lyonessrampant

I don't think Brian was on the adcomm this semester, so I don't think the contact would have made a lot of difference. The adcomm tries to match all acceptances with a prof doing similar work. They would know you were interested in Brian, I think, so don't beat yourself up. This process is bad enough as it is!

You're still waiting on a lot of places, ekant. I know it feels awful when the only thing you've heard is rejection or silence, but it's not over until it's over! I'll be sending good thoughts your way. Best of luck!

I'm not sure ekant. I do think that most of the acceptances and waitlists have been contacted, but I don't know that for sure. I hope you get good news soon!

I did a partially funded MA. It doubled my undergrad debt in the space of a year. I loved the experience and am a far better scholar as a result, but I wish I would have known about funded programs (of better funded than my offer anyway). If you don't get a funded admit this round, I would recommend waiting and applying again next year. Then do some careful research on funded MA programs, strengthen your application, and apply to a ton of places including funded MA programs as well as a full range of Ph.D. programs from lower ranked to top of the field. You'll get some offers and have some win-win choices at that point. You can do pretty much anything for a year, but I would recommend working and saving money for the applications (that many will cost you in the neighborhood of $2000) and then saving money for the move once you relocate for grad school.

Yes, that is what the waitlist letter said last year, but having gone through the process and having a friend in the program, I can tell you it is basically a subfield waitlist. A good number of people do get in off the waitlist. I found the communication bridging on abominable while on the waitlist, though, which kind of turned me off and I took another offer. Anyway, it's a great school with some amazing faculty and there is a good chance if you get waitlisted. I got the waitlist email on President's Day. I remember because I was driving a big van full of college speech team kids in the snow and pulled over to check my email on my smartphone

25 admits this year? That's double what it was in 2008 and up for the last couple of years as well. Congrats to all accepted! I'm taking this as a sign that the economy is recovering

Last year I heard toward the end of February, if I recall correctly. I emailed Mike Stamm a couple times and he actually told me unofficially I was accepted before the unofficial-official email announcements followed by the official-official letters later. He's really nice and had a good sense of the timeframe. If you're going crazy, maybe you can contact him.

Hi all. The first-round admits have been contacted, and some rejections have been posted. However, not all admits and none of the waitlist have been contacted yet. Funding decisions from the grad school and all that are still getting finalized. If you haven't heard yet, you're not out of the running by any means. If you have questions about your application, the DGS and grad coordinator are both very nice. Best of luck!

Most prep school teachers (at least the fancy prep schools) have Ph.D.s, so if you want to go that route, I think you're on the right track!

Look, just being realistic, but in my required course in the fall, we all confronted job stats head on. It doesn't matter where you go right now, but TT jobs are hard to find, so it is important to know what you're getting in for. In my opinion, no matter what, you get 6 years of funding (in my case) and that's better than most who are stuggling to find a job with any security, but that doesn't mean a guarantee long term. The market sucks, so you should be aware of that.

Umm. . . I think that always shows up for you as you're posting, at least it does for me. And I've been posting for a long time.

From friends at those programs, NYU. . no question. The funding will be superior. CUNY, though an amazing school with great faculty, has nearly exploitative, in my opinion, funding, particularly for anyone not given fellowships. Even for those who are, the stipend at CUNY was less for my friends than NYU, a lot less. Congrats on the choice, though! Both are AWESOME programs!

Hey, Timshel! My husband and I were in a similar situation for the move. We actually hired a real estate agent to rent a place for us. He had invaluable advice about location, environment, proximity to public transportation, noise, etc. He would go see the houses and report back with pictures. His fee was quite reasonable (far less than a plane ticket out to try to do this ourselves), and we had an insider's perspective. Might be something you want to look into if you end up doing an off campus option.

I had a friend who took a class from her and worked with her on her MA thesis. She really liked her. I only met her like once, but she's very nice and, of course, brilliant.

Yeah, Strier is great. He was my MA thesis advisor, and I learned a lot from him. He's also a really great professor. Bradin Cormack is also really nice. I love Quilligan's work. I work on gender and epic poetry, particularly Spenser and Ariosto, so I'm jealous of your acceptances Congrats!

I applied to UW last year and it never updated, though I know my application was considered. I emailed the DGS sec and was told it was complete. You could probably do the same if you're worried.

I can't speak to your field, but I can tell you that $15k goes pretty far in the Twin Cities. The cost of living is quite reasonable here.

Ooooohhhh! Sounds perfect for me!

I've been told it is good but haven't read it yet. I'll add that to my Kindle list Thanks!

Sorry, Germaine but I don't know. I would imagine soon, probably this week. Last year there were four days, I think, between the notification of the fellowship admits and the next pool. I'll post if I hear anything. Good luck to all of you!

I did, pretty much for that reason. We were relocating far away, and my husband took the bar in the state we were moving from (and hope to return to eventually), and the law job scene is pretty much shit right now, even worse if you're not yet licensed in a state. The bar is only offered twice a year, so he couldn't even take it until February (this month), and we wanted a house to live in rather than an apartment building. Given these constraints, I decided to take loans that we would use if we had to, and if we didn't need them, I just planned on applying them to other loans that have higher interest rates. Given that my department accountant is pretty incompetent, this plan has sort of backfired, but I would totally consider a loan if you need for relocating. Don't underestimate having to move, pay a deposit and rent on a new place, get settled, buy new furniture and stuff, pay your fees (almost NO schools cover your fees. Your package includes tuition, healthcare, and a stipend, but you'll have anywhere from $500-800 in fees each semester that you'll have to pay), and get books. If you don't have a good-sized savings, you may need a small loan just to reduce the stress of relocating, getting settled, and starting at a new program. I think that the fewer things you can be stressed out about, the better your first semester will go.

Dorinda, I see you've been accepted to both Chicago and Duke. Congrats! I did my MA at Chicago and was so close at Duke last year. Alas, not meant to be, but you're area isn't much later than mine. Are you wanting to work with Strier and Scodel at Chicago and/or Quilligan at Duke?

Timshel, I believe you're right. I didn't file my FAFSA last year until I had decided on which program I would attend. You don't qualify for the same grants as stuff as undergrads, so all it does is indicate how much (if any) Federal Stafford loans you qualify for. Do be sure that your department reports your entire package (as in both semesters) to the financial aid office. If not, you'll get an unpleasant email right before spring semester saying not only will you not be getting the money you thought you'd get in the spring but they want half of what you got in the fall back. . .

Well, as I focus on early modern and medieval lit, I'm not sure I'll have a lot for you For more recent American lit, I like East of Eden by Fitzgerald, and if you like dark, sardonic humor, you might want to check out Evelyn Waugh. The Loved One is about the funeral industry. I thought it was cool. If you like poetry, you might want to look at Billy Collins. . .he's famous and very readable. For brain candy, I usually read YA lit or fantasy/sci fi, so that probably won't help you out too much

What kind of books do you like? Do you like something more contemporary? Something more of a classic? YA lit? Fantasy? A little bit more details and I'll try to recommend something.