2021 Applicants

[MaoistTowelette]

 

24 minutes ago, mashatheicebear said:

THIS^^^^^! I took a gap year between my BA and my MA because I needed to figure out my next step. I was then able to do a killer MA program that I might not have considered if I rushed the process. 

Since then, it has been 12...let me reiterate...TWELVE YEARS since I was in school. I had a career in retail/restaurant management, started my family and have been running my own business from home for the last five years. Doing all of that made me a better me and will definitely make me a better professor. It may have limited my options for my education, but it DID NOT take me out of the running. That said, trust your instincts, y'all, and do what is right for you.

And, if you don't get in this time around, don't give up! This year is weird. With so many funded programs not accepting applications (or accepting fewer students due to limited funding), I am sure many programs had a much larger applicant pool than they are accustomed to with fewer spots to fill, making competition even stiffer than usual. 

I honestly had no idea how being a (MUCH) older student would affect my chances, but I think it really comes down to finding the department that is the right fit for you. You want to join a department that is excited about YOU; your research but also you, as an individual. So, if this year doesn't work out, take the experience and learn from it so y'all can kick ass next year!

Fellow thirtysomething here. It's a lonely age to be in academe. 

My work experience is similar to yours, only shittier and not meaningful on any grad school application. We may have outlived our chance at a PhD. That's alright., life is bigger than a university--unless you're that John Barth novel.

This is not my first application season, but it will be my last, regardless of outcome. Too expensive, too stressful, and frankly I'm getting too old and crotchety to sit around batting flies away from my face as I blankly refresh school portals. Plus I really ought to take care of this fly problem. Reasons to be hopeful, of course--I'm no nihilist.

Acceptance: I get to go to graduate school! Rejection: I don't have to go to graduate school!

Edited February 4, 2021 by MaoistTowelette

[mashatheicebear]

2 minutes ago, MaoistTowelette said:

 

Fellow thirtysomething here. It's a lonely age to be in academe. 

My work experience is similar to yours, only shittier and not meaningful on any grad school application. We may have outlived our chance at a PhD. That's alright., life is bigger than a university--unless you're that John Barth novel.

This is not my first application season, but it will be my last, regardless of outcome. Too expensive, too stressful, and frankly I'm getting too old and crotchety to sit around batting flies away from my face as I blankly refresh school portals. Plus I really ought to take care of this fly problem. Reasons to be hopeful, of course--I'm no nihilist.

Acceptance: I get to go to graduate school! Rejection: I don't have to go to graduate school!

I hear you. Glad I'm not the only old fogy here! I will keep my fingers crossed for you, that whatever is meant to happen will.

Honestly, I applied to some programs that were outside my specialization a bit, hoping that the uniqueness of my work would help me stand out and makeup for my distance from academia. I also have backup plans (like going to get my California community college teaching credential) so that I can still get to where I want to be, which is teaching English/Lit in a college classroom.

I definitely think the perspective of age has been helpful with this process, and has also forced me to think of other alternatives, knowing the odds were not necessarily in my favor. 

Best of luck to you! I hope you are able to enjoy whatever path you find yourself on next!!!

[Oklash]

I am losing my mind over these pending applications! 

I've seen rejections and acceptances for both Cornell and Duke but my application status hasn't budged and my email is as quiet as a mouse. If it's a rejection, just rip the bandaid off! 

[Kapol-in]

7 minutes ago, Oklash said:

I am losing my mind over these pending applications! 

I've seen rejections and acceptances for both Cornell and Duke but my application status hasn't budged and my email is as quiet as a mouse. If it's a rejection, just rip the bandaid off! 

Those Berkeley rejections came in a swift wave, if you see the results page it seems pretty crazy, but yea same.

[Doc Sportello]

Did anyone else just get an... interview request from UT Austin? I had no idea they'd ever done this. Excited, though-- guess it can't be a bad sign? 

[cassidyaxx]

1 hour ago, wildsurmise said:

No, I have thought about asking, but yeah it does still seem a bit early and I don't want to come across as too demanding ?... I'm leaning towards hypothesizing no ND  interviews at all this year as it's getting later and later, but zooms may still happen I suppose? 

I'm def okay with no interview happening... but I feel like this is my last school I could potentially receive an acceptance for. I'm thinking they would get back to us by the end of next week, possibly? At least I have someone to wait with ? congrats on the WUSTL acceptance btw!

[Oklash]

1 hour ago, wildsurmise said:

No, I have thought about asking, but yeah it does still seem a bit early and I don't want to come across as too demanding ?... I'm leaning towards hypothesizing no ND  interviews at all this year as it's getting later and later, but zooms may still happen I suppose? 

I am thinking the same about Emory. I'm starting to suspect that there will be no interviews this year.

[HipsterDoofus]

26 minutes ago, cassidyaxx said:

I'm def okay with no interview happening... but I feel like this is my last school I could potentially receive an acceptance for. I'm thinking they would get back to us by the end of next week, possibly? At least I have someone to wait with ? congrats on the WUSTL acceptance btw!

I'm on the waiting boat too! Would love to hear anything from them at all.

[cassidyaxx]

35 minutes ago, HipsterDoofus said:

I'm on the waiting boat too!

I'll keep you guys updated if I hear anything!

[queenofcarrotflowers]

1 hour ago, Doc Sportello said:

Did anyone else just get an... interview request from UT Austin? I had no idea they'd ever done this. Excited, though-- guess it can't be a bad sign? 

nope, but huge congratulations !!!

[Doc Sportello]

39 minutes ago, queenofcarrotflowers said:

nope, but huge congratulations !!!

Thank you! Excited but nervous. ? It's possible this is just for the rhetoric department (I applied with an interest primarily in legal rhetoric).

[OpenBook]

I keep seeing things show up and then disappear from the results page - questions about previous posters and such.  I know I'm a crazy refresher, but does anyone know why that happens?  Is it automatic, or do the posters take down their results themselves? 

[Kapol-in]

2 minutes ago, 1 Pint of Ricotta said:

I keep seeing things show up and then disappear from the results page - questions about previous posters and such.  I know I'm a crazy refresher, but does anyone know why that happens?  Is it automatic, or do the posters take down their results themselves? 

Usually when people leave too long of comments they're taken down to be checked, I'm guessing some sort of way to scan againt spam messages

[EffervescentMoon]

Are the two Cornell acceptances and rejection for English or Comp Lit? It seems like they may be the latter. Or just me not giving up hope on Cornell just yet. 

[OpenBook]

3 minutes ago, EffervescentMoon said:

Are the two Cornell acceptances and rejection for English or Comp Lit? It seems like they may be the latter. Or just me not giving up hope on Cornell just yet. 

I've thought about this a lot.  Complete speculation, but Comp Lit has released decisions at this time every year for the past several years.  English, however, is consistently near 2/15.  Given the sudden spat of decisions for Comp Lit today, I would think the few acceptances and rejections were erroneously posted under English.  But, I'm just being hopeful and neurotic!

[elliec]

Did anyone get waitlisted at Stanford? How does that process work? Good odds?

[silk]

anyone applied to/heard from purdue? i applied to the ma, but it seems the dates for the ma and the phd don't really differ. results page shows acceptances/rejections dating from january 18 to april 15 for previous years, but nothing is posted for this year. just want to hear backkk

[brockdenbrown802]

14 hours ago, 1 Pint of Ricotta said:

I've thought about this a lot.  Complete speculation, but Comp Lit has released decisions at this time every year for the past several years.  English, however, is consistently near 2/15.  Given the sudden spat of decisions for Comp Lit today, I would think the few acceptances and rejections were erroneously posted under English.  But, I'm just being hopeful and neurotic!

I agree - also applied to Cornell and haven't heard back / seen any changes on my application yet! and because it's been quite a few days since those acceptances, I feel as though some sort of rejections might have come back by now.

Just a guess, though!!! nerve-wracking, haha. I am also hopeful and neurotic. 

[lilgreenblatt]

37 minutes ago, silk said:

anyone applied to/heard from purdue? i applied to the ma, but it seems the dates for the ma and the phd don't really differ. results page shows acceptances/rejections dating from january 18 to april 15 for previous years, but nothing is posted for this year. just want to hear backkk

MA results usually come out later than PhD! Think around late feb - mid march.

[silk]

9 minutes ago, lilgreenblatt said:

MA results usually come out later than PhD! Think around late feb - mid march.

yeah-- that was my assumption too but purdue seems to have accepted some ma people on JANUARY 18 last year, which is weird considering the january 6 deadline?? this is such a weird process

[lilgreenblatt]

3 minutes ago, silk said:

yeah-- that was my assumption too but purdue seems to have accepted some ma people on JANUARY 18 last year, which is weird considering the january 6 deadline?? this is such a weird process

I really have no idea how these things work. 

UGA has a Dec 1 deadline...UVA has a May 1 deadline???? with a "priority deadline" of Jan 15??? what even does this all mean. 

Part of me says its better to wait and anticipate good news than it is to have news and it be bad. Part of me thinks It would be better to just know and get it over with. 

I'm thankful I found this forum to commiserate and celebrate with others

[JaneLWH]

 

5 minutes ago, silk said:

yeah-- that was my assumption too but purdue seems to have accepted some ma people on JANUARY 18 last year, which is weird considering the january 6 deadline?? this is such a weird process

I applied to Purdue as well. Purdue allows you to apply to three programs simultaneously, so I applied to the MA English programs across three campuses (West Lafayette, Fort Wayne, Northwest), and got accepted to Fort Wayne's program about a week ago. I have no idea what this means though, or if all three programs are fully-funded or merely the West Lafayette one. At any rate, the West Lafayette program is the only one people seem to talk about, and it's therefore the one I'm looking forward to hearing back from the most. Good luck with your applications!

[silk]

1 minute ago, JaneLWH said:

 

I applied to Purdue as well. Purdue allows you to apply to three programs simultaneously, so I applied to the MA English programs across three campuses (West Lafayette, Fort Wayne, Northwest), and got accepted to Fort Wayne's program about a week ago. I have no idea what this means though, or if all three programs are fully-funded or merely the West Lafayette one. At any rate, the West Lafayette program is the only one people seem to talk about, and it's therefore the one I'm looking forward to hearing back from the most. Good luck with your applications!

oh my god, it has three english programs?? i saw the option to apply to other programs but i just skipped it because i thought it meant other areas. so weird. should have applied to all three, we did pay a lot of money. but yeah, i thought the only english program was the west lafayette one. i hope we both get in, it has an excellent program! and the funding doesn't hurt either. good luck to you too!

[JaneLWH]

6 minutes ago, silk said:

oh my god, it has three english programs?? i saw the option to apply to other programs but i just skipped it because i thought it meant other areas. so weird. should have applied to all three, we did pay a lot of money. but yeah, i thought the only english program was the west lafayette one. i hope we both get in, it has an excellent program! and the funding doesn't hurt either. good luck to you too!

Yes, you essentially submit three applications whilst paying for only one. But I frankly don't think all three are fully-funded, and probably that's the reason I got accepted to one of them so quickly. Let's hope we'll both hear back from West Lafayette soon!

[robertsona_grad]

tired of seeing Lil Uzi Vert and that damn pink diamond