adornianjazz

First, congratulations on your decision to pursue a PhD! I know that identifying programs and faculty of interest can be a daunting task, and I hope that my brief advice can be of some use to you. Of course, just as a disclaimer, I do not mean to suggest this is the only way to go about this task; it just happens to be what I was advised to do, how I proceeded, and what ultimately worked quite well for me. I identified scholars in whom I was interested in a bit of an inverse manner. I was advised early on to not give too much weight to the category of individual scholars I would want to work with, because individual scholars often move institutions—especially true of “bigger name” scholars—or sometimes turn out to be a complete asshole you can’t stand to work with, both of which are possibilities that cannot be adequately judged from a distance or during the application cycle. For example, several of my professors went through multiple dissertation directors and committees due to faculty turnover at their institutions, while one of my MA thesis committee members transferred PhD programs because the person they went to work with turned out to be the absolute worst. Instead, I was advised to proceed by first identifying institutions I was interested in by evaluating their programs holistically against criteria such as fields and research interests represented by the faculty as a whole, presence of research centers or institutes relevant to the work I wanted to do, publishing history, course catalog, job placement record (specifically for my field), and so on, and only then parse and prioritize programs based on individual professors in whom I was interested. I know this is backwards from what many people might prefer or claim is the best way to select a program, but I think it’s important to remember that you matriculate into a program at an institution, not into an apprenticeship with a single scholar. I hope this helps, and if you have any additional questions, I will be happy to answer them if I can. Good luck!

Headed to Johns Hopkins. Congratulations to everyone!

I have removed myself from the waitlist at UVA, and I have declined my offers at University of Oregon and UNC Chapel Hill. I hope this helps someone!

I have now formally declined my offers at the University of Oregon and UNC Chapel Hill, and I have withdrawn myself from the waitlist at UVA. Tough decisions, but ultimately made without reservation.

Not yet. I'm waiting on an updated offer from them, and I'm still waiting on a decision from UVA. With everything as it currently stands, I'm leaning towards Hopkins, but we will see what the next 24 hours holds. But no matter what happens, it all feels pretty empty now. I see that you accepted Chapel Hill's offer; congratulations!

I am notifying University of Oregon that I am turning down their offer. It was the hardest decision I've ever made. They have a great program, and there I would have been able to be with the love of my life. Instead, I'll be headed east, to a program that is a better fit for me, but alone, maybe forever. I knew this decision season would be difficult, but I never expected it to culminate in such hollow achievement.

I’m glad you came to a decision that feels right for you! I know what you mean about teaching, but I already have two years under my belt teaching both comp and a theory class, and in addition to my PhD, I’m working on my career as an author, so I’ve got a lot of factors to weigh. But thank you for your input, and again, I’m really happy for you that you’re headed where you want to go! ?

I’m in a similar position with Johns Hopkins ($31,500/year, 6 semesters teaching) and UNC Chapel Hill ($20k/year, 10 semesters teaching): both have great faculty, although the latter has several specialists in science fiction (one of my main areas) while the former has zero, but the former provides far more support throughout the program, which means more time for research and writing. But Hopkins knows I do sf and they want me to do it there, so it seems like despite the lack of faculty for that one area, I could be fine. But Chapel Hill would give me access to Duke too. But, while Chapel Hill *technically* has a lower cost of living than Baltimore, the cost for a one-bedroom apartment in each is pretty much identical. So...tough decision...

Very much my experience with Los Angeles, haha, but I feel like with NYC one gets more for that financial sacrifice, yes? Thank you for your very helpful perspective!

As I, like several others, might find myself facing a choice between NYU and programs in other—far cheaper—cities, I am hoping that there might be a current NYU student or two hanging around that could share their experiences living in New York on the NYU English program funding. I know the finding package is robust, but I am worried about, among other considerations, rent and the cost of food. Grateful for any insight anyone can provide!

Haha, thank you! I actually visited back at the end of February (not the official visit; threw together an unofficial one, just in case this exact thing happened), and based on the faculty and students I met, the campus, the city, the funding, and so on, I think that they are currently my top choice. But it's a pretty close tie, especially with UVA and NYU, so if I get off either of those waitlists, well, who knows?

Just received an offer off the waitlist from Johns Hopkins! Time for the difficult deliberations that some part of me wished would never be necessary. Still, not complaining; I feel unbelievably fortunate to have this choice that needs making.

I was just accepted off of UNC Chapel Hill’s waitlist! I won’t be making any final decisions until after I complete my campus visits, as I want to make as fully-informed of a decision as possible, but if any Americanists out there are on the University of Oregon’s waitlist, there is now a chance that my slot will be opening within the next couple weeks.

20th C. and contemporary American lit. You?

Waitlisted at UVA!!! Still shocked. Had written them off as an implied rejection, long ago.