The waiting began.
The lockdown was now in full swing as the world hid behind walls of anxiety. Quiet, empty neighbourhoods surrounded me. Endless days stretched ahead with no end in sight. My anxieties mounted as I wondered what the outcome of my application would be. Was there any part of it I had not filled out properly? Were the uploaded documents clear enough? Most importantly, had I made a good argument for graduate school in my Statement of Purpose? I was eager, but anxious, to open my email.
Soon, a partial lifting of the lockdown started and people could go out on certain days of the week. On June 2, I went to Cedar Crest hospital to do a CT scan of my brain. I suffer from tinnitus and my doctor wanted to check out if there were underlying issues why it had persisted. A few weeks before then she had asked me to do an X-ray of my sinuses. Nothing sinister had turned up. I was asked to pick up the results of the CT Scan the following day. I returned home, anxious about what the disks would reveal. Still in my clothes, I opened my email and there was one from the Head of Department of Columbia’s Oral History program. It said:
“Dear Vivian,
I hope this email finds you and yours well. This has been such a hard week in the US, after such a hard few months.
In this painful time, I am glad to have some good news to share. It is with great pleasure that I write to offer you admission into our thirteenth cohort of Oral History Master of Arts students. The admissions committee was very impressed by your ongoing work to document the stories of those impacted by the Nigeria-Biafra War and your skill as a writer. We had a robust and unprecedentedly large pool of applications this year, and among them your curiosity, commitment, and passion still stood out. We feel that you have important contributions to make to our work, and we look forward to learning from and with you.
I am sorry we were not able to get you a decision sooner. Please know that the delay does not reflect any lack of enthusiasm on our part. You will receive an official notification from Columbia in the coming week, but I wanted to reach out first to share my personal congratulations, and our sincere hope that you join us in the fall.
I know we are living in a time of great and ongoing uncertainty. Columbia has not announced a plan for how instruction will be delivered in the fall, but we expect to have more information by July 1. What we do know is that we will be bringing together a truly extraordinary cohort. Please do not hesitate to be in touch with any questions as you make your decision. I would be happy to put you in touch with current students, alums, or faculty if you would like to chat with them. Congratulations, and take care.
Warm regards,
Amy Starecheski, PhD (she/her)
Director“
Columbia Oral History MA Program
Her words were like water on a thirsty land. But in other to preserve my dignity, I won’t describe my reactions on reading her email.
Two days later, just as she had said, I received another one from the dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Science.
Dear Vivian Ogbonna,
On behalf of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University, I am pleased to offer you admission as a candidate for the degree of Master of Arts in Oral History, beginning in Fall 2020. This offer recognizes your excellent academic record and the confidence that your recommenders and the faculty of the program to which you applied have in your abilities as a scholar.
Columbia’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is home to a renowned faculty who, along with our current students, sustain an intense intellectual community made ever more vibrant by the remarkable possibilities offered by the city of New York. This is a unique combination that will enhance greatly the time you will spend in this institution.
I very much look forward to your joining us at Columbia next fall, and offer my congratulations to you.
Cordially,
Carlos J. Alonso
Dean.
To be continued.
Vivian Ogbonna's Blog 