mikers86

Squee! From one BH person to another, congrats!

So happy for you WT! Glad it has all worked out.

Not sure if you've made a decision, but my two cents anyway. If you plan on pursuing a PhD English beyond the MA, then from a branding standpoint, I say BC. It makes life easier if adcomms know how to categorize you. I do have a friend who did the MALS and is now in an English PhD program, but his interests are spread between English and other media. If English is your primary focus, BC will serve you better. Ivy does not automatically = superior in this case.

I will say one advantage to UNC-CH is that you have the opportunity to take courses at Duke and have Duke faculty on your committee. The cost of living in the area is very manageable. People I know in that department seem to do alright on the stipend, whether through roommates or other low-cost apartments. And, at least if you're at Duke, you can get a Triangle Area bus pass for free, and I imagine UNC has a similar set up. But having said that, I don't know Austin as a city or a department (though I did love their program when I applied last year) and am unaware how far that stipend will go. See how each dept feels and where you think you'll be able to produce the best work, not just who is going to give you more money.

I've never seen this happen, and there's very few scenarios where that would be the case. The only thing that is always dicey would be the terms and conditions of health insurance (shocking, I know) - such as plan changes or renegotiation that occur before you start the program. Even if an administrative slash and burn ALL THE FUNDING happened, that normally results in fewer offers/free tuition for the coming year, not those who are currently enrolled in the program or had already been accepted. But if you're concerned, email the DGS.

Disclaimer: I'm not super familiar with Comp Lit programs and rank. In a perfect world funding would be identical so you could opt for the program that best fits your needs. But it isn't a perfect world. If you get off the list at Rutgers, it's a no-brainer, at least in my mind. Others may disagree. You want maximum funding for as long as you can get it. 3 years seems too short. Is there room for additional years of teaching or other sources of funding pretty much guaranteed but not explicitly stated? Same question for UW. Money shouldn't be the deciding factor, but it really does play such a significant role in your early career that you want to give yourself the best opportunity to complete your doctorate with as much of a financial buffer as possible. Unless you truly don't care for Rutgers (or don't get off the list). Then I'd suggest going by rank combined with average time to degree and opportunities for additional funding.

Just a friendly reminder that (99% of) professors who are willing to write you letters of rec genuinely believe in you and your talents, and aren't let down or disappointed if you do not manage to get into a program. If anything, they're disappointed in adcomms - absolutely not you. And remember, there are endless reasons why a qualified candidate may not get into a program. Each program doesn't advertise what variety of students they're potentially looking for in a particular cohort. For instance, if last year they took 3 Victorianists, and there are 2 or 3 in their 3rd year, and 2 more in their 5th, odds are they will be looking to fill in other another area of concentration with faculty who have fewer students at this point in time. It's not a hard and fast rule, but definitely one of the larger factors in some programs.

Ah! Congrats everyone, and especially hypervodka for such an impressive season. I do not envy you having to make a decision.

It all depends on what the department has planned for the visit. If it's more a campus tour/department introduction/Q&A with grad students/lunch arrangement, then dark jeans, shirt/sweater, and COMFORTABLE SHOES are standard. But if there's an official recruitment dinner after, depending on the venue (I only just noticed where our recruitment dinner was being held...posh) a t-shirt and a pair of Converse may not be the most appropriate attire. Layers are your friend.

It's a wonderful program! I opted not to attend but they're all exceptionally warm and supportive people there.

-Ask current graduate students. They'll be able to tell you with much more certainty if they struggle financially! I find POI/faculty in general have little sense of how their graduate students live. -As for placement rates, hit up the DGS or have them ask their assistant to pull that information - through this past year if possible. Preferably in spreadsheet format. If they aren't willing to be transparent with you about this information, there's probably a reason. -Feel free to ask about attrition rates as well. They may not know the exact numbers, but they should be able to find that out for you. -Also consider asking how many of their students in the last few cohorts have decided to pursue Alt-Ac jobs. It's 2015. If they aren't keeping track of this information, they need to start.

Just got the prospective student list for our department - very excited for next week!

Wait. Did I imagine the Hogwarts acceptance??? Or was it deleted?

I love the person who posted the acceptance to Hogwarts.

For clarification, I'm in English, not Lit.