Jump to content

adornianjazz

Members
  • Posts

    27
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

Reputation Activity

  1. Upvote
    adornianjazz got a reaction from Cryss in How to find scholars   
    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!
  2. Upvote
    adornianjazz got a reaction from Mumasatus in How to find scholars   
    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!
  3. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from CanadianEnglish in How to find scholars   
    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!
  4. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from Indecisive Poet in How to find scholars   
    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!
  5. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from writeshere in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Headed to Johns Hopkins. Congratulations to everyone!
  6. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from punctilious in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Headed to Johns Hopkins. Congratulations to everyone!
  7. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from StamfordCat in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Headed to Johns Hopkins. Congratulations to everyone!
  8. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from vondafkossum in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Headed to Johns Hopkins. Congratulations to everyone!
  9. Upvote
    adornianjazz got a reaction from spectrum-in in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Headed to Johns Hopkins. Congratulations to everyone!
  10. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from illcounsel in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Headed to Johns Hopkins. Congratulations to everyone!
  11. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from tacocat211 in 2019 Decisions Thread   
    Headed to Johns Hopkins. Congratulations to everyone!
  12. Like
    adornianjazz reacted to tacocat211 in Turned Down Offers Thread   
    Ah yes, the chaos of the 15th is upon us. I wish you luck in wherever you decide. I’m sure anywhere would be lucky to have you!
     
    And thank you! I’m super stoked. The program is such a great fit for me.
  13. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from tacocat211 in Turned Down Offers Thread   
    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! 
  14. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from havemybloodchild in Turned Down Offers Thread   
    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! 
  15. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from hgtvdeathdrive in Turned Down Offers Thread   
    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...
  16. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from dreampigeon in Here Comes the Sun/ Waitlist Movements   
    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. 
  17. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from CatBowl in Here Comes the Sun/ Waitlist Movements   
    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. 
  18. Upvote
    adornianjazz got a reaction from Musmatatus in Here Comes the Sun/ Waitlist Movements   
    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?
  19. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from havemybloodchild in Here Comes the Sun/ Waitlist Movements   
    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. 
  20. Upvote
    adornianjazz got a reaction from spectrum-in in Here Comes the Sun/ Waitlist Movements   
    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. 
  21. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from ArcaMajora in Here Comes the Sun/ Waitlist Movements   
    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. 
  22. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from writeshere in Here Comes the Sun/ Waitlist Movements   
    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. 
  23. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from arbie in Here Comes the Sun/ Waitlist Movements   
    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. 
  24. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from trytostay in Here Comes the Sun/ Waitlist Movements   
    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. 
  25. Like
    adornianjazz got a reaction from dilby in Here Comes the Sun/ Waitlist Movements   
    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. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use