kaleidoscopish

Just received my award letter this morning- according to the Graduate School, all students are expected to achieve candidacy in 3 years (coursework completed, comps. completed) and then they are funded for dissertation in year 4. I certainly feel like I can put together the papers I've written for courses, my lit. review (comps.) and the research assistantship work I've done into a comprehensive document (dissertation) in 6 months because Michigan's program allows for so much customization (ie, won't be writing tons of 20-page papers about things unrelated to my interests). I am not committing to anywhere prior to visiting- even though I'm very impressed with Michigan's program and collegiality, it's also important to get a feel for the place and the people, in my opinion. HigherEdkmg, I'm also uprooting my partner for this opportunity. If you're interested, I'd be happy to share strategies for job-finding, etc. Are you going to Indiana's recruitment event?

I'm really excited I was accepted to Michigan- although I got a phone call two weeks ago, I didn't believe it until my email came today I'm visiting early so that I have a better idea about the program, but the faculty member I interviewed with was great. Two other things that make Michigan stand out- comps. are a semester-long lit. review for your dissertation rather than a 2-day high-stakes test. And the curriculum is really tailored to your interests- with the cognate and electives, you can really dig into what you're interested in. I'm sorry I'll miss meeting some of you, though

Arrgh- my rejection email ruined my day yesterday. Feeling better today, though, since I would have chosen Stanford for name and location rather than close research interests. Does anyone stay sane through this process?