lyonessrampant

Hi DeClark, I wouldn't feel quite so stuck. Of course, I don't know your life situation, but I have an MA too. My husband is also in law school. I turned down a Notre Dame Ph.D. to go do an MA at UChicago cuz he got into a law school in Chicago then after he finished his first year, he got deployed to Afghanistan and now I'm home in Montana with an MA working as a quality assurance program director for a medical transcription company. I tell you this only to illustrate that you can do *something* for a year if you don't end up either at the school you want to be at or without options this year. Scraping by for one year might be worth it in the long run if you in turn get to be at a school you love and then doing what you love as a profession for your life. In the whole scope of our lives, 1-2 years is less than 5% of your life. Don't get me wrong. It feels like the end of the world right now to me too, but long term, I feel anyway that giving things another year to work out might make all the difference when I look back at my life. I don't mean to give you advice, but I've had lots of people I love and trust telling me this and I've come to think they've got it right, at least in those moments when I'm not wanting to drink the entire 1/5 of Jack. Basically, we'll all get through this. I hope things work out for you All my best.

Too true. I thought I was into Northwestern for sure. . . first rejection. Didn't get into my dream school, so I think I'm going to try one more year rather than settle for a place I don't want to be. This could be career suicide. . . but hey, not worth dreaming unless you dream big and work for that dream. Right? Good luck to everyone waiting. This is a crazy process and I'm sure that things will work out, eventually, even if we have to jump through some hoops to get where we want to be.

People hav indeed been contacted by email for admissions and at least some of the waitlist (probably all). I think this message, which I also see when I go to my app page, is an automated message telling people to stop calling/emailing and wait for official notice from the humanities division. The English department seems to have notified already and I think this message just means that the official rejections will be mailed out the first week of March. I also saw the thing about someone seeing it denied online and then getting a letter. Maybe that was for UIC? I don't know either way, but based on the contact I've had, I'd say we're just waiting for the official rejection unless you've been directly contacted by the department about admisison/waitlist. Just my thoughts though.

No problem Good luck!

Hi Boz, I did the MA at UC and graduated last June. In some ways, it was the most rewarding academic experience of my life and in others, I sort of regret it. If you're going to do an MA, think about funding. They offer about 15 1/2 tuition waver scholarships and I got a grant for 10,000 from the Scherer Fourndation (I know a few other grants are available but based on need, minority status, and stuff like that). That said, tuition is still about 12,000 a quarter + fees and insurance and stuff. My friends who didn't get any tuition assistance borrowed around $35,000. I got 6 A's and 3 A-s for a GPA of 3.9. I thought for sure I'd get in to great Ph.D. programs this year based upon my MA at UC and what my profs told me. I applied to Princeton, UC, UMichigan AA, Northwestern, and UIllinois-Urbana. I know I didn't get into Northwestern and Princeton and it looks pretty much certain I didn't get into UMich or UC. The same year I got the MA offer I got a funded fellowship Ph.D. offer at Notre Dame. I turned that down for a number of reasons and went to UC. You'll bascially be told you can get anywhere after the MA. THat hasn't been my experience this year, and I got better grades and some acolades during the MA program that a lot of other people didn't. That said, I AM a much better scholar and writer because of the experience. I loved the UC environment and the library and the profs and part of the reason I'm so disenchanted right now is because I want to be back there so much. If UC is your goal, going to THEIR MA isn't the best way to get there. THey usually take no more than 2 MA students on as Ph.D. students (and this I understand is across the disciplines including philosophy etc with English). As you can see by the UC numbers thread I posted, they've drastially cut the English cohort and I haven't heard form any MA students in my year who got in. Maybe someone did and I just don't know (entirely possible) but I was told by three different English profs that I was one of the strongest MA students they'd had and that they'd work with me as Ph.D advisors. None of that, apparantly, matters. There are lots of qualified people out there, now more than ever, so while I think an MA can make you a stronger scholar, don't assume that it will automatically get you where you want to go. I don't regret doing my MA at UC, but I do feel that they were a little less than honest about your options with the degree. I'm going to apply again, and I feel confident I'll get in somewhere, based on nothing other than the Notre Dame offer I turned down, and I know I'll be a better Ph.D. student because of my UC MA. However, I'm also more in debt and I know of other MA programs that provide more funding or are 2 years and you can be a TA. Look into those options too. I wouldn't say don't go to MAPH. I really loved it, but realize that there are limits that you won't really be told about when you visit campus. If I had to do it again, I'd probably take the Notre Dame offer, but I'd regret not having the amazing year of experiences I had at UC. I'm medieval and Reniassance focused, a strength of UC, and the profs I got to work with are among the best in their fields. That isn't an experience that every MA program can replicate. Also, I found that access to graduate courses is pretty open to MA students. Spring quarter I took one of the highest level graduate seminars offered with other Ph.D. students. I worked hard and got an A, better than some Ph.D. students. You have to request permission to take that level seminars, but all of the profs I encountered didn't treat MA students like 2nd-class citizens. If you have any questions, let me know and I'll try to answer them. Final thought, I'd email the department and tell them you're interested in the MAPH option. Perhaps email one of the directors of MAPH and tell them you're interested too. Mark Miller and David Levin are the directors. If you want to go, I'd email and tell them. You might be considered more for funding if you show interest. Best of luck!

Thanks hopskipjump. I think you're right. The ultimate issue I wrestled with in that paper was what I called the fantasy of Christian unity, which I see the hagiographers, saints, and faithful involved within in late medieval society. I feel like I should have pursued that in more depth. I think maybe I get bogged down in the details of the argument. I appreciate your advice. I think you'll really love UC, especially Mark and Jay

Hi hopskipjump, My main focus is early modern poetry. My writing sample was about the construction of identity through the development of relationships in the poetry of Edmund Spenser. I did a lot of work on voicedness of the female love object and the construction of the self in relation to the other in a sonnet sequence. I developed my interest in the saints' lives in a class with Mark Miller. I wrote a paper for him about the excess in the hagiography of the saints as it relates to sex, suffering, and spectacle. My interest in medievalism is more of a secondary concentration, so my SoP and writing sample focused more on my early modern interests and questions. I, too, have a strong background and interest in philosophy and critical theory. I mentioned that in my SoP, but I don't think I developed the overlap of my interests as well as I could have. Mark read my SoP and said he thought it was dead on, but I feel in retrospect that I needed to go deeper with my questions about construction of the self, poetry, and philosophy/theory. I think also that I should have gone with a more critical writing sample. Due to the page constraints, I focused on the close reading sections of my thesis and should maybe have done more with the earlier bit where I worked with Lacan, Terrada, and Martel more. I am very much a research-oriented writer, lots of footnotes and critical support for situating my entrance into the conversation, but maybe my own argument got subsumed by that research? Again, I really appreciate your support and info hopskipjump (and others). Good luck at UC!

I'm not. As far as I understand, the people on the waitlist have been contacted. I haven't heard either way, so I'm assuming I didn't get in and am just waiting on a rejection letter. I'd do pretty much anything to go there. I'm thinking of applying again next year. Any info you might want to share would be awesome. My test scores were 700 V, 650 Q, 6 AW and 680 subject. I've been accepted to 3 conferences (Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies twice and Medieval Association of the Pacific once) and presented at my state's annual education conference once. I have no publications, however. I have an MA with a 3.9 GPA and a 3.85 UGPA. I was told by my MA thesis advisor that my writing sample was strong, but who knows since he also told me he'd work with me as a Ph.D. advisor and I don't think he went to bat for me to get in. I am interested in late 16th century poetry and English late medieval saints' lives in particular but Renaissance and medieval lit in general. Any suggestions you might have for me would be appreciated. Thanks!

Guess we'll just keep waiting! Good luck to you!

This looks fascinating. I went to the website and I don't see anything specific about eligibility. I graduated last June from UChicago with my MA. Do you know if you have to be a current student to apply for this program? I'm guessing you did it. Do you feel like it greatly contributed to your skills as a scholar, and, to be a materialist, did it help you get into the schools you want for Ph.D. work? Thanks for any info you might have!

I just emailed a prof I know at UC. He said they accepted 11 out of 540+ applicants. Sigh. I don't know what any of this means in terms of the waitlist, but I don't think things look good if we haven't heard already. I'm pretty despondent right now because not only was UC my top choice but I was pretty much told by my MA thesis advisor that he would work with me and help get me in. I guess that shrinking the cohort (they used to admit 25-30) precluded that. I wish I had on paper what some of you do. Good luck at UC and congrats if you got in.

5 but I wish I would have applied to more. I turned down a funded offer to Notre Dame's Ph.D. program in 07 partly because my (now) husband didn't get into law school there and partly because I hoped that after an MA I'd be able to get into a school like UChicago or Princeton. Now, given the economic situation . . . I not only kick myself for my decision about Notre Dame but wish I'd applied to more schools and a wider range. Sigh. Hindsight is 20/20.

Is this UChicago? I didn't know there was an online place to see the decision. Is it in the same place where you filled out your online app? Here: https://grad-application.uchicago.edu? Thanks for the help!

Immersion--I think your reaction is more than a little insensitive and exaggerated. So what if hopskipjump looks at the rankings. I think all of us have at least LOOKED at the rankings and consider them when deciding what schools to research. Look all over this forum and you'll see people talking about appling to "top 10," "top tier," and "top 20" schools. Where do you think those labels come from if not rankings? Granted, they are pretty arbitrary and often aren't predicative of the quality of the institution and/or the ability of a student to fit well into the school. We're all stressed out enough about this whole process. I appreciate the forum's general attitude of congeniality and support. Let's try to keep things that way, especially if the comment is pretty unsolicited and doesn't really add much to the topic of the thread anyway. Just my 2 cents.

Lisa--did you get an email or notification by post about Chicago? Thanks!

I don't mean to be a downer DEClark, but I'm sure with a reasonable level of certainty that if you haven't heard from UC, you're not going to be admitted to the Ph.D. If you don't have an MA and the English department liked your app, they'll refer you to the MA program (my situation when I applied in 07). If that's the case, you'll get an email from them around the first week of March that will simultaneously say no go on Ph.D. and talk about the MA. However, I may be wrong. Of course, until the actual rejection comes, noone knows for sure. Good luck!

Oh well, I WISH you would have gotten into Yale and Princeton (me too for that one). Good luck! Maybe they'll call still. Don't give up yet!

Poor thing! Too bad you have to settle

Apparantly, Princeton is calling now too. . . they must cycle with Yale

Good luck everybody!

Hi, I don't think I have a lot to add, but I did my MA at UC last year and lived in the infamously dodgy Hyde Park. I also moved there from Montana. While I didn't come from a small town in Montana, ANY town in Montana is small compared to Chicago. At first, I pretty much hated it. I hate humidity and it is oppressively hot until, like, November in Chicago. I didn't find the winter that bad, but then again, I am from Montana, home of the coldest place on record in the lower 48. .. a dubious distinction I know. By the time I left, I found myself missing a big city, this from a girl who swore she'd never want to live in one. Hyde Park can be a bit shocking, but live closer to UC and it really isn't that bad. I would disagree that the public transit is a mess. If you take the Metra, which goes from Hyde Park to downtown, you get to the "Magnificent Mile" in about 10 or 15 minutes. The shopping, museums, theater, live entertainment, music, etc., makes Chicago quite distinct, and I loved the lake. There is a 20+ mile paved running/biking path that goes North-South. I used to go for runs all the time. From Hyde Park (and UC) you're about .5 to 1 mile away. From downtown, you can take the L most anywhere. The bus lines are a bit more complex, but I'd still say they're pretty navigable. I absolutely loved the UC campus and the Regenstein library is AWESOME! I took all medieval and Renaissance lit courses. If you're interested in medievalism, check out Mark Miller. He has a book coming out in the next year or so, but the one he's published already is called Philosophical Chaucer. He's pretty influenced by psychoanalytic thought, but he is well versed and very open to other strands of critical and philosophical inquiry. I found him to be the best lecturer I've ever had and he's great in a seminar style class as well. Basically, I WISH I had your conundrum, but even if I did, I think that I'd be tempted by the offer from UVa. Chicago IS an expensive city. My husband and I had what was called a 2 bedroom apartment through grad housing. It was only a little over 700 square feet. Our room didn't have a closet. There was one big closet in the "spare" room, which was also about the size of a closet. The rent was $917 + $40/month for a parking spot in a secured lot + utilities. You can get a studio through grad housing, however, for around $600 (not very nice), and there are a lot of non-UC owned housing options. We found a spacious 2 bedroom for $850 that had wood floors we almost moved into. Sorry for the boring details but I appreciate your help in detailing what your application looked like, which I plan to use when potentially reapplying next year, and I'd like to give you as much information as possible. Given the living cost, you don't have a lot of extra money for enjoying the city. There are lots of free/cheap things to do, but the museums are expensive to visit and shows and shopping obviously cost money. That extra $10,000 could go a long way. If you have undergrad debt, you might be able to pay a lot of that off and complete your Ph.D. free and clear of debt (an enviable option). I'd agree with the people who say to visit both campuses. Talk to lots of people and then make up your mind. I really enjoyed the graduate environment at UC. I have lots of Ph.D. friends, and I didn't find their teaching burden high at all. Some only taught 1 class a quarter for 1 of 3 quarters in the regular year. The workshops are an excellent forum to discuss your own writing and work with other students, profs, and visiting scholars on topics you are interested in. The profs, in my experience, don't have the same interdepartmental bickering that I've heard plagues some schools (I've heard Columbia is particularly bad in this regard), and I was pleasantly surprised by the personal interest shown in me (only an MA student) at a research institution. Anyway, let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll do my best to answer them. Good luck!

I think the assumption about UC is probably right. I emailed a prof I know there and he told me that they are significantly cutting the size of this year's admissions, in part because of the economy and also because they increased Ph.D. funding last year after essentially a graduate student protest. In order to fund at that level, they had to dramatically cut spots. Sigh. I do know that if you don't have an MA already and the department considers your application pretty good, they'll refer you to the MAPH program. You should hear from them in the first week of March or so.

Ditto! I've basically reconciled myself to not getting into UC. . .sigh, but I haven't heard anything from them yet either. Anyone else hear anything at all?

Has anyone else heard from UIllinois-Urbana-Champaign? The confirmation email they sent they'd be notifying in March. Is that just the "we'll tell you by then at the latest?" guarantee? Liz-- Congrats on getting in. Did they give you any info about how many applied and how many offers they'd be making? I felt pretty confident I'd get in there since my test scores and grades are well above the averages on their website, but now I'm freaking out about it. Any info you might have would be really appreciated. Congrats again.

For those of you admitted to UC, did you get any info about how many applicants there were and how many offers were made? This is my dream school, and I'm pretty sure it isn't going to happen this year since I didn't hear from them yet. I'm thinking of making a go at it next year, so any information about what made your application desirable would help. Congrats on being accepted. I did my MA there and I loved it. I'm sure you'll have an amazing academic experience if you go there, but watch out for Hyde Park