Fall 2014 applicants??

[ArthChauc]

I've heard from many scholars that you shouldn't pay for your graduate degree at any stage. Not only should the school be funding you, but you're losing out on the opportunity to gain valuable experience teaching which helps your CV at all levels of the game. Fellowships, too, can provide esteem for a CV. Of course, do what's best for you, but I can't imagine not wanting experience in the field.

I'd get some more information from graduate students currently in MA programs (aside from me). As anyone paid for their degree on GC? I'd love to hear more.

[skgarcia]

I've heard from many scholars that you shouldn't pay for your graduate degree at any stage. Not only should the school be funding you, but you're losing out on the opportunity to gain valuable experience teaching which helps your CV at all levels of the game. Fellowships, too, can provide esteem for a CV. Of course, do what's best for you, but I can't imagine not wanting experience in the field.

I'd get some more information from graduate students currently in MA programs (aside from me). As anyone paid for their degree on GC? I'd love to hear more.

 

 

I'd love teaching experience and would devour an opportunity like that in a moment, but if I were offered an unfunded MA at a school I dreamt of attending, I'd take the opportunity regardless.  If my parents don't mind paying for it, what do I have to lose, essentially?  Remember, these situations are hypothetical;  I haven't been accepted to any program yet.  I wasn't aware very many MA students received funding, however.  I'd be interested in hearing more as well.

Edited February 13, 2014 by skgarcia

[shortstack51]

As I've argued elsewhere, there are immense benefits to being in an unfunded MA program. At least half my professors were in debt from their MA programs. I'm not from a wealthy family at all--my parents couldn't afford to have me live at home and I couldn't find work with a BA in English. When I was offered an unfunded MA at a top 50 school, I jumped at the chance. It has helped advance me a lot as a scholar and should help me get into a better program for PhD (theoretically). I'm currently working with my school's adcomm head to possibly publish. There's a decent chance I'll get into my current school's PhD program, which is fully funded at $20k a year and has an 80% placement rate. I was told I'd be insane not to take it by my undergraduate advisors.

There are plenty of benefits to an unfunded MA. It depends on your circumstance. No one should declare that any circumstance is never an option for others.

And yes, I have a ridiculous amount of debt. But I think it's worth it.

Edited February 13, 2014 by shortstack51

[mikers86]

I originally paid for it, then received a half tuition scholarship after for the entire year, and ultimately received a teaching assistantship for this past year. Granted, it was in-state tuition. But coming at it from the perspective of not needing financial assistance can reduce your opportunity for teaching. If your family is willing to help you, and that gets you into the program, which might ultimately getting you into a good PhD, then great. But just don't put yourself in a great deal of debt for an unfunded MA. They should be taking you because of your qualifications, not because you don't need funding, and also be willing to give you some kind of assistance.

[ProfLorax]

My MA was unfunded, and I paid for it via Cal Grants, a small fellowship, some part-time jobs, and loans. Fortunately, it was at SFSU, and I am a California resident. I came out of the program with $20,000 in debt. I have no regrets; I taught for three years at a community college (a job I absolutely LOVED) and am now quite happy at a great program. That being said, I hear what JLRC is saying. Debt should not be taken lightly.

 

There are lots of conflicting ideas about how to succeed in academia. I try to listen to various opinions, weigh all the options, then make the best decision for me. 

[mikers86]

I think at the end of the day you have to do what is best for you. Whatever that is. You live with the decisions, no one else on a forum does.

[despejado]

Preach, Mikers. Amen.

[skgarcia]

As I've argued elsewhere, there are immense benefits to being in an unfunded MA program. At least half my professors were in debt from their MA programs. I'm not from a wealthy family at all--my parents couldn't afford to have me live at home and I couldn't find work with a BA in English. When I was offered an unfunded MA at a top 50 school, I jumped at the chance. It has helped advance me a lot as a scholar and should help me get into a better program for PhD (theoretically). I'm currently working with my school's adcomm head to possibly publish. There's a decent chance I'll get into my current school's PhD program, which is fully funded at $20k a year and has an 80% placement rate. I was told I'd be insane not to take it by my undergraduate advisors.

There are plenty of benefits to an unfunded MA. It depends on your circumstance. No one should declare that any circumstance is never an option for others.

And yes, I have a ridiculous amount of debt. But I think it's worth it.

 

Thanks for the encouragement. 

 

I wouldn't have any debt if my parents paid for MAPH at Chicago; I want readers to understand that.  It may seem unwise to some, but I'm in a different situation, as shortstack said.  I'm a full time professional writer, right now, at 22 years old with a BA in English.  I want to attend graduate school for personal reasons, not just professional.  I want to learn and better myself, and I'm fortunate enough to have parents who can foot the bill.

 

I also totally agree with Mikers, only each of us knows what's best for us.

Edited February 13, 2014 by skgarcia

[purpleperson]

This is just a question to get my mind off the UT-Austin acceptances, but did anyone fill out that box on your applications that asked what other programs you were applying to? Or the one that asked if you could afford graduate study without a fellowship/assistantship? Just curious how everyone else answered; the questions made me feel weird. 

 

Edit: grammar

 

If memory serves, only about four of the applications i filled out asked what other schools I was applying to, and those four had blanks to fill in only about five schools, not nearly my entire list.  I did fill them out for a few schools.  I made sure, though, to do so strategically, listing a high rank school, a medium rank one, low rank, etc.  I just mixed it up so that it would look like I wasn't after a certain caliber school, but at the same time, showed that whatever school in question wasn't the "top" for me either.   I wanted a school to see itself as having a little competition for me, but also not being the underling to all other schools I was applying to.  

 

I maybe should have left it blank, but it's too late to change now.

Edited February 13, 2014 by purpleperson

[shortstack51]

Thanks for the encouragement.

I wouldn't have any debt if my parents paid for MAPH at Chicago; I want readers to understand that. It may seem unwise to some, but I'm in a different situation, as shortstack said. I'm a professional writer, right now, at 22 years old with a BA in English. I want to attend graduate school for personal reasons, not just professional. I want to learn and better myself, and I'm fortunate enough to have parents who can foot the bill.

I also totally agree with Mikers, only each of us knows what's best for us.

I was 22 when I went into my MA as well. I'm glad you have this opportunity! Graduate school is a great experience regardless of goals.

(Also, outside of the humanities, don't most other programs not offer that much funding? As far as I remember, law students and med school students are usually up to their eyes in loans, as are my engineering friends.)

[ArthChauc]

I started my MA at 22 as well. I've already been admitted to one PhD program so I'm excited to start my PhD at 24 and get married in 10 months. Woo!

[shortstack51]

I started my MA at 22 as well. I've already been admitted to one PhD program so I'm excited to start my PhD at 24 and get married in 10 months. Woo!

I have a similar situation! I haven't been accepted yet, but I'm hoping to start my PhD at 24 and then get married a year after that. most people in my program are at least 25, so I'm glad to see I wasn't the only 22 year old starting

[ArthChauc]

I'm glad to hear I'm in good company. My program is three 24 year olds and everyone else is 25+.

[despejado]

I'm still 19... I always wondered if programs would think I'm not mature enough because of the age difference between myself and other applicants. My advising prof specifically told me it was a disadvantage, and that's only one of several reasons I don't see this admissions cycle going well. I'm applying to MA programs with late deadlines right now praying to God that I'll have something to do in the interim between now and reapplying for PhDs. 

[purpleperson]

I'm still 19... I always wondered if programs would think I'm not mature enough because of the age difference between myself and other applicants. My advising prof specifically told me it was a disadvantage, and that's only one of several reasons I don't see this admissions cycle going well. I'm applying to MA programs with late deadlines right now praying to God that I'll have something to do in the interim between now and reapplying for PhDs. 

 

Wow, you are incredibly young.  You're finished with a Bachelor's degree at 19?   

[despejado]

Wow, you are incredibly young.  You're finished with a Bachelor's degree at 19?   

 

I'll be 20 when I graduate in August, but yeah that's the gist of it.

[mikers86]

Started my BA at 18, had to withdraw for a variety of reasons after 3 semesters, went back at 22, finished at 25, finishing my MA at 27 and am definitely starting the PhD (just a matter of where.) Different paths for everyone.

[andromache]

It would be nice to get into the UChicago unfunded MA program, honestly, but that was one of the university's that one of my recommenders simply didn't get a rec letter to. What a disaster my first application season has been.

[Fiz]

Just got awarded a fellowship. *sighs*

 

Making it really hard for me to stay in California at this point. I don't want to leave home, but it'd be idiotic to turn Urbana's offer down, especially now with this fellowship.

[ArthChauc]

Wow, congrats Fitz! Urbana is an amazing school and a fellowship is fantastic!

[jazzyd]

Just got awarded a fellowship. *sighs*

 

Making it really hard for me to stay in California at this point. I don't want to leave home, but it'd be idiotic to turn Urbana's offer down, especially now with this fellowship.

UIUC is a great school! Would this mean you wouldn't have to teach? I believe most of their students teach the first year, so if your fellowship allows you to just take classes, that would be awesome. What other school are you considering?

[iExcelAtMicrosoftPuns]

Tweed, I did not fill out the section inquiring as to my other applications.  In my opinion, filling that out would only possibly harm you; if they want to admit you, leaving this field blank won't deter them.  However, filling this out with information regarding your applications at much higher-level programs could possibly deter them from offering you funding.

 

I did, however, mention honestly that my parents will be paying for my graduate school.  This is a portion of the application I felt could only be win/win for me--win for the college by making money, and win for me by the acceptance.

I'm inclined to disagree with you. 

First - I can't imagine "my parents are paying my bills" is the kind of privilege that most humanities professors want to surround themselves with. This isn't an insult - I'm just looking at my profs and I'm keeping my finger on the pulse of the blogs at The Chronicle. 

Secondly - I really doubt fiscal security is a criterion when building a class. Departments build classes and select students for their intellectual capabilities.

Second-and-a-haf-ly - HOLY SMOKES! Win/Win? is this to suggest that the standards for people who can pay their own bill are somehow magically lower? You recognize this right? and you're okay with it? 

 

[proteinnn]

Does anybody have insight on the "Other" comment posted to the results list today for UChicago English? The poster asked how people had already heard from UChicago English, as this person asked the departmental rep who told him/her that results are simulataneous and hadn't been posted yet.

 

This was the impression I was also under. Furthermore, Chicago stated that no admissions decisions would be revealed directly through email, as this is a potential privacy issue, but rather everybody would be emailed to check their online application for their decision. Perhaps these were "informal" acceptances from professors previously contacted by applicants, but don't represent the full panel of 2014 acceptances. Thoughts?

 

FWIW: looking through the results tab from last year, it seems as though UChicago released several acceptances early in February (~three appeared on the list), and then extended further offers all the way through March (two additional PhD acceptances appeared on the thread in that time, sprinkled among the slough of rejections). Hard to extrapolate where the other ~20 or so acceptances were garnered. Damn the non-obsessive people who don't lurk around forums and get insanely high blood pressure during application seasons...

Edited February 13, 2014 by proteinnn

[Academicat]

I'm still 19... I always wondered if programs would think I'm not mature enough because of the age difference between myself and other applicants. My advising prof specifically told me it was a disadvantage, and that's only one of several reasons I don't see this admissions cycle going well. I'm applying to MA programs with late deadlines right now praying to God that I'll have something to do in the interim between now and reapplying for PhDs. 

 If you've finished your undergrad so young, you are likely a focused, driven person, but as someone with over ten years on you, I encourage you to recognize the freedom you have right now. You're 19 years old - you can do just about ANYTHING you want in the interim. If you're not dealing with children or a mortgage or debt, and you don't get into a program, have a year of adventures. Live simply so you can do stuff. Hike the Appalachian Trail. Start a band. Travel (megabus + hostels). Love your family like crazy and spend time with them, because as an academic, who knows how far from them you'll live in 5 years or in 10 years.

 

The whole year, write like a madwoman. Chronicle your adventures, and think about how worth it the stories are, and how you'll be able to spin them into selling points later that will make you a more enticing, experienced applicant. I hope you do get into the program of your dreams, but if you don't, it might be a boon you didn't see coming.

Edited February 13, 2014 by Academicat

[despejado]

If you've finished your undergrad so young, you are likely a focused, driven person, but as someone with over ten years on you, I encourage you to recognize the freedom you have right now. You're 19 years old - you can do just about ANYTHING you want in the interim. If you're not dealing with children or a mortgage or debt, and you don't get into a program, have a year of adventures. Live simply so you can do stuff. Hike the Appalachian Trail. Start a band. Travel (megabus + hostels). Love your family like crazy and spend time with them, because as an academic, who knows how far from them you'll live in 5 years or in 10 years.

The whole year, write like a madwoman. Chronicle your adventures, and think about how worth it the stories are, and how you'll be able to spin them into selling points later that will make you a more enticing, experienced applicant. I hope you do get into the program of your dreams, but if you don't, it might be a boon you didn't see coming.

Academicat, I really like this advice. I had been thinking about doing this recently; I could definitely work for seven or eight months, save the money, and spend the last three months traveling with whatever I've made. I think if I don't get into a PhD program, this will be the plan. I had been thinking of applying to MAs to fill the interim, but you're right. I'm in no hurry.