Fall 2015 Acceptances (!)

[WilsonWilson]

There have been way too many acceptances since my last post to congratulate everyone individually, so let me just say congrats to all!

 

Also, I'm the (formerly) anonymous UPenn admit--got a call around 12pm.  I just assumed they were calling everyone this afternoon... very strange.  DGS followed up the call with an e-mail containing funding information, etc. 

[bgt28]

There have been way too many acceptances since my last post to congratulate everyone individually, so let me just say congrats to all!

 

Also, I'm the (formerly) anonymous UPenn admit--got a call around 12pm.  I just assumed they were calling everyone this afternoon... very strange.  DGS followed up the call with an e-mail containing funding information, etc. 

Congratulations!! Here's to hoping for more news: tis after all the last week of February!

[kurayamino]

Congrats WilsonWilson! I was wondering what was going on since it's just your admittance on the board. Were you nominated for a special fellowship perhaps?

 

Not that UPenn was very well represented for acceptances on GC last year, so maybe you're the unicorn in our midst! In any event, I hope you're celebrating!

[CarolineNC]

Congratulations to all the latest admits!

 

I've got something hanging over my head. I have three programs left to hear from for PhD applications, but I have a funded MA offer at NYU and would really love to hear some of my GC friends' thoughts on the (often difficult to stomach) discussion around getting an MA before a PhD. I guess I'm just feeling insecure from reading all these online blogs saying things like "Oh, an MA sounds great if you come from a middle-of-nowhere undergrad school and didn't do so hot," which can be true for some, but isn't for many of us on GC who are facing the dilemma of getting MA offers when we set out to get PhDs.

 

I guess I'm just feeling that for many of the online discussions surrounding the pros and cons of the MA-to-PhD route, it seems as though BA-to-PhD is somewhat of a statement on academic status/potential. This kind of analysis on the issue makes me uncomfortable (since who the f*@k knows why anyone is ever rejected?), and it would be nice to talk it out with you great people. Thanks for reading! xx

 

Well, I came from a large, not prestigious state school and I did very well. I still got my MA (at another large, not very prestigious state school). I see from the list of schools you have applied to that you were expecting to get into a top school right away. My experience has been very different. I would never apply to an Ivy. I feel I have no right to be at an Ivy. But also, I don't want to be at an Ivy for various reasons, tied to my beliefs about privilege, the beliefs I tie into my scholarship. I'm very happy with my choices for a PhD. 

 

If you want to go to a school that discriminates against people with MAs (whether they came from "shitty" schools or not), well, maybe you should hold off, work hard, and apply again next year. But my suspicion is that you'll have your pick with an MA from NYU, that is if everything goes as it should. My advice is to soak up everything you can and make yourself a badass PhD applicant in a couple years. 

[angel_kaye13]

Huge Congrats-shoutout to Ashley and Mollified, on your victories!!! *^^* 

[kurayamino]

Well, I came from a large, not prestigious state school and I did very well. I still got my MA (at another large, not very prestigious state school). I see from the list of schools you have applied to that you were expecting to get into a top school right away. My experience has been very different. I would never apply to an Ivy. I feel I have no right to be at an Ivy. But also, I don't want to be at an Ivy for various reasons, tied to my beliefs about privilege, the beliefs I tie into my scholarship. I'm very happy with my choices for a PhD. 

 

If you want to go to a school that discriminates against people with MAs (whether they came from "shitty" schools or not), well, maybe you should hold off, work hard, and apply again next year. But my suspicion is that you'll have your pick with an MA from NYU, that is if everything goes as it should. My advice is to soak up everything you can and make yourself a badass PhD applicant in a couple years. 

 

Yeah, I came from a CUNY school and am going right into a PhD. I think this just proves how utterly ridiculous and crazy the process is though. I think a funded MA is nothing to sneeze at and that if you feel it's right for you bgt28, you should do it.

[SilasWegg]

Congrats Ashley Mollified and Wilson! The board is victorious!

 

 

 

[rahel]

I came to check out Grad Cafe after a classmate suggested this might be a good place to find questions to ask departments while visiting, but I felt incredibly moved by the support and camaraderie that's been here and felt compelled to leave my two cents in case it may help or hearten anyone.

 

Just to reiterate one more time how much of a total, utter crapshoot this process is, I am a straight BA>PhD applicant with only one forthcoming publication, no conferences or fellowships, but I did my undergrad at an "elite" institution, had wonderful letters of recommendation from faculty who I'm sure have crazy connections in academia, and took two years after graduation to work full-time. To be honest many--if not most--of you sound like you have much more impressive resumes than I do - especially those of you applying with an MA already (you guys sound so much more focused and have-your-shit-together than me!). Those worrying about their GRE scores - my subject test was well, well below 50th percentile and I was afraid that would end up hurting me, but I find myself stunned to have three offers from top 10 (if US News is to be trusted) programs this season, and this is also my first time applying to grad school). Obviously there are a lot of other factors at play; I am applying through a recruitment program for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds that helped me workshop my SOP extensively, so that probably helped my application a lot. They have a consortium of schools (many top 25 programs) that have promised to recruit from this pool of applicants, so that may have propelled me forward despite my low subject score, and given how small some schools' cohorts are this could certainly have played a factor in shutting out highly qualified applicants who aren't affiliated with these recruitment programs. I also know there are many of these programs out there for all kinds of students, and many have agreements with these universities to waive application fees, allowing us to apply to upwards of 12-13 programs (which is a LOT of money if you are paying out of pocket yourself!). There are so many if's and but's and I'm by no means suggesting these are hard and cold reasons for acceptances or rejections, just trying to add some more information about factors that might influence adcomms and this ridiculously opaque process.

 

In all likelihood I will be bad about checking back in this forum but if anyone has any specific questions (i.e. advice I got on my SOP, recruitment programs available to students, etc.) feel free to message me privately. You are all so accomplished and such lovely people; I'm incredibly excited that some of you may end up in my cohort this fall. 

 

ETA: Apologies if this is the wrong thread to be posting this in!

Edited February 24, 2015 by rahel

[bgt28]

Well, I came from a large, not prestigious state school and I did very well. I still got my MA (at another large, not very prestigious state school). I see from the list of schools you have applied to that you were expecting to get into a top school right away. My experience has been very different. I would never apply to an Ivy. I feel I have no right to be at an Ivy. But also, I don't want to be at an Ivy for various reasons, tied to my beliefs about privilege, the beliefs I tie into my scholarship. I'm very happy with my choices for a PhD. 

 

If you want to go to a school that discriminates against people with MAs (whether they came from "shitty" schools or not), well, maybe you should hold off, work hard, and apply again next year. But my suspicion is that you'll have your pick with an MA from NYU, that is if everything goes as it should. My advice is to soak up everything you can and make yourself a badass PhD applicant in a couple years. 

 

Yeah, I came from a CUNY school and am going right into a PhD. I think this just proves how utterly ridiculous and crazy the process is though. I think a funded MA is nothing to sneeze at and that if you feel it's right for you bgt28, you should do it.

Thanks so much for your responses! I appreciate it. 

 

At this point, I'm not ready to confidently make a decision until I have the three remaining decisions; I'm not even sure I'd choose a PhD program at Yale, Harvard, or UPenn over NYU MA at this point. Regarding the question of privilege, it's a difficult situation for me, since I'm coming from an Ivy school with a BA and attempting to get into another one for a PhD. It's difficult because I had to try really hard to get to carve my place in the humanities, and having finally done so with the help of great mentors and radical-socialist professors, I'm applying to work with POIs who directly confront privilege, whether it's racialized, gendered, classed, sexualized, etc., in the ostensible citadel of privilege/exclusion. 

 

I completely agree on all fronts. I'm however lost as to programs discriminating against MAs. I'd really appreciate some clarification. Thanks so much  

[CarolineNC]

Ah, I read that as implied in your original post but I guess you didn't say it. I heard this "discriminating against MAs" discussion on grad cafe three years ago when I was applying for master's programs. It might not have any merit. Grad Cafe was a horrible place three years ago. It's much nicer now. 

[hypervodka]

Thanks so much for your responses! I appreciate it. 

 

At this point, I'm not ready to confidently make a decision until I have the three remaining decisions; I'm not even sure I'd choose a PhD program at Yale, Harvard, or UPenn over NYU MA at this point. Regarding the question of privilege, it's a difficult situation for me, since I'm coming from an Ivy school with a BA and attempting to get into another one for a PhD. It's difficult because I had to try really hard to get to carve my place in the humanities, and having finally done so with the help of great mentors and radical-socialist professors, I'm applying to work with POIs who directly confront privilege, whether it's racialized, gendered, classed, sexualized, etc., in the ostensible citadel of privilege/exclusion. 

 

I completely agree on all fronts. I'm however lost as to programs discriminating against MAs. I'd really appreciate some clarification. Thanks so much

 

There are only a few things that I would add: I'm another one of those no-name B.A.-only and it didn't hurt me, but that isn't to say that a Masters would hurt you. However, pretty much all of the programs you applied to strongly prefer candidates with only a BA (particularly Harvard and Yale).

 

Even though I don't think applying with a Masters is a bad thing, and it could give you the necessary opportunity to assess and refocus your research goals in a structured environment (which I think is the more important part of an application), but, to my knowledge, NYU's MA program doesn't have a particularly solid placement record in PhD programs (this is just what some professor at Rutgers obliquely told me in the past couple of days) and even "full funding" at NYU in general is actually difficult to maintain with New York's substantial cost of living. It may be stressful (especially in regards to trying to make ends meet), but it is a good program and may be a good opportunity. I just... I really just don't want you to feel like you have to continue school at this point. You really can just... stop for a second. You've graduated from a prestigious university: you can get a job--an internship, at a non-profit, overseas--you can get a part-time job with no direction. NYU is not the only option, and it may not be the best option.

 

I honestly think you will just benefit from time. I think that your undergrad was ample preparation, and you just need a little time for the ideas you're entertaining to percolate. You have the benefit of being rejected from the school you actually went to, so that's a great opportunity to work with people in your department to assess what parts of your application need to be improved. I was shut-out the first time I applied, I stepped away, got a job I loved and had fun with. Then, at the last minute (like September), I wrote the writing sample I used to submit. My real world experiences made my research goal far more focused than they would have been otherwise. I realized how lofty (and, worse, amorphous) my original goals were and made sure to be more specific. I also had more time, because I wasn't simultaneously studying for ETS's gibberish standardized tests and my undergraduate actual tests. Even with a job, I had more time to devote to my applications, because it didn't feel like I was going straight from working on schoolwork to working on MORE SCHOOLWORK to back to working on real schoolwork. I was exhausted and shaken. I didn't enjoy the experience of applying my first time around.

 

Still, I'm extremely biased against undergraduates applying right out of UG, especially so young (I say as if I'm not a pesky whipper-snapper myself) because there's just so much we can do that does not involve stressing about school, so, please, others chime in...

[lyonessrampant]

^ So much this.  I wish I'd been told this when I applied out of undergrad and accepted UChicago's MAPH with a partial tuition scholarship.  I'd upvote you, Hypervodka, but sadly am out of them.  Congrats on that clean sweep!

[bgt28]

There are only a few things that I would add: I'm another one of those no-name B.A.-only and it didn't hurt me, but that isn't to say that a Masters would hurt you. However, pretty much all of the programs you applied to strongly prefer candidates with only a BA (particularly Harvard and Yale).

 

Even though I don't think applying with a Masters is a bad thing, and it could give you the necessary opportunity to assess and refocus your research goals in a structured environment (which I think is the more important part of an application), but, to my knowledge, NYU's MA program doesn't have a particularly solid placement record in PhD programs (this is just what some professor at Rutgers obliquely told me in the past couple of days) and even "full funding" at NYU in general is actually difficult to maintain with New York's substantial cost of living. It may be stressful (especially in regards to trying to make ends meet), but it is a good program and may be a good opportunity. I just... I really just don't want you to feel like you have to continue school at this point. You really can just... stop for a second. You've graduated from a prestigious university: you can get a job--an internship, at a non-profit, overseas--you can get a part-time job with no direction. NYU is not the only option, and it may not be the best option.

 

I honestly think you will just benefit from time. I think that your undergrad was ample preparation, and you just need a little time for the ideas you're entertaining to percolate. You have the benefit of being rejected from the school you actually went to, so that's a great opportunity to work with people in your department to assess what parts of your application need to be improved. I was shut-out the first time I applied, I stepped away, got a job I loved and had fun with. Then, at the last minute (like September), I wrote the writing sample I used to submit. My real world experiences made my research goal far more focused than they would have been otherwise. I realized how lofty (and, worse, amorphous) my original goals were and made sure to be more specific. I also had more time, because I wasn't simultaneously studying for ETS's gibberish standardized tests and my undergraduate actual tests. Even with a job, I had more time to devote to my applications, because it didn't feel like I was going straight from working on schoolwork to working on MORE SCHOOLWORK to back to working on real schoolwork. I was exhausted and shaken. I didn't enjoy the experience of applying my first time around.

 

Still, I'm extremely biased against undergraduates applying right out of UG, especially so young (I say as if I'm not a pesky whipper-snapper myself) because there's just so much we can do that does not involve stressing about school, so, please, others chime in...

Thanks so much for this, hypervodka. I just...don't know yet. There are so many things I need to think about and it's kinda shitty. I'm quite simply paralyzed by fear at the moment. I've not really considered the possibility of not being in school, like ever, and it horrifies me to my core. 

Edited February 24, 2015 by bgt28

[LurkerNoMore]

Thanks so much for your responses! I appreciate it. 

 

At this point, I'm not ready to confidently make a decision until I have the three remaining decisions; I'm not even sure I'd choose a PhD program at Yale, Harvard, or UPenn over NYU MA at this point. Regarding the question of privilege, it's a difficult situation for me, since I'm coming from an Ivy school with a BA and attempting to get into another one for a PhD. It's difficult because I had to try really hard to get to carve my place in the humanities, and having finally done so with the help of great mentors and radical-socialist professors, I'm applying to work with POIs who directly confront privilege, whether it's racialized, gendered, classed, sexualized, etc., in the ostensible citadel of privilege/exclusion. 

 

I completely agree on all fronts. I'm however lost as to programs discriminating against MAs. I'd really appreciate some clarification. Thanks so much

Just to chime in on this, I think the M.A. bias for some of these schools vary field by field. I've chatted with a few profs about this, who suggest fields like medieval and early modern candidates can be given an advantage at any program with an advanced degree by merit of the language and theory training that accompany them. Like you BGT28, I went to an elite undergraduate institution; however, I didn't do so well thanks to my coming from an impoverished community/family, and my M.A. (from a near-unknown school btw) helped me sharpen my language and theory and really show my love for the subject. I've been accepted this year to six of the top ten programs with a lackluster undergraduate GPA. I realize that a swallow does not make a summer, but having an M.A. isn't going to bar you from a Harvard/Yale/Penn/Columbia--I and several other folk I know are walking proof of this. Congratulations on your acceptance to NYU's M.A. too! It's much better than I did when I applied to M.A.s 

[Idiot]

I find the idea that an MA could be a bad thing ridiculous. I mean, do you want to do this? If yes, how could a year of nothing compare to a year of intense academic work? If you want to be an academic, go and be one in a funded MA program. If Yale and some other schools discriminate against students with more academic experience (but I doubt it), it just speaks to their snobbism and of how far these institutions are from what actually matters. Maybe if you want a career, but... seriously? It takes time to develop sophisticated interests and to have read deep and wide enough to ask new and relevant questions. I think the only reason why some of you have been accepted to MA programs but not to the PhD is that the committees saw your talent and potential but also that you need to be more specific about what research you're interested in and that this must be in tune with what you have done before and with the demand of the academic market. I don't suggest that all applicants without MAs are less qualified. It's not really about the degrees but for how long you've been able to really focus on your work and begin your transition from student to scholar. There are a million factors of course, but hurting your chances by having an MA isn't, cannot and shouldn't be one.

Edited February 24, 2015 by Idiot

[unræd]

Well--OSU is still sending out acceptances, apparently!

[Dr. Old Bill]

I find the idea that an MA could be a bad thing ridiculous. I mean, do you want to do this? If yes, how could a year of nothing compare to a year of intense academic work? If you want to be an academic, go and be one in a funded MA program. If Yale and some other schools discriminate against students with more academic experience (but I doubt it), it just speaks to their snobbism and of how far these institutions are from what actually matters. Maybe if you want a career, but... seriously? It takes time to develop sophisticated interests and to have read deep and wide enough to ask new and relevant questions. I think the only reason why some of you have been accepted to MA programs but not to the PhD is that the committees saw your talent and potential but also that you need to be more specific about what research you're interested in and that this must be in tune with what you have done before and with the demand of the academic market. I don't suggest that all applicants without MAs are less qualified. It's not really about the degrees but for how long you've been able to really focus on your work and begin your transition from student to scholar. There are a million factors of course, but hurting your chances by having an MA isn't, cannot and shouldn't be one.

 

Excellent points, and I very much hope you are correct. I had thought my research interests were specific enough, but I retroactively remember one of my LOR writers making a very casual comment about the broadness of my objectives. It was really a "passing" comment, but I should have paid a bit more heed. I definitely see the M.A. offer I received as an opportunity to get REALLY specific. Maybe I'll focus my entire research proposal on one line of one poem by some local poet from Wigan.

 

Well--OSU is still sending out acceptances, apparently!

 

Octocongrats, Unraed!!

[MonicaBang]

Thanks so much for this, hypervodka. I just...don't know yet. There are so many things I need to think about and it's kinda shitty. I'm quite simply paralyzed by fear at the moment. I've not really considered the possibility of not being in school, like ever, and it horrifies me to my core. 

 

Trailing on hypervodka, my two cents, bgt28: I'm a huge proponent of taking some time off between undergrad and grad. One of my undergrad professors advised me to do so when I was terrified as a senior and lamenting the end of an era. I was all "I've only ever known school! Of course I should stay in school! I'm good at school and rubbish at everything else!"

 

But "everything else" turned out not to be so terribly frightening, and I gained a lot of valuable experience in a non-academic career. Now I'm embarking on the PhD with a great deal more perspective and determination. I'm not doing it because I don't know what else to do -- I'm doing it because I want to and because I know it will enrich my future career plans. 

 

In the end, there's much you can do to prepare yourself for a future in academia even if you're not ensconced in a classroom.  

 

ETA: P.S. I should add that I did end up in a career IN academia after my first few years out of it. But the experience I gained outside of academia allowed me to get my first job in a university, which led to a master's degree and a clearer understanding of the PhD process.

Edited February 24, 2015 by MonicaBang

[jean-luc-gohard]

There are only a few things that I would add: I'm another one of those no-name B.A.-only and it didn't hurt me, but that isn't to say that a Masters would hurt you. However, pretty much all of the programs you applied to strongly prefer candidates with only a BA (particularly Harvard and Yale).

 

Even though I don't think applying with a Masters is a bad thing, and it could give you the necessary opportunity to assess and refocus your research goals in a structured environment (which I think is the more important part of an application), but, to my knowledge, NYU's MA program doesn't have a particularly solid placement record in PhD programs (this is just what some professor at Rutgers obliquely told me in the past couple of days) and even "full funding" at NYU in general is actually difficult to maintain with New York's substantial cost of living. It may be stressful (especially in regards to trying to make ends meet), but it is a good program and may be a good opportunity. I just... I really just don't want you to feel like you have to continue school at this point. You really can just... stop for a second. You've graduated from a prestigious university: you can get a job--an internship, at a non-profit, overseas--you can get a part-time job with no direction. NYU is not the only option, and it may not be the best option.

 

I honestly think you will just benefit from time. I think that your undergrad was ample preparation, and you just need a little time for the ideas you're entertaining to percolate. You have the benefit of being rejected from the school you actually went to, so that's a great opportunity to work with people in your department to assess what parts of your application need to be improved. I was shut-out the first time I applied, I stepped away, got a job I loved and had fun with. Then, at the last minute (like September), I wrote the writing sample I used to submit. My real world experiences made my research goal far more focused than they would have been otherwise. I realized how lofty (and, worse, amorphous) my original goals were and made sure to be more specific. I also had more time, because I wasn't simultaneously studying for ETS's gibberish standardized tests and my undergraduate actual tests. Even with a job, I had more time to devote to my applications, because it didn't feel like I was going straight from working on schoolwork to working on MORE SCHOOLWORK to back to working on real schoolwork. I was exhausted and shaken. I didn't enjoy the experience of applying my first time around.

 

Still, I'm extremely biased against undergraduates applying right out of UG, especially so young (I say as if I'm not a pesky whipper-snapper myself) because there's just so much we can do that does not involve stressing about school, so, please, others chime in...

 

 

Trailing on hypervodka, my two cents, bgt28: I'm a huge proponent of taking some time off between undergrad and grad. One of my undergrad professors advised me to do so when I was terrified as a senior and lamenting the end of an era. I was all "I've only ever known school! Of course I should stay in school! I'm good at school and rubbish at everything else!"

 

But "everything else" turned out not to be so terribly frightening, and I gained a lot of valuable experience in a non-academic career. Now I'm embarking on the PhD with a great deal more perspective and determination. I'm not doing it because I don't know what else to do -- I'm doing it because I want to and because I know it will enrich my future career plans. 

 

In the end, there's much you can do to prepare yourself for a future in academia even if you're not ensconced in a classroom.  

 

ETA: P.S. I should add that I did end up in a career IN academia after my first few years out of it. But the experience I gained outside of academia allowed me to get my first job in a university, which led to a master's degree and a clearer understanding of the PhD process.

 

I've also been really focused on the idea that I need to move from undergrad straight into more school, whether its a PhD program or an MA, as if taking a year or two off would somehow make me lose my momentum or cause me to fall behind. Now that I see how many people have benefitted from taking time off to do other things, I'm much less terrified of the idea. Even kind of excited about it! This morning I was offered a full time position at the online publication I've been interning at. The company is tons of fun and full of really nice and supportive people. I definitely think that taking this job once I graduate is, for me, a much better option than going into an MA right now. I need some time to breathe. I also don't need debt. I think I've been so narrow minded about getting into a program and having a plan for the next few years that I haven't given myself time to consider other options.

 

Anyway, thanks for sharing, hypervodka and MonicaBang!

[SilasWegg]

Accepted at Temple! Random website check. I'd like to know more. It's a great program in my favorite city.

 

Congrats on the job Jean Luc. Time off from school can be the very best.

Edited February 24, 2015 by morristr

[margeryhemp]

Accepted at Temple! Random website check. I'd like to know more. It's a great program in my favorite city.

 

Congrats on the job Jean Luc. Time off from school can be the very best.

 

Woohooo, congrats!! Philly is the best!

[empress-marmot]

One of my MA programs just emailed me and raised my stipend $3,000 for two years. 

 

That's a lot of books, folks. Congratulations to the other acceptances today!

[InHacSpeVivo]

Congrats marmot, that'd awesome!

[CrashJupiter]

Are both Oregon acceptances the same person? The notes start exactly the same way on both.

[allplaideverything]

Just got a voice mail from DGS at Oregon! Sounds like an acceptance! (didn't add it to the board yet.)