I got in as well!!
I’m in!!! Congrats & good luck to everyone!!!
Congrats to the newest 2018 TFA Corp members! I was accepted at the 2nd deadline (found out end of November). I met some folks who are also 2018 corps members and I met someone who will also be joining me in Arkansas!
If anyone has any questions about the next step(s) of the process, feel free to ask! Know that there is also a whole network of current corps members and alums who would be more than happy to help you. Reach out to your recruiter (mine was SUPER helpful), and know that you’re well on your journey as a 2018 TFA corps member!!
@CatsAndMoreCats Thanks! Also, was Arkansas your top choice? How likely is it to get your top choice? I am nervous about placement. I really want to go home (Bay Area preferably East SJ because I have worked with non profits there in the past) but I also like Providence and NYC but those are all super popular so I am thinking may MA or CT.
I also got in! A huge weight off my shoulder! Does anyone have any info on subject placement and if we can preference that?
Congrats to everyone! I also got in 2nd deadline, so feel free to ask any questions you have about next steps/regional preference etc.! I’ll be in Chicago teaching elementary (grades 1-6), so let me know if you have questions about that, too.
@Mmbeach4TFA Yes you preference subjects on the page following regional preference. You have to place each of them into either most preferred, preferred, or less preferred, but I don’t believe you can rank within the categories. There are no real rules about how many need to be in each category, but don’t place only a couple (especially if there aren’t that many slots for them, like English or Social Studies) in the top two categories, because then there’ll be a good chance you’ll get any of the other ones from your less preferred category, if that makes sense.
I’m just so shocked I got in! Congrats everyone who got in, and best of luck to the rest of you.
And to be clear about the credential program, we need to be teaching in the grade level we are wanting to get a credential in right? I can’t teach elementary and get a credential for secondary so I can have a career as a high school teacher. I’m not qualified to teach history in the California Capital Region despite having a history degree, so that’s weird.
I also noticed some weird things re: subjects I’m apparently qualified to teach. I noticed History missing from a number of regions (regions that place at least some people in social studies, according to the regional comparison sheet I cross-checked), but then noticed I was listed as qualified to teach subjects and languages I have never taken a single course in. Does anyone else have similarly wonky subjects listed?
Also I believe that’s the case for credentialing, yes, @TFASR2018. From what I know from looking at the alternative teaching credentials in multiple states, at least. I guess it could be possible that TFA has some special additional plan with some states, but I sincerely doubt you’d be able to make that jump in most states. Some states I know do allow you to add on a second or more subject certification after you have one to start, though, but that’s not every state, and even when it is allowed, it’s usually adding on an additional subject at the same grade level, like adding Social Studies after already qualifying for English.
Seriously, why am I qualified to teach Spanish (I’ve never taken a spanish class in my life)? Bizarre.
Does anyone know what the likelihood of being placed in a region that isn’t highly preferred is?
@Mmbeach4TFA I don’t imagine there’s any way to answer that question, considering how specific it is to every individual person and what, exactly, they rank. I imagine it really depends on how many regions one places in the highly preferred category, and how popular those regions are. Someone with fewer highly preferred ranked regions, for instance, is more likely to be placed in a preferred or less preferred region than someone who ranks five regions highly preferred. Similarly, someone with a high-priority region in their highly preferred category is more likely to be placed in one of their highly preferred regions than someone who only chooses NYC and Bay Area as highly preferred. …Does that makes sense?
I guess I am more curious to know who has already been placed in a region and how many of them got placed in their highly preferred location.
@heartofateacher @TFASR2018 I also was qualified to teach such varied things depending on the region (like French, even though I’ve never taken a French class). I think each region/state has its own rules for getting licensed in various subjects, which explains the disparities, and for the really random subjects, I think it just means you COULD technically get licensed to teach that for that region (but you probably shouldn’t haha). I think there’s a place you can contact TFA if you think you should be able to teach a subject in a region but don’t see it listed, so that might be worth checking out!
@Mmbeach4TFA I got placed in my number one choice, which was Chicago. At the time when I preferenced it, it wasn’t a popular region (it was in the column on the chart in one of the documents that said demand for teachers outweighs corps preference). I only had 2 in highly preferred, 9 in preferred, and 1 in less preferred. But @heartofateacher is right in their explanation of how it varies a lot for each person as to whether you’ll get placed in a highly preferred region!
@heartofateacher Yep! I don’t have history or English on many even though I have college courses in both yet somehow I am qualified for French and Spanish??? Also no kid deserves me as a high school math teacher I barely got by with low B’s and I remember nothing lol I am going to try and get history, English or elementary.
Hey! This is for future deadlines. It appears that the timeline disappearing was a good indicator for this deadline. I had searched back in previous threads and everyone who stated their timeline disappeared said they were accepted. Those who still had a timeline either wasn’t accepted or didn’t update anyone. Same for this round. My timeline disappeared and it seemed like those who didn’t have their timelines disappear were saying that wasn’t a good indicator to hold on to some hope that they would get in and rightfully so because rejection isn’t an easy pill to swallow. These are just my observations… please correct me if I’m wrong but I’ve been lurking and trying to find something to help out future people since the codes were of absolutely NO help whatsoever lol. Congrats to everyone who got in and for those who did not, you will end up exactly where you are suppose to be. I’ve received numerous rejections to jobs I’ve applied to while in my senior year of college so I know what it feels like to have a lot on the line and be depending on something that is life altering and contingent on whether you are offered a position or not. Focus on what you can control and understand that this closed door is a blessing because it may not have been your door to walk through in this season but could very well be a door you could walk through if you try again. This could also be your opportunity to explore other options and fall in love with a career or job you never expected to like had you not received this rejection. Peace, love and chicken grease
@TFAcali2018 Yes! I plan on applying to law school after completing TFA. What about you?
@FutureLawyerNY Yep! UC Berkeley is my #1 But I am applying widely. I’m a little low gpa wise for Harvard but I’m applying anyway
Hi all! Congrats on getting in! I remember how exciting and stressful it was deciding placements.
My top three regions were Houston and Charlotte tied for first and Memphis as my second. I started out with a lot of big, east coast cities (Philly, Baltimore, DC) as my top choices, but after doing a lot of research, those were the three I ended up with based on what I was qualified to teach, being in a big city, cost of living, salary and diversity. Those were the most important things for me! I was the first DL for early admission, so the first of the 2018 corps to be admitted, and I got placed in Houston, which has turned out to be the best region ever and a perfect fit!
I think that placement also has to do with what subject you can teach. I was qualified to teach elementary and middle school in Texas and I also highly preferenced elementary, and ultimately got placed as EC-6 Houston so I think they placed me because I got both a subject and a region I was dreaming of! I am happy to answer any questions about regions or the process since being admitted.
I submitted my application over a year ago, so these last few months feel like the final stretch for me as opposed to the beginning of the journey. I’ve already taken and passed my exams, been given my district placement and done all my on boarding assignments. All I am waiting on now is the interviews with schools, which I will do beginning of May.
Again, congrats to everyone. I am so happy to see how far this thread has come since I started it a year ago. We are in the home stretch before starting a journey of a life time.