0% Confidence of Acceptance

[ComeBackZinc]

Two Espressos makes a lot of valid and important points.

[spasticlitotes]

Have you thought of looking into a semi-funded MA degree at a smaller-not-big-name university? Like perhaps UNC-Charlotte? I'm sure this isn't the only one out there, but this department is ridiculously supportive for students who have the potential for a PhD and they have a lot of brilliant professors who are at the top of their field (esp. you, comp/rhet people!). They don't do tuition remission, but they give you a tiny bit of funding if they offer you a TA-ship, and that teaching experience is golden because you get to stay within the realm of English. You'd have to get another part-time job, but the tuition (in-state, at least, and out of state isn't heinous) isn't bad, so you'd probably come out with less than 10-15 grand in debt, which is half of the number being thrown out now. In-staters could live in slight poverty and pull through without debt, and I'm sure every state has at least one school like this.

[JayJay329]

The sad reality is that most of us PhD-hopefuls (I'm one of them) will end up as adjuncts. I'm okay with that very real possibility; I love English enough to embrace such a fate. And while being paid less than $20,000 a year is terrible, to put it mildly, being paid $20,000 while trying to pay back $30,000 in loans is even worse.

I hope you heed my advice.

Thanks for the perspective. Fortunately I got wait listed for funding yesterday, so am feeling slightly more hopefully. The adjunct statistic is frightening, especially since I make more money than that working part time at the job I have now. But hey, follow your passion right? I am positive I would have a mental break down if faced with the prospect of working a monotonous corporate job for the rest of my life and no longer able to continue my studies. I know reading/ research/ writing is something that can technically be done solo, but doing it in a university seems much more exciting.

Have you thought of looking into a semi-funded MA degree at a smaller-not-big-name university? Like perhaps UNC-Charlotte? I'm sure this isn't the only one out there, but this department is ridiculously supportive for students who have the potential for a PhD and they have a lot of brilliant professors who are at the top of their field (esp. you, comp/rhet people!). They don't do tuition remission, but they give you a tiny bit of funding if they offer you a TA-ship, and that teaching experience is golden because you get to stay within the realm of English. You'd have to get another part-time job, but the tuition (in-state, at least, and out of state isn't heinous) isn't bad, so you'd probably come out with less than 10-15 grand in debt, which is half of the number being thrown out now. In-staters could live in slight poverty and pull through without debt, and I'm sure every state has at least one school like this.

The school I am considering this for is NC State, so probably the same tuition in-state? Sadly they don't offer partial funding though, and are offering only 6 TA-Ships out of 40 applicants (for lit MAs). I haven't even looked into UNC Charlotte - maybe next go around if that ends up happening

[ComeBackZinc]

The adjunct statistic is frightening, especially since I make more money than that working part time at the job I have now.

Personally, I'd like to think of the community here as people who are going to be unusually successful. Rationally, I know that the numbers say that some significant majority of the people who post here are going to expect to get tenure track jobs someday and won't get them. It's a lot to think about.

[pelevinfan]

Personally, I'd like to think of the community here as people who are going to be unusually successful. Rationally, I know that the numbers say that some significant majority of the people who post here are going to expect to get tenure track jobs someday and won't get them. It's a lot to think about.

It really is. As much as I feel like I will be an excellent, TT-worthy professor, everyone who posts here seems like they will be as well. The statistics, however, say otherwise. It really is pretty miserable. I personally take comfort knowing that I have virtually no crossover with anyone who posts on here, so at least I won't be in direct competition with you all!

[Two Espressos]

Two Espressos makes a lot of valid and important points.

Thanks. Most of my perspective comes from the exceptionally helpful advice of other grad cafe members over this past year, so a communal "thanks" is in order.

Personally, I'd like to think of the community here as people who are going to be unusually successful.

I think this too! It's wishful thinking perhaps, but I feel like many of the users on this site are the crème de la crème of the grad school set (evidenced, as I see it, by the many admissions to strong programs that many users receive each season). I believe that there are a lot of extremely intelligent future educators, theorists, etc. among us.

Rationally, I know that the numbers say that some significant majority of the people who post here are going to expect to get tenure track jobs someday and won't get them. It's a lot to think about.

True, though, as I said above, It seems to me that the grad cafe houses a large percentage of the highly talented, so I'd like to imagine that many members will be much more successful than they anticipate!

[lolopixie]

I have 2 rejections, 2 implicit rejections, and one app still under review. I have given up hope and feel like I was just fooling myself. I'm starting to get really pissed that I did all this work and spent all this money (for the 2nd time) only to be rejected across the board again. It really sucks when you're told you're not good enough....and I worked so freaking hard. Depression is settling in.

[anxious_aspirant]

I have 2 rejections, 2 implicit rejections, and one app still under review. I have given up hope and feel like I was just fooling myself. I'm starting to get really pissed that I did all this work and spent all this money (for the 2nd time) only to be rejected across the board again. It really sucks when you're told you're not good enough....and I worked so freaking hard. Depression is settling in.

Hear hear on "spending all this money." At least I won't have to shell out the GRE fees again if I reapply next year, but really...App fees, plus GREs (got to love that the subject test doubles that amount), the cost for all those extra GRE reports if you apply to more than 4, transcript fees. (Plus maybe a lifetime of therapy, in which I work out my feelings of inadequacy...?)

I'd like to say that I knew that this was a long shot going into it (I did), but the application process is designed to get hopes up...researching schools, developing semi-creepy intellectual crushes based on faculty profiles, crossing fingers that you'll be able to reap the benefits of those intellects...then the "long shot" realism turns into a super let-down...

[WithDoubt88]

I'm very nervous there may be a bias against babies dressed as penguins.

HILARIOUS! I love text/image web jokes!!

[GodzillaGrad]

I have 2 rejections, 2 implicit rejections, and one app still under review. I have given up hope and feel like I was just fooling myself. I'm starting to get really pissed that I did all this work and spent all this money (for the 2nd time) only to be rejected across the board again. It really sucks when you're told you're not good enough....and I worked so freaking hard. Depression is settling in.

This. My second season so far has resulted in 8 rejections, 1 implicit rejection, and me waiting on 3 schools (one of which is notorious for unfunded PhDs). I honestly do not know what to do with myself for another year or if I can stomach another application season. I'm starting another list of schools for 2013 as I feel my "fitness" was a bit off at some of my schools to give my idle mind some stimulation (I can't even distract with schoolwork as I'm waiting for my final formatting notes from my department approved master's thesis). Ugh.

I'm going to try to use it as motivation. Tear through some theory. Apply to all the conferences I can find. But, it just feels hopeless . . .

[Fiona Thunderpaws]

I had a nightmare last night that I got rejected from everywhere, so they sent me back to high school for remedial English lessons. Yep.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Fiona Thunderpaws

[anxious_aspirant]

I had a nightmare last night that I got rejected from everywhere, so they sent me back to high school for remedial English lessons. Yep.

Ha! I had a dream last night that I attended my wait-list school and my arch-nemesis decided to attend, too. (Not that I really have many nemeses, but ya know, we all have those people who make life more difficult.) Apparently I have a subconscious fear of the "rollercoaster" effect continuing to dominate my life.

[lolopixie]

This. My second season so far has resulted in 8 rejections, 1 implicit rejection, and me waiting on 3 schools (one of which is notorious for unfunded PhDs). I honestly do not know what to do with myself for another year or if I can stomach another application season. I'm starting another list of schools for 2013 as I feel my "fitness" was a bit off at some of my schools to give my idle mind some stimulation (I can't even distract with schoolwork as I'm waiting for my final formatting notes from my department approved master's thesis). Ugh.

I'm going to try to use it as motivation. Tear through some theory. Apply to all the conferences I can find. But, it just feels hopeless . . .

The thought of doing this a third time enrages and devastates me at the same time. I honestly do not know what else I could do to improve my application. I completely rewrote my SOPs, geared them to the programs, rewrote my writing sample, retook the GRE TWICE, have been published, attended 2 national and one regional conference, have 3.9 GPA, good letters of rec, good fit programs, chaired a conference panel, all while working full-time. I don't know if I could do this a third time. Why am I not good enough?!?!!? I figured out what I did wrong last year - this year...I have no fucking clue.

[Datatape]

I just got (essentially) rejected from my fifth school. That's five explicit rejections, one implicit and one very amorphous waitlist. Like the rest of you who haven't been admitted anywhere, I just don't have any idea what I could have done differently: 3.85 graduate GPA, three years work in the Writing Center, glowing letters of recommendation, solid GRE scores, and holding down another, full-time job. I just don't understand what else I could have done differently.

[Imogene]

@lolo wow, your application does sound amazing, esp with the publication and conferences. Have you asked for feedback from the programs you thought were especially strong fits for you yet?

With no accepts and 2 waitlists, I'm thinking that I will be doing this again next year, and I really feel like the element I need to bring into the mix is getting in touch with the programs. I feel like we're operating in the dark (ie *we* think we're a perfect fit and have strong apps, but their criteria for fit includes variables we just don't know about).

I was thinking of starting up a new thread to discuss follow-up with rejections specifically . . .

[caitlee91]

I was thinking of starting up a new thread to discuss follow-up with rejections specifically . . .

I think that is a fantastic idea. I have no acceptances and just one program left, but I do think I have an idea why my application didn't resonate with the committees. I was going to graduate undergrad a year early, but I'll just stay and graduate on time, and build up a better SOP, a better writing sample, and expand my list of conferences and publications.

Best of luck to you, though, on the waitlists!!

[JeremiahParadise]

Bumping the thread because... well, you can probably guess why. How's everyone else holding up? Woof.

[thestage]

christ, there is nothing more depressing than being in this thread two years in a row

[Two Espressos]

christ, there is nothing more depressing than being in this thread two years in a row

 

No worries, thestage: I was in this thread already too, though not as an applicant.  If I fail utterly this year, I'll be in here three years running (damn the thought!).

 

Really though, there's a goddamn lot of posts here: over a thousand?!  I know the Lit/Rhet&Comp boards are the most active on this website, but still.  And I read through all of these posts last year... really shows how I mismanaged my time...

[Datatape]

christ, there is nothing more depressing than being in this thread two years in a row

 

Yes, there is.  Being on the same page, 10.5 months apart.

 

[Imogene]

 

yeah, this pretty much captures it.  it's not even quite February (and none of my schools have started notifying) yet.

[JeremiahParadise]

No worries, thestage: I was in this thread already too, though not as an applicant.... And I read through all of these posts last year...

Aye, same. And I'm doing the same thing this year. Oddly enough, reading through last year's December and January comments is somehow comforting. Maybe it's because I know of certain commenters who were ultimately admitted last year -- ones who were just as terrified as I am/was/will be.

[t1racyjacks]

yeah, this pretty much captures it.  it's not even quite February (and none of my schools have started notifying) yet.

that's me. I think I even own the same bottles......

[TripWillis]

On the bright side, many people who have been in this thread are studying at Ph.D. programs somewhere right now, and many of those programs are among the top in the nation.

So keep ya chinz up, y'all. 

[BrookeSnow]

Oh man, this thread is totally what I'm thinking at the moment.