expect or think it should be.

Just to let all of you know, I got an official letter in the mail yesterday stating that I had been wait listed and that admission decisions had been made. So I imagine those accepted will be hearing from them pretty soon.

Wow, really well stated! I definitely second all of the above.

I didn't accuse you of calling Str2T boring and petty, but I do think it was a bit rude to refer to his/her post as "boring and petty," especially since he/she gave you some very solid advice. My comment was not meant to be a personal attack either, but you have to understand that the people in this forum want to participate in conferences and enjoy the rigors of literary study. If you don't enjoy those things, this is not the field for you. If what you love is reading and writing, there are plenty of other careers out there that might suit you much better. Literary study, as you seem perfectly aware, is about much more than that. You can't expect to just "do" literary study...and it's a bit presumptuous to think you should be able to just step into the field and everyone should take your work seriously. This is like any other career: you start at the bottom. You gain experience by going to and participating in events like conferences. I'm really not sure what your point is--what do you expect to teach in your classes if you don't believe in the value of literary study? I think what you might be trying to say is that the field is too theory based, and there are others out there who feel the same way, but you can't expect to not learn any theory at all in grad school. I'm curious, what is it you'd really like to see change? What exactly would focusing more on the literature itself entail, in your mind? Regardless of your own methodology, the attitude that you wouldn't be caught dead in a conference is not going to get you anywhere. And you sound very naive when you say that you are banking on the idea that a love of literature is enough to cut it as a teacher and scholar. What does it even mean to truly "understand" literature, in your mind? You really need to do more research about what being an academic professional entails before you pursue this further.

If you think that post sounds "boring and petty," I'm not sure what you expect to get out of grad school. It's not all about reading and writing, it's about engaging in conversation with your colleagues, sharing ideas, research, etc. I don't know why you "wouldn't be caught dead going to a conference on literature," and statements like that are not going to make you any friends here. How exactly do you expect to keep up with what's going on in your field and network with your fellow academics? I don't mean to be harsh, but I think you should seriously give some thought as to whether this is the right career for you.