2020 Applicants

[Kelsey1599 8]

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 31]

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 293]

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 407]

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 236]

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 31]

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 6]

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.

[onerepublic96 321]

1 hour ago, kolyagogolova said:

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."

your professor is the role model we all need in these trying times 👏🏻 

[Rrandle101 224]

@all my medieval comrades, I took two semesters of Old English and was talking about it to one of my mentees (I'm a peer mentor for the undergraduate honors program here) and was saying that it was pretty hard but that it was "at least similar enough to Latin that I would be fine" and he unironically replied, "yeah Shakespeare gets easier once you get the hang of it" and I just died a little on the inside.

[onerepublic96 321]

1 hour ago, Rrandle101 said:

@all my medieval comrades, I took two semesters of Old English and was talking about it to one of my mentees (I'm a peer mentor for the undergraduate honors program here) and was saying that it was pretty hard but that it was "at least similar enough to Latin that I would be fine" and he unironically replied, "yeah Shakespeare gets easier once you get the hang of it" and I just died a little on the inside.

I had the first bits of the Canterbury Tales drilled into me way back in high school and I like to hold on to them for the sole purpose of reciting to people who try to tell me that Shakespeare is ‘medieval English’; even still, oh lord, Old English... I could never 😂

[MundaneSoul 52]

I have so much respect for medievalists. I’m in a Middle English lit course in the last semester of my MA, and it’s some of the most difficult work I’ve done in my academic career. 

[gooniesneversaydie 407]

Still out of reactions, but I'm loving the medieval love! 

In other news... I'm curious to know why it's still February. Why can't this month just move on? It's over, February. No one likes you anymore. You can't sit with us. March is the new February, so take a seat already. I need to hear from my last two schools so I cant start making tough choices, because obvi I'm not under enough stress as it is!! March holds the answers to all. 

[caffeinated applicant 210]

Sigh, another day, another day... has anyone emailed Harvard yet? Not seeing any rejections on the board, and I'm getting antsy to know whether they still have acceptances or waitlist decisions to send out. Last year they took about 30 1/2 years to send rejections, which I've been trying to use as a reason not to get antsy waiting, but alas, the anxious body does not listen to the rational mind. 

[jm6394 93]

I’m eager to commit and looking for English DGS contact info for University of Maryland (also emailing NYU and Columbia)...not tolerating those lingering April rejections!

Edit: emailed Gershun Avilez at Maryland and a general contact at NYU. Think I’m chickening out on Columbia for now. 

Edited February 25, 2020 by jm6394

[The Hoosier Oxonian 203]

On the subject of schools waiting forever to send out rejections, I'd like to take a moment to express my exasperation with NYU. I'm 9000% sure I'm rejected (and I have better offers, so I don't care!) but historically it appears they usually wait about six weeks after sending out acceptances before sending rejections, which makes no sense to me!

[grace2137 31]

I've had a long weekend of confronting the harsh realities of shutout... I'm on a few waitlists and have 1 program yet to release decisions, but not getting my hopes up. Taking it better than I thought I would, though.

Also, I have been ghosted by NYU, UVA, and Rutgers. I assume NYU and UVA take so long to reject because they also have an MA to sort out and I may be under consideration for that. Not sure why Rutgers still has "no decision" up for me when it seems many were able to see their rejections in portal yesterday. I've pretty much accepted that this process is going to be dragged out forever for me because of waitlists, but is it worth it to reach out in any of these cases or should I just sit on my hands and wait?

[Wimsey 239]

Last night I received a phone call from Rutgers to confirm my waitlist status! I thought I would just have my acceptances to contend with, but adding two waitlists to the mix has definitely complicated things. It looks as if April could be a tumultuous month.

Meanwhile, I am itching to get my rejections from Harvard and Columbia and to discover what on earth is happening at UPenn.

[caffeinated applicant 210]

8 minutes ago, grace2137 said:

I've had a long weekend of confronting the harsh realities of shutout... I'm on a few waitlists and have 1 program yet to release decisions, but not getting my hopes up. Taking it better than I thought I would, though.

Also, I have been ghosted by NYU, UVA, and Rutgers. I assume NYU and UVA take so long to reject because they also have an MA to sort out and I may be under consideration for that. Not sure why Rutgers still has "no decision" up for me when it seems many were able to see their rejections in portal yesterday. I've pretty much accepted that this process is going to be dragged out forever for me because of waitlists, but is it worth it to reach out in any of these cases or should I just sit on my hands and wait?

I'd check your spam folder (just in case!) and reach out to UVA--the mass waitlist email that went out yesterday (which I thought was particularly polite and lovely--s/o to YOU, UVA, for making me feel like I was being treated as a person!) indicated that everyone who is on the waitlist and had indicated desire to be considered for the MA can consider this to be an admission to the MA. Possible that MA decisions are still in progress, but due to it being what appeared to be just a bcc of the whole list, it's possible that your email address was missed or mistyped or what have you. 

Edited February 25, 2020 by caffeinated applicant

[timespentreading 48]

I finally heard back from the 14th program where I applied today (rejection). As it stands, I'm on FOUR waitlists, and I'm going to a campus visit/interview in two weeks for another program before they announce decisions. 

Here's my question: should I pay the money to visit any of the programs where I'm waitlisted? I think it would be impossible to commit to go somewhere (they'd all be long distance moves) without having visited; I haven't been to any of the cities before, and flights are expensive. But, I know there's a chance that if I do receive an offer, it will be in April, since these programs are waiting for others to turn down offers. 

Any advice? I was thinking of checking in with each DGS sometime in March to get an idea of what others have done, but I know every situation/person is different, and there isn't really a way for them to tell me how likely it is that I'll receive an offer until it happens (or doesn't). 

[maorphd 1]

Hi Does anyone know when the Comp Lit department at UC Santa Barbara normally releases their admission decision? I received an e-mail asking more information on my external funding resource about 2 weeks ago and haven't heard anything back ever since. Should I e-mail the department? 

Edited February 25, 2020 by maorphd

[spikeseagulls 154]

3 minutes ago, maorphd said:

Hi Does anyone know when the Comp Lit department at UC Santa Barbara normally releases their admission decision? I received an e-mail asking more information on my external funding resource about 2 weeks ago and haven't heard anything back ever since. Should I e-mail the department? 

Another poster said they'd start sending out decisions at the beginning of March!

[tinymica 238]

Hellooooo Tuesday! BU, Penn, I’m ready for my rejections now.

[MichelleObama 221]

3 minutes ago, tinymica said:

Hellooooo Tuesday! BU, Penn, I’m ready for my rejections now.

Penn is KILLING ME. This unusually competitive cycle has fully flubbed the projected acceptance dates. I too am ready for my rejection.Or acceptance. Or waitlist. I don't care anymore but also I fully, deeply, truly, care. Having the time of my life. Heaven is a place on earth.

[onerepublic96 321]

19 minutes ago, tinymica said:

Hellooooo Tuesday! BU, Penn, I’m ready for my rejections now.

Nope. We’re only receiving acceptances today, adcoms. Thank you all for your understanding. 

[gooniesneversaydie 407]

I think I finally figured out how to add stats at the bottom, so I've got that going for me. Plus, it distracted me from thinking about BU for about 15 minutes. Winning....