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Congrats, BookGeek! Feel free to hit me up with your contact info too! I'll also be at UCONN come the end of August! 

Congrats, BookGeek! Feel free to hit me up with your contact info too! I'll also be at UCONN come the end of August! 

Woo! Yes, join the dark side! feel free to pm me to exchange Facebook contacts

My campus visit was wonderful today and definitely persuaded me that UCONN is the way to go. I just wrote to Charles Mahoney to accept my offer. Exciting times! 

YESS!! That's so exciting Is it ok if I PM you with my facebook info? Or is that weird? (PS--anyone else going to UCONN who wants to connect, feel free to PM me so we can add each other)

Hey, shortstack--we are officially members of the same cohort! I accepted UConn's offer! 

Hey, shortstack--we are officially members of the same cohort! I accepted UConn's offer! 

There are definitely options for commuting to New Haven and Branford; I would suggest not living in New Haven because it's really not a great city (one of the most dangerous in the country as far as I remember), so any affordable housing is likely not in a good place. You can check out Wallingford for affordable housing that's in between New Haven and your route to UCONN (but closer to New Haven than Branford). Meriden's a bit farther for your SO but there are always a lot of options there.

I totally know what you mean about commuting- I commute about an hour one way right now by train, and I'm looking forward to the 30-40 minute commute I'll have next year!

If you park in the North garage, the Austin building is fairly simple to find. Depending on where you exit you either take hillside road to N. Eagleville road, walk for a bit, then cross the street to the Chemistry building (which is right on the road and hard to miss). Follow the path along the Chem building. It'll take you up past the pond. You'll end up being on Glenbrook road, which you follow left and the Austin building is RIGHT there, next to Mansfield way. 
 
It is a 20 minute walk if you don't get lost, so make sure you budget a bit of time. The building itself is easy to navigate. 

Housing is definitely really cheap. My fiancée and I saw like 10-15 places; there's an off campus uconn housing website that you can use. We're actually probably moving a little farther away, which is a longer commute for me (30-45 mins depending on traffic) but a better one for her. It's also a nice mix between residential and downtown-trendy, which will be nice for us coming out of the city (PM me if you'd like to know the town). It's a bit pricier than Storrs-Mansfield or Willimantic, but there's also a lot more to do. When you visit, you can ask them for a packet they have about housing in the area (the town we're moving to isn't on it because they included towns within a half hour). My fiancée and I used craigslist, haha (I would say to avoid Hartford and East Hartford--not great areas). And don't worry! You only get the cow smell around campus.

There are some decent restaurants on campus and outside of it (there are some new cafés directly across from campus that are nice along with a burrito/taco place), but most people in the grad program go to Willimantic (10-15 mins away) for food and drinks. There is an Applebee's about 10 minutes south of campus.

Your research is interesting! UCONN has some classes on the docket for next year that I think would match up with your interests nicely.

Their offer is very generous--the DGS is also working on possibly getting one semester fellowships included as well. I am pretty excited

Just got in off of the wait list at UCONN! I'm so happy!!!!!!! Hope is alive for everyone on wait lists!

I'm so happy-- just got in off of UConn's wait list!!! 

Just got in off of the wait list at UCONN! I'm so happy!!!!!!! Hope is alive for everyone on wait lists!

I'm so excited for you! I'm sure they will set up a visit for you- they are extremely generous. The faculty is very supportive. From what I understood during my visit, they actually have a whole committee whose job it is to assist you in the job market (they start out as being your comps committee). They are also top 5 in the country for job placement, which really appeals to me because of my massive loan debt from my MA.

The atmosphere of the department is amazing. Everyone takes the time to go over your writing sample and your interests and they will tell you about all the opportunities they have for expanding your interests. I have been in contact with several professors over the last couple of months who all wanted to express interest in my research and to talk about opportunities there.

Of course they are trying to recruit you during all this, but I know a number of people who did their PhDs there (having gone to undergrad in CT) and they all emphatically said that the department is always this supportive.

I am also drawn to the women, gender, and sexuality studies certificate that English PhD students can complete concurrently. I met a bunch of WGSS students and they were great.

The area is certainly in the middle of nowhere, but it is pretty and there are a lot of places to eat in the area (including insomnia cookies--you have to go there when you visit). You may smell cow poo on the breeze once in a while though, LOL. Also, don't be too deterred by crazy undergrads on campus if you happen to visit on game day for basketball...uconn takes its basketball very seriously! I have it on good authority that they are not usually this nuts.

I've already picked out a course or two I'd like to take I'm very excited! Refresh my memory--what's your area again?

I hope we end up there together! I recall that your SO was also looking to teach in the area, right?

YES!!! Will you be accepting? I just accepted my offer

I'm so happy-- just got in off of UConn's wait list!!! 

I'm so happy-- just got in off of UConn's wait list!!! 

Hey all!   I haven't heard anything from Temple and don't think I'll be offered funding at this point, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to remove myself from the funding wait list, so if someone else is waiting on funding I hope that will at least help a bit.
 
But I agree with what everyone's said thus far...Temple's handling of funding is SO stressful all around.

Just got in off of the wait list at UCONN! I'm so happy!!!!!!! Hope is alive for everyone on wait lists!

Success! Had a grand time. Everyone was welcoming and interest(ing/ed), met 5 of the 6 medievalists and several grad students who all seemed cool, and am looking forward to inserting myself into the beating heart of the city come fall. Was excited before, am way excited now. The housing I'm not so much looking forward to but it will work out.

Shortstack, were you at the afternoon/pre-dinner reception? I possibly overheard someone mention your name, but I was too busy talking with folks to find out!

From what I gathered, cohorts are generally 8-ish, sometimes up to 11. The campus is nice and the department (and other departments--history, philosophy, and theology were represented at the receptions as well) overall seemed cool. I don't know the size of the incoming cohort, and didn't hear about the wait list, sorry. If it's getting down to crunch time I'm sure the DGS would be fine with giving you information (I emailed the DGSs of both places I was waitlisted at, one of which turned into an offer).

If you have any questions that I may have the answer to from my short time there, I'd be glad to respond!

In defense of decisions based on relationships with potential advisors: while getting my Master's, I worked as a research assistant and had an AWFUL experience. I want to ensure that going forward, I will be at a school that fosters supportive, respectful, professional relationships. I don't want an advisor to care about me personally, but I do need an advisor to care about my professional future. And yes, I want to be comfortable with that person - not in a warm and fuzzy way, but in an "I can sit in your office and make small talk without wanting to disappear into a hole in the floor" way. 
 
You can tell a lot by meeting with a professor and by listening to how current students speak about him or her as an advisor. Who woos you the hardest? Not that relevant. But which school has professors you click with and can see yourself working with for five to seven years? Definitely important.

Hi, all!
 
I just accepted an offer at Stony Brook, so I thought this would be a great place to say where we're going this Fall and to celebrate after a long, difficult journey! Congratulations to everyone, and good luck to all who are still deliberating!

Gotcha. The GSAS said if acceptees didn't respond via the generated form in their "VIP" accounts by April 15, they assume you aren't taking it. So I guess that means you could hear later than the 15th if someone declines?
 
The visit day is this Mon and I'm going... hopefully I won't be too wiped out by the time I get there. I've been in contact with a few professors and students and everyone seems nice and sane, which are good signs.
 
Did you bring anything special when you did your campus visit (besides your winning personality)?

Since wait lists seem to function at least partially (if not solely) in regards to specialization or sub-field within English, maybe people could include their area of interest (if they're comfortable sharing) when letting others know of the offers they decline.