imogenshakes

All of this is really helpful, thanks @TakeruK! I accepted my offer from UCD several weeks ago, so I'm not planning to negotiate or anything. I'm going regardless of what happens with my partner, who is thankfully quite flexible and has been open to searching for jobs in a pretty wide radius. And, like I said, he pretty much already has one, it's just a matter of whether or not we want to be 2 hours away or 20 minutes. This last point is something I hadn't thought of. I forgot that applications typically ask these types of questions. I will mention this to him and make sure he doesn't gloss over that bit! Thanks!

Same. My UG language was German. Thankfully, though Davis requires reading fluency in two foreign languages, one of those can be satisfied by three semesters of UG-level language courses passed with a satisfactory grade. All they need is the transcript. Hooray! Anyway, I took Latin for five years in middle and high school, but I never mentioned it in my application because it's pretty much gone. I didn't care a lick as a teen, since I thought I was going to be performing piano professionally by now (ha). I'm sure some of it will come back, but I'm basically treating it as a "learning from scratch" situation. That said, without mentioning any languages on my app, I got into four top-30 programs (two top-20, however you want to slice it). The one place I DID mention it (because the app asked directly) was George Washington, and that was the only place I was waitlisted. So I really think it doesn't matter for an English PhD. Classics? I'm sure. Comp lit? Yes. But everything else...I'd just echo @Old Bill's last point.

Man, yeah. It has been hard. One of the great perks of Davis is proximity to so many opportunities, both in Sacramento and San Francisco, so that was definitely part of our decision; we were just really hoping that a job offer would come from the Sacramento side (it's WAYYYYY less expensive!). Also, I just really want to know where we are going to live. haha If he's going to end up in San Francisco, I want to find a room in Davis. It's not ideal, but it's only two years. I'm glad there seems to be an echo of "it doesn't hurt to ask." I think I'll send an email to the DGS today. Re: the commute, yeah, that's certainly one of the things we are looking into right now. There are places that are more affordable in between, like Walnut Creek (this was the place recommended to us), and I would certainly be willing to make a long commute if it means I get to attend my dream program. But the selfish part of me just really wants to be near Davis, so I can go to department events and hang out with my cohort outside of class (in the gobs and gobs of free time we will surely have) and not worry about being stuck in traffic trying to get to class. I commuted nearly an hour for my undergrad and I hated it. Doable, but not fun.

Thank you! I was leaning more toward the "it might not do any good" side of things. I know that universities often don't have much say in these sorts of things, but if it's worth asking and not going to hurt me in anyway, it's worth a shot. I was really hoping to live near Davis for the first two years at least, and I know my partner would prefer to be in a smaller, more affordable location. Re: that side note, thanks. Would not have known to avoid that! haha

Hi All, My random question of the day has to do with the practical side of moving across the country: a job for my spouse. He has decided he's going to move with me (to Davis from North Carolina), so we need to have a job lined up for him soon. California is expensive, as we all know, and while we have some savings and my stipend, we won't make it long on that if he's not working and with housing prices the way they are out there. He has had some luck at a potential job and it seems likely they'll hire him, but it's in San Fran - it could be anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours away by car, with traffic and tolls and all that (not fun) stuff. We have a way to make this work (living between, or me living in Davis and him in Oakland), but he'd rather be closer to Davis, where it's less expensive to live and we could be in the same house. Ok, enough background. My real question is this: do you guys think it would be appropriate or out of line to ask the English Dept if they can help us find a job for him at UCD? There are several jobs posted he would be qualified for, from fundraising to library services (he has quite a diverse skills set). He'd love to work in higher ed, but he hasn't ever worked at a university before, so we are afraid that even though he has great qualifications he might be passed over initially. I don't want to overstep bounds, but I have also seen (via google) where people in the sciences have had some luck scoring university jobs for their spouses, but it seems like that was all part of the negotiations pre-acceptance. I don't want to seem needy, especially because we already pretty much have him a job. I'm really just trying to make our lives easier and reduce stress, and the close we are to Davis, the better. Anyway, this is getting rambly. Let me know what you think. And those of you with spouses, how are you negotiating all of the practicalities?

I second this! I've mostly just been stalking to find out what everyone is doing, but I'm on the edge of my seat, too. I'm sending lots of positive vibes to those still waiting, it's almost over! Hang in there, guys!

And man, so much has happened in the past couple of weeks, you log off for a bit and bam! Everyone knows where they're going. Congrats to all who have made the leap and accepted offers! So excited for all of us!

Hooray! Yes, to be quite honest, when the DGS told me that some students have done that I melted a little bit. It's certainly an exciting prospect! ?

Thank you so much! I've been pretty obsessed about the program since I got my acceptance; I'm so excited to work with all of the superstar faculty! And the community sounds fantastic in general. I'll certainly message you as things come up, it's so nice to have contacts! Re: the bike, my plan is to buy one as soon as I get out there ?

I accepted my offer at Davis yesterday and sent out emails declining all of my other fully funded offers, so there should be some movement (hopefully) at Riverside, Madison, UGA, Iowa, and Santa Barbara. I also pulled my name off the waitlist at GWU (I was "very high" on it, apparently, whatever that means), so for what that's worth. I hope someone here gets one of these spots!

I accepted my offer from UC Davis yesterday! I'm so excited and relieved. Much of the decision had to do with the area itself (better for me and my partner, easier for him to find a job) and funding (I found out recently that I actually have six years of funding there, which I didn't get anywhere else). Now onto the practicalities!

Hooray! This is great news, congratulations! Fingers crossed that the interview goes well and you snag that TAship!

Ok, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels like that's what she meant. But hey, it's not an outright rejection! Not like it matters, but I started to assume that since I hadn't heard anything they were planning to reject me. Whatevs I really just want to satisfy my own curiosity about the potential sweep, but honestly, I really can't complain at this point. haha

I agree with @orphic_mel528 on all counts. I don't have the same conference experience, but I landed a prestigious internship at the Folger Shakespeare Library last summer (even, I believed, despite the "low ranking" of my MA program, my age, and subsequent lack of experience in pretty much every professional capacity at the time) I think in part because of networking. I met the director of the internship at an event they were hosting that I happened to be at, and I think because we built a relationship before the internship application was due and he became familiar with my work, it supercharged my chances of getting it. It's not the same thing, exactly, but it illustrates the larger point: if you build the relationships, you work really hard, you produce excellent research, you professionalize...all of this should increase your chances at a job down the road. And fwiw, my mentors advised me to choose a lesser-ranked program in which I feel I could be supported and produce a better dissertation in, as opposed to a higher-ranked program that would be more stressful for me and make it difficult to produce the kind of dissertation I'll need to get a job (this was before the new rankings came out and suddenly both of the aforementioned programs ended up tied, ha). Of course, I'm also feeling quite optimistic about all of this. I didn't even think I'd be in a position where I could choose from among several top-20 and 30 programs, so I'm trying not to worry to much at the moment.

Alright, so I finally caved and emailed GWU. They just emailed and said that they are still working through decisions. They've made official offers, and are still "very interested" in my "strong application" and she they would have more information for me in a couple of weeks. So...do I read this as a waitlist? This feels waitlisty to me. haha