shortstack51

Yeah, UCONN is doing the courting dance with me as well! It's making them my top choice at the moment (not to mention its great fit for my interests plus it's the best funding offer I've gotten). Ps: no official visit, but If you tell them you're visiting, they set up a whole itinerary just for you.

There goes Princeton! Not that I was expecting anything, though. (though both faculty in my field at my MA got their PhDs there)

I'm not sure what concentration advisors:student ratios would be, but classes are typically very small. If a seminar has more than 9 or 10 people, it's considered large. Each class is a seminar around a table, so it's a very communal and friendly setting. Finding somewhere to live is tough. I tried the Bronx and split a two room with a psych student for $1350 (675 each). I heard gunshots every so often and I was only two blocks to live from campus. The Bronx has some nice places on the outskirts if you can afford it, but most places close by are just not worth it in my opinion (mine had a terrible cockroach problem). Also, you have to worry about walking alone at night. It's not terrible- don't walk around drunk or with your phone out and you should be ok, but you need to be alert. Costs are cheaper in the Bronx than other Burroughs. Most of my classmates live in Brooklyn (about an hour to an hour and a half by subway) or commute in (Fordham has a metro north station right next to it- the subway is about a 10-15 minute walk from campus). Some live in the Bronx. It is nice to be close to Arthur ave (good food). The stipend goes a decent distance, but most people have rooms in a larger apartment or brownstone. It'll probably be 6-700 a month for your share depending on where you are. It's pretty easy to find people looking for roommates. I think I have a pamphlet we put together on various neighborhoods, costs, etc if you want to pm me your e-mail addy. Most people I know who are over the 5 year mark got teaching fellowships, so it's not hard to find funding, but I also don't know a whole lot of advanced PhD students.

None of my professors even realized I was unfunded until I told them, as a note, but my program offered both funded and unfunded MAs discrete from PhDs, so it may be a totally different circumstance. Also, re:loans, I was fortunate to have almost no loans from undergrad (yay scholarship!), so I could take on graduate loan debt with less angst. Most programs should have positions available on campus as GAs or tutors or something as part time positions as well, if you are worried about living costs. If you take tuition loans out of it, I actually make twice as much a month as my funded counterparts and I've managed to live in NYC for a couple years successfully. Also, you can wait to pay loans back until you're done with your degree (although graduate interest rates are soul sucking). Of course, this really depends on the program. I would definitely think about it a while and do research. E-mail the department and ask what opportunities you might have job wise, etc. Do they have a writing center you could work in? Maybe for undergrad admissions? Etc.

I did an unfunded MA in New York and I know plenty of people who did as well. The debt sucks but you should have a lot of success getting into PhD programs. It really depends on your circumstance. I couldn't afford to take a year off, so the unfunded MA at a good school seemed like a good opportunity and I was told by my professors that it's not that uncommon. This application season, I have 2 funded offers and a wait list, so it seems to have helped me.

I'm an MA currently at Fordham- what questions do you have? It's a wonderful program with a lot of very respected and excellent faculty. Personally, I think the most challenging aspect is finding a place to live for reasonable rent! (I lived in the Bronx and then opted to move north of the city for cheaper rent and commute in via metro north).

Oh haha, no problem. I was just confused.

Are you asking about funding at Fordham? If so, they fund for 5 years, takes an average of 7-8 years to finish the dissertation (there are fellowship offers for that time)

Starting to give up hope on Fordham. Kinda stings to be rejected from my own program. I second horb- can't wait until this whole process is done. I'm so stressed

I would definitely ask the DGS. I asked the DGS at a school I'm waitlisted at and he's checking into funding for me to visit. It never hurts to ask.

I am quite happy to have been accepted at a rank 63 school with an 80% placement rate not to mention, I can rent a house there for what I've paid for my last apartments (which have been in not so great areas and also have both had a cockroach and ant problem). It kind of confuses me that people aren't excited about it?? I mean to each his/her own, but getting accepted anywhere right now is a miracle between shrinking funding budgets and more people applying. I'm just bummed that I may not get into my own department this time around. Womp. My poor fiancée may have to give up other offers in the city that she's gotten because I didn't get into a program there.

Most people I know don't live alone, though I am in the NYC area. From what I gather, the majority of people live with their SO/spouse and the rest live with roommates. It's not unusual to live alone at all, but most people just can't afford to pay rent and utilities alone. It depends on what area you're in I guess.

Yes, definitely, chin up! I honestly think there should be another day to the Fordham acceptances, so don't lose hope yet. It is an excellent school and we have great faculty. 4 options means still good odds. Also, Fordham does wait list a few students, so there is that. I sincerely hope you hear good news.

There seem to be three by my count. This is my current school that I am completing my MA at. Last year only 4 people reported results--I know they accept about 10 total each year with an expected yield of 7 or 8. I guess most people don't post to the boards. I'm not sure if more will come tomorrow. While I have a great offer already, I was still hoping to possibly continue at Fordham. Ugh. Though last year, people were contacted over a period of a couple days, so who knows

I did my MA here, not my BA, so it probably wouldn't make a huge difference professionally. Though that does mean it's worse if they reject me (they tend to admit students who did their MA here since there is no combined program). But I have heard that being from diverse programs helps. They only notified two people on grad cafe so I'm hoping that they spread it out over a few days. Since it's the weekend, I won't see anyone to ask until Monday. Edit: Scratch that; a third person was notified. Starting to feel despair...

So apparently my current school called people today. Nervous I'm not getting in that would be a blow. I already have an acceptance (and another assumed acceptance), but it would be a huge blow if my current program didn't want me. :/

I've been eating bacon and honey pretzel twists

I was about to comment on the Stanford acceptance--didn't apply, but I'd remembered there were a number of people waiting on it. I'm waiting on Princeton myself--they should be notifying soon if past years' results are any indication. Sadly, my next two schools after that don't notify until March.

Yes x 1000. MAs are not the end of the world, even if unfunded (I know there are people who disagree with me here about this point). You will have the opportunity to write some really excellent future writing samples in an MA program, which will have much more rigorous standards about writing (some of the comments my first semester were pretty brutal!). Also, they usually have a better professional development person who can help you apply. I've had way more success this time around after I was shut out of every PhD program out of undergrad. In MA programs, the professors treat you like one of their professional colleagues, so it's a much different scholarly environment.

Same. Wait list blues

CUNY is pretty highly respected. I've been told that in terms of placement, you have a guaranteed placement in the city for a job if you want to be a professor. I would be interested in attending because it has a good financial package, is well respected, and is in the heart of NYC. It's part of the NYC consortium, so if you are a PhD student there, you can also take classes at NYU, Columbia, and Fordham (and maybe another school I'm forgetting) each semester. Also, the ny public library is great and their main branch isn't far from CUNY (actually, CUNY grad is pretty centrally located to lots of cool stuff being that it's on fifth ave). And, if the idea of living in the city appeals to you at all, there's that. Hard to beat NYC's diversity, culture, and vibrancy.

You certainly won't need to drive a half hour for groceries (maybe 10-15 mins depending on location), but it is small town New England so there won't necessarily be a lot to do. I find small town New England appealing (cheaper rent, cute old houses, pretty surroundings, outdoorsy stuff to do) but it won't necessarily be for everyone. My experience with the campus has generally been positive. I find the undergrads at my current school (small private catholic school) to be much more obnoxious than the average UConn student. Granted, most of them are from CT, so they won't exactly be the most worldly and they'll still be obnoxious. As for parties, they certainly happen, but should be easy to avoid if you live off campus and don't spend a lot of time there late at night. I'm not sure how it rates as a party school compared to other state schools or the ivies (upenn for instance is known for its ridiculous parties that happen at all times of the day). Something to look into, though.

Just so everyone knows, Charles Mahoney sent me a very nice e-mail saying it's fine if I take longer. He also then did a lot of things that boosted my ego (ie talk about the ideas in my writing sample, offered to set up an itinerary for my visit when I head up, etc). He is swaying me to UConn through inflating my ego! Clever man! (In all seriousness, he is very nice and helpful if you need anything.)

... To ignore the last page, I'll just say that it is totally scary but also exciting, so I completely get it. I'm getting married in 2015 and I'm basically dragging my fiancee to wherever I decide to go (who has been frantically applying to programs in her field--she's applying to MA, so she has thankfully, bless her, decided to put her plans on the back burner if it comes to it). It's scary though--all of our family is out here and we could end up across the country. Also how will we move the cats if we move far away??? and all of our stuff?? (it's the important questions in life) It's hard when you've basically established a life for yourself already.

Yes, I definitely think the MA is not at all a consolation prize. I applied to 6 programs the first time around, got rejected from all but one, which was an unfunded MA program. Two years later, I'm accepted to 2 top 50 programs, wait listed at 1, and have a decent shot at a fourth considering it's my current program. I'm in debt, but I wouldn't change my experience at all. I'm such a stronger candidate now. But, don't count yourself out yet. Still more programs to go!