Dr. Old Bill

Not to put words in his mouth, but I don't think CBZ was actually deriding literature -- he was just making a polemical argument against the suggestion of "Comp/Rhet bad, Literature good." The two disciplines can and should co-exist, which is why I find the recent snark here against Comp/Rhet to be baffling. I'm a lit guy by nature, but there's a reason why I'm thrilled to be taking over much of the administrative function of UMD's writing center this summer: both sides of English need representation, and while the two can often work together (Penn State is a good example of a program that tries to blend the two), there's enough deviation in the mindset and the underlying theories that they can be comfortably separate. Seriously, that's not a bad thing. Stratification occurs in countless other elements of English...I'm not sure why there's so much angst toward it here.

AHHH! How wonderful!! Congratulations, TOC!

D.C. can be pricey. My wife and I just committed to a condo in Beltsville yesterday, and will be moving in June. We'll be carrying two rents, unfortunately, for a full month, since we have to break the lease where we're at (about 50 miles south of D.C.), but we've found a nice place that fits all of our needs for $1200 per month including utilities. It's about six miles from my campus, which is obviously a bonus. A bit farther for my wife, however. Since you're going to GWU, you can probably remain carless. There are metro stops quite close (Foggy Bottom etc.), and if you can find a place within a few blocks of a metro station, you'll be saving yourself a lot of grief. If you are willing to have a longer commute, the northern parts of D.C., like the south side of Takoma Park and Silver Spring (both start on the north / Maryland side of Eastern Ave.) might be a good option that keeps you in an urban community without having to pay through the nose in rent (like you would in Dupont, Georgetown, Foggy Bottom etc.) If you don't have a lot of furniture etc., maybe renting a room is an option. That will probably run you about $600 (give or take) per month, whereas finding a small one-bedroom or studio apartment in D.C. proper will probably be $900 at an absolute minimum, and $1200 - $1400 on average. Bear in mind that a lot of apartment complexes will have discounts for graduate students in particular (as opposed to undergrads). Sometimes they'll waive security deposit or application fees, and sometimes they'll knock $20 or $30 off your monthly rent (all of those scenarios presented themselves in my recent apartment search). Either way...good luck! It is an expensive city, but it's doable...and many people (myself included) think it's a worthwhile city to live in (or around).

In other news...round two of serious home-searching commences for my wife and I early tomorrow morning! Saw some decent options last weekend, all in the $1200 - $1400 range, but we're hoping to find something we both like (and both agree on!) tomorrow...

Honestly, I'm not sure anyone here can answer that for you. Definitely contact Ralph if you're concerned.

Just curious -- are any of you newly admitted graduate students planning on taking a summer course or two to help get in the swing of things? The reason I ask is because I've registered to take a graduate course at UMD that starts on June 1st. I checked with the department coordinator to make sure it was fine for me to do so, and it seems to be fine (pending a tuition remission question, but that's beside the point)...but will anyone else be doing the same thing?

Congrats!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN4V5XjyR6s It's educational!

Missed opportunity there for you to say "Call me, Ishmael."

Woo hoo!! You're going to love it. You really, really are! Please feel free to PM me with any questions / comments / concerns / overwhelming expressions of jubilation etc.

I'll PM you.

So much happening!!!! Congrats to all of you last-minute waitlist acceptees!!

That's a good question. Again, I assume everything is kosher, since you were accepted by the department...but truly, you should email Ralph (or someone in the graduate admissions department) to get the direct scoop if possible. You're not bothering them -- you're well within your right to ask! I only received my "official" acceptance from the graduate school two weeks ago, despite being accepted by the department on February 13th.

Congrats! For what it's worth, I never even considered that there would be a possibility of the graduate school rejecting me after the departmental acceptance. It was only when I saw the official acceptance from the graduate school that it dawned on me that everything hadn't been 100% official. From what I understand, however, the graduate school portion is more of a formality than anything. I recognize that you can't be completely comfortable until you get that grad school letter, but assuming you don't have any major stumbling blocks like a felony conviction or something equally dire, I would go ahead and consider it as close to a sure thing as it gets. You should contact Ralph if you have any concerns -- he's usually very quick to respond, and is thorough. On such an important day (and for such an important decision), reaching out is completely understandable. Good luck -- I look forward to meeting you (hopefully!) in August!

Ack! No. Sorry -- my "tethered to a trade" comment was still with my father in mind, not more general. I'm proud of my blue-collar roots. It's not the kind of work that appeals to me (I tried to like it -- I really did!), but it's far more respectable than I think it's given credit for. The reason I posted was because of TonyB's invocation about people being "better off" getting an HVAC certification. What I'm trying to get at is that "success" and being "better off" etc. are amorphous concepts. Sure, my father was "successful" in his career and in a lot of respects, I'll likely never match up to what he has obtained over the last thirty years or so: house, cabin, sports cars, sport boat, motorcycle, money in the bank... But for me, I'm definitely okay with that. It's a trade off, and I don't mind accepting what I'm receiving in trade over what I'm giving up. When the chips are down, the same might be true of my father as well...though it's an open question, and I'll probably never really know. I definitely don't knock trades etc. though. On the contrary, I legitimately wish that I was oriented in such a way that I could have enjoyed that path...but even when I was on the fringes of blue-collardom for much of my twenties, relegating my passions to avocations, I always knew it wasn't right for me. I could be an inside sales rep for a tools and hardware distributor, or do administrative work for an industrial sales and service agency while publishing poetry and writing music on the side...but as the past few years have shown me, I don't feel completed until I'm more immersed in what I enjoy. I wish it were otherwise. Truly.

Maybe off-topic, but just chiming in to say... My father is an HVAC guy. He has been since he was in his early 20s (he is now 64). He owned his own business for awhile, then bounced around a few different companies in the 90s and 00s, making good money. He's not a particularly smart man, but he never complained about work too often, even when he tried (and failed) to teach the trade for a semester at a trade school, or tried (and failed) to be a service manager, instead of "on the tools." He could always afford his toys -- always had a sports car, or a motorcycle, or (for the last several years) a hydroplane that he races on weekends. A few years ago, during a family vacation to the summer cabin, he revealed that he has always hated his career. That he is full of unrequited wishes to have been something else...a pilot, perhaps, or something more. In retrospect, this should have been obvious, and yet as a family we had never questioned that he was content, perhaps even happy to be fixing air conditioners, heat pumps, and walk-in coolers every day. He concedes that it earned him a decent living, and put "three square meals" on his family's table...but was he ever happy? No, I doubt it. All the joy he extracted from life was from his avocations. I suppose the same can be said for most people, but it's particularly worth remembering for people like us who are going down this path. We all want to succeed at what we are doing, but even if we fall short, most of us should be able to find alt-ac careers that give us some modicum of happiness. I'm not sure the same can be said for someone who is tethered to a trade. I once wrote a poem on this topic. I might as well share: SUCCESS You've made it! All around agree You're where you are supposed to be: A stable job, a loving spouse, A fancy car, you own a house; You have three kids, adore them all-- Each one is talented and tall; You're part of several clubs, have friends, Are first to join the latest trends; You've holidayed in many lands And sunk your feet in foreign sands, You're middle-aged and in good health With shrinking debts and growing wealth. You're proud and confident and smart, You follow sports and relish art, You are the envy of your peers And have been now for many years. So here you are -- you've found success But can you, in your heart confess That you are happy? Truly -- are you happy?

Oh wow...congrats Jean-Luc! I remember you writing about how you were completely resigned to being shut out this year. SO glad to see that's not the case!

Huzzah!!! Major congratulations to you!!

Holy heck -- congrats!

Yes, I would say that at this point, with what most institutions consider the "official" acceptance deadline merely two days away, emailing should be perfectly fine. Many potential students need to know their options now so that they can plan accordingly. There's certainly no harm in contacting a school two days before the major deadline.

Incidentally, UMD has a "capstone project" option for its M.A. students, which basically allows a student to take a shorter paper and, under the guidance of an advisor / professor, expand it into an article length essay of 25 pages or so. There is also a thesis option of 75 pages, which nixes the need for six credits of coursework (so 30 credits vs. 24). I'm aiming to do the capstone option at this point...not because I don't think I can write a 75-page paper, but because I know that doing so will probably take more time than the two extra courses, and because a 25-page paper under the guidance of a professor will likely make for a great SOP for Ph.D. applications. Since I know I'll be writing loooong papers when I eventually start working on my Ph.D., I'm being kinder to myself in the short run.

Excellent, excellent advice from you both. I fully endorse every point you both make. My situation is very similar to ToldAgain's, by the sound of it. I was in PhD-or-bust mode for awhile, before realizing what a boon UMD's M.A. offer proved to be. Two months later, and I have a full GAship in the English department, some future teaching opportunities (though nothing guaranteed since I had to turn down a 1/2 TAship in favor of that full GAship), health coverage, and have already registered for a summer graduate course that looks like a hell of a lot of fun (I just got the syllabus from the professor today, and it looks like a blast, even though it's not quite in my usual wheelhouse). I also have the distinct sense that candidates with M.A. degrees in hand were largely favored over B.A. candidates this season. There were many exceptions, of course, but it feels more 70/30 than 50/50. I don't have much to add to what the two of you have said, but a few points regardless... -Be open-minded in your first semester or two. Yes, you will need to specialize at some point, but an M.A. offer is a good opportunity to hone in on your interests that much more. -Spend lots of time on campus. That's what I'm planning on doing, at least. Whether teaching, working, studying, or learning in a classroom, I aim to treat it like a full-time commitment (partially because it is, but partially because that is the mindset I think one should have...unlike in undergrad). -Keep your eyes open to industry trends. These things will affect you, whether directly or indirectly. -If you're at a state school, monitor state budget issues. This, too, will affect you...whether directly or indirectly. -Use the extra time to retake the GREs. This is a quasi-controversial comment, as some disagree, but I think that retaking the GRE until you get very competitive scores is not a waste of time. It's a YMMV issue, as well as a money issue, but if your plan is to pursue a Ph.D. at a good institution, it's probably worth it to make sure all aspects are as good as they can be. In theory, being active and engaged in graduate study will keep those verbal neurons firing at the level they need to be to get a good score.

Awesome, Katla. Not sure if you're a used bookstore lover like I am, but Elliott Bay Book Company is a great used/new bookstore in downtown Seattle (close to the Space Needle, too). Plus you have the famous Powell's Books down in Portland, as well as my personal favorite used bookstore, Henderson's, two hours north in Bellingham. I've never found a bookstore remotely close to the quality of those three places on the east coast (save for Strand Books in NYC, but that goes without saying).

Congrats! It's a lovely city, though I hope you don't mind the rain! You'll have to make occasional excursions up to Vancouver as well...only a 2.5 hour drive up the I-5.

For what it's worth, the adage/cliche that has helped me a lot through the rejections is "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush." My reaction when I was first offered an M.A. at UMD was something between a shrug and an eye-roll. I was so dead set on Ph.D. offers that I didn't initially see its value for what it was. But within a few days, it became more than a consolation prize...more than a plan B...but something really really good for me, and something I wanted quite badly. I really can't express how grateful I am to the folks at UMD for giving me a shot, and I find that it has given me an extreme level of enthusiasm and eagerness to prove my merit. It can be hard to accept rejection, yet it can be hard to accept acceptance as well. But when the emotional fog lifts, you generally see how wonderful any acceptance is, because it's rare and legitimately affirming.