CrashJupiter Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 So as someone who days ago had steeled herself for another round of applications, it is with great pleasure I can say what a difference a few days makes. So far I've been offered MA slots at UVA, Boston U, and University of South Carolina. While the first two were unfunded and sent me into a fury of Scotch sipping and accounting tape, USC offered me very generous funding for their MA (50% tuition abatement year one, 100% year 2, and generous stipends for both years PLUS I GET TO TEACH IN YEAR TWO YAAAASSSSS). Honestly, I think I've learned a lesson in being humble. I applied to USC as my complete and utter everything-has-gone-to-shit backup (which is extra ridiculous because they are ranked #77 and have a great reputation). I was so grateful to get that e-mail and know that I don't have to sit out another year AND I won't have to be in debt $100k or $64k respectively for UVA or BU. More than that, now that the worry of finances is gone, I can see what an honor it was to get offered MA slots from UVA and BU. Yeah, it is somewhat a "consolation" and the lack of funding gives me sad face, but as someone coming from a generally unheard of SLAC with a 4 year gap in my undergrad career and a writing sample I now realize could've been stronger, I am impressed that my application was given such consideration. I'm now hoping that an MA at USC will further prove my track record in academia, prove I can cut my own at graduate-level work, and polish my skills up enough so that when the time comes for me to apply to PhD programs UVA, BU, and (god willing) a few others will offer me that golden ticket. Congrats to everyone and any Uni of South Carolina peeps hit me up~* P.S. Lesson to the kiddies - don't let something like a desire to get out in the world let you demean the value of local programs. Seriously. I am currently in my second year of the MA program at SC. If you have any questions or anything, let me know. Pol4ris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel_kaye13 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 In re "felt I wasn't in the same league" and "SO behind my peers": forgive my language, but that's horsepoo. Everybody's got strengths, everybody's got weaknesses, everybody's got different experiences and backgrounds that shape them and their scholarship. You're a peer, period! The ND visit was sort of amazing--the program is just as rigorous/intense/interdisciplinary/cool as you'd imagine (or more so, even!), but the community was extraordinarily warm, welcoming, and supportive (of each other, and the interviewees), and the OE grad students there (both at the MI, and in the English dept) are doing some really, really cool work. And yes: coming from a state school background myself, the sheer amount of financial resources available to fund research there is jaw-dropping. It felt like very other meeting was some (delightful) variation of "let me tell you about all the money I get for my students"! "forgive my language, but that's horsepoo." I'm out of up-votes, yet again, but I wholeheartedly like you. :D I didn't mean to sound demeaning, I just was thinking of all my colleagues I graduated with, doing their thing already. I know I was doing something, too, overseas, and everything in time and season (I wouldn't trade a thing, really)...But girls tend to compare, when we shouldn't. :-) Rightly chastised! ^^ Oh wow angel_kaye, you are saying exactly the same stuff I've been saying about where I am in my studies, and how I compare to the other Anglo-Saxonists around here...it's kind of uneal! We in English studies are so neurotic, aren't we @_@! The program down at USC sounds amazing! I'm upstate in Clemson for my MA, and I know we all have quite a bit of respect for the work going on down there. Even if you feel behind now, you're going to have so much fun nailing down your research interests with the help of the professors down there, I wouldn't worry at all. At least, that's what I keep telling myself about my own anxieties. If we already knew exactly what we were going to be doing and researching 100%, we wouldn't need the help and resources being offered at these programs! Oh my gosh, Hannalore, I feel we should talk! But you'll be leaving soon, to whatever program! I had NO idea you were at Clemson, comPLETELY went over my head! If we're still in the area at the same time, or you come back to your stomping ground, we'll definitely have to dialogue more. (I only say later so that I can get a little knowledge in my head and not appear QUITE the dunce! Undergrad studies have never seemed so long ago.... #getmebacktothebooks??? ;-) ) I did my research of the area before applying, I promise, but I didn't realize Clemson had a graduate program for English! I really feel so silly now! But whatever! Neurotic A/S's unite! I actually was thinking about that: after receiving word of my acceptance, I immediately messaged the director back, and she told me to send any questions her way. Well, the only question I had was about a fellowship, which I queried about. Lo and behold, this morning, I re-read back through the email - BECAUSE I'm neurotic like that [or excited, I've heard it both ways] - and there it is. Glaringly. I have used the wrong "their." I never do that. 10 sheets of red. (I typed the email on my phone, like I do.) And now I hate phones. ;-) All this talk really makes my heart happy. I cannot thank either of you enough. I'm already excited, but you never really know. But "murmurs" of great things happening in Virginia and Toronto were what initially started me on this journey, and so it makes me feel all the more secure about the murmurs happening between ND, Clemson, etc... I'm the ever-thanker, but thank you, thank you, thank you, most from my heart.~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyburd Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 To everyone waiting on Toronto, I received a phone call offer last monday to the MA in creative writing program (which I accepted). The director of the program told me that an official letter would be mailed out around February 26th. I am assuming the English MA letters will also go out around that time. He said they don't send email notification, but I'm not sure if that's just for creative writing or all MA programs. I am assuming the latter. I also applied to the regular MA program but will not be accepting that offer should i receive it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pol4ris Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I am currently in my second year of the MA program at SC. If you have any questions or anything, let me know. Thanks so much I have a lot but I'll try to start off light! I suppose in general, what is the environment in the department like and how big is the cohort? Do most people get along, and if so, is it more in the spirit of coworkers or is there plenty of hanging out beyond the campus? What kind of opportunities are available during the summer? Are there classes to take, classes to teach, or any study abroad programs available to grad students who are studying English? From my understanding, ENGL 691 is required for all incoming MA students and ENGL 700 is highly recommended, is this correct? And if so, are we also expected to take the follow up ENGL 692? And how common is it for students to opt out of ENGL 700 and would doing so make me look like a twat (I took two classes in undergrad exploring the same themes and would prefer to take courses in my subject area)? Foreign Language. I know we have to pass the reading proficiency exam but does the department offer any resources (free audits of language classes, access to cd-rom or digital language software, etc.) to help us? If not, would taking a foreign language class count toward the 15 elective credits or would this be a class we took in addition and paid for out of pocket? Finally, there was some conflicting information regarding MA students and comp exams on the site. However, the impression I've gotten is that this practice is essentially being terminated (I believe you would have had the ability to opt out), correct? I'm sorry for so many questions but thank you for whatever information you can provide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pol4ris Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I switched so quickly into interrogation mode that I forgot to say thanks to everyone and to return the congrats~* Please forgive me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsKingfishersCatchFire. Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Anybody want to claim the Oregon acceptance? CrashJupiter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__________________________ Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Argh, not English or Comp lit but I don't know where else to say it... accepted to Cornell's Medieval Studies Ph.D. program and Fordham's medieval studies M.A.... both with full funding... unræd, Dr. Old Bill, pannpann and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
margeryhemp Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Argh, not English or Comp lit but I don't know where else to say it... accepted to Cornell's Medieval Studies Ph.D. program and Fordham's medieval studies M.A.... both with full funding... AHHHHH CONGRATULATONS!! This is so, so great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurayamino Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 UPenn acceptance on the board. Congrats whoever you are!! *pulse steadily climbs up a few notches* pannpann 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katla Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Argh, not English or Comp lit but I don't know where else to say it... accepted to Cornell's Medieval Studies Ph.D. program and Fordham's medieval studies M.A.... both with full funding... You rock mollifiedmolloy!!! Congratulations! And yes, also congrats to anonymous UPenn admit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurayamino Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Argh, not English or Comp lit but I don't know where else to say it... accepted to Cornell's Medieval Studies Ph.D. program and Fordham's medieval studies M.A.... both with full funding... Ack! I missed this one, my apologies. Congratulations mollifiedmolloy! You rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashJupiter Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Thanks so much I have a lot but I'll try to start off light! ... I'm sorry for so many questions but thank you for whatever information you can provide! I'm sending you a private message with answers to the best of my knowledge. If anyone else is interested in seeing the answers, just let me know and I'll send it to you, as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjmullis Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 UPenn acceptance on the board. Congrats whoever you are!! Yes, congrats anonymous lucky UPenn acceptance! If you're reading this, show some mercy on us and send us details? Do you know if all acceptances will hear today? *pulse steadily climbs up a few notches* ^me, in a nutshell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pol4ris Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I'm sending you a private message with answers to the best of my knowledge. If anyone else is interested in seeing the answers, just let me know and I'll send it to you, as well. Sounds good. After I posted I thought about how I should've PMed but I got lost in my excitement~ Thanks! And congrats to the new admits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__________________________ Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 AHHHHH CONGRATULATONS!! This is so, so great! You rock mollifiedmolloy!!! Congratulations! And yes, also congrats to anonymous UPenn admit! Ack! I missed this one, my apologies. Congratulations mollifiedmolloy! You rock ...Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unræd Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Argh, not English or Comp lit but I don't know where else to say it... accepted to Cornell's Medieval Studies Ph.D. program and Fordham's medieval studies M.A.... both with full funding... YEEEEEESSSSSSS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashJupiter Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Anybody want to claim the Oregon acceptance? I'd also love to hear details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windrainfireandbooks Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Argh, not English or Comp lit but I don't know where else to say it... accepted to Cornell's Medieval Studies Ph.D. program and Fordham's medieval studies M.A.... both with full funding... This is fantastic news! Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slightlymoreanonymous Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Congrats to all the new PhD admits! I know it's small stuff compared to most of your crazy awesome schools, but I was just accepted to Iowa State and Purdue's MA programs with teaching assistantships...eek! lunalit, empress-marmot, heja0805 and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InHacSpeVivo Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Congrats, Ashley! That's awesome news! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarolineNC Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Congrats to all the new PhD admits! I know it's small stuff compared to most of your crazy awesome schools, but I was just accepted to Iowa State and Purdue's MA programs with teaching assistantships...eek! Funded MA programs are not small news in any universe. Congrats! bgt28 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hreaðemus Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Argh, not English or Comp lit but I don't know where else to say it... accepted to Cornell's Medieval Studies Ph.D. program and Fordham's medieval studies M.A.... both with full funding... Eek, how exciting!!! Cornell's Medieval Studies program looks amazing!!! (And I don't know much about Fordham, but I'm sure it's great too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgt28 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Old Bill Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 (edited) 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 I may well be the poster child for swinging for the fences for a Ph.D. program, and falling short (though fortunately catching a great M.A. offer along the way). Perhaps this is a convenient lie I'm telling myself in light of my own circumstances, but I'm starting to think that M.A.-to-Ph.D. is generally preferable. I think the true "star" candidates (top GRE scores, top GPA, publications, conferences, great UG institution etc.) will always have a decent shot of making the B.A.-to-Ph.D. leap, but I suspect that if there's anything that is even remotely "weak" about your application, you might get passed over in favor of someone who has demonstrated excellence at the graduate level. It makes a lot of sense, in a way, regardless of what you yourself (and friends, professors etc.) know you are capable of. I really don't get the sense that it means any more than that, honestly. A good way to find that out is look at faculty webpages at various reputable programs -- you'll see a lot of professors who got their M.A. (or A.B.) at the same place where they got their Ph.D....but you'll also see a lot who got their M.A. somewhere else -- usually somewhere good, but somewhere that is NOT the place where they received their Ph.D. For my own part, I'll have a B.A. from William & Mary, an M.A. from University of Maryland, and I don't think any future Ph.D. program etc. is going to scoff at either of those institutions. The same should be true for you, I would think. The bottom line is that based on most of what I've heard and read -- on GC and elsewhere -- there is usually NO disadvantage to getting an M.A. before getting a Ph.D. On the contrary, it might be to your benefit. ETA: And a funded M.A. offer from NYU is no small feat. Congrats again! Edited February 23, 2015 by Wyatt's Torch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgt28 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 (edited) I may well be the poster child for swinging for the fences for a Ph.D. program, and falling short (though fortunately catching a great M.A. offer along the way). Perhaps this is a convenient lie I'm telling myself in light of my own circumstances, but I'm starting to think that M.A.-to-Ph.D. is generally preferable. I think the true "star" candidates (top GRE scores, top GPA, publications, conferences, great UG institution etc.) will always have a decent shot of making the B.A.-to-Ph.D. leap, but I suspect that if there's anything that is even remotely "weak" about your application, you might get passed over in favor of someone who has demonstrated excellence at the graduate level. It makes a lot of sense, in a way, regardless of what you yourself (and friends, professors etc.) know you are capable of. I really don't get the sense that it means any more than that, honestly. A good way to find that out is look at faculty webpages at various reputable programs -- you'll see a lot of professors who got their M.A. (or A.B.) at the same place where they got their Ph.D....but you'll also see a lot who got their M.A. somewhere else -- usually somewhere good, but somewhere that is NOT the place where they received their Ph.D. For my own part, I'll have a B.A. from William & Mary, an M.A. from University of Maryland, and I don't think any future Ph.D. program etc. is going to scoff at either of those institutions. The same should be true for you, I would think. The bottom line is that based on most of what I've heard and read -- on GC and elsewhere -- there is usually NO disadvantage to getting an M.A. before getting a Ph.D. On the contrary, it might be to your benefit. ETA: And a funded M.A. offer from NYU is no small feat. Congrats again! Thank you so much for your response. I agree completely. And, as I was telling a friend earlier, what's so wrong with learning a little more/a little longer? In fact, isn't that the point? Edited February 23, 2015 by bgt28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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