Spanish/Hispanic Studies Fall 2019 Applications

[Borderlands1809]

Ciboney: I'm also applying to UCLA but no word from them either. My field is basically comparative literature with a focus on poetry. I did speak with one of my professors here and he said that the Dept. was barely meeting to discuss admissions on Friday, so if they're barely meeting here, it is likely that other universities are still conferring. There is hope yet. 

FHG: I'm on the same page with Columbia. I am trying to remain as stoic as possible with a flicker of hope. This forum is a great support to wait this out though. 

[QuieroCafe]

Hola! This  is my first time posting after lurking for quite a while.

 

I was wondering, do you guys have preferences for a large/small program? So far the 2 MA programs I've gotten into have 10-15 students between the MA and PhD program. One of them only has 1 current MA student. Has anyone heard anything about pros or cons of this? I was so surprised because they're large state schools, so I assumed there would be more students. I'm not looking for a huge social life within my program or anything, but I didn't know if it'd be lonely or disadvantageous to be the only MA student, or maybe there's some kind of benefit to it. Any insight anyone has gained somewhere would be so appreciated! My extensive google searches have brought up nothing.

 

I'm still waiting on word about funding from them both and to hear about admission to a larger program, so we'll see. Just for fun I'll share, I'm interested in contemporary peninsular Spanish literature.

Thanks for any info and buena sueeeeeeerte a todos!!

Edited February 13, 2019 by CafeConCharis

[Lalala90]

Hi guys!

I was wondering if you could give some advice. I was accepted into a good program (stipend, tuition waiver and health insurance) and they sent me the acceptance letter yesterday. It said that I have to give them an answer in 10 days and I’m still waiting for other universities letters too. Is that normal? Should I ask them for an extension deadline?

 

Thanks!

 

[Ciboney]

3 hours ago, gonza said:

Good morning/afternoon everyone, 

I was wondering if anyone in this thread knows anything about Vanderbilt, Upenn, and/or Princeton Spanish PhD admissions? It's mid February and no word from these institutions. 

Thanks!

I have seen several postings in Results for Columbia and Princeton. That is it. I did not apply for those programs. Oh, and those who are going to accept Berkeley better get ready for a shock --the rents in the San Francisco area. 2-3 thousands a month. ? ? ?

[Ciboney]

20 minutes ago, Lalala90 said:

Hi guys!

I was wondering if you could give some advice. I was accepted into a good program (stipend, tuition waiver and health insurance) and they sent me the acceptance letter yesterday. It said that I have to give them an answer in 10 days and I’m still waiting for other universities letters too. Is that normal? Should I ask them for an extension deadline?

 

Thanks!

 

Definitively ask for an extension! I have not heard of such a thing. That university must not belong to the Association of American Universities. Those have an understanding that April 15 is the last day that applicants who have been admitted can reply. Check to see if that institution has legal services for graduate students and, if so, contact them and explain your situation and ask for advice. Also, contact a Graduate School officer in that institution and ask them. I had not heard of that before. ?

 

Edited February 13, 2019 by Ciboney

[Ciboney]

Cafeconcharis: I have no preference for small or large programs. However only one students for the master's is strange. Maybe they will admit more to the program. It is still early in most places. There are programs still reviewing applications or admitting in March. Most wait to see which admitted students will reject the offer and therefore "open a space" that they can offer to someone they want. 

[J. G. L.]

Hola a todos!

Just found this useful community, so excited to see so many prospective Hispanists. To answer CafeConCharis, I prefer smaller departments, since you get to know everybody and everybody's work can influence your own; it's easier to create a sense of intellectual community in a small department. In a big department, there might be more specialists in your field of study, but in the end, you'll end up with separate communities that won't interact with each other. Anyway, what you mentioned does sound strange, but I don't think that it will hurt to be the only M.A. student: you'll get more attention from faculty, which translates in better work, better research outputs and, ultimately, better opportunities in the job market. If you ask me it's a great advantage, at least in academic terms.

Mucha suerte a todxs!

Edited February 13, 2019 by J. G. L.

[Renzi]

Hey guys, just changing the subject a little bit: why is everything so anonymous here on gradcafe? Sometimes I feel very curious about you all and we don't even know our real names most of the time haha. I know there is a matter of privacy, but it is still quite weird I guess. (Sincere question from a beginner here).

[J. G. L.]

On 2/12/2019 at 3:29 AM, Ciboney said:

Hey, guys and girls, any reaction to checking your programs in the rankings posted earlier? It does show that candidates have to be careful not to confuse the reputation of a university as a whole with that of a specific graduate program. I used it to pick up a list of decent programs that was modified over time as important considerations were added such as no GRE or TOEFL exams, courses taught and their descriptions ("examination of capitalistic imperialism oppression of the feminine gender and bisexuality under Fascist dictatorships in South America as expressed in marginalized music and oral poetry of the favelas" was a party pooper and a red flag), geographical location and living expenses, etc. The original list was significantly reduced, although I left a poorly-ranked one (that ended up rejecting me anyway!). ?

Who else is waiting for decisions? I have four still. Although I highly doubt I would go to two of them if they would accept me (which I doubt). I just do not have a good feeling I would be happy there. Very different programs though. Indiana@Bloomington is sending out notifications in the last couple of days. I was informed today by email that I will hear from Purdue by the end of the month or earlier. I am quite interested in the literature faculty of the program there, and the institution in general. 

 

Ciboney, I wouldn't trust in the NRC ranking, it's 8 years old!!!!! Besides, it's very difficult to rank academic programs (especially in the humanities). The fact is that there are no measurable variables that reveal the overall quality of a graduate program. The rank also lacks important information, since not always the Spanish and Portuguese programs are within the same department (e.g. Brown and Yale) and sometimes the Spanish or Portuguese Studies are an area in a bigger program (e.g. Romance Languages and Literatures at Chicago and Michigan).

When I first chose my options I used the NRC ranks as a quality standard, but my advisors and this little guide (http://www.spanishacademic.com/spanish-graduate-programs/hispanic-linguistics-grad-program-rankings.aspx) made me change my mind. I ended up applying to universities based on the faculty's research, the structure of the program and funding; as a result of that, my options are in the very top, in the middle, and in the bottom of the list. I think that we should focus on finding a department where our research interests would be appreciated and enriched, but also a program compatible with our workload expectations and that offers decent conditions of living. Of course, I think that little to no attention should be paid to the ranks, they can even be misleading.

Edited February 13, 2019 by J. G. L.

[Ciboney]

JGL: That is why I said that I am not a fan of rankings. ?

And... I also would take what professors say with a grain of salt. I have found that instructors can be extremely biased, especially in the humanities. But most humans are, anyway. Yet the more input you can gather, the better. I only took seriously two professors' opinions in all my life; and that was after they proved to me that they were truly wise human beings. And I used the NCR as a starting point, like I said. The original list was changed a lot. Yet, it did direct me to faculty that I ended up studying very carefully. That is why when departments like Illinois at Urbana rejected me I was surprised, but I was not sad or whatever --definitively not devastated! Why? Because the faculty there was lacking heavily in my areas, in spite of their claims that they covered all areas. I was very surprised by Maryland, College Park, because I thought I was a good match for several members of the faculty (who could easily NOT have been members of the committee of admissions). But this is like playing the lottery, as I wrote here once. It is a matter of luck. Little to do with one's qualifications per se. And there are so many factors in the equation! Some programs, for example, expect applicants to have a master's "in a closely related area" to Spanish literature or linguistics or Portuguese. Other do not. Others are exclusively Spanish American literature. Period. Others expect you to be fluent in both languages before you start the damned program! Others have mediocre faculty and programs, but rely hugely on the prestige of the university as a whole. I have learned so much exploring all of these for almost a year now. Ok. I am done! (I know I should not bring my laptop with me to a bar!) 

Edited February 14, 2019 by Ciboney

[Borderlands1809]

¡Tómate una por nosotros! ¡Salud!

[Ciboney]

? ? ?.... ¡Ayuda con la desesperación!  Y mucho. 

[Renzi]

Saúde! ? 

[Larra88]

Hola! Esta es la primera vez que publico. Yo apliqué a 10 programas: solamente he escuchado de cinco: Universidad de Michigan (aceptado), Universidad de Minnesota (aceptado), Texas A&M (aceptado), Ohio State (wait list), y Washington University in St. Louis (wait list). Todavía no he esuchado nada de Northwestern, NYU, Wisconsin-Madison, Urbana y UCDavis. Por lo que veo, la de Wisconsin ha aceptado a varios, y NYU ya empezó con las entrevistas, así que dudo mucho de que me vayan a aceptar en esas dos universidades. 

Con respecto a un posteo más arriba: no es que la gente mienta, lo que pasa es que en muchos programas hay diferentes etapas de admisiones. En fin, les deseo suerte a todos! 

 

[gonza]

On 2/13/2019 at 11:52 PM, Larra88 said:

Hola! Esta es la primera vez que publico. Yo apliqué a 10 programas: solamente he escuchado de cinco: Universidad de Michigan (aceptado), Universidad de Minnesota (aceptado), Texas A&M (aceptado), Ohio State (wait list), y Washington University in St. Louis (wait list). Todavía no he esuchado nada de Northwestern, NYU, Wisconsin-Madison, Urbana y UCDavis. Por lo que veo, la de Wisconsin ha aceptado a varios, y NYU ya empezó con las entrevistas, así que dudo mucho de que me vayan a aceptar en esas dos universidades. 

Con respecto a un posteo más arriba: no es que la gente mienta, lo que pasa es que en muchos programas hay diferentes etapas de admisiones. En fin, les deseo suerte a todos! 

Felicidades Larra, a mi también me aceptó Minnesota pero Michigan me rechazó. ¿A cuál piensas matricularte este otoño? ¿vas por tu PhD o MA?

[Borderlands1809]

Acabo de recibir una carta de rechazo de Brown. Una pena ya que los estudiantes y los profesores me parecieron increíbles. ¡Mucha suerte a los demás!

[marioncrane131]

¡Mucha suerte a todos, que no caiga el ánimo! En cuanto a los programas, ¿alguno habéis ido a visitar los campus/hablado con profesores previamente? Porque en mi caso, ignoré bastante los rankings y valoraciones y finalmente solicité 6 PhD en aquellos programas cuyos profesores/programas me parecían más cercanos y convenientes para mí. En unos hubo suerte y en otros no (de 3 de ellos no sé nada aún), así que, efectivamente, esto es un poco lotería y hay muchos factores a tener cuenta... 

[Lalala90]

Hola!

 

Gracias a todos por los consejos.. como tengo unos dias mas, voy a esperar a ver si tengo noticias de las otras universidades. La universidad que me aceptó es parte de la Association of American Universities, pero igualmente me dijeron que la deadline para aceptar es esa :/. Es una buena oferta y me gusta el programa, pero bueno.. me gustaría esperar igualmente. Me falta UW-Madison y a Toronto.. vi que ya aceptaron gente al master en Madison, así que me considero rechazada jajaja. 

 

Felicitaciones a todos en las universidades que los aceptaron  

[Borderlands1809]

2 hours ago, marioncrane131 said:

¡Mucha suerte a todos, que no caiga el ánimo! En cuanto a los programas, ¿alguno habéis ido a visitar los campus/hablado con profesores previamente? Porque en mi caso, ignoré bastante los rankings y valoraciones y finalmente solicité 6 PhD en aquellos programas cuyos profesores/programas me parecían más cercanos y convenientes para mí. En unos hubo suerte y en otros no (de 3 de ellos no sé nada aún), así que, efectivamente, esto es un poco lotería y hay muchos factores a tener cuenta... 

Sí que pude ir a visitar. Desde luego que tuve puras buenas experiencias con el profesorado y los estudiantes de las universidades visitadas. Aunque no sea admitido en cualquier universidad de las que solicité, por lo menos tuve oportunidad de conocer a gente magnífica y hacer nuevos amigos amantes de la literatura. ¡De momento me quedan dos universidades más por responder!

[Ciboney]

9 minutes ago, Lalala90 said:

vi que ya aceptaron gente al master en Madison, así que me considero rechazada jajaja. 

I had never heard of the 10 days deadline for accepting an offer. Did they provide financial aid, funding? It just sounds strange...

Exactamente lo mismo conmigo: No news from Wisconsin@Madison yet, but I have seen several people have been accepted, so I am taking for granted that I have been rejected and they simply have not sent the damned letters yet. Or, like some say here, Wisconsin@Madison has several layers of the process. Has anyone been officially rejected by Wisconsin@Madison? I have no idea.

On the other hand, I have been admitted to the two programs at the top of my list: Purdue University and Colorado at Boulder! And they offered me teaching assistantships and one of them full funding for the summer without having to teach. I am quite relieved now. I will wait for the others who are taking so much time, but I think I already made up my mind. It is a good day. (Also, my ego had been hurt. LOL!!!)

 

[Ciboney]

On 2/13/2019 at 11:52 PM, Larra88 said:

Yo apliqué a 10 programas: solamente he escuchado de cinco: Universidad de Michigan (aceptado), Universidad de Minnesota (aceptado), Texas A&M (aceptado), Ohio State (wait list), y Washington University in St. Louis (wait list). Todavía no he esuchado nada de Northwestern, NYU, Wisconsin-Madison, Urbana y UCDavis. Por lo que veo, la de Wisconsin ha aceptado a varios, y NYU ya empezó con las entrevistas, así que dudo mucho de que me vayan a aceptar en esas dos universidades. 

Hola Larra. Yo solicité a Michigan; me rechazaron. Felicidades.

[Ciboney]

3 hours ago, Borderlands1809 said:

Acabo de recibir una carta de rechazo de Brown. Una pena ya que los estudiantes y los profesores me parecieron increíbles. ¡Mucha suerte a los demás!

[Ciboney]

Borderland: you still have other options, right?   UCLA, was it?

[Ciboney]

Renzi: from a Portuguese-speaking country? And, yes, to your previous posting. Anyone can read this, not just the people who are active on this thread. I also do not want the committees' members to track me when I put a Massachusetts' witches'  curse on them for not accepting me.

[Renzi]

1 hour ago, Ciboney said:

Renzi: from a Portuguese-speaking country? And, yes, to your previous posting. Anyone can read this, not just the people who are active on this thread. I also do not want the committees' members to track me when I put a Massachusetts' witches'  curse on them for not accepting me.

 From Brazil. We have already talked actually, I'm just using a new name now ?. 

Edited February 14, 2019 by Renzi