lostleaf

Thanks! That's good to know. My friend applied to the physical/inorganic chemistry department, but he hasn't heard anything, not even rejection. If the whole chemistry department is out of funding, doesn't it mean that all chemistry programs are done? I wonder why he has not heard anything from them at all.

I have a friend who applied to the PhD/Master combined program at UNC and NC State but haven't heard anything. It seems that UNC has already sent out letters, so does this mean he's on waitlist? Has anyone heard anything from NC State?

As I realized that many of us will be moving to a new place to start a graduate program in rhet/comp, be it MA or PhD, I thought it would be a good idea to put together a migration map to show where everybody is coming from and where everybody is going. Here's the link to the map: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zGNE2X6nKY9U.kwYGTcCGiIq4&authuser=0&hl=en If you are part of the rhet/comp family and are starting a new graduate program in the fall, I invite you to add yourself on the map, pin the locations you are coming from and traveling to and add your name. This shall be a network map for us emerging scholars.

I'm curious. How does crashing conferences work? Also, this is not exactly summer work, but is anyone in rhet/comp working on their C's proposal for next year?

I'm more into sleep-in, but when I'm awake, I will be reading about writing in new media and communication on the web. I'm totally down for sharing, exchanging, bouncing!

Did you check your online application status? Sometimes a decision was rendered there but you might not be notified. That just happened to me.

I checked the OSU online application system and the decision was posted there: a rejection and I'm to expect something in the mail. So people who have not heard anything should probably check their online status. Or maybe everyone else has been doing it, and I just didn't think of it.

I got the same thing on Monday and had to turn it down.

Congratulations! I heard the funding is GREAT!

Just curious. Has anyone not heard from a school where you have been waitlisted? Not that it matters anymore (I'm committed somewhere else), but it seems odd to me that OSU has not said anything yet and it's already the 16th.

I just looked at their website briefly. CCNY is part of CUNY system. It's not a community college.

why community college? CCNY and CUNY are two different schools. Which one are you considering? I would definitely not choose community college.

I would think the most important is to find out which program can best support your research interest. Which program has the most number of faculty members that are specialized in immigrant literature or related area so that you will get the best knowledge in the field. Also, many graduate programs have graduate assistantships; even if not within your program, you may find graduate assistantships in other departments of offices on campus. Perhaps you want to learn about those opportunities at both school. I would advise against any kind of illegal working because they often don't add anything to your professional experience and can be actually distracting. If you want to stay in this country, you don't want to risk creating any illegal record. If you can find GAs, it would cover some if not all of your tuition and also provide you with a stipend that will definitely help with your financials. One thing you should also know is that it is after all possible to transfer to other schools, better schools once you are here. My friend studied foreign language teaching in New York and he started off at Hunter College of CUNY because he couldn't get into a better program, a year into the program, he was able to transfer to NYU's equivalent program; the transfer process was much easier than the initial application process to NYU.

I'll be attending NC State in the fall as well. I'm looking to rent a place on my own and hopefully with manageable rent at around 500-600 (utilities not included). If that sounds way too unrealistic I would consider 2B2B, but I think we all understand the difficulties and problems we may run into with roommate situations. I also want to stay away from the undergrads and stay within the graduate students at least, if not doctoral students. I have to move out of my current place by the end of May and am planning to move to Raleigh right then because I'm going back home to China for the summer and would like to get everything settled before I leave in June. All advice appreciated!

Wendy, I'm new in this gradcafe community, but I want to share with you my experiences studying in the U.S. because we share similar background. I'm also from China. With an undergrad degree in French I came to the States to study professional writing in a public university that has a good local reputation but definitely not up to par at the national level. I entered the program with a dream of pursuing fiction writing but quickly learned that it would not be a practical choice of field for me if I planned to stay in this country. Fortunately, I was introduced to the field of rhet/comp and fell in love with composition and teaching. With such a late switch I was also lucky to have started a project that have led to a publication and two conference presentations for me as I was preparing for my PHD application. Because I had no teaching experience at the master level, I decided to take advantage of my OPT year (you can work for a year on F-1 visa after you graduate) to teach. I've been teaching two writing courses as an adjunct at two different institutions so far, and since these part time positions would not lead to a working visa and I wanted to pursue a PHD anyway, I applied for doctoral programs in rhet/comp. Not knowing much what to expect, I ended up with two funded admissions and three waitlists of which one turned into a funded admission yesterday. Sometimes I feel proud of what I've accomplished, if nothing, just for the fact that I am teaching writing in English to native speakers. Sometimes I also feel very alone in this field as a non-native speaker. The point is, as I may seem to be rambling by now, that if you try hard, you WILL get where you want to be. As far as the schools, I cannot say how important the names and reputations are for your field of interest. Because lit focus can be more competitive than a rhet/comp focus. However, it seems like that you are also considering some rhet/comp programs, such as Syracuse's CCR. My impression about U.S. higher ed is that the big Ivy League names truly don't matter that much at the graduate level. It's what the program offers, its faculty members, its record of student performance and job placement and how all this fits with your interests. For example, Purdue may not be an Ivy League school, but it is one the most prestigious programs in rhet/comp. But I turned it down after they took me off the wait list. It was a difficult decision, but I realized that another program would really fit me better as far as my own research interests are concerned, and it's not like the other school has a bad record of job placement; the program and faculty are just as great. It seems like you are coming to the States with a stronger background and record from China as I did, and I'm sure with the cultural, linguistic, and academic immersion you will only strive. But you do want to consider what you want to do for your future career as well. Are you planning to stay in this country and work as a faculty member in academe or are you planning to go back to China? Generally, it is more difficult to find tenure-track positions in this country for lit majors than it is for rhet/comp thus more difficult for us non-native speakers. But that doesn't mean you can't do it. Besides, anything may change once you start your study here. However, I'd have to agree with others agains the study abroad program, which I also don't believe would add much to your profile, unless, of course, perhaps, you are doing comparative lit with American and European literature. If you are into teaching, I also suggest, if you don't get much teaching experience during your master's here, take the OPT year to gain some. Because most likely you will be required to teach during your PHD program, and not doing it for the first time and learning so much new stuff all at once will make your life much easier. I hope this helps in some way or at least makes you feel better, and I wish you good luck!

I have been waitlisted at Purdue, OSU, and Maryland. Purdue took me off the list and offered me admission yesterday, but I turned it down because I was already committed to NC State. So at this point, I consider myself off the other waitlists as well. I did turn down Kent State couple weeks ago, so hopefully that helped someone on their waitlist.

I received an offer from Purdue yesterday, but I had already committed to North Carolina State. It was crazy turning down Purdue, but I do believe NC State is a better fit for me. It is more about fit than reputation.