gloriagilbert

I was encouraged to take a minimum of two years off in between undergrad and a Ph.D., and I settled on one, though I was VERY tempted to apply as a senior in college. I'm now incredibly grateful for the past year and secretly think that taking even more time off could've been a good move (despite the fact that my application cycle went pretty well, and I'm grad school-bound in the fall). My two cents, for what it's worth--but I'm now a huge proponent of gap year(s) and will encourage pretty much anyone to at least consider taking one.

I'm U Michigan bound. Never envisioned myself in the midwest, but Ann Arbor, let's go!

Declined Brown and took my name off the waitlists at UVA and Johns Hopkins. Man, not easy.

My experiences with campus visits lead me to believe that you're completely fine. Not only is it acceptable for your interests and proposed project to change--it's actually expected, and in some places, downright encouraged. The wealth of resources available at the graduate level means that your questions and approaches are bound to shift, sometimes quite markedly. I've heard of 19th century Americanists who become early modernists. In short, I wouldn't sweat it. It might be more of a "red flag" if you went through years of graduate study without changing your proposal at all.

I plan to officially turn down Brown's offer and accept Michigan's by the end of the day tomorrow, at the latest. The people at both places were really unequivocally lovely, and I hope this early-ish decision on my part helps encourage some pre-April 15 waitlist movement at the former.

Engaging with neighboring institutions is also a huge draw for me re: Brown, and a lot of these east coast schools seem to encourage rather than merely facilitate such exchange. I'm also hesitant to leave the Northeast, as most of my college friends and extended social networks happen to be situated here. I feel somewhat guilty taking that into account, though? It sounds a little silly admitting that while Mich might be the better academic fit, I might choose Brown on the basis of "well, my friends are here, so..." But rationally, I know it's a very valid consideration, and it's 5-6 years of my life... Ahh!

I am a 19th/20th c Americanist interested in queer/feminist theory! From what I can see, the faculty seems pretty stacked at Michigan in terms of Americanists. It's just a much bigger department, so naturally, I have identified more profs who I can envision myself working with. I need to double-check the queer/feminist theorists at Brown, though--I was mostly focused on the Americanist roster. Also geeking out at the prospect of taking classes at RISD. Thanks so much for the tip, and best of luck to you!! I've been rooting for you behind the scenes and was so proud/happy for you when that Yale acceptance rolled through

On a related note, thoughts on Brown vs. Michigan? Haven't visited either yet, but I'm completely and utterly torn. Would love any specific insight or general decision-making advice!

It seems there are a few of us in the city--it'd be great to connect with like-minded folks and exchange thoughts on how to approach decision season!

Does anyone know if Brown historically has an admit weekend? I'm assuming they must but didn't get any info yet. Congrats to everyone!

You might want to look into UC Davis--I know someone there (grad student, but seems to suggest there are faculty members to support such interests) who focuses on sci-fi/speculative fiction. Hopefully others can add to this list!

Not looking at UT Austin specifically, but seconding this--would love any and all information on how to properly (read: realistically) interpret placement data. Given that the job market is so abysmal, I don't know what exactly I should be looking for!

Anyone else feel like this process vaguely resembles that of the sorting hat in HP? The program that is now my top offer (Michigan) was never exactly where I envisioned myself this fall...but might just be the best in terms of fit, etc. Trying to come to terms with this alternate version of the future where I live in Ann Arbor, but it might be just what I need.

will be visiting "a l l c a p s" in Paris in a couple of days and so excited for this

I got a waitlist email last night from JH! Email came around 9 PM, which was strange.