Ramus

So long as you applied by the deadline, when exactly you apply will not affect either your chances of acceptance and/or funding. And to answer your question regarding Arizona: I was accepted there two years ago (for Lit, not Rhet/Comp), and I ultimately turned down their offer because of the teaching load. As their DGS explained to me then, they hit you with a 2/2 teaching load right out of the gate, which can be really overwhelming for a first time teacher. Having said that, I know their RhetComp faculty are really well respected and have clout in the field, so you should weight that against the teaching load.

Consider reading it alongside the Harvey and Spenser's 1580 Three Proper, and wittie, familiar Letters - one of the letters in this volume (can't remember which of the top of my head) contains some remarks on English prosody which complement those Sidney articulates in the Defence. I'm really intrigued by Harvey/Spenser/Sidney's efforts to integrate classical prosody -- it proved to be a foolish endeavor, but it's fascinating nonetheless. As for me, I'm currently working through Hobbes' Leviathan. I read some of it a few years ago when I was interested in Milton's ontology, but haven't returned to it since. So far I've been amazed at how smoothly it reads. I was really intimidated when I first attempted it, but it's turning out to be much more approachable than I remember.

Had the same experience a couple of years back when I had to interview. At that point I thought it best to restrict my smoking to the evening (the interview process lasted all weekend), and I think that was the right choice. While I don't think it would substantially affect any POI's or adcom's decision, you want to avoid doing anything that could irritate anybody of importance. And since some people are really anti-smoker, I'd advise your friend to stick with the patch or to smoke only after the interviewing is done for the day.

For those of you going the early modern route, UConn and Fordham both look to be good options. Funding over $20K/year is pretty uncommon in schools outside the Top 20, but UConn and Fordham both clock in around $21K. I'm sure this has been brought up in other threads on safety schools, but teaching loads are real problem for programs outside the top 50. I'm currently in the MA program at Alabama, teaching a 2-2 comp load, and I've found that teaching this much while balancing coursework and writing a thesis is pretty exhausting. From what I've seen, a 2-2 is fairly common at schools lower down the list, especially state schools. Just something to keep in mind.

Last year I attended a seminar at the Folger with a PhD from GW, and she had few positive things to say about her program. Specifically, she mentioned that the faculty weren't supportive and that there wasn't really any semblance of community among the early modern cohort. I'm not sure how representative she is of the early modern students there, but her anecdotes didn't really speak well of the program.