history?

It's a new media program, isn't it? Yeah, I looked at several new media programs early on in the process (there was a really cool one at Georgia Tech, for instance), but the emphasis with them is a little off for two reasons. 1) They're almost strictly McLuhan on (so...1940's and after, and anything that comes before is barely studied) and 2) it's strictly technology. My interest in the field did actually start with my love of technology, but, it's grown to include the idea of information itself - an idea that doesn't include technology by default. Basically, I realized that the problem I have is that we all talk and talk and talk about "information" and "technology" and "power" and all this other crap, but separating the wheat from the chaff is almost impossible - everyone's got an opinion, but hardly any of them are well thought out! I just find the mounds of information we generate when talking about information is very difficult to sort through. So, it seems to me that if I can get a good grasp on why we believe what we believe - on where those ideas originated and how they have evolved over time - then it will be a lot easier for me to understand when someone has a good point....or a bad one. Why people are willing to kill themselves or each other for knowledge. Why some people consider knowledge dangerous and others consider it fundamental to peace. Why some people say the Internet will save mankind and others say it will destroy us. What is it about "information" that makes people react so powerfully? Anyway....most people don't totally understand what I am getting at. First because it isn't as easy as saying "I would like to study the philosophical work of Henry James." Second because everyone hears the word "information" and the automatic reaction is to want to append "technology" on to the end of it. And third because I'm probably explaining it like crap. But apparently one of the first things a grad student is supposed to do is figure out a good, concise way to describe their research interests, so I'm kind of refining it as I go (and slowly getting better)! Feel free to tell me what makes sense or doesn't.... What about you? I am recalling it was English or something (my memory is really appalling...sorry).

The History of Information. Ultimately, one of the most interesting things to me about information is the battles people wage over it (hackers v. the man, the culture wars in academia and who/what should be taught, conmen, educational reform....etc.etc.). But I feel like in order to look at those in any sort of useful way, I have to understand where people are coming from when they talk about "information" and "knowledge," hence I'm ultimately considering myself an historian and approaching it from that angle. But, since historically the people that have concerned themselves with understanding knowledge and information were philosophers, there's going to be a lot of history of philosophy included. In modern times, though, much of that work has shifted to the sciences and technologies - Cognitive Science & Cognitive Psychology, Information Theory, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet - so I am going to need to be well versed not only in their histories, but also how they work. At any rate...can you see my dilemma? It doesn't fit into education, even though that would be a topic I might study, and it doesn't fit into library science, even though they have the most programs that call themselves "Information Science." It doesn't fit into philosophy or history only. It doesn't fit only into science. It teeters closest to something called intellectual history, I suppose, but this doesn't seem quite broad enough to me, as it usually just concerns itself with actual intellectuals but not the common man, and it usually involves science OR not science but rarely both. What I am looking for really includes all of those things, since "information" is the unifying thread that concerns them all. So, the program I ended up choosing is a program in the history and philosophy of science that requires its students to have a really solid foundation in a science, and then they focus heavily on history or philosophy. It also has a couple of faculty members who are starting to do some research in the general area of information - one of them is an historian and the other is an anthropologist. Anyway, given the persnickety nature of my work, I don't think I could ask for a better (or even another) match, which is why I will really be at a loss if I don't get in (it's U Chicago's Committee on the Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science, or CHSS, incidentally). There's a reason that people generally advise not to "create your own field" and I can totally understand why!

Ugh. At least you still have several more to hear from. I have a whopping two....total. (I know, I know - everyone I tell this to is like "WTF?!", but all I can say in my own defense is that there is only one place I think I can study what I want. Such is the danger of inventing your own area of study)....

Backup plan? I haven't really gotten that far...at least not seriously. (I have a job currently, so there isn't the "figure something else out or starve" impetus.) But I guess I've developed a few vague notions towards making myself a better candidate - maybe statistics, computer programming, and French. A job doing something a little meatier, perhaps. The "real" backup plan at this point is that when/if I apply again next year, I will still apply to the dream program, but also apply to a few MS programs in relevant areas - so, if I still don't get in to dreamland, I would instead get an MS and apply AGAIN once I had finished that (third time's the charm, after all...right?). There's a big emphasis in my (future) committee on us being able to do "real science," not merely study it from afar. So, I could do an HCI, CogSci, or even CogPsych Masters before coming in to do history with them. I mean, I did science and history of science as an undergrad, and I've worked in the tech sector for the last 6 years, so I feel that I have the "real science" thing down. But if they want to play hardball, I could do that. Sigh. I'd rather just go straight in and get the CogPsych degree while I'm there, to be honest. I mean, crap, I'm practically 30 - I feel like its time for me to stop beating around the bush and just do it directly for a change. But it's important enough for me that I'd take the backdoor if it's the only option.

Oh, well conferences...that's a whole different story. The entire point of conferences is to keep in touch with old cohorts and make new ones. So, yeah - networking? important. Neediness? annoying.

Welllll...in defense of those of us who actually did have conversations with faculty at the unis we applied to (although not bff...just a visit before applying in which I hit it off extremely well with a potential advisor), I personally think it is crucial to identify at least one or two faculty in advance who would likely be good matches for advising. An advisor can make or break a grad school career...and, by extension, a career in academia period. Given that, I think it's wise to get at least a little assurance that there's someone there who can be a mentor - both by being a decent human being but also by sharing your own research interests enough to offer guidance. I will agree, though that there's a delicate balance between hitting it off, staying in touch, and playing cards unfairly. Then there's also the danger of becoming a nuisance and/or butt kiss that y'all mentioned. Personally? I haven't followed up much after my initial visit primarily because I wasn't sure if it was ethical to be overly persistent. I mean, I'd love to keep myself in the guy's thoughts, but I wouldn't want to do it by using inappropriate doors. Anyway, looked at the UChi humanities website today, and there's a message from the dean saying that letters get mailed March 1. I hope that's true....

Sounds like they are down to the last tiny handful of applicants and they are inviting the finalists out to help them make the decision. Good luck!

4) Having a jaded attitude going in means there will be no rude surprises?

Hey, that one's awesome! Thanks!

Yeah, no kidding. Here are the things I tell myself, which help. Err...More or less. 1) If I am still waiting, that means I am still in the running. 2) Fear, doubt, nervousness, and gut wrenching anxiety are all sensations I should get used to now. 3) This is the last time I will actually be twiddling my thumbs for the next 7 years. I should enjoy it. Then there are some other ones in there, too, but they are just not as uplifting.

Yeah, like pretty much anyone reading this, I'm obviously flipping out waiting to hear back from schools (because, after all, why else would we be reading this site if we weren't?). At any rate, in order to distract myself momentarily from said flipping out, I am also trying to do some productive things with my copious free time.... So, my question to you, dear waiters, is whether you have any killer grad resources that you anticipate using in school, or perhaps have even already started using? I've got a list of daily reads that I've tucked into my favorite RSS reader. I'm still working on getting a good list together, but it's a start.... They're obviously going to be bent towards my research area (history of information), but I'd be interested to see other folks' resources, in any area: Tech News Tech News CNET News.com - The Net CNET News.com - http://news.com.com/ BBC | Technology BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/tec ... efault.stm Boing Boing Boing Boing - http://www.boingboing.net/ Red Herring - http://redherring.simplefeed.net/rsrc/l ... 304887398a CNN Technology - http://www.cnn.com/rssclick/TECH/?section=cnn_tech Digital Culture Pixelsumo - http://www.pixelsumo.com/blog/ Ad Limitum - http://ezs.es/blog e-me - http://e-rgonomic.blogspot.com The Art and Science of Everything - http://rahrahfeminista.com/blog Academia Chronicle News Chronicle News - http://chronicle.com/ PHD Comics - http://www.phdcomics.com Dan Cohen - http://dancohen.org EDUCAUSE RSS - http://www.educause.edu/SyndicatetheseResources/647 Inside Higher Ed - http://insidehighered.com Digital History Hacks - http://digitalhistoryhacks.blogspot.com CogSci & HCI Philosophy of information - http://www.philosophyofinformation.net/blog/ Tasty Research - http://tastyresearch.wordpress.com information aesthetics - http://infosthetics.com/ Latest Issue of Journal of Cognition and Culture - http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/jocc/latest H&PS: Osiris Latest Issue - http://www.journals.uchicago.edu Isis Latest Issue - http://www.journals.uchicago.edu History History News Network - http://hnn.us Education History and Education: Past and Present - http://history-and-education.blogspot.com U.S. Intellectual History - http://us-intellectual-history.blogspot.com Being Better Students - http://dwax.org/students Blackwell Synergy: History of Education Quarterly: Table of Contents - http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/ho ... 3&af=R Libraries Libraries Endless Hybrids - http://endlesshybrids.com ResearchBuzz - http://www.researchbuzz.org/wp D-Lib Magazine - http://www.dlib.org/ PS: Sorry if any of them got screwed up. I did some quick UNIX parsing to get a clean list, and I know it wasn't quite perfect.....

The good news is that I do not think it means anything about whether you got in or not. I think that is just their polite way of telling you to take a chill pill! Seriously, though. I am waiting, too, so I can sympathize with you as to how badly it sucks (I swear I reload the survey home page about...oh....every hour....just. in. case. one. person. from. chicago. writes.), but put yourself in THEIR shoes for a moment (it's good practice, anyway, since you will perhaps be a faculty member one day, too): they are ridiculously busy people. They've got classes to teach, books to write, students to advise, papers to grade, research to do, conferences to go to, grants to get, tenure to fight for, elbows to rub, etc. etc. etc. Most professors easily work 80+ hours a week. How much time do you think they have to comfort every one of us poor, waiting schmucks? What I would recommend at this point is to wait. And do NOT e-mail them any more than absolutely necessary. Just my 2cents.