No Such Thing As A Safety School

[DEClarke85]

So, I just got rejected from the school I figured was my safety... wow...

[llerri]

This is always a quirky process, and I think it's even worse this year because of all of the economic turmoil. Lots of people are getting disappointing surprises, I think. Good luck with the outstanding apps, and try not to let this get you down (easier said than done, I know).

[YagglesSnaggles]

I know a few guarantees, but revealing them could be costly. And it depends how low you want to go. :mrgreen:

[DEClarke85]

Good luck with the outstanding apps, and try not to let this get you down (easier said than done, I know).

Thank you so much! Good luck to you too!

[Comfect]

As I found out last year, the only safety is a school where you're already holding an acceptance in your hands. Alas.

Best of luck with the rest of your apps!

[UnlikelyGrad]

Haven't been rejected yet, but still haven't heard from one of my "safety" schools--one I thought I'd be a shoo-in for--had already talked to a professor who was interested in working with me. My application was in months ago. Blah...

[orinincandenza]

Word up. My 'safety school' rejected me first out of the ten programs I applied to.

[Sibilance7]

When I applied to a mix of MA and PhD programs in 2006, my safety (Case Western Reserve), which is unranked, rejected me for the MA, but I was later accepted by Ohio State, which is ranked in the thirties. There are also stories of people getting into places like Berkeley but not getting accepted to much less prestigious programs. This process doesn't always make sense, so don't give up hope!

[mentalyoga]

Yeah, got my first rejection today where I thought I was absolutely a shoo-in. I had all of the 'paper qualifications' (GPA, GRE, etc.), in addition to having 5 or 6 faculty members with research interests almost identical to my own, a great relationship between my undergrad program and their grad, AND had 'connections.' Not even waitlisted--I'm just baffled. Not that I don't understand that there are better applicants out there, but this was a real shocker, I have to confess. And now I'm flipping out, because I figure if I couldn't get into a program that was a 'perfect fit,' how the hell will I get into those that always seemed more difficult to me in this whole process. I suppose only time will tell, but my prospects are looking pretty bleak right now. And it didn't help to have *this* be the first rejection, either.

[lyonessrampant]

Too true. I thought I was into Northwestern for sure. . . first rejection. Didn't get into my dream school, so I think I'm going to try one more year rather than settle for a place I don't want to be. This could be career suicide. . . but hey, not worth dreaming unless you dream big and work for that dream. Right? Good luck to everyone waiting. This is a crazy process and I'm sure that things will work out, eventually, even if we have to jump through some hoops to get where we want to be.

[DEClarke85]

so I think I'm going to try one more year rather than settle for a place I don't want to be.

I wish I had another year. I graduate from my MA in August. If I don't get in anywhere this year, I have to try and find a job with an MA in English. Basically... if that comes to pass... I can hope and pray for adjunct employment at the school I'm at now or hope that a school district in the area will let me go through Emergency Certification. However, the second option is most likely out of the question as I won't know if that is the road to take until Mid March through Mid April, making my job application late for that route, and I still have 3 hours to take this summer to complete my MA, which blocks me from taking the required certification courses this summer.

In the words of Avenue Q, IT SUCKS TO BE ME!

[lyonessrampant]

Hi DeClark, I wouldn't feel quite so stuck. Of course, I don't know your life situation, but I have an MA too. My husband is also in law school. I turned down a Notre Dame Ph.D. to go do an MA at UChicago cuz he got into a law school in Chicago then after he finished his first year, he got deployed to Afghanistan and now I'm home in Montana with an MA working as a quality assurance program director for a medical transcription company. I tell you this only to illustrate that you can do *something* for a year if you don't end up either at the school you want to be at or without options this year. Scraping by for one year might be worth it in the long run if you in turn get to be at a school you love and then doing what you love as a profession for your life. In the whole scope of our lives, 1-2 years is less than 5% of your life. Don't get me wrong. It feels like the end of the world right now to me too, but long term, I feel anyway that giving things another year to work out might make all the difference when I look back at my life. I don't mean to give you advice, but I've had lots of people I love and trust telling me this and I've come to think they've got it right, at least in those moments when I'm not wanting to drink the entire 1/5 of Jack. Basically, we'll all get through this. I hope things work out for you All my best.

[marshmallow]

DEClark, sorry to hear about Texas Tech. Have you looked into alternative certification? With a degree in English, you shouldn't need to take any classes. With alternative certification (in Texas) you can do the modules online and take the certification tests in person. It might be a good option. Hopefully the economy will look up for next year's apps!

[DEClarke85]

Thank you to both lyoness and marshmallow.

I did not know you could do certification online. It is something I am thinking of. I still have two place to hear back from. I'm really pulling for MU Ohio!

[zoberg]

So, I just got rejected from the school I figured was my safety... wow...

I had two and was rejected from both!

Perhaps Madison has evolved into my new safety school, since I am a Wisconsin resident... although I'm not entirely sure whether that helps my application. Maybe it's time for me to stand outside the department chair's window and make puppydog faces.

[Spritely]

Was Texas Tech the safety school? I applied to their creative writing PhD as one of my (several) safety schools, and was also surprised not to be admitted. I have a strong creative writing background and Master's, although I know they let in some people from their creative writing Master's program and therefore have less space for outsiders.

I applied to eight schools last year and only got into one (Boston Unviersity), but without funding. In this second year I applied to fourteen schools, many of which I considered "safety" schools. Although, this year I was rejected from BU and waitlisted at a school that outright rejected me last year, so things do change from year to year.

My number of remaining schools has dwindled from 8 yesterday to 5 today (plus two waitlists--fingers crossed). Good luck to all with your remaining programs!