Fall 2014 applicants??

[shortstack51]

Out of curiosity, what made you hate community college? I've thought about teaching CC before, so if it ends up being the pits, I'd like to avoid it! Is the school you're talking about with mediocre placement rates your wait list or your unfunded offer?

[Horb]

I'm a little worried about job placement too. But I figure if I publish a lot, get conference presentations, and score some prestigious scholarships (you know, NO BIG DEAL), I don't have to be worried. Plus Tufts has a pretty good name recognition rate. 

[Academicat]

Out of curiosity, what made you hate community college? I've thought about teaching CC before, so if it ends up being the pits, I'd like to avoid it! Is the school you're talking about with mediocre placement rates your wait list or your unfunded offer?

 

I've taught basic writing classes within the college of developmental programs at a large, open admissions, urban university and I LOVED it. The challenge in teaching the class was that all of my students were wildly different and had different talents and needs, but that was also the strength of the class because discussions were rich and interesting.

 

I will say that teaching classes at a CC, depending on the CC, requires strong classroom management skills and the ability to make connections with people who come from a variety of backgrounds, so it's not for everyone. I saw some of my colleagues get run over by their students, especially those who were used to teaching in a more traditional setting. It might be awful for some teachers, but others are great in a CC setting.

[shortstack51]

I've taught basic writing classes within the college of developmental programs at a large, open admissions, urban university and I LOVED it. The challenge in teaching the class was that all of my students were wildly different and had different talents and needs, but that was also the strength of the class because discussions were rich and interesting.

 

I will say that teaching classes at a CC, depending on the CC, requires strong classroom management skills and the ability to make connections with people who come from a variety of backgrounds, so it's not for everyone. I saw some of my colleagues get run over by their students, especially those who were used to teaching in a more traditional setting. It might be awful for some teachers, but others are great in a CC setting.

 

Great to know, thanks--I have some education in my background (I took a year of graduate education courses plus ~30 hrs student teaching), so perhaps it could work out if it needs to. I'm thinking about trying to see if I can find some sort of summer position now that I'll have my MA.

[iExcelAtMicrosoftPuns]

I took a little google street view tour through my potential campuses today...

Why had I not done this before?!?!?!?!

[Romanista]

Did any Villanova applicants get the email about the Open House? I'll be going simply because I live like 10 minutes from campus. Frankly it's kind of strange to be invited since I haven't been admitted yet. Perhaps they only contact local applicants? 

[bgguitarist]

Couldn't wait any longer and called Iowa. They told me via phone that I was rejected and that they already sent out the letter a few days ago (via snail mail, I presume). Damn, I really thought I had a chance here still. 

 

So, right now I'm wait listed at one place, and I have an unfunded offer at another (with possibly funding to come). This really, really sucks. If you're accepted or wait listed at University of Minnesota, and you're studying in the 18th/19th century lit category, and you know that you're going to decline please do so asap.   

 

Sorry to hear that, Bunny!

 

They updated their website, too. Mine says "Not accepted." Who needs that much snow, anyway?

[ProfLorax]

Actually, I initially only applied to three schools. Calgary was a last minute ordeal based on encouragement from a professor. I applied only locally (except for Calgary) because my husband and I purchased a condo this last year. So, we agreed that I would apply based on location the first time around. I chose schools nearby based on fit and professors. I was also in a bit of a financial bind due to the aforementioned condo purchase. Lucky for me, my top choice in the country is local! (GWU)

 

If I don't get in anywhere this year, then I am going to apply to schools around the country. This will give me time to get funds in order, research more schools, and give us time to pay down our mortgage a bit in case we end up selling or renting the condo later.

 

So, ultimately, I have a plan in place for the (likely) possibility of not getting into any programs this year. This go-around was just an unfortunate confluence of financial circumstances that were easily mitigated by my desire to get into schools that happen to be local. I would definitely /prefer/ to get into a school this time, but I will be okay if I don't! In a second round of applications, I will likely apply to these same schools as well as others.

Oh wow. Yes, it's hard to apply widely when you have family and financial obligations locally. I'm still crossing my fingers for you (heck, offers can come in in April!), but if you don't have any luck this year, I would definitely chock it up to numbers. It sounds like you're a competitive applicant, and even then, luck and probability can play such a huge factor in this process. I'm hoping all the hope you get to stay in the DMV area and enjoy the pupusas! 

 

Thanks. This process just totally sucks. I'm just worried that if I go to a school ranked in the 60s that I won't get a job later. It looks like this school doesn't have particularly good placement rates. The job market is hard enough, so I'm not sure what to do. I don't think I can go through this application process again though. 

Hugs, love, and empathy, m'dear. I know it's hard to believe, but it is still early yet. Can you visit the school? Maybe you'll see it's a perfect fit (or not!) once you've visited in person. Good luck.

 

Out of curiosity, what made you hate community college? I've thought about teaching CC before, so if it ends up being the pits, I'd like to avoid it! Is the school you're talking about with mediocre placement rates your wait list or your unfunded offer?

Like Academicat awesomely said, it isn't for everyone. But I can tell you this: it was certainly for me. I LOVED teaching at the community college level. In fact, I applied for both PhD programs and a full-time CC teaching position last year. The teaching position ended up being eliminated due to funding, and the lack of funding and job stability are certainly drawbacks of community college teaching. That being said, the diversity, resilience, and creativity of my students made teaching so much fun. In fact, I wrote a bit about my experience in a short essay for my composition class last semester:

 

"When I was first hired as an adjunct instructor at (so and so community college), a handful of people warned me that the level of writing would be egregious, that my biggest obstacle would be staying motivated in the face of 'bad writing.' After I started teaching there, people would still take the opportunity to bemoan the steep fall of writing skills from this new generation. I heard this conversation everywhere, including in department meetings. Everyone was fretting about the disappearing act of good writing.

 

But the reality was, the writing my students produced was thought-provoking, challenging, and ripe for transformation. During my first semester, I noticed that many of my basic writing students had the knack of poetic turns of phrase, creative outlooks to mundane problems, and sophisticated ways of positioning themselves within a complex global issue. Sure, sentences and paragraphs needed revision, and students needed to consider what it meant to write for an external audience, but overall, the writing I had read was not bad at all—in fact, it was dynamic and risk-taking. Their writing was bursting with potential with seeds of brilliance shining through."

Edited March 6, 2014 by proflorax

[igetstuffdunn]

Honestly have kept a stiff upper lip about the 8 rejections before this one, but nothing hurts more than the UW one. That is my dream school and Seattle is my dream town. I felt robbed when I had to leave their undergraduate program to move back to CA and I've been desperately trying to get back ever since.

 

Ugh, just totally hate this feeling. Don't know how to cope at this point. Any suggestions?

[BunnyWantsaPhD]

So much to respond to! Thanks for the caring thoughts and advice everyone!

 

I wouldn’t worry so much about the ranking. Baylor University is ranked 121 and their placement stats are ridiculously high. Besides, that fluctuates so easily. The new US World News rankings come out on the 11th, so maybe your school will bump up.

 

If you know the school hasn’t had much luck in placing students, though, that’s a bit more concerning. That being said, who knows what the market will be like when we graduate? I think the job market, like PhD programs, are all about fit. If you find the right fit, you’ll get hired. We all walk into this knowing that it may take 6 or 7 years (or maybe even more) to land a tenure track line somewhere. I think if the school is one where you’ll be happy and can pursue your interest areas, go for it

 

I am hoping that all the baby-boombers retire by the time we get done! So who knows what will happen! But, as far as the school goes, I'm not sure it is a great fit. I applied to it because it was close by and decently ranked. I've heard they only offer 2-3 classes per semester, and that their program is going down hill, so it doesn't make me excited to go there. I figure that I'll make the best of any place that I go to by trying to publish, etc, but it just seems like this place doesn't have good resources, and it makes me bummed that this could potentially be where I get my PhD. 

 

 

I did send emails and have received wonderful feedback as a result. Here’s my template:

 

 

Dr. NAME,

 

Thank you for the opportunity to apply to PROGRAM AND SCHOOL. If a moment in your schedule allows, would it be possible to find out what I might do to become a more competitive applicant in the future?

 

Thank you sincerely for your time and consideration.

 

Best,

 

NAME

 

 

I hope that’s helpful in some way! 

 

Thanks for the template! That does help! 

 

Out of curiosity, what made you hate community college? I've thought about teaching CC before, so if it ends up being the pits, I'd like to avoid it! Is the school you're talking about with mediocre placement rates your wait list or your unfunded offer?

 

I didn't like teaching at a community college mostly because of the lack of control over the classroom and the type of students. I know that it's not the same everywhere, but at this place there were rigid guidelines about attendance and what books I could teach, etc. It just felt very micromanaged. The students were typically non-traditional, which I don't really have a problem with, but their skills and desire to learn writing were exceptionally low. The place I taught at was mostly for business majors, so they really didn't want to be there. And, while some students don't use spell check at 4-year universities, some of these students were so awful that they weren't even capitalizing the first words of sentences. I just didn't have the patience for it. 

 

Also, the place that I'm talking about having bad placement rates is the unfunded offer, not the wait listed one. 

 

 

Sorry to hear that, Bunny!

 

They updated their website, too. Mine says "Not accepted." Who needs that much snow, anyway?

 

Right? Boo. BOOOO. 

 

Hugs, love, and empathy, m'dear. I know it's hard to believe, but it is still early yet. Can you visit the school? Maybe you'll see it's a perfect fit (or not!) once you've visited in person. Good luck.

 

 

But the reality was, the writing my students produced was thought-provoking, challenging, and ripe for transformation. During my first semester, I noticed that many of my basic writing students had the knack of poetic turns of phrase, creative outlooks to mundane problems, and sophisticated ways of positioning themselves within a complex global issue. Sure, sentences and paragraphs needed revision, and students needed to consider what it meant to write for an external audience, but overall, the writing I had read was not bad at all—in fact, it was dynamic and risk-taking. Their writing was bursting with potential with seeds of brilliance shining through."

 

Thanks for the empathy. I appreciate it. I actually did visit the department and wasn't too thrilled with my experience. Actually, it depressed me. But, if I get funding, I feel like I should go. I can't go through this application process again with no guarantees that something better will happen. 

 

I'm glad that you had a cool experience teaching at a community college--it just shows that there are tons of different experiences no matter where you teach. But, I definitely did not have the same experience. The writing was poor both in terms of skill level and level of depth of their ideas. 

Edited March 6, 2014 by BunnyWantsaPhD

[JSTORPolka]

The place I taught at was mostly for business majors, so they really didn't want to be there. And, while some students don't use spell check at 4-year universities, some of these students were so awful that they weren't even capitalizing the first words of sentences. I just didn't have the patience for it. 

 

 

And of course, this is not specific to CC students. My partner teaches at a top university in Indiana, and he had a student once who failed to capitialize a single word. Zero capitlized words in their entire essay! He ended up circling each word, and wrote, "Huh" at the bottom of the first page.

 

But yes, the environment certainly varies.

[HereToday]

Honestly have kept a stiff upper lip about the 8 rejections before this one, but nothing hurts more than the UW one. That is my dream school and Seattle is my dream town. I felt robbed when I had to leave their undergraduate program to move back to CA and I've been desperately trying to get back ever since.

 

Ugh, just totally hate this feeling. Don't know how to cope at this point. Any suggestions?

 

When I first applied to MFA programs, I didn't get into anything.  The next year I did the dance again, got into one, and it was at the bottom of my list: I ended up loving it, and then I applied-received an MA, taught a few years at the university & community college level, and loved that, too.  Put together a small list of schools/POIs that I wanted to continue my research at/with, spent a year prepping (still tanked the GREs), and so far have been accepted to one, and wait-listed at another (waiting to hear from 2 more).

 

Untraditional route to a PhD, but it was mine and I owned it, and couldn't be happier.  Seems like very few people have a plan for grad school that works out as planned.  

 

Allow yourself to be bummed for a day or two, and then make a new plan and go for it.  It'll hurt for a bit, but then new and more doors will open for you, if you work at it.  You won't be the first person to have a crappy application season, and you definitely won't be the first to bounce back afterward.

[mikers86]

Woo! Got my Purdue rejection.

[iExcelAtMicrosoftPuns]

Woo! Got my Purdue rejection.

Sorry to hear that.

Mine shouldn't be far off.

[igetstuffdunn]

When I first applied to MFA programs, I didn't get into anything.  The next year I did the dance again, got into one, and it was at the bottom of my list: I ended up loving it, and then I applied-received an MA, taught a few years at the university & community college level, and loved that, too.  Put together a small list of schools/POIs that I wanted to continue my research at/with, spent a year prepping (still tanked the GREs), and so far have been accepted to one, and wait-listed at another (waiting to hear from 2 more).

 

Untraditional route to a PhD, but it was mine and I owned it, and couldn't be happier.  Seems like very few people have a plan for grad school that works out as planned.  

 

Allow yourself to be bummed for a day or two, and then make a new plan and go for it.  It'll hurt for a bit, but then new and more doors will open for you, if you work at it.  You won't be the first person to have a crappy application season, and you definitely won't be the first to bounce back afterward.

 

Yeah, this is my second application season, I know that life goes on but it's really encouraging to hear your story. I really appreciate the kind words. I know it isn't the only school that I'd be happy at, and I'm fortunate to have gotten into a few decent semi-funded MA programs. I need to focus on doing well at one of those instead of wallowing in misery. That campus just really really felt like home but I got a little fixated on the school.

 

I've always been a little untraditional. I guess there's nothing wrong with enjoying the ride and putting in the extra time, but I really needed to have that reminder. Congratulations on your acceptance. It sounds incredibly well-deserved. I'm sure that having to work that much harder to continue on has made you a stronger an applicant and more confident in your goals. Hopefully I'll be there someday too.

[mikers86]

I'm not particularly disappointed at this point. It's more a relief to just hear one way or another and end uncertainty.

[MedievalMadness]

Rejected by Calgary. 

 

Well, I guess I did want to hear from programs, didn't I?

 

This was a special scholarship program and the professor was only accepting one candidate. He sent me a very nice email. 

[Kamisha]

Rejected by Calgary. 

 

Well, I guess I did want to hear from programs, didn't I?

 

This was a special scholarship program and the professor was only accepting one candidate. He sent me a very nice email. 

 

I’m sorry, MM  I still think you’ll get an acceptance! 

[grubyczarnykot]

I was just accepted to McGill's MA program! With small initial funding but it sounds by the email that more funding will follow???? UGHHH I was also accepted to uMaine with full funding so now I'm so torn.... do I accept the better-funded offer with less prestige or the offer with less funding but way better PhD placement and also more reputable faculty, who are more relevant to my interests? Crisis mode commence. 

[bgguitarist]

I was just accepted to McGill's MA program! With small initial funding but it sounds by the email that more funding will follow???? UGHHH I was also accepted to uMaine with full funding so now I'm so torn.... do I accept the better-funded offer with less prestige or the offer with less funding but way better PhD placement and also more reputable faculty, who are more relevant to my interests? Crisis mode commence. 

Congrats! 

[Nyctophile]

Honestly have kept a stiff upper lip about the 8 rejections before this one, but nothing hurts more than the UW one. That is my dream school and Seattle is my dream town. I felt robbed when I had to leave their undergraduate program to move back to CA and I've been desperately trying to get back ever since.

 

Ugh, just totally hate this feeling. Don't know how to cope at this point. Any suggestions?

I hesitated to respond but I know that crappy feeling and I just in general have a difficult time keeping my mouth shut, so here goes!

 

From my stats this season I have no reason to complain, 3 accepts/2 waitlists and from great schools. However, when I got my Stanford rejection I was incredibly disheartened. It wasn't about wanting one more acceptance, it was about my dream school. I'm really lucky to have the options I do but it has been a long time coming. In high school I worked my butt off b/c I desperately wanted to attend college on the east coast. My over protective parents put an end to that idea and instead I worked my way through a no-name state school. During my last two years of undergrad I went through a hell of a lot of emotional/family crap leading to depression and almost getting kicked out of school for failing grades. I also met my ex-husband (which was its own kind of disaster). That turned into almost 10 years of putting my dreams on the back burner for someone who had no direction (and as it turns out, no morals). Once I saw that there was no saving us I went back to school to get my credential so I would have a means of supporting myself. By this point I had almost completely given up on my dreams of a PhD. I thought no way could I be out of school for so long, with such a lackluster undergrad record and still get into a graduate program. Who would want me? What could I possibly have to offer?

 

I took some time to just review where I was and what I wanted, what I absolutely had to have. Then I came up with a plan to get there. I knew that I couldn't walk straight into a PhD program, my only chance was to get an MA first and to somehow effing rock it. This would be challenging b/c based on my past academic record, the only place I might get into was another no-name state school. I was so embarrassed, I was supposed to be this great brain and here I was 30, trying to finally do what I should have been doing in my 20s. After meeting with the grad advisor (who was not very optimistic) and figuring out a way that I could be admitted despite my low undergrad gpa I applied and got in. Here I am, three years later having met the cohort of my dreams (they really are like family) and some amazing professors who have my best interests at heart.

 

The point of all of this is to tell you that a setback is just that. It's a temporary pause. YOU decide how to respond. What do you want? What can you absolutely not live without? Look at how many times I messed up and got in my own damn way! The things that held me back weren't even outside things, they were my own stupid decisions. That Stanford rejection felt like death when I got it but after taking a step back I can see my way again. This is all my long-winded way of saying don't give up. Rejections are the freaking worst, let yourself feel that and don't feel guilty about it. Just know that 1. obstacles can turn into blessings, 2. if you want something you can make it happen. I believe in you. 

 

If you ever want to vent off-thread, feel free to PM me. Also, if there's anything that I can do to help you if you decide to apply next year, let me know. I feel like I got some incredibly good advice from the professors in my department and it's worked out well for me. Another classmate who has applied this round also got into several great schools, I'd be happy to share the advice we were given.

[pdh12]

So inspiring!

[Kamisha]

Out of blasted up votes. Boo. 

[collikl]

Yeah, this is my second application season, I know that life goes on but it's really encouraging to hear your story. I really appreciate the kind words. I know it isn't the only school that I'd be happy at, and I'm fortunate to have gotten into a few decent semi-funded MA programs. I need to focus on doing well at one of those instead of wallowing in misery. That campus just really really felt like home but I got a little fixated on the school.

 

I've always been a little untraditional. I guess there's nothing wrong with enjoying the ride and putting in the extra time, but I really needed to have that reminder. Congratulations on your acceptance. It sounds incredibly well-deserved. I'm sure that having to work that much harder to continue on has made you a stronger an applicant and more confident in your goals. Hopefully I'll be there someday too.

 

Just want to send you some positive vibes too. This is my third round of PhD apps, and I'm presently in the same position I was two years ago-- two wait lists (last time, neither panned out, including one at my dream school). In the meantime, my SO has been pursuing his PhD in the same field, so I feel you. I'm surrounded by friends pursuing what I have not been accepted to do yet and was rejected from the past two years. It's HARD. But you just keep going. You keep trying. You don't let the system beat you down (at least too much . . .). Coming to this site is always oddly uplifting, because we're all going through this together, both good and bad.

[despejado]

Accepted to Nova with their Liberal Arts Presidential Fellowship and a tuition waiver. HELL YEAH.