Dr. Old Bill Posted February 15, 2015 Posted February 15, 2015 Just checking -- who else has been accepted to UMD (either Ph.D. or M.A.)? Any plans to accept the offer? Plans to attend the open house?
Ramus Posted February 15, 2015 Posted February 15, 2015 I'm waitlisted for the PhD Med/Ren spot, and I'm considering attending the open house. The program's Ren faculty and proximity to the Folger make UMD really attractive, but I also don't want to make the trip to DC if their PhD slot isn't likely to open up. Not quite sure what to do at this point.
SilasWegg Posted February 15, 2015 Posted February 15, 2015 It seems like they haven't really sent out many acceptances for PhDs yet. Maybe there are more to come?
Ramus Posted February 15, 2015 Posted February 15, 2015 It seems like they haven't really sent out many acceptances for PhDs yet. Maybe there are more to come? I have to assume that. If I'm not mistaken, only one person has posted a PhD acceptance on the board, and I wanna say they have nine spots or so.
Dr. Old Bill Posted February 15, 2015 Author Posted February 15, 2015 I have to assume that. If I'm not mistaken, only one person has posted a PhD acceptance on the board, and I wanna say they have nine spots or so. Yes, for the English Ph.D. at least, my letter of acceptance to the M.A. program states that there are only "eight or nine" admissions that they'll be able to make from over 200 applications. I would imagine that if they've sent out offers to Ph.D. candidates for M.A. admission instead, there likely won't be any more Ph.D. offers sent out. Impossible to say definitively, of course, but it strikes me that they wouldn't send out their "lesser" option unless they had arrived at their ideal Ph.D. numbers first. Barring an acceptance to a Ph.D. program elsewhere, I plan on attending the open house next month, though I'm relatively local (about 65 miles away), making it an easy option. For what it's worth, if you are planning to fly in for it, Reagan airport (DCA) and Baltimore (BWI) are roughly equidistant, being about 20 miles or so from the campus. In other words, if you find a much cheaper option at one airport than the other, it's worth taking it. Don't even consider Dulles, unless you'd like to spend hours in a car / cab / bus / metro. Either way, it would be nice to see you there, Ramus!
hunterjumper Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 I got the same unfunded MA offer that I'm also considering as I'm local. Seems like a great program, and I wouldn't have to move!
ProfLorax Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 Hi all! If you have any questions about UMD, please let me know. I'm happy to chat about our graduate program! Also, I feel like you all might be right; I'd be surprised if all PhD candidates had heard back by now. I haven't heard who our rhet/comp acceptee is yet, and the current rhet/comp grad students are usually notified, so we can reach out. That being said, I am still on maternity leave, so I could just be out of the loop! Dr. Old Bill 1
__________________________ Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 Might as well say it here, too - I got in to the M.A. after applying the Ph.D. As I said elsewhere, I don't plan on accepting it since I have funded Ph.D. offers elsewhere. But fwiw, I thought I'd throw it out there on this this thread so that M.A. admits planning on accepting know that I'll be one less person for you all to compete with for a G.A.-ships and other financial aid.
Ramus Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 Just sent my confirmation to the DGS that I'll be attending the open house in late March. So, barring unexpected news from Rutgers, I'll see you prospective UMDers in little over a month!
Dr. Old Bill Posted February 21, 2015 Author Posted February 21, 2015 Just sent my confirmation to the DGS that I'll be attending the open house in late March. So, barring unexpected news from Rutgers, I'll see you prospective UMDers in little over a month! Awesome, Ramus! Can't wait to meet you!
ProfLorax Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 Awesome! I'll be the one with the baby. Say hi!
Dr. Old Bill Posted March 7, 2015 Author Posted March 7, 2015 Bumping this up because it has been a couple of weeks and I'm still curious.
Megeen Posted March 7, 2015 Posted March 7, 2015 I officially accepted my offer to attend the PhD Program in Comp Lit yesterday! I doubt I'll be able to attend the open house unfortunately and my contact hasn't said anything about it anyway. Still, I look forward to meeting you guys in the summer! Dr. Old Bill 1
Dr. Old Bill Posted March 8, 2015 Author Posted March 8, 2015 I officially accepted my offer to attend the PhD Program in Comp Lit yesterday! I doubt I'll be able to attend the open house unfortunately and my contact hasn't said anything about it anyway. Still, I look forward to meeting you guys in the summer! Great to hear, Megeen! We should definitely exchange PMs / emails etc. over the spring and summer. I'm not in the Comp Lit realm, but I'm sure we'll have some classes together at some point, plus I'm guessing the cohort will be fairly close, judging by what I've heard.
Scottstein Posted March 9, 2015 Posted March 9, 2015 Nice conversation guys...I feel the warmth.Being waitlisted, I can't attend the open house even if I wish to.A few oceans away. And God knows when the decisions will be made
InHacSpeVivo Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 If no one would mind, when exactly is the open house? As another wait lister I'm curious when more news might come. Dr. Old Bill 1
Dr. Old Bill Posted March 14, 2015 Author Posted March 14, 2015 If no one would mind, when exactly is the open house? As another wait lister I'm curious when more news might come. Two weeks from today! InHacSpeVivo 1
Megeen Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 (edited) How was open house? Baby and I are still under the weather, so we stayed home today. I'm so excited to hear what y'all thought of UMD and our department. Feel free to PM or email me questions! Ui, I second this! I'd love to know how the open house went because I couldn't fly in for the occasion but I'd still love to know what people's impressions were like. On Monday, I talked to Prof. Jelen in her position as Comp Lit director to talk about possible classes next semester and that made the whole thing so real Edited March 27, 2015 by Megeen
Dr. Old Bill Posted March 28, 2015 Author Posted March 28, 2015 Oh, it was fantastic! Met a couple of GCers early on -- I felt kind of dumb because both came up to me and said "Wyatt's Torch?" and I probably had a blank look on my face for a moment trying to process how they knew me...before I realized I've PMed with both of them and they knew my first name...which was on my name badge. Anyhow, for me, events started at 9:00, as I met with Dr. Leigh Ryan about potentially working in the Writing Center. She actually wrote the book (literally) on tutoring in a Writing Center. After that, I had a few one-on-ones with professors, and they were all fantastic...legitimately interested in my research goals, extremely amiable etc. Professor Donawerth even gave me a copy of A Winter's Tale. After that, there was an hour-long luncheon which was great for socializing. I chatted more with Ramus and Hunterjumper, but it was a true mingle-fest. There were many current grad students there (I'd guess at least twenty-five), and they were all outgoing, striking up conversations, giving out their email addresses, and just being generally kind, enthusiastic, and helpful. Funnily enough, I got into a long conversation with a couple of them, and happened to mention Grad Cafe and ProfLorax's excellent advice etc. They had no idea she moonlights here, so...ProfLorax, I apologize for blowing your cover! One interesting nugget is that the DGS, Ralph Bauer, was very involved in socializing...but not in an oppressive or obsequious kind of way. He would sometimes just quietly stand to the side of a group and listen to a conversation, occasionally chiming in with a quip or two...but I get a very strong sense that he is an extremely genuine human being, which makes me very happy. He legitimately cares about his students and the programs -- M.A. as well as Ph.D. There were some panels with professors, but even more enlightening was a panel with eight or so current grad students, with no professors / administrators in the room. Basically an hour of "real talk." Cost of living issues (Greater D.C. is notoriously expensive for housing), general funding crises at the state level in Maryland, juggling GAships / TAships with coursework etc. were all discussed at length. The main takeaway, however, is that ALL of the students on the panel are very happy at UMD. There was no reason for them to be cagey about this in such a context, and one of the grad students basically summed it up by saying how academic rigor is a given in any graduate program, but UMD is different in that the people they bring in -- professors and grad students alike -- all tend to be genial. And I really got that sense beyond mere words (because anyone can say that, and in a way, a day for admitted students is all about that, but it feels legitimate here). There was another panel on funding options for M.A. students which was quite helpful. I also learned that receiving a TAship / GAship automatically qualifies the bulk of your tuition as "in-state" which is particularly great for anyone getting a 1/2 TAship 1/2 GAship etc. that only covers part of tuition. Personally, it broadens the housing area options for my wife and I -- we're not tethered to living in the Maryland side of the Greater D.C. area, so we may look at Alexandria again, or Arlington etc. (still a bit of a hike for me, but I'm used to a much longer commute regardless). There was then a campus tour that I opted out of -- I planned on using the time to fire off a few emails, though discovered there was no visitor wifi, so wound up just reading the graduate handbook and exploring the English building (Tawes Hall) myself. I should point out that the building is big and beautiful. Much larger than what I'm used to, and I'm really quite impressed by it. It's a smoke-free campus, which is probably a good thing overall, though I can't deny that as I was looking out at the courtyard on the third floor, I was thinking "wow, it would be lovely to have a cigar out here on a nice summer day" before my eyes spotted the large "No Smoking" sign. The day ended with another casual social mixer with wine, cheese, and snacks. I was there for a couple of hours. Actually, I think I was the last admitted M.A. to leave. The DGS was again very much involved in general socializing, and we chatted quite a bit. I felt particularly bad for one young woman there who is waitlisted. The DGS, a current Ph.D. student and I chatted with her for about an hour, and her enthusiasm for her research and her general personality were fabulous. Such an engaging individual, and UMD is her only grad school option at this point. My heart goes out to her, and I hope she manages to get in off the waitlist... So while I may be a bit biased, since I already committed to UMD a few weeks ago, my takeaway of the program is extremely positive. One thing I didn't touch on above is that there are MANY teaching opportunities for Ph.D. and M.A. students alike -- even Lecturer positions. Teaching is very much at the heart of the UMD experience, and I couldn't be happier about that. It does, of course, mean that the program isn't for everyone. I know there are many out there who (understandably) see teaching as just a necessary evil involved in the course of graduate research, but for anyone like me who is looking forward to the instructional portion (not to mention the experience to list on my C.V. etc.), I don't think I've come across any major programs more dedicated to that side of things. Apologies if this post is a bit exhaustive, but it was a long and enjoyable day. Again, since I've already committed to the place, I might be a bit biased. I think Ramus still has another option on the table, so he might be able to give a more objective view if he's so inclined. But yes...for me, at least, I was happy before, but that happiness was definitely justified and cemented with yesterday's events. I'm just sorry you couldn't be there, ProfLorax!
ProfLorax Posted March 28, 2015 Posted March 28, 2015 WT! I'm so glad you had a great visit. Two years ago, it was the open house that sold me on UMD as well. I think your observations are all on point. Ralph is a present, caring DGS. The professors are all invested in student success (Jane and Leigh in particular are both fantastic). The grad students are friendly and supportive. I've never felt like I was competing with my peers. In terms of living, Takoma Park is the bees knees! Make sure to check it out when you're looking for housing. Other than that, I suggest living near a metro or at the very least a shuttle to the metro. Doing so really opens up the whole DMV area to you!
sassypenguin Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Hey all, Nervous/desperate applicant. My graduate department recommended me for admission, but I'm still waiting to hear back from the Graduate School. How long after the recommendation for admission did it take you all to hear back? I'm really nervous because other schools want me to decide by today, but UMD is my top choice.
Dr. Old Bill Posted April 15, 2015 Author Posted April 15, 2015 Hey all, Nervous/desperate applicant. My graduate department recommended me for admission, but I'm still waiting to hear back from the Graduate School. How long after the recommendation for admission did it take you all to hear back? I'm really nervous because other schools want me to decide by today, but UMD is my top choice. Congrats! For what it's worth, I never even considered that there would be a possibility of the graduate school rejecting me after the departmental acceptance. It was only when I saw the official acceptance from the graduate school that it dawned on me that everything hadn't been 100% official. From what I understand, however, the graduate school portion is more of a formality than anything. I recognize that you can't be completely comfortable until you get that grad school letter, but assuming you don't have any major stumbling blocks like a felony conviction or something equally dire, I would go ahead and consider it as close to a sure thing as it gets. You should contact Ralph if you have any concerns -- he's usually very quick to respond, and is thorough. On such an important day (and for such an important decision), reaching out is completely understandable. Good luck -- I look forward to meeting you (hopefully!) in August!
sassypenguin Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Hey, Thank you for your response. I'm going crazy waiting to hear back from them. Do you think it'll be okay if my GPA is below 3.0? Also, I'm scared to reach out to the overall Graduate school that they'll feel annoyed/backed into the corner and automatically reject me.
Dr. Old Bill Posted April 15, 2015 Author Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) Hey, Thank you for your response. I'm going crazy waiting to hear back from them. Do you think it'll be okay if my GPA is below 3.0? Also, I'm scared to reach out to the overall Graduate school that they'll feel annoyed/backed into the corner and automatically reject me. That's a good question. Again, I assume everything is kosher, since you were accepted by the department...but truly, you should email Ralph (or someone in the graduate admissions department) to get the direct scoop if possible. You're not bothering them -- you're well within your right to ask! I only received my "official" acceptance from the graduate school two weeks ago, despite being accepted by the department on February 13th. Edited April 15, 2015 by Wyatt's Torch
sassypenguin Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Thanks! Do you have contact information for Ralph?
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