Wabbajack

I quickly pass the point of its usefulness and drive it right into an obsession.

This is the most fan-freaking-tastic thing

I have different sheets for general goals and specific ideas. I just started one for Minnesota. It helped me quite a lot with figuring out some questions to ask! I totally understand that "itching to plot." NC has hundreds of breweries, so I'm trying to plan out the best way to visit as may as possible before I leave for as little money as possible... and then rank the breweries on specific categories in their own sheet.

Just Google sheets. I enjoy the convenience of pulling it up on my phone all the time.

Haha, yes, Minnesota. I've been following the Shallacked thread! Sooooo much good info there.

I started a new one so it isn't *that* bad.... YET. It will be by March.

I'm going U of M the first week in March, and I have so many questions! I'm am an OBSESSIVE over planner. I looked through all of the requirements and made a rough sketch of what my semesters could look like. I want to see if it's possible to double minor in Early Modern Studies and Conservation Science without extending my time there. I told them in my SOP that I wanted to compare these two subjects, but I want to make sure it will work out in practice. I'm also going to ask about neighborhoods, clothing recommendations, and if they have any advice for my husband when he looks for a job. Frankly, I'm a little worried about overwhelming them when they see my spreadsheet for the next 5 years.

Any unknown number that starts with my area code: *decline call* Any unknown number that starts with a a different area code: *heart rate increases*

Seconded!!

Congratulations!!!

I think grading apps reflects the level of stress that we all go through pretty well. Not only do you worry about acceptance v. rejections, you worry about what might come with the acceptance. Are you going to get a good funding package? We'll call that an A+. Less funding? A. Obviously that's not how it works (being about fitness and all), but that sure is how it feels.

This is great info! Thank you!! At the moment, the idea of waiting for the bus or light rail is much more appealing to me than driving on snow and ice after digging my car out of the snow and moving it for snow plows. I'm seriously considering selling my car and putting the money towards a whole new warm, woolly wardrobe. My husband and I can share his car for grocery store trips, and lets be real, the only place I'll be going 99% of the time is campus.

The coldest weather I've ever experienced was winter in DC--so not very cold. My poor husband is from Miami. We have absolutely no idea what we're getting into.

From what I'm gathering, the winter is like an interaction with a very dangerous animal: you have to respect it. If that's true, I think there's hope.

This is awesome!! Thank you!! I will search for your blog to read more too. It's encouraging to read that -20 is "easy to deal with." I think my fear of the weather is getting rolled into the first feelings of impostor syndrome. Thoughts like, "Can I actually do well while ALSO AVOIDING FROSTBITE?" and "Do I have enough discipline to reach all my goals AND SHOVEL SNOW?"

Oh man. Please write this. I'm from NC and just got an acceptance from the University of Minnesota, which I think I'm going to take. I would love to read about adjusting and surviving in the North Country. I've spent all of my time since I found out excitedly reading about Minnesota. From what I've read, it seems fantastic. Still, I need some Southerner confirmation that you can indeed avoid turning into a popsicle.

I also appreciate getting any glimpse of what it's *really* like. That being said, I haven't always taken it as constructively as I should have. In my first semester of my MA, I came in wide-eyed and eager to continue through academia, and then I met Dr. ... let's call him X. Dr. X had the same spiel for every grad student about how terrible it is in academia now, and he discouraged all students from seeking a viable career in it unless we were 100% a-okay with an adjunct or non-tenure track position. Dr. X (and some other external factors) influenced me enough to work in an office/private sector job after getting my MA instead of applying to PhD programs. I knew I had made a mistake within the first two weeks of working of that job. In the following year of trying out different in writing jobs, I learned a lot about myself. I learned that having a stable, well paying job really wasn't enough. I learned that I would rather teach and research, even if it means struggling and less stability. All that to say, thanks for sharing. I'm not turning back, so here's to preparing.

Thanks @wooshkah @FreakyFoucault @mk-8 @M(allthevowels)H and @bumbleblu !!! Congratulations to @youngim and @Mellowyellow !!!

I was lurking on this forum for a long time and just started posting to other threads recently. Apparently that was the magic ingredient. Just accepted into Minnesota's Rhetoric and Scientific & Technical Communication PhD program.

@Wooshkuh Yes! I had it so, so well repressed up until recently. It's like Pandora's box. Once I let myself start thinking about it, alllllll of the obsessive behavior came flying out. I saw people were hearing back from Minnesota, who has a wearables lab (INCREDIBLE!), and totally freaked out until I realized it was for the English Lit program.

So happy to see a Rhet/Comp thread! I graduated with my MA in English with an emphasis in Tech Comm at UNC Charlotte, where I currently teach as a Lecturer. After briefly practicing tech comm at two different financial institutes, I can say that teaching and studying rhetoric/tech comm is ALL that I want to do. My interests include wearable tech, post-humanism, eco-feminism, and early modern manuscripts (I help with transcription groups for the Folger as a crowd-sourcing tech comm project). Here is my application list. University Program University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Professional and Technical Writing University of South Florida Rhetoric and Composition University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Rhetoric, Scientific, and Technical Communication Clemson Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design Purdue Rhetoric and Composition Penn State Rhetoric and Composition UC Berkeley Rhetoric I submitted all of my applications on Nov. 7th, and I've been patiently waiting up until about a week ago. I am in full obsession mode now!

Clemson's Rhetorics, Communication, & Information Design PhD program is open until Feb. 1.