Baudelaire

Hey, guys. The language on the website is admittedly ambiguous on funding. While only about 1/3 of entering students receive tuition remission and stipended positions, those offers traditionally do not come all at once. As for second year funding, I was likewise worried about receiving a bill for 2nd year after completing 1st year with funding. That nearly never happens; one would have to do very poorly in coursework and stipended positions to lose tuition remission. While funded students aren't guaranteed work their 2nd year, I believe everyone who worked 1st year (last year) received a job their 2nd year (this year). Those "limited positions" for 2nd year refer to additional positions which open for 2nd year students who did not receive stipended positions through the department during their 1st year. For the roughly 2/3 of students who do not receive funding packages (and there's no sense of superiority/inferiority among students, I assure you), meaningful job opportunities on campus and throughout the District abound. In the past, TA positions and CNDLS spots have opened for 1st and 2nd year students in the Fall. My sense is that the language on the website is ambiguous in part because it's often difficult to predict the types and numbers of such positions. I can say this much: The English Department excels at finding students part-time jobs and financial aid resources to make attendance feasible. So opportunities do abound, and Georgetown grad students experience little difficulty securing meaningful, engaging work. On a different but to my mind essential note, the peer relationships here make the program exceptionally welcoming, memorable, and intellectually rewarding. I was a graduate student for a year before I began at Georgetown, and the difference cannot be underestimated. I learn as much if not more outside class than in seminars (which have also exceeded my expectations). It's a factor we may not immediately consider when applying to programs, but it matters considerably. Best colleauges--and, finally, friends--I could've asked for. Good luck and best wishes to everyone.

Earliest notification usually happens over GU spring break, which is this week. E-mails, letters by mail (maybe, not positive though), and phone calls go out through March and April. I've heard of notifications as late as May, but I don't imagine that's too common.

FML: A def rejection, an implicit one, the never-ending UVa, and now this shit show. Thanks stellar record at Ivy-quality M.A. program: you really did the trick. Well, back to teaching high school...