cloverhinge

I've spent days on the Internet and on the forums to try to get a clear view of living in New Haven. The comments posted here about common grad housing options have been very helpful, and I was wondering if someone could kindly shed some light on whether the safety situation has improved/degraded since then. I've been to the Yale campus as a prospective undergrad, and it seemed pretty safe, and in hindsight, I think it really helped that you needed a student card to get in everywhere. It seems like most of the muggings and robberies happen to off-campus folks, which is a big concern for me since safety is a huge priority for me. I read an article back in November of 2015 that some poor 78 year old professor was beat up and mugged, and some of the other comments floating around on the internet seemed to suggest that the same amount of security that is available for undergrads is not extended to grad students (just an example: http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2011/09/16/grad-students-see-less-off-campus-crime/). Obviously I would follow common sense rules, like not walking alone at night and etc, etc, but I was still curious about the off campus housing situation. Some questions that I had were: if I were to live off-campus (which is very likely) such as in East Rock, would it be safe to walk to campus? Do you feel that the university takes care of the grad students' safety, or do they just sort of try to say it's "off campus" so not really their responsibility? I also heard that on-campus grad dorms tend to be not very nice (I don't know if the complaints about the HGS dilapidation still holds), or that it's difficult to get into, or that it's too costly for what you get. I also heard about the door-to-door escort service but I wondered that it might be ridiculous to use it "every day" - but that's just my guess as an outsider, so if you could enlighten me on the situation, I'd be very grateful. I think Yale is very beautiful and lively, but the safety thing makes me a bit anxious. To be honest I've been a bit sheltered my whole life so the idea of "mugging is not uncommon" kind of scares me. I know that I could be told "if you can't handle an urban environment then just don't go," but I'm apprehensive because I'm a huge chicken who also really wants an opportunity at a great program. I just want to know if the safety thing is do-able for me, because I know that if I'm stressed out about my safety all the time, I can't function. Sorry if I sound ridiculous - and thanks so much for your insight in advance!

First off, congrats on your acceptances. I definitely agree with everything that's been said -- I also think it's helpful not to think of it as a black-and-white/ either-or kind of situation. I have talked to grad students who live in very expensive cities and have even had to take out loans, but are still happy because of the other support that they have from the department. In the end I think you should choose a program that you can think you can be happy -- and therefore productive! -- in, looking at all aspects of whatever will make you happy. (I know this sounds dumb, but I didn't apply to some programs because of the notorious weather, since I'm really influenced by the lack of sun/warmth) I think the best way to scope out all the details is to really visit and talk to current students. Have you gotten a chance to visit UCLA or Boulder yet? It will definitely be useful to talk to the grad students there and hear how much of a financial/emotional/academic support they get, and weigh all the pros and cons according to how you best thrive. Because my personal philosophy is that in the end what counts is your performance, and you should be the best judge of how other factors affect that. Anyway, this is happy decision to be making - congrats again!

If they invited you I think you shouldn't feel awkward about going. I haven't really heard about waitlisted students going to visit weekends though so I would feel awk if I were in your shoes as well, but I definitely think the invitation is probably a genuine one. I guess the only concern that I would have is money -- would they give you any financial support if you were to visit?

Oh my goodness congratulations!!! Did you get a phone call?

Just checked the website, but no changes - they said to expect news in a week, so I'm surprised someone heard back so quickly. Either way, congrats!

Wait I don't know why I missed this when I read through all the comments - thank you thank you for the info!!

That was very informative (and interesting!) - thank you tons for that. I was a little mystified by the whole interview process and one grad student said that for his school at least, it was just to verify that the person who had written the application actually lives up to the expectation in real life rather than gaining more info. If that's the case for other programs as well, I think it's terrifying and assuring at the same time... hahhahaha...... I guess there's nothing more I can do than just wait... It ain't over yet! I totally sympathize with you about the whole agonizing process of uncertainty though...Last night I was legit weeping over dog rescue videos on youtube - I dunno, but I feel like this whole application process is getting to me in some way or another....

Ahh yes I heard that comp lit applicants usually get interviewed for their language skills and such. Thanks for the info! If you haven't already done your interviews, GOOD LUCK and also congrats! Stanford's campus is absolutely beautiful, wish I were there as well!

I didn't want to freak anyone out with title "stanford interview" and give the wrong impression just in case. I was just wondering whether stanford usually interviews for english phd. I browsed the results search and it looks like stanford interviewed around 2012 or so, but I haven't had any more information about it. If anyone who applied in previous years or has more information about interviews, I would be super grateful. Thank you!

Yass just hang in there....! Tbh my palms get so clammy just thinking about the ad comm deliberating on who to admit but I JUST WANNA KNOW! also this is perf

I'm in love with this thread. Hours before interview: When the phone/skype starts ringing: What I wish I could say when prof asks tough question: what I do instead: when I mention a work that I think makes me sound smart: my biggest fear of what my interviewer might think of me: ...But seriously guys, this is a godsend with the waiting/interviewing game just sucking my lifeblood dry.

Looking at the comments from the previous year, it looks like UChicago sent out a similar email: @haltheincandescent, sorry to hear about the potential scheduling issue -- but I feel (and hope!) that they will understand that some people work full-time and that this shouldn't be a penalty. This is just a guess, but I think faculty whose interest align with yours will conduct the interview, and since there are only about 60 people, there should be plenty of diverging schedules and interviewers and interviewees that you should be okay. I'm not an expert, but from what I've heard, stats aren't as relevant in English grad admissions as are the less quantifiable stuff, like "fit" and how much your interests/abilities shined through in your SOP and WS, and how they are relevant to the department at that moment. I wouldn't worry too much! If anything, I feel like the interview email is more of a good sign than anything else -- it just seems more likely that they had sent out the potential interview invites to candidates they were actually interested in since the whole scheduling thing is probably going to be complicated and time-consuming on their part.

That's really great to hear -- I've been looking up some of the housing situations for a few programs, and I think I'd definitely like to have roommates as well. Thanks again everyone for your comments!

Wow, thanks for all your experiences and the solid tips ladies/guys -- it's refreshing to get such down-to-earth advice. I definitely see that each program and each individual experience is going to be different, and it's eye opening to see both the difference and big picture across all your comments. Thanks again! Lyonessrampant, you mentioned summer funding -- a question just came into my head when I read what you said. Do a lot of English grad students decide to stay on campus for the summer? Someone else in the forum mentioned something about taking language courses or taking courses with lots of reading -- I guess I'm still stuck in undergrad mentality where summer can be spent at home. I'm wondering whether this is something I should completely toss out the window and break my mother's heart (but actually).

Hello everyone! I've been silently browsing through a lot of the forum posts for quite some time and found your insights and comments incredibly helpful. I'm currently awaiting decisions for fall 2016 (fingers crossed!) and I've had several questions on my mind about grad school and grad life in general. I was wondering if you good folks could help a sister out! Also, I apologize in advance if any of these questions have already been answered in another thread...! Finance/budgeting Just to preface: I've already asked some graduate students about funding/money, and they told me that overall it's pretty good, and that even though they can't go to Hawaii every year, it's do-able. Since I felt a little uncomf prying into their pocketbook, I was wondering whether any of you kind folks out there could explain what "pretty good" or "do-able" actually means. Have any of you had to take out loans, eat ramen every night, or stalk around the park scavenging for bird food? All joking aside though, I'm wondering about the little details, like from the stipend that you're given (from the very helpful funding package spreadsheet I saw that they're generally 25k+), do you have any money left over to treat yo self from time to time? Departmental politics/bureaucracy I know that this obviously depends from department to department, but I was wondering if I could just get your own take on your experiences with any kind of need to step outside the purely academic side of grad life. All the graduate students that I've talked to were very positive about their experiences, saying that professors were definitely willing to help them and engage in intellectual discussion, etc. What got me scared were people who "dropped out" of academia -- retired professors, ex-grads, who seemed to be full of bitterness about academic bureaucracy. One retired professor told me to be aware at all times, and that my rose-colored glasses will soon be cracked when I see that people jump to steal ideas and kiss ass. I'm not scared of a little healthy competition, but I admit I get a little worried imagining people sharpening their knives in their cubbies. What has been your experience? Is networking SUPER important? Friends I know that I can't expect to be best friends with everyone in my department, and I've been told multiple times to be ready to work in isolation. In undergrad, I knew that hundreds of people were in the same boat as I was as the "new kid in town" so people were eager to start making friends. I'm wondering how the first few months of grad life are like in terms of your social life? Were you able to meet people outside of the department? I know that was A LOT to ask, and thanks so much in advance!!