Gwendolyn

woot to the OSU admits!

Notice, everyone on TGC is talking about applying to well-known private or public flagship universities. Nobody is talking about applying to Texas Woman's University or Southeastern Oklahoma State University. That's not to say those schools (IDK if they even have English grad programs) are not great schools, but schools with less name recognition seem to be less competitive which most probably makes them easier to get into.

How/Why? My undergraduate school funnels people into a particular nearby program at a larger university. Although the program is not extremely highly ranked or competitive (typically placed in the 90s on USNWR), it has regional name recognition, gives full funding (to MA and PhD students) and thus serves its graduates well. With a foreknowledge of the students from my undergraduate department who have been admitted (their grades, test scores, interests, writing abilities, graduate advisors etc.), I was certain I (as well as my professors) I would get in. Guess what. I got in (I immediately rejected the offer). Nonetheless, for my very specific situation, it was my "safety school." I don't think there is no such thing as a safety school, but safety schools are extremely relative to one's personal situation/standing. If you have enough knowledge of a program and it's admits, etc. I think you can pretty much gauge your ability to get accepted. Trying to gauge your chances at Harvard, or UVA, or UC Berkeley etc. are far more difficult than Regional State University. Call it arrogant. Fine. It still stands that sometimes "safe schools" exist.

If anyone who's been accepted to OSU has any questions feel free to shoot me a message!

Congrats as well!

Congrats!

I have a macbook pro and its overwhelmingly the preferred device in my department. In ALL of my courses I'd say 60-70% of people (including the instructor) use MBPs.

I'm not Jewish, but there's a sizeable Jewish community here (Columbus, OH) in the neighborhood of Bexley. My partner lives nearby and I've noted several Synagogues which (I'm assuming) suggests there's a variety of denominations? My knowledge is clearly limited.

When did you take the GRE? Maybe it has something to do with waiting on your analytical writing score? Just a guess.

There is very limited parking and even with special parking permit, there are some areas that would require a bit of walking (not a horrendous amount -- maybe .1- .2 miles at most away from efficient parking). As far as housing goes there's graduate student housing available through the university that should be pretty accessible. They're furnished and come with amenities (utilities are included in the rent), but you will be put into a housing situation with people who you don't necessarily get to choose. I've heard both good and bad things about graduate housing, but it can't possibly be any worse than the housing right around the university. I live alone in a 2 bedroom apartment in Clintonville on a grad student budget without any issues. There's bus stops everywhere (where i live there's one going north directly across the street and one going south that stops right in front of my building), so even using the transit isn't bad. Clintonville, Victorian Village, and the Short North seem to be the most popular with graduate students. Grandview is actually a bit of a drive which can be a problem if you're facing morning/rush hour traffic. Some places in Victorian Village can be pricey, but I also know several graduate students who live alone in doubles/split levels in the area on grad student budgets, so there are some options (but there is the issue of finding housing that meets your accessibility needs). I would really recommend looking around in Clintonville. There's a lot of great shops, restaurants, coffee shops, book stores, and other things in this emerging area. There's also more single level homes than other areas which might be of service to you.

Heading to Ohio on Tuesday... so much to do!

I live ~3 miles from campus (45 minute - 1 hr walk at most), but I still live in a really "campusy" neighborhood as it's only about a 5 minute drive (it's actually a straight shot and right by a main bus line).

I just don't know where to start.

Luckily my lease is already taken care of, now I just have to decide how I'll be getting my things to Columbus.

Perhaps this is what you meant, but this surely does not accurately coincide with your previous sentiment. At any rate, the fact that USC received ~80 applications does not mean the application process is more or less competitive than others. How many students enter the program annually? How many people are accepted off of the waitlist? How competitive are each of the applicants? Where do you stand; how competitive are you as an applicant? Is there an interview process? If so, how difficult is it? Again, averages are of little help and I'd go as far as to suggest your "own research" is most probably biased toward your academic abilities and your interests. It's simply far more useful to explore programs on an individual basis.