antecedent

My acceptance came in 2 emails, one right after another. The first, from the University, said: Application to The University of XX - New Intray Message". The second one, from the department secretary, said "Application to Study at The University of XX"

That was my rationale with training - if I go on a two hour long run, come back and eat, then nap, my mind is too tired to worry. It turns out that only takes care of one week day though. I must say, sitting at a desk all day at work with a computer reeeally doesn't help the anxiety. Being able to check my email, grad cafe, and my apps in a constant loop not only is slowly driving me mad, it's also seriously impacting my productivity at work...

I got an acceptance at Edinburgh, but it's for an unfunded one year Masters. It's nice to have gotten in somewhere, but it's my least feasible option financially, even if I do manage to wrangle a scholarship or two. My specialization is English Language - particularly the social manifestations of grammatical authority (more generally: sociolinguistics, grammar of English, diachronic syntax...). I kind of have one foot in the English department, one foot in the Linguistics department.

I keep getting all these calls from 1-877 and 1-866 numbers, which are toll-free in Canada, and it freaks me out cause I don't know who it is! It's not likely that any grad school would use a toll-free number, right? Holy cow guys, I think I'm going crazy, I can't believe I'm even worrying about this...

Yegads I hope not! I was hoping this would be done by the end of February, but at that rate we wouldn't hear until what, mid March? I don't think I can sustain this level of anxiety until then!

I'm training for a half-marathon...the thought was that at the end of a full week of training I wouldn't have the energy to obsess over grad apps, but my consistent presence in the Grad Cafe would suggest I was a bit off the mark there...

This reaffirms why I'm applying to grad school despite the poor market prospects. Doubleplusgood

Hello! I figure it's about time to revive this thread. I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for self-catering accommodations in Edinburgh? I'd love to live in an older part of town with a bit of character, and I don't mind roommates. I will be spending most of my time in the Duglad Stewart building it would appear, which is off George Square by a few blocks. Price is definitely a concern for me, but I'd be willing to compromise price/location for a really cool/funky place in a similar neighborhood. I don't want to be in a party neighborhood (if those exist in Edinburgh the way they do in North America) and it would be nice to be close to grocery stores/a yoga studio or gym but that's all negotiable. So, now that you've heard my laundry list of hopes, any neighborhood suggestions? Also, does anyone have opinions about the postgraduate housing at the University? Finally, I do have one kind of impossible-to-placate-entirely fear of bedbugs after someone I love had them last year. Anyone know if there are areas of the city known to have infestations or just have a reputation of being less clean in general? Thanks for any thoughts/suggestions!

Well said!

JeremiahParadise, thank you so much for posting your story. I'm a little over halfway through my year off between undergrad and grad school, and hearing your approach to this whole process has really put this year (and grad school in general) into perspective for me. For me, taking a year off has also represented an opportunity to take care of myself. As I'm sure many of you know, school is a great excuse to treat yourself like a giant brain with this kind of floppy body thing attached to it that just floats behind as you whiz around campus thinking big thoughts. A few months after graduating I landed a crappy job that has given me the evenings and weekends to problem solve quirks in my health that I pretty much ignored for the five years of my undergrad. By the time I get to my Masters in September, the hope is that I will be far better able to function healthily, as well as be better able to endure the (mental and physical) challenges of being a full-time student again.

If I weren't gunning for English Language/Linguistics, I'd realistically work to become an editor. Preferably at an academic press, though any kind of steady work would do. Unrealistically, I'd like to do something with my hands...my most supportive prof through this whole process always liked to remind me that if I got a PhD and didn't end up liking academia I could always become a potter.

An image of Athena (Watchmen-style profile with more color) with a barn owl and some poppies. I already have a The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy tattoo - "Don't" on the back of my left calf and "Panic" on the back of my right. It cracks up all the folk in my running group

If I do get in to an American program I'm buying a sweet new laptop. If I don't get in to an American program I'm quitting my shitty job cause there's no point in suffering through anymore if I'm not getting out this year. Either way I'm getting a badass tattoo to commemorate how hard I worked this year.

I also appreciated your detailed review of UT Austin, Starlajane...and now I'm even MORE impatient to hear back from them!

I wouldn't quite say that I don't care, but if I don't get accepted to any American programs (and I don't get any funding from Edinburgh) at least I get to stay closer to my also awesome boyfriend. And, further to the drink, I've been really digging wheat beers in the last year. It's too bad they're out of season this time of year cause a light, crisp, citrusy hefeweizen always does the trick for me.

BEER. Edited to better reflect my response in the other thread: a cold hefeweizen, to be specific.

Not a dime so far, but I was accepted for a taught M.Sc. in English Language, and research in the UK is what seems to get you the big bucks, so I'm not surprised. There are a few scholarships I am eligible for through the university that I will apply for if I end up accepting their offer, but if I got them all it would only make up half of the tuition, and then just barely. Because of the rolling deadlines, the applications are open for 2012 from September until June or so (in general), and for 2013 they will open in September again and close June 2014, or at least that's my understanding. As far as I know you can apply every year until you are accepted, much like with American schools, and when the committee sits has little to do with it (unless you're applying to Oxbridge). I don't really have any way of knowing if they are selective, because I'm the only one I know who applied this season. I felt that for the M.Sc. my application was pretty strong, but for an MPhil my application would have been lacking a bit (no published papers, no conference presentations, only one major research project and it wasn't in my intended field of study). I just submitted my FAFSA, which Edinburgh had asked for, so maybe they will make some random need-based funding decision based on that information? It's unlikely, but for 15,000 pounds a year I'm willing to pin my hopes on anything. Thanks for the congratulations, guys

I submitted my application to The University of Edinburgh on November 28th and was offered admission on December 12th. Since the deadlines are rolling, it's definitely a case of the earlier the better.

I've read plenty of obscure works, or the lesser known works by literary superstars (The Heavenly Twins, anyone? Blood Meridian? Homage to Catalonia?) but I tend to fall tragically short on canonical works. I still haven't read Macbeth, which is probably my biggest literary embarrassment. I hadn't read Hamlet until the summer between second and third year when I finally managed to read it (at the gym of all places). I'm also comically short on most theory, though I've read bits and pieces thanks to a 20th century theory survey course. I have read Ulysses though, and that paired with reading Middlemarch and Paradise Lost probably count as my greatest literary reading achievements in my undergrad.

UW Madison just sent me an email about financial aid and my heart nearly lept out of my throat! ...it turns out they were just reminding me to fill out the FAFSA. Sigh. I didn't read anywhere that there was a deadline for filling it out, cause it only just opened. I hope this won't be counted against me... WHY does grad school turn me into such an irrational person?? Why must you play with my heart so, UW-Madison??

It's a tie for UT Austin and UW Madison. Though as many have stated, any school I get in to (that funds me even a little bit, hopefully, seeing as I've just gotten into a program that includes zero funding) is really my top choice program.

Last night I had a dream I got into one of my top choice programs. It was awesome. Waking up was confusing and definitely a bit of a let down. Sigh. Admissions decisions can't come fast enough!

Adding my barbaric yawp...which I think would be fun to scream as its own noise, now that I think about it, so here goes: YYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWPPPPPPPPPP! Ah, much better.

Can I just say, I got my subject test score back today, and apparently I didn't spend the last five years studying English Literature. Maybe I'm really a Physics major who accidentally took the English Lit subject test. That would explain my score somewhat. Thank goodness that score was only required at one out of my four programs.