slightlymoreanonymous

Hi gradcafers! I know most folks are getting off of here after deciding on programs (congrats all around!), but I was wondering if anyone would mind pitching in their two cents. I've narrowed it down to two great programs, made endless pros/cons lists, talked to everyone from former professors to my priest, and still have no clue which is the better option. So now I figured I'd ask the internet for its collective wisdom:) Here's my situation: Program 1: Top ten public school in NE Pros: Stipend of around $31k annually, 80% of health insurance (including vision and dental!); amazing faculty in the field; direct connection to my research interests; small cohort; basically everyone lands TT jobs in R1s straight out of graduation; automatic fifth year postdoc after successful completion of dissertation for extra job market time; first year fellowship that waives teaching and a teaching release for one semester of fourth year; 1:1 teaching load for other years; cool admin opportunities; ability to finish coursework in first year or year and a half to have extra time for dissertation; absolutely beautiful campus; very stable in terms of political climate Cons: tiny, sad town, not very diverse, super expensive housing, hard to find a place I could bring my dog, across the country from everyone I care about, real winter which terrifies me, not as many of the things I love to do outside of the academy (swing/salsa dancing, rock climbing, etc) Extra Consideration: serious potential for my partner to land a lecturer gig if I take the offer. Which could be freaking awesome for his lecturer career goals, but feels like a lot of pressure for a relatively young relationship. (I'm both kind of excited and completely, utterly freaked out by the prospect.) Program 2: Solid, well-established program in my field of rhet/comp in middle of the country Pros: Stipend of around $20k annually, full health insurance coverage; also amazing faculty (though some are newer); direct connection to my other research interests; larger cohort; basically everyone lands TT jobs, but more at SLACs, regional state schools, CCs, and a few R1s; two year fellowship that waives teaching during year one and four; 2:2 teaching load for middle two years (what I'm used to now); more admin opportunities than program 1; ability to finish coursework in a year and a half to have extra time for dissertation; easy to get fifth year if needed; awesome town with all the things I love to do outside of academy; super low cost of living (I could buy a house! and build equity! Like an adult!); diverse student body Cons: slightly less "prestigious"; placement rates slightly lower because it's a larger program; political crap where governor is out to cut state education funding; my fellowship years are guaranteed 100% while the TA years have this fine-print clause about renewal being "dependent on funding" (but DGS says it was only implemented because of students who would leave other departments and still be paid through four year contracts; and he's absolutely confident it won't be a problem). Extra Consideration: my sister would probably apply to transfer there and we could live together while she finishes undergrad (she's my best friend and it would be amazing!); not really an option for program one because she also has no desire to live in tiny NE town So, what do you guys think? What factors did you give the most weight when you made your decision? Any/all insight would be appreciated!

YES. I've tried to get my friends/partner into the Great British Bake Off, and none of them appreciate its greatness. I'm in deep mourning now that it's leaving the BBC. No more Mary! There's no way it can be as good. Also, I'm sorry about the bad breaks, guys:( Hope you're treating yourself to some important self-care! For what its worth, I also didn't get into any PhD programs when I applied directly from the BA and so went the MA route instead. It worked out much better during the second app season. Hang in there!

Just got off the Syracuse CCR waitlist! If anyone else is on that too..you've got less competition now Waiting for one more campus visit this month before deciding and freeing up spots at three or four programs! Also, anyone have any idea when we might hear back about waitlist stuff? Like will most students wait to decide till right before April 15th? I'm pretty much considering my other waitlist spot as a no-go now. I afraid if I hold out for their program, it could mess up acceptances at other schools. Do you think programs will be offended if you take until April to decide? For the MA, I had everything figured out by mid-March; but this decision seems more difficult.

Okay, @Wyatt's Terps...looks like I'll have to forgo the Sunday evening festivities. I waited too long to book a flight and the only ones left that weren't $800 arrive in Columbus around midnight Haha this should be a whirlwind trip! And thanks for the insight, @Bumblebea and @unræd! Are there neighborhoods to avoid at all when looking for places to live?

Hi! Sorry for the confusion, I was at the visit day for University of Louisville's PhD in Rhetoric and Composition last week:) One of the students I met there mentioned he had been accepted to ASU, but was probably turning it down. From everything I've heard though, it's an amazing program! Okay, I totally don't mean to spread mis-information. I'm like 90% positive the student I talked to was referencing the rhet/comp program at ASU, but on further reflection it could have been University of Arizona. It was a long day with a lot of talking haha. Good luck with your applications!

In hindsight, I definitely would've proofed my materials more. I had the soul-crushing realization last month that not only did I have one typo in EVERY personal statement (only a letter missing, but shameful for an English student!), but I even mentioned School A in School B's personal statement. Frankly, I'm shocked I was still accepted at half of my schools. I have to echo @Wyatt's Terps and @orphic_mel528 too...fit and luck clearly seem to be critical! I thought my application materials were much better for the schools with later deadlines, but there was really no rhyme or reason to which programs worked and which didn't. I also definitely would've emailed POIs early. I only did that for one school that required it, but I think it certainly couldn't have hurt to reach out to others.

Definitely!

Hi sgc001, nice to see another rhet/comp person here. Congrats on the acceptance! As for your question, one of the incoming students I met at a prospective student visit day last week had just been accepted to Arizona State. So you might hear from them soon:)

One of the FSU ones was mine! But I'm a current student there, so they might be letting us know before others. Also, I'm pretty sure that rhet/comp does stuff differently than lit. I wouldn't give up hope yet!

Here to join in the venting! Found out this evening that I have to write another 45 pages and completely revise 60 pages in the next ten days in order to submit my thesis to my committee on time. It's 100% my fault (poor time management, really shitty initial drafts, deciding to graduate early instead of in the summer, and focusing on PhD programs and not this stuff), but I can't help feeling like I've totally screwed myself over. Time for major heartbreak, panic, and hopefully desperation-and-caffeine-fueled brilliance. Haha and I recognize posting this instead of immediately jumping into work is symptomatic of my time management issues Eek!

For what it's worth, I know Purdue is having their admitted students day today. But I don't know if that's only for PhDs, or MAs too. When I was applying for the MA two years ago, I was accepted into Purdue's program on Feb. 27th; but I'm sure it varies year to year. I still haven't heard from them, so definitely assuming I'm waitlisted or rejected this time around. Hope it works out for you!!

Let's keep our fingers crossed then! Dr. Hawhee told me that they arrange the waitlist by potential advisor/research interests so I'm behind one other candidate in rhet/comp. Can't decide if I hope mystery person with the same interests as me will choose another wonderful program, or that I won't get in and then my decision will be easier haha. The faculty at Penn State are amazing though, so it's hard to let go of completely.

I'll be there! Waiting to book a flight till I get reimbursed from my campus visit last week, but I'm down for a potential-new-cohort get-together:)

Hi there! I wanted to second what the others have said, but also add my two cents. I'm at Florida State now, and it is definitely a wonderful program for the PhD in Creative Writing (or so the writers here tell me!) So you might want to consider them. Many seem to land a book deal within their time here, and that's definitely rad:) The community here is also pretty great. But a cautionary tale too: if you want to teach at the university level, know that it's an extraordinarily competitive job market. I've been helping my partner (a PhD in Creative Writing) with his job applications this year, and it's brutal. He's okay with that. He just wanted the opportunity to write and study, and didn't have to go into debt to do so, so he's definitely fortunate. And he's certainly not given up hope yet, but is also realistic about other job avenues. It seems as though creative writing is even more challenging a market than literature or composition (which are certainly no picnic either!). So if you're thinking about PhD programs for the growth/experience/craft, then that's wonderful! Just know that it doesn't always translate into those snazzy tenured creative writing jobs. I'm not a creative writer myself, but seeing the job application process close up has definitely made me think long and hard about whether I'll be accepting one of my PhD offers for this fall or pursuing different career options.

Echoing engphiledu, congrats on the latest acceptances and good luck to everyone! Also, a question: grad stipends aren't negotiable, right? I'm accepted at a handful of programs so far, but I'm assuming that stipends are standard across the department and not negotiable the way job offers are. Can anyone speak to any of this?

Yanaka, I think it depends on who you're speaking to and what you're asking. I've found that most profs respond well to short, specific questions about their research. For example, I might write to a professor whose work I'm using in my own research with a very specific question that (and this is key) wasn't addressed elsewhere in the text or their other research. So you might introduce yourself, give a sentence as to what you're reading of theirs and why, and then ask your question. End with a polite thank you and keep it short! A few sentences max. This may be different for your discipline and type of question, but it was advice given to me by one of my mentors in rhet/comp:)

Just wanted to join and commiserate! I'm waitlisted at Penn State...I don't know if it's better to think of it as a outright rejection and have the possibility (?) of being pleasantly surprised, or factor it the decision making process. How are y'all handling it?

YES. That happened to me yesterday! What a fun next month or so we'll have. Congrats!! That's wonderful

Congrats, Kilos! From all I've heard, it's a great program!! Is their MA still a one year program, though? I knew someone who was in it and she said it was pretty intense trying to fit all of the MA stuff in just a year. But then she got into great PhD programs after, so it all worked out! And for what it's worth, all of the r/c people I know who applied straight to PhD programs with a bachelors were accepted for the schools' MA programs instead. It sounds like most big rhet/comp programs want people to get their masters and teaching experience first. But that could just be where I applied:) Where else are you applying?

I could be wrong, but weren't the Hogwarts acceptance letters written in green ink? Your dream made me picture hundreds of rejection letters shooting out of a chimney...haha how emotionally traumatizing would that be? (Actually, last time around, I had a school send me multiple rejection letters... a bit of unnecessary cruelty in my opinion.) But I would love if our program letters were as cool-looking as the Hogwarts ones. Those plain white business envelopes don't convey the emotion of this process!

Congrats @Caien! That's awesome. One of my old friends went there for English undergrad and had a fabulous time! Good for you! Slightly related: anyone want to claim the Penn State or Purdue acceptance? I thought it was too early to hear from them, and now I'm resuming mild-applicant-panic I need to stop checking here and actually finish my thesis...haha this is much more stress-inducing than my usual methods of procrastination.

Thanks Ramus! Totally forgot to recheck the department page in all the excitement haha. So you're at OSU now? How has your experience been there? And thanks TeaOverCoffee! Hope things are going your way too! Maybe! I'm in a MA program now, if it helps with the speculation.

Congrats folks! Hurrah for good news all around:) And fingers crossed for all the schools we've yet to hear from. I just found out I'm in at OSU too! And University of Louisville:) Does anyone know what the funding opportunities are at Ohio State? The one sentence on the app window was pretty brief.

Back for round 2! Still slightly scarred from the last time in this process, and it's only been two years. Nice to see some of you folks again:) Query: So I'm not as prepared as most of y'all, and will be submitting my applications a few days before they're due. I had been planning on using my thesis prospectus [trimmed from its current monstrous 35 page sprawl], but now I'm not so sure. What types of writing samples are you submitting? Conference papers? Seminar essays? Article projects?

In Hac, did you hear from MSU yesterday? According to Dr. Powell, there are two PhD student who haven't accepted or turned down their offers yet, and three offers available from the writing center for the other 11. I just turned down the MSU acceptance, so there's at least 10 students with the possibility of 3-5 opportunities for funding. I hope this works out for you! MSU's an amazing program, but I had earlier deadlines for my other offers so ended up going elsewhere.