2021 Applicants Forum

[Pinskadan]

44 minutes ago, Michelle Zeller said:

I disagree. In England, all university is free. Bernie Sanders wants to make it free here. Actually, in most of the world is free. On this issue, you side with the Republicans, but I cannot do so myself. I don't disagree with your right to vote Republican, though.  

Perhaps I should have phrased differently; I meant, none of us are entitled to receive an *acceptance* into any of these programs. The programs themselves don't owe us anything. Ain't even gonna touch the bizarre (and inaccurate) political assumptions you made about me because I smell bait. 

Edited January 17, 2021 by Pinskadan

[Ydrl]

4 minutes ago, Pinskadan said:

Perhaps I should have phrased differently; I meant, none of us are entitled to receive an *acceptance* into any of these programs. The programs themselves don't owe us anything. Ain't even gonna touch the bizarre (and inaccurate) political assumptions you made about me because I smell bait. 

Agreed.

Also, I appreciate your adorable profile picture. I’m not sure if you can tell, but mine’s of a Silkie chicken.

[Michelle Zeller]

1 minute ago, Pinskadan said:

Perhaps I should have phrased differently; I meant, none of us are entitled to receive an *acceptance* into any of these programs. The programs themselves don't owe us anything. Ain't even gonna touch the bizarre (and inaccurate) political assumptions you made about me because I smell bait. 

I'm just angry at Michener because I know the odds, I wish I never applied there, I wasted my money, and to add insult to injury I had to pay for an official transcript. I'm probably too late, and maybe they won't even read my application. 

People should be angry. They think it is normal that all this human work be wasted. Thousands of people have to check portals every day, begging to get into some school. If you live in another country, Uni would be free, just like high school. so why isn't it free here? So the rich can get Trump's tax break? No, if it were free, you would not get a million applications. People know there is no money in an MFA degree. They won't put in the work just because it is free. If Bernie Sanders was elected, everything would have been free. Joe Biden plans to at least forgive some student debt, so some people who paid last year will at least get some money back. 

The schools should have given me a warning that they accept 1%. Some people apply without knowing. 

I thought ydrl's pic was of a faceless monster. It doesn't look like a chicken. 

[spacedumpster]

8 minutes ago, Michelle Zeller said:

I'm just angry at Michener because I know the odds, I wish I never applied there, I wasted my money, and to add insult to injury I had to pay for an official transcript. I'm probably too late, and maybe they won't even read my application. 

People should be angry. They think it is normal that all this human work be wasted. Thousands of people have to check portals every day, begging to get into some school. If you live in another country, Uni would be free, just like high school. so why isn't it free here? So the rich can get Trump's tax break? No, if it were free, you would not get a million applications. People know there is no money in an MFA degree. They won't put in the work just because it is free. If Bernie Sanders was elected, everything would have been free. Joe Biden plans to at least forgive some student debt, so some people who paid last year will at least get some money back. 

The schools should have given me a warning that they accept 1%. Some people apply without knowing. 

I thought ydrl's pic was of a faceless monster. It doesn't look like a chicken. 

I fully agree that higher education should be free.

To your point about schools giving you a warning on acceptance rates, every school I applied to is fairly transparent about the number of spots in the program versus the number of applications received, whether in the FAQs, or right in the homepage. I can understand being frustrated to learn this after the fact, but it's ultimately up to you to research the programs to which you are applying. 

[Pinskadan]

16 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

Agreed.

Also, I appreciate your adorable profile picture. I’m not sure if you can tell, but mine’s of a Silkie chicken.

Thank you! I think we could all use more levity (and birds with hats for that matter). I love your Silkie chicken!! Always happy with more bird content in my life.

[mrvisser]

2 minutes ago, Pinskadan said:

Thank you! I think we could all use more levity (and birds with hats for that matter). I love your Silkie chicken!! Always happy with more bird content in my life.

Birds are good for the soul. Birds are also helping me keep the boredom away during this waiting period. Today I went out and found a red-throated loon, which is rare around these parts.

[spacedumpster]

Anybody else just get that email for a survey from University of Texas Admissions and have their heart stop momentarily? ?

[Ydrl]

Just now, spacedumpster said:

Anybody else just get that email for a survey from University of Texas Admissions and have their heart stop momentarily? ?

I got it awhile ago but it still cracks me up.

[Ydrl]

32 minutes ago, Michelle Zeller said:

I thought ydrl's pic was of a faceless monster. It doesn't look like a chicken. 

BAHAHA I’m wheezing “faceless monster”. I love it! They’re very sweet animals and are very broody so they take care of other bird eggs as if they were their own. They also have black bones. I wrote a poem about them.

[Ydrl]

19 minutes ago, Pinskadan said:

Thank you! I think we could all use more levity (and birds with hats for that matter). I love your Silkie chicken!! Always happy with more bird content in my life.

Same! I love birds so much, especially weird birds like Pesquet’s parrot or Silkie chickens. Every time I look either up, I wheeze uncontrollably.

[spacedumpster]

8 minutes ago, Ydrl said:

Same! I love birds so much, especially weird birds like Pesquet’s parrot or Silkie chickens. Every time I look either up, I wheeze uncontrollably.

Birbs are fantastic weirdos. There was a peahen on the property where I lived in Hawaii. She was a total psycho, would strut past my sliding door and just stare in at me and make the weirdest honk/gobble sound I have ever heard. 

 

[Greithe]

1 hour ago, The_Realeo said:

I'm not an English major, so for my critical writing sample, I submitted an analysis of Chinese and Japanese poetics through a linguistic lens.  But since I'm not an English major, I'm super curious, for those of us who had to submit critical writing samples, what did you guys write about?

I love the approach you took - that sounds like a paper I'd love to read!

I also wasn't an English major (Folklore Studies and French Literature) but am currently finishing an M.Ed. in Literacy Education. Only one of my apps requested an "academic" writing sample, and that was for the TA application. It didn't specify literary criticism or anything really, so I sent in a 12-page research literature review paper instead that earned an A in my current class, and honestly, I have been second-guessing that decision ever since.

My hope is this: either it's fine, because at least the paper shows I can organize and write on a graduate level, or, if they really want a literary analysis instead, that they'll get back to me to fix. I might be wrong on both points, but to date, anytime a transcript or LOR didn't arrive or some other small thing went wrong, admissions offices have quickly gotten in touch and offered help. 

I honestly just didn't have the time or energy, at the end of all these applications, to sit down and write a whole new paper from scratch with any confidence. Through October and December, my 5 applications were nearly a full-time job, and I'm frankly exhausted. I not only had to research programs, but as a single mom, I also had to look at livability, local schools, and available autism resources for my kids, which knocked out a lot of programs I might have otherwise applied to.

So, you're not alone, but really, none of us are. ? Good luck with all your apps!

[The_Realeo]

29 minutes ago, Greithe said:

I love the approach you took - that sounds like a paper I'd love to read!

I also wasn't an English major (Folklore Studies and French Literature) but am currently finishing an M.Ed. in Literacy Education. Only one of my apps requested an "academic" writing sample, and that was for the TA application. It didn't specify literary criticism or anything really, so I sent in a 12-page research literature review paper instead that earned an A in my current class, and honestly, I have been second-guessing that decision ever since.

My hope is this: either it's fine, because at least the paper shows I can organize and write on a graduate level, or, if they really want a literary analysis instead, that they'll get back to me to fix. I might be wrong on both points, but to date, anytime a transcript or LOR didn't arrive or some other small thing went wrong, admissions offices have quickly gotten in touch and offered help. 

I honestly just didn't have the time or energy, at the end of all these applications, to sit down and write a whole new paper from scratch with any confidence. Through October and December, my 5 applications were nearly a full-time job, and I'm frankly exhausted. I not only had to research programs, but as a single mom, I also had to look at livability, local schools, and available autism resources for my kids, which knocked out a lot of programs I might have otherwise applied to.

So, you're not alone, but really, none of us are. ? Good luck with all your apps!

I totally felt like applying was like a job.  I was working two jobs this past fall and feeling really overwhelmed, and a lot of people couldn't relate to the stress of applying to grad school.  Your research paper sounds exactly what they're looking for!  Research in literature is never bad, especially for CW.

I worked in remedial reading for four years and loved it.  Before I started teaching literacy, I thought that the inability to read applied to books and poems and such.  My students taught me that it was everything... food labels, aisles in the grocery store, signs on the street.  There is a whole world to which they were blind.  Literacy is an awesome field.  Congrats to finishing your Masters in it!

[JPReinhold]

2 hours ago, Greithe said:It didn't specify literary criticism or anything really, so I sent in a 12-page research literature review paper instead that earned an A in my current class, and honestly, I have been second-guessing that decision ever since.

My hope is this: either it's fine, because at least the paper shows I can organize and write on a graduate level, or, if they really want a literary analysis instead, that they'll get back to me to fix.

I think you will be in great shape with the paper you submitted. As everyone keeps reaffirming, they care about your portfolio first. Showing that you can do graduate-level research and analysis is all they are hoping you will do with your academic sample. If you’re going to be teaching undergrad, they need to be sure they’re putting someone in place who is academically ready to take on that challenge. 
 

I am SURE your academic paper is fine ❤️ I really can’t wait to hear about your acceptance into a program - I can tell you are fighting for this. Break a leg! 

[M-Lin]

7 hours ago, pattycat said:

There's usually quite a delay. I believe there's only one admin who screens the requests.

I don't participate a ton, but I've enjoyed Draft quite a bit. I've learned a TON just by being in the group. When I was researching schools, several people shared their spreadsheets of info they'd gathered, which saved me a lot of time. It's a good place to find answers to questions (just make sure you search before you post). Some people in there are quite direct, so be prepared for that, but mostly everyone is really supportive.

That does sound really helpful! Thanks for the info! Too bad I only found about this group last week, after I've sent in most of my applications... so I guess at this point it's probably just going to be mostly about the results. 

[mrvisser]

5 minutes ago, M-Lin said:

That does sound really helpful! Thanks for the info! Too bad I only found about this group last week, after I've sent in most of my applications... so I guess at this point it's probably just going to be mostly about the results. 

I just got accepted a few minutes ago, so you should be getting yours soon!

[CayceCamus]

7 hours ago, The_Realeo said:

I'm still kind of new to the Grad Cafe.  So if this question is not appropriate, let me know.    I definitely don't intend to break the code.

I'm not an English major, so for my critical writing sample, I submitted an analysis of Chinese and Japanese poetics through a linguistic lens.  But since I'm not an English major, I'm super curious, for those of us who had to submit critical writing samples, what did you guys write about?

Same! I am a history major so I submitted some analytical papers on Latin American history and focused on talking about my interests in Latin American history in my SoP. Hope it hits some multifaceted, multicultural boxes. Your analytical paper sounds awesome by the way!

[M-Lin]

41 minutes ago, mrvisser said:

I just got accepted a few minutes ago, so you should be getting yours soon!

I just did too. only checked after seeing your post, so thanks! 

I had been off facebook for over 5 years before I reactivated for this group ?

[Michelle Zeller]

9 hours ago, mrvisser said:

I just got accepted a few minutes ago

I read this fast, and I thought he got into an MFA. 

[mrvisser]

15 minutes ago, Michelle Zeller said:

I read this fast, and I thought he got into an MFA. 

Yeah, just realized that doesn't look so good for people scrolling. I'll put an edit on that.

Edit: Apparently you can't edit a post that old, so I'm editing this post to say I can't edit that post.

Edited January 18, 2021 by mrvisser

[largeheartedboy]

17 hours ago, mrvisser said:

Birds are good for the soul. Birds are also helping me keep the boredom away during this waiting period. Today I went out and found a red-throated loon, which is rare around these parts.

Speaking of birdwatching these days, I have an essay on virtual birdwatching (with my cat) at McSweeney's. Blame them for the title, it was originally just "Virtual Birdwatching."

[KZK]

17 minutes ago, largeheartedboy said:

Speaking of birdwatching these days, I have an essay on virtual birdwatching (with my cat) at McSweeney's. Blame them for the title, it was originally just "Virtual Birdwatching."

Ugh! I had a publication do that to me as well (change the title of an essay for more clicks) and I really don't love the new title. I used the essay as a sample for a few schools and was so conflicted about which title to use, haha. 

This piece is really great! Thank you for sharing, I loved reading it! 

[mrvisser]

21 minutes ago, largeheartedboy said:

Speaking of birdwatching these days, I have an essay on virtual birdwatching (with my cat) at McSweeney's. Blame them for the title, it was originally just "Virtual Birdwatching."

This is great! Short and sweet and reminiscent of those early-quarantine days, when all this virtual stuff was kind of new and, not exactly fun, but a break from monotony. 

I'm guessing that upstate NY feeder you reference is the Cornell Labs one? I've spent a fair amount of time watching that one.

[largeheartedboy]

34 minutes ago, mrvisser said:

I'm guessing that upstate NY feeder you reference is the Cornell Labs one? I've spent a fair amount of time watching that one.

It is! All the Cornell Labs live cams are worth watching!

[feralgrad]

20 hours ago, M-Lin said:

It's been probably more than a week since I sent in my request for the MFA Draft Facebook group but still nothing... is anyone here in the group? What kind of information is shared/discussed there? Do you find it valuable? 

I see you got accepted into the group, but I'll share my experience with Draft from last year. It's very helpful for gathering info, but once I'd applied, being on Draft increased my anxiety. Watching other people get their results made my own waiting process more difficult. Of course you have that dynamic on GC too, but somehow seeing someone's real name/pictures/etc made it feel too "real" -- it's so much easier to start unfairly comparing yourself to a stranger's profile.

That said, I got some great tips for preparing for my funding interview. Plus can be a nice place to commiserate. Just be wary of when you're doomscrolling!