Nighthob

So, you, minnares, and I make three. I feel sorry for the other applicants having to compete for only seven spots.

Thanks for the info. I'll keep hoping until the end of the week, I guess.

I dunno. Maybe an overexcited prof contacted a couple of applicants? Or perhaps it's one person who double posted?

Two new posts on the forums so far this morning. And my phone is still not ringing. I think I'm going to be nauseous.

I want to say something helpful. I want to tell you that I have the perfect idea that will make everything better and ensure bliss for your whole family. I want to, but I can't. I highly recommend that you and your husband sit down with a trained therapist who can help you navigate the situation and ask questions you or he may not have thought of before. If nothing else, sometimes it's good to have a neutral party listen to all the concerns. And look, I'm not trying to be Miss Mary Sunshine or anything. Relationships are hard enough without the added stress of something like the upheavals of grad school. But, I believe that if both people genuinely want what's best for each other, they'll find a way to make the dreams work. All my best wishes for you.

I was going to say I was having trouble with Onestart, but in fact, I was being an idiot.

Just to lighten the mood while we're all stressed and waiting for application results. I offer "Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog." http://houseoffame.blogspot.com/ Excerpt of a book review of Twilight: In this fyne book of sparklie vampyres, Bella Cygne moveth from Essex to Yorkshyre to lyve with her fathir, who ys a sheriff and escheator. At a scole ful of recentlie coyned stereotypes, she witnesseth the fayre skyn and fashion-sprede slow-mocioun hotenesse of the Cu Chulainn clan, the which have all eaten long ago of the magical Irisshe Salmon of Really Good Hair (oon byte of this magical salmon and ye shal have good hair for evir). Aftir Bella doth see the hottest of the clan, Edward, stop a wagon wyth hys bare handes, fight off twentie churles, and brood so much he did make Angel look lyk Mister Rogeres, she doth realise that the Cu Chulainns are vampyres. But they are good vampyres, who drinke wyne. Ther is considerablie moore sexual tensioun than in Piers Plowman. The post on Men Who Glare at Stoats had me howling.

I'm sorry; rejection sucks. I think the fact that you received a personal email should, however, be encouraging. You know you made it far enough in the process and made enough of an impression to warrant more than the standard rejection letter. And though there isn't anything you can do about the undergrad GPA, it sounds like you've done everything possible to make up for it. I wish you the best of luck with the remaining schools. With all the amazing things you've done since your undergrad, any school would be lucky to have you.

Gotta love Neil Gaiman!

Snowmiser, do you mind telling us your subfield?

Rushdie, Allende, Faulkner... is no one other than me reading fluff right now? I'm finishing up Sepulchre by Kate Mosse (note the "e"; not the model) -- modern gothic horror. Next up is Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman, which I got on uber-sale in hardback. I have never read The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, and everyone recommends it me to, so that's on the list For non-fiction, I'm reading The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade by Ann Fessler. It's fascinating to me, but I'm an adoptee, so I'm biased.

Thank you so much for posting, and congratulations! Your research sounds very interesting (and totally different from my own interests).

Re: Subject Test I found that the main thing to study up on is critical theory. For example, you need to be able to recognize Derrida or Foucault or Barthes based on a ready passage or be able to identify major schools like Formalism, Structuralism, etc. Seems like many of the more recent tests focused on critical theory than on identification of major works or authors. Of course, YMMV, but that's what I encountered and what I've heard from others most recently.

Sending good thoughts your way. And, keep an ear out for IU. First result posted a little early today.

Well, I'm not expecting an acceptance, but I pulled my phone out of my purse just in case. Ring, little phone. Ring.

I love Etsy. But even more, I love Regretsy.com. If you haven't visited, it's a website that features the the worst (and funniest) Etsy crafts. It makes me laugh every time I look at it.

Thanks, everyone, for the encouraging words. I'm not nearly as bummed as I thought I'd be, and with an implicit acceptance from one school, I sure can't be a whiner about it. One acceptance is 100% more acceptances than I was offered the first time I applied to PhD programs! I currently live near Chapel Hill and wanted to stay in the area, but I'm sure it'll all be okay. And, if any of you DO get acceptances from UNC, I'd be very happy to talk about the area and offer any little bit of guidance I can as a local.

Thanks, hon. I don't know if acceptances come in thin envelopes. I assumed they came in fat envelopes filled with confetti and cash, and when you open them, a band plays the Hallelujah Chorus and zero-calorie chocolate falls from the sky. No?

I ran home and checked mail. The thin envelope mocked me. Oh, well. It sounds like they had a ton of very qualified applicants -- including some of you! Best of luck to those still waiting. I'm just glad they put me out of my misery. Now if only all the other schools we're waiting on would let us know. All the best to those still waiting. Personally, I'd love to see at least one of the people I've met on thegradcafe get in.