2016 Acceptance Thread

[R.Raskolnikov]

Have any of you heard about funding from Villanova? I heard that the committee was supposed to meet last week to make decisions. And I see on the search page that one person has been notified that s/he is now on the waitlist for funding.

Edited March 16, 2016 by R.Raskolnikov

[R.Raskolnikov]

On 3/1/2016 at 1:04 AM, Aloice said:

still waiting on Georgetown and Villanova.

Has Villanova contacted you about funding?

[Pokeabun]

does anyone know anything about MA programs at either George Washington or Stony Brook? Got accepted, not sure what to do. I'm an international applicant, btw. Would appreciate your insight

[Dr. Old Bill]

5 hours ago, Pokeabun said:

does anyone know anything about MA programs at either George Washington or Stony Brook? Got accepted, not sure what to do. I'm an international applicant, btw. Would appreciate your insight

I know a little about George Washington University's graduate program in general...namely that it is quite highly regarded in the industry, even though it doesn't have a high ranking on USNews rankings. I have been encouraged by no fewer than THREE professors (on separate occasions) to apply there, as their early modern program is quite strong. Indeed, when I reached out to one of the professors there a few days ago (I met her at a conference last weekend), she invited me to get together with her next month to chat about the program.

I was recently told by another professor that a few years ago there was some scandal with GWU trying to up their USNews ranking in a less-than-honest manner. She didn't give me specifics, but she suggested that the low ranking shouldn't be seen as an accurate reflection of the department. Judging by the quality of GWU's faculty, that seems to make sense.

Congrats on the acceptances, by the way!

[A blighted one]

16 hours ago, R.Raskolnikov said:

Has Villanova contacted you about funding?

Villanova told me that I was on the wait list for funding--if that helps. I'll also be accepting another offer, so I hope that helps someone else out as well.

[EmmaJava]

On 3/6/2016 at 1:08 PM, EmmaJava said:

I called them this morning and got a voice mail that "decisions should be out in the next several weeks" (!!!!!!!).  Apparently they are dealing with a new system or something. My sympathy and patience is dwindling, though, as it's, you know, 3/7/2016.

I know that some DU decisions have been made and must have gone out, but I'm still waiting. This seems a little crazy to me - like, we're going well past the "be patient" phase and entering the "this is nuts" phase. I don't think they're doing themselves any favors. Thoughts? And as I consider my options and take info from their FAQs, I see that they don't guarantee funding for full program length, just three years (yes, I realize that would have been something to be aware of prior to applying, but I didn't see it until recently; I guess I assumed that real programs are fully funded programs). Cost of living in Denver is nothing to sneeze at. They are a really strong creative writing program (which appeals to me a lot, just in terms of vibe), but their literary studies rank doesn't even remotely approach Boulder's, the other one in the area. I hit it off with one faculty member, but my enthusiasm is waning and the stock is plummeting. Any reason to hold out, or shall I just move on? I wouldn't have applied in the first place if I didn't think it would be a good fit, so it's hard to write them off entirely before the info is all in. On the other hand, I've noted before and I'll say it again - there is an interesting aspect in learning about the programs as we go, here, and I feel like I'm coming to know a program that likes to shoot itself in the foot. I'd be curious if anyone else waiting on DU is having similar thoughts or if I just need a hug and a beer and a good hard workout.

[MeNotMe]

EmmaJava, I'd recommend that second one. Waiting bites for sure: I'm fully funded two places (Louisiana-Lafayette and South Carolina), but find myself still waiting on LSU and UNC-Greensboro. I figure, the transaction costs of waiting aren't as high as the benefit of having a greater number of funded options. Or maybe I'm a glutton for punishment. Who knows?

I have enjoyed your refreshing personality on this board; I respect you for doing you so completely. Take care, and congrats on the offers you have thus far.  

[EmmaJava]

11 minutes ago, MeNotMe said:

EmmaJava, I'd recommend that second one. Waiting bites for sure: I'm fully funded two places (Louisiana-Lafayette and South Carolina), but find myself still waiting on LSU and UNC-Greensboro. I figure, the transaction costs of waiting aren't as high as the benefit of having a greater number of funded options. Or maybe I'm a glutton for punishment. Who knows?

I have enjoyed your refreshing personality on this board; I respect you for doing you so completely. Take care, and congrats on the offers you have thus far.  

A voice of reason and a cooler head prevailing. Usually the right answer, yep, thanks for the reminder.  And thanks too for the nice words, always appreciated! Here's to everyone who is unsure of where they will be in about half a year from now - good company.

[Dr. Old Bill]

1 hour ago, EmmaJava said:

A voice of reason and a cooler head prevailing. Usually the right answer, yep, thanks for the reminder.  And thanks too for the nice words, always appreciated! Here's to everyone who is unsure of where they will be in about half a year from now - good company.

MeNotMe is right on all fronts -- waiting sucks, but beers and hugs don't. I'll remain mum on workouts, if only because my weight has ballooned since starting grad school. (Where's a "fat" emoji when you need one?)

But I also completely agree that you've been a great presence on this board! It's really too bad you forgot (!) to apply to UMD, as it would have been great to meet you in person (and have you in Jerry Passannante's class in the fall).

[EmmaJava]

42 minutes ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

MeNotMe is right on all fronts -- waiting sucks, but beers and hugs don't. I'll remain mum on workouts, if only because my weight has ballooned since starting grad school. (Where's a "fat" emoji when you need one?)

But I also completely agree that you've been a great presence on this board! It's really too bad you forgot (!) to apply to UMD, as it would have been great to meet you in person (and have you in Jerry Passannante's class in the fall).

Thanks!! Likewise. The NZ connection would also be fun to explore.

Seriously, I cannot believe it, but I forgot to apply to UMD and Indiana, yes! Both laden with scholars that I've admired and used extensively. For Passannante, I did this wicked cool meta-review thing on The Lucretian Renaissance and then worked it into a larger project on Milton and Spenser for a seminar paper. Not my area, but definitely my speed when it comes to theory. And then I even emailed with him!!!!!

In full disclosure, this was a rough process for me. Thanks for all the kind words, because since about November-ish, I've been in survival mode.Forgetting to apply to certain schools was very much a function of just being fully overwhelmed in every possible way. I vaguely remember a hazy, drunken afternoon in early December when I got most of my applications out in a single afternoon - just bit the bullet and blasted things out, shotgun-style. I grabbed the bottle and just hit it, and after spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars, I called it good...until the next round, right?  And then there were the early January deadlines. Rinse, repeat. And my list was ever-changing, anyway. I remember vetting it with my recommenders and just thinking, "what the hell?" There was no way to determine fit, or at least I didn't get help with it or know what to do. Hence the 20 applications. And the forgetfulness. Gah.

Fortunately, it looks like Purdue is going to be just the ticket, I am just itching to commit but there is all of this pending information...remember when I created a thread called "Seriously impressed by Purdue"? I meant it then and I mean it now, and now it seems in retrospect like all signs have always pointed toward West Lafayette, IN.

[Unimpressed3D]

Has anybody heard back from Rutgers yet? (Sorry if I missed this somehow.)

Though I got rejected from every other PhD program so far. I did get accepted into two MA programs, though, which I'm told is good since I'm still an undergrad finishing up my BA this semester. I'm now waiting on Rutgers and a few UK schools before I make my decision. Of course, even if I get in, it will all come down to funding. *sigh*

[BooksCoffeeBeards]

3 hours ago, EmmaJava said:

I know that some DU decisions have been made and must have gone out, but I'm still waiting. This seems a little crazy to me - like, we're going well past the "be patient" phase and entering the "this is nuts" phase. I don't think they're doing themselves any favors. Thoughts? And as I consider my options and take info from their FAQs, I see that they don't guarantee funding for full program length, just three years (yes, I realize that would have been something to be aware of prior to applying, but I didn't see it until recently; I guess I assumed that real programs are fully funded programs). Cost of living in Denver is nothing to sneeze at. They are a really strong creative writing program (which appeals to me a lot, just in terms of vibe), but their literary studies rank doesn't even remotely approach Boulder's, the other one in the area. I hit it off with one faculty member, but my enthusiasm is waning and the stock is plummeting. Any reason to hold out, or shall I just move on? I wouldn't have applied in the first place if I didn't think it would be a good fit, so it's hard to write them off entirely before the info is all in. On the other hand, I've noted before and I'll say it again - there is an interesting aspect in learning about the programs as we go, here, and I feel like I'm coming to know a program that likes to shoot itself in the foot. I'd be curious if anyone else waiting on DU is having similar thoughts or if I just need a hug and a beer and a good hard workout.

Oh crap - if I knew that about DU, I might have avoided it (despite encouragement from a POI to apply because they thought I had a good shot of making it in). No way I could have completed a PhD program if funding after year three was completely up in the air (or non-existent).

[Villain Elle]

45 minutes ago, Unimpressed3D said:

Has anybody heard back from Rutgers yet? (Sorry if I missed this somehow.)

Though I got rejected from every other PhD program so far. I did get accepted into two MA programs, though, which I'm told is good since I'm still an undergrad finishing up my BA this semester. I'm now waiting on Rutgers and a few UK schools before I make my decision. Of course, even if I get in, it will all come down to funding. *sigh*

Yes, got wait listed at Rutgers about 2 weeks ago. Haven't heard anything since though! 

[R.Raskolnikov]

5 hours ago, A blighted one said:

Villanova told me that I was on the wait list for funding--if that helps. I'll also be accepting another offer, so I hope that helps someone else out as well.

If you don't mind. Will you tell me when and how the department notified you? I learned of my acceptance on March 7. On March 8, while speaking with the director, I was told that the committee would be meeting this week to deliberate about funding and that we would hear back early in the week.

[A blighted one]

3 hours ago, R.Raskolnikov said:

If you don't mind. Will you tell me when and how the department notified you? I learned of my acceptance on March 7. On March 8, while speaking with the director, I was told that the committee would be meeting this week to deliberate about funding and that we would hear back early in the week.

Sure. I was admitted mid February and given notice about funding 3 days ago. I was notified of everything via email.

[hello_kitty]

Has anyone heard from Purdue - Masters or Phd? I applied for Masters but no word still..Didn't see anything go up in the GC results board as well...

[‘Cat'erburyTales]

3 hours ago, hello_kitty said:

Has anyone heard from Purdue - Masters or Phd? I applied for Masters but no word still..Didn't see anything go up in the GC results board as well...

I also applied for the MA at Purdue and still no word for me either!

[Dr. Old Bill]

Between applications from @hello_kitty and @'Cat'erburyTales, I wonder if the university will be changing its name to PURRdue.

Get it? Purr? Kitty? Cat?

No?

 

*crickets*

 

I'll see myself out.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Wyatt's Terps

[hello_kitty]

41 minutes ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

Between applications from @hello_kitty and @'Cat'erburyTales, I wonder if the university will be changing its name to PURRdue.

Get it? Purr? Kitty? Cat?

No?

 

*crickets*

 

I'll see myself out.

Lol! Turning into GURRdue for me...

It's one of the first schools I applied to, and the last I'm waiting to hear from...I have other offers but I'm curious about this...

'Cat'erburyTales, I will probably write to the DGS next week...will post if I hear anything...I guess you got their mail saying that we stand a chance until I we get a definite rejection...But we are probably stuck in some wait list...

[‘Cat'erburyTales]

42 minutes ago, hello_kitty said:

Lol! Turning into GURRdue for me...

It's one of the first schools I applied to, and the last I'm waiting to hear from...I have other offers but I'm curious about this...

'Cat'erburyTales, I will probably write to the DGS next week...will post if I hear anything...I guess you got their mail saying that we stand a chance until I we get a definite rejection...But we are probably stuck in some wait list...

Great! Let me know what you hear from the DGS -  I’d find it really hard to believe that they would wait til April to contact us like they said in that email. My guess is probably waitlist too but either way it would be nice to know, right?

[HumanCylinder]

19 hours ago, EmmaJava said:

Any reason to hold out, or shall I just move on?

I'm on this line too with my "hold-out" schools but I'm just trying to be patient.  I haven't even visited schools yet (that will happen the next two weeks), which I imagine will be very illuminating but everything is just hanging in the air until then.  I'm not concerned about Arizona State at all at this point, but WUStL could potentially be a major curve ball if I were to be admitted.  It's one of my top choices along with Utah, but higher ranked.  

On another note, has anyone visited schools yet? How did it go? Any advice?

[Yukon]

54 minutes ago, HumanCylinder said:

I'm on this line too with my "hold-out" schools but I'm just trying to be patient.  I haven't even visited schools yet (that will happen the next two weeks), which I imagine will be very illuminating but everything is just hanging in the air until then.  I'm not concerned about Arizona State at all at this point, but WUStL could potentially be a major curve ball if I were to be admitted.  It's one of my top choices along with Utah, but higher ranked.  

On another note, has anyone visited schools yet? How did it go? Any advice?

I would say hold out. I had assumed that the last two schools I was still waiting on had rejected me. Turns out one actually did (received letter today), but the other emailed me a few days ago and had rejected me from PhD, but accepted me to MA. So, it's not completely out of the picture that you could still get some *decent* news. 

I'm visiting schools shortly, too. I'm really excited to finally be able to make a decision after visiting some programs.

Good luck with it all--

[lesabendio]

39 minutes ago, HumanCylinder said:

I'm on this line too with my "hold-out" schools but I'm just trying to be patient.  I haven't even visited schools yet (that will happen the next two weeks), which I imagine will be very illuminating but everything is just hanging in the air until then.  I'm not concerned about Arizona State at all at this point, but WUStL could potentially be a major curve ball if I were to be admitted.  It's one of my top choices along with Utah, but higher ranked.  

On another note, has anyone visited schools yet? How did it go? Any advice?

Last week I visited CUNY, and it went well! We met with current students and faculty in a informal lunch and coffee setting. The program then put on a panel of students to discuss the logistics of living in New York City on a relatively small stipend, what it's like working and teaching in an unconventional, decentralized campus system, and the relationships they have with other students of their cohort and with their faculty advisors. After the panel and formal presentations ended, the day segued into your classic grad school wine and cheese mixer where you could talk with even more students and faculty. The whole thing lasted about 6 hours, and by the end I was socially exhausted, but I feel like I came away from it pretty well informed. CUNY is a unique and wonderful program.

I know not all visiting days are alike and differ from program to program, but for me they're an opportunity to explore the spaces and cultural environment of the department. Many practical questions can be answered either via email or via phone, but you can explore the "feel" of the program only by actually going there and projecting yourself into its spaces of research, teaching, etc.

Anyway, I'm "choosing" between UC Davis and CUNY, but it might not be much of a choice if CUNY doesn't offer me a spot off the waitlist. I'll be visiting Davis later this month, and I hope I'll be able to make a commitment shortly thereafter.

[klader]

5 hours ago, HumanCylinder said:

On another note, has anyone visited schools yet? How did it go? Any advice?

I visited my top 2 choices the first two weeks of March. It was pretty exhausting but SO useful!

The real gem of the visits was being able to talk to current graduate students about everything. I learned some things about the programs that I wouldn't have learned if I hadn't talked to the grad students in person and somewhat off-the-record . That's not to say that they bashed their programs (because they didn't!) but that they were more honest about some of the programs' downfalls (not enough faculty, not enough money for certain things, etc.) and about other things that might have been harder to express through email or on the phone. I also learned things about the programs (from talking to the faculty, seeing the facilities, etc.) that wasn't quite what I expected/what I thought, which was definitely useful. 

Also, I really enjoyed seeing how the whole department "fit" together and just taking in that overall sense of togetherness. It really helped me figure out how I would feel if I went there and also gave me a glimpse of the people I'd be working with. It was also interesting to be with the other prospective students and get an idea of what my cohort would be like (this probably applies only to the open house-type visits). I bonded with some prospectives and was so-so with others, and that's a really important thing to consider carefully because, if you all end up attending the school together, these are the people who you will ride or die with through it all (so I've been told!).

At the same time, though, it also makes me sad because I know that I'll ultimately be choosing one and rejecting the other. I liked both programs and got along well with all of the people, and I genuinely feel like I could do well at either program. That's good to know, though (because what if I hadn't visited and I chose a school and ended up hating it?), but it still makes it hard. 

My advice would be to definitely ask about all the stuff people have said on other threads to do but to really dig deep and try picturing yourself LIVING at the school and just BEING there all the time. When I did that, I had a less positive response at one school than at another, so that'll probably carry a lot of weight with my decision.

Sometimes, you just have to trust your gut and try not to overthink it too much.

And PS, I know that I'm going into an MA program, but I was the only MA student that came to one school's open house, so I was put with the prospective PhD students and I learned a lot about how PhD students choose schools/ask questions/network  It was definitely a cool experience.

And definitely go out for a drink if people (grad students/faculty) invite you! I did (but obviously didn't get sloppy) and really felt like I was "part of the gang" in doing so. People might have different views on this, but I don't see anything wrong with it as long as you conduct yourself professionally and don't get drunk like an undergraduate student on St. Patrick's Day.

Edited March 18, 2016 by klader

[Aloice]

On 2016/3/17 at 9:39 PM, R.Raskolnikov said:

Has Villanova contacted you about funding?

They haven't, but I also am international which means that they asked me to provide some financial details before they can "formally" accept me, and I've just been ignoring them since it's very unlikely that they'll be able to top my Penn State/Georgetown offers.