Yellow#5

Michelle, Sorry to be such a worry wart! Just trying to make sure you ask all the questions you need to . You seem to be on top of it though. Congrats again! It's an awesome school and a cute little town.

double lame.

Well, it's all been a good discussion, but I think the answer is this: I'm going to make a list of every PhD program I may ever conceivably want to apply to and drop them an email asking about how they feel about applicants with MAs vs. students with only a B.A. The speculation has been very useful, however. It raises concerns I didn't even know I should be worried about, but I think the best way to judge is to ask my individual programs of interest.

And I have it on good authority that Harvard at least, (and so I assume most departments do something similar) bump up your application a little if you have some work experience. Furthermore, if UVA is really your dream school, doing a terminal MA there may spoil your chances of doing a PhD there. (according only to the opinions of some other gradcafe posters) viewtopic.php?f=56&t=16603&start=0 I don't know if I buy the argument that a MA hurts your chances overall, but there may be something to the observation that if you do a terminal MA somewhere, they will not accept you into the PhD program in most cases, because they are trying to get fresh blood into the department. The best approach, rather than listening to this speculation, is to raise the issue with UVA. It's worth asking these questions before you add 35k to your debt.

HOLY CRAP! I just don't know what to say. Maybe if I don't have the stomach for this kind of financial situation, I'm just not cut out to be a scholar. ...but if you're only 21, why not postpone a year or two and both get a job?

I've seen alot of comments on the boards about schools that are less apt to take you if you already have an MA. Penn State and U Chicago seem to be two such programs. Which other programs, specifically, are less apt to take you?

Well, you should ask yourself why NYU is your dream school. Is it because you formed the impression it was something you couldn't attain in undergrad and that impression just stuck? I think that being comfortable where you study will get the best out of you. It also is easier to study if you're happy in your city and don't feel the money crush as badly. UNCG is probably much more reasonable tuition wise and the cost of living is probably 1/3. At this cost, you could take your time and spend 2 years in the MA, really clarifying what you want to study. The pressure at NYU, challenging your comfort zone and going against your regular routine might not be the right thing for you, unless you know EXACTLY what you want to get out of the experience. I'm also turning down NYU for another local program that is more flexible, more co-operative and touchy feeling and "ranks lower" on the magical US news report. I really don't think rankings (especially as they relate to job placement) matter as much for a terminal MA compared to a PhD.

Vecr, I think you should show up for your first day talking like that and wearing druid's garb.

Awesome Michelle, Say hi to the I-Man for me, if he indeed attends UVA. I'll be staying up north, lucky for me. I've been here so long, I can't make small talk and my skin is sensitive to anything above a tanning index of 1. I cry for Prof. Railton, though. I would have put on sunscreen and invisible man style bandages for him

After being out of school for so long, I think I'd have a much better shot at improving my SoP and my writing sample if I were in an MA program. It's not just the professor's input, but I think working with other students who are very serious about pursuing their interest in Literature would also be extremely helpful. thegradcafe is awesome, but I don't know if it is a substitute for really belonging to a faculty.

Wow, already great advice that I never even thought of! I love you grad cafe!

Well I haven't gotten any offers for the PhD, (not too surprising, since I've been out of school for a while and didn't really present a clear focus on my SoP). Happily, I am getting a few offers for MA programs. Of course, I'm probably going to have to pay, so before I quit my job and go into debt for what might be a real dead end, I'm looking for some input. For those of you who have completed an MA what are the most important things to accomplish? Should I take classes broadly or try and work on a narrow concentration? Is publishing something expected? What should my goals be going in to the MA?

I agree, your grades and your record of dropping out of econ just proves that it wasn't for you. 10 years of experience teaching proves education IS for you. Personally, I think being able to push yourself enough to get into a PhD program in a subject that "wasn't for you" just shows that you are a good and disciplined student, and now that you have the maturity to know what you really want to do, you're going to be a sure success in grad school!

20k a year is possible. Get to know the Haymarket Farmer's Market. You can get really good deals on fruit and vegetables there. If you're vegetarian, I bet you could live on 10 dollars a week

I would expect it is. That doesn't mean that you can't learn a great deal there and go on to get placed at an excellent school, but...it's hard to concentrate when you feel the cash draining from your veins each day. It would be for me, at least, considering how many hours a week I would have to spend in the office for years in a row to put together 33k. It's harder to spend real money than it is to spend a "promise to repay someday." Smartcookie, I noticed you on the UVA pending thread too. Have you heard at all? What are we doing wrong? Or should I ask rather what are we "almost" doing right?

What the F! Is BU another one that's going to take forever to notify about decisions they've already made? Many people have posted acceptances saying there's going to be a waitlist this year, etc., yet no waitlisters, no rejections. Are they really having so hard a time whittling things down AT ALL?

Sara, Don't feel bad, it was probably had more to do with the ad comm sensing you would never fork over all those $$$$$$$$$ for the privilege of writing term papers than it had to do with your potential. Probably you just exhuded common sense, which, apparantly, I failed to do.

Probably not. I don't see any rejections in the results page...not even one. Still, the program, the profs, the reputation etc. seem very good, regardless of how "selective" it is, I'm sure anyone who could afford to enroll would get alot out of it.

Orin, (and others) are your MA offers funded or unfunded?

I haven't done anything yet. I've called their office, but on the Friday before spring break...yeah. I'm going on vacation myself, so I'll worry about it later. I feel like I've been worrying for 3 months straight -- oh wait! I have been. I'd love it if they let me defer, since it's unfunded and take a shot at getting outside funding. It's pretty lame that you need to apply for grants almost a year before getting accepted.

The Bowdoin T stop is about 5 minutes walking distance from Gov. Center, which accesses the Blue and Green lines. It's very very close. When it comes to "close" especially to Charles MGH, you should be a little wary. I once looked at a condo on 8 Linden place and the Red Line was in fact ATTACHED to the side of the building. If you fell asleep with the curtains open, morning commuters to MIT would get a full view of you in your glory. They've recently built a partition to screen the subway/subway noise from this small enclave of appartments that are directly underneath the train, but when the rail is attached to your building, you building will shake every 15 minutes, that's all there is to it.

Yeah, I just got one today. It was postmarked March 10, but was in my neighbor's mailbox Does this mean if I turn it down I shouldn't bother to re-apply next year?

Jeez th3, I don't know what to say. I would kill for even half the exposure and experience you have and would feel totally confident applying...and yet, you've really hit a wall. All I can say (is what everyone is saying) this year is particularly tough. The only constructive hypothesis I have to offer is that maybe you are too well versed in all the usual scholarly circles and so nothing in your application jars the committe and makes them think you'll contribute something a little different. I'll qualify that hypothesis by saying I have no idea what I'm talking about, but that's just the best I could come up with. Maybe if you undertook some kind of non-lit/teaching related pursuit this year while you wait to apply again. Be a missionary in Greece or Work for habitat for humanity or something really out of the box. I'm pretty certain 50 more GRE points matters not one iota in your case. I think GREs are most crucial for students who had a low or uneven GPA, because, like grades, GREs test a certain kind of ability, but it's a narrow ability.