ComeBackZinc

I think if you search here, google around, or check the applyingtograds Livejournal community, you'll find lots of opinions. So many opinions.

Well, it's a mysterious and arcane process. And: who you know matters. A hell of a lot. I stopped bringing that up in the past, because it always made people unhappy and devolved into too many negative conversations. But you can't understand the grad application process without discussing the way in which Prof X asks her buddy Prof Y to help with Student A's application, and by the way remember when our program hired your guy last semester? In a context where programs might accept as few as 6 funded students, it makes a difference. But like I said-- this tends to become an unhappy conversation, so I've largely abandoned it.

It'll all be worth it in the end.

I just don't get why you provoke those things. I just don't understand what you get from it.

Typically, people who talk about other people's naked insecurities are trying to mask theirs. I don't mind a little abrasiveness. And I do think that this forum needs more pessimism. But you seem to constantly psychoanalyze people in a way that could just as easily be applied to you. Now congratulations on the CUNY acceptance and the Columbia wait list. Think of how good they feel, think of how bad rejection hurts, and then consider whether the attitudes on this board that you dislike so much stem from the intensity of those emotions. People here are sensitive because they know how good and bad this process can feel. Is that so difficult to understand?

The info (or "info") about waitlists in general. One person getting waitlisted at one school and getting denied funding is not, to my mind, adequate reason to say that "Generally funding is a very different story for waitlisted applicants".

Fishbucket, I think you need to provide a little evidence for some of the claims you're making here. If not, it's probably best to keep some of it to yourself. I agree that there's a bias here, as with any advice forum, towards optimism. But you're making pretty big claims without offering proof, and in a way that seems designed to provoke.

^As a general point for any school, I second the interest in actual stats rather than a vague notion of reputation. Hiring rate, graduation rate for those who pass exams, and time-to-degree are super important. Edit: but as Fishbucket says, so is context.

I'm super late to this party, but-- not to overgeneralize from two examples, but this is a point that has been made by people in my program under fellowship as well. Missing the week-long mentor program and twice-weekly practicum meetings does make some people feel a little alienated. I'm lucky to be in an extremely tight-knit cohort, and the fellowship students are integral parts of our group. (The first years are crazy close, too. They had Christmas photos taken at a professional studio together!) It helps, here, that the first of our five core classes is always the first semester and always the new cohort. But I think this feeling is pretty common, and it isn't always ideal to miss out on the teaching experience. That said, what are you gonna do, turn down a fellowship? The money is better and you have a CV line for life. It's a great honor and a good thing. I would just make sure to reach out to your cohorties who have regular TAships. I'm in love with my program, but I can't imagine it if I wasn't so close to my cohort. They're incredible.

I mean, look: some significant majority of the people who post here will graduate from their programs fully intending to get a TT job somewhere and not get one. That's just the weight of the numbers. I could certainly be among them. If you're in doubt, don't go. Brilliant, committed, worthwhile English PhDs graduate year after year after year and meet with no success. If you're really concerned, the question is not "should I reapply," the question is "should I go at all?" The numbers are unambiguous: far more people will graduate than will ever get decent jobs. And assuming you are the exception is not productive. I'm not trying to be a jerk. I'm just saying that anything less than full commitment should default to not going, as even those with full commitment will often end up on the outside looking in.

Lit job market being what it is, you can always say "try for a better program," but it's really hard to find better programs than CUNY, and plenty of people from the no-bullshit top-5 end up jobless anyway. Waiting a year for an uncertain crack at schools that may or may not have a better hiring record does not seem like a rational decision to me. Declining to go into a PhD at all, particularly in the humanities and particularly in English (regardless of program)? That makes a lot of sense to me. Declining in order to get back on the wheel, when you have a CUNY acceptance? Much less so.

Absolutely do not go to a PhD program, regardless of discipline, if you aren't funded. If you have a funded MA offer, take that and attempt to get into a funded PhD program after. Or, email around at IU and see if there are any other funding opportunities. Check with their grad director or grad assistant and see if there are listserves or websites you can check. At big schools like that, there are often a lot of funding opportunities floating around in odd places. They may not be doing what you really want, but if it's just for the first year, you can probably deal with it. But if you can't get any funding for that first year, don't go. Don't do that to yourself.

Ask yourself, which mascot would win in a steel cage death match tournament?

Three of my peers here went to Georgetown for their MA and loved it. Much congrats.

Hey all, I'll be traveling to Las Vegas to present at the 2013 Conference on College Composition and Communication, along with most of my cohort and the usual Purdue crew. If anybody wants to meet up for a panel or a coffee or whatever, drop me a message. Looking forward to it! ps the Bedford party this year is going down here:

Not to add to anybody's stress, but I will say that your perception of your U's town can have a lot to do with whether you're single or in a relationship. When I came to Lafayette I had a girlfriend, and I was always thinking, great college town, lots of bars and restaurants. And now that I'm single, I'm saying, boy, this town is slow.

... and my recommendation in that area would be Composing Research by Cindy Johanek, which is both a good primer on methods and a really wonderful discussion of the methodology wars in rhet/comp. Edit: Also, the issue of College Composition and Communication from this past September is a really wonderful primer on different methodologies that might be applied moving forward in the field.

I love these lists. In my opinion, an important addition is issues of research methods and empirical approaches to composition. In part, that's just because I think that empirical work is an essential part of what we do; in part, it's because of prominent calls for more empirical research in the field, such as Richard Haswell's call for RAD research; and in part, because I think defending the funding and disciplinary identity of our departments is going to have to involve speaking the language of research in the way the university writ-large understands it. (I recognize that this is a political, theoretical, and epistemelogical can of worms. Sorry for that.)

Certainly an essential question is whether you want to teach in an English or comm program in the future. Internal to the discipline, there won't be much difference in whether you're in comm or English; if you go to a conference, for example, most people there won't care much. But what department you're a part of will make a huge difference for your career, your day-to-day life, your promotion, etc. Which culture do you prefer? Which seems to be a healthier field overall? Hard to say now, of course. One thing to bear in mind is that most of the English jobs you're going to apply for as a rhet/comp candidate won't be in schools with distinct rhet/comp programs. You'll often be applying for positions as the lone compositionist in a given English department.

Well said.

Look, I'm always the first to say that every school and situation is unique, and there's lots of nuance and special situations, etc. etc. But, I think it would be insane for you to turn down a funded MA offer-- far rarer than funded PhD offers-- for an unfunded one. Insane. Want to get into a good PhD program afterwards? Kick ass. Do good work. Present at conferences. Forge deep relationships with faculty. Get people to write you amazing letters of rec. They're already invested in you at Kansas. And you'll be able to represent real teaching experience and send a teaching portfolio out when you apply to PhD programs in the future. The teaching is a plus, not a minus. And it's really late in the day to turn your back on an offer you've accepted. Really late. I don't mean to tell you your business, but honestly, I can't stress enough that going to Kansas is a better choice. Lots of people get MAs with pretty names. But what matters is what you accomplish there and the relationships you develop. And the thousands upon thousands of dollars of debt you'll avoid by taking a funded offer will mean more to you than you can imagine right now.

Sounds to me like you're in great shape. Stress your experience and interest in teaching. Discuss the interface between your research interests and your teaching interests: how will your research inform your teaching? How will you draw upon teaching experience to direct your research? Also, ESL skills and working with non-native English speakers is huge right now, so be sure to stress that in your materials. You seem to be in better shape than I was to start my MA in rhet/comp. As for me, my preparation went pretty much like this:

I'd be happy to help as well.

Yes, but I'm doing it all for devious ends. Maniacal laugh! Maniacal laugh!

The best place to start looking is likely the Doctoral Consortium in Rhetoric and Composition. http://www.cws.illinois.edu/programs/rc_consortium/ R/C funds a few MAs every year here at Purdue, typically 2 or 3. One thing that I always point out is that for many schools, departmental/TA funding may not be available for masters students, but there are still opportunities out there. Here at Purdue, many funding opportunities come across the listserves for GAs from various administrative and student service departments across campus. These usually require a half time (20 hour a week) commitment in an office job in exchange for tuition waiver and a modest stipend, on line with what TAs receive. That might not be ideal, but it's a way to avoid taking out student loan debt. Plus, if you can secure this sort of funding for your first year, you might be able to develop relationships with faculty and administrators within your department, potentially leading to an TA for your second year. I know of several people who have done that at other schools. Beat the bushes and see what you can find.