ArthChauc

I'm going! This will be my first KZoo and I can't wait. If only the semester would be a bit kinder...

My understanding is that everything goes out right around the same time, including waitlists for PhD and MA--I'm not sure about rejections. I know of two offers that went out for rhet/writing but I'm not sure if more than that went out or if more are yet to come--I do know there was a delay of about a day between the first acceptance being issued and the second. If you have any questions, please let me know! I'm a currently Ph.D student in the department at UNM and I'd love to tell you all the fantastic things about the faculty, staff, grad students, and university. I'm a fairly cynical/ambivalent person about most things, but I truly can't run out of enough positive things to say about the department--coming to UNM is hands down the best choice I ever made. Are you a current UNM student? I'm curious to find out who you talked to--I'm attending for my Ph.D at present.

I know rhet/comp has started to let people know as of last night.

I go to UNM. Let me know if you have any questions! I know a little about admissions, for what program did you apply?

Can we talk about going to conferences? Because I love talking about them almost as I love going (aside from the expensive hotels, registration fees, etc.). Anyone presenting anywhere soon? Personally, I'll be giving papers at the International Congress for Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo this May and the International Medieval Congress at Leeds in July; beyond that, I'm still waiting on hearing back from MLA, RMMRA, and considering putting in a proposal for Medieval Academy of America but let's be real, the odds of getting into that are slim.

Excellent! This will be my first time attending/presenting at each but I'm pretty damn excited. And I have grants to cover them. Life is good.

I realize this is from forever ago, but I'll be at both KZoo and Leeds giving papers on the Exeter Book and women and monasticism, respectively. Any news for you?

Anybody going to IMC Leeds this year? Kzoo? I miss talking with other medievalists on here! Hope everyone is happy in their programs!

Thank you both for your feedback. Here are a few answers to some questions/concerns you've both brought forth. Typically, the committee you choose for exams tends to be your dissertation committee; I say "tends to" because I know of only one exception to this at my university. Typically to the three will be added one outside reader who is from a different university. I like the idea that you mentioned, TakeruK, about having younger members on the committee that would understand job anxieties--that's a really good point. In my field, prestige is somewhat prevalent and I also thought having someone on my committee who has done the whole UK hiring thing might know a good deal more about getting into schools in the UK; that's just a hunch, not anything I know for sure. Rising_Star, both scholars have worked successfully with the two current members of my committee in the past. I have spoken to my advisor and she has said that both a good options and that I should choose who I think would be most helpful to me; the only problem with this is that I think they both would be helpful! I obviously would not have brought this question forth without having those kinds of conversations; at this point, my only problem is making a selection. Thanks again you two!

I don't want to get too specific here because a) it's unnecessary and b.) it would be nice to have some anonymity. I'm at the point where I need to start thinking about the people who will issue the exams I will take in order to become a doctoral candidate. I have two of them worked out securely and am very happy. The last member is the bit that's throwing me. Here's the deal: one professor is older, more well-known, and of Oxbridge pedigree; let's call him professor A. This professor seems to be the "default" for most people in my field as he is well known and very knowledgable. His interests are close to mine but not the exact same. The other professor is younger (pre-tenure) and we have more shared interests but he is often critiqued by people in my cohort as being too brash--some have even made comments that he "doesn't know what he's talking about" even though they have not personally had classes with him; from the courses I have had with him, I have found him plenty knowledgable and don't exactly see claims about him as holding water. He is from a very strong (~`15) program in my field and I find that I get along with him and have a better rapport with him than professor A. At this point, I'm at a loss for what to do. I know I need to decide whether to use professor A or professor B for my exam, but I'm not sure who is the better choice. Another thing that I've been thinking about is whether or not the university where these professors were educated matters. Will a letter from an Oxbridge graduate say more to a hiring committee than a strong American institution if they are both teaching at the same university (i.e.: the one I attend)? I'm hoping to find a position in the UK when the time comes, if that makes any difference Sorry for keeping things vague i.e.: the Oxbridge thing. I don't know if anybody from my department uses this site and think I ought to be safe than sorry. Thanks in advance for your feedback--I truly appreciate it!

If you're thinking OSU for folklore, you're thinking of Ray Cashman--I had the pleasure of traveling England with him three years ago. Incredible, incredible person and scholar. I can't say enough nice things about him.

I had a similar experience with my master's program and thesis--I didn't necessarily love the grading, but it was often a break from writing which was much needed. Thanks for your input.

Tried to up vote this, but I've reached my positivity quota for the day. I hadn't thought of auditing Latin--definitely something I'm going to consider.

How would the number of classes I take be cohort dependent? Again, I asked other GC people who are in my field their experience. I did not ask "who should I contact to figure this out" seeing as how I have heard people in my department do a variety of things and there isn't a hard and fast rule. Don't assume because I've posted a question on a website that I haven't done anything else. This is a bit ridiculous.

I'm thinking about it, Zinc. I would be worried if these topics (Latin/Anglo Saxon) were brand new to me, but seeing as how they will be mostly review, I might take a leap of faith and go for them. We'll see. I'm going to an orientation for my department next week and might have a chance to ask some of the current Ph.D's' what they've done in the past.