Mattie Roh

This: I think I will use my rejection letters as wallpaper for my Room of Failure.

Depends: Are they also gluten-free?

Ha! I need silence, too. I'm always sitting on coffee shops with my hands over my ears.

I'm at about this speed as well. I've always felt I was a little slower than everyone else. Good to know I'm not the only one!

I love Aphra Behn and I haven't read this one yet. Thanks for the suggestion!

A co-worker of mine (who I trained less than a year ago) got an administrative position at the local college. This guy just graduated with his BA last May and will be making 37k. I'm in my mid-thirties, have worked full time throughout undergrad and grad programs and have about 8 years experience in my field and I have yet to crack 30k. He's a really nice guy. He's smart, hardworking, and totally deserves this position and I'm very happy for him. But FML, man.

I was 29 when I started mine, finished at 33. I was determined to take my time and enjoy the program rather than rushing through.

Gah. I work with tree haters, too. I'm constantly pulling stuff out of the trash to reuse/put in the recycling bin. Seriously, folks!

This, too. I admit I've felt uncomfortable at times because I really couldn't find more programs that I felt were a good fit. A lot has to do with location -- I don't want to live in NYC and am pretty resistant to Boston, would like to stay on the East Coast to be close to family, etc. I made a few exceptions, but I really want to be within driving distance. This made for some awkward conversations with LOR writers and others who've helped me through the process. I don't feel comfortable getting into details about family politics that make staying close to home important. So it is good, in a way, that I can only afford only so many schools. It stopped me from dreaming about California. One of my greatest fears is that I'll get into Minnesota (my top choice) and change my mind about making the move because it's so far. And continue to kick myself for it for the rest of my life.

If it makes you feel any better, I could only afford to apply to five programs as well (and I really, really should have dropped the fifth to be honest). I also worked full time while paying for my bachelor's and master's. Because of bills from school and well, life, I was only able to apply to three schools last year. Instead of getting *too* jealous/discouraged, though, I remind myself that all of this has prepared me well for a PhD program and also that it's forced me to carefully consider the programs I'm applying to.

My husband keeps assuring me that he's fine with living in any of the cities I've listed, but he really, really hates the Penguins so I have my doubts about Pittsburgh. Honestly, I tend to agonize over job prospects (I'm in arts administration as well, he's in college administration) so I've been trying not to think about it. The one comfort is that universities have so many resources to help one in moving to an area. Really, it's less scary than packing up and moving to a new town without a program to go to. I have a few friends that regularly move from city to city -- places they've never lived and don't have connections in -- and I don't know how they can do it. It's so overwhelming. As far as living apart, that isn't really on the table.

My community college. There were a lot of events on campus and my friends and I had a cozy place to gather between classes. I had a great professor and plentiful opportunities in my major (theatre) and ended up with way more knowledge in my field than juniors at the four year college that I transferred to. The small state school school where I got my master's was wonderful as well, but I had to commute an hour to get there and ended up missing out on a lot of campus activities. My four-year undergrad institution sucked and I still hate it.

In almost every job I've ever had, I've had to work next to an exterior door. All I want is an f'n warm place to work. When I have job interviews I find myself immediately sizing up the heat of the place.

My biggest fear right now is that I will get into a school and then change my mind when I visit. Like, all of a sudden decide, after a second round of applications, that this isn't what I want. Wouldn't that be awful? Almost everything I'm doing now -- my hobbies, research, work, -- is geared towards continuing my studies. What if I decide that a PhD shouldn't be my goal? I feel like I'd lose a chunk of my identity. And, like a couple of other people here, I'm a bit older and it's kind of now or never for me.

Well, my apps are all in so I'll give my two cents! Favorite poet: Whitman. Whitman has gotten me through some very tough times. There's something about the way he speaks to the reader, the way he creates this camaraderie, this notion of a universal experience that we're all in together, that I find soothing. I've also been partial to the Wordsworth, though I think that's generally considered the mark of an amateur (I've never studied poetry). Perhaps this exposes my traditional Dead White Male upbringing in literature. For nonfiction, I'm a sucker for Malcolm Gladwell and, as I mentioned in another thread, Sam Keane. Authors: I've always been partial to the 19th century -- Hawthorne, Melville, Dickens, Austen, Wharton, James. And for plays, the Golden Age of American Drama -- Miller, Williams, O'Neill. Love me some Ibsen, too. My favorite books all over the place, however -- The Lord of the Rings, The Sword of Shannara (yes, Tolkien and Terry Brooks are not mutually exclusive in my book), Catch 22, The House of the Seven Gables, The Age of Innocence, The Historian, The Disappearing Spoon.

Ah! I loved this book. I admit I'm a bit of a science nerd when it comes to free time. Right now I'm finishing up Tristram Shandy (never got around to it before) but I'm already staking out my next book. This is the time of year I usually treat myself to science-y stuff like Sam Keane or something similar.

Thank you both for these suggestions!

I'm looking for reading suggestions for an introduction to linguistics. Unfortunately, there were no courses offered in linguistics at my MA program (closest course we had was History of the English Language) and I'm worried that if I get into a PhD program I won't get a chance to take a course. I'd like to broaden my scope a little, though. Where should I start?

The awesome-ist show on television.

Ha! I was waitlisted at Minnesota this past round and was considering re-applying. Thanks for the validation!

Thanks for the feedback, Wyatt's Torch and Roquentin. I don't mean to sound pejorative (incidentally, I don't use the phrase "sectioned off" in my SOP; I was attempting to simplify my argument to avoid a long-winded explanation). What I mean to point out is a hesitancy to compare literary works and dramatic works side-by-side -- we tend to talk about literature or drama and shy away from comparing them together within the same pieces of scholarship. I'm interested in researching direct comparisons between the two. Your comments are valuable to me, however, because now I wonder if the argument in my SOP gives a similar impression. I'll have to go back and look at it with fresh eyes.

Thanks! That sounds fascinating!

I'm researching programs for the Fall 2015 application cycle and was looking to connect with like-minded individuals for their opinions. In a nutshell, my interest lies in the integration of drama into what we broadly call "literature". Often, the study of drama is sectioned off on its own or else strictly relegated to the field of theatre. Unless we're talking about Shakespeare, dramatic literature is left out of many English courses. In my experience, when a play is required reading, English students are hesitant to dive into interpretation. Yet the the very kind of interpretation that we do for our studies of "literature" is done in every theatrtical production of a play. I'm interested in studying why we are so hesitant to incorporate drama into our literary studies and researching a methodology for comparing "literature" and dramatic works side by side. While I have an undergraduate degree in theatre, I attended a small school for my master's that didn't provide an opportunity to take many dramatic literature courses. As a result, my scholarly work appears to be stronger in nineteenth century literature. I don't see this as a setback, however, as my research lies in the intersection of regular "literature" and drama. In fact, I believe this has provided me with a strong background for what I'd like to do. Does anyone have any suggestions for programs that would be a good fit for my work? Or any articles that may be helpful?

There's this buzzing inside my head. Thoughts, I guess. A distracting, constant stream that gets in the way of everything in my daily life. The graduate work I do stops this. That's the best way I can explain it. I have research goals. I think a PhD will help me shape these and lend me credibility. But mostly, I like the fact that, when I'm busy with research, the noise stops for a little while. If that isn't a sign that this is the right direction for me, what is?

I would add Postcolonial Literature: A reader's guide to essential criticism by Justin D. Edwards. It's a bit dry, but gives a great overview.