Datatape

I can tell you firsthand that last year, Florida did not notify rejections via phone. In fact, the email flat-out said something to the effect of "due to the high volume of applicants, we are unable to give you any feedback as to why you were not accepted," so I cannot for one minute imagine them actually calling people to let them know they are rejected.

That makes more sense than my theory, at least. Thanks for finding that out - hopefully it means there's less competition for the rest of us.

...you send an email to a graduate director, accidentally referring to them by the name of a DGS from another school.

Yaaaay! Gainesville is wonderful, so if you do end up there, you will love it.

I have no idea. I know last year, they didn't notify until almost the April 15 deadline, so I wonder if it's just par for the course; perhaps they have an initial deadline, then an extended deadline, and don't begin reviewing until March? I can't imagine they'd plan it out that way; it seems awfully odd, for lack of a better word.

I took an unfunded M.A. and only ("only") ended up with $17,000 in loans. I went through undergrad with no loans, so it wasn't as big a deal to me as it might have been to someone who already had $80,000 from undergrad that they owed. If you have funding solidified for the second year and even get some funding for the first, and you really love the program and want to go there, I don't think there's anything wrong with taking out a small amount of loans for your first year. It's obviously not good to be in debt for any graduate degree, but one year of an M.A. is not going to cost you that much.

You guys have no idea how much I envy you actually having a decision to make.

This is Brandy. She knows she is cuter than everything.

Well, I didn't get the information I'd hoped for. The waitlist is quite long (31 people) and I'm #4 in my area, so the odds are against me, but not impossible. Everything depends on how many 20th century scholars they have decline - if four of them do, I'm in.

So I just happened to check the website for Georgia State and noted that the application deadline for both Lit and Comp/Rhet has been extended to March 1 (?!!!!!). If anybody's feeling supremely unconfident and think they can get together an application by Friday, it might be worth looking into.

Oh, my God. I. I just. Oh, you poor thing. This is just. Yes. That.

I have an email out to the Graduate Director at Tennessee, asking about my place on the waitlist. I think I remember vaguely that they've historically had a long, but ranked waitlist. Fingers crossed.

Oof. I did the thesis defense last year this time. For those of you going through this, two pieces of advice: (1) give yourself enough time for emergency last-minute revisions and (2) invest in Tums.

You absolutely should remain in contact with the DGSs to show you're interested. Ask about the protocol for a visit; you may not be invited to recruitment weekend, but they may be willing to have you come visit and meet with you on your own time (since you're in Columbus, it would obviously be much easier for you to get up to Ann Arbor for a potential visit than out to Davis). If you feel awkward on the phone, then send an email. A waitlist is an acceptance-in-waiting; they thought highly enough of you to put you in reserve, so you should not feel uncomfortable making contact with them in the slightest.

Mostly yes, but not to all. I submitted a pared down version of my thesis, which I know is the strongest piece of writing I have. One program said the WS could not be any more than fifteen pages whatsoever and one program mandated two WSs, so I submitted a shorter, not-as-strong WS with those applications. I got rejected by both of those. But I don't think the WS had anything specifically to do with my reactions from the other programs, because my WS honestly wasn't a great fit for my one acceptance and my two waitlisted schools are drastically different in what they were looking for.

So, I'm not having a good day. Impostor syndrome is hitting big time, especially when I see how many people have multiple acceptances and I've been slammed with four rejections in the last week. I've now been rejected by more than half of the schools I've applied to. Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly grateful to have one solid acceptance... I guess I just thought I'd be doing better, since this is my second try and I put so much more into it this year. To make things worse, everybody keeps telling me that they know I must be really excited. I am happy to know I'm going somewhere, but I'd like to feel like I have some more control over the situation and that I won't have to take the only offer I get.

I'm rejected from South Carolina. Apparently, official notifications will only go out "some months" from now from the Graduate School; I don't know if this means the English Department is sending out advance notification of rejections or not.

Thanks for the word. If I don't hear anything by Monday, I'll probably break down and send an email.

Has anyone on the board heard anything from South Carolina's English Ph.D.? There are a few Comp/Rhet results on the board as well as an isolated English waitlist from a couple weeks ago, but I haven't seen anyone who's actually got a confirmed reply from South Carolina one way or the other. Last year, they notified this week, so I'm currently debating whether to send an email to them or not.

But if you wear that sweater, you'll be the laughingstock of Flatpoint High!

I've got a couple waitlists that I would be more than happy to see pan out, if for no other reason than to have some options available to me. I've emailed both programs asking for information on the waitlist but haven't heard anything back yet. I'm going to wait and see how I do with my last four schools before I decide whether to take myself off the waitlists or wait it out and see if I get an offer of admission.

Visit. Be gracious and charming. Use this as an excellent opportunity to network with people in your field. Thank them for having you. When you get back, inform them of your decision as soon as you have solidified it. You never know when a program will knock your socks off and be perfect. I remember last year, one student turned down a Ph.D. offer from a much higher-ranked program for a M.A./Ph.D. from a program he completely and utterly fell in love with when he visited.

Sorry to hear that, ishmael. Were you applying to their M.A. or Ph.D.?