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vanilla1983

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Posts posted by vanilla1983

  1. 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...

  2. 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!

  3. 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

  4. First of all - Congratulations! That's awesome that you've already heard good news from a school! 

     

    Second of all - Definitely go, especially if it's paid. This is the program's chance to prove to you why you should go there! It's a really great chance to meet students and faculty and get a good look at where you could be spending the next several years of your life. My visit days were really what helped me decide between programs. You learn things about a program that you wouldn't be able to ascertain over the phone with the DGS or over email with a current student. 

     

    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...

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