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PaperChaser

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  1. Is anyone going to UNCG?
  2. Funny! I guess I would just hide in the bathroom and look for pills to dull the torture of trying to constantly outwit everyone else.
  3. I apologize if that was a bitchy reply. I just don't appreciate someone pissing in my Cheerios, because I was pretty dang happy to get into 4 schools I did. It may not be Manatee's dream "accomplishment," but it was MINE. So I'm going to go be happy for myself and anyone else who got what they wanted through persistence!
  4. Wow. Well, I'm sure you have some good points. I personally don't see them, but I'm-by your standards-of such low intelligence and have such inferior qualifications that my perspective not only doesn't matter, it probably doesn't exist. So I'll direct my opinion to the other people who, like me, applied numerous times. Some of us applied and were rejected more than once to the LOWEST TIER SCHOOLS. Some of us got accepted eventually to lower or middle tier schools and are ECSTATIC to have the opportunity to participate in the pursuit of a PhD regardless of how much time it takes, how little the jobs (should we "bottom feeders" be so lucky to even be considered for them!) pay, how little history may remember us, whatever. For some people, having a chance to be in a community where knowledge and learning is valued is INTRINSICALLY valuable. Some of us CHOSE programs that aren't "prestigious" because they had something else to offer (i.e. high job placement rates-yes, outside the top 20!). Some chose programs close to home because we AREN'T 26. Some of us aren't planning to be tenure track professors. To me, saying that not going to a "top" school (and I mean "top" by your standards, not mine) is pointless. Some people who don't go to top schools don't get jobs; some people who go to top schools don't get jobs either. Some people apply once to top schools and get in; some people have to try multiple times to get into unranked programs. Some people will be miserable anywhere they go, no matter how prestigious the school. Some people will be happy just to be IN school. People are so different that an Ivy PhD doesn't guarantee you a job because someone else with a mediocre degree may have other qualifications that are "superior" for a certain job, like great course evaluations, a really interesting area of study, or (gasp) an inspirational personality. Sometimes it's not about a job or a seal of approval from a certain school. Some of us are the educational equivalents of Brad Stevens (who started as a volunteer coaching at Butler, in case you didn't follow the NCAA tournament)-we keep at it for the love of the sport, and maybe, just maybe, one day we'll be eye to eye with the most formidable leaders in our fields in ways that no one would have ever expected. "Top," for me at least, is subjective.
  5. I wanted to go to the graduate weekend but was out of the US and didn't get back in time to make it the whole weekend. I was rather annoyed that the DGS said it "wasn't worth" coming down if I could only go down to Columbia (it's only 3 hours from me) Friday and Saturday. I was somewhat set aback that she didn't think meeting other students and seeing the campus, city, etc was "worth" driving to see. I had emailed some REALLY basic questions, and it took the graduate student assigned to the DGS (the student was very nice, she just didn't know much) a really long time to find the answers. Most of her answers were not particularly positive (perhaps my fault for question asking...). I was disappointed because it was by far my first choice scholar-wise (I totally agree it's a great program) but had such a low stipend. Still, I wish I had just gone down Friday and Saturday so that I knew what I was missing. Oh well! Congrats to those who are going!
  6. Soooooooo, in the final 2 weeks before some of us make big commitments, some of us lose hope, some of us "get it all," and most of us are varying degrees of in-between, I think it's worth a minute or two to come up with a short playlist of the music that epitomizes the rollercoaster of grad admissions... I'll go first, because watching NCAA is better with music.... 1. "Paparazzi" (Lady Gaga) - overplayed but I feel like I'd chase down the dream till it loves me....or one of us dies. 2. "Heart It Races" (Dr. Dog cover of Architecture in Helsinki) - I AM slow to uncover the knots in my laces. Luckily, this time I wasn't TOO slow. 3. "Go West" (Liz Phair) - I'm not going west, but I'm taking a dicey chance....which scares the shit out of me. 4. "Revelate" (The Frames) - I think that speaks for itself. 5. "We Used to Vacation" (Cold War Kids) - I suspect this would be my story if I hadn't forced myself to take a chance. 6. "Engine Driver" (Decemberists) - I guess it's in my bloodline...either way, I have to find out. 7. "Bullet and a Target" (Citizen Cope) - always good for musing. 8. "Go Your Own Way" (Fleetwood Mac) - yep, in the end, I probably will....and then never hear the end of it! 9. "When You Were Young" (The Killers) - I'll always have that hurricane turning. 10. "Sparks Fly" (Widespread Panic)- all time favorite short quote..."while you're trying to think of.. why you never could become.. things you dreamed of... hot night sky we watch sparks fly..." Time to see if I can make sparks fly. That's me. Not too creative, but real. You?
  7. Thanks, and congrats on your fellowship! Couldn't happen to a nicer person!
  8. FWIW, I'm all in for UNCG. They're so flexible classes and requirements, and I just can't turn down a really good job AND pursuing my dream at bargain basement prices. It's not for everyone, but the DGS said about half the PhD students have full time jobs and pay their own way, so at least I won't be alone..... Louisville, VA Tech, and South Carolina, thanks for the consideration. Good programs, just not for me at this point.....(RELIEF)
  9. Let me clarify. I didn't get IN anywhere my first round of apps (5 yrs ago) but WAS waitlisted at UNM. (I applied based on places I'd like to live....not so smart.) But that they CONSIDERED me... My sister, who would kill me for writing this, is an uber-genius who got into UNM's MD/PhD program in Neuropsychology (obviously, the brains of the family). Considering that she went to Amherst, maybe that's not so impressive. However, she had NO undergrad classes-not one-in psychology. She enrolled in non-degree classes, busted her ass, got a perfect score on the GRE Psych (yes, I love'hate her, but mostly I'm proud of her), and beat the crap out of the odds to get one of 4 spots in the program. She LOVES UNM, has tons of opportunities to publish and travel, and will get a kickass job. She's said that the best thing about UNM is that the faculty (graduate, at least) really start mentoring early on and give you as many opportunities as THEY get. I know Psych isn't Lit, but her boyfriend is in Classics (hello, opposites) and he says the same thing. It may not be the highest ranked or fanciest school, but the campus has gotten a major facelift, the cost of living isn't obscene, and the students seem really happy. Just revising my earlier inadvertent snark.
  10. I managed to get a BA and MA in English without taking a single Victorian class...I honestly hate it.(Except for the rhetoric of the corset of course.) But I can totally see why (most) people wouldn't want to research MY interests...they're weird, not readily marketable, and outside what most literate people consider literature. But that's cool. I met a girl recently who said she was doing research on the evolution of primary school textbooks from the colonial era in America on. Would I want to do this? Hell no. Is it an interesting project that I'd like to READ? Absolutely. I think the challenge in researching older works is finding new angles from which to view them. Believe it or not, there is still a LOT of cool stuff to do with 19th century or earlier works that have barely been touched. Could I think of them? No. I'm too pop-cultury, too pedestrian, and (honestly) too much of an "If I haven't lived in that century, it basically doesn't exist to me." My secondary school and undergrad were a little deficient compared to many academics. But I am SO glad other people can find buried treasures! I think the sometimes motley fabric of English programs is exactly what makes them worthwhile. I mean, I'd love to know why death row written statements aren't afforded copyright protection in the US while many letters written in prison are. There are always questions....the coolest thing is to meet someone whose work is super-interesting but something you would never have thought of yourself! That's why I show up, anyway
  11. Send a plant. (I'm not kidding.) Get a cheap one from 1-800-Flowers and send it to the DGS. Then they HAVE to acknowledge you...someone has to sign for the flowers. Say something clever that's not pushy. And if they don't return your calls or emails in a week, they don't deserve you. Spring break ain't forever.
  12. Another semi-law (or just high level paid research and editing gig) is to research and edit technical texts. If you enjoy the technicality of writing/appreciation of the Harvard comma over the, in your words "soul-sucking," comp classes (I too prefer the latter, though I've had some great Comp students...just not enough to make grading the other 90 papers worth it)....LexisNexis, Kaplan, Thomson Reuters, Pearson, Aspen, etc have good jobs for editors that <gasp> actually have upward mobility and don't require participating in sales meetings or any of that BS. While you generally need a MA in technical writing, English, or a related field, it might be something that you like, especially if you'd like to live in a big city. Just another idea...
  13. If you're willing to take a chance on a "new" program (albeit, not at all a new school), I was very impressed with VA Tech's English DGS. Their program is only about 3 years old, and it's Rhetoric and Writing rather than Rhet/Comp. It appears to be very interdisciplinary--the DGS said I could teach pre-law courses, etc--and the DGS was SOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOO nice and helpful. They have iffy funding----he said one year they could fund ten, the next two, who knows?----but I DO think they fund MA students as well as PhDs. (It's only the PhD that's new.) I was really impressed with the DGS and the school would've been my first choice if it had offered me funding OR were about an hour closer to where I live. Because it's so interdisciplinary, they evaluate each transcript individually (as opposed to every other school I applied to, where my work from 2005-2006 was "too old") AND....<this should get your attention!>....THERE IS NO LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT. I nearly shat.
  14. OMG!!!!! I once stayed at a b&b the same time that Angela Davis did. (I of course couldn't believe she was THE Angela Davis...) I nearly had a heart attack. And yes, I totally dug through the trash (with the b&b owners!!) for a shred of paper or plane ticket or anything that was authentically hers. So cool. And I am obviously SUCH a dork. I wish I could trade brains with her for a day to put my bosses in their place...
  15. I'm inclined to agree, generally. However, if you're going to have to get a MA eventually to get the kind of job you want, you might as well do it. Here's the good news: thanks to the new Income-Based Repayment option for students loans (which may or may not apply to your existing loans, you'll have to check into that), you could take out MA money...and not have to pay most of it back! If you go into public service (a lot more counts as public service than you think) or something education-related (ditto-a lot more counts than you think), you make payments in the amount determined by the IBR system for ten years, then you're done, regardless of how much you still owe. If you go into the private sector, it's 20 years and then done. It's really worth looking into IBR (just google it-I'm not a great explainer) if you feel like you're going to need a graduate degree (or, in my case, three) to get a living wage job. You'll also be able to defer your current loans while you're in school. If you haven't consolidated them, you'll be in really good shape. If you have, you're still okay. It's not as hopeless as it sounds-you don't have excessive undergrad debt, and you can likely find a program to fund you next year if you didn't this year.
  16. I think it depends on what you want to do. Many attorneys who want to go into academia (or eventually become "specialists" if their state bars allow such designations) do LLM programs rather than PhDs. LLMs are shorter (1-2 years) and are geared specifically towards the law, whereas (as I and many others have found) PhD programs don't necessarily offer you the options that you might want--i.e. having to lump your interests into Political Science, Economics, etc. I know George Mason Univ. (DC) has a Law and Economics PhD. Harvard and Yale have LLM and SJD degrees---that might be something to look into if your end goal is law school-level teaching or governmental consulting. Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) offers the following joint JD degrees: JD/MBA, JD/MSW, JD/LLM in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution and JD/LLM in Taxation. WashU also has JD certificates in Public Interest Law, Business & Corporate Law, and International & Comparative Law. For lack of a better idea, try googling "Law PhD" and see what different programs you find. I think what you're looking for exists--albeit, very few--but it might not go by an obvious name
  17. This is very sage advice!!! Obviously, your professors think you're very bright. You sound like (and this is NOT a dig) more of an introvert and someone who would NOT enjoy teaching or even necessarily working with others as a major part of your job. If that's true, you'd probably really dislike having to teach, bury yourself in someone else's research, and have to do a dissertation that-given your interests-you'd probably have difficulty finding committee members with that level of skill. Some other ideas (I don't want to repeat the good ideas already mentioned by others).... You like archiving and language. Applied linguistics? I think there are both MA and PhD degrees focusing on applied linguistics that don't make you teach. It's a fascinating field but not so glutted that finding a job would be impossible. I would ordinarily never suggest law school...BUT, if you could force yourself to tolerate law school (and find a school that will pay your way--age will NOT hurt you there!), you could then become a law librarian. Being a law librarian allows you all the benefits of being a university librarian, except that your expertise is limited to archiving/managing/researching only legal and related texts (not that you'd ever run out)...plus they make a TON of money. Also, another aspect of the law that might interest you is transactional law - any subfield of transactional law requires EXCEPTIONAL attention to detail and mastery of language. Tax, intellectual property, bankruptcy, etc are all detail-oriented areas that require less "teamwork" and more "focus." Not to pitch law over anything else, but if you do in fact have "the eye," the law would be one of the more lucrative ways to go. Plus---and I say this from experience--a law degree never hurts anything but your wallet! A lot of people go to law school wanting to be the next Atticus Finch; the jobs-what few there are in this economy-are for those of us transactional attorneys who can stand to read and proof the same contracts over and over. When in doubt, I DO think that testing the waters with a master's program is a smart thing to do. I'd say take a year off and "see what happens," but the job market isn't great, so if you don't have something lined up...well, you know your options better than I do. A master's (depending upon where you go) degree WORST case scenario at least shows you what you do or don't want to do and isn't the huge time (PhD) or money (law) commitment that longer degrees are....
  18. Master's Thesis: (it was more timely in 2006...) addiction memoir + Benjamin Franklin (yes, a weird combo, but it works) Potential PhD Ideas: Visual rhetoric + ICJ + Judith Mason OR legal rhetoric + media construction of "language crimes" OR something involving John Banville if I can somehow tie him to rhet/comp... I think many people decide after the first couple of years what they'll do for their dissertations when something "sparks" one day....
  19. I wouldn't advise a complex that caters to students "near campus." First of all, usually that means you rent a ROOM (not an apartment) for $250-600, which is ridiculous since you have to share it with 3 other people! Secondly, these places get absolutely trashed after the first round of students move out. They're relatively high-crime---not violent crime, just property crime---and they are NOT quiet places to study. I'd advise renting a room in one of the older Victorian-style houses around campus (close enough to walk but not good if you have pets or kids), renting a small house near campus (there are quite a few in walking/biking distance), or finding a regular apartment complex on the HEAT line. (The HEAT bus is MUCH safer than the regular bus-it's only for higher ed students in the area.) If you know when you'll be moving, you can post what you're looking for on the "Housing Wanted" thread on the Greensboro Craigslist. With the housing market so bad, people are more willing to deal now than a few years ago....
  20. But some schools fund everyone! (I promise!) As far as high scorers, I sure AS HELL was not one....I can conceive that PERHAPS the schools that offered me funding offered ALL their admits funding, but tomato tomato to me! I did get a decent scholarship to law school, and I will agree that it had to be based solely on my LSAT score. I'll be the whiny kid who says "schools should fund all their admits." Or at least offer the opportunity for MERIT-based funding after the first year, which some schools do.
  21. You know, I've been staring at two nearly (but not quite!) identical packages of semi-permanent hair dye - while simultaneously watching the NCAA tournament - and realize that 99% of the problem is that I can't make a decision. I'm completely paralyzed by the possibility of....permanency...of any choice I make. Do I throw away 3 years of law school and 2.5 at the same firm? Do I become one of the many young women who go to law school, start work, and then quit because it's not particularly female friendly and I'd rather do something where I'm occasionally praised? Am I crazy to pass up a good job at a reputable firm (two things that are often mutually exclusive in the law) because I'd rather have summers off? The economy is SO bad, and I literally have NO savings after going to law school. If I went to a PhD program - even my best offer - a car accident or major illness would totally bankrupt me. I worked full time during undergrad, my MA, and 25+ hours a week during law school. I can definitely work and do school; I'm just not sure I'm comfortable enough with my employment prospects if I only do ONE. What if I don't do the PhD then get fired? What if I ditch the job and hate the PhD and then can't find a job? It seems like working myself to death by doing both is the only way I can (in my own little OCD way) convince myself that I've done absolutely everything I can to ensure employment. If money were no option (or if I were married to someone who had a job that could support us both, or had wealthy relatives or SOMETHING), I'm pretty sure I'd choose the job that gave me flexibility, something resembling self-esteem, and summers off to keep from burning out. I guess I have two weeks to decide if the greedy devil on my shoulder or the angel will win---either way, they''re both pretty scared of making a huge mistake.....
  22. Are you applying for the MA or PhD? Or the direct-entry PhD? I'll tell ya what I've found out, lest it change your mind. 1. Because of funding issues I've mentioned before, only PhD candidates (who already have MA's) are being considered for funding. If you already have a MA and did not receive PhD funding, you can apply to teach as a adjunct (NOT a TA-ship)---the grad school didn't tell me that, past grads did. Apparently you can apply for admin work too. 2. I got an email saying I'm an "alternate" for a TA-ship. Because I'm in-state, the tuition is SO cheap that it's smarter (much, much, much smarter) for me to keep my job---as MM wisely noted almost all of UNCG's grad classes are at night---and go to school 6 hours a semester. That way, I keep my decent job, get in-school deferment on my student loans, only have to use Stafford subsidized loans (I had no loans except law school), and make progress towards the degree while having the stability of "well, if I lose my job, I have school; if I screw school up, I have my job." I was having a really hard time choosing between accepting a good job offer at a local law firm (while people far smarter than I can't even get interviews) and accepting a PhD deal that didn't GUARANTEE me employment after 4-5 years of work. So if I can have both, I'll take both. I haven't gotten the official "ok" from UNCG on this, but their Graduate Bulletin doesn't suggest that one not on school funding can't go part-time so long as the degree is completed within the time frame (7 years). 3. That said, if I can't go part-time, I'll probably defer...just haven't figured out which school yet. 4. The beauty of UNCG is that you have access to the UNC system without the cost of living in Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Asheville, or Wilmington. It's a GOOD school for Rhet/Comp, and the campus has been VASTLY improved (I obviously live in Greensboro). It's a NICE campus, and the English building is the nicest one I've been in...ever. 5. It's easy to get in-state tuition, but I wouldn't go if you had to pay out of state. Anyone who's seriously considering UNCG should keep in mind the funding shortage and not bank on getting funded if you're accepted; however, there are a lot of community colleges and smaller colleges (Bennett, Guilford, A&T, Elon, etc) that hire adjuncts and lecturers, so if you got in, you could defer a year to work and establish in-state residency. 6. I don't LOVE the city, but the cost of living in Greensboro (esp around UNCG) is fairly low generally and considerably lower than the aforementioned NC cities. I'm not going to promise anyone that they could live on the $14-16.5k stipend from UNCG, but if you're willing to tutor part-time or have a side gig (or don't have pets/kids/surprise expenses), you can get by. The one HUGE surprise I got hit with-which is probably LESS than those of you from north of the Mason-Dixon are used to-are the LOCAL taxes. Guilford County has ridiculously high taxes compared to most other NC counties. Anyway, I think it's worth considering. It's a solid program with good placement rates, opportunities to teach outside Comp, decent place to live, relatively diverse, etc.
  23. FWIW, MM, I'd love to have you as a classmate.
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