2020 Applicants

[Wimsey]

5 hours ago, politics 'n prose said:

I obviously have a horse in this race because I'm headed to Penn State this fall and would love to have you in my cohort (middlebrow fiction, yes!), but for what it's worth, here's a breakdown of some of the relevant factors that led me to choose a school with a heavier teaching load (PSU) over one with a lighter teaching load (Ohio State): the stipend was higher, there were more opportunities for summer teaching, there was a guaranteed one-semester teaching release while dissertating, the resources for 20th/21st century American lit were stronger (so strong that they compelled me, a would-be narrative theorist, to turn down the school that's the epicenter for narrative studies in the U.S.), the program was longer and included a more-or-less guaranteed post-doc year (this was a plus for me, 6/7 years vs. 5, but I know that may not be the case for everyone), and the move to PA would be easier for me (and puts me much closer to family, which was a big deal to me). Also, full disclosure, because I already have a grad degree from OSU, I was certainly drawn a bit to the novelty of a different school and a different department (not so much that it was an ultimate determining factor, but enough to note here).

Also, my understanding regarding the 2:1 teaching load at Penn State is that not everyone actually winds up teaching two courses in that odd semester; where possible, you can swap out some other, potentially less time-consuming service (tutoring, writing center work, etc.) for one of the two courses. Also, the fact that you're only teaching two courses for one semester out of every four seemed ultimately negligible to me (but I'm coming in with a decent chunk of teaching experience--and major burn-out from two years in the non-teaching sphere--and I'm (perhaps naively!) looking forward to diving in headfirst with teaching).

All that said, two years with no teaching requirement to start is a big, big deal. Teaching is a big drain on your time, and two years without that obligation can really allow you to get your grounding, explore all your department has to offer, etc. (I do think there's equal value to having time off from teaching while dissertating--I had a fellowship in the final semester of my MFA program without which I probably wouldn't have completed my thesis--but it's possible such opportunities are available at WashU, too.) I also know WashU's placement record is great, and everyone I've encountered on Grad Cafe with a connection to the program has had only glowing things to say.

I don't think you can go wrong here either way, and I'm wishing you all the best as you make your choice. If you want to talk any more about my choice to attend Penn State, don't hesitate to send me a message!

 

4 hours ago, Cryss said:

 

I'm heading to WashU and must admit that the teaching load was absolutely a draw for me. I must say this point is often overlooked during the honeymoon phase of being accepted somewhere and being excited to go, but it is so important. If you'd like more detail, here's what the professor I spoke to said about the teaching load at WashU:

"The teaching doesn’t begin until your 3rd year, when you would serve as essentially a TA for both semesters.  After this, you teach 1 course each semester of your 4th and 5th years  (usually Writing 1, but it can vary widely depending on your situation, interests, the department needs, etc.; normally you’d co-teach an undergrad class with a professor one semester too).  Your sixth year (like your 1st and 2nd) is fully funded with no teaching obligations."

Imo, 2:1 teaching load for 4 years is a lot, but not impossible. It will be stressful but give you a lot of experience and some people really enjoy teaching.Teaching while writing a dissertation is another story. That would be a big deal and a huge drawback if required. If you haven't already, I'd reach out to  advanced and ABD students at Penn State to find out what they thought about their teaching loads throughout.

Thank you both for your input! I'm continuing to weigh the pros and cons for both schools, and I hope I can feel at peace with whatever decision I reach over the next few days. I have no prior teaching experience, so even though I am excited to teach and have confidence in my abilities, the lighter load at WashU appeals to me. Still, the Penn State teaching would be doable, especially with the fellowship they've offered me. I'll keep talking with people at both schools, and hopefully I'll reach a breakthrough soon.

[vvolgate]

Anyone else still on waitlists and loosing their mind? Because I am loosing my mind. 

[factical.illusion]

1 hour ago, vvolgate said:

Anyone else still on waitlists and loosing their mind? Because I am loosing my mind. 

Mostly worried about people who have already committed and who are either intentionally or unintentionally delaying denying other offers. 

[hamnet in tights]

2 hours ago, bgh94 said:

Mostly worried about people who have already committed and who are either intentionally or unintentionally delaying denying other offers. 

Is... that a thing people do? Because that's shitty.

[factical.illusion]

11 minutes ago, hamnet in tights said:

Is... that a thing people do? Because that's shitty.

I have heard of people not wanting to write the difficult emails and delaying it until a few days before the deadline. I hope it’s not too common. Anyways it’s nice to see people here being proactive. 

[vvolgate]

2 hours ago, bgh94 said:

I have heard of people not wanting to write the difficult emails and delaying it until a few days before the deadline. I hope it’s not too common. Anyways it’s nice to see people here being proactive. 

Ah, see, I would’ve never known that was a problem people have, seeing as I’m still waiting on news so I haven’t committed anywhere... ?

[karamazov]

Anyone know if taking two 3 hour long graduate seminars back-to-back on the same day is a death wish? 

[WildeThing]

6 minutes ago, karamazov said:

Anyone know if taking two 3 hour long graduate seminars back-to-back on the same day is a death wish? 

No, but it's definitely tougher. Both semesters here I've had "long" days with 3-4 classes and they're rough and some days you will be very tired but I don't think it's worse than maybe taking classes you're less interested in.

[vvolgate]

52 minutes ago, karamazov said:

Anyone know if taking two 3 hour long graduate seminars back-to-back on the same day is a death wish? 

Depends. Where I did my MAs, our three hour seminars generally always ended up having a 10-15 minute break somewhere in the middle. That even with a break would be too much for me, mentally, but I know people who genuinely prefer that kind of schedule. It can be handy for long commutes, sharing a vehicle, etc... 

[karamazov]

@WildeThing @vvolgate Thanks for the input! I'll take another look at the course listings and see if it'll really be worth it or if there's another class I'm just as interested in. 

[hamnet in tights]

So, I already said similarly in the waitlist thread, but... my thought is because we're in the middle of a major holiday celebration for a minimum of two very large religions, we won't see as much movement until Monday even though we're chugging to the finish line. Monday might be a heck of a day, though.  

(I'm actually kind of sickeningly crossing my fingers that I don't get news in case it's bad news... I don't normally really appreciate Passover as much as I should, but this year, with everything? I'm kind of digging the vibes, lol. And Happy Easter to those of you who do that. And Happy Holidays to anyone else I've missed.)   

[Shakespeares Sister]

On 4/8/2020 at 10:46 PM, vvolgate said:

Ah, see, I would’ve never known that was a problem people have, seeing as I’m still waiting on news so I haven’t committed anywhere... ?

This is actually the problem. Some people are still waiting, so they can't commit, so everything gets jumbled till the very end (similar to how we write conference presentations on the plane ride there).

Made much worse by a killer virus.

Edited April 10, 2020 by Shakespeares Sister

[oygevalt]

On 4/7/2020 at 7:40 PM, Wimsey said:

 

Thank you both for your input! I'm continuing to weigh the pros and cons for both schools, and I hope I can feel at peace with whatever decision I reach over the next few days. I have no prior teaching experience, so even though I am excited to teach and have confidence in my abilities, the lighter load at WashU appeals to me. Still, the Penn State teaching would be doable, especially with the fellowship they've offered me. I'll keep talking with people at both schools, and hopefully I'll reach a breakthrough soon.

Hey, Wimsey! I think it would be super worth it to reach out to Penn State to ask if they are able to offer you additional semesters or years off of teaching in order to match your WashU offer. In fact, I happen to know that schools with similar profiles to Penn State have historically been willing to negotiate this, especially when they can go to the dean's office or other administrative unit and say that they are trying to match a student's competing offer. At the very least, it can't hurt! 

Edited April 10, 2020 by oygevalt

[tinymica]

So now that I don't have to worry about waiting for news/making choices, my brain has moved on to its next fixation: possibly starting school in quarantine. I know it's too soon to know whether it'll happen and it's useless to worry, but it's tough! Anyone else dealing with this?

[Shakespeares Sister]

1 hour ago, tinymica said:

So now that I don't have to worry about waiting for news/making choices, my brain has moved on to its next fixation: possibly starting school in quarantine. I know it's too soon to know whether it'll happen and it's useless to worry, but it's tough! Anyone else dealing with this?

I am. I had always envisioned teaching a class in person for my first semester of doctoral studies, but I may now be teaching it online...

I just remember that these are first-world problems. Most people do not continue their education to the doctoral level.

[merry night wanderer]

3 hours ago, tinymica said:

So now that I don't have to worry about waiting for news/making choices, my brain has moved on to its next fixation: possibly starting school in quarantine. I know it's too soon to know whether it'll happen and it's useless to worry, but it's tough! Anyone else dealing with this?

ugGHHGHGggggggggggghhhhhh DO NOT WANT.

I'm trying not to think about not getting a live literature seminar in the fall and just taking this one day at a time. 

[hamnet in tights]

1 hour ago, merry night wanderer said:

ugGHHGHGggggggggggghhhhhh DO NOT WANT.

I'm trying not to think about not getting a live literature seminar in the fall and just taking this one day at a time. 

Honestly for me that's so hard to imagine I'm literally starting to wonder about the possibility of deferring... 

[merry night wanderer]

I feel you. I just picked out the courses I want to take (which is one of my favorite things in the world to do) and I'm so excited about the idea of being in a classroom with these people and it's just- lord. The letdown will be unimaginable. 

I think I will be okay with it if there are waves of quarantining/social distancing, as some people are proposing, but the whole semester? 

I don't know that I'd defer because, being older, I want to get a move on in my program. But under other circumstances I might do it. 

[tinymica]

@merry night wanderer Agreed, one day at a time! Sorry, I tend to catastrophize and worry about everything. I know it’s too early to call it, but I can’t help thinking about the worst case scenario.

I’m also really excited about being in the classroom! Partly because I don’t do well with online learning, partly because it’s really important to me to create bonds with peers and it just won’t be likely if we’re still under lockdown this fall. We can only hope that the measures we’re taking will be effective enough to keep things under control. I would feel much better about intermittent periods of staying in; I’d probably lose my mind if it were a whole term.

I don’t even know if I’d be able to defer. I don’t want to have to do that... I just know that, if I weren’t allowed to, I couldn’t take the stress of re-applying.

We have to hold on to whatever positive feelings and excitement that we can. What classes have you chosen? Tell us!

[merry night wanderer]

There's a genuine possibility it won't happen, so you're not catastrophizing! We need to get used to it, but it would be heartbreaking for all the reasons you mentioned. 

If they're still open by the time I get to sign up, I'm going going to be taking a fascinating-looking course on Kafka, theory, and philosophy (by a prof who holds joint appointments in the German and philosophy depts, whose general approach to literature seems incredibly exciting to me), German Idealism (pretty much have to understand this as a Romanticist, and looking forward to flexing my philosophy muscles again!), and Jane Austen and the Novel. The last one almost makes me laugh - Jane Austen is undeniably good, but she was really shoved down my throat as a homeschooler, and I'm not naturally that drawn to realism, so she's just not my cup of tea and I never thought I'd take a course on her. But a POI is teaching it and I have never studied her or novel theory before, so it seemed like a solid choice. Tbh I always end up loving literature class if the teacher's a good one so I'm looking forward to reading her in depth and developing a better appreciation for what she has to offer.

It's so hard to choose just three. What are other people taking??

[Shakespeares Sister]

If it's online only in the fall but residence is required for funding purposes, I wonder if we can't stay OOS then?

[hamnet in tights]

23 hours ago, Shakespeares Sister said:

If it's online only in the fall but residence is required for funding purposes, I wonder if we can't stay OOS then?

I don't know if you'd be able to finagle such a thing, but if you could, say, maintain an address near your campus and stay with someone OOS, like family, I don't think anyone would bat an eye... that may or may not be my plan.

[Glasperlenspieler]

7 hours ago, hamnet in tights said:

I don't know if you'd be able to finagle such a thing, but if you could, say, maintain an address near your campus and stay with someone OOS, like family, I don't think anyone would bat an eye... that may or may not be my plan.

Once you already have residency, I think you can get away with this and *maintain* residency, but I think you'll have to be careful about assuming you can *obtain* residency in this way. Expectations vary by state, but they'll generally want to see a lease/rental agreement, in-state voter registration, in-state driver's licence, in-state car registration (if you have a car), and sign a form declaring that, among other things, a preponderance of your belongings are in-state and it is your primary residence. For stricter states, things like having an account at a local credit union, demonstrated community activities (beyond the university), actually voting (not just being registered), and paying taxes in-state can also come into play.

[hamnet in tights]

1 hour ago, Glasperlenspieler said:

Once you already have residency, I think you can get away with this and *maintain* residency, but I think you'll have to be careful about assuming you can *obtain* residency in this way. Expectations vary by state, but they'll generally want to see a lease/rental agreement, in-state voter registration, in-state driver's licence, in-state car registration (if you have a car), and sign a form declaring that, among other things, a preponderance of your belongings are in-state and it is your primary residence. For stricter states, things like having an account at a local credit union, demonstrated community activities (beyond the university), actually voting (not just being registered), and paying taxes in-state can also come into play.

Ay, dios mio! 

[Brown_Bear]

Hey people,

How should one treat courses offered in an English MA? Is it ever enough to accept program A because program B's classes are not as engaging or in line with one's interests? I am worried that the courses offered at one school are not as good of a fit for me. Is it possible to do independent study for subjects not taught, or take upper-level undergrad classes? How big of an issue is this when it comes to writing a Master's thesis? There are areas I want to continue learning more about that are just not offered at one program which is otherwise more highly regarded and in much better location (less crime / poverty / more job opportunities for my partner).

Edited April 12, 2020 by Puurple