Medievalmaniac

shrimp scampi

Right there with you...my first rejection letter is at least a week late right now!

I hear you, and I totally feel you. I wish I could hibernate until decisions are made, too!

fire starter

Well...when the undergraduate GPA in question (which was only a few points shy of the 3.0) was earned in 1997, and a Master's Degree with a 4.0 was earned in 2009, you have to wonder about that.....but, I guess rules are rules.

She should know between now and April 15.... In the meantime, she is a senior researcher for the Female Biography Project (Gina Luria Walker, General Editor; Philippa Gregory, subject editor; Chawton House, forthcoming), is presenting a paper and presiding over a panel at the International Medieval Congress in May, has been asked to preside over a second panel at a regional conference in March, is writing a chapter on Chaucer's Parliament of Fowles for an edited collection due in June, is working on an entry on Biblical Reception in Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene for the Encyclopedia of Biblical Reception (Brill Press), and is working with the medieval editor for a well-known publishing house revising her Master's thesis as a monograph for publication. And, teaching 6 classes a term, 5 terms a year, at a private boarding school. She claims it all keeps her busy and preoccupied so she can't stress over being a loser...!

You can certainly make your own Edible Arrangements, it's not so hard to do - just a PITA. This is really a personal thing - it's all dependent upon your degree of interpersonal connection with the people you want to thank, your resources/ how much you have to spend, your comfort level in giving gifts, etc. etc. I think with professors, if you are unsure as to what to get for them but are set on giving, a $20.00 - $25.00 gift card to Amazon is always appropriate. With other people - honestly, who does NOT love home-baked cookies, or pie, or whatever? What's your specialty? I have presented my (guy) friends who helped me out with a giant platter of homemade nachos on a Friday night, my girl friends with pies/cookies, and my professors with homemade mead. They were all more than appreciative.

You certainly have nothing to lose in doing so, since they have already chosen not to extend you an offer of acceptance this season. On the other hand, you might not like the answer. I know a gal who solicited feedback in this fashion, and she heard back from one DGS: "Nothing you have done...neither your 4.0 at the Master's level, your publications, your conferences, your recommendations, nor any other aspect of your application is sufficient to compensate for your undergraduate GPA." (Yes, that's a direct quote). Just saying...can you handle a response like that in your inbox? If so, then by all means, ask for feedback - but if that made you cringe and flinch, you might want to forego it and remember that ignorance really is bliss, sometimes...!

Definitely, either call and record the conversation, or email. You want a record of whatever is told to you. I think it is probably a case of, they have limited funding and want a good idea of what they need to come up with. This suggests that they may have accepted more than they can reasonably expect to fund expecting that some won't enroll, or if they have a long wait list and want to know what they will have to work with, or some combination of the two. Since they mention funding, I don't think they are going to expect you to foot the bill, but I do think it is reasonable to say "You know, I'm very interested, but economy as it stands, obviously I need to have some idea as to what you can offer me. I don't necessarily need a binding offer as regards a funding package right now, but I'd like to know what's possible before I commit one way or the other". And sooner is better than later, especially if they are doling it out first-come, first-serve.

I quit smoking two years ago in May. It was tough, but definitely worth it. I did smoke through my master's degree, however. My professors didn't think anything of it, or if they did, they didn't say anything. That said, I would definitely not smoke during the interview - why give them any reason to reject you? I recommend smoking before you take a shower in the morning, using Nicorette gum and/or the patch through the day, and smoking again in the evening when you're on your time. Not during the day unless you have an hour or two between interview components. Another thing you can do, is get a prescription for Budeprion. It's essentially the generic form of Wellbutrin. It is used for the treatment of mild depression/anxiety - but the beautiful side effect is, it kills your desire to smoke as well. That's how I did it (but get the prescription for anxiety/depression, because otehrwise your health insurance probably won't cover it). It took about two weeks for me to stop craving, but I haven't looked back since. Good luck!!!

toy box

neon lights

It sounds like a sweet deal to me, to be honest. Two years of no teaching, four years of assistantships and teaching experience to get you prepared for the job market...I would jump on that deal in about a half a second and never look back.

phase out

I am at Kalamazoo, presenting in one panel and presiding over another one that I organized. This is my third year going. I love it. It really is like a "nerdy lit vacation", as someone else put it, and I always come home feeling refreshed, renewed, and on an ideas-high, if a bit physically exhausted!

Your program will send you more information on that; I imagine if you are a TA or RA, you will have to be there earlier for some training & etc. as well.

Hi, Amber, there are a couple of us in English with blogs here at the forum, writing about the process as well . ) It is a helluva wait, isn't it?

walking pneumonia

meat eater

No. For three reasons: 1. The professor in question is in the middle of an academic term and focusing on his/her classes, current students, research, publishing, conference work, department committee meetings, & etc. and your email at this point, having already applied, is just one more annoyance - no offense, but really, even if s/he is super excited about your application - you are not a current student, and s/he is trying to get through the first half of the term. 2. The professor in question may have absolutely no say as to whether or not you go to the admissions committee for review. S/he may or may not be on the admissions committee. The admissions committee will not see this email and therefore, refer back to #1. 3. You've already applied. Any further unsolicited communication now makes you look like a kiss-up, intentionally or not. Just hang tight and trust the system. If your POI was interested in your work in October, s/he may have spoken with folks on the adcomm and asked them to keep an eye out for your application, dependent upon the size of the department. If you are a good fit, your application will be pulled for review. It's out of our hands now, and as much as that sucks, we have to accept it. I will say, in the case of number, two, I know that from personal experience. I had been in contact with a very well-known (and very rare, Stateside) Celticist last year, and he was keen on having me as a student because of my interests in Old Irish, especially. After a flurry of emails it was determined that yes, he was taking on grad students and yes, I was the type of committed student he was most interested in having and no, my being an older student would not affect my application in detrimental fashion, in fact he preferred older students because they were usually doing it for a reason and therefore more committed than younger students who thought "Cool, I'll learn Old Irish" and didn't realize what that would entail. So I applied. After the admit season ended and I was rejected roundly from that program, I ran into him at a conference. He remembered my name and wondered why on earth I hadn't applied...I said I had, and had been rejected. It turns out the adcomm - which he was not on - had determined I didn't meet their GPA cutoffs in comparison to everyone else who applied. He never saw my application, and never had the chance to decide whether or not I was in. I can only imagine the consternation he might have felt if we had had further communication during the admissions season and this had been the case (and it would have been the case, it's a large department with limited funding, the adcomm makes the decisions). So...from personal experience, I say "nay" on communicating unsolicited at this point.

I played rugby with my school's club team, and BOY, was that a good idea - totally got rid of all my hostility, anxiety, etc. etc. - left it on the field, and came back to work with a clear head (concussion notwithstanding!) But really - I do recommend having a sport. Rugby probably did keep me from going crazy, because even though I was mega-busy and had no free time to make friends and go out, I could count on my teammates for support.

Whoops@ Fergot my manners - CONGRATULATIONS to that admit!

still only one there - probably a fellowship candidate . They usually hear earlier.