Graditude

I can only offer one piece of information: about the Stony Brook area, from a friend who did her PhD there while I was living in the city. It's very much a commuter school, the surroundings are dull and suburban, and rents are ridiculously high. Visits were tricky without a car, despite the LIRR. Even though she is a cheerful person, she found it gloomy and uninspiring. The program itself is excellent, but if location matters to you, it might be wise to pay a visit before accepting.

It sounds like a good sign. Also, please accept my apology for the dickish comment I made the other day. The tone came out wrong. Best of luck!

Who could be angry with you? We're thrilled that your parents have decided to make your tuition money available in a competitive scholarship right here on Grad Cafe! I hear the adcomm includes those aunts you still haven't mailed thank-you notes to... Better start polishing that SOP!

Thank God somebody said it. After reading the comment below... ...I found myself thinking, "Oh yes, I think the readers understand perfectly."

Graduate diversity es mi lema. Por eso me visto de Kylie con mi voz baritono ja ja. Es que mola mucho a la hora de una entrevista. Sí, quedo a la espera del informe completo. Este sitio ya me está poniendo los pelos de punta. A la mitad de los posters habría que mandarlos a Neuróticos Anónimos... Suerte!

Pues antes que nada, te felicito! Me temo que Brown está fuera de mi liga, así que no te puedo aconsejar sobre el programa. Pero, hombre, es todo un logro. En cuanto a la entrevista, creo que los consejos son siempre iguales: hay que ser natural, demostrar que estás al tanto del departamento (publicaciones, enfoques de investigación, etc.) pero sin exagerar. En EEUU choca un poco que los profes te digan de inmediato "Call me Bob" pues no sabes si lo dicen en serio. Mejor seguir tratándole de Professor Fulano un par de veces más hasta que no insista. Yo que tu, imprimiría el plan de estudios para preguntarle un poco sobre los plazos para entregar los trabajos, etc. A ver, qué mas... Que si te pueden llevar a conocer la biblioteca, que si existe algún club de X para que vean que tienes otros intereses más allá de leer. Quizá algo sobre el alojamiento. Una vez más enhorabuena!

OK, thanks for clearing that up. It just seemed like a lot of coincidences.

My heart almost stopped when I got a DGS email after the deadline saying they never got my GRE scores. I was able to send the screen shot of the confirmed order from ETS a few weeks before the deadline, and I uploaded a scan of my unofficial score report, so it was all right -- but what did I pay them for?

I have to ask... The last couple of weeks have been very eventful for you on this forum. Some arguments about this and that, and now this account of cyberstalking and resentful coworkers... Is there any chance that you are maybe also posting as Redlight in this thread for dramatic effect because the other day someone was questioning your CV? A lot of the phrasing sounds somehow similar. I apologize if I'm wrong. It's just that I've never seen this much drama on GC. Like I say, sorry if wrong.

Ack -- another bloodbath on the results board.

This may sound evil, but I would pretend to trip a lot and make them terrified of lawsuits -- especially around exam time. In all seriousness, though, any university in the US will have an outreach program for visitors who could use a hand in navigating an unknown campus. Shouldn't be an issue at all.

Why not do a distance MA from the UK? Most of the programs have summer intensive sessions when you can use the library and meet your dissertation supervisor. Nottingham, Sheffield and several other Russell Group unis have interesting MAs in various English disciplines from medieval lit to cognitive linguistics that take about 2 to 3 yrs to finish, depending on how many modules you sign up for at once. There's no difference on your diploma, and all your work is marked by the department and the external markers, just as if you were there. Are we allowed to put up links here?

The Village Voice ran a big article years ago about this very question. Their argument was that NYU charges exorbitant fees at undergrad and master's levels in order to bankroll their doctoral students. This isn't to diminish the accomplishment of getting accepted to the MA program -- just a note of caution about NYU's practices. As for the question of whether you will get into a lower-ranked program with funding? Two ideas. One, don't think of them as lower-ranked programs. Think of them as more suitable programs all around. And chances are good that if a school like NYU accepted you (even if they had some ulterior rea$on$ beyond your promise as a student) you will also be accepted somewhere else. Good luck!

Visit both, but make ambiguous comments like, "Hmm, I notice your vending machines don't carry Diet Tab." Then gaze out the window as if thinking of the other university. Maybe they'll sweeten the deal!

Here's one thing I've noticed: checking Grad Cafe seems to be ruffling my normal composure. It's hard to read so many expressions of anxiety and not start to feel the same way. So I'm off--but with best wishes to all for peace of mind and happy results of one sort or another!

You need to put down the laptop and walk away until Monday. Srsly. You are breaking your own rules. What's next, assault?

When we both get accepted we will demand a clarification. Where else have you applied? I'm waiting on El Paso and ASU Phx.

Yes, I see. But that's still only 13 results spread over several years, and includes the year when they didn't accept any new students because of the sudden change in directors and uncertainty about funding. So no reason to worry. I think I've figured out what happened: your letter was based on the template they used for previous years, when they did notify people earlier. Later in the alphabet as they were emailing us they caught their mistake and put the right date, end of Feb. There's no other possibility, as the deadline for applying was 15 Jan. I'm sticking to my plan about not giving Syracuse another thought until the end of February. At which point I will be happy to fret with all other applicants.

How are you searching? I've just gone back and checked again under Syracuse English Comp CCR, etc. and the very earliest date reported ever was a rejection on 1 Feb. However, the poster didn't add the date until 4 March, so I think we can safely they meant to say 1 Mar instead. Everything else -- rejections, acceptances -- shows up in mid' to late Feb or early March.

Hm, a discrepancy... I've checked again, just to make sure. Here is the cut and paste: I wanted to write and say we received your application. Our current hope is to have our decisions made by the end of February. Received Jan 16, the day after the deadline. So, what are some likely reasons for the different dates? The date in my email is one month later than yours because the admissions committee needs extra time to count out all the scholarship money they plan to award me. My letter from Parks ends with "Sincerely," and yours with "LOL, Steve." You applied to parallel-universe Syracuse, a renowned institution of higher learning with slightly more expeditious admissions procedures. Go Orange! All I can really think is that the first couple of emails were overly optimistic. After all, making admissions decisions by the end of January would have required a two-week turnaround. If the results board is any guide, CCR has never sent out a decision before the third week of February. Anyhow, best of luck and hope we both get in!

End of February, beginning of March -- no earlier. The CCR program is smaller, and if it takes them that long... (Am just guessing, but trying to be helpful.) Watch, they´ll probably notify everyone tonight by phone.

Yes, the PhD program in Composition and Cultural Rhetoric. The director sent everyone a kind email saying they hoped to make their decisions towards the end of February. Is that what you´ve applied for, or the English PhD?

Oh, man. So many stats here, and so much self-branding! Someone above mentioned that this could be a bit off-putting, and I think I´m seeing why... If you're clear about what you'd like to research (yet still flexible enough to take direction from your advisors) and if you can show that you have the skills to finish a large project -- you´re fine. Just a matter of finding an amenable department to do your research in. May take a few tries. May not end up where you first hoped. Plenty of opportunity to keep reading and writing in the meantime. Don't equate yourself with your CV: all these stats sound like something engraved on a tombstone.

OK, two words? Drive-bys. I was just thinking of other awful things about UCLA. Also, Pinkberry.

One word: earthquakes.