2020 Applicants

[tinymica]

10 minutes ago, brownjournal said:

Got a rejection too. Ugh oh well 

I feel your pain. I'm sorry about your rejection

[pilcrow]

Just out of curiosity, did anyone specifically apply to programs with the intention of doing book history/textual studies and/or digital methods? Especially curious to see how the process has been going for those of you who positioned yourselves as possibly using DH methods for a dissertation.

[Wimsey]

Waitlisted at Rutgers as well! This was in response to an email I sent a staff member last week, so I'm not sure if other applicants will get waitlist notifications yet. Do not despair!  

[MundaneSoul]

I just want to thank everyone for their kind words after my last post. I spent an hour or so today talking with one of my professors in my MA program and she really made me feel a lot better. Like...yes, the tenure track job is a nightmare, but it's not the only option for folks with a PhD. I can teach at a private high school, work in publishing or grant writing, etc., and that to me would by no means be the end of the world. I'm also in game studies, so there's a chance I could end up with an industry job. (Of course, I'd love a tenure track job, but more than anything I want to make sure I can provide for my family first and foremost.) And I have options internationally, too; my partner is from Korea and we've talked about opening an English academy over there, which of course we'll have better prospects in doing if I have the PhD. Stony Brook has a fairly sizable Korean community and a developed Korean Studies program, too, and so my son will get to grow up exposed to that culture (we're already planning to raise him bilingual). 

Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know I'm doing much better now. Thank you again, and I wish everyone here the best of luck.

[amphilanthus]

hi all! I’m a current first year PhD student at UVA, and have been lurking on here a bit trying to message those who have been accepted/waitlisted just to say congrats and make myself available – but I’m sure I haven’t been able to catch every post, so figured I should probably say more publicly that I’m happy to answer any and all questions via PM! please reach out if you have any questions, or even just want to connect. I will answer all messages to the best of my ability and am maybe most qualified to talk about:

• UVA faculty/courses related to early modern lit or women & gender (a bit of 18th century + medieval knowledge as well)
• the waitlist process at UVA
• choosing a program sight-unseen
• grantwriting/the nonprofit sector as a path before or after graduate school
• moving away from one’s spouse/partner for a program (saw some discussion on this topic a while back in the thread I think)

I also have a small amount of knowledge about Vanderbilt, Rutgers, and Michigan E&WS from last year, and would be happy to answer any questions that I can on those programs if (like I was) anyone is very desperate for information at this stage.

wishing you all the best with a very, very long and miserable process! be good to yourselves.

[Dogfish Head]

I also have been waitlisted at UVA. I'm excited, but having two waitlists with no acceptances is definitely not an ideal situation. Oh well, hopefully it will all eventually work out. Is anybody else on the waitlist at UVA or OSU a 19th century Americanist? I work with most pre-1865 texts, and I was just curious.

Edited February 24, 2020 by Dogfish Head

[karamazov]

@TiredStressed @asongreference Joining the ~still waiting to hear from UNC~ club! I'm wondering if maybe we're on the waitlist for the waitlist that @CanadianEnglish found out about? If I don't hear anything by the end of the week I'm probably going to email the DGS. 

[MichelleObama]

Got rejected from Brown and Princeton today, and despite the fact that I have great offers already, I am still SO BUMMED and am investing in drinking champagne in the afternoon and dreaming about having health insurance in September. I feel like I got dumped twice by two different people and I only even wanted to date one of them but I needed them both to love me??? 2 more schools to hear back from and it will be O V E R I C A N N O T W A I T

[meghan_sparkle]

28 minutes ago, MichelleObama said:

Got rejected from Brown and Princeton today, and despite the fact that I have great offers already, I am still SO BUMMED and am investing in drinking champagne in the afternoon and dreaming about having health insurance in September. I feel like I got dumped twice by two different people and I only even wanted to date one of them but I needed them both to love me??? 2 more schools to hear back from and it will be O V E R I C A N N O T W A I T

Girl what the F*&? Ugggggh!! I'm so sorry. You are fabulous do not forget it even for a second!!!

Edited February 25, 2020 by meghan_sparkle

[gooniesneversaydie]

Another day of silence. Another day of cheesecake. (For those keeping up at home, I'm now on cheesecake number 3! * The Count's voice* Yes 3! 3 Cheesecakes! Ah ah ah! 10 rejections. Count them 10! Ah ah aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh ?)

[MichelleObama]

39 minutes ago, meghan_sparkle said:

Girl what the F*&? Ugggggh!! I'm so sorry. You are fabulous do not forget it even for a second!!!

Thank you for your condolences! I'm surprisingly heartbroken. I am trying to remind myself that I'm already in at my top choice and that I'm probably definitely going there anyway, but I still really thought Brown and I would have gotten along. I visited Yale and Brown last year and spent the night in Providence on my way to Portland, ME. I had wished the whole time we were eating lobster in Maine that we had chosen to stay in Providence instead. I loved Providence more than New Haven, even. IT'S FINE EVERYTHING IS FINE I have great options I just really f*cking wanted to have the option to consider Brown. It felt so right! I would have loved to receive pedagogical training there!  Despite having a successful cycle even after expecting/preparing for a shut out, it is still a devastating process. My hands were shaking for like 10 minutes after receiving the Brown rejection. I could hardly open my rejection champagne! ??‍♀️

[MichelleObama]

30 minutes ago, gooniesneversaydie said:

Another day of silence. Another day of cheesecake. (For those keeping up at home, I'm now on cheesecake number 3! * The Count's voice* Yes 3! 3 Cheesecakes! Ah ah ah! 10 rejections. Count them 10! Ah ah aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh ?)

Hoping you get some good news this week!!!

[CanadianEnglish]

2 hours ago, karamazov said:

@TiredStressed @asongreference Joining the ~still waiting to hear from UNC~ club! I'm wondering if maybe we're on the waitlist for the waitlist that @CanadianEnglish found out about? If I don't hear anything by the end of the week I'm probably going to email the DGS. 

Yeah it might be the waitlist for the waitlist. 

I would recommend emailing the DGS of UNC or any program you're still waiting for that usually has sent out acceptances by now or had a super early application deadline. It never hurts to ask and all the DGS that I emailed last week sent out responses right away. Obviously, be very respectful and understanding in your emails, but definitely doesn't hurt to ask! The UNC DGS was especially nice over email! 

[caffeinated applicant]

40 minutes ago, gooniesneversaydie said:

Another day of silence. Another day of cheesecake. (For those keeping up at home, I'm now on cheesecake number 3! * The Count's voice* Yes 3! 3 Cheesecakes! Ah ah ah! 10 rejections. Count them 10! Ah ah aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh ?)

Heck, that reminds me that I forgot to buy a cheesecake at the grocery yesterday!! I'm going to have to rectify this ASAP. 

[tinymica]

43 minutes ago, gooniesneversaydie said:

Another day of silence. Another day of cheesecake. (For those keeping up at home, I'm now on cheesecake number 3! * The Count's voice* Yes 3! 3 Cheesecakes! Ah ah ah! 10 rejections. Count them 10! Ah ah aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh ?)

I don’t even want to talk about the number of girl scout cookies I’ve eaten...

[caffeinated applicant]

4 hours ago, MundaneSoul said:

I just want to thank everyone for their kind words after my last post. I spent an hour or so today talking with one of my professors in my MA program and she really made me feel a lot better. Like...yes, the tenure track job is a nightmare, but it's not the only option for folks with a PhD. I can teach at a private high school, work in publishing or grant writing, etc., and that to me would by no means be the end of the world. I'm also in game studies, so there's a chance I could end up with an industry job. (Of course, I'd love a tenure track job, but more than anything I want to make sure I can provide for my family first and foremost.) And I have options internationally, too; my partner is from Korea and we've talked about opening an English academy over there, which of course we'll have better prospects in doing if I have the PhD. Stony Brook has a fairly sizable Korean community and a developed Korean Studies program, too, and so my son will get to grow up exposed to that culture (we're already planning to raise him bilingual). 

Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know I'm doing much better now. Thank you again, and I wish everyone here the best of luck.

All of these considerations sound great, and I'm so happy that the convo with your professor helped clarify how many wonderful options you really have! Of course it's impossible to see the whole picture from a post or the future from the present, but reading this snapshot I have a feeling that your future looks very, very bright, and I wish you and your family all the best. 

[gooniesneversaydie]

13 minutes ago, MichelleObama said:

Hoping you get some good news this week!!!

Thank you!!

[gooniesneversaydie]

8 minutes ago, caffeinated applicant said:

Heck, that reminds me that I forgot to buy a cheesecake at the grocery yesterday!! I'm going to have to rectify this ASAP. 

 

6 minutes ago, tinymica said:

I don’t even want to talk about the number of girl scout cookies I’ve eaten...

Out of reactions, but solidarity! Sugary, sweet solidarity.

[Kelsey1599]

7 hours ago, gooniesneversaydie said:

Spoke to two friends last night lamenting about the current situation. Neither understands the world of academia, but were supportive nonetheless. However, when I explained that one possible reason for rejection is that another medievalist was chosen over me, one friend shouts, "Wait! God! There are more of you??? Who the f**k studies that?? Who else chooses to study medieval sh*t??" Then, my other eloquent friend shouts, "Nerds, that's who! You should start a nerd school, so the rest of the nerds can attend nerd school!"

And there we have it, friends. The origin story of how I started my very own "medieval nerd school."

All are welcome. 

Honestly though... medievalists unite. My friends although supportive do not get my specialty AT ALL! Glad to hear I'm not alone. I hope your app season is going better than mine lol

[MedievalIllusions]

10 minutes ago, Kelsey1599 said:

Honestly though... medievalists unite. My friends although supportive do not get my specialty AT ALL! Glad to hear I'm not alone. I hope your app season is going better than mine lol

SAME. My fiancé trying to explain what I do to her family always says something like “she reads English..... but old.... like Shakespeare.... but less English..... and more old..... also she likes old books..... and libraries....” Needless to say, they’re baffled. 

[merry night wanderer]

I haven't thought about applications in a stressful way in like four days and this is an absolute benediction from the universe. I've never been so grateful to live in a place that celebrates Mardi Gras. Apparently what it takes to get it off the brain is a whole city going out of its mind for the weekend.

I'm guessing Ash Wednesday is going to be really rough, though, between Lent and whatever schools are doing/not doing. (Seriously, Harvard, put us out of our misery-)

Edited February 25, 2020 by merry night wanderer

[gooniesneversaydie]

30 minutes ago, MedievalIllusions said:

SAME. My fiancé trying to explain what I do to her family always says something like “she reads English..... but old.... like Shakespeare.... but less English..... and more old..... also she likes old books..... and libraries....” Needless to say, they’re baffled. 

 

42 minutes ago, Kelsey1599 said:

Honestly though... medievalists unite. My friends although supportive do not get my specialty AT ALL! Glad to hear I'm not alone. I hope your app season is going better than mine lol

It's like you all know me. I tried to tell a supervisor (who worked at a university of all places) what constituted medieval literature, and I was like, "Oh, you know, Chaucer and such." And her response was, "what's that?" 

*face palm*

My favorite response when I tell people what I study, though, is: *crickets* "oh...um, why?" Um! Because it's AWESOME! Arthuriana is life!

[karamazov]

HELLO, FRIENDS! I just received word that I'm on the waitlist at UNC Chapel Hill!! I am so excited and so flattered that they are seriously considering me and I would absolutely die if I got in! The DGS sent a very kind letter and he sounded positive about the likelihood of admission! Still, I know I shouldn't get my hopes up too much, but I really am extremely pleased that it wasn't the rejection I expected. I had thought I'd have my decision made by the middle of March, but it looks like I'm going to be in this for the long haul! 

(Also, I sure wasn't expecting an email from the DGS at 10:59pm.)

[kolyagogolova]

Woohoo double waitlist club (UNC Chapel Hill & UVA)! Since six straight rejections preceded these (uh... ow) I am trying to remain reasonable and not too optimistic lol. Does it count as a shutout if you die of old age on a waitlist? Anyway, congratulations to everyone (including people with rejections: it's a roll of the fricking dice on so many levels). I was comforted somewhat by a professor who told me the other day that he's "made a career by getting rejected from Brown every step of the way."

[shieldmaiden]

omg just checked the portal after seeing several people posted their results on the forum. ecstatic. plz plz let me know if anyone accepted is not going. Rutgers is definitely my top choice as an 18th centuriest.