First Acceptance Rolls In

Today is a joyous day!

I came home from school and went downstairs to check the mail as I often do. I was expecting some packages from recent ebay purchases, but I was not expecting the little envelope that greeted me, it's red "York U" logo emblazoned on the front.

I mention that it was a little envelope (that is, a regular sized envelope and not a manilla) purposefully. I heard somewhere that if you're expecting news from an academic institution about acceptance into some program or other, a big envelope is good, a little envelope is bad. You see, the big envelope will contain all the forms that you need to fill out in order to accept their gracious invitation into the pristine halls of academia. The little envelope will contain one sheet of paper, messily scrawled with only a few words:

Sorry. Try again!

Well, this was a little envelope. It immediately filled me with dread, but I picked it up anyway and tore it open. I couldn't even wait to get back up to the apartment. I skimmed it greedily. As you already know from the title of this entry, it was, after all, good news. I have been admitted to the English MA program at York and they are giving me money and possibly some other benefits like a teaching assistantship.

This is a joyous day! Now I know that there will be some options for me to explore next year. At least one university has admitted me! I am still waiting to hear back from the University of Toronto for two programs and then I will make my final decision. I am very pleased that York is giving me money. I wasn't expecting it at all. This definately makes them more attractive to me.

Here are some highlights from the letter they sent:

"I am very pleased to inform you that our Admissions Committee has recommended to the Faculty of Graduate Studies that you be admitted to our M.A. Programme."

"Again this year, the Graduate Programme in English received many aapplications from excellent candidates, and we are delighted to advise you that yours was among the top-ranked."

"Financial support for graduate students at York is made up from a variety of sources such as external and internal scholarships and assistantships. Taking all of these sources of funding into account, we are pleased to offer you a minimum guarenteed level of support of $8,000 for the 2005-2006 academic year."

"We trust that you will find this combined support compares favourably with other universities. However, if your experience indicates otherwise, please get in touch with me and we can talk about additional possibilities."

"We are looking forward to your being with us next year, and we hope that you will accept our offer of admission."

Oh, and the mystery of the little envelope? They are sending all the admissions forms and information in a separate package!