teaganc

If the options are a) rejected now, move on with my life, or waitlisted for another 2-3 weeks, and then rejected... yes. I would rather just be rejected now.

I'm going to answer this assuming you weren't being facetious (since tone + internet = impossible to interpret): My wait listed offer asked me to please let them know ASAP if I want to be taken off the list, so they know how many people might actually accept an offer, who the next person in line is, and so on. Should an accepted student decline, they will want to extend an offer as quickly as possible, and waiting on one or more people to be given the offer who wouldn't accept it anyway, and waiting for them to then decline, delays the whole process. I think that most other schools ask you to do the same. I don't think it's pushing polite consciousness at all to notify a school that you no longer wish to be on their wait list, but simple courtesy to both the school and the people on the wait list.

Wait, you are staying on three waitlists even though you've already accepted a funded offer? I understand staying on the wait list at your top choice, if you were willing to back out of this acceptance to take that school instead, but what about the other two schools? I know there has been some drama regarding only making a decision based on what you want and not what affects other people, and I respect that position, but still. If you can in any way narrow down the list of offers you are keeping after you've already accepted one, I would really suggest you try, for the sake of academic karma if nothing else. Note: To my knowledge, neither myself nor anyone I know is waiting for any of the spots this person may be freeing up; I don't even know the schools in question, so on and so forth.

I'm sure you're right. I am forever mixing up the R5 and the R3, to be honest; I just know people who commute on one of them from Media to Philly daily, and they can actually walk to the train station. Maybe the R5 runs through Exton, or perhaps it used to stop in West Chester?

The Bay Area is generally rather nice; it is warm all year round, never terribly hot, and never terribly cold. It does rain a fair amount, and is almost always foggy, but it definitely does not have a "hot" summer. Cambridge, however, does. Massachusetts is very, very, VERY cold in the winter, on that you are right, but it is also very, very hot in the summer (like, 100 degrees hot) and it is not a dry heat either. But I don't really know how weather affects acne.

The OP said that the two were comparable in prestige within the field, with similar reputations. I was saying that all other things equal, I would rather take the Ivy option, because big names often open doors. Also, if the poster ever decides to do something outside of academia, many people will assume that Columbia has a much better program that U Iowa, even if that is not at all true.

If you have kids, I would definitely suggest living on the Main Line and commuting in. If you live in Media, you can be in a good school district and take the R5 into the city every day, no trouble.

Oh, no, I wasn't trying to call you obnoxious. I just happen to have first-hand experience with some admissions staff who were really sweet, dedicated, overworked people, so I always try to give other admissions people the benefit of the doubt.

I'm guessing they said rude/inappropriate things, but admissions committees (at some schools) do web searches of applicants, so it's possible that they could come across someone's blog/postings and that content could sway their opinion of the applicant. I'm not saying that happened to you, certainly, just that it's not outside of the realm of possibility.

I'm from the Northeast too! We really need to start a, people from the Northeast who moved to the fabled CA and discovered that it sucked a lot more than popular culture let on, club. And I'm moving to MA (probably) this fall! We're like, location-driven e-soulmates.

I PMed you.

It's a busy time. I'm not really sure that you can assume that not being emailed back is a sign of rudeness, but rather a sign of being very busy, or on spring break, or trying to have an answer for you before they email back. I know we're all stressed about the process, but just take a step back for a moment and think, are they actually doing something I should be pissed about, or am I just pissed in general and nervous and taking it out on faceless email addresses? When I worked in a financial aid office, I had lunch with the admissions staff all of the time (we were in the same building) and these people seriously worked 12 hour days AND saturdays sometimes, and they still didn't have a chance to be nearly as prompt as they would have liked, but they were good people.

Can you ask the other school to reimburse your car rental fees? You are right to rent one--you can't really make it around LA comfortably without a car--but schools usually tell you how much they will reimburse, total, and your plane ticket may have already met that.

I would also go to TC over Temple, and I've lived in Philly (and love it there!) so I know what you mean about the location draw. However, I think that the NYC DOE service agreement thing really puts everything over the edge. That's a great opportunity, and it really makes the cost at TC much more affordable. Plus, you can tell yourself that the prestige in the field of the two is comparable, and maybe it is, but I think the reason you are inexplicably drawn to TC is that it's Columbia. I mean, this is an Ivy League school, and for people outside of your field, your family, your friends, etc., that is so much more impressive. Maybe this shouldn't make a difference, but all other things equal, I know that I would take the Ivy option. Maybe that's just me, though.

I applied knowing that if I didn't get some kind of funding, I wouldn't accept an offer. I would rather wait, or try to find a job with just my MA, or think about going into a different field than graduate with the debt that comes along with a PhD in English, considering the job prospects. The difficult job market after graduate is something I can deal with; I can fight harder, I can push myself to be better, and I would be happy working at a school like my undergrad, a little known state school in a beautiful town, in a vibrant part of the country. But I am not willing to do all of that AND graduate with a) tons of debt and without the teaching experience that comes with a funded offer. That's my line in the sand.

With all this talk of Professor Xs, I simply can't help but imagine them as:

If you weren't waitlisted, would you be willing to turn down your funded offer and reapply again next year for a chance of admission to a better program? This is the situation you are essentially putting yourself in, should you decide to take a chance on the wait lists. You might get in to one of the three, but then again, maybe not. And you might not get in to any of the three, or any other program, next year, should you decide to apply again. If you would rather go through one or more rounds of applications than attend the program where you have funding, turn them down now (and might I suggest not applying, should you have to reapply, to any program you feel that way about). If you would rather have the funded offer than risk reapplication, then take it. A wait list is nice, sure, and your top choice is great, but you can also make the most out of the funded offer you have if you are willing to do so. Personally, I would take the funded offer rather than risk a year (or more) out of school, without health insurance, with higher car insurance rates, putting off my life plans for yet another year, etc. etc. But if the thought of going to the school where you have an offer is so terrible that you would rather risk all of that then attend there, turn them down.

I don't have insider information per say, but I did meet someone who was graduating from the Cinema Studies program at NYU who was unhappy there, citing a very "traditional" department. I don't know entirely what that means, but they were leaving the department and the city after an MA to find somewhere with more academic freedom.

Best image ever. But seriously, you are crazy if you turn down a funded PhD offer at Brown for a funded MA at Cornell. I mean, maybe if you were deciding between East Bumblefuck U and Cornell, I would say take the MA, but come on. It's Brown.

Normally, I would say take the funded offer, but the difference in fields makes this much less a decision about what school you want to go to and much more a decision about what field you want to be in. Yes, UCSC is offering funding and the opportunity to get your PhD, so you would never have to apply to another program again (until you want a job, of course). But MIT is a big name, and a half-funded MA program isn't that bad of a deal. If your interests and passion lie not in literature but in Art and Architectural History, don't be swayed by the chance to have a funded PhD. You might have that opportunity anyway after you graduate from MIT, and it could be in a field you are passionate about.

I would go with the money. If Ohio is going to fund you for 2 full years AND give you a stipend, this is a much, much better offer. As far as your chosen field... you haven't even completed an MA yet, so your chosen field may very well change. Keep an open mind, take a variety of classes, and apply to a PhD program based on your specific interests.

Additionally, I want to say that I've lived in LA and San Diego, and neither city was particularly tolerant of even GLBT, so I would be very, very nervous about these two cities. Santa Barbara is a little better, as is the Bay Area, but in general Californians are a lot more judgmental than non-Californians assume they will be. I think maybe Toronto might be a better option, or maybe Massachusetts?

I don't think either of those represents a drastic change to your profile as a candidate, honestly. But if you want to email whoever the school has suggested you contact, let them know about your increased GPA and internship, and express that you are still very interested in their program, go ahead. Maybe it will help, maybe it won't, but a polite, short email probably won't hurt your chances. But don't email them every week with new updates; you should probably send a single "update" email and be done with it.

I'm not even going to be there, but here is my vote: "I'm really looking forward to moving to Santa Cruz, because it seems so peaceful. My current neighbor has 45 cats, and, as you can imagine, it really makes for a noisy environment."

You're right that the financial deal at CMU is better than you'd get at most places; you'll have to pay at least 16,500 (CMU costs about 33,000 per year) vs. 2 years at NYU paying around 32,000 each year. NYU is a larger program with a wider variety of things to focus on, which helps if you don't fit into the narrow area of CMU's strengths. I also agree with your assessments of the weaknesses of CMU's MA--the 1 year program, the lack of a thesis--for preparing you for PhD applications. But the atmosphere at NYU is not great (other people have commented at length about the pros and cons of the program, so I won't go into it), and you have to think whether the advantages of that program are worth the additional $48,000 you'll spend on it.