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.

I'm not asking which courses I should take--I'm asking if other Ph.D students have taken similar loads and whether or not they have found those loads to be too overwhelming the first term of their Ph.D. Having completed an MA and taught a 1-1 with a three class load, I know that that was doable--I'm merely inquiring of other Ph.D students in English programs whether or not they've done 3 and taught a 2-2 or thought that was something that would be too much work right off the bat. Also, if you don't mind my asking, why comment on the English forum if you're already in a geodynamics program, especially if it isn't too add something constructive to the conversation? Zinc, they're not--I'm TAing one section of mythology (it's a recitation of a lecture) and one section of core writing (which I'll be doing my own grading, teaching, etc.).

Hi, all. I start my first semester of my Ph.D in about two weeks and I'm a bit perplexed as what I should take. There is a required class for my first semester which primarily deals with professional development, so I'm obviously enrolled in that. I was planning on retaking Latin because I haven't touched it since 2012, so I'm signed up for that but not extremely worried about the workload as it's both an undergraduate class and a review for me. Additionally, I'm signed up to take Anglo Saxon which is also somewhat of a review for me--the only difference is that we'll be moving at faster pace than my MA Anglo Saxon class and translating more difficult work. Is it crazy to take three classes and also teach a 2-2 load? One of my classes is TAing a Mythology seminar, so that should be significantly less work than teaching core writing, I'd imagine.

Wow, Cloud--a lot of our general interests are similar. I'm very interested in temporality and affect (I used to work primarily with trauma theory--think Felman, Butler, Caruth, etc.) and the way that medieval religion has footprints in contemporary catholicism. I've worked primarily with de Troyes and Chaucer on my MA thesis, which dealt with concepts of posthumanism and Marxist feminism and the way in which courtly love mechanizes the female body. Lots of Zizek bashing and Willis/Steigler/Butler citing insues.

Cloud, UNM is similar in that way--3 tenured profs in the Medieval Studies area, 2/3 of us in my cohort are Medievalists in that area. I hear WUSTL is amazing, OP should definitely give them a look. What are some of your interests, Cloud?

There was a girl in my master's program who didn't outright insult my intelligence, but would reply to my comments/arguments in class with this very dismissive, condescending tone--from the way she spoke, it was obvious to myself and some of my peers that she thought what I had to say was either irrelevant or stupid. It really good under my skin and made me feel defensive when I would speak out in seminar--I noticed that I would start to qualify thinks that I said (i.e.: "of course, this isn't always the case" or "generally speaking" or "from my experience") and use a lot more filler ("um", "like", etc.) as well as overstate my points, repeating myself unnecessarily. Needless to say, it made me seem a lot less confident and nervous, when really I'm exactly the opposite--I am very self-assured and articulate. The problem was quickly resolved with one off-handed comment I made during our shared seminar--after she'd used the tone, I replied and said "I can't tell if you're mocking me or you disagree with what I'm saying or both" and she quickly apologized and even came up to me after class, saying that she had no idea she'd been rude in her responses. A slightly tense moment in class was worth the resolution that came about.

I'm with Cloud--enrolling in a program that starts here in about three weeks. I applied to three of the places you're looking at (and was ultimately unsuccessful), but I know there's a Saint Louis person around here somewhere who's starting this year. I would recommend taking a look at UNM--we have a whole separate degree for Medievalists.

I think we might be the same person. I watch YouTube makeup tutorials NONSTOP. I also online shop from Sephora/Amazon constantly but am currently too poor for Nordstrom. Seriously...be my friend forever.

So I got the OG bag by Lo & Sons in the mail on Thursday and have been using it non stop. It's an addiction, really. The bag is large, but not so large that I feel like I'm hauling luggage around all day. I got a navy blue one with gold hardware and a brown strap because I thought it read more "work bag" and less "carry on". It has an interior flap pocket specifically for a laptop (my 13-inch MacBook Pro fit perfectly) as well as a few more smaller interior pockets (I use them for my phone and sunglasses). There is plenty of room for a significant amount of library books (I returned six today and they fit perfectly but were, obviously, heavy) and there are two large exterior zip pockets that are good for anything else--I actually tucked a folder in one and left it unzipped and it worked really well. It comes with a thick, adjustable vinyl strap so you can wear it as a messenger and has a zip pocket on the bottom for storing things like gym shoes or whatnot (since it doubles for a gym back); I stuffed a bottle of water and Polar watch heart monitor in it with a pair of shoes and had room to spare. I think the best thing about the bag is that it doesn't read "this is my school bag"--it's exceptionally functional and still very stylish. I know that style matters less to some people out there, but I can say that I've owned a NorthFace backpack as well and I'd pick this bag over it any day. It's so much easier than carrying a purse and a backpack and is perfect for commuting. What I will say is that I will not do a significant of walking around campus--I'll be taking public transit from my apartment--so a heavier, less ergonomic bag isn't too huge a detriment to me as I will be doing ten minutes walking to/from the bus stop and not hitching a ton of stuff (since I'll have an office on campus). A couple of you said that you have Longchamp bags, so I thought I'd do a comparison. I've been carrying the medium sized Longchamp that ​everyone seems to have. I've had my bag for about four years now and love it for days where all I need is a notebook, wallet, and laptop/charger. This bag is only comparable in that it's made from the same exterior material--nylon. The inside, however, is lined (mine is a gorgeous lavender color) and it is extremely padded so it protects the contents and also gives the bag significant structure--with nothing in it, the bag still stands up and holds shape without drooping or falling over. Also, there is a lot more storage with the Lo & Sons bag (much better than the droopy, single interior Longchamp pocket that holds nothing) and the extra cross body strap is nice to have. All in all, this bag is worth the money if you have it and want something that is fashionable and still functional. I would feel perfectly comfortable carrying this bag to a conference or even dinner with my friends because it reads as a messenger-sized bag. I actually would go as far as calling this my "holy grail" conference bag because there's tons of room for anything you might need, including the countless number of books I tend to pick up at conferences. It's also nice because I don't have to move my stuff constantly from one bag to another; with my Longchamp, I was always taking out my computer and school stuff anytime I wanted to put anything else in it (sweater, more books, etc.) and having to carry two bags. This bag is large enough that it fits a spare change of clothes plus everything I need on campus.

I'm working for the Institute for Reading Development this summer. The pay is incredible and they're just about to finish up the hiring process. Google it and see if they're doing it in your town.

I've had my Longchamp for four years now. They are amazing bags and have a lifetime warranty. I've actually purchased one for my thesis advisor that I'm giving to her today as a "thank you" for all she's done for me throughout my MA. Wonderful bags. Also, for those of you with a slightly bigger budget and who will be hauling back and forth from home to campus, I purchased a Lo & Sons back per recommendation of this thread--it will be arriving today. I can review it if people want.