runonsentence

I heartily agree that it would be unwise to fund a PhD on your own dime. Even if econ IS the insane holy grail of academic salaries, consider that PhD attrition rates are a testament to how difficult it can become to get a PhD on an intellectual, emotional, and fiscal level. You never know what will happen, and it would really make your life miserable to have to be stuck finishing a degree you no longer want to finish and taking a job you don't want to have to take at the end, just because of your debt. The debt will, in essence, rule your life; taking the funding gives you many more options. Consider, also, that your B choice must really want you to come if they funded you. I think it's nice to attend somewhere where you're being courted, where the department believes you'd be a good fit and would do well. They believe in you enough to throw money your way!

I'm holding two offers right now: Cincy and Milwaukee. I'll be making a decision between them by the 1st. Both are rhet/comp spots though, so I'm not sure if this helps you or not.

I lost track of who asked, but someone wanted to know if the program is well regarded. Yes, yes it is. Especially for digital work.

I won a competitive TA-ship at one of my admits, and I'm confident it's because I had strong letters of recommendation and a strong teaching philosophy statement for the TA portion. But this was also at a program that highly values developing students into teacher-scholars. So I think this echoes the above point: it depends on where you want to go and what you want to do.

I think that it is definitely a trend, to "save time" by launching into a PhD as quickly as possible. In my own case, I'm really grateful I was able to take the time to do a master's degree first. (I was lucky in that I was able to find a funded MA program!) I think that MAs, especially generalist ones, can be really valuable in teaching you to navigate grad school before you're launched into the PhD, in helping you decide (or solidify, or clarify) what it is you want to do, and for the reasons you mentioned (strengthening critical writing and research skills). I, for instance, came into my MA thinking I wanted to study Romantic literature, but now I've realized that I am better at (and better enjoy) rhetoric and composition. My personal vote would be one of the MA programs. If you got into one PhD program this year, I'm sure you can get into at least one again next year!

It looks like a couple more notices have gone up on the board, as well (one rejection, one waitlist). Hopefully we'll get some more answers, soon.

Thanks for the info, that does help! I think I'll be proceeding on the assumption that even if PSU extends me an offer, it won't come in time.

Agreed. The prof probably originally agreed to the meeting in order to tell you about the program and/or try to recruit you for it, if your meeting went well. Definitely email to explain that you've accepted an offer elsewhere (but would still like to meet).

Hmm. Not sure there's too much you can do, but perhaps it can't hurt to treat it like a job interview: remind them you're still interested. If they sent you an email to inform you of your waitlist status, it would be easy and not very out of line to simply reply back, thanking them for their update on your status and telling them that you are still very interested in going to X school (or that X school is still your top choice). What would be even better would be if you had any news to report and ask them to add it to your file. For instance, if you've had a manuscript accepted for publication, or a paper accepted to present at a big conference, you could email them to say that you have this new accomplishment to add to your application file, and then also take the opportunity to tell them you're still really interested in the program. OR, even better, if you had another acceptance you could dangle in front of them, you could mention that although you have an offer from Y school you're still very interested in waiting to hear from X before making your decision. I'm not sure if these kinds of emails are risky to send, but it's one idea.

Exactly my opinion. The match system is actually currently under a bit of debate, as it means that residents can't negotiate for their pay: they are contractually obligated to attend the university/hospital/program they are matched with. (Now, of course, most doctors will be making high six-figure salaries just a few years down the road, but the point is still there.) We, meanwhile, do have the flexibility to negotiate, to a certain extent. Further, most universities don't know what their budgets for the next academic year will look like until March or April, making funding something that's impossible to know about during the application process. Much of any applicant's decision rests on whether or not she received funding, and how livable/competitive that funding is. A match system would take away an applicant's ability to take funding into account in her decision-making process.

It's honestly going to just depend on the program. My current program makes its first round of decisions for funded PhD and MA spots simultaneously.

This is something to be careful about doing, though. Not every field recognizes this kind of MA as a terminal MA, and it may burn some bridges to (intentionally) leave this way.

It's not uncommon to email committees to ask for the reasons your application was rejected (or better, what you can do to improve it for the next application season). Sending out those kinds of inquiries to the schools who have already rejected you could give you some ideas on whether you need more coursework or lab work for next year.

If it was a PhD, I'd tell you no way should you pay for it. An MA...I suppose you can debate it, but really, your life will easier with funding. Ask yourself this: why is the name brand of Georgetown more important? (I assume it's to help you get into a good PhD.) Are you willing to live with the risk that your gamble doesn't pay off—that you could end up paying for a Georgetown MA and then not get a dream PhD placement later on down the road? This is the question it would come down to for me, if I was trying to make this decision.

might be of interest. Honestly, I don't think the reputation of your school is important beyond the next level (i.e., a BA helps you get into a good MA, which helps you get into a good PhD, which helps you get a good job...). And really, I think that rankings are over-rated. The work you're able to produce and the people you work with are more important. This is all just my own opinion; but I really don't think the job market gives hoot where you got your BA. If you went to an Ivy, that'll certainly look good, but your BA institution probably won't hurt. Besides, it's not just about names, it's about fit. (I, for instance, came from an incredibly small 4-year liberal arts college. While my school carries no name-brand value, the fact that I understand the challenges and benefits of a small liberal arts school means I'd possibly be more competitive on the market if I applied to work at those same kinds of schools.) I'd focus on programs that are a good fit for you, your current interests, and your goals.

I've found this to be the case, as well. Because the rhet/comp track at my department is still growing, I've had a lot of doors for extra leadership and administrative roles open up for me, just as an MA student (CV line, cha ching!). And yes, the point about coursework is a good one to mention. Definitely a consideration when you compare programs, to see how often comp/rhet courses are offered. I really like the kinds of courses the small rhet/comp faculty here teaches, so it's not an issue for me to get coursework I'd like, but it could be an issue if I were at a similarly small program with faculty with different research interests.

Any current Milwaukee students out there? Trying to make some tough decisions now!

I agree that strength of the professors you work with and the work you're able to produce is what is most important on the job market (or at least, that's my opinion about my field—I think rankings are a bunch of bull). But I think the other danger besides it being an unknown is that sometimes the kinks in the system aren't yet worked out.

I agree that it's hard to find a standard for funding. Most MA programs in my field can't fund you, unless it's more of an MA>PhD program. I managed to find a school that offered master's funding last time I did apps (F09), but because of state budget cuts being what they are (I have so many choice words about the Ohio governor...), we stand to lose almost all of our funding for incoming master's candidates. (Also, in case it helps, I speak from the perspective of a humanities student.)

My MacBook might be more expensive than a PC, but my last one lasted 5.5 years before I finally upgraded it because it was starting to run pretty slowly. Worth the investment, to me.

My decision would always be to go with the funding. Unless you're going into a field that will make you independently wealthy, it's probably not worth the debt. Though, this also begs the question, how much debt? Are you looking at PhD or master's programs?

Yes. The one for law students is pretty good, as well. And made me feel better about not seriously considering law school. That's some serious state bull you're dealing with, poco_puffs. Why would they exempt students? A good number of students in my program have been on foodstamps here, and I seriously considered it when I was having trouble finding a job last summer (luckily I got bailed out with a RA). I pack almost all my lunches and cook every meal I can. But my bar budget is non-negotiable.

Yep—I get a LOT of my taxes back, come April. Also, echoing what was said earlier: my boyfriend and I make it a habit to make our lunch just about every morning (I'd say I only buy lunch once ever week-and-a-half or two weeks) and it saves a ton. Really, just cooking in general saves a ton. And you'd be surprised at how easy it is to make time for it once you're in the habit. Sometimes it can take an hour out of your day, but it's a nice way to unwind from starin' at them books all day.

My letter was dated the 9th or 10th, and just arrived on Monday...possible yours is still on the way? *shrug* You're right that people are beginning to make decisions. I think they're letting people high on the waitlist know, to try to keep them in the running.

Sorry to hear about your situation. I've heard of programs offering light funding that is for every year but the first year, but not the other way around. It sounds like they're trying to dress up an unfunded offer and make it seem slightly better. Personally, I wouldn't take an offer that would leave me in such uncertainty and that would, in all likelihood, mean that I'd have to pay out of pocket for most of the degree.