Academicat

Kamisha. that's going to be up to us to change - that's the task of our generation of scholars. Everything is shifting right now, and we're riding the front edge of the wave. It's an exciting time to be getting a PhD.

It's Friday! Time for a distraction!

That tension is nothing new. Where I teach now, I work as faculty in the writing and rhetoric department, and our GAs come from the English department, so our GAs are mostly literature and creative writing graduate students. Many of those students see the teaching of freshman composition as a necessary evil, though they look down their noses at it and hope never to have to do it again after they finish their degrees. So many of them have this attitude because they reflect the attitudes of their mentors. Of course, not all literature scholars snub comp/rhet in this way, but it's nothing new, and here's why: Most incoming first-year students take Comp I and II, which can generate tons of revenue for whatever department administrates the course. As Rhet/Comp studies departments split from traditional English/Literature departments, they take the cash-cow classes with them. On top of that, we are living in an academic and economic environment environment that favors what people perceive as job preparation and practical skills, meaning that higher-level university administrators may feel pressure to place more value (and invest funding) in writing and rhetoric classes more than in literature classes. We in the field appreciate the value of understanding literature, but those administrators may not. When the comp. department splits from the literature department, it becomes even more complex because this split can endanger the literature department's funding. Keep in mind this is only one facet of the tension, and it's overly simplified in many ways, but it does help begin to understand the politics that create the scaffolding for it.

The adcom doesn't have time to google all the candidates, so if they are taking the time to google you (and if that is, indeed, them), then it's a very good sign.

Don't be so fast to assume an implied rejection. If they take a little longer to get back to you, that can because they're trying to rustle up fellowship funds to sweeten the offer for you. It happens - have hope!

Also - CML55 has it dead right. As a Northeasterner who made the move, adjusting the culture was (and sometimes continues to be) a challenge. You wouldn't think someplace in the same country could be so different, but it is.

Hi everyone. If you're headed to Ole Miss this fall, I live in Oxford now, so I'm happy to offer advice/help with the hunt for housing.

So... the DGS just called, and it was good news. I am so glad I didn't call first!

I would still ask what is included in their funding package, but only once you have a solid offer. For example, do they include full or partial benefits? any support for travel to conferences/professional development? Good luck at the interview!

My understanding is that full funding includes tuition and a stipend for living expenses.

I've been accepted via the appstatus website since Friday, but I haven't yet heard, via phone call or email, from the school. I am waiting, but the million questions I have are driving me nuts. Would you call the graduate school/department, or cool your heels and be patient?

I know this is an old thread, but I want to add my search committee experience to the conversation for future job-seekers. I've been NTT faculty in a growing department at a major university for a few years, and I've been on quite a few search committees. It is not uncommon for the search committee to ask, at the end of an interview, for permission to "contact references, both listed and unlisted." Academe is a small world, especially within your field, so chances are, someone on that search committee is familiar with someone at your current institution. Those are your unlisted references. Of course, the committee only bothers to contact references, a time-consuming process, if they are serious about the candidate, so if your situation is delicate, talk to the chair of the search committee. Chances are, if they are nearing the campus interview point, they're ready to start wooing you and will do what they can to avoid putting you in an uncomfortable situation.

Holy crap, guys. I had given up hope on OSU and then on a whim checked app status this evening and I was accepted!!! I haven't gotten an email or a phone call yet, so I don't know details, but I'm stoked. For anyone else still waiting to hear, I'm comp/rhet, so if you are too, check appstatus. So stoked!

So Congrats to the folks who were accepted to Ohio State! The results search doesn't indicate where you're in the comp/rhet program or the lit program. Has anyone gotten an acceptance for Comp/rhet yet?

But the waiiiiiittting is the hardest part. Okay, aside from the agonizing over the SOP and fretting over the recommendations. And the paying out the ass for applications and GRE scores. Except for those, the waiting is the hardest part.

Thanks for that. Still waiting to hear from 7 other programs including OSU, Pitt, and NC State. I'm a compulsive planner, so not knowing is just killing me.

Well, so much for Louisville. I was waitlisted last year, but flat out denied this year. Ouch. It's nice to know early.

Hey OSU applicants! Some of you have said that your OSU application status is "in review" and others have said that it's "pending." Mine says pending on appstatus. I can't see a reason why the system would use two different words to denote the same point in the process, so does anyone have any idea what the difference between pending and in review are? The waiting is starting to get to me.

I finished my MA in 2009, and went on the job market. I am so glad I waited to go back for the PhD. I'm 31 and have been working full time for four years, and what I've learned working full time will most definitely inform my research. I wish I'd discovered this community a little earlier in the app process, but it's terrific none the less.