goonie1234

Yay. Philadelphia is great --- if I weren't heading to NYU, I'd definitely stay around Philadelphia --- I love it here. Though I will be here on the weekends for the most part. As for places to live, Northern Liberties and Old City are both nice; however, both of them are rather pricey for what you get. They are somewhat trendy and alas, the rent is high. Old City is rather loud on the weekends: it is the nightlife destination for lots of the city. But if you're up for a lot of bars and clubs and such, it's a nice place --- plus it's a pretty neighborhood. Northern Liberties lacks a supermarket, but as your husband will be commuting to Princeton, you'll have a car --- so that will probably not be much of an issue. Honestly, it depends on what type of neighborhood you're looking for. You should really consider West Philadelphia--particularly University City/Powelton Village. I know some people who are in the same situation (Upenn for one, Princeton for the other) who live in Powelton. You will find the best rents, biggest apartments and most green space in those areas--apartments are often in old, beautiful victorian houses. While some places are touch-and-go, most everything west to 48th street and south of Chestnut (until Kingsessing Ave) is quite safe--that's a huge area--however, there are some great deals elsewhere. There are also pockets where tons of graduate students live (usually west of 43rd or so) --- it's quite a nice community. West Philly also has easy access to 76 which feeds right into 95 and the Vine Street (I-676) expressway. The traffic is far from ideal, but by living in West Philly, you'd save money and you'd be able to walk to class. Plus parking is easy. That said, my girlfriend and I don't live in West Philly but I work there and she goes to veterinary school at Penn. We live in an area called Fitler Square, to the southwest of Rittenhouse Square in Center City. It's a quiet residential neighborhood which has nice parks (namely an awesome dog park) and a supermarket, breakfast place, coffee shop, etc. within a block or two. Rents here are a bit more than W. Philly, but you can find deals (we did!) and we love it here. 10 minute walk to Rittenhouse, 15-20 minute walk to Upenn and 3 blocks from 76. Other areas to consider would be Fishtown, directly to the northeast of Northern Liberties. You can get a house there for a rather reasonable rent --- and though some of it is a little bit gross looking, it's safe and there is a bunch of bars and restaurants that are springing up. It is right alongside I-95 and you can jump on the Blue Line L and be in University City within 15 minutes (we timed it when we were thinking about moving there). I wouldn't go further to the Northeast, though, as you soon hit Kensington and that gets a bit seedier. I hope this helps! There are lots of choices: people who don't know Philly tend to give certain places bad reputations without looking at it. Around Penn is fine, as is large sections of the Northeast. Of course, Center City is also great --- but the neighborhoods I listed above usually have a fairly large residential component (with perhaps Old City being the exception).

Anyone decided on NYU English?

And perhaps I should have noted: University of Sussex in Brighton, England. (http://www.sussex.ac.uk) best

As for MA programs, check out the University of Sussex. There are many different MA tracks with different foci. I did my MA there and was quite happy with the program and with what I learned; furthermore, it is well respected (and represented) in English departments throughout the US. I had a similar situation last year but took a year out, reassessed, figured out more of the application process (and retook a test or two --- not necessarily for the better), and got admitted to a few good programs this time around. But as for the MA, I really recommend it. It gives you a better perspective on the profession as a whole while firming up much of what you learned in college. Additionally, you get a good sense of more cutting-edge theory, as you are operating as a graduate student and not an undergrad. Probably for me, my MA was what crystallized my real interest in continuing to a PhD --- I realized how much more was out there. Good luck -- and keep your head up!

I would have to agree with many of the people who posted previously. When I was a senior undergrad, I thought about applying to PhD programs, but as I was embroiled in an honors thesis and in the midst of deciding what life outside college was like, I figured I would take time off. I spoke with a lot of my professors and their suggestion was that most students who had applied (and been successful) for PhDs had either taken a few years out or had gone and done MAs. I ended up applying for MAs from a few English universities (I work in postcolonial studies, so the UK was a good choice as far as theoretical development, etc.). I got into MA programs and had a decent choice of where to go. Thinking back, the MA really crystalized for me what I really wanted to do: I felt comfortable assembling and presenting developed readings of texts in front of different types of people, my theoretical vocabulary greatly improved, and I generally felt that I became a stronger, more confident writer. Furthermore, I got experience at large conferences, giving papers, receiving criticism and submitting papers for publication. When I went back to the US, however, I had to take GREs and everything (which is quite a shift from actual, tangible critical practice)--and after a stressful year and an eventual acceptance to a PhD program, I decided that another year out was what I needed (both personally and professionally). Now, this year, I've reapplied and I have a few more choices. And while it has been frustrating to delay my progression a bit, I really am happy that I had the experience of the MA: another chance (besides my honors thesis) to develop and complete an extended research project. Of course, I have not started PhD work, but I probably will next year, so I would not be the best person to ask. But honestly, what I can say is that I'm very happy that I did my MA. Now I have a lot of good faculty mentors as resources and numerous friends who I feel really know my work and my aspirations. I feel that this background really aided me in applying to PhD programs and figuring out what direction I want to take my graduate school research and future career. Hope this helps!

Hello. I got in off of the waitlist at University of Wisconsin in English last year. Unfortunately, due to some outside reasons, I did not attend. The waitlist there is unranked: basically, if a person in your area decides not to come, you should have a good chance. I basically arranged a visit --- I took a couple of days off work and went up for a few days. Lynn Keller, the Director of Graduate Studies, was very very helpful, and I definitely recommend emailing her. Also, another thing I did was write them a letter discussing my academic and personal activities since I had written my application. I sent this via email to the DGS and via mail to the department. Even if going up to visit is not financially possible (which I very much understand --- I had a flexible job at the time) -- just communicate with them and show your interest. They take about 5% of applicants and waitlist 1%. So you still have a good chance! Good luck!