Post-Acceptance Stress & Misc. Banter

[Swagato]

Yes indeed. I'm leaning strongly toward UT, but as I said before, I refuse to take on loans and if I can't figure out a way to make it work without them, I won't be going. I'm hoping the visit will assuage those fears. I know someone from my undergrad department is currently at Florida, so I think I'll try to get in touch with her and get some views on the place. I don't think Michigan State is happening though, I just haven't taken the time to turn them down yet.

If I might ask--why? I recall you mentioning that Pitt had offered you a very attractive fellowship package (I think it was Pitt). Austin's funding, based on what I've read around here, is definitely not even close. Is there a very compelling reason that Austin is so attractive to you? Faculty/program fit?

[bluecheese]

Masters degree funding tends to be worse than PhD funding:

 

See the funding rankings for MFA programs - most of the schools with funding beyond the 15k range have special endowments/programs especially for creative writers.

 

http://mfaresearchproject.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/funding/

 

But, yeah, for PhD programs 13k isn't very much (especially considering that you're going to have to live off of it for 5+ years).

 

Anyway, if you're funded and not paying for your classes, at least you're getting something to live off of, and not going into much debt. I don't think going to a Master's program that pays 13k a year is the worst thing - I'd be much more hesitant to take a PhD offer at that level.

 

A bit of perspective: before MFA funding rankings were available many students would pay 100k in tuition alone to attend highly rated programs (according to US News) like Columbia, The New School, NYU, etc. There is no way that any creative degree (that is very unlikely to lead to any kind of job) is worth 100k plus the cost of living in NYC (and I have a creative writing MFA, and I'm a huge supporter of such programs). But over 100k in debt for an essentially useless degree is just crazy.

Edited March 20, 2013 by bluecheese

[dazedandbemused]

Masters degree funding tends to be worse than PhD funding:

 

See the funding rankings for MFA programs - most of the schools with funding beyond the 15k range have special endowments/programs especially for creative writers.

 

http://mfaresearchproject.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/funding/

 

But, yeah, for PhD programs 13k isn't very much (especially considering that you're going to have to live off of it for 5+ years).

 

Anyway, if you're funded and not paying for your classes, at least you're getting something to live off of, and not going into much debt. I don't think going to a Master's program that pays 13k a year is the worst thing - I'd be much more hesitant to take a PhD offer at that level.

 

A bit of perspective: before MFA funding rankings were available many students would pay 100k in tuition alone to attend highly rated programs (according to US News) like Columbia, The New School, NYU, etc. There is no way that any creative degree (that is very unlikely to lead to any kind of job) is worth 100k plus the cost of living in NYC (and I have a creative writing MFA, and I'm a huge supporter of such programs). But over 100k in debt for an essentially useless degree is just crazy.

 

It's actually an MA/PhD program and the 13k is only for the first two years. It's not nearly as dismal once you get to the PhD stage and I honestly don't think it would be difficult to live off of once you got to that point when you include the summer funding. It's really just surviving the first two years that I'm worried about.

 

Planesandtrains: I definitely believe that Texas being a red state has a lot to do with the funding. I'm trying not to blame UT for it

[dazedandbemused]

If I might ask--why? I recall you mentioning that Pitt had offered you a very attractive fellowship package (I think it was Pitt). Austin's funding, based on what I've read around here, is definitely not even close. Is there a very compelling reason that Austin is so attractive to you? Faculty/program fit?

 

Biggest factors are faculty and program fit, as well as location. Having spent the last year in Pittsburgh, I know that as much as I love it here, I'd have a hard time being productive because of--and this might sound insane--the weather. I get the WORST seasonal affective disorder, and the constant grayness, mixed with the isolation of a PhD program, is a bitch to try and overcome. I really like the program at UT as a whole, and I think it has a lot of resources that Pitt doesn't. Also, I'm not satisfied with Pitt's placement numbers for lit people.

[bluecheese]

Austin is a top 20 program - I say go for it, especially knowing that the stipend will get larger in upcoming years.

 

It's a great program even if the funding isn't perfect.

[Childermass]

Excuse the first post, but I figured I'd chime in and grumble.  I've been lurking/reading/watching results/submitting results since this whole fiasco started late last year.

 

I've been accepted to 3 MA programs after having applied to PhDs, and waitlisted at another MA.

 

Just waiting on Oxford, and grumbling because the school I do want to go to - McGill, where I also have an excellent RAship lined up - needs my answer to accept or defer by April 1.

 

And according to my Oxford contact, the English folk are just waiting on the admissions staff to churn out emails at this point!

[1Q84]

Ah, perfect place to post this.

 

How kosher is it to send thank you gifts (like a Starbucks gift card) to the grad chair at the school that you will be attending in the Fall? In all honesty, this isn't toadying, but I do sincerely want to thank her for being so supportive and helpful throughout the process of my application, all my questions, etc. I do want to send one to the admin assistant as well and I think it might look weird if she was the only one at the department to get one.

 

Any thoughts?

---------

 

Additional question!

 

How kosher is it to send thank you cards to departments that you decided NOT to attend? They were also very kind and helpful to me and this is a sincere wish to thank them as well.

 

Related: for MA programs, is there even a need to inform departments that you won't be attending? The reason I ask is because it seemed like I had to jump through a couple more hoops before enrollment and if I don't jump through those hoops, then I'm sure they'll just assume? Or is it considered super rude to not inform them?

 

As you can see my mind is just about everywhere right now...

Edited April 24, 2013 by 1Q84

[ComeBackZinc]

I would not send a gift, personally, but rather just a card with a sincere, hand-written (unless your penmanship is terrible) note.

[Phil Sparrow]

Ah, perfect place to post this.

 

How kosher is it to send thank you gifts (like a Starbucks gift card) to the grad chair at the school that you will be attending in the Fall? In all honesty, this isn't toadying, but I do sincerely want to thank her for being so supportive and helpful throughout the process of my application, all my questions, etc. I do want to send one to the admin assistant as well and I think it might look weird if she was the only one at the department to get one.

 

Any thoughts?

---------

 

Additional question!

 

How kosher is it to send thank you cards to departments that you decided NOT to attend? They were also very kind and helpful to me and this is a sincere wish to thank them as well.

 

Related: for MA programs, is there even a need to inform departments that you won't be attending? The reason I ask is because it seemed like I had to jump through a couple more hoops before enrollment and if I don't jump through those hoops, then I'm sure they'll just assume? Or is it considered super rude to not inform them?

 

As you can see my mind is just about everywhere right now...

 

I agree with Zinc: no gifts, especially to anyone in the program you will be attending. You can't go wrong with thank-you cards, though. 

[egwynn]

I'm going to third that and say that a hand-written note seems to me to actually be more sensible and beneficial than a gift.  There's no need for the recipient to feel awkward about it, but it demonstrates effort and thought from you without actually costing you much of either.

 

I also will mention that I think personalized stationery is a very worthwhile investment for things like this; most people don't write thank-you letters anymore, so making it a habit to do so sets you apart in a very good way.  I say this because I have been very deliberately and graciously thanked for at least a third of the thank you letters I've written in the past 3 years.  It's a $100 investment that will last you for a few years (and, unless you get really fancy, it will be cheaper in the long run than decent greeting cards would be).

 

Sorry, that was a bit tangential.  (But I mean it!)

[1Q84]

Thanks all! And yeah, now that I think of it, I don't know why I was thinking of giving them gift cards... preparing for grad school does weird things to the mind.

 

I love writing thank you cards, though! Very little effort and very meaningful.