Buffalo (final decision question!)

[velvet_witch]

Hi everyone! I'm very grateful to have been accepted to Buffalo's English Ph.D. last Thursday. Initially, I was rejected and offered an unfunded spot in the M.A; only after I declined the M.A. was I waitlisted for the Ph.D., so I'm pleasantly surprised by how things turned out!

However, I also received some disappointing rejections today from my final two WLs at UT Austin (English) and Michigan (English/Women's Studies), so I've been going through some varied emotions. I sort of had my heart set on Michigan because of its dual focus, its faculty, and its location, and I was told I was at the top of the waitlist this year. Additionally, because I missed the deadline for the standard English program (don't ask), I was only considered for the dual, which accepted just 2 students this round.

Apologies if I'm cluttering the boards by creating a new topic for this, but I'm curious about folks' opinions on the program at UB. I know a lot of people here applied, but I'm not sure how many (if any that I've read!) have accepted. I know this is a very individual decision which varies with academic focus/faculty interest, but for those who applied and/or attended accepted students day, I'm curious about your take on the program's strengths. I'd love to visit myself by the April 20 response deadline, but unfortunately my schedule makes this impossible. 

For context, I am currently finishing up my M.F.A. in Poetry and have no M.A. My primary focus is 20th and 21st century poetry/poetics with secondary interests in gender/sexuality and ecocriticism. I'm so thrilled about UB's poetics program and their available coursework in avant garde contemporary poetry, but I've also heard that several major players have left within recent years, leading to a number of changes. I've also heard conflicting things about their job placement (perhaps the statistics available online are less important than I think -- insight appreciated!).

While I'm pretty sure I'll accept UB's offer because it's very tough to turn down, I'm wondering whether it might be at all more beneficial to reapply next year to a wider range of schools with a stronger WS and list of critical accolades. This year I applied to 15 schools (half of them Ivies though, woops!) and received 2 unfunded M.A. offers and three WLs. All of my pubs right now are creative and I haven't attended any graduate conferences for critical work, which I'm hoping to change in the next year (though that's easier said than done).

Thanks in advance for any advice, and congratulations to those making final decisions  

Edited April 17, 2018 by velvet_witch

[Hermenewtics]

My areas of interest seem to overlap with yours quite a bit, so I'll tell you what a good friend (a published poet and tenured member of an R1 department) told me: UB is one of if not the best schools in the country for avant garde/contemporary poetics. Basically, if your background is any indication of what you're planning to do for your PhD I'd say Buffalo is one of the best places for you academically. I would guess that their placement numbers are different depending on what your field of study is, so you may want to filter results by what the individual in question was doing.  

If I remember correctly, @a_sort_of_fractious_angel was accepted at Buffalo, so they might have some advice. 

On the other hand, it's in Buffalo, so I sort of understand your trepidation. I can't speak to the city or the funding package, so obviously those are factors you have to weigh on your own.  Feel free to PM me if you have questions

Edited April 17, 2018 by Hermenewtics

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

Thanks, @Hermenewtics  for tagging me - I will shoot you a PM @velvet_witch but I do agree (for any future applicants) with Hermenewtic's opinion on UB's poetics program. 

[Warelin]

I agree with @Hermenewtics' analysis of Buffalo and have heard similar things from my professors. I've also heard that they are a top school for Psychoanalysis.

I think @a_sort_of_fractious_angel can provide a great deal of information on Buffalo as a school.