brigadierpudding

As a matter of fact, I was at the dinner! I didn't try the guacamole, though. Obviously I should have. Those are pretty sound reasons for declining. Program chemistry is hugely important, and it's not something you can determine remotely: what sounds good on paper might not work in person. That's why I'm eager to visit each of my acceptances before I begin seriously considering a final decision. That said, it sounds like you've got great chemistry from UMD. Based on your acceptances, I don't think you can make a bad decision, so you should definitely go with your heart. I was hugely impressed by the Lit program at Illinois, for exactly the reasons you stated: the students and faculty seemed really friendly and supportive, so I did feel like I clicked there. Not only that, but the library's massive holdings are so very enticing, and I like that there are many opportunities to teach literature classes -- and a variety of lit classes at that. It's too early to tell, but I am leaning Illinois at this point. That may change in the next couple weeks when I visit Ohio and Texas. What I can say for sure is that campus visits are a lot of fun.

Proflorax, I noticed you were also admitted to UIUC. If you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to decline? I just got back from visiting there and loved it, so it's just a matter of curiosity of my end.

I really don't if it's strange or not, but remember, at this point, UT is trying to recruit you. Making first contact with a professor, after weeks of radio silence from the school, does not sound impertinent to me. Personally, I'm going to let UT do its thing under the assumption that they have some sort of grand design. My plane arrives at 3 on Thursday. I figured I would check in to the hotel at 4 and then, depending on what's happening (it seems like we're free until 7), walk to campus. PM me if you want to join up in the afternoon. I look forward to meeting everyone.

That's really awesome. Pedagogy is so important, and not every school places enough emphasis on it. It's also nice to have the option of a fallback year when you're on the job hunt. Congrats!

Thanks! I wonder if SMU, being a really new program, gets to be cutting edge. It certainly seems so in terms of funding -- you're even provided a laptop, right?. I'm curious what your overall impressions of the program were.

M_pru, after checking out SMU's website, I must say that their funding is phenomenal, and it's even better that visiting campus has made you fall in love with the program. Congrats!

Thanks. It's too bad they had to delay recruitment weekend. That is an excruciatingly long wait for Austin. I guess they're waiting until then to make their sell to us, but it'd be nice if they provided more info sooner. As it stands, I check the course listings multiple times per day, lol.

No problem. I'm considering three: UT Austin, Ohio State, and UI Urbana-Champaign. Campus visits start next week. I'm really excited! Yeah, the UT course listings for the past few semesters looked really good, and I hope that I'd be able to take similarly useful classes in the 3-4 semesters of coursework I have left. I want to be sure that I have the opportunity to get the coursework that would benefit me the most, so it'd be really nice to find out about imminent and future classes. It's probably going to be one of the most important factors in my decision.

Visit weekend is 3/28-3/30. I hope I'll get to find out a lot more about the program then. I'm especially interested in getting a sense of which courses will be offered the next 1-2 years, at least in my area of study.

Tired of getting e-mails about picking out your lunch? Just you wait: UT Austin's recruitment efforts will consist entirely of serving us the best sandwiches ever, resulting in 100% yield. No one can compete with damned good sandwiches. No one.

I'm definitely looking forward to Recruitment Weekend. I've been jonesing to find out more about UT: my other acceptances have been very forthcoming with info about their programs, while Austin hasn't really been in touch with me. As it stands, I don't know enough to lean toward or away from the school, and I think that visiting in person will let me know if it feels right. I also look forward to visiting the city itself and meeting other program recruits

My MA program didn't require a thesis, but it was an option. For a number of reasons, I didn't end up doing one. My professors told me that it wasn't really necessary any more when applying to PhD programs. Ultimately, I received offers from three very good schools.

All three of my acceptances are admitting me into the PhD phase of their programs, with their MA requirements fulfilled by my Master's degree.

Ditto. It turned out to be more generous than what I had been told over the phone. Very tempting....

One thing to bear in mind when comparing funding offers is cost of living: 13k might be enough to live comfortably in one area, but you might be scraping by somewhere else. While Austin isn't New York city, it's not a small Midwestern town, either. Regarding going where the money is: Of course, funding isn't the only factor (hence "all else being equal"). Those of us expressing concern about it aren't, I suspect, motivated solely by money (we are, after all, graduate students in the humanities: what is this money of which you speak?!). For me, I just want to know that I can live reasonably off the funding without worrying about money or the rising cost of living. In that respect, UT's funding doesn't seem outright bad, but it does give me pause, something I didn't quite expect from a program with such a stellar reputation.

It sounds like you're making a sensible decision. Quality of life involves more than just funding (although funding is important, of course); it's about being content with your circumstances. And it's definitely something that is crucial in deciding where you're going to spend the next five years!

Agreed, but I'd say that even 16.5 is rough given the cost of living in Austin. I'd also like to add that UT offers only 95% tuition remission, so there's an additional couple hundred dollars each semester. Does your 13.5 figure take into account the summer funding? UT offers 2 summer fellowships and the opportunity to teach in a third summer, so maybe you can revise the figure to 16k at the start? Still, money would be tight....

I'm feeling terribly indecisive. Everyone tells me how amazing Austin is, so there are days when I have a burning desire straight out of Renaissance love poetry to go to UT. Other days, I'm worried about the money. Honestly, I think it's too early to make a serious and informed decision. I hope recruitment weekend will help make the choice easier, and I wouldn't mind seeing course listings for the next couple semesters.

I feel ya. I have an excellent fellowship offer from one program, while UT's funding is disappointing.

I'm also facing a tough choice between two universities. I honestly don't know what to do. That said, it's probably best to let it all sink in for awhile; after all, you have nearly two months to make your final decision. Try doing something to get your mind off grad school for a week or two, or at least for a weekend. Later on, even though you've visited both campuses already, you should definitely make an effort to go to their recruitment weekends. When it comes down to the wire, go with what feels right. Being happy means being productive.

Cheers to my fellow GCers accepted to OSU. I just noticed that the courses for Fall 2013 have been released: http://english.osu.edu/autumn-2013-graduate-coursebook I'm dying to take the Caroline drama class.

Will do. Thanks!

Fiona, I have a few questions about teaching. How many courses are you required to take when you're an AI? What's the teaching load like (how many classes taught each semester? How many students per class? Any additional work required outside of teaching?)? Any feedback you can provide would be appreciated. For the record, I have an MA, so if I choose UT, I'll be entering in the PhD phase of the program. I'm very excited about recruitment weekend!