heysickah

This is the sentence that sticks out to me most. Indeed, as I was reading your post, it sounds like UK has more going for it, especially given that there is a scholar there who is working on your interests. Some of the "cons" for UK seem to me very minor. I know that sometimes when I'm making a difficult decision I'll try to consider every single variable and end up looking at things that don't ultimately matter that much in an attempt to make a rational decision. However, for these big decisions, some of it ends up being irrational or coming from your gut. It seems like on every variable that really matters, the two offers are nearly equivalent, but you find yourself leaning to UK. I think this is what you should go with, because it's what you want. You said UK is closer to where you live now, but you have not visited the campus. Is it close enough that you could visit before April 15th? That may help with your decision-making. (I don't really know anything about these two programs, nor have I visited the cities, so I'm basing this advice purely on the descriptions you gave.)

I agree with what others have said. Comparative Literature generally emphasizes foreign language, so I would only recommend going that direction if that is genuinely something you want to focus on. You don't sound as varied as I think you feel. You can specialize and focus in one particular area (e.g. 20th century American) and still read, enjoy, and even take courses in other areas. It's also expected that you will apply your interests in thematic areas, such as religion, to that general time period of specialization. For instance, the UNC-Chapel Hill program has you create two reading lists and two qualifying exams. One is on your basic geographical/temporal speciality to prove that you are competent and hire-able in one of the traditional slots and the other is more of your wacky interests, whatever those may be. I can only speak to this program, since it's the one I'm familiar with, but I would imagine many programs have something similar. Also, I don't think you'll be able to avoid at least some theory, even if you tried. I would consider work you've done previously--in which undergraduate courses do you think you did the best work (i.e. wrote the strongest papers and had the most original ideas). You are still allowed to love things outside of your area. For instance, I focus on Russian and Slavic literature, but my favorite writers recently are David Foster Wallace, Twain, and Hemingway. You can still read and love Coleridge even if you specialize in American literature. A good number of us applying to and entering PhD programs already have MAs. Honestly, I did not have as well-defined an idea of my research interests at the end of undergrad as I do now, having done an MA and taken a few years off. Obviously, MAs have their financial drawbacks, but if you feel totally lost or even unsure that a PhD is something you 100% want to do, an MA is useful for that.

I'd recommend looking in Carrboro. It's where a lot of graduate students live, and there are also lots of young families who live there. A lot of it is walkable to downtown, there are free buses to campus, but it's not where you're going to find the big parties. I recommend looking at chapelhillrent.com. I've found several of my apartments through that site.

I got in off the waitlist at UNC-Chapel Hill, and will be attending there!

We used to live in Southwest Raleigh when my partner was in graduate school at NC State, around Lake Johnson and the Avent Ferry Rd. area, very close to Cary. This was a nice area to live and really convenient to the beltline (the highway loop that runs in a circle around Raleigh) and downtown. That may be a good place to live. The closer you get to NC State, the more graduate students there will be from that university, but it could be convenient. Goldsboro, Rocky Mount, and Wilson are all pretty far. That sounds unpleasant, but doable. My aunt commutes from the Goldsboro area to Raleigh daily, and I know she leaves very early in the morning and works an early day so that she can avoid traffic. Are you attending the Open House next week? I will also be there (I'm on the waitlist for Comp Lit still).

Raleigh is a pretty big area, so the the commute and area where you live could really vary. For example, you could live in Raleigh and your husband could work in Raleigh, and he could still find himself driving 25 or 30 minutes to work. Downtown Raleigh and the NC State University area are very well connected via buslines, including a daily express bus to and from Chapel Hill. Lots of people take this bus, and it's very convenient. You can usually get a pass from your university to take the bus for free, and it will take you directly to UNC's campus. Other areas, like suburban North Raleigh, are less connected and would involve a drive of about 45 minutes, perhaps more if traffic is heavy. Parking can also be difficult at UNC; I'm not sure what accommodations and options are available for commuting students.

UNC-Chapel Hill. I hope that you are right!

Hey all! I am/was hoping to do Comparative Literature. I only applied to one program*, and I'm currently sitting nervously and precariously on a waitlist. *Due to community ties and that my partner and I are building our first house in the area.

Hi there! Congrats on your acceptance. I am on the waitlist for the UNC CompLit program, so hopefully I will be joining you there (fingers crossed!). I am based in Chapel Hill already, though, and maybe can help answer your question. In very general terms, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School district has a good reputation, much better than Durham Public Schools. A few of the schools are in walkable neighborhoods, and several of the Carrboro schools emphasize bilingual education. I did my student teaching for high school English in Durham high schools, and while a lot of students get a good education there, the schools have lots of problems too. As far as Durham geography, a lot of young families live in south Durham (the Hope Valley Farms area) because homes are relatively affordable and the area is safe. Because my teaching experience is at the high school level, I can't really speak specifically to elementary school quality. In North Carolina, we also have charter schools, which are tuition-free. They vary in quality, since they are independently run. There is a lot of political opposition to charter schools, but they do exist and may be an option you'd want to consider, depending on where you end up. What line or work is your husband in?

I am a former undergrad and grad student at UNC, still living in Carrboro. I have found two excellent apartments in smaller complexes through https://www.chapelhillrent.com. For those interested in one-bedroom apartments, check out The Chateau Apartments. I lived there from 2011-2013 when I was doing my master's and really loved it. Of course, it's been a few years, so I cannot speak to any changes since then, but at the time I lived there, it was clean, well-maintained, had friendly staff, and had lower rent then other apartments of comparable quality nearby. The outsides of the buildings don't look stellar, but the interiors have lovely exposed brick walls. It was about 1 hour to walk into campus (which on a nice day you may want to do) and about ~15-20 to walk into downtown Carrboro. Shorter walking distance to a Food Lion grocery store. It's on three free bus-lines that go to campus. I promise I don't work for them; I just really felt like I hit the jackpot when I moved in there.

I've been lurking a few weeks on GradCafe. Finally posting because I got the first word back this morning that I got waitlisted to my top-choice (and only choice!) school. I'm disappointed to say the least. The message stated that there is still a realistic chance of being admitted, but the uncertainty is uncomfortable and I'm trying to figure out what to do next.