Grad School Update II

In my last entry I didn't mention the craziness I had to go through contacting U of T in light of the deadline York had given me. Basically I was unsuccessful; I did get ahold of the Comparative Literature people, and argued with them on the phone for a little bit before finally getting them to (against their usual policy) email me a copy of the letter they had coincidentally sent out just that day (Monday). I didn't get in touch with the English Department at all, though I did leave a message which still has not been returned.

Anyway, so the CL people said that they would email me my results the following day. That day came and went, along with York's first deadline, and no email came. I finally got their email today, with a brief apology. Here is what the attachment said:

Dear Selena

On behalf of the School of Graduate Studies, I am pleased to offer you admission to the program of study described below, and hope you will be able to accept this offer. If you require further assistance or information please do not hesitate to contact your graduate unit. We look forward to having you join our program.

Session: 2005 Fall

Student Number: 99*******

Program Begins: September 2005

Status: full-time

Department/Centre/Institute: Centre for Comparative Literature

Degree: MA-Comparative Lit (1 Year)

Remarks:

You must successfully complete 4 grarduate level full course equivalents, as recommended by your department, with at least a B+ in each course.

Dr. Kolesnikoff and Dr. Pope must have said some awfully nice things about me in their reference letters!

All the same, though, I am feeling really conflicted. At the beginning of the year I would have snatched up this offer without a second thought, even without a mention of funding or the flattering comments that York made in their acceptance letter. But at the beginning of the year I wasn't traumatized by the incredibly intense workloads from Dr. Pope's 19th Century Russian Poetry and 20th Century Russian Prose courses, and also his not infrequent comments that my Russian "just isn't there yet." I am terrified that the CL people will require me to take courses actually in Russian, which I know I would not be able to handle. I feel like I've pulled the wool over the eyes of the CL Department in their acceptance of my application. I feel like if I accept, the charade could not possibly last much longer than the first week during which I would be forced to take a Russian proficiency test.

Anyway, I suppose I should put this all aside for now and just wait for the full package to come in the mail so I can make a decision based on the whole picture, including funding (which, if their website is accurate, will be in the $12,000 range) and any flattering comments they have to make. Though I have a feeling U of T doesn't often stoop to flattery.