Academicat

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this. Three years ago, before I moved to a small college town and took an administrative job, fitness was a major part of my identity, but since relocating, I've gotten seriously out of shape. I'm looking forward to moving to Columbus, Ohio in July and taking up trail running, rock climbing, biking to work, and the other fun stuff I used to do to keep in shape before moving to a tiny town where these opportunities just aren't as available. In anticipation for having more opportunities to do fun, physical activities, I want to lose a few pounds and get in better shape. I know that some of you are also looking to get more fit before starting your program. If you're on My Fitness Pal, do you want to be friends? I love to cook from scratch, and would dig trading recipes and encouragement/accountability.

I went through something similar with my dad, to whom academe is a mystery. When I moved 12 hours away for work, he was heartbroken and didn't understand why I couldn't get a job as a secretary or teaching highschool with my MA in English Composition. I'm the first one in my family to go to college, and they don't always understand. I'm sorry you're going through this; I know how it feels. Let's be pragmatic for a minute. Our field is absurdly competitive. You may not find a job when you graduate, and if you do find a job, it may not be one that pays a livable wage. This means that you'll want to go to school that gives you the best chance of finding work after graduate school. That also means that if you earn a PhD in English, it helps to be okay with the idea of moving far away to get a job. Sometimes people luck out and find a job, and if they're incredibly lucky, it's close to home, but that's rare. No matter what, your family's may want to adjust to the idea of you living somewhere far away if they want you to be (a) self-sufficient, and ( equipped with resources to allow you to help them out in the future. It sounds like they just don't entirely understand that; I'm sure they want the best for you. For what it's worth, three years' after I moved away, my dad has forgiven me, and I've been able to help my little brother and mom out of a few financial scrapes because I took this job, so he's come around. It's not awesome being far away, but working here has opened doors and made options available that will allow me to some day live closer to my family again. Good luck making the decision that works best for you.

Ohio State for me, too. Toasterazzi, did we meet on visitation day?

I agree with the wise advice posted above. Do what is best for you. It's not like this is a job search where they invested a lot of time and money into recruiting the most qualified candidate. We're graduate students. There are lots of us. Back out of your current program and accept the offer that will afford you better opportunities.

If you can, find Wendy Laura Belcher's Book Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks in your library. She give some terrific advice and scaffolding for producing scholarly writing. Echoing what everybody (without a budget for hiring personal writers) has said, one of the harder parts of writing is putting pen to paper and getting started, so the more you write, the better you'll become. Read lots, write lots, and find honest readers to give you feedback.

Yay! I'm going to The Ohio State University in the fall!

Hey! I'm going to be attending in the Fall and moving this summer in July. I'm in the English department, but I'm hoping to meet people who like to write songs/play guitar/sing from all over. Anybody a musician?

Just turned down funded offers from UCinci, Kent State, and IUP. Good luck!

I'm planning to move to Columbus when my contract is up, which means finding a place with a July 1 lease start date. I would like to live in Clintonville, Grandview or someplace else walkable. When is the best time to house hunt for a rental? I can go now, but it would be rushed as this is mid semester. My other option is coming sometime in May. If I wait 'til May, will all of my best options be snapped up?

I'll be there!

Thanks for the advice! I let her know I'll send her the official notice next week, which will give me time to process the last campus visit and accept an offer. Also, BowTies, I must have missed a post.... but you got in and are funded? Hooray! Where? Is it Louisville? I'll be jealous if it is, but thrilled for you.

Here's a question for you guys. I posted this in the decisions forum, but I wasn't sure I'd get a response there. I'm in the final stages of selecting a PhD program, but I haven't decided yet (or even finished campus visits). Many of you know that I've been working as NTT faculty and an administrator at a university, so once I select a program, I plan to resign from my job so that they can begin the time-consuming process of finding my replacement. Everyone at work knows I'm leaving unofficially, and it's not official until I send the letter. Here's my quandry. Our department's administrative assistant requested that I send an official letter soon (now?) so that she can start moving on the search. It takes months to get everything approved, so it would help her out to have the resignation sooner, but I'm hesitant to resign until I sign a contract that guarantees my funding for graduate school (and I'm not even decided yet on the program). I get that resigning to get a PhD is not the same as resigning to take another professional position. I'm not sure what best practice is in this case. Advice?

I'm in the final stages of selecting a PhD program. For the past three years, I've been working as NTT faculty and an administrator at a university, so once I select a program, I plan to resign from my job so that they can begin the time-consuming process of finding my replacement. Everyone knows I'm leaving unofficially, and it's not official until I send the letter. Here's my quandry. Our department's administrative assistant requested that I send an official letter soon (now?) so that she can start moving on the search. It takes months to get everything approved, so it would help her out to have the resignation sooner, but I'm hesitant to resign until I sign a contract that guarantees my funding for graduate school (and I'm not even decided yet on the program). I get that resigning to get a PhD is not the same as resigning to take another professional position. I'm not sure what best practice is in this case. Advice?

Sooo I couldn't wait to get home and tell you all this juicy tidbit: I was at the Mississippi Writing Centers Association Conference, and I heard that Mississippi State secured a few more TA funding lines late this spring, so they're accepting a few more applications to their MA program until April 15th. If you're looking for a late application deadline with funding, this is as good as it gets.

I was at the Mississippi Writing Centers Association conference today, and I heard that Mississippi State University is accepting a few more applicants to their MA program in English, and they've secured funding for a few more assistantships. They are accepting applications until April 15th, so if you're still looking for a program, apply! I know folks in the program and can connect you if you'd like to talk to someone in the program.

I've taught basic writing classes within the college of developmental programs at a large, open admissions, urban university and I LOVED it. The challenge in teaching the class was that all of my students were wildly different and had different talents and needs, but that was also the strength of the class because discussions were rich and interesting. I will say that teaching classes at a CC, depending on the CC, requires strong classroom management skills and the ability to make connections with people who come from a variety of backgrounds, so it's not for everyone. I saw some of my colleagues get run over by their students, especially those who were used to teaching in a more traditional setting. It might be awful for some teachers, but others are great in a CC setting.

I turned down UT Knoxville a few days ago, and I thought of how whoever I got off the waitlist would celebrate when she/he heard the news. Tell me if it's you.

So the last acceptance I received was very unlike the first few. The first four, I received a personal email or phone call with details about the assistantship, and in two cases, it was chased with warm, welcoming emails from faculty/students in the program and invitations to visit with various levels of funding. The last one, however, was weird. I knew I was accepted because I received a packet in the mail with details about housing/meal plans early last week. That was followed by a generic snailmail with information about how to activate my email/register for classes. It sounds as if they just take for granted that I will be attending, and I haven't yet heard a whisper from the department, despite the fact that I contacted a POI early in the application process and have met him in other professional contexts. Has anyone else had an experience like this?

But it's CATcode.

Here's my favorite distraction from today: I fail at embedding. I promise it's full of rainbows and magic and cats.