2022 Applicants

[illcounsel]

I will be removing myself from the Arizona State waitlist and declining the University of British Columbia soon as I have accepted an offer at another school!

[thursdaysnext]

I have just declined my offer from the University of Connecticut. Hope this helps someone!

[sadevilminion]

19 hours ago, Shake829 said:

Here’s my biggest advice to avoid waiting after you get an MA. In your first year, approach a professor with similar interests and ask for an independent study. Be transparent and say that your goal is to produce a PhD worthy writing sample. A lot of my cohort did this and got accepted to good programs before I did. I wish I had done this!

I totally plan on doing this. I did something similar with an undergrad prof for my current writing sample and I’m very happy with it.

 

In other news, being inpatient with UIUC, I emailed their grad studies office manager (following the link in the application portal ultimately led to her, and the DGS mentioned somewhere on the website that we could email her as well, so I went with this one). Her response is that they are still reviewing applications and will send results in early April. I don’t know if the DGS knows more than the GSOM (my acronym, lol), but I’m surprised it wasn’t the “all acceptances have been contacted already” that others have received. Maybe she is too nice to tell me, lol. There is no way they’re still reviewing applications when the first admits were 2 months ago, right?

 

edit: forgot to mention that this fuels my delusional pipe dream of being on a secret waitlist

Edited March 22, 2022 by sadevilminion

[Starbuck420]

23 hours ago, Shake829 said:

nd here’s the sad reality: Jobs in our field are hard to come by. I’m adjuncting and have been doing so for a while as I wait for the opportunity to start my PhD. If you want to do a PhD after, you’ll likely look for temporary work while you fill out your application (like adjunct work).

This is a good point and a very likely scenario post-grad for newly minted MAs. Also very good advice about unfunded MAs. If you have to pay for it, don't go. Simple as.

on the flipside, I'll just say that I had very little trouble finding sustainable, full-time alt-ac work after my funded MA. everyone's circumstances vary, of course, and it's obviously not a career oriented degree outside of academia, but I don't really have any hard skills or notable work experience beyond teaching composition, and still got a suitable job several months before I graduated. the same is true of several of my friends from the program. so, I think you give really good advice here, but also I think a terminal MA can be relatively marketable with a little bit of showmanship. 

in short: do not despair too heavily, terminal MAs! I got very gloomy about my career prospects after putting off my PhD apps, and things have turned out fine workwise. anecdotal, of course, but I'm just saying -- it's possible things could work out for you during your weird limbo period. best of luck to all.

Edited March 22, 2022 by Starbuck420
edit: clarity

[Shake829]

7 hours ago, illcounsel said:

I just did! 

Congrats!!

[CHP47]

On 3/22/2022 at 7:55 AM, Shake829 said:

Has anyone officially committed anywhere yet? It feels like all of us are waiting on waitlist results ?

Just heard from the DGS from my waitlist school, and they basically confirmed that almost no one has committed or declined yet. You may be right that we are all waiting to hear about other schools! 

[Cordelipup]

18 minutes ago, CHP47 said:

Just heard from the DGS from my waitlist school, and they basically confirmed that almost no one has committed or declined yet. You may be right that we are all waiting to hear about other schools! 

This is what I've heard from a POI as well. It is so frustrating because it feels like everything is at a standstill. I know that movement is expected closer to April 15th.

[forgottenworks]

Just accepted my offer at UC Irvine!

[Hard times!]

On 3/21/2022 at 10:50 PM, sadevilminion said:

It’s really relieving to read these posts and see that a lot of y’all are in the same boat - selecting for funding, ranking, or dream program.

My dream program told me I was in their top 3 but is offering a miserable stipend of $10,000 per year while expecting me to pay several thousand in fees and $4000 in mandatory health insurance (I think I could possibly circumvent this by getting on medicaid). The cost of living has skyrocketed because of the “covid escape to Montana,” as I’m calling it. Three different people from their department have reached out to me to answer questions and tell me how exciting my app was, and it’s breaking my heart that I won’t be able to go there unless a money miracle happens. They are pretty low on the ranking list.
 

Another place has offered $13000 the first year and over $17000 the second! Their program is really unique, won’t make me teach the first year while I’m a research assistant, they’re higher ranked, low cost of living, department seems to have a reputation for being radical (a plus for me). Sounds amazing, but their program isn’t as tailored to my interests as the other one, and it’s in a corn field. The choice seems obvious, but my friends keep telling me to choose the other one. I suspect they just want someone to visit in Montana.

 

How to choose ?

You are going in for a Masters, right? I feel choosing the one that pays you more will be more helpful. That's just what I think given Masters programmes typically end with a dissertation and your subsequent phd will depend on what you work on and around during your Masters...

[Hard times!]

7 hours ago, Cordelipup said:

This is what I've heard from a POI as well. It is so frustrating because it feels like everything is at a standstill. I know that movement is expected closer to April 15th.

Yes, it is frustrating indeed! As someone with an acceptance and on a waitlist, I can totally see what a terrible place this is to be in--stasis--that's all it is. Good luck deciding though!

Edited March 24, 2022 by Hard times!

[Hard times!]

How do you look at departments that have been historically famous but have come down in the rankings in the past few years, especially if the decline has been steady? Also, how much does the overall ranking of a university matter in the job-market?

[Shake829]

6 hours ago, Hard times! said:

How do you look at departments that have been historically famous but have come down in the rankings in the past few years, especially if the decline has been steady? Also, how much does the overall ranking of a university matter in the job-market?

I would think it matters quite a bit. We’ve all heard that where you go is independent of the research and the work that you do, and while they may be true, it seems like an anomaly. I would think that the only time a lower-ranked program alum is chosen over an ivy alum is if the prior has published extensively to the point that they are seen as an expert. Otherwise, if two applicants have equal qualifications, I would think it boils down to ranking. 
 

At the university from which I received my masters, all of the professors in the dept had a degree from a top 20 school; there wasn’t a single exception, which is both crazy and scary to think about. It also seems to depend on the schools to which you apply for jobs. Research universities seem to be flooded with top 20 graduates, whereas university’s that focus more on teaching seem to have a lot of the “mid-tier” graduates. Community colleges seem to be a mixed bag, so to speak, but it seems that lower-ranking applicants have more success there. There’s nothing wrong with any of those options, but it does seem that where you graduate from affects both your options and your prospects. 
 

I know that you said only a few programs do studies in your field, so I assume that when a job opens up in that field, you’d have a better chance.  

[Hard times!]

3 hours ago, Shake829 said:

I would think it matters quite a bit. We’ve all heard that where you go is independent of the research and the work that you do, and while they may be true, it seems like an anomaly. I would think that the only time a lower-ranked program alum is chosen over an ivy alum is if the prior has published extensively to the point that they are seen as an expert. Otherwise, if two applicants have equal qualifications, I would think it boils down to ranking. 
 

At the university from which I received my masters, all of the professors in the dept had a degree from a top 20 school; there wasn’t a single exception, which is both crazy and scary to think about. It also seems to depend on the schools to which you apply for jobs. Research universities seem to be flooded with top 20 graduates, whereas university’s that focus more on teaching seem to have a lot of the “mid-tier” graduates. Community colleges seem to be a mixed bag, so to speak, but it seems that lower-ranking applicants have more success there. There’s nothing wrong with any of those options, but it does seem that where you graduate from affects both your options and your prospects. 
 

I know that you said only a few programs do studies in your field, so I assume that when a job opens up in that field, you’d have a better chance.  

Heyya! Thanks for the info! Haha the more I read such info the more confused i am. About my field which is very broadly picturebooks and comics, indeed very few english departments do it. A lot of media schools do comics but then I borrow significantly from English studies and philosophy and media-specificity is only a very tiny part of it. Also, in my country, it's easier to find jobs if you continue in the same department you chose as an undergrad and in my case that is English. I agree with you though--even when jobs do open up they usually do for more traditional fields. Whatever I do or have done is steeped in the Comtemporary or the post-1945 sensibilities. So, at the end of the degree, I will probably have to apply for areas like Contemporary lit. And of course a UChicago contemporary graduate would be hundred times better off than mid-tier people.

Also, by overall ranking, I meant the university ranking. There are cases in which specific departments stand out though the whole uni might not in the ranking systems. Like for instance most rankings are based off undergrad stats and very few rankings really take into account research (apart from the number of citations thing). So, for instance we all know CUNY has a great English department but it doesn't rank very highly as a graduate institution. Also, within departments, there are specialisations. So, again, CUNY does not have a very highly ranked Physics department but I have heard they are great on the astrophysics front. What were you to make of it if say the overall ranking of a uni went down by several notches despite a particular department's credibility in a certain field? I hope some of this makes sense haha and I am sorry for dragging in CUNY but CUNY serves as a great example really. I, as an international student, have heard great things about CUNY but they don't perform uniformly across departments. Also, take Rutgers (New Burnswick) for instance: they don't rank very highly among unis but has a remarkable English department. And they have had some great postcolonial studies scholars like Aankhee Mukherji (now at Oxford).

Barring a few unis like Stanford, Chicago and the other usual suspects it would be rare to find unis that have uniform ratings across the board. 

Hope this rant makes some sense haha! I know statistics are no use but still they determine so much of how we think! 

[F22910]

I was nearly decided on taking one of my acceptances until I received a waitlist offer from another school I would immediately accept if offered a spot. This is my first cycle, so I just wanted to ask those of you who are more knowledgeable to get a sense of how things go from here. What happens if I don’t hear back from the waitlisted school by April 15th?  Am I allowed to ask for an extension from the school I’ve been accepted to and wait — and if so, until when do I wait? OR Is it more common to reach out to the waitlisted school and try to ask for a decision before April 15th?

(Also, I received an external grant, and they are asking me to finalize decisions a week before April 15th — so yeah, I was initially really excited about the waitlist, but the prolonged waiting period is just making me feel increasingly stuck.)

I am hoping all three parties will be flexible if I reach out to them and explain my situation. But I wanted to get a better sense of the norm for this whole process so that I can position myself and navigate this situation wisely. Any words of advice or comments would be super helpful, or if you happen to be in a similar situation how are you managing your waitlist situation?

Edited March 24, 2022 by F22910

[illcounsel]

@forgottenworks YAY!!!!! Congrats UC friend!!!!!!

[CHP47]

1 hour ago, F22910 said:

I was nearly decided on taking one of my acceptances until I received a waitlist offer from another school I would immediately accept if offered a spot. This is my first cycle, so I just wanted to ask those of you who are more knowledgeable to get a sense of how things go from here. What happens if I don’t hear back from the waitlisted school by April 15th?  Am I allowed to ask for an extension from the school I’ve been accepted to and wait — and if so, until when do I wait? OR Is it more common to reach out to the waitlisted school and try to ask for a decision before April 15th?

(Also, I received an external grant, and they are asking me to finalize decisions a week before April 15th — so yeah, I was initially really excited about the waitlist, but the prolonged waiting period is just making me feel increasingly stuck.)

I am hoping all three parties will be flexible if I reach out to them and explain my situation. But I wanted to get a better sense of the norm for this whole process so that I can position myself and navigate this situation wisely. Any words of advice or comments would be super helpful, or if you happen to be in a similar situation how are you managing your waitlist situation?

Did the school explain their waitlist process when they offered you a spot? Is it just a ranked list or is it dependent on subfield? If you can find out a bit more how the program takes people off the waitlist, maybe you'll get a better sense of the odds. I think the April 15th deadline is pretty standard across schools so I don't know how much flexibility you'll have with them, but I might try reaching out to the fellowship to see if you can at least wait until the April 15th response deadline for the schools.  Good luck and congrats on the acceptances and fellowship!

[forgottenworks]

8 hours ago, illcounsel said:

@forgottenworks YAY!!!!! Congrats UC friend!!!!!!

Thank you! Congrats to you too!!!

[F22910]

16 hours ago, CHP47 said:

Did the school explain their waitlist process when they offered you a spot? Is it just a ranked list or is it dependent on subfield? If you can find out a bit more how the program takes people off the waitlist, maybe you'll get a better sense of the odds. I think the April 15th deadline is pretty standard across schools so I don't know how much flexibility you'll have with them, but I might try reaching out to the fellowship to see if you can at least wait until the April 15th response deadline for the schools.  Good luck and congrats on the acceptances and fellowship!

The DGS informed me that their waitlist wasn’t ranked and that it sort of(?) depended on subfield. I say “sort of” because just that someone in my field rejects doesn’t necessarily mean that my chances get higher because they could fill that spot with a person from a different field — as they are really looking at the admits holistically. (On the reverse, if someone from a different field rejects, I could end up filling that spot.) I feel this makes it harder to get a sense of my chances, you know?

Okay, so the April 15th deadline is typically fixed. I wasn’t aware of that, so thank you for confirming that for me. Also, according to my understanding, once a decision has been finalized to one school you can’t revoke it and accept a spot off the waitlist from another school. So then, please let me know if I’m missing something here because I don’t understand then, if say a current acceptance rejects their offer right on April 15th, to whom does that spot go if everyone’s finalized their decisions by April 15th? Do people end up gambling if they really want the waitlist school and give up their acceptance and just wait to hear back...?  I feel stupid for asking this... but am genuinely curious haha

[A Small Raven]

4 hours ago, F22910 said:

Okay, so the April 15th deadline is typically fixed. I wasn’t aware of that, so thank you for confirming that for me. Also, according to my understanding, once a decision has been finalized to one school you can’t revoke it and accept a spot off the waitlist from another school. So then, please let me know if I’m missing something here because I don’t understand then, if say a current acceptance rejects their offer right on April 15th, to whom does that spot go if everyone’s finalized their decisions by April 15th? Do people end up gambling if they really want the waitlist school and give up their acceptance and just wait to hear back...?  I feel stupid for asking this... but am genuinely curious haha

I think I can answer that question! The spot probably ends up going to someone like me – who his hanging on 11 rejections, and 1 waitlist. ?

[tacitus178]

I feel like I know the answer to this, but I'm in the midst of deciding between a few schools (as well as enjoying the suspense of being on a waitlist from a top choice), and one of the choices is giving me a bit of difficulty figuring out: a lower-ranked doctoral program whose ranking as a 'national university' (i.e. overall ranking) is very high (top-25).

Should I factor the university's overall ranking into my consideration or take the lower ranking of its doctoral program at face value?

While ranking is certainly not the only way I'm deciding things, I'm hard-pressed to ignore it altogether given its presumed relationship with getting a good teaching job afterwards.

Edited March 25, 2022 by tacitus178

[OperaGhost]

1 hour ago, tacitus178 said:

I feel like I know the answer to this, but I'm in the midst of deciding between a few schools (as well as enjoying the suspense of being on a waitlist from a top choice), and one of the choices is giving me a bit of difficulty figuring out: a lower-ranked doctoral program whose ranking as a 'national university' (i.e. overall ranking) is very high (top-25).

Should I factor the university's overall ranking into my consideration or take the lower ranking of its doctoral program at face value?

While ranking is certainly not the only way I'm deciding things, I'm hard-pressed to ignore it altogether given its presumed relationship with getting a good teaching job afterwards.

I would say for getting a professor job this general ranking wouldn't matter, but it might be helpful to have a big name school on your resume if you plan on going the alt-ac route (I mention this because you said you didn't care so much about teaching afterwards). You might also look into what extra types of training this program might offer (certificates, internships. etc) if you're using your PhD to expand your overall skillset. 

[nocurefortheinternet]

Hello, everyone I'm torn between UCI and another mid-tier UC (leaning heavily towards UCI) and was wondering if anyone can give honest/candid opinions about the school/ranking/job prospects. Unsure if I should wait another cycle, or if UCI offers a good English program that is widely renowned or well respected? Any help is appreciated. 

[CoffeeLovingQueer]

Hi all! Hope your weekends are off to a good start!

 

I want to see if anyone has advice for this situation I've found myself in: On Monday, I emailed one of the schools that I haven't heard back from, and I still haven't heard anything back, not even a confirmation email or some kind of generic response. (It was a direct email to the DGS, who was the contact listed for this program.) There are people who were accepted and rejected from this program weeks ago, and I've had no notice of anything. I'm trying to be patient, but I have two very exciting fully funded offers to consider. The problem is that this program that I emailed was my #1 when sending applications, which is why I emailed to check in about the timeline for notifying.

 

Is there anything else that I can/should do to try and figure out where I stand with this program? Or am I just kind of stuck waiting at this point? Really, all I want is to have a complete set of information to work with so that I can fully think out my decision.

[CHP47]

On 3/26/2022 at 6:46 AM, CoffeeLovingQueer said:

Hi all! Hope your weekends are off to a good start!

 

I want to see if anyone has advice for this situation I've found myself in: On Monday, I emailed one of the schools that I haven't heard back from, and I still haven't heard anything back, not even a confirmation email or some kind of generic response. (It was a direct email to the DGS, who was the contact listed for this program.) There are people who were accepted and rejected from this program weeks ago, and I've had no notice of anything. I'm trying to be patient, but I have two very exciting fully funded offers to consider. The problem is that this program that I emailed was my #1 when sending applications, which is why I emailed to check in about the timeline for notifying.

 

Is there anything else that I can/should do to try and figure out where I stand with this program? Or am I just kind of stuck waiting at this point? Really, all I want is to have a complete set of information to work with so that I can fully think out my decision.

Oh man, that is tough! Did you have any contact with the program previously where they did respond promptly? They could just be really busy and they'll get to it or the email got buried in other messages. Is there a department coordinator or administrator you can find contact info for? They may not know the specific outcome for you, but they are probably knowledgable enough to let you know how the overall process is going.

It may also help to go over the program again and compare it to the two existing offers you have to see if it really stacks up. One of the things that changed for me over this cycle was realizing that schools didn't necessarily have the same idea of "fit" about me and my project as I did. I only applied to 5 schools, three of which I thought were good fits and two that I thought were a stretch, but they had faculty that I liked. I didn't get into ANY of the schools I thought would be fits, but I was accepted with an additional fellowship/high on the waitlist at the stretch schools because they thought I was a better fit for their programs than I thought I was. After focusing on the programs at the stretch schools, I now have a better understanding of why those programs felt they could support my research interests and goals better than the programs that rejected me, and I have a better understanding of what my project requires. 

You may find that one of the offers you have on the table is actually a better fit than your previous first choice, or you may become even more convinced that the original first choice is correct and you might have a compelling argument if you are able to contact the school and find out you were on a secret waitlist or something.

[marif]

Is there anyone with an update about Penn State's Comparative Literature MA program?