Stately Plump

They called people like Jan. 31 or Feb. 1. I didn't receive a call from them, and thus have considered it an implicit rejection. They also have an open house March 3-4 or 4-5 or something, so I imagine if you have yet to be invited to that, you are probably out (like me ).

I've had similar feelings; I almost feel sick to my stomach about the prospect of rejecting a school that wants me. I imaging it will only get harder after I've gone to visit. What I keep telling myself is that by not going, I allow someone else to get in off the wait-list, and it might be someone with no acceptances who has given up hope. So it's not all bad!

*deals with post-acceptance angst through NYC pizza discussions*

I'm loving the H-school solidarity! We rock!

Here's some hope for everyone: Two of the three professors who wrote me a LoR got in off the waiting list. The one, who was also my advisor, actually got accepted into the MA program, without funding. She went anyway, and got a non-department-related GAship. Her first year, she was working 20hours/week in the daycare on campus (I know, I know, horrible). Her second year she was in the registrar's office doing brutal paperwork. While there, however, she impressed the hell out of them. For her third year (which was technically the first year of her PhD), she was fully funded through the department, and she even managed to haggle with them for more money. She went on to win a dissertation-year fellowship, and win an award for the best dissertation written that year. The two students from her cohort whom the school accepted with full fellowships with no teaching responsibilities? One dropped out after a year (didn't even complete his coursework) and the other was ABD for 5 years before they asked him to leave. Neither completed the program. Hope! Hope! Hope! +++

I take that to mean, "We won't be bothered by your inquiry. We have not thought through your email in the least, and the truth is that we will probably get back to you this week. However, because we really are not sure, we are going to tell you mid-March, just to play it safe. Please don't email us again, and have a nice day. ." (jk) But seriously, best of luck to everyone! I'm excited to get to know all of you when we're classmates at Harvard! (<--- sunglasses to hide false sense of hope, while acknowledging deep down that I'm as good as rejected) +++ energy for everyone!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! Omg. I literally lol'd. 1 email notification hahahahahahaha I can relate!

From what I understand they do take 1 MA student per year... The problem is that they only admit 5-6 PhD students. They don't want to take all students who have already completed a MA program, which is actually pretty typical of most programs. Lots of department website mention that they only take a handful of students who already have a MA. To be honest, I'm not sure it makes that much sense. If their hope is to fund students whom they won't have to worry about, it seems to make more sense to take grad-tested students. On the other hand, they probably don't want to get billed as a program that only accepts MA students. Imagine how many people (like myself) who wouldn't apply, with no MA in hand, if they knew the wouldn't be accepted. Plus I can imagine they want to work with at least some students the whole way through. So my thinking is that it's not so much that they frown on MA students, it's just that their incoming cohort is so small, they really only have room for 1 (if that) MA student.

I would have loved to go to Chicago; it was my top school that I didn't apply to (mainly because I had already applied to too many top schools . I would almost certainly have gone there had I gotten in. I wouldn't worry about opinions expressed on fora. I think ideas, social connections, relationships, flourish greatly via the internet. I think opinions can be very, very dangerous. Don't let other people's anonymous banter about a particular school get you down. Chicago and Duke are some of the top departments in the entire country for a reason! I'm sure you're going to have nothing but success at either department. And if it makes you feel any better, I've seen many, many cute puppies roaming free across campus .* *I've never actually been to Chicago, never mind their campus.

I'm tryna chill with TripWillis and BattlingAnxiety at Diesel Cafe. The place is sweet!

Congrats everyone! Awesome news!

I really do, Trip. Thanks And thanks to everyone for all the support. Not just for me, right now, but for everyone, generally. I really do feel like there's a legit community of people on here who really care about one another. It makes me really excited to get to know everyone professionally I'm pulling for all of you! Here's to good news for everyone!

I can see this happening to me. I tend to get caught up in "what-if" "research" situations, where I "research" (i.e., read gc fora and departmental webpages) endlessly and try to imagine life at various school. I imagine most of us have fallen into that trap... Though then again, that may explain the multi-acceptances many of us have

I don't have an MA. I think they may have only taken one person who already had an MA, but I don't know if they even took that. I know they only took like 5-6 PhD students, and then another 4-6 MA students

I considered applying to some MFA/Creative Writing PhD programs, and if I had, USC definitely would have been one of them! +++ energy to all. (<--- this just worked for me today, so here's hoping it works for all of you!)

I definitely sounded like a baboon on the phone. The DGS was like, "We're really impressed with your work and excited to work with you." I completely shit the bed and my response was something like, " It feels really good to hear you say that ." I couldn't come up with, "Thanks, that means a lot." Nope. Feels good to hear you say that. And maybe we'll both be in the Boston area! Would love to get to know some you folks on here.

BU as of right now, because the funding is so much better. Plus it would awesome to live in Boston I'm going to visit both and see how they match up. My family lives in Cambridge so it won't be tough visiting either program. Of course, I'll be joining you at Harvard, once we hear from them And thanks for all the support! There's a bunch of books on display in my library about African-American lit, because of February, and I think of you every time I pass by them. Thanks Isidore! Looking forward to seeing both of you at Harvard. +++ energy (it worked for me today!)

I just got my second acceptance (at BU). I just want to say: after the second one it feels more real. After getting in at Amherst, my reaction was more like, "Oh man, no matter what else happens, at least I know I'm not working in a grocery store next year!" But after getting in at BU, my reaction is more like, "Holy shit I got in to a fuckin literature PhD program!" I guess after having one, it was easy to write it off as a fluke. Now I feel like my work is worth something and it's exciting to know that more than one department wants me there (<-- sunglasses because I'm excited)

I got accepted! I can't believe it! Their funding is a first year fellowship with no teaching responsibilities, then five years guaranteed teaching 1/1. I can't believe it. It feels so good to have two acceptances! Sorry, I know a lot of people in this thread got rejected today I'm just so excited!

It's okay. I can totally relate; I've had thoughts, even though I have been accepted to one program and wait-listed at another, of switching to sociology (the other half of a double-major), because perhaps I would have a better shot of getting in. Totally, totally, absurd. I don't even like sociological research. Maybe we'll be classmates at Harvard (along with Trip).

I wish I got into NYU...

I still haven't heard... I feel like saying "I haven't heard" is like saying "my next post will be in regards to my rejection."

I'm praying for all of you!* Positive energy for us! +++ *I'm not actually praying, it just sounded like the right thing to say.

I love that the "Are we all just a tad too pretentious already" thread has turned into the "how to make a book gayer" thread. I feel like that is brilliantly unpretentious (meant in earnest, not internet sarcasm).

This is a cool story, and it's the kind of thing that can help you keep your head up. Don't get too discouraged, everyone! Hang in there! I'm pulling for all of you! I feel guilty posting in here, since I have an acceptance, but I can definitely relate with the hopelessness and the fear of not getting in anywhere. I really, really hope we all get in somewhere, but even if we don't, there's always next year! And as Tinoply points out, sometimes that's the best thing that can happen <3 <3 <3 and + + + energy to all still waiting.