Jump to content

brontebitch

Members
  • Posts

    151
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Reputation Activity

  1. Like
    brontebitch reacted to mozartjamesjoycesodomy in Looking for Theory-Oriented Programs   
    would highly recommend Buffalo. Comp  lit and English tend to bleed into one another -- steven miller, david johnson and rodolphe gasche all work very specifically on Derrida
    Washington University in St. Louis (WashU / WUSTL) requires its Comparative Literature students to have a secondary department in one of the following areas:
    Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish or International Writing. Tili Boon Cuillé, Julie Singer, Harriet Stone, Melanie Micir, Julia Walker and Rafia Zafar are professors that could be a good match with work you're interested in.
  2. Upvote
    brontebitch reacted to wordstew in Rutgers English   
    "I would say that 10 percent is certainly too low in describing their placement, but I also think wordstew is right to say that 87 percent is a gross exaggeration."
    On the basis of what knowledge do you think 10% is too low? Notice that last year's "placements" are missing altogether. We agree that the only fair and accurate way to do this is for a program to list every conferred doctorate and then indicate the placement (academic or otherwise for that person). But if that were to be done, it would be very grim. I can tell you with 100% certainty that not even 50% of graduates get tenure-track jobs three years out. 
    This is my last post here because I'm not going to keep going back and forth about nihilism, trolling,  etc. I understand the difficulty of applying to these programs and how competitive and stressful that work can be. I did it. I also understand the mentality--and the need--to rationalize participating in this with some modicum of hope that it will work out. I did it. I also understand the love for the work and the importance of it. I've done a lot of it. 
    In my experience, most graduate students have not come to terms with what has happened to our profession, and again, it's probably because to confront the reality would make continuing this difficult work nearly impossible. I don't have to tell you about how challenging it can be. But I have more clarity now that I've seen this mess from a variety of angles. And what I have seen is that young scholars have been left out in the cold. It does not matter how good, capable, or promising we are as teachers and scholars. It simply does not matter to the tenured or the administrators that we will never have financial security, job security, or support for our work. That takes an extreme toll on a professional person who cares about their work. It has taken an extreme toll on me to be reminded again and again that my labor is nearly invisible and that it doesn't really matter to the people who financially benefit from it (students are a different story). I could give numerous personal anecdotes that would shock and appall, but it's all been documented by others in numerous monographs and Chronicle articles. Take Rutgers, for example, where the faculty make totally obscene salaries; you can look them up online. These people simply do not understand--they do not want to understand--what has happened to their profession. And many of their students do not really want to understand either because they desperately hope that they will be the exception--that they will get the job. Most of them will not, but one or two will. And what they'll discover is that they are still part of a system that grossly exploits adjunct colleagues and tries to rationalize that exploitation by 1) Denying the full extent of the devastation and 2) Assuming that they're better or more deserving in some way. To do otherwise would be to admit that your salary is made possible by an entire underclass of workers who are just as qualified but have no hope of economic or professional security. That's the reality I'm talking about, and I have a difficult time understanding why someone would choose to participate in that at this point knowing the full extent of how deeply the exploitation runs in academia and how little has been done to address it. Because of how these institutions work, there is simply nothing you will be able to do to advance your career. You will be stuck making peanuts with little to no benefits until you decide not to continue. Each year you will get older and each year your escape from being taken advantage of by your peers will become more and more insurmountable until 20 years have passed and you're left with no choice but to continue. Think I'm exaggerating? Instead of attending catered open houses and distinguished lecturer series, go find several humanities PhD adjuncts on your campus and have a frank conversation with them. 
    To answer the other question about how a PhD proved to be a liability: The most important thing I've run into is the need for experience in whatever career track you want to enter. The people who did best when they graduated already had professional experience in the worlds they re-entered. I had told myself (and was told by others) that a PhD would be great for consulting, marketing, etc., but that's just nonsense talk by people who do not know. Maybe a PhD in economics is desirable for a consulting firm. I think that the doctorate does show your capacity for working hard and critical thinking, so it can be a good supplement to experience, but it does not make up for experience. And it can be awkward for bosses and supervisors who don't have a graduate degree and don't even understand what it means. This also depends a lot on the sector and the geographic market. In my experience, "versatile" is the last thing that comes to mind to describe this highly specialized credential. And the problem is that if you are really working toward a tenure-track job almost every ounce of your time and energy goes into your research and teaching. Looking back, I have no idea how someone is supposed to do a PhD and prepare for an alternate career at the same time unless they come from one that they can fall back on, which was the case for a number of my peers.
    Finally, I'll say that it breaks my heart to write all this. I think that this work is incredibly important, and I want to celebrate people who continue to demonstrate their interest and enthusiasm for it. But I think that it's unconscionable that the prestige and veneer of these programs continue to seduce people into thinking that there is a profession for them to join. My basic point--and others have made it better--is that the very idea a profession has become a falsehood. What that means is that most people who give years of their life to this pursuit will be left in very challenging circumstances. Many people delay families, children, home purchases, retirement savings, and other major things so that they can commit to this work. Would they make those sacrifices if there was a complete and full disclosure in detail of their real prospects? The fact that Rutgers (among other programs) seems to go out of its way to avoid providing that disclosure speaks volumes. 
     
     
     
  3. Upvote
    brontebitch reacted to jillcicle in 2019 Applicants   
    NYU sending a pitch for a master's that's 70% out of pocket is something - worse when you ALREADY have a master's degree. PLEASE. When I pay $100+ to apply to a well-respected academic institution's PhD program I do not want them to then try to sell me things after rejecting me ?
  4. Upvote
    brontebitch got a reaction from theotherbrontesister in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Accepted my offer at Buffalo! 
  5. Like
    brontebitch got a reaction from ExileFromAFutureTime in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Accepted my offer at Buffalo! 
  6. Like
    brontebitch got a reaction from writeshere in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Accepted my offer at Buffalo! 
  7. Like
    brontebitch got a reaction from lyonel_ in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Accepted my offer at Buffalo! 
  8. Like
    brontebitch got a reaction from havemybloodchild in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Accepted my offer at Buffalo! 
  9. Like
    brontebitch got a reaction from illcounsel in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Accepted my offer at Buffalo! 
  10. Like
    brontebitch got a reaction from StamfordCat in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Accepted my offer at Buffalo! 
  11. Upvote
    brontebitch reacted to hgtvdeathdrive in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    congrats & it was nice to briefly meet you  i'm still on the fence, although the visit was totally amazing and really made me excited about the program! i'm still confused about marketability/placement and the prospect of living in buffalo for that long....
  12. Like
    brontebitch got a reaction from mandelbulb in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Accepted my offer at Buffalo! 
  13. Like
    brontebitch got a reaction from hgtvdeathdrive in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Accepted my offer at Buffalo! 
  14. Upvote
    brontebitch reacted to jusrain in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Headed to Rutgers! 
  15. Upvote
    brontebitch reacted to Nothingtown in Acceptances   
    I CAN FINALLY POST HERE Y'ALL. Accepted at Baylor!
  16. Like
    brontebitch got a reaction from Bopie5 in 2019 Applicants   
    Villanova let me know like ~2 weeks after applying (late in the cycle) that I was accepted! I'm sure you'll hear soon! 
  17. Like
    brontebitch got a reaction from jusrain in 2019 Applicants   
    Villanova let me know like ~2 weeks after applying (late in the cycle) that I was accepted! I'm sure you'll hear soon! 
  18. Upvote
    brontebitch reacted to Deleted Because Useless in OK, let's talk about UChicago's MAPH. I need some advice...   
    I agree with all those who are giving advice on this issue. By no means should you pay for an MAPH if money is a factor in your decision. I myself will avoid them. Never did I suggest the op to go for the Chicago program over other funded MAs (I understand though that I may have been misleading in my choice of words).
    I said what I said because I don’t think it’s fair to have those who will be attending, as I am sure there are, feel like naive students who are either filthy rich or misinformed. If possible, I suggest the op contact current maph students at chicago and listen to what they have to say.
    If I sounded way too optimistic about the program in my previous post, I apologize for the confusion.
  19. Like
    brontebitch got a reaction from jusrain in Leveraging Funding   
    @wildsurmise If you were accepted to the MA at CU Boulder and are considering their offer, feel free to PM me about it. I was accepted with a fellowship and "possible funding," and did end up attending because I secured funding through another department. I would be happy to talk about my experiences/what I know about funding for MAs in the department. 
  20. Upvote
    brontebitch got a reaction from spectrum-in in 2019 Applicants   
    Me! I might email today.
  21. Like
    brontebitch got a reaction from grandr in 2019 Applicants   
    Me! I might email today.
  22. Upvote
    brontebitch reacted to monsterheart in Post-Shutout   
    Why are people so generous and awesome??? Thank you for the encouragements and these incredibly helpful & refreshing tips, @natalielouise @sugilite @northwestnative! ? This is great. I hadn't given much thought to finding a community before but I already see why it is important just from getting responses here and sharing thoughts. Hopefully, I can become a better applicant next cycle and emerge as someone who can give advices/tips just like y'all did! 
  23. Like
    brontebitch got a reaction from monsterheart in Post-Shutout   
    Not sure where/what programs you applied to this cycle, but definitely look into applying to MA programs along with PhDs your next time around. I was shut out from every PhD I applied to right out of undergrad but was accepted to a few MAs. Doing my MA first was definitely the best decision I could have made (even though I am leaving the program a bit disenchanted with it) -- I feel so much more prepared/excited/less nervous to begin my PhD in the fall. It also gives you a good opportunity to test the waters and take grad seminars, teach, write a thesis (which I did not do in undergrad), and present at conferences without the pressure of the PhD. 
    Best of luck to you! I would be happy to chat about my MA experience if you want more info!
  24. Upvote
    brontebitch reacted to WildeingOut in 2019 Applicants   
    Anyone here a Victorian/19th C British specialist? It seems that this year's acceptances have so far consistently been for other areas of specialization other than Victorian/19th C British. I'm wondering if last year was a big year for this particular area, and there just isn't much space for specialists working in this period this application season as a result. Granted, people might not be reporting their areas on the results page, but I'm curious to know if anyone else has noticed that.
  25. Upvote
    brontebitch got a reaction from havemybloodchild in 2019 Acceptances   
    Aww not an acceptance but waitlisted at Buffalo! So happy someone read my app and didn't hate it lol
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use