ILikeCatsALot45

Septimus and Shea: I've also been offered a spot in the MAPH program, I've been thinking about it a lot, and I think I've come to some good conclusions that might also be helpful for you to think about. I have a fully-funded spot in the PhD program at Santa Cruz, and first or second in line for one at Davis, so I'm having trouble reconciling my dream with the following realities: 1) it's not worth it to pay for this MAPH program when I have two non-terminal programs willing to actually give me tuition and money to live on; 2) it's incredibly more competitive to try to enter PhD programs with a Master's already in hand, or so I hear, and I assume it's moreso if the MA isn't actually in English itself; 3) the website for the program says they will basically never accept you into their own PhD programs from the MAPH program, so if Chicago is my dream, would I really be happy just getting an MA outside of my field from Chicago and then struggling to get into another non-dream school? Are there other options, like doing post-doc fellowships there, etc.?; 4) I would have to work nearly full-time at some unrelated crappy job to fund the MAPH, when I could, less stressfully, make money to live and gain valuable and necessary teaching experience at the same time through a TAship; 5) the MAPH program has over 100 people in it, and I'm not sure, actually I'm totally sure, I don't want to be in a program that large--I want to feel like I have some sort of community; and finally and maybe stupidly but honestly 6) although it is in some ways an honor to offered such a spot, in others it's a huge let-down; I would always feel like an underdog there, because I would obviously take English/Comp. Lit programs through the program, and so have to sit alongside peers who actually got into the program to begin with; I could be, somewhere else, feeling awesome about being one of "the chosen," picked for my actual interests because they are in common with those of specific faculty, instead of feeling awful about being sort of lumped in where my interests and qualifications fit, but only after having gone through the strainer a couple of times. Phew! I didn't even know I had thought of all those things. Obviously their MAPH is a prestigious program, and for some people it might be just right and awesome and wonderful, and I might feel completely different if I had been giving funding for it; but I think if you know, for sure without any doubts, that you want to be a professor of English/Literature, and/or if you already have debt from undergrad, it's better to go for a funded, non-terminal spot that will give you a better chance of actually achieving the PhD, give you teaching experience, and not force you to shuffle books around at Borders for $9.00/hour, 30+ hours a week. That being said, let me know what you decide or if you know something to the contrary of this loosely-assembled opinion--I'm interested to know what people choose to do with this amorphous MAPH deal.

Haha. To both: The "life story" thing was more a sarcastic comment in reference to the fact that I asked you a billion questions...I should have put a disclaimer on it, sorry! (Then again, what do you expect from someone whose name is "ILikeCatsALot45"--certainly not a lot of social grace.) I just meant: can you tell me where you're at, why you've chosen your current situation, etc. Engguy...Thanks for your helpful perspectives. I think you convinced me out of doing the MAPH at Chicago. Sorry for seeming creepy. Cyborges...Yea, their funding package is great. And you're right, I don't want a traditional program, and I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that I don't want to teach in one either; it might just be the weirdness of that thought, after pursuing a career as the typical "English professor" for so long, that's causing me to question whether this is the best idea in the long run. I know I would have to set aside a lot of what I like, for required courses, to pursue the more traditional route... Well, at any rate, you've made me feel better about the whole thing. And Hollie C. just emailed me this link, the likes of which I tried to find several times but completely missed: http://literature.ucsc.edu/graduate/alumni.php I wish it had a few more current listings, but I guess it's fairly helpful.

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Has anyone else been accepted to Santa Cruz? If so, let's discuss its pros and cons, such as the fact that it's not a traditional English program. That's why I originally applied, but more and more I'm wondering if it's too untraditional to get a job at the end. Has anyone been rejected from UChicago's PhD program, but offered pseudo-admission in the form of a spot in their MAPH program? If so, can you tell me why I should choose this over a fully-funded spot at Santa Cruz (beside that Chicago was my top choice)? If you were accepted at Chicago, can you tell me what I was competing against, so I can sleep tonight? Davis? Anyone? I've been waitlisted but pretty much told I'll be accepted as soon as someone drops off (so if you've been accepted and aren't going...let them know, please!) I feel weird asking this last question...but let's face it, if you were accepted to a school that you're excited about but rejected from a school that was your top choice, you've thought it too: Does anyone know anything about "transferring" from one PhD program, after earning a MA, into a better PhD program?...Is it something people do?...Obviously I know the first PhD program wouldn't be too jazzed, so I'm looking for answers about how prevalent it is to do such a thing, not how "unfair" it is.