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Nightingalesing

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Everything posted by Nightingalesing

  1. I'll also come out of the woodwork to announce that I just got an email (P) about my application to China! I'm absolutely thrilled and I would be happy to connect with anyone else heading to a similar part of the world. Best of luck to everyone during the agonizing waiting and congratulations for everyone who has stuck it out to this point regardless of the outcome. It's a special bunch of people who decide to extend themselves by teaching English and conducting research overseas. It's been wonderful to see the support in this forum as a testament to that - M.E.A
  2. Oh! I should also mention that the TA salary for UC graduate students is negotiated by the same union and is therefore consistent across UCs. Since humanities students usually rely on TA work as funding, you should research the cost of living across campuses. That will be the true difference in how far your stipend gets you. That being said, Davis may have been mentioned to you because the cost of living here is a little lower than it may be in Berkeley or LA. However, it's California. I'm not going to lie, it's slightly pricey but enough to make me perfectly comfortable.
  3. It depends on the program, but I did receive a university-wide fellowship from Davis and know that my department regularly accrues such awards for its first years. It's been a fantastic cushion for my first year and I could not be more grateful for the situation. That being said, Davis is a UC and is not rolling in dough. The PhD funding situation will vary from department to department. We rarely (if ever) admit students without 5 years of funding. Other, larger humanities programs may not have the same policy.
  4. Hello! I am afraid I cannot discuss the merits of these schools without much bias as am attending UC Davis next year for a PhD in Comp Lit... That being said, if you'd like to message me, I would be more than happy to talk about the specific benefits of Davis. Good luck with your decision!
  5. Hello! If I'm lucky, the lease I signed will get to California tomorrow and I will have housing all figured out! I managed to find a small, private apartment within a larger property so all of the utilities are included. Looking for a place was a little stressful but the Davis Wiki was an invaluable resource! Everything sounds equal (either good or sketchy) on Craigslist, but the community online seems to have done a fantastic job pointing out the despotic landlords from the diamonds in the rough. Congratulations on your acceptance and good luck!
  6. Hello! I just accepted my offer to attend the Comparative Literature program at UC Davis. If anyone else has decided to attend I would be delighted to talk with you about a very exciting 2010. All the best!
  7. I know that another UC school (specifically Davis) is willing to give any student moving from outside California $400. Good luck!
  8. Oh dear... I just sent an email to a department and I'm trying my best not to second guess it or regret it. I know they made a slim number of acceptances a few weeks ago and a slew of rejections by email shortly after. As I still have yet to hear anything and the date of accepted students weekend comes closer, I would just really like to know what my status is. On the other hand, it feels better to imagine the good news than to know the bad...
  9. I'm so glad this thread has become more active! After returning from 3 days at Davis I am strongly considering getting my Comparative Literature Ph. D there. The faculty is a superb match to my interests (I also study Shakespeare but my focus is on East Asian performance studies) and everyone I met was enthusiastic about their work and generous with their time. It was a very laid back and active academic atmosphere. Of course the financial situation is a little concerning to me, but my fears were almost entirely eased by my discussions with the grad students. As I discussed briefly in the other thread about funding, all of the students I talked with were very honest about their funding situation. In their opinion, the teaching load was not too difficult and actually put them in an excellent position in the job market after graduation. The stipend was also enough to live comfortably in Davis and in some cases Sacramento. Of course, I haven't made a final decision yet either. We'll see how it goes!
  10. Hello! I actually just got back from a trip to Davis so I may be able to add some information even though the English and Comp Lit departments work a little differently. Funding nominations were made recently and decisions may be reached in the next few weeks. Apparently they always aim for late March but rarely find out until a later date; I was told to wait until May. Most of the grad students I talked to received fellowships for the first year, but they had no problems living off of the stipend/ managing their teaching duties even when extra money was not available. The students also stressed that the program's excellent placement rate can be attributed to the fact that they taught for 5/6 years before going on the job market and had the opportunity to design their own classes/ write their own syllabus/ pick their own books. Long story short: I loved Davis and would be perfectly happy to attend even without extra fellowships. However, I'm still waiting to see how the rest of the cards fall. P.S I would love to talk to others also considering going to Davis. I'm bursting at the seams to talk about this lovely place after such a great visit.
  11. Hello! Davis notified me on Feb. 10th. Unfortunately I don't know too much about who has been admitted, but my potential advisor has told me that the cohort is made up of five people. Best of luck! I really hope everything works out well for you!
  12. Hello! I hope its okay for a Comp Lit person to resurrect this thread. I am remarkably pleased to have been admitted to Davis and would love to get in touch with my (reportedly small) potential cohort. My research interests are focused in Asian Studies, specifically modern Chinese drama. Next week (Monday- Wednesday) I will be visiting Davis. The department did not mention paying for my trip when they mentioned a visit, but once I asked they were very generous in covering almost all of my expenses (especially considering the fact that I'm coming from the other side of the country). If anyone has any questions but is unable to get to Davis, I would be get them answered. Looking forward to visiting what I am sure is a very beautiful campus!
  13. If it helps at all, I know Penn State is currently interviewing Comparative Literature finalists. (However the interview was mostly focused on figuring out language capabilities / availability to TA for language classes. I would imagine that English adcoms would not take similar steps). When I asked, my interview said that decisions would be mailed in March and an accepted students weekend for all graduate programs would be mid-month. Different departments... but I know some people enjoy an excess of information because it makes guessing easier! Best of luck!
  14. I wish I could offer answers, but I can only offer empathy. My "language proficiency" phone interview is tomorrow and I'm desperately trying to think of ways to prepare. My plan is to have a few basic answers casually planned, but the most powerful weapons in my arsenal will probably be a good night's sleep and a state of mind that is as calm as possible under the circumstances. Best of Luck!
  15. Perhaps dual degree programs are common at Penn State because I applied to their Asian Studies/ Comp Lit dual program. I know the Asian Studies program has just recently created a number of new dual degree options but I'm afraid I don't know anything about other departments or other schools. All the best!
  16. Hi! I'm also applying to Comp Lit programs this season, but in a very different subfield. My focus is on East Asian languages and literatures and I've done a lot of work with Chinese Opera and theatre in Elizabethan England. I'm crossing my fingers and waiting to hear back from Penn State, WUSTL, Duke, Stanford, UC Davis, and Harvard. best of luck to everyone!!
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