antecedent

Has anyone else noticed that Edinburgh looks kind of like Hogwarts/Hogsmeade? I'm so ridiculously excited about the city and the school, I just wish it was September already.

Oh, sorry, I was drooling. *wipes off keyboard* Seriously, Aeplo, you have three great options. I'll be back hounding these boards in a years time prepping for my second PhD run in hopes of a similar outcome. Congrats again

Hooray for going British! Are you from the UK or is it as huge as a transition for you as it is for me?

I have that same dreamland scenario When we both get in, we can have a shot (or several) together to celebrate! I'm sure this weekend has been brutal for everyone on the UT-Austin waitlist. Just hang in there guys!

Hugs! I'm pulling for you so hard Thunderpaws! When you finally get in I'm definitely having a shot to celebrate.

Congrats Enzian!

Aaaah Lolo! It ain't over til it's over. I wish I could give you a big hug. Stay strong. I did a hilarious seminar presentation/paper on East of Eden and Timshel once. The seminar was "Mysticism and the Literary Epiphany" but the prof was one term away from retirement and couldn't care less about what we actually wrote about, so I managed to tie it all in somehow. It was kinda fun!

Hi! I can't speak to successful experience doing this, I just wanted to jump in and say I'm in the same boat. I'll be doing my M.Sc. in English Language at Edinburgh starting in September. I'm planning on taking a year off after the masters though to make sure I have ample time to spend on both my course work and my applications, because I refuse to have another unsuccessful round of PhD apps. I'm curious to hear what others have to say!

Well hey, you only need one acceptance, right? And a Yale admittance is something to be proud of A Fullbright would really just be the icing on the cake. I should have applied for my year and I didn't, perhaps that's why I'm so impressed! Haha thanks! I like how many people have enjoyed the series - it makes my tattoo(s) a good conversation starter!

Below my calf muscle, my left leg says "Don't" and my right leg says "Panic". I consider it a public service, encouraging society to be more literate: I ran a race two weeks ago, and I passed like four groups who laughed and then started talking about the books/movies. Anything that gets random strangers talking about reading is good with me!

pelevin fan and vordhosbntwin, I take my hat off to you. Well done.

Hell yes. Also, I have a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy tattoo, which some may say is not literary but I disagree. I've also been planning my next one for May or so but I keep switching ideas so I may have to delay it.

Is it not possible to call the CIC directly? I called their 1-800 number several times in the last few weeks as I've prepared to leave Canada for grad school in September, and once you get to a human they're pretty helpful.

"Professor of Interest" or "Point of Information" depending on who you ask. It's basically the researcher (or researchers) that you are most interested in working with, and probably one of the main reasons you're applying to the program.

Best response. Loyalties to TripWillis aside, I have this to say: As someone who got no PhD offers, AND no funded offers, I say take your funded PhD offer and stuff the ivies.

Thanks, Cockneysparrow! Luckily I'm just going for the M.Sc., so if I am not able to secure much funding it's only one year's worth of fees (I'm still shaking all the money trees I can find though!). I'm really excited for the program, both for the content and faculty, and also for the preparation it will provide for doctoral studies. I'm actually more interested in historical syntax/history of English/sociolinguistics (which their program is also very strong in), but not only are Scottish accents great, but half of the faculty comes from outside of the UK, so there will be plenty of cool accents too! And congrats to YOU for your MIT acceptance! That must feel amazing

University of Edinburgh for English Language and Linguistics. Keeping my fingers crossed for some funding that might be coming my way. The phonologist in me is super excited about all the new accents I'll be hearing

Yeah, I haven't received my letter either so I emailed them too. Luckily I already made my decision!

Are you doing your PhD in Edinburgh? I may PM you with some questions (both about British postgraduate study and random living abroad questions).

Haha that's good to hear, pelevinfan, because I'm totally jealous of YOU! A fully funded PhD at Yale is so far beyond my dreams...It looks like you'll be packing up and moving several states away though, that's not a small move. I am very happy to be going to Edinburgh. It's only a few spots below Yale on the 2011 QS linguistics rankings and I've heard the city is amazing. The faculty is also rad...and the libraries! *swoon* Thanks, and all the best to you too

saecla vincere and rems, thank you so much for posting your feelings about the matter. I experienced these concerns as well last Spring while my mentor was encouraging me to go to grad school. I took this year off to think about my motives for grad school and, yes, to just experience life as another cog in the corporate machine. My mentor prof pointed out that (and not that I necessarily endorse this point of view, but it comforted me at the time) if I know I want to go to grad school, I should apply and do my best to get in. At the end of the day, if I came through grad school, got my PhD, and then decided that what I really wanted to be was a potter, then I could become a potter with a PhD in literature and that would be just fine. It's admirable that so many people in these forums know that academia is the One True Career for them, but for the rest of us that think it is but aren't 100% sure we can hack it, it can be just as hard committing to the process in the first place. I definitely support the idea of a year off, just to clear your head space (and dedicate some time to applications if that's the route you chose). But ComeBackZinc's point figures in here too. Even if you decide you do want to commit to a life of academia, there's no guarantee you'll even get it. I mean, I would love to be a professor, and I will work hard to make that goal a reality. But if it just doesn't pan out, I may just end up being a basket weaver (or an editor, or a non-profit administrator) with a PhD. {Edit} I think a lot of this comes down to our ultimate inability to predict the future. We'd all like to know whether or not we can handle the heat of 7 years of doctoral work, or whether or not doing that will get us the tenure-track job of our dreams. At the end of the day though, you'll never know whether or not you could do it if you don't try. The odds may be against you, but that's no reason not do try, it's just another factor in the decision making process. This is all to say, I'm pretty sure this is the career for me, but I'll let you know in 10 years. (Funny, my boyfriend says the same thing about being a meteorologist).

So I know there are a couple of us here that are moving to the United Kingdom in the fall - let's celebrate! Also, we can worry about what books to leave behind, how to open a bank account, and whether or not skype-ing with SOs will make up for the distance I'll start: Edinburgh, Scotland! Castles, wind, and historical linguistics. Where are you guys going?

It still hasn't sunk in that I'm moving to Scotland in 5 months. And going back to school. And that this horrible year could actually end. And that I won't have to be in customer service for the rest of my life.... Yay! Hugs for everyone!

I have a Canadian BA and I got into a prestigious UK school which is a top 10 school in my field. Masters degrees (like M.Scs/MAs) in the UK are less selective than you might think for international applicants because they/we bring in the big bucks as far as fees are concerned. As long as you meet all of the requirements and surpass them in an area or two (which your GPA already does it seems) you should be fine. They definitely aren't more selective than American Master's degrees.

I gave myself three months, and into the second week I freaked out and cancelled all of my exams. The next time around, I gave myself three weeks, really focused on the strategy of the exam rather than the content, and focused on the part that mattered for me (verbal, AW) and not the quant section. It worked out well, gave me enough time to go in feeling prepared, and I ended up with a 93 percentile in verbal and a 5 in AW (my quant was predictably awful).