[Penn State?]

Still have not received any information. Although I assume to be rejected by them, I cannot be sure by receiving the mail itself anyway.

I must say they are so inscrutable in insisting in using ONLY snail mails to inform the applicants of the decisions (Am I in 1990s now?).

Called the office today, but still automated message. They are not only making me wait, but also making those schools who gave me

offers wait. And most importantly, they are making those waitlisters wait for a much longer time!

Please, to people who plan to apply to PSU, beware their sluggish speed!

[Choosing between three English PhD programs]

Hi all. I am an Asian student applying for English PhD (literature major) program this year (all unfunded). Now I have mainly three offers to choose from, and it's really a difficult call for me.

My three offers are from...

1. Arizona State University: Compared to NY, I l think I am best fit to the local climate. The ranking of ASU is rising strongly in recent years, which seems very promising for prospective students. But the department's graduate classes are fewer and less appealing to me compared to the other two.

2. SUNY Buffalo: Best ranked among the three schools. Excellent faculty members. Abundant and attractive courses. But it's mandatory for full-time student to take four courses each semester, which is a formidable workload for international students. Besides this, UB is really a

wonderful choice for me.

3. SUNY Albany: Friendly DGS and nice faculty members. Less classes options compared to UB but most of them look interesting and inspiring. But its ranking is the lowest among the three. I am strongly interested in one professor's research field but he's an assistant professor

(since 2007) and accordingly cannot be my advisor if I need him in the future. Also I don't know if he will obtain tenure in the future (I know he's completing a book, and it's going to be published very soon) and don't know if he will stay at Albany if he gets tenured. It was originally

my first choice because of the similarity between my research interests and the professor.

Please give me some suggestions. Any advice will be appreciated.

[Penn State PhD]

Thanks for the update. I emailed, but did not get a response. I'm assuming the same for myself (a rejection)! I do wish that they would reject sooner or have an "unofficial" waitlist. The waiting is torture!

Here's hoping that the school I'm waitlisted at comes through!!!!

I've done same things here too.

Just can't help thinking that every year PSU has so many applicants and so few spots for them,

and wondering why does rejecting early seem to be so difficult for them?

[Penn State PhD]

Emailed them about the status of my application and they basically said you won't know anything for certain until April 15. They sent out their first round of acceptances, but haven't sent out any rejections yet. If I'm at the bottom of the list why can't they just put a nail in the coffin.

Can't agree with you more!

PSU is the only school that I am waiting out now.

Come on, people got their life to plan here!

[Which schools are "better"?]

On 3/6/2011 at 6:21 PM, Amalia222 said:

wow, great comments, all. It's certainly giving me something to think about. I think you're right, at the end of the day it's about "fit". Despite the creative writing emphasis, I am not simply aspiring to teach creative seminars but also academic writing and literature courses. The goal is to be a sort of "jack of all trades"--a mix of academic and creative writer, as well as literature, composition, and creative writing teacher. With the job market as it is, I feel it's important to be flexible. Teaching and academics are the hull that keeps the creative ship afloat, if you get my meaning. I love to write, but I doubt I'll ever make any money at it (literary fiction is a tough sell!) and I like teaching just as much as writing. A degree in English with creative dissertation is a win-win.

I appreciate the listing of schools by random data, but you're right, at the end of the day it has to be weighing out which schools have the most to offer. I really like TAMU's program, and I think I am a great fit for their department (which is why, I'm assuming, they chose me). But I wonder, if I get in anywhere else, how I will choose, and how much the school's ranking will factor in. From what you all are saying, not that much.

I am an international student. When I thought of studying PhD in the US years ago, this problem confused me too,

because there are rankings from various sources. Recently I also found in PhD.org (http://tinyurl.com/4zzemog)

that there is a ranking specifically of PhD programs in English for this year, which I think is quite unconventional from

the rankings I've seen before. But as you said, I finally decided to choose the schools to apply mainly according to

"how fit" I am to the specific program and the available funding it provides.

Below are the top 30 English PhD programs listed in PhD.org:

1. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

2. HARVARD UNIVERSITY

3. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

4. UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

5. YALE UNIVERSITY

6. STANFORD UNIVERSITY

7. DUKE UNIVERSITY

8. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

9. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES

10. CORNELL UNIVERSITY

11. JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

12. NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

13. VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

14. BROWN UNIVERSITY

15. EMORY UNIVERSITY

16. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS

17. RICE UNIVERSITY

18. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY

19. UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

20. CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

21. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

22. TUFTS UNIVERSITY

23. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

24. NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

25.UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SANTA BARBARA

26. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA - CHAPEL HILL

27. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE

28. UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER

29. BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY

30. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA