lisajay

speaking of afam lit, print culture & dramatic literature, you may want to look at WashU if you haven't already.

meeeeeeeeee too! *high 5!!*

& just like that, i'm happy again

just looked that book up... & now i'm sad. too bad goodreads doesn't have a "will never ever read" shelf.

congrats on the wait list!! what area are you in?

if i were you, i'd probably retake the GRE. your AW score is great, but your verbal score sounds pretty low for an english major. if you can study over the summer and retake it in the fall, you should be able to bump up that percentage considerably. i'd at least get some studying in & see how you score on practice tests then as opposed to now. if there's an increase, it'll probably be worth your while to take it again. i don't know how heavily UCR weighs GRE scores with respect to admissions, but they can definitely factor in with fellowship consideration, so i'd bear that in mind. maybe email tina feldmann for her advice?

i second everything sebastiansteddy says here. i'll also add that it may be beneficial to reach out to heidi brayman hackel with any specific questions that you may have. she's the director of graduate admissions as well as an early modernist, so my guess is that she'd be able to steer you in the right direction in terms of what facets of UCR's program are best suited to your interests. also, use your SOP for all that it's worth. make sure that it conveys both that you've done your research with respect to UCR's program & that you're genuinely excited at the prospect of studying there.

my grandma bears a striking resemblance to betty white. true story.

aside from some scholarships, my MA has been unfunded. for loans, yes, you just need to submit FAFSA. as a grad student, you don't need to submit your parents' financial information, just your own. i've worked full-time throughout my MA, and the vast majority of my cohort seems to at least work part-time. it's also worth noting that it's a state school*, so tuition is extremely reasonable. a lot of folks who work full-time only take one or two classes per semester, but three seminars is doable on a full-time schedule provided you're willing to put in lots of long nights & weekends. i was actually on track to graduate in 3 semesters rather than 4 but opted to take additional courses and stay on the full second year so that i could take on additional extracurricular responsibilities. my MA has absolutely positioned me to tackle a PhD, although my situation differs in that i've been out of undergrad for about 10 years, so if for nothing else i needed the MA to get solid letters of rec. but the MA, like any other degree, is only as valuable as you make it. if the end-goal is your PhD, keep that in mind throughout the program, make an effort to really get to know your professors, start presenting at conferences, get teaching and/or editorial experience under your belt, attend local conferences even when you're not presenting, & be sure to engage in service activities. hope this helps! *ETA: a state school in a state where i've established residency. out of state tuition is no joke, & i personally would probably not have paid it to get an MA.

yes, i would ask. more likely than not, they expect/encourage you to get a dissertation fellowship at the end of the guaranteed funding period, which would explain the discrepancy. just a thought

either that's a typo, or lafayette just got a helluva lot more intense!

my pleasure! my office & usually at least one of my classes are perpetually sub-65, so i try to make like a boy scout & always be prepared.

i'd probably opt for the polo rather than a short-sleeve button-down shirt, but that's just me. & yeah, nice jeans or khakis, something that looks presentable but will be comfortable walking around in &/or sitting for extended periods of time. & comfy shoes that won't give you blisters. *or* a kilt!! they're the highlanders, after all... ETA: i would definitely bring a sweater or lightweight jacket of some kind though. even if the temperature never drops low enough for you to need it (although riverside can get chilly at night), we californians *love* our A/C, so you could end up freezing inside a classroom or restaurant or something.

my guess is riverside will only be 80 or so for the open house, so I'd say jeans, nice top (ideally short sleeved), & lightweight sweater with a bag you can stow the sweater in when you're too warm for it. or dress/skirt sans tights/leggings & lightweight sweater

turn to the left!

so wearing my partner's animal farm t-shirt is *not* a good idea? back to the drawing board...

oh sweet jeebus i want those pants!! ...& then i saw the pricetag o.0

seconded. plus they've got Greg ulmer. Saginaw state has Geoff carter, whose work you might find interesting. ASU seems to have a strong program with a great, related conference. &, of course, I think UCR is a solid fit

"Hi, my name is X, & I speak for the trees."

no joke. if i leave work before 4:30 pm or after 7 pm, it takes me like 25 minutes door-to-door. But if it's in the rush hour window? Fuggedaboutit.

rdsull89 can speak to that better than i can. right now, i commute to Orange County & the 18-mile drive takes me an hour or so. It looks like the commute from here to riverside (about 65 miles or so) will take me around 2 hours in traffic, but there's also the train which I think will take me 3 hours (during which I can get reading done), so depending on when my classes are, I'll see what makes the most sense. traffic is bad during rush hour, so those horror stories are true, but it's comparable to the Bay Area.

seconded! i'm in the 1 acceptance, 1 wait list boat too, bfat. Play the hand you're dealt, & be the ace in the hole.

that's the overall impression that I've gotten. it's also the only program in California at least that's active in most of the areas of research that interest me. that + a supportive & collaborative atmosphere = one happy lisa!! & as my favorite prof/unofficial mentor says: the school that "gets" you is the school that deserves you. i already feel like UCR & i click.

that is true: a lot of people who work in Orange County end up living in riverside & commuting because housing is so much more affordable. & it seems like UCR has really affordable grad student housing. i'll be commuting from long beach though

you're awesome i had thought about starting a thread so the [likely] members of the incoming cohort could start to get to know eachother, &c, but seems like it's too early for most to say for sure where they'll be headed in the fall. riverside's been my top choice since i narrowed down my list of programs, so i'm beyond thrilled & really looking forward to the open house!!