InHacSpeVivo Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 I'm not sure if anyone else is waiting for Kentucky, but in case you are, I spoke with the admissions office today and they said the second round of acceptances should be coming out "soon."
Dr. Old Bill Posted March 6, 2015 Posted March 6, 2015 So I figured it was time to email my LOR writers today to let them know that a.) I struck out of Ph.D. programs, and b.) I'll be pursuing an M.A. at UMD. It actually makes things tough again, because all of them were certain I would have received multiple offers. "I'm frankly much surprised that programs did not gobble you up" wrote one, and confirmed that his letter "strongly and sincerely recommended you for admission." I'm realizing that that's the most difficult part of all of this. I can deal with my own disappointment easily enough. I can put it in its place and bring it out to scare me if I start getting lazy about things. But the disappointment of others makes me feel an inch tall. It's actually quite amazing how I've generally made my peace with the situation, only to have these little reminders crop up, and carry with them the incredulity of my not getting in anywhere. Idiot, xolo, janaca and 3 others 6
1Q84 Posted March 6, 2015 Posted March 6, 2015 So I figured it was time to email my LOR writers today to let them know that a.) I struck out of Ph.D. programs, and b.) I'll be pursuing an M.A. at UMD. It actually makes things tough again, because all of them were certain I would have received multiple offers. "I'm frankly much surprised that programs did not gobble you up" wrote one, and confirmed that his letter "strongly and sincerely recommended you for admission." I'm realizing that that's the most difficult part of all of this. I can deal with my own disappointment easily enough. I can put it in its place and bring it out to scare me if I start getting lazy about things. But the disappointment of others makes me feel an inch tall. It's actually quite amazing how I've generally made my peace with the situation, only to have these little reminders crop up, and carry with them the incredulity of my not getting in anywhere. Totally agree. One of my letter writers has a visible reaction of disappointment when I update him on my notifications. Two of them have told me that my letters were "the strongest they've ever written" so I guess the unspoken assumption is that my other app materials were lacking :/ Sigh, guess it's just another form of rejection to deal with... On the plus side, it's making me so @#%#$$% inside that it's pushing me to work 1000x harder going forward in order to redeem myself. janaca and Dr. Old Bill 2
Dr. Old Bill Posted March 6, 2015 Posted March 6, 2015 Totally agree. One of my letter writers has a visible reaction of disappointment when I update him on my notifications. Two of them have told me that my letters were "the strongest they've ever written" so I guess the unspoken assumption is that my other app materials were lacking :/ Sigh, guess it's just another form of rejection to deal with... On the plus side, it's making me so @#%#$$% inside that it's pushing me to work 1000x harder going forward in order to redeem myself. Yeah, I'm right there with you, my friend. I had the opportunity to write a paper on Auden the other day, and it felt good to get back to the kind of writing I love to do most -- analytical, comparative writing. It's not the modern vogue in academia, but it's what I do best, and what I enjoy. Writing it reminded me that I am a strong and engaging writer, and that I do have a passion for this field. I had a couple of "chore" papers last month that had me doubting myself, but getting back to the kind of work I love convinced me otherwise. It's a path worth pursuing as long as I can. empress-marmot 1
allplaideverything Posted March 7, 2015 Posted March 7, 2015 So I figured it was time to email my LOR writers today to let them know that a.) I struck out of Ph.D. programs, and b.) I'll be pursuing an M.A. at UMD. It actually makes things tough again, because all of them were certain I would have received multiple offers. "I'm frankly much surprised that programs did not gobble you up" wrote one, and confirmed that his letter "strongly and sincerely recommended you for admission." I'm realizing that that's the most difficult part of all of this. I can deal with my own disappointment easily enough. I can put it in its place and bring it out to scare me if I start getting lazy about things. But the disappointment of others makes me feel an inch tall. It's actually quite amazing how I've generally made my peace with the situation, only to have these little reminders crop up, and carry with them the incredulity of my not getting in anywhere. Totally agree. One of my letter writers has a visible reaction of disappointment when I update him on my notifications. Two of them have told me that my letters were "the strongest they've ever written" so I guess the unspoken assumption is that my other app materials were lacking :/ Sigh, guess it's just another form of rejection to deal with... On the plus side, it's making me so @#%#$$% inside that it's pushing me to work 1000x harder going forward in order to redeem myself. I went through this sort of thing during my MFA admissions season a few years back, but I think their incredulity / surprise is meant to make you feel better, meant to say "We really think you're so great! Sorry it didn't work out for you this year," and not, "I did my job, you must not have done yours." They love you and want you to succeed, and their disappointment is almost certainly in commiseration with you, and not meant to make you feel worse. Dr. Old Bill, empress-marmot, catalavaino and 2 others 5
empress-marmot Posted March 7, 2015 Posted March 7, 2015 I'm sorry to you two, and everyone else whose application season did not go as happily as they might have wished. I think my recommending professors were a little bit unaware of how competitive the PhD admissions process is nowadays. Most of them did this a couple decades ago, after all. They thought my materials were fine, and I don't want them to blame themselves. When I break the news to my professors, I will try to focus less on the rejections (still haven't collected all those yet) and more on the merits of the program I will attend. What do y'all think? Another round of handwritten, hand-decorated thank you notes? Or a sincere email?
fancypants09 Posted March 7, 2015 Posted March 7, 2015 (edited) Hi everyone! Checking in after a bit of a hiatus...just started teaching spring semester again, and flew to LA this week to visit yesterday and today and flying back. I can't believe that the visit is already over and now all that remains is the final paperwork before starting in the fall! It seems like not that long ago when we were slogging through our applications and tearing our hairs out while waiting for decisions. Just wanted to share this thought as I am sitting in the hotel room on my final night To GCers going on campus tours, have so much fun! EDIT: Just catching up on the last few posts on informing letter writers of not-so-great decisions from schools---most of them have focused on the acceptance and not on the rejections. I'm thinking of doing a final thank-you/gifting when all of my decisions come in. Still waiting for Chicago Comp Lit to send me the rejection letter... Edited March 7, 2015 by fancypants09
TeaOverCoffee Posted March 7, 2015 Posted March 7, 2015 I have four more to hear from. The season's not over for me yet!
Mattie Roh Posted March 7, 2015 Posted March 7, 2015 So I figured it was time to email my LOR writers today to let them know that a.) I struck out of Ph.D. programs, and b.) I'll be pursuing an M.A. at UMD. It actually makes things tough again, because all of them were certain I would have received multiple offers. "I'm frankly much surprised that programs did not gobble you up" wrote one, and confirmed that his letter "strongly and sincerely recommended you for admission." I'm realizing that that's the most difficult part of all of this. I can deal with my own disappointment easily enough. I can put it in its place and bring it out to scare me if I start getting lazy about things. But the disappointment of others makes me feel an inch tall. It's actually quite amazing how I've generally made my peace with the situation, only to have these little reminders crop up, and carry with them the incredulity of my not getting in anywhere. Ugh. Think this may be the worst part of the whole thing. It's so awkward. You're trying not to sound let down and they're trying to sound optimistic. It was especially hard for me this second time around because it's like "Well, I guess your confidence in me was sorely misplaced. Again." But whatever. At least I'm not on an endless waitlist this year -- last year I had to wait until April 15th to officially let people know. Dr. Old Bill 1
InHacSpeVivo Posted March 7, 2015 Posted March 7, 2015 I'm there with you, TOC. Same number even! TeaOverCoffee 1
1Q84 Posted March 8, 2015 Posted March 8, 2015 They love you and want you to succeed, and their disappointment is almost certainly in commiseration with you, and not meant to make you feel worse. Thanks for saying this... and it's a good reminder that my letter writers' support is not always merely professional support. I actually can't wait to buy them some small gifts and write thank you cards. I'm so grateful to them!
CrashJupiter Posted March 8, 2015 Posted March 8, 2015 I'm not sure if anyone else is waiting for Kentucky, but in case you are, I spoke with the admissions office today and they said the second round of acceptances should be coming out "soon." I <3 you. InHacSpeVivo 1
InHacSpeVivo Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 After contacting the DGS, found out I'm waitlisted at Lehigh (very small WL; only two). The good news is they only make funded offers, so if you move off the waitlist funding is guaranteed. empress-marmot, TeaOverCoffee, Lycidas and 6 others 9
thepriorwalter Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 InHac!!! Congratulations! That IS a small wait list! Glad to hear it.
InHacSpeVivo Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 Thanks guys! I am in Canada presently (yay!), and just realized this is totally the wrong thread for WLs. Sorry about that!
1Q84 Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 Thanks guys! I am in Canada presently (yay!), and just realized this is totally the wrong thread for WLs. Sorry about that! Clearly Canadian soil is a good luck charm... stay there longer! Congrats!! allplaideverything 1
mikers86 Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 Just a friendly reminder that (99% of) professors who are willing to write you letters of rec genuinely believe in you and your talents, and aren't let down or disappointed if you do not manage to get into a program. If anything, they're disappointed in adcomms - absolutely not you. And remember, there are endless reasons why a qualified candidate may not get into a program. Each program doesn't advertise what variety of students they're potentially looking for in a particular cohort. For instance, if last year they took 3 Victorianists, and there are 2 or 3 in their 3rd year, and 2 more in their 5th, odds are they will be looking to fill in other another area of concentration with faculty who have fewer students at this point in time. It's not a hard and fast rule, but definitely one of the larger factors in some programs. softcastlemccormick, Mattie Roh, windrainfireandbooks and 5 others 8
Dr. Old Bill Posted March 11, 2015 Posted March 11, 2015 Just thought I'd mention that I got a very kind, personal email from Nathan Mead at Northwestern in response to a query I made a few weeks ago about possible reasons for not getting accepted etc. While he couldn't give me any specifics, it was still nice and thorough...and it's truly amazing how good it feels to receive any sort of personal contact from a program. It's the kind of thing that can certainly sway me into reapplying for a program. greenmt, SilasWegg, InHacSpeVivo and 1 other 4
CrashJupiter Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) InHacSpeVivo, it looks like your apps are all in. What did you hear from Kentucky and when? Edited March 22, 2015 by CrashJupiter
InHacSpeVivo Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) InHacSpeVivo, it looks like your apps are all in. What did you hear from Kentucky and when? I contacted them the first week of March because I had a deadline with funding tied to it. They don't have a formal wait list, but said I was a "finalist." Since I have so much pending I told the school with the deadline I couldn't let them know before 4/15, so they withdrew the offer, and I asked Kentucky to keep me in consideration if a spot opens up. ETA: I realize this is a convoluted, somewhat non-answer, but it's the whole truth of it. In short, I think it's worth emailing the DGSfor an answer if you haven't heard yet. Good luck! Edited March 22, 2015 by InHacSpeVivo
CrashJupiter Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 I contacted them the first week of March because I had a deadline with funding tied to it. They don't have a formal wait list, but said I was a "finalist." Since I have so much pending I told the school with the deadline I couldn't let them know before 4/15, so they withdrew the offer, and I asked Kentucky to keep me in consideration if a spot opens up. ETA: I realize this is a convoluted, somewhat non-answer, but it's the whole truth of it. In short, I think it's worth emailing the DGSfor an answer if you haven't heard yet. Good luck! Thanks!
jhefflol Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 Hi, friends! I'm just checking in to see how everyone's doing! I'm still waiting to hear back from 4 (?!?!) schools, but I was unofficially offered a job teaching comp at a CC in the fall, so I'm excited about that! However, I'll be back next year for my second season of applications. I'm so happy for all the amazing acceptances this cohort has had! Woooo! empress-marmot, windrainfireandbooks, jean-luc-gohard and 7 others 10
windrainfireandbooks Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 Congrats on the job offer jhefflol! That is wonderful news! jhefflol 1
1Q84 Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 Hi, friends! I'm just checking in to see how everyone's doing! I'm still waiting to hear back from 4 (?!?!) schools, but I was unofficially offered a job teaching comp at a CC in the fall, so I'm excited about that! However, I'll be back next year for my second season of applications. I'm so happy for all the amazing acceptances this cohort has had! Woooo! HOORAY! jhefflol and 1Q84 2
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