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Post of the Week Award goes to Crae. Not to be crass, but I left a career where I made a substantial amount of money. It had its perks, but was meaningless and ultimately garbage. Getting accepted into a PhD program may mean living on a shoestring budget, but it also means that I get to read and write about stuff I love, and share it with others for a substantial part of my life. No six figure salary can ever top that. Thanks again for posting, Crae.

That video's been making the rounds for a while now. It's very funny, but also kind of tragic as it's pretty dead-on. For those of you not in English and feeling left out, there's a whole slew of them out there for various disciplines. The one for MSW's is particularly good. You can also make your own at: http://www.xtranormal.com/

Whoever ever penned that abomination should be beaten severely.

And don't forget Rhino Records, Rock -- great independent music store that has been around forever. I did my undergrad at the 5C's, so I know the town pretty well. It's very scenic and manicured (the land of trees and PhD's is how it's described), but not in the SoCal Disneyland facade kind of way -- some real history there. There's a lot of quirkiness, lots of artists and musicians (Snoop Dog lives close by, Ben Harper has a musical instrument store downtown) and generally there's a ton of character. However, there also exists a bit of a negative underbelly -- but unless you're a long-term resident, you probably wouldn't notice any of that. Like Rock mentioned, the surrounding areas are not great in that many of them are suburban wastelands. Nearby Pomona is pretty cool as it has a bit more grit, and there's a ton of music / art stuff going on down there. The 5C's are beautiful, and you have access to all of their resources as well as the awesome Honnold library. Coming from NY would be a shift, but as pointed out, you can get to and from LA in 30 or so mins (2hrs in traffic), and there is a train that gets you into downtown LA -- but like much of SoCal's public transport, you're at the mercy of the very limited routes. Many profs drive in from LA, so it's very doable to live in a more central location. If you wanted to live out that way, Pasadena and South Pasadena are both similar to Claremont, but closer to the action. Eagle Rock, Los Feliz, Silverlake and Echo Park are kind of fun, but have all become either gentrified or overrun with hipsters and yuppies. As far as the program goes, I work with several people in the PhD program -- and they seem to enjoy it. From what I hear though, the funding is poor and there are virtually no opportunities for teaching experience. Their English department is currently conducting two searches, but right now, there are only three faculty members present. The good news is that you have access to profs from the 5C's for your committee if you need them.

I can handle rejection and all, but some of the letters I received were not exactly sensitive. I mean a couple of them were just a few steps away from "we've taken the liberty to provide you with an application for custodial work at our institution." Little rough!

I also don't drink and have had no repercussions. Watch out for conferences, though; nerds really know how to let loose at those things!

I bought a netbook and really didn't use it that much as the screen resolution made doing anything on it tricky. I came into a bit of extra cash last year so I splurged on a 13" MacbookPro and an iPad. I initially thought the iPad was goint to be a bit of an extravagant waste, but I was so smitten by it when I tried one that I couldn't resist. However, it has changed the way I study. Although I wouldn't use it for extended writing (I don't have an additional keyboard for it), the ability to find, read and annotate articles, build databases, record lectures with synced notes, and just general web nerding made it worth every penny. I can't give up the analog book in favor of ebooks just yet, but for shorter readings, it's amazing. Although I was a Windows desktop / Apple laptop guy for years, I'm at the point now where I'm willing to say goodbye to Windows forever -- just waiting on that new iMac!

That kicks ass! Congratulations!

I see what you're saying, and yeah, that makes perfect sense. I had a ton of people, from profs to letter writers to family telling me the same thing -- human nature apparently. Fingers crossed for you, foreign guy!

Sent you a PM. I'd be glad to try and help in anyway I can.

No, no communication with Tina at all -- and no mention of that. But it makes good sense. I'll edit. Grrr. Can't edit. Oh well.

I'm in the same boat at two programs, but I'm opting to simply let them figure it out in their own time.

Actually many of them don't. The situation is very different from when many of our professors were applying. Unless one of your writers went through this process themselves within the last 3 to 5 years, there's a very strong chance that they have no idea just how competitive grad school admission has become. Many of my writers are just now finding out how tough the situation is through the rejections their students are receiving. Were they on the admission committees of the programs you applied to? Otherwise how do they have the ability to tell you that you're definitely into a program? I'm not trying to be a ass, and I understand that you're blowing off steam, but if you truly feel that it's their fault for promising you a spot in a program, you should express to them exactly why you feel it's their fault in the words that you're using here. Maybe then they could share with you their viewpoint as to why they feel that they are not to blame, and some clearer perspectives about the process would be gained for both parties. This is a tough situation for us all, but if you're basing your acceptance on promises made by people that you know have no power to grant those promises, then I think the blame might be misplaced. Good luck, and hang in there!

Part of the learning curve though, right? I dropped Butler's name on my Columbia app thinking I'd be all ninja-style as her move hadn't been officially announced yet, but I realize now that it wasn't such a smart decision after all. Furthermore, I did my undergrad at a consortium that had several "celebrities" teaching (not necessarily theorists) and the general consensus was that the teaching skills of these people didn't live up to their recognition. Case in point: I signed up for a class with Mort Sahl (!!!) and canned it after just two sessions. In short, it seems that the OP's research interests go a little against the grain, so seeking out very specific and well-published (not necessarily well-known) practitioners would be the best move. I do a weird Art History / Literature combo thing so I have to be cognizant of that as well, even when the superstar aura tries to seduce me.

Clearly arguments can be made for both calling and sitting patiently. Although I err to the side of the OP, maybe people should judge for themselves as circumstances vary. And if there are any consequences for action or inaction (which I doubt), then so be it. One thing I have read about making contact is that it's wiser to call rather than email, simply because of the many ways an email can be taken out of context. The second post, for example, "Am I still being considered for admission?" could easily be interpreted by some admin who hasn't had their morning coffee yet as "Are you guys actually doing your job or what?" It's a sucky process for all, and frankly I've found the wait to be somewhat paralyzing. But patience and tolerance are both traits that I personally respect, and I'm using this experience as an opportunity to practice them to their fullest. Hang in there everybody, it's almost over!

Do people like Spivak and Bhabha actually take on students? I'm probably wrong, but it seems like the superstar theorists in the field would be difficult to pin down; I know Spivak is always out on the road, peddling her wares. What about Jeffrey Cohen at GWU -- doesn't he do early modern and post-colonial? Although I don't do post-colonial, I had a few chats with Radhakrishnan. I know he's a big name in that field too, but he's very down to earth and super friendly. Might be worth striking up an email conversation with him.

Did you apply to UC Irvine? Very strong department for theory and it sounds like R. Radhakrishnan would be good for you: http://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=5259

Oh, and hang in there, cokohlik! It's not over yet, and even if it doesn't work out this time, you now have so much more knowledge about this process than you had a few months ago.

They're ranked as being one of the top programs for graduate placement in English, partly due to the innovative structure of their study plan. Also, they are widely considered to have the best program for African-American literature. Of course the Ivy brand is going to minimize job-market stress to a degree, but program fit is key to success while completing graduate study. There are plenty of Ivy grads who are struggling to secure spots, and there are also several Ivy departments that lack the focus of some lower ranked programs. I was on a tenure track faculty search at a private liberal arts college and got to see firsthand several elite prospects bypassed for underdogs who demonstrated a better fit for what we needed. The trick, it seems, is to strike the balance between idealism and grim reality, and then make the most of what your particular program has to offer. Although I'm very fortunate not to be in the same position as the OP, this paragraph is still applicable to my experience in other areas; it really made my day. Thank you.

My reading strength seems to rise and fall, and right now it's at a lull -- but that's because I finished my BA in December and won't be starting my PhD until September so I'm intentionally taking somewhat of a reading break. My last couple of UG semesters averaged around 1000 - 1500 pages a week, which, with four classes in a variety of fields, proved to be do-able, but challenging. I know that grad will tougher, but I'm really looking forward to a similar amount of reading that is in one concentrated area. I'm thinking about some new methods for note taking to improve efficiency to maximize reading time (I study lit). I've been experimenting with the Dragon Dictate voice recognition software, both on the desktop as well as the iPhone/iPad. Being able to simply apply one of those pointed stickies to the passage, then dictating the page number and notes into the iPhone (that will then be typed) seems like it would work great -- although I've yet to try it in practice. In addition, I'm also looking into ways to create a reading note database for quals (comps) with topics that function on a meta-tag search to reference my notes. For example, say I get hit with "discuss political / economic frameworks that allowed for acceptance of Darwinist thought" I could maybe just run a search with some specific meta-tags from all three year's worth of reading to cross reference passages, themes and ideas. I'm not sure if any of this would work, or if it would be too difficult to maintain, but the combo of database and dictation software seems like it would be a good. It might also be beneficial for others in the same field who have similar reading lists to combine forces. One concern I have with my own reading though (and I'm curious to see if anyone else has run into this) is distraction problems. I consider myself a strong reader, and can read for 8 to 10 hours at a time if needed, but I need complete silence -- and preferably no-one around. I've also found that I struggle to multi-task while reading. For example, I work as a writing tutor, and if I'm focusing on sentence-level mechanics, I have difficulty tracing the overall subject of the paper -- and vice-versa. Similarly, when listening to a song, if I'm focused on melody, the lyrics just pass me by. It's like my brain will only do one thing at a time, whereas I know plenty of people who can read while watching TV and chatting on the phone at the same time! I'm hoping it's not going to be a problem and that it will correct itself with practice. Anyone else experience anything like this?

Yeah I've seen this list before.

Good point. Per capita seems important w/r/t ranking.

I'm going BA to PhD and I'm in English.

I was fortunate enough to have been able to serve on a search committee for a tenure track literature professor at a private liberal arts college, and I got to experience the process first hand. Our batch of applicants (~130) represented a variety of backgrounds and educations from the relatively podunk, to the ivies. What the decisions ultimately came down to was the level of productivity (candidates who hadn't published in five years didn't fare well), the research focus (as it would 'fit' with our dept.) and publication placement (books and peer-reviewed journals). Although there was no pressure placed on the committee to go after candidates from top programs, our best choices all ended up coming from the top 15. This may suggest that those departments themselves played a role in the candidate's overall excellence, but it's also entirely possible that they (the candidates) might have excelled elsewhere, too. Although there is no escaping the fact that graduating from the top 15 will help you considerably, what you do while earning your degree will play a huge role. For myself, I looked at the programs' job placement records and their career development initiatives to see where candidates were ending up. I also looked at opportunities for research projects and conference travel as a means to get involved within the field. But perhaps the most important for me was to identify the people who clearly understand the direction that the discipline is headed -- the people who are doing new and exciting stuff. I actually applied to several of the ivies, but frankly I wasn't that thrilled by their departments or what they were doing. Of course this is all relative to sub-fields and what you'd like to accomplish (do you want to just teach 5/5 at a community or do 2/3 and research at a 4-yr). For me, the educational process itself has to play as big a role as the placement; and being involved in forward-thinking work that both engages my interest while developing a certain marketability is of key importance. Creative writing does seem to work a little different depending on your goals. Although I wasn't on the committee, I was a participant in two CW searches, and they were partially based upon a mix of program credibility and teaching experience, but most importantly on published works and recognition of them. For myself, seeking an environment that will support and incubate my areas of interest alongside like-minded individuals carries more weight than a prestigious name (right now, at least... ask me again in five years). If the environment is a good fit, and your enthusiasm is strong, doors will open and there will be fewer and fewer limits to what you can accomplish with your work. With that in mind, the balance between naivete and idealism must be kept in accurate perspective -- we're all taking a gamble here, but what a rich and fruitful gamble it will be! Onwards! *Sounds the trumpet*

Oh okay, cool. Must just be some weird inter-departmental confusion then w/r/t the emphasis.