Chapel Hill

[Medievalmaniac]

Fellow English medievalists....I just looked at the current graduate student list on UNC's site, and encouragingly, while there are four professors teaching in the medieval field as well as their other specialties, there are only 6 students specifically working in medieval at present, with only three of those working specifically in medieval alone - most current students appear to be concentrating in the 19th and 20th centuries. There may still be hope....!

[Pamphilia]

Maybe those who are called very early on are the ones who are competing with the rest of the university for university-wide fellowships?

Yes, I believe you're correct.

Edited February 23, 2010 by Pamphilia

[minnares]

Well, my letter did not come yesterday. It's probably because I'm on the west coast. I expect it'll be in the mail today or tomorrow. Alas, more waiting.

~ m

[Nighthob]

Well, my letter did not come yesterday. It's probably because I'm on the west coast. I expect it'll be in the mail today or tomorrow. Alas, more waiting.

~ m

Sending good thoughts your way. And, keep an ear out for IU. First result posted a little early today.

[Medievalmaniac]

Oh, my God. My number changed this afternoon. I think I'm going to have a heart attack. :blink: Guess I'll know for sure by Saturday...

[Medievalmaniac]

ack.......

Edited February 25, 2010 by Medievalmaniac

[minnares]

Oh, my God. My number changed this afternoon. I think I'm going to have a heart attack. Guess I'll know for sure by Saturday...

Not necessarily. Mine changed last Wednesday and I haven't gotten a thing, email or mail. I am on the west coast, but it's been plenty of time for a letter to arrive. So... You might get nothing, which I'm guessing means the app got passed up to the next level for review. I've spoken with Jodie, one of the assistants in the English graduate studies, several times during the application process. She's VERY nice. I'm seriously tempted to call her now and ask what this means.

~ m

[Butitwaslaundryday]

Anyone get in for Comp Lit at NC Chapel Hill or hear anything about it? I'm dying to hear back from them too.

[tortola23]

My "last updated" date on the website has changed from sometime way back in January when they processed my documents to "2/26/2010." I'm guessing that means I'll receive a postal rejection soon like the first wave of folks got.

Anyone else have a changed date this morning?

[Medievalmaniac]

My "last updated" date on the website has changed from sometime way back in January when they processed my documents to "2/26/2010." I'm guessing that means I'll receive a postal rejection soon like the first wave of folks got.

Anyone else have a changed date this morning?

Mine changed yesterday. I've emailed the DGS for clarification as to whether or not that means it has gone to the department for review or that a decision has been made. I'll let you know what the answer is, if I get one.

[tortola23]

Mine changed yesterday. I've emailed the DGS for clarification as to whether or not that means it has gone to the department for review or that a decision has been made. I'll let you know what the answer is, if I get one.

Thank you! Please do.

[minnares]

It took 8 days for my rejection letter to come from Chapel Hill after my status date changed. I just received it last night.

~ m

[tortola23]

I emailed them.

"Your letter will probably go out in Monday's mail. It will go to the mailing address you put in your application: xxxx blah blah blah my address."

Hmm. Wish they'd just tell me.

[minnares]

I emailed them.

"Your letter will probably go out in Monday's mail. It will go to the mailing address you put in your application: xxxx blah blah blah my address."

Hmm. Wish they'd just tell me.

Based on their MO in the results thread for all disciplines this year, it's been emails if you're accepted, letters if you're rejected. So far, those of us who have had our status update change all subsequently received a rejection letter within the next week or so. I was hoping too, right up until the last minute. I thought a full week after the date change meant I was safe . The very next day *BAM*, "no thank you, ma'am."

~ m

[Medievalmaniac]

Based on their MO in the results thread for all disciplines this year, it's been emails if you're accepted, letters if you're rejected. So far, those of us who have had our status update change all subsequently received a rejection letter within the next week or so. I was hoping too, right up until the last minute. I thought a full week after the date change meant I was safe . The very next day *BAM*, "no thank you, ma'am."

~ m

Alas. I didn't even get an emailed response from my query..... I hate implicit rejection...just TELL me. Even if it does break my heart.

[Medievalmaniac]

Alas. I didn't even get an emailed response from my query..... I hate implicit rejection...just TELL me. Even if it does break my heart.

You know, NO, I'm not going to give up hope yet. At every other school with an online application status update, the updated status has simply meant it went from the department of graduate studies to the subject department for review.

I choose to believe this is also the case with UNC, and that my application is now at the English department. I choose also to believe that tortola23's application is at the department, and the response you got indicates that the review either was being conducted Thursday or yesterday, or that it is being conducted on Monday, and decisions are still being made.

Call me an eternal optimist, delusional, or just plain foolish, but I haven't gotten a rejection yet, and I'm only an hour from UNC - all of my North Carolina mail shows up overnight, two days max - if they denied me on Wednesday or Thursday, it would have shown up by today. There was no letter today. I choose to hope.

Edited February 27, 2010 by Medievalmaniac

[minnares]

You know, NO, I'm not going to give up hope yet. At every other school with an online application status update, the updated status has simply meant it went from the department of graduate studies to the subject department for review.

I choose to believe this is also the case with UNC, and that my application is now at the English department. I choose also to believe that tortola23's application is at the department, and the response you got indicates that the review either was being conducted Thursday or yesterday, or that it is being conducted on Monday, and decisions are still being made.

Call me an eternal optimist, delusional, or just plain foolish, but I haven't gotten a rejection yet, and I'm only an hour from UNC - all of my North Carolina mail shows up overnight, two days max - if they denied me on Wednesday or Thursday, it would have shown up by today. There was no letter today. I choose to hope.

BRAVO, woman ! That would seem to explain the 8 days between my status update and my rejection. It took them four or five to go through the thing and pass it around, then three or four days to mail to me. And yes, always hope. Always.

~ m

[Medievalmaniac]

BRAVO, woman ! That would seem to explain the 8 days between my status update and my rejection. It took them four or five to go through the thing and pass it around, then three or four days to mail to me. And yes, always hope. Always.

~ m

What was the postmark on the rejection letters? That would most certainly clear it up. If the post mark was after the change in status in any case - why then, clearly my theory is most likely correct....either way, I choose to keep my dream until I have physical and tangible proof it has been taken from me.

[minnares]

What was the postmark on the rejection letters? That would most certainly clear it up. If the post mark was after the change in status in any case - why then, clearly my theory is most likely correct....either way, I choose to keep my dream until I have physical and tangible proof it has been taken from me.

Mine was postmarked Tuesday and arrived Thursday, so postmarked almost a week after the status update.

~ m

[Medievalmaniac]

I'm out, extremely kind personal email from the DEGA. Told me specifically that my GRE scores weren't a problem, but my undergraduate transcript (2.66 in 1997) was too spotty for them. Even though I have a 4.0 MA from last year, further master level coursework at 2 other universities on top of that, and multiple publications and presentations in my field, including two at the international medieval congress, that doesn't make up for the work I did in the 1990's as a full-time waitress, commuting forty minutes to and from school to live at home, taking overloads every term.

SIGH. C'est la vie. Nobody promised fair. It's horribly depressing, of course - but, I will say, she was extremely kind in her email, and it sounded like she was genuinely sorry to reject me, for what it's worth.

Good luck to everyone else!

Edited February 28, 2010 by Medievalmaniac

[fromeurope]

SIGH. C'est la vie. Nobody promised fair. It's horribly depressing, of course - but, I will say, she was extremely kind in her email, and it sounded like she was genuinely sorry to reject me, for what it's worth.

Since I started visiting this site again (after I got an admit - couldn't deal with the anxiety spiral here before that), your posts have really stood out for me. You seem to be kind, considerate, and obviously enthusiastic and committed. Let me just say this: I can't believe that they would find your undergrad GPA to be a deal-breaker. That just sucks.

Edited February 28, 2010 by p7389

[Medievalmaniac]

Since I started visiting this site again (after I got an admit - couldn't deal with the anxiety spiral here before that), your posts have really stood out for me. You seem to be kind, considerate, and obviously enthusiastic and committed. Let me just say this: I can't believe that they would find your undergrad GPA to be a deal-breaker. That just sucks.

Thank you for that, I appreciate your kind words. I have to admit, considering everything I have done since then, I was really surprised at that myself - but she was extremely clear with me that nothing I have done since then was enough for the ad comm to overlook my average performance as an undergraduate. For my part, that stings, when I have worked so hard to overcome that deficiency and done so well on everything since - but I do really appreciate her taking the time to honestly tell me what my weakness was.She has been very forthcoming, honest, and kind in her appraisal of my record. Alas, there's nothing I can do to change it, if the coursework and degree I've earned since don't cut it. I did get an admit elsewhere, so not every program looks at it so stridently, for which I am grateful.

best of luck to the rest of you!!

[Pamphilia]

Thank you for that, I appreciate your kind words. I have to admit, considering everything I have done since then, I was really surprised at that myself - but she was extremely clear with me that nothing I have done since then was enough for the ad comm to overlook my average performance as an undergraduate. For my part, that stings, when I have worked so hard to overcome that deficiency and done so well on everything since - but I do really appreciate her taking the time to honestly tell me what my weakness was.She has been very forthcoming, honest, and kind in her appraisal of my record. Alas, there's nothing I can do to change it, if the coursework and degree I've earned since don't cut it. I did get an admit elsewhere, so not every program looks at it so stridently, for which I am grateful.

best of luck to the rest of you!!

I'm sorry, that really, really sucks. For what it's worth, I doubt that it was

the admissions committee who couldn't get past the UGPA. UNC's grad school has a reputation for emphasizing numbers very strongly, and as I understand it they will refuse to rubber stamp or at least fund applicants who don't fit into their neat numbers boxes. Especially if you received such a nice personal email from the DEGS, I'd imagine that the English faculty really liked you, but the whole thing was just tangled up in the bureaucracy of the GS. I don't know if this helps or not, but I hope it does. Sorry, man. I'm sending you positive vibes.

[Medievalmaniac]

Well, for my part, I got into medieval studies long before I applied, because I love medieval studies. And it will certainly be harder than it would otherwise be, especially if I don't have access to the latest journals and academic library holdings, but I will keep researching and writing on medieval subjects long after this admissions season is over.

You really can't stop me; you can only waylay me and make it harder. But to date, I have gotten past every big rock hurled at me - and that's a lot of big rocks, frankly. I don't anticipate that as changing in the future. It's hard to be an academic. It's doubly hard with a family. It's triply hard with a family, a mortgage, student loans, and the threat of a commuter marriage because the programs closest to you don't want you. But you know what? I am a medievalist. I was a medievalist before I applied, and I will be a medievalist until I take my final breath. Nobody can take that from me, and nobody can stop me from doing what I love.

I just won't be a medievalist at UNC.

[fromeurope]

Well, for my part, I got into medieval studies long before I applied, because I love medieval studies. And it will certainly be harder than it would otherwise be, especially if I don't have access to the latest journals and academic library holdings, but I will keep researching and writing on medieval subjects long after this admissions season is over.

You really can't stop me; you can only waylay me and make it harder. But to date, I have gotten past every big rock hurled at me - and that's a lot of big rocks, frankly. I don't anticipate that as changing in the future. It's hard to be an academic. It's doubly hard with a family. It's triply hard with a family, a mortgage, student loans, and the threat of a commuter marriage because the programs closest to you don't want you. But you know what? I am a medievalist. I was a medievalist before I applied, and I will be a medievalist until I take my final breath. Nobody can take that from me, and nobody can stop me from doing what I love.

I just won't be a medievalist at UNC.

What's so great about being a medievalist?

I admire your spirit!