Stately Plump

"I know that my life is amazingly awesome and I probably have the best job on the planet. However, if there are more people performing my job, it makes me feel less valuable. If I know that anyone can do it (i.e., you can do it), it makes me feel less special for what I have accomplished. So even though the payoff for you is that you will potentially have the greatest job ever imagined by humanity, I would say it isn't worth it." ?

I've not yet lived on my stipend, but at both the schools I visited, students said that the stipend was very manageable, and no one had trouble living on it (note that one of these schools was in a major city that is very, very expensive). They weren't taking out loans, from what I gathered. They were able to find apartments that were cheap enough--some of them even had places to themselves--and still work it out. It really depends on what you're willing to put in. If you search hard enough, I'm sure you'll be able to manage. If you budget correctly, I think you can make it work. Like I said, I haven't done this yet, but in theory, I think it works. We'll be okay (<--- sunglasses to hide uncertainty about living on meager stipend)

Haha! Trip, I'm going to be one-hundred percent honest: I've been waiting for you to weigh in here. I knew you would, and I knew you would tell it like it is. No sugar coating. I don't think I can turn down funded PhD programs, even if it is for Columbia. I'm almost definitely going to follow the money, even though going to Columbia would mean I could hang out with TripWillis in NYC

I think it's just the prospect of potentially attending Columbia... It's so hard to resist! I know the rational thing to do is follow the money, especially because my other offers are good ones. But it's Columbia! lol. I think I'll do the right thing regardless. I think...

Anybody else get the offer to the MA program? Originally I was thinking I wouldn't even consider it, because I have some other offers, but...it is Columbia, after all! Any thoughts on this? Unfunded MA at Columbia versus funded PhD programs? Arrggg! I thought I was done!

This article makes some fantastic points. I have recently been talking to some professors while visiting schools and asking about their job placement rates. They all say the same thing: the job market is bad, but there ARE things you can do to set yourself apart. You can't guarantee yourself a job, but you can prepare yourself. One professor I spoke with said she was recently on a job search committee. She said that of all the application she received, only about 10% had been published. So, she was saying, getting published early and often can likely increase your chances. There are other things we can do too. I'm not too worried about it. Worst case scenario is I get a PhD and work in a grocery store. Sucks, maybe, but could be worse

I agree with Sparky. You may actually be met with some resistance at top top schools, because they want to place students in tenure-track jobs. The goal, for many of the top departments, is to get students tenured university jobs, which boosts the status of their program, which increases the money they get from the university, etc. etc. Most students applying to PhD programs are doing so with the (overly idealistic and potentially unreasonable/irrational) thought that they will land university jobs. Many are hoping for R1 placements, but nearly all are hoping for tenured positions. This is my goal; I would ultimately like to land a job in a university. If it is an R1 school, great, if it is a small college, great, but ideally, I'd like to have a tenured position. (Like I said, probably idealistic and unreasonable, but hey.) When I look at prospective schools, one of the main things I am looking at (especially at this point, where I am trying to make decisions about where to go, having some acceptances) is job placement. I'm not at all interested in non-academic placements, because that is not my goal (and I think most people are thinking similarly). I certainly see the value in what you (besixdouze) are hoping to do, but if a school said to me, "Yes, we've also had success placing people within the church," I would not exactly be impressed. No offense; again, I hope this doesn't come off sounding critical or harsh, it's just not my plan. Like I said, most departments are probably trying to place people in tenured positions. You may have some luck, like Sparky said, at smaller, less prestigious schools, but the top top schools are most like looking to create future scholars. Of course, I could be completely wrong about all of this I hope this helps, and I hope you gain a clearer sense of where you might end up!

I hope she's not on here, because that sucks It is, however, the reality of academia.

Once you start talking about top ten schools, whether or not the school is Ivy League doesn't make much difference. Stanford and Berkeley aren't Ivy League, and they're ranked higher than most of the other Ivies. I would pick the school that most closely matches your interests; where do you think you'll be able to pursue the work you want to pursue, and where would offer the most support for your interests? Which offers the most support for your secondary interests? Are grad students publishing? Do they have funding to travel to conferences? Are they using the funding to travel? The job market is obviously a major concern, but it's bad no matter where you go, whether it's Oxford, Harvard, or another top ten. In picking where you want to be for the next 5-7 years, I would focus on what you'll be doing during that time. The job market will be bad no matter what, so I would go to the institution where I feel I can best meet my professional goals until I have to face the market. From there, at least, you'll know that you've done all you can.

My letter is probably being mailed to my dad's house, so I won't get to see it in person for a bit. I told him we should frame it.

I'm waiting on a Fulbright, so if I get that, I'll probably be deferring my admission. I should know in the next few weeks. If I don't get the Fulbright, I'll very likely be accepting their offer. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated! I hope you all get in so we can hang out next semester! (<--- Boston sunglasses)

A lot of lit/rhet/comp people on here. And lots of humanities people generally. Seeing a trend?

Go lolo! Here's hoping you're in!

I really can't help with this. You'll have to do more research on your own to figure out which schools might accommodate your interests. I don't think there are too many people on here looking to be ordained into religious life, so you probably won't get too many responses. I would recommend thinking more specifically about what you want from your future education. In creative writing programs, you will mostly be focusing on your own creative writing. I don't know of any creative writing programs that will help you to write "fiction from within the church." In PhD programs, you will be focusing on theory and the application of theory. To be one hundred percent honest with you, I don't think you need either one of these things to help your parishioners. That probably sounds insulting via the internet, but I sincerely don't mean it to be so; all I mean to say is that having a degree--be it an MFA or a PhD--has a very specific purpose within academia, and has very little purpose outside academia. If you want to pursue the degree for personal reasons, by all means, go for it. I don't mean to persuade you otherwise One other word of caution: you should know going in that you will be in a very significant minority, as someone who is preparing for religious life. From my experience, academia can be (is not always, though) overtly atheist and agnostic, and you may have more trouble finding common bonds with your classmates. This is not always the case, and I don't mean to make unfair generalizations; I'm only speaking from my own experience. Again, this is not to persuade you otherwise. It's just the only advice I can give. I would research schools and programs. If you don't know where to start, start geographically. Where might you want to be? Look up the programs in that area. From there, you should be lead to find other programs, perhaps not in that area. If you can, read the fiction from those teaching at MFA programs and read the theory from those teaching at PhD programs. Sorry I couldn't be more help . And I hope I didn't offend you at all. I know that over the internet things can get lost, but I'm being sincere when I say that I didn't mean any harm by anything I said. I was only trying to help the best I knew how

I don't think rejections have gone out yet. I, too, am looking forward to the Harvard letterhead

Brilliant use of the "sunglasses to..."

HA!

Some people, who I'm sure are overly qualified, didn't get in anywhere. When your odds are 12-16/300, it is basically luck. Not to take away from what some of us have accomplished getting in, but in reality, it's more luck than anything else. I hope this doesn't hurt your feelings, but I wouldn't count on perfect GRE scores to get in and get funded. Schools glance at GRE scores, and after that, basically never pay attention to them again. I would focus on other things--writing sample, statement of purpose, CV, etc.--before I worried about GRE scores. I know several people who have gotten in at top programs without having top GREs. Most school realize that, in the final analysis, GREs are just about the worst predictors of the ability to do graduate level work of all the aspects of the application. Still, better to have 'em high than low

I haven't reapplied in subsequent years and I'm probably closer to the age of a "traditional" student entering a PhD program, so I can't speak to that portion of your application. However, I highly doubt that the small differences in GPA will have an effect. Even the difference between 3.67 and 3.82 is, I think, too insignificant to make a difference. Schools use those numbers as minimally as possible; if they were trying to decide between two students, there's no way they would say, "Well, this one had a 3.82 and this one only had a 3.67." If you make it to the point where they're deciding between you and someone else, it will come down to "fit" (broadly defined) and GPA will have no bearing whatever. If it were me, I would apply sooner rather than later. Worst case scenario is you don't get accepted and have to reapply. Chances are, if you don't get accepted, it will only help you to realize the parts of your application that you can make stronger. And if you do get accepted, then you don't have to worry about retaking GRE exams, boosting your CV, revising your writing sample, etc.

I don't think I got it... I haven't gotten the call yet, anyway. I was offered funding via an RAship if the writing program didn't work out, though

I visited two schools in the past week and immediately sensed that I would not be walking into a scary and academically isolating place. I knew from the minute I started talking with some of the professors I might be working with. If you can visit at all, that is definitely the best way to get a feel for the type of environment you might be walking into. I was upfront with them. I said, "My undergrad institution was a small liberal arts college where I got a lot of attention, so I didn't know what to expect coming into a major research university. It's encouraging to find the faculty so willing to meet."

I found some actual amounts on the Finnish Fulbright website (obviously, this is only for Finland). I would get healthcare and the grant amount is 1000-1200 Euros/month, plus $1000US for travel. Obviously, all of this is subject to change, and like I said, that's just for Finland. But perhaps check out your country's website?

I visited one school this past week who had previously been a bit shaky on the funding. I expressed this as a major concern while I was visiting--I said that a lot will depend on what happens with the funding, as I would go nowhere without secure funding the whole time--and two days after my visit I got an email assuring me that I would have funding for 7 years Hope, people, hope! Edit to add: Their primary source of funding is through TAships. But not everyone gets a TAship. I expressed this as a concern, and the email I received offered me an RAship working for one of the journals published through the UP. This RAship was not offered on the website as an option, and I doubt they would have emailed me if I had not expressed my financial concerns. So I didn't necessarily negotiate for a higher offer, but I did receive an offer that I may not have received otherwise.

I agree that location/area should not by any means by a significant or meaningful criterion in the final decision. However, all other things being equal (which I glean, for some of us, is the case) location can make or break a school. If I have two offers from wildly similar schools, and I can no longer use fit, reputation, job placement, funding, etc. to decide, I come eventually to location. That has been my strategy. It doesn't necessarily make it any easier, though (<--- sunglasses to hide how confused/scared I am about making my decision, and to cast the impression that I know what I'm doing)

Anyone hear anything/know anyone who applied for Finland? I'd love to know when I can expect to hear, if only so I can rest easy at night Congrats to all who've been accepted! It's a fantastic achievement