imogenshakes

All of this is really helpful, thanks @TakeruK! I accepted my offer from UCD several weeks ago, so I'm not planning to negotiate or anything. I'm going regardless of what happens with my partner, who is thankfully quite flexible and has been open to searching for jobs in a pretty wide radius. And, like I said, he pretty much already has one, it's just a matter of whether or not we want to be 2 hours away or 20 minutes. This last point is something I hadn't thought of. I forgot that applications typically ask these types of questions. I will mention this to him and make sure he doesn't gloss over that bit! Thanks!

Same. My UG language was German. Thankfully, though Davis requires reading fluency in two foreign languages, one of those can be satisfied by three semesters of UG-level language courses passed with a satisfactory grade. All they need is the transcript. Hooray! Anyway, I took Latin for five years in middle and high school, but I never mentioned it in my application because it's pretty much gone. I didn't care a lick as a teen, since I thought I was going to be performing piano professionally by now (ha). I'm sure some of it will come back, but I'm basically treating it as a "learning from scratch" situation. That said, without mentioning any languages on my app, I got into four top-30 programs (two top-20, however you want to slice it). The one place I DID mention it (because the app asked directly) was George Washington, and that was the only place I was waitlisted. So I really think it doesn't matter for an English PhD. Classics? I'm sure. Comp lit? Yes. But everything else...I'd just echo @Old Bill's last point.

Man, yeah. It has been hard. One of the great perks of Davis is proximity to so many opportunities, both in Sacramento and San Francisco, so that was definitely part of our decision; we were just really hoping that a job offer would come from the Sacramento side (it's WAYYYYY less expensive!). Also, I just really want to know where we are going to live. haha If he's going to end up in San Francisco, I want to find a room in Davis. It's not ideal, but it's only two years. I'm glad there seems to be an echo of "it doesn't hurt to ask." I think I'll send an email to the DGS today. Re: the commute, yeah, that's certainly one of the things we are looking into right now. There are places that are more affordable in between, like Walnut Creek (this was the place recommended to us), and I would certainly be willing to make a long commute if it means I get to attend my dream program. But the selfish part of me just really wants to be near Davis, so I can go to department events and hang out with my cohort outside of class (in the gobs and gobs of free time we will surely have) and not worry about being stuck in traffic trying to get to class. I commuted nearly an hour for my undergrad and I hated it. Doable, but not fun.

Thank you! I was leaning more toward the "it might not do any good" side of things. I know that universities often don't have much say in these sorts of things, but if it's worth asking and not going to hurt me in anyway, it's worth a shot. I was really hoping to live near Davis for the first two years at least, and I know my partner would prefer to be in a smaller, more affordable location. Re: that side note, thanks. Would not have known to avoid that! haha

Hi All, My random question of the day has to do with the practical side of moving across the country: a job for my spouse. He has decided he's going to move with me (to Davis from North Carolina), so we need to have a job lined up for him soon. California is expensive, as we all know, and while we have some savings and my stipend, we won't make it long on that if he's not working and with housing prices the way they are out there. He has had some luck at a potential job and it seems likely they'll hire him, but it's in San Fran - it could be anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours away by car, with traffic and tolls and all that (not fun) stuff. We have a way to make this work (living between, or me living in Davis and him in Oakland), but he'd rather be closer to Davis, where it's less expensive to live and we could be in the same house. Ok, enough background. My real question is this: do you guys think it would be appropriate or out of line to ask the English Dept if they can help us find a job for him at UCD? There are several jobs posted he would be qualified for, from fundraising to library services (he has quite a diverse skills set). He'd love to work in higher ed, but he hasn't ever worked at a university before, so we are afraid that even though he has great qualifications he might be passed over initially. I don't want to overstep bounds, but I have also seen (via google) where people in the sciences have had some luck scoring university jobs for their spouses, but it seems like that was all part of the negotiations pre-acceptance. I don't want to seem needy, especially because we already pretty much have him a job. I'm really just trying to make our lives easier and reduce stress, and the close we are to Davis, the better. Anyway, this is getting rambly. Let me know what you think. And those of you with spouses, how are you negotiating all of the practicalities?

I second this! I've mostly just been stalking to find out what everyone is doing, but I'm on the edge of my seat, too. I'm sending lots of positive vibes to those still waiting, it's almost over! Hang in there, guys!

And man, so much has happened in the past couple of weeks, you log off for a bit and bam! Everyone knows where they're going. Congrats to all who have made the leap and accepted offers! So excited for all of us!

Hooray! Yes, to be quite honest, when the DGS told me that some students have done that I melted a little bit. It's certainly an exciting prospect! ?

Thank you so much! I've been pretty obsessed about the program since I got my acceptance; I'm so excited to work with all of the superstar faculty! And the community sounds fantastic in general. I'll certainly message you as things come up, it's so nice to have contacts! Re: the bike, my plan is to buy one as soon as I get out there ?

I accepted my offer at Davis yesterday and sent out emails declining all of my other fully funded offers, so there should be some movement (hopefully) at Riverside, Madison, UGA, Iowa, and Santa Barbara. I also pulled my name off the waitlist at GWU (I was "very high" on it, apparently, whatever that means), so for what that's worth. I hope someone here gets one of these spots!

I accepted my offer from UC Davis yesterday! I'm so excited and relieved. Much of the decision had to do with the area itself (better for me and my partner, easier for him to find a job) and funding (I found out recently that I actually have six years of funding there, which I didn't get anywhere else). Now onto the practicalities!

Hooray! This is great news, congratulations! Fingers crossed that the interview goes well and you snag that TAship!

Ok, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels like that's what she meant. But hey, it's not an outright rejection! Not like it matters, but I started to assume that since I hadn't heard anything they were planning to reject me. Whatevs I really just want to satisfy my own curiosity about the potential sweep, but honestly, I really can't complain at this point. haha

I agree with @orphic_mel528 on all counts. I don't have the same conference experience, but I landed a prestigious internship at the Folger Shakespeare Library last summer (even, I believed, despite the "low ranking" of my MA program, my age, and subsequent lack of experience in pretty much every professional capacity at the time) I think in part because of networking. I met the director of the internship at an event they were hosting that I happened to be at, and I think because we built a relationship before the internship application was due and he became familiar with my work, it supercharged my chances of getting it. It's not the same thing, exactly, but it illustrates the larger point: if you build the relationships, you work really hard, you produce excellent research, you professionalize...all of this should increase your chances at a job down the road. And fwiw, my mentors advised me to choose a lesser-ranked program in which I feel I could be supported and produce a better dissertation in, as opposed to a higher-ranked program that would be more stressful for me and make it difficult to produce the kind of dissertation I'll need to get a job (this was before the new rankings came out and suddenly both of the aforementioned programs ended up tied, ha). Of course, I'm also feeling quite optimistic about all of this. I didn't even think I'd be in a position where I could choose from among several top-20 and 30 programs, so I'm trying not to worry to much at the moment.

Alright, so I finally caved and emailed GWU. They just emailed and said that they are still working through decisions. They've made official offers, and are still "very interested" in my "strong application" and she they would have more information for me in a couple of weeks. So...do I read this as a waitlist? This feels waitlisty to me. haha

@Yanaka I'll message you some in a few, when I'm not on my phone! I mostly follow early modern scholars, but Twitter figures out what you like and people who seem to match your interests will pop up on occasion! ?

Dude. I love Twitter. The academic community there is fantastic, and it definitely does, as @claritus says, humanize the people that we tend to admire so much (and honestly, makes me admire them even more). I've also connected with a few of them thanks to Twitter, and met a couple in person at the Folger last summer, so that was great. My gap year has been quite busy, I spent a LOT of time reading and writing for my SOP, researching programs for best fit, etc. I'm a first-gen, so aside from a few recommendations that colleagues and mentors suggested, I was on my own in terms of finding programs to apply to. I also got an adjunct position teaching for my university's writing program and a couple of English classes, but I know others who have tutored in the writing center or gotten adjunct positions at community college, as well. I think the diverse teaching experience was appealing to some of the programs I applied to (I know of at least one that couldn't stop gushing about the fact that I could mentor new TAs, haha), so if you have the opportunity to do so, I would definitely encourage teaching somewhere.

I'm not surprised by this. My mentor told me that they've been working REALLY hard to improve their PhD program the past few years, and they're still working on it. I'm so excited because they're my number 1 right now! It's nice to see vertical movement with my top choice, though I know this is all arbitrary and doesn't really mean anything. haha

Hey! Sorry guys, I've just returned from Cali and this whole west coast -> east coast jet lag with daylight savings is messing me UP. I'm quite tired and behind on...well, everything. haha I'm still not sure if I got the sweep. No word from GWU either way, and my portal is still blank. I'm actually going to send a follow-up email today at the encouragement of my mentors, who say by this point it's perfectly acceptable to do so. I'm probably not going there, but it would still be nice to know. Believe me, you guys will be some of the first to hear either way! I still have my fingers crossed, but feel it's unlikely at this point, since I haven't heard a peep.

Yeah, it makes sense. I'm planning to start with whatever school I end up liking better post-visiting days, with the understanding that I have a really good backup offer regardless. Moving down the line, if you will. I definitely don't want to string anyone along, but I also don't want to miss any opportunities, especially because where I end up really might come down to funding. I'd be happy to share what I learn once I hear back from them - I'm literally just doing what they tell me to do, because I don't know what I'm doing, either. Right. I'm starting with SB, because the program has the most resources for my field, but they're also one of the only programs that didn't offer me a competitive fellowship. If they can't offer me more, I'll be writing Davis. I'm just trying to get the emails done now so my mentors have time to give me feedback, especially since I'll be on spring break next week (so that means I'll be out of commission for 10 days, ha). Also, like I said in response to chburdick, I'm literally only doing what my mentors tell me to do; they know people at all of the programs I applied to, and how the process works, so I won't do anything that they advise against.

@Zelda and @orphic_mel528 - congrats on the Oregon acceptances! That was another program that I've been kicking myself for not applying to - they have an AMAZING environmental lit program! So excited for you both! Good luck to those waiting on UNC! I hope they let you know soon!

That's true! I'm hoping to start declining offers here pretty soon. I have my list narrowed down to three (maybe 2...likely 2) programs, which means I'll be declining three others in the next couple of weeks. I'm really just trying to negotiate funding at this point, and once I get that figured out, I hope some of my spots in these programs will go to some of the wonderful GCers who might be waiting!

For sure! SB's day is March 10th (NEXT WEEK! AHHH) and Davis's is April 4th. I wish it wasn't so far away, because I just want to KNOW, but I'm trying my best to be patient. I am also pretty concerned about the living situation in SB. I got a great offer of funding, but it's about the same as my offer from Madison, which is obviously a much cheaper place to live. My mentors are helping me compose negotiation emails as we speak in hopes that each of them might up their offers a bit. The major difficulty for me is that I can't even find roommates, as I'll be moving out there with my partner...so there's a perk in that we'll have two incomes, but it's still insanely expensive, especially if we can't get into family housing (the waitlist is 12+ months for families without kids. Ugh.)

Ok, yeah, you're right. I guess it's more just that I know so many people didn't get into their dream schools or are still waiting to hear, and here I am, drowning in acceptances, haha. I'm certainly proud of myself, though. We all know this is a terribly difficult, frustrating, anxiety-inducing process, and it definitely feels good to be on the other end with something to show for it. You are quite wonderful, Mel.

I feel a bit guilty to say it, honestly, but it's true. Everything in me wants to run down the hall to my mentors and tell them that I got into all of the programs I applied to. Especially because they (and everyone else) thought I only had a good shot at about half. It just feels so good to prove everyone wrong, you know?