cesada

Alright, and to clarify - this absolutely DOES NOT mean that I think tons of people get in who do not deserve to get in. It is the opposite - so many of us are just so qualified, that tons of people who deserve to get in are rejected

Except for me. I am still in shock that I got in anywhere, and convinced that someone accidentally sent me the acceptance email and will be calling next week to apologize and rescind their offer.

I'm not in French or CompLit, so I can't comment on the situations there... but I think it is ridiculous to advise people not to come to UCI for any of the humanities programs. I'm going to confine my comments to the English program, since that is what I'm sure about, but I have to say that a program where you can take a translation workshop with Ngugi wa Thiong'o seems pretty desirable, from my admittedly uninformed perspective.

The English department is in the process of hiring a new professor, not usually a sign of imminent decay or funding fallout. The classes and general environment are intellectually rigorous. Scanning my inbox from the last two weeks, I have multiple emails about dissertation fellowships, travel grants, famous guest lecturers, student-led conferences, and a new journal launch. The people on the job market this year are getting offers. TAs teach a very manageable load. Basically, there are a lot of good financial reasons to come here, without even getting into the many fabulous professors.

Anyways, I've had a really great experience here, so I wanted to balance the alarming post with a different perspective. I'm not on a budget committee, I'm not sure how budget cuts could affect the department in the coming years, but I don't see anything that alarms me so far.

I'm not in French or CompLit, so I can't comment on the situations there... but I think it is ridiculous to advise people not to come to UCI for any of the humanities programs. I'm going to confine my comments to the English program, since that is what I'm sure about, but I have to say that a program where you can take a translation workshop with Ngugi wa Thiong'o seems pretty desirable, from my admittedly uninformed perspective.

The English department is in the process of hiring a new professor, not usually a sign of imminent decay or funding fallout. The classes and general environment are intellectually rigorous. Scanning my inbox from the last two weeks, I have multiple emails about dissertation fellowships, travel grants, famous guest lecturers, student-led conferences, and a new journal launch. The people on the job market this year are getting offers. TAs teach a very manageable load. Basically, there are a lot of good financial reasons to come here, without even getting into the many fabulous professors.

Anyways, I've had a really great experience here, so I wanted to balance the alarming post with a different perspective. I'm not on a budget committee, I'm not sure how budget cuts could affect the department in the coming years, but I don't see anything that alarms me so far.

Ah, yes, wonderful scientific advancements... those of us in the humanities are far too unimportant to contribute to all those bombs, products that kill the earth, and experiments on low-income populations!

My literature research is never going to be used to kill anybody. Just saying.

Okay, I'm joking, obviously. I know most scientists and engineers want to cure diseases, build useful stuff, provide clean water, and on and on. Still, I think those disciplines can be worse than useless without the ability to empathize, to understand other cultures, to develop a system of ethics... all the stuff that the humanities, at their best, teach students.

I'll be honest -- there is no career or graduate program that could be worth leaving my partner behind for years on end.

Is there a reason you must go directly to the PhD from the MS? Would it not be possible to work a few years in between and let your husband fulfill his educational goal before you move away?

Nope, school. LOL

I'll try to say this without blasting anyone else, because I believe that it is to each their own, but I wouldn't think once of leaving my spouse behind in a million years for grad school. In fact, it is that kind of dedication I'm seeing in other people that is making me stop after my masters degree. I wouldn't even give up my girlfriend for this program (though we are doing the Long Distance thing right now... but if I had to choose her or this, I'd choose her in a heartbeat... we've been together for 7 years BTW). While my career is important, I'd rather settle for less (hopefully not too less) in the career area than sacrifice my soul mate for this.

I think that's what really scares me the most about Grad School, and academia in general. I really see people who seriously debate things like this, and for me, it's a no-brainer. That doesn't mean that one is better than the other, but I also realize that if people are that willing to give up something so special in order to succeed in academia (or that they would even consider it), than I have no chance in competing against them for funding... and frankly, I don't even want to try. They will be happier with science, and I'll be happier with my wife.

Again, this is just my opinion for my situation. I do not think less of anyone else for their opinion. But I will say this, the thought that academics would even consider leaving a spouse behind to further their studies at this point has shaken me to my core. That scares me even more than the Carreria letter.

I'll drop out before I give my amazing girlfriend up!!

Just read the Carreira letter, I was running for the door after reading it. I have to have people talk me out of dropping out of Grad School because I feared the rest of my life would be spent trapped in a lab 24/7. I still freak out about it on a daily basis.

...I don't wanna ...I don't wanna ...I don't wanna

Definitely stopping at my Masters degree.

I hope graduate programs are not this judgmental about students who switch graduate programs.

You should definitely try to switch if you can, but you need to gauge whether your program will penalize you if they find out you are attempting to leave. I am in a similar position. Try to switch but be careful about who you tell about your plans to switch.

I have a question for anybody who is in a PhD program (or knows somebody who has been in this situation) and has for some reason or another decided to go to a different school.

My circumstances are the following: I came to a great school for a PhD in Hispanic Studies. The program, however, is very very small. Although the professors are great (for the most part) and I have learned a great deal, I have come to realize as my research interests become clearer that I might be hurting myself by not being in a bigger program with professors whose interests more closely match my own. Our program focuses on getting students through fairly quickly, so I can't say that I feel like I took as much coursework as I would have liked before (presumably) passing my comprehensive exam. Aside from this, there is the news we got this semester that our program will be suspending PhD admissions for at least two years and only accepting MA candidates. That's not to say that the program is doomed; however coupled with the other information I've given here, I am feeling more and more like I should be in a program which is going forward and which suits me better.

To my knowledge, the schools I'm comparing are equally ranked. It is not a matter of going to a better school by any means. It is truly a matter of resources and fit. The question for me is essentially whether or not I should even consider this. I don't know how awful it seems in terms of etiquette, because I certainly don't want to make my program look bad by leaving it. However I am really concerned with my career and don't want to stay on with a sinking ship, so to speak. I entered the PhD program without a MA; I've taken quite a few courses so far but wouldn't necessarily mind having to take more in the future. As I said, I am not sure I am taking enough for my comfort in my current program.

My idea was to talk with some of the professors at the university I have in mind and to first of all see if their department really would be a better fit for me (of course). I don't see the harm in doing this.

Any feedback / advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

My advice to first year Graduate Students: Change your mind and turn around. Don't go to grad school!

1. I wish I would have fully grasped how busy I would become. It is so much more work than undergrad.

2. In that vein, I wish I would have done more prep work, gotten more freezer meals cooked and frozen before school started.

3. I got excellent advice from a friend: Set a time limit and don't go over it. Let's say it is 40 hours or 50 hours or whatever. When you reach it, STOP! Even if you haven't finished the reading. There are times when you have no choice and will have to break it, but try your best to stick to it.

4. Find a place you love and when it gets too much, go there and stay there until you have gained perspective. It could be the ocean, the forest, or our back yard.

5. EXERCISE! I have stayed sane by walking to school most days and taking walks with my husband at night. It gives us a chance to reconnect and let's me look away from the screen.

6. Learn to focus and cut out distractions. I installed Rescue Robot and it lets me know how long I have spent on each site and how productive I am. It is a free app and you can put it on multiple computers. I find it wonderful because so much of my time is spent on the computer or at home reading, so it is very easy to get sucked down rabbit holes. I have canceled my social media accounts as well, to cut down on mindless surfing.

7. Try to move to your new place early if you can. Having a couple weeks to settle, unpack, and get your bearings before you are hit with school is wonderful.

8. You will no longer be the smartest person in your class. Get over it. Also, don't be intimidated by other students. Remember they have had different training and preparation. One of the hardest things as a first year was to be thrown in a class with students who already have their master's and are studying for their qualifying exams. The only way I survived was that one of my classmates pointed it out to me and said to keep reminding myself of it.

9. One of my biggest breakthroughs this year has been learning to take criticism without automatically assuming it means I am stupid. Important lesson!

10. Have fun and remember you are in an incredibly privileged position. I think 5% of Americans have an advanced degree.

I really hope it's not what we all fear and that this is just a false alarm. I really hope so. Ever heard of Randy Pausch? Not a graduate student, but a famous CS prof that was diagnosed with cancer - his 'Last Lecture' is pretty inspiring.

Okay, if this is all true, than I'm definitely in the wrong profession.

I'm willing to work hard, but I want to live a balanced life... and get enough decent sleep as well.

I think I'm going to drop out tomorrow!

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

they already said they'd be out this week.

just wait, go outside, have a cookie.

Aw mannn! I'm an alternate! I guess there's still hope.

Hopefulgrad2b and gradschoolorbust!: congratulations to both of you! If either of you wants to decline your fellowships, I assure you that the money would go to very good use! (...Not like I would even have a choice in dictating how the alternates list is used... but I can dream, can't I?)

I guess Ford decided to notify people sooner than was originally posted on this site. Has anyone heard back about not getting the fellowship yet?

Thus why I added the part about the incredible professors, who are the main reason I came here... also, if you think every graduate program has the qualities I mentioned, especially the good placement rates and decent teaching loads, you are unfortunately mistaken. And yes, I brought up the grants, lectures, journal, etc specifically to point to the English department's financial health, since that was the OP's main criticism of all the UCI humanities programs. I don't really need to defend the quality of the professors and their research, since anyone can look at the department website and make their own decisions.

Anyways, I wasn't trying to laud the wonders of UCI so much as provide some balance to the original poster's opinions. I have experience with several of the top English departments, either as an undergraduate, graduate, or through friends. In my opinion, UCI English is a great program, and it's obvious that other schools hold it in high regard. I think proclaiming its doom is premature, though obviously any incoming student should be aware of crisis in California. I won't argue about CompLit - it's a different department with its own budget.

That said, though I haven't had the same experience as Blop at UCI, I do really think it's good to have current grads come on the site with honest opinions of their programs. I could tell when I went to visit days that students were all on their best behavior rather than honestly answering my questions.

I'm not in French or CompLit, so I can't comment on the situations there... but I think it is ridiculous to advise people not to come to UCI for any of the humanities programs. I'm going to confine my comments to the English program, since that is what I'm sure about, but I have to say that a program where you can take a translation workshop with Ngugi wa Thiong'o seems pretty desirable, from my admittedly uninformed perspective.

The English department is in the process of hiring a new professor, not usually a sign of imminent decay or funding fallout. The classes and general environment are intellectually rigorous. Scanning my inbox from the last two weeks, I have multiple emails about dissertation fellowships, travel grants, famous guest lecturers, student-led conferences, and a new journal launch. The people on the job market this year are getting offers. TAs teach a very manageable load. Basically, there are a lot of good financial reasons to come here, without even getting into the many fabulous professors.

Anyways, I've had a really great experience here, so I wanted to balance the alarming post with a different perspective. I'm not on a budget committee, I'm not sure how budget cuts could affect the department in the coming years, but I don't see anything that alarms me so far.

Thus why I added the part about the incredible professors, who are the main reason I came here... also, if you think every graduate program has the qualities I mentioned, especially the good placement rates and decent teaching loads, you are unfortunately mistaken. And yes, I brought up the grants, lectures, journal, etc specifically to point to the English department's financial health, since that was the OP's main criticism of all the UCI humanities programs. I don't really need to defend the quality of the professors and their research, since anyone can look at the department website and make their own decisions.

Anyways, I wasn't trying to laud the wonders of UCI so much as provide some balance to the original poster's opinions. I have experience with several of the top English departments, either as an undergraduate, graduate, or through friends. In my opinion, UCI English is a great program, and it's obvious that other schools hold it in high regard. I think proclaiming its doom is premature, though obviously any incoming student should be aware of crisis in California. I won't argue about CompLit - it's a different department with its own budget.

That said, though I haven't had the same experience as Blop at UCI, I do really think it's good to have current grads come on the site with honest opinions of their programs. I could tell when I went to visit days that students were all on their best behavior rather than honestly answering my questions.

I'm not in French or CompLit, so I can't comment on the situations there... but I think it is ridiculous to advise people not to come to UCI for any of the humanities programs. I'm going to confine my comments to the English program, since that is what I'm sure about, but I have to say that a program where you can take a translation workshop with Ngugi wa Thiong'o seems pretty desirable, from my admittedly uninformed perspective.

The English department is in the process of hiring a new professor, not usually a sign of imminent decay or funding fallout. The classes and general environment are intellectually rigorous. Scanning my inbox from the last two weeks, I have multiple emails about dissertation fellowships, travel grants, famous guest lecturers, student-led conferences, and a new journal launch. The people on the job market this year are getting offers. TAs teach a very manageable load. Basically, there are a lot of good financial reasons to come here, without even getting into the many fabulous professors.

Anyways, I've had a really great experience here, so I wanted to balance the alarming post with a different perspective. I'm not on a budget committee, I'm not sure how budget cuts could affect the department in the coming years, but I don't see anything that alarms me so far.

I'm not in French or CompLit, so I can't comment on the situations there... but I think it is ridiculous to advise people not to come to UCI for any of the humanities programs. I'm going to confine my comments to the English program, since that is what I'm sure about, but I have to say that a program where you can take a translation workshop with Ngugi wa Thiong'o seems pretty desirable, from my admittedly uninformed perspective.

The English department is in the process of hiring a new professor, not usually a sign of imminent decay or funding fallout. The classes and general environment are intellectually rigorous. Scanning my inbox from the last two weeks, I have multiple emails about dissertation fellowships, travel grants, famous guest lecturers, student-led conferences, and a new journal launch. The people on the job market this year are getting offers. TAs teach a very manageable load. Basically, there are a lot of good financial reasons to come here, without even getting into the many fabulous professors.

Anyways, I've had a really great experience here, so I wanted to balance the alarming post with a different perspective. I'm not on a budget committee, I'm not sure how budget cuts could affect the department in the coming years, but I don't see anything that alarms me so far.

[quote name=hello! ' timestamp='1301190638' post='232576]
No need to feel bad for her. My prediction is that she will survive just fine. There are plenty of other states in the USA that will be more than happy to welcome her, unfortunately.

This would depend on how many years you spend in a community college and where you go after the CC. In any case, definitely address it in your graduate school application and explain your reasons. Some sentence like, "in spite of my high school success, I decided it would be a prudent financial decision to initial enroll in a community college" would probably be all the explanation they needed. This might be a little cynical, depending on the extent of your financial disadvantage, but tying this decision into a story about pursuing academic excellence in spite of financial difficulties could be an asset to your application.

I hope you do not mind some unsolicited advice: transferring from a community college only saves money if you take classes that your four-year school will count towards your BA or BS. I recommend knowing in advance what four-year school you want to attend (or at least having a very short list of options) and asking that school how many transfer units they will accept, and which courses from your community college will fulfill requirements for your bachelors degree. Otherwise you might end up wasting money and time taking classes that will only earn you elective credit, or will not earn you credit at all. I know a lot of people who have spent an extra year or semester in college because they stayed at community college for two years and then were unable to transfer all of their units into their new degree.

Not being paternalistic and condescending, especially when you have no idea what you're talking about, is an even better first step.