rrk686

Cool! Congrats! I'll be there too.

Has anyone else committed to UT Austin?

@AGingeryGinger What are some of your recommendations for books or authors on early modern history?

Fair enough, but I don't think one needs to have graduated with the PhD to understand that a PhD is a degree that professionalizes students in research and teaching. That's self-evident. I say you're already qualified because I'm assuming you have a BA in a writing-related major, though I might be wrong. None of the people I know who are successful marketing writers have anything above a BA. As for questions, I did pose a question: Why do you want to pursue a 6-year degree, the purpose of which is train you in research and teaching, to work in marketing/professional writing/editing? I ask genuinely. I think answering that question is fundamental to deciding to do a MA/PhD--why do you want to do it? Of course, you can do an MA/PhD for the experience alone or to be able to say you have a higher degree. Those are valid answers. I'm not trying to discourage you necessarily. I'm just suggesting that you consider the purpose of the commitment you might make and whether it aligns with your goals.

My two cents: it doesn't sound like the PhD is the right choice for you. If you want to work in professional writing/editing and marketing, why get a research-based degree that takes six years and trains you primarily to research and teach? You're already qualified for the work that you want to do. You would be better served, professionally, by working in writing/editing/marketing.

I'm doing this, too. Frankly, I think we have to come to terms with the fact that everyone, including people coming in with MA's, has gaps in their knowledge. I mean, why would we be going to school if we knew everything? The professors I spoke to at the program I'll be attending said that reading a lot is helpful, but they also said that it could be useful to find out what's important to scholars currently working in your field. Take a look at recent issues of important journals, etc. They also said it could be worth learning to code, with Panther or R perhaps, to give yourself a skill that could be used in a "digital humanities" way. I will (try to) do both of those things myself, but I'm also keeping in mind that I have at least three years of coursework before I'm expected to have a dissertation topic, which seems like plenty of time. I think, also, as an MFA grad, it is fundamentally important to keep in mind what it is that you're doing. A PhD is a professional degree. It's training in how to be a scholar, mainly. That means it's important to keep in mind that you are now learning a trade different from creative writing (though not unrelated). That is, you are learning to do research and write in order to engage in the conversations that are important to other scholars in your field. I think if you keep that in mind, your goal becomes clearer and you may not feel the need to go out and read a million books this summer necessarily. That said, I personally found The Craft of Research, edited by Wayne C. Booth, to be an incredibly useful introduction to what it means to do research writing, which is what our work as scholars basically is. I read this a couple of years ago, but I may go over it again and refresh myself.

I know this is an old topic, but I'd also like to request some information on Minnesota's program from anyone who might currently be attending. I'm curious about all of the original poster's questions, and a few more: How difficult is it to get summer funding? What about the dissertation fellowship? How is the health insurance? How are the working conditions for TAs (do you have access to working space, printers/copiers, etc.)? Is the department, including the department assistant(s), helpful and kind? Also, I'm curious about Minnesota itself. How do you like living there? How is the cost of living? Is it easy to commute to campus? Does the cold weather get unbearable, in your opinion? Answers to any of these questions would be much appreciated!

@silenus_thescribe @dazedandbemused Sounds like the program is great, but the rent is high. Noted. Do people find lower rents somewhat further away from campus, particularly if they have a car? I'm aware of the UT shuttle and its range, but what about other forms of public transportation? If you live a bit out of the shuttle's range, are you able to get to campus without a car with relative ease? Other, random questions: How's the health insurance? It looks pretty good, aside from a not inexpensive deductible. Also, I noticed UT is a campus carry school. How does that play out, if at all, in your experience on campus? Also, how are the working conditions for TAs? I've been an adjunct at my MFA school for the past two years, and the work is great but the conditions are awful. We have extremely limited access to printing/copying. The department office and administrators are rude and unhelpful. Over a hundred adjuncts share one, medium-sized office. Finally, how do you find the experience of navigating the UT bureaucracy? My MFA is at a large, multi-campus university system, sort of like UT, and the bureaucracy is a nightmare. Our online interface for grades, financial aid, etc., sucks, and, when dealing with actual offices, it is very frustrating to try to do simple things like get a paycheck or make a key.

@silenus_thescribe Thank you for your thorough response. I agree that, aside from funding, UT is the clear choice. Your points are well-taken, though, and I'll continue to mull it over. One point about funding: I've been living on pretty low income in Brooklyn, which is expensive, for a while, so that's one reason why I say the funding is good enough.

Great point. I have looked into this for Austin, which has the data on their site. They seem fairly strong in placement and job preparation. I’ve requested the data on UVA from the DGS, but it isn’t posted on their site.

No worries--thanks for replying!

@JustPoesieAlong Good to know, thanks! Also, sorry if I've undermined the original purpose of this thread. I didn't think the question warranted its own thread, but perhaps it does. Oh well.

@silenus_thescribe @cloudofunknowing @dazedandbemused Hope it's okay to revive this thread. I got into UT Austin's English PhD, and it's a great fit. I'm interested in early modern/Renaissance, with a focus on Milton Studies. John Rumrich is a perfect scholar to work with for my interests. The funding is good enough, and my fiancee likes the location. Also, re: my fiancee, she wants to continue to teach as an adjunct and it seems very likely that at UT she can do that. Also, Austin has been aggressive in its recruiting, with all the Renaissance profs reaching out, having conversations, and being exceedingly kind and welcoming. Feeling welcome and wanted has gone a long way for me in putting UT above the other two programs I got into. The only hitch is, I got waitlisted at University of Virginia. It's not nearly as good of a fit (good Renaissance people but no one with a sharp Milton focus, certainly not like Rumrich), not as good of a location (though probably cheaper), and my fiancee isn't as into it. But--it's ranked higher. So, for you UT students, what would your advice be if I should get into UVA? I feel like I should go to Austin, but I don't want to sabotage my chances at a future as a professor.

Another good resource for this kind of timeline is the Norton Anthology of English Literature, which is organized in volumes, each volume a literary period. The only period missing in this lovely timeline is the 18th Century, which I don't think gets counted as "early modern" or "Romantic."

I'm an early modern/Renaissance person. Gonna focus on Milton, though not sure yet what specifically. I'm interested in the way politics and theology shaped some of Milton's writing.