vanilla1983

I am applying for PhDs in rhet/comp, and turned down two offers -- CUNY Graduate Center + Ohio State University. I hope that they contact wait-listed applicants soon!! good luck!

I haven't been able to find anything, but have compared notes with a couple people via PM. My sense is that it feels too "public" on a form to talk in-depth about the strengths and weaknesses of different programs when you're considering them...

Thanks for starting this thread! I just visited MSU, an got a sense that they have a broad and inventive scope of research, so it seems you'd be able to explore both your interests there. One thing I've just started looking for is how much support students get in terms of funding for conference travel, summers, etc. MSU is incredibly well-funded, with more conference/travel grants than anywhere else I'm looking. So, you could also consider the access to summer projects / grant-funded research / conferences in your areas of interest that would be afforded by MSU. The big thing I'm considering right now re: comp/rhet programs is whether they are in a stand-alone writing dept or a subset of an English dept. I was accepted to four programs, 2 in stand-alone writing depts and 2 in English depts. Right now, I'm doing an MA in a large English dept, and while it's allowed for some cool interdisciplinary work, it has its limitations -- namely, that there are only a couple of comp/rhet courses offered every semester...

Glad to hear this.... I'm in my 30s and often feel very old in my MA. Hoping this won't be the case in doctoral programs!

I teach 2:2 in my MA program, but nearly all the doctoral programs I applied to are only 1:1....

first off, congratulations!! I recently spoke with a prof on the phone for the first time, and asked about the various TA opportunities, what grad students typically teach, opportunities for interdisciplinary work in other departments, the general environment of the department (collegial? supportive? overlap between various English dept. tracks? etc.), student life in the city where the school is located, etc. good luck!

I will be going to the Open House too! would love to connect w/ others who plan to attend...

I randomly checked my online app status today and it said I was accepted -- and I haven't heard anything from the department!! So I will now be obsessively checking every online app status......

Last semester I set a goal of finishing my work by 8:30pm every night, taking a bath, and reading something for pleasure . . . I only let myself break the rule when I was REALLY excited about something I was writing, and wanted to ride the wave. I couldn't do a 9-5 because I tend to get a lot of work done between 5 and 8pm . . . and it's nice to have a few hours off in the middle of the afternoon to walk the dog, read the news, go for a bike ride, etc... I totally agree with you Proflorax - getting out of the house to work during the day, even for just a few hours, is key

Muchado -- I would love to hear more about how you decided based on your visits! Right now I'm trying to figure out how to think about programs both intellectually and on a gut-level -- there are some I'm drawn to that my advisors are trying to talk me out of, but I want to trust that gut-level "fit" feeling...

I'm going to one of these too! Wonder if it's the same R&W program?