harvardlonghorn

So I've mainly been hanging out in the Lit/Rhet/Comp forum but since I'll be applying to both programs I figured I'd check out this forum as well. Is anyone over here gearing up for the upcoming admissions cycle? I'm looking at JD/PhD programs as well as PT law programs. It doesn't look like there is a ton of posts in this forum but at least the posts are more recent than some of the other law school discussion boards I've visited. I would love to get to know some of the fellow applicants and get advice from any successful applicants as well!

I started a blog a few weeks ago: http://harvardlonghorn.wordpress.com I've only done a few posts thus far but haven't decided how anonymous I plan on staying. However, I'm pretty mindful of the things I'm posting as well so I would be okay if classmates figured out who I was.

Hello all! I initially planned on applying for fall 2013 admissions, but my brain was unable to handle an admissions cycle and the final year of coursework for my masters degree without a complete and total meltdown. So, I logged off of this site for nearly a year and just focused on school. Thankfully, that mental break forced me to reevaluate my initial school selections and figure out which schools were actually a good fit. It also gave me a chance to map out a workable schedule and timeline for the 2014 admissions cycle. I'm planning on applying to 5-7 programs in the New England area. I thought I would want to move back to Austin if I were fortunate enough to get accepted to my alma mater UT (those of you from previous cycles may have seen my posts defending UT and the state of Texas to no end ) but my time in Boston has definitely convinced me to put down roots here. I think it is definitely time for new experiences and branching out beyond my hometown is the best way to do so. Hopefully, the 2014 admissions cycle will prove to be fruitful!

I'm in roughly the last semester of my masters program and I am filled with daily anxiety. I work 40 hours a week on top of that so it is has been extremely stressful. I love my program and I love the experience but it has raised some questions and long-term concerns for me. I had planned on entering the Fall 2013 PhD application cycle, but right now I'm way too stressed out to try and put together a coherent application packet. I have to finish my thesis proposal and my last couple of classes, then write my thesis . Right now I am only concentrating on finishing my masters and maintaining my sanity.

Dexter (the tv series) is much better than the books. However, the tv series prompted me to start reading that series (which I greatly enjoy), but the tv series and the book series are drastically different after the first season/first novel. The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books of all times and I'm not sure why Hollywood keeps attempting to produce movies based on the novel. The first one with Robert Redford was awful, the tv movie version was even worse. I just watched the trailer for the new version with Leonardo DiCaprio and for some reason the trailer has a Kanye West song as its soundtrack. Ughh.

And I'm sold.

My family moved from TX up to Rochester, NY back in the early 90s and aside from the drastic change in weather, I didn't feel out of my element. My parents are from CT, so the only way someone from back East can tell I'm from Texas is when I say y'all instead of you guys. We moved from Rochester, NY to Louisiana and that by far was the biggest culture shock I have ever experienced. If we're solely discussing Austin, then if you're familiar with Rochester, it's fairly similar in terms of landscape and atmosphere. In terms of population size it's closer to Boston, MA. Unless you venture out to the ranch areas outside of Austin (i.e. Bastrop/Elgin/Kyle), then the only time you will see an actual Longhorn is at a UT football game. Bevo the Longhorn looks bored to be there in the sweltering heat so you won't have to worry about him going on a wild rampage. In terms of cities like Houston, Dallas, or San Antonio the atmosphere varies. Dallas is a bit more "hoity-toity" IMO and there are areas that remind me of the Real Housewives series. Houston varies as well but since its at sea level it is extremely HUMID.

Most of the schools I plan on applying to require a 12-15 page writing sample and two require a 20-25 page writing sample. One explicitly states a 20 page writing sample and the other states a max 25 page writing sample. Would it be wise (or foolish) to simply stick to a 15 page writing sample and submit that sample to all schools? So far, my best writing sample is a 10 page paper and I was planning on using that as the base of my writing sample.

For the most part, it takes quite a bit to ruffle my feathers. But I am also happy to offer insight into a city and University where I spent a great deal of time. I know my list of factors includes some zany things-see my post in Choosing where to apply-so I can certainly understand feeling bias towards a given city or state. I think most people can appreciate a harmless politically incorrect jab until it comes their way and then we all feel the need to defend. I think my immense love for UT should be an indicator of the kind of impact it made. We're all writers here. Don't we all romanticize too much?

Well said Kelkel!

I will be starting from scratch, as none of my current writing samples meet the required page length. One of my professors for an upcoming summer course and one from a previous course will be assisting me with the revisions. I doubt I'll be able to tailor my writing sample to different schools as I'm starting from scratch. If I don't get accepted anywhere for fall 2013, then I will try to tailor writing samples to different schools in a round 2 situation.This summer will certainly be a crazy one!!

If Texas is the worst state in the country that you have come across, then you need to do a little more exploring. I can tell you from experience, there are some other states that are far worse (overall) than Texas.

I really should be working on an academic paper that is due in a few hours, but I feel the need to defend both my hometown and my alma mater. As far as the political climate goes in Austin, it is a hippie town plain and simple. I second the comment by a previous poster who compared it to Berkeley. It is a very liberal town, and in the 21 years I lived in Austin I can honestly say I've only experienced two acts of "prejudice". Ignore my avatar which speaks to my love of Carrie Bradshaw and not my racial background. Both acts of "prejudice" were committed by individuals who were neither from Austin or Texas. Austin and UT has a very diverse makeup and you are more likely to come across a tree-hugging, flip-flop wearing, hacky-sack playing, marijuana smoking activist than you are a backwoods, ignorant hillbilly. The rare occasions that I came across some ignorant twit, it was immediately obvious that they lacked intelligence and the social skills to function as a respectable human being. As far as "elitism" goes, UT is considered one of the "public ivies" and honestly my course load at UT was at times more rigorous than it is at Harvard. I had to work my ass off for every class I had at UT and the professors there had high expectations. With that being said, it is a party school and if you live anywhere around campus or in SW Austin be prepared to hear and/or smell the party atmosphere. I know I'm a bit biased but I grew up in and around UT campus and wouldn't trade my undergraduate experience there for anything. My time there is probably why UT and Harvard are my top 2 choices for PhD programs. If I were in the position to decide between UT and another school(excluding Harvard ), UT would win hands down. That's just my two (extremely biased) two cents. Either way, having the luxury of choosing between multiple PhD programs is an accomplishment and I wish you all the best of luck!!

I don't know if anyone can answer this question for me, but how do you determine/know if a department accepts more or less of a specific field? I've seen a few posts where people say that a specific department only accepts 1 or 2 medievalists or the competition is stiff for modernists at a particular school. Where are you guys finding this information? This may be a dumb question, but I just haven't come across any information regarding that on department websites.

I have changed my list a number of times and I think the two things that have largely affected my list are 1) Location and 2) Research Interests. Initially, I used the usnews rankings to make my list because it was the fastest way to see which schools offered a Phd in English. Then I looked over the current and past course offerings and faculty research interests at each school to determine fit. My parents are military doctors so we moved quite a bit when I was younger. Committing myself to one city for 5-7 years is nerve-wracking and so far Texas and Harvard are the only two schools that consistently make the cut. Texas is my alma mater and Austin is "home" to me. I'm currently attending Harvard, so Boston/Cambridge has become my second home. However, I like the idea of someone else footing the bill for me to live somewhere new. Funding is 3rd on my list. I found a website http://www.bestplaces.net/col/ that compares the cost of living between two cities and plugged in the fellowship amount (+ savings $$) for the salary. This website has helped me whittle down my list since location is extremely important to me. Random/Non- Academic factors: 1. As a UT alumna and die-hard Longhorn, I absolutely refuse to consider Texas A&M. I just can't. Not even as a safety school. (Side note regarding the squirrels comment: as much as I love UT, there is a huge squirrel problem on campus and those rascals are fearless. If you end up attending UT, don't be alarmed if a squirrel approaches you) 2. As a die-hard Boston sports fan- I will consider any school in the Boston area and will likely submit an application to the majority of the schools in the area. 3. My family spent two of the worst years of my life in Pineville, Louisiana and the mere thought of going back to Louisiana invokes the Dueling Banjos scene from Deliverance for me. Won't do it. Currently my list hovers between 6 and 13 schools. I'm also superstitious so there is a possibility that I would apply to 12 or 14 schools, just to avoid the number 13