lesabendio

I'm on the same list! Congratulations. This complicates my decision a bit because I was fully expecting to get rejected from every other program after I was accepted at UC-Davis earlier this month. I didn't exactly apply widely. Anyway, are you, fellow Californian, going to fly over for visiting day?

@cordis, what did those programs say?

Those of you on the waitlist, are you planning on attending the upcoming visiting day in a few weeks? I figure that if I want to be seriously considered, I've got to put a face to a name. Though, that means I have to take time off work and pay for a flight to NYC from LA. I suppose it's always a good idea to get a sense of multiple programs. I've got an acceptance at UC-Davis, but I'd like the opportunity to compare different programs despite the cost.

@A blighted one, either way, congratulations!

@rdsull89 Got it. That makes sense. Thanks for the clarification. In any case, I'll just wait for my prospective programs to release funding information.

@rdsull89, does that mean "base stipends" are all the same across the UCs? I might be confusing stipends for TA pay, but I'm new to this whole PhD funding scheme.

@A blighted one, congratulations! Is this your second acceptance?

Thanks for the info, and congratulations on the Brown acceptance!

No, I never did. I have also received only a confirmation email that I successfully submitted my application. None of the programs I applied to have a portal site where you can check on the status of your application, so thankfully that's one fewer thing to compulsively check. I'm refreshing my email enough as it is.

I'd be happy to answer any questions about UC-Irvine's campus life, faculty, etc. if anybody has any questions. I went there for my BA and know the area fairly well.

I absolutely understand that feeling. I'm turning 28 this spring, and it's been 5, going on 6, years since I graduated with my BA. So, I figured it was now or never. This past summer I told myself that at the very least I needed to apply, even if I got shut out, just so that I could relieve myself of this chip on my shoulder and move on with my life and onto another possible career. I finished my applications with very low expectations because like you I figured it was a long shot in the first place. I spent a good 5-6 months putting together my application and polishing my writing sample. I wasn't always working on my apps consisently because work and life kept throwing up obstacles, but I got everything done. I broke down the whole process into dozens of tasks and assigned hard deadlines for myself. That helped keep me on track. Most importantly, however, I re-established contact with the professors who mentored me at my alma mater and sent them several drafts of my personal statement and writing sample. I also contacted several friends who were already in PhD programs and asked if they could read over my application materials and give me some pointers. I don't think I would have been successful without a lengthy drafting process and a ton of humility. I can't recommend enough that you reach out for help, especially if you've been out of the game for so long. You shouldn't, and probably can't, do it alone. Excellent advice! Thank you! Fortunately for me, I have a close friend who's already in the program to which I was accepted, and he just finished with his exams. I was thinking of asking him for his reading list. I'm also currently reading Joe Berry's Reclaiming the Ivory Tower to get a sense of the current state of contigent labor in academia. So far, it's a sobering but practical handbook.

Exactly what I had in mind! I pitched my interests as generally 20th century modernism, specifically cultural geography and queer space. But they're a bit in flux at the moment, considering these are 5 year-old interests. I was thinking of reading some of my POI's work in order to have a better idea of what he's doing. This is an excellent idea, thank you! Reading around my interests might give me good ideas on how to connect them together. And I definitely have been reading for pleasure. That's pretty much all I have done after graduation. I'm getting the impression, though, that it's not super crucial to come into the program having read a ton of texts beforehand, so I may just carry on meandering through books that I find interesting. I may add some theory to the mix. Thank you! It's been an exciting week trying to anticipate the changes I will have to make this summer. UC-Davis has a nice section on their department page of reading lists suggested by faculty and staff. I'll start there but also continue indulging in awful climate fiction. Yes, absolutely. I've been thinking that most of all I should be making sure I develop good and consistent reading habits. Not to say I don't read a lot as it is, but like you're saying I probably should work on developing a mental toughness resilient enough to power through texts that I don't necessarily find enjoyable. Thank you all for the advice! I have a lot to think about and even more to plan ahead for, but I'll try not to overthink it.

For the last 5 years, I've worked primarily as a paralegal in the legal and insurance industries. Now that I know I'll be leaving the white-collar world for good come this fall, I'm wondering what I should be doing between now and then to re-acquaint myself with academic study. I've always been a voracious reader of contemporary novels and poems, even after I graduated with my BA in 2010, but I haven't read much that would be considered "academic" or "theoretical" in years. I guess I'm asking for advice about preparing intellectually and professionally for a career change from office work to academia. Some have suggested that I dive into Norton Anthologies. (But I remember the nausea of reading author and chapter introductions to study for the subject exam and would really prefer not to.) Others have suggested looking at syllabi for upcoming and past courses offered by my prospective English departments. Any advice would be appreciated! I'm just thrilled to have the opportunity to return to school after so long; it's always been an ambition of mine, and I've put it off for too long.

New lurker. I was warned to stay away from the grad cafe forums for my sanity's sake, but now that I have an acceptance in the bag, I can probably start using the forums as a way to check up on my other applications. Anyway, the faculty member I mentioned in my personal statement called offering me admission to UC Davis' English PhD program. No email, though, and he said the Director of Graduate Studies would call shortly but hasn't yet. The paranoid, irrational part of me is putting the celebrations on hold until I get some kind of confirmation. Is this sort of over-the-phone-only acceptance common? I was rejected a couple weeks ago from my alma mater, UC Irvine, but that's neither really a surprise nor a disappointment. So, that leaves UMichigan, UChicago, Brown, and CUNY. I applied to 6 English programs with low expectations in the first place, because it's been 5 years since I graduated from UCI with my BA and I've been completely out of the academic world for so long. I've been working the kind of white collar labor you would expect a dude with an English BA to be working, so it's a little jarring to be offered the opportunity to leave that behind for a completely different pursuit. Good look to you all, and I hope for the best! If anybody knows anything about UC Davis' program -- like about the culture or campus or whatever -- I'd love to speak with you!