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No, thank God! I'll get a decent fellowship my first year, but when I average it out it comes to about $15k before tax.

So I'm considering UT for Comp Lit, not English, but I'm having a really hard time choosing between UT and another comparable school. What makes my decision difficult is that for years 2-4 (UT TAship/AIship) the other school's funding easily doubles UT's and is guaranteed for 6 years, not 5. They're both great fits for me, with the difference that at UT placement records are better and the department is much bigger. At the other school, however, I could do a joint PhD. I know people get by on the $13k, but I'm not sure I want to be worrying about money for the next six years. Anyone have any insights into my dilemma? I'm really torn!

As someone mentioned, Northwestern would be great for that. They typically accept 7-12% of applicants. Also, UT Austin, Penn State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin Madison all have great programs.

Congrats!!

If anyone has questions about Penn State, I would be glad to answer via PM. (With the disclaimer that I only visited for one and a half days!)

Hey! I was debating a similar thing when applying to WashU, but for German and Comp Lit. Ultimately I applied to straight Comp Lit for three reasons: 1) I figured my chances would be higher if only ONE committee had to like me. 2) My German writing sample sucked. 3) I was lazy. Perhaps not the greatest reasons, but it worked out in my case (am admitted for Fall 2013). You look perfectly set up for the joint program, though! The best thing you could probably do is talk to the department and see how joint admissions work exactly. Good luck!

Yay, I am so happy for you!!! There's no chance you'll be able to make it down to visit this Monday, is there?

Hey! Sorry, there may have been a slight misunderstanding. I applied to two different programs at Michigan: Comp Lit and their Secondary MAC (education) program. I was accepted to the latter.

My wolverine access still doesn't show anything for Comp Lit, but I was accepted to a different program from Michigan, and there was a "View Decision" link that replaced everything else. But that only happened after I was notified by e-mail.

It depends! I did some Skype tutoring for $15/hr. There are sites where people advertise their qualifications and prices.

I e-mailed Michigan too, no reply either...

Hi all, I didn't study at the U of M, but a lot of my friends did. My impression is that cost of living is pretty cheap. You can rent a room in a house in Dinkytown (right near campus) for $400 or a 1-BR off-campus for $650, and food and gas are relatively cheap compared to the eastern and western US!

My more obscure language is still "Western," but a little unusual I guess: Dutch. I basically taught myself online and by speaking with native Dutch speakers. If you know German and English, it's pretty easy to pick up! I haven't heard of reading only classes for languages like Norwegian or Polish or anything less "mainstream," unless you count old languages like Old French, Old German, etc.

That sounds like a wait list to me! Though probably not a very high spot on it.

Though it looks like you interviewed with them? I didn't, so I imagine it's just a rejection waiting to be sent.

No! It's super annoying.

Two of my schools guarantee six years of funding, and one only five. Right now, however, the one with five years is my top choice. Should I ask them about possibilities for funding beyond five years now (by e-mail) or just wait until I visit in a few weeks? I don't want to bog them down with questions I can ask them later, but then again, it would be nice to know.

Thanks for starting this thread! I know there have been discussions about this on other forums, but it would be nice to hear what the norm is for lit people. Are nice jeans a no? I was going to dress business casual... skirt or nice slacks, perhaps a blazer, black flats. Would a dress and tights be inappropriate?

Would someone be willing to claim the other Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) acceptance? It would be great to talk about the program and visiting!

Is this Chicago you're speaking of? They're pretty well known for offering "consolation MA's." I personally have no experience with the MAPH program, but I've heard mixed things. Basically, going anywhere for an unfunded MA when you want to continue on for the PhD is usually not a smart choice. Chicago is a great school and I'm sure you could learn a lot, but it comes with a hefty price tag. Were you accepted with funding to any PhD programs?

Of course I'm just one person, so I can only tell you about my experience -- take it with a grain of salt! 1) It depends on which program. Some, like WashU, only require one foreign language upon applying. Others, such as UT and Yale, want to see evidence of 2+. I would definitely try to pick up another language if I were you, though one related to your interests. 2) I had absolutely no connections when I applied. I did try to e-mail a few POIs at each school, but just very basic stuff, i.e. stating my interests and asking if they thought I would be a good fit with their departmental and personal strengths, etc. Other than these e-mails, I had no other contact. 3) I absolutely avoided all schools that required the subject test. There were plenty of schools I was interested in that didn't require it, so I thought, why put in all that time and money for a test for one or two schools? (Also, I would have bombed it... I never took any survey courses and sure as heck wouldn't remember anything from them if I had.) However, if you really really like a school that requires it, it can't hurt. I was mostly just lazy. 4) About the writing sample: mine had absolutely nothing to do with my area of interest (and was only 10 pages). Everyone told me that this was a terrible idea, but I still got into three great schools and wait listed at another. That's not to say that you should do this! But I just wanted to make a note to future applicants that having a mismatched SOP and writing sample is not necessarily the kiss of death. 5) I've never gone to a conference. I didn't really even know they existed until this year. Probably the most unaware lit major that ever existed... Good luck!

At my school, we were required to take two semesters of physical education and pass a swim test to graduate. I took ballroom dancing and shiatsu massage.

And now it's the weekend, dagnabbit!

Yeah, I know that's true. It's just that two of my acceptances seem to really want me there (lots of personal, kind e-mails from DGS and POIs, subtle hints, etc.), and my wait list school never replied to my e-mail with questions and didn't invite me to visiting days. So I definitely get different vibes from the schools.

Yeah, what about that? I was reading in an earlier thread that you should always turn down a 2nd choice waitlist-turned-offer for a 3rd choice straight acceptance because it means the program really wanted you. Thoughts on this?