jprufrock

It's okay to just reiterate that you've made a choice that works in your best interest. You could also say that you had a really difficult decision and that your decision is based on things that are out of the control of the departments you're declining (resources, fit, location, family concerns, cost of living etc).

If you're sold on school A's offer (with better funding), then don't waver. Besides, with the better funding you can get a keyboard with a reliable space bar

This is perhaps the most contradictory statement about so-called 'respect' for English as a field as I've heard.

Did you know that science, as you know it, was condemned to mostly bullshit and stones until literacy flourished? I am sure you're making a point for others and not necessarily yourself, saying that some 'general population' doesn't recognize the equality of fields, but if your goal is to counter such sentiment then your statement fails. Hard.

English and the Humanities in general have applications just as varied, pressing and significant as the hard and soft sciences. Just because you know little about such fields and by extension are unable to see their effects, doesn't diminish their importance and prevalence.

I'll write what you already know but are afraid to accept: You are a wonderful writer and do not require a sheet of paper confirming such.

Go with the money.

haha (and to the original poster just choose ksg and stop worrying about personal attacks on an online forum)

Hi, Harvard alum here. Choosing Sanford over KSG is a big mistake. Even from a purely financial standpoint, KSG is the better long-term option (no contest). But when you also think of the name recognition and professional network at KSG, Sanford is a comparatively poor choice. There is no professional network more influential and important than Harvard's, and while Sanford might be close to KSG in the rankings, it is really a 2nd tier school in comparison. There is not a single person who would choose Sanford over KSG from a purely professional standpoint.

Of course, KSG is kind of a self-selecting environment. If you end up choosing Sanford, you probably aren't the kind of person who would leverage Harvard's resources anyway (and then, you really are better at Sanford). In any case, hate to say it but the decision is obvious. Listen to the people you respect and go to the best school in the nation. Equivocating because of a few years' tuition shows a lack of perspective.

I thought I would resurrect this thread...

Yesterday I mailed off my acceptance letter...scary moment but I did it and I couldn't change things ones I dropped the envelope in the mail. Today I have been utterly fatigued, blah, and rather indifferent. I ended up cleaning my house thoroughly as a distraction. It is sort of like being so overwhelmed with emotion that I am "done" with the decision process that I now feel numb from over saturation. Part of me feels like I should go out and dance, celebrate, etc... but I am more inclined to hide in my fuzzy frumpy comfy clothing and listen to old school dramatic goth music.

To add to the "my ass is whooped" feeling this has been one hell of week for me with abnormal intensity of everything (just one week!). This week I was sick (flu or cold); had to work non-stop to get my manuscript submitted by the final proof deadline (FIVE YEARS OF WORK FINISHED!!!!); gave my first oral presentation at an international conference; had to deal with potential freeze in my job (gov shutdown narrowly prevented); had to interact with all of my old co-workers from the job where I was previously laid off from; found out my partner of 11 years won't be joining me when I move to grad school (but might move out a season or two later...); had to make up a weeks worth of missed classes and homework (including teaching myself everything I missed in calc) because I was too sick to go to school; had to balance out everything on my to-do list with surprise visits from folks visit from out of town; and somewhere in between everything I made the choice of where I am going to spend the next five years of my life...

so ya... I am feeling a little burned out right now. It gets better right?

I just don't understand why you would apply to 3rd or 4th choice schools unless you would attend them if accepted.

This question doesn't really help with your current situation, I realize, but there must be some redeeming qualities of these institutions if you decided to apply to them in the first place, right?

If so, follow through with your initial strategy and go to the schools.

If you plan to wait and reapply next year, make sure you compile a list of schools which you would definitely attend if accepted.

I met a girl from UCI this weekend at a campus visit and she was wonderful and clearly very bright. In any case, I would not generalize about an entire student population.

Of course the UC schools are facing a crisis right now, but not all of them are being hit equally and the quality of a program is not entirely dependent on finances. The OP and others who have chimed in surely have experiences that should be considered, but theirs are simply drops in the ocean of other viewpoints regarding UCI and the other UC campuses.

I met a girl from UCI this weekend at a campus visit and she was wonderful and clearly very bright. In any case, I would not generalize about an entire student population.

Of course the UC schools are facing a crisis right now, but not all of them are being hit equally and the quality of a program is not entirely dependent on finances. The OP and others who have chimed in surely have experiences that should be considered, but theirs are simply drops in the ocean of other viewpoints regarding UCI and the other UC campuses.

See my other posts. If the quality of UCI undergrads is any indication, UCI is not a good place to go for English studies. I don't know; maybe it's different for PhD students. But I know community college students who are brighter than UCI English undergrads.

And to the poster talking about the wonders of UCI English . . . fellowships, travel grants, world-famous guest lecturers . . . These are things any graduate program should offer. I agree that they indicate a finanically healthy program . . . but nothing more.

The UCs and Cal States are in a mess at the moment, and it's sure to get worse. My Cal State MA was de-funded at the beginning of year two. Bye, bye tuition-waiver, hello stipend reduction.

Why else would I (and many like me) be moving away from this beautiful weather to pursue graduate studies elsewhere? If the OP is legit, he/she is to be lauded for some honesty.

Another blog about how horrible grad school is. How wonderful.

Did you guys know that the job market is bad? And that some people don't fit in? That you might have a shitty boss? You could feel overwhelmed and overworked? You might be making a mistake?

Welcome to life! These are issues everywhere you go. All the bitter ex-grad students want you to believe that grad school is the only place where things are hard like this, or these are the issues. Guess what, they aren't. These are realities in every field. Be aware of the pitfalls, but don't presume that every cranky poster with ablog account has some magical insight because they had a bad experience. Most of us have heard the speeches and been apprised of the risks. Ultimately we are going to give it a shot. I'd rather be an unemployed phd than some dick wondering how things could have been different if I had just given it a shot. Maybe I'll drop out in a year or less. Shit happens. But if we had everyone who had a bad experience in a given field write a blog, no one would want any job ever.

It's okay to just reiterate that you've made a choice that works in your best interest. You could also say that you had a really difficult decision and that your decision is based on things that are out of the control of the departments you're declining (resources, fit, location, family concerns, cost of living etc).

If you're sold on school A's offer (with better funding), then don't waver. Besides, with the better funding you can get a keyboard with a reliable space bar

It's okay to just reiterate that you've made a choice that works in your best interest. You could also say that you had a really difficult decision and that your decision is based on things that are out of the control of the departments you're declining (resources, fit, location, family concerns, cost of living etc).

If you're sold on school A's offer (with better funding), then don't waver. Besides, with the better funding you can get a keyboard with a reliable space bar

I figure if you're asking this question, then you're leaning more toward Northwestern.

Go with your gut, yeah?

I figure if you're asking this question, then you're leaning more toward Northwestern.

Go with your gut, yeah?

It's okay to just reiterate that you've made a choice that works in your best interest. You could also say that you had a really difficult decision and that your decision is based on things that are out of the control of the departments you're declining (resources, fit, location, family concerns, cost of living etc).

If you're sold on school A's offer (with better funding), then don't waver. Besides, with the better funding you can get a keyboard with a reliable space bar

I figure if you're asking this question, then you're leaning more toward Northwestern.

Go with your gut, yeah?

This is my first time actually posting to the sight. I have, however, been a constant lurker and want to thank everyone for all the intelligent comments and support in evidence here. I applied to six schools this year and found out yesterday that I did not get into any of them. I'm sure others must have experienced this, and even if you didn't, most people realized some form of rejection.

I've posted a few thoughts about it here for anyone interested: My link (http://heatherherrman.wordpress.com/)

To the rest of you, Congratulations! I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I'm glad to know that there are people out there who still care about, study, and promote literature.

bump for 2011

It's okay to just reiterate that you've made a choice that works in your best interest. You could also say that you had a really difficult decision and that your decision is based on things that are out of the control of the departments you're declining (resources, fit, location, family concerns, cost of living etc).

If you're sold on school A's offer (with better funding), then don't waver. Besides, with the better funding you can get a keyboard with a reliable space bar

Beware the Ides of March?

First, all rankings systems are completely limited by their methodology.

For USNWR - They go around and ask 2 members from each English graduate program to rank schools; they then compile all the answers and you have a giant list of completely subjective and statistically irrelevant rankings. That said, this list does represent some sort of 'brand awareness' which has some sort of effect on getting noticed when you get out on the job market.

For NCR (phd.org) - The list is outdated because there were significant setbacks and stalling. This ranking system is actually based off of 2005-2006 data and contains some very statistically incorrect methodology. Search around and you'll find that some departments were completely misrepresented and not all programs were measured with equal metrics.

For the ranking list above re: placement - It means absolutely nothing because it only uses raw data. It does not account for the size of a program (of course Berkeley has more people placed in schools--it admits 3 times the cohort of other schools!). It also does not account for the age of a program. It doesn't account for upward or downward shifts nor gives credits to programs trying to improve their clout.

This is all to say that one's efforts shouldn't be directed toward picking a 'better' school than another--such distinctions are arbitrary or subjective and will lead to a vicious cycle of unsubstantiated metrics. One, however, should be wary of picking an "unknown" school, or a school with a bad reputation--since there are so many "good" schools to choose from, you shouldn't waste your time on schools even slightly suspect.

In the end, you should be picking between great programs. The most important variable is you. Where will you do the best work; where will you fit in; which program plays to your strengths and needs? Of course, a counterpoint could be made that the only constant is you--if you're going to do great work where-ever you go, then you should simply disregard rankings and focus on where you'll be happiest.

First, all rankings systems are completely limited by their methodology.

For USNWR - They go around and ask 2 members from each English graduate program to rank schools; they then compile all the answers and you have a giant list of completely subjective and statistically irrelevant rankings. That said, this list does represent some sort of 'brand awareness' which has some sort of effect on getting noticed when you get out on the job market.

For NCR (phd.org) - The list is outdated because there were significant setbacks and stalling. This ranking system is actually based off of 2005-2006 data and contains some very statistically incorrect methodology. Search around and you'll find that some departments were completely misrepresented and not all programs were measured with equal metrics.

For the ranking list above re: placement - It means absolutely nothing because it only uses raw data. It does not account for the size of a program (of course Berkeley has more people placed in schools--it admits 3 times the cohort of other schools!). It also does not account for the age of a program. It doesn't account for upward or downward shifts nor gives credits to programs trying to improve their clout.

This is all to say that one's efforts shouldn't be directed toward picking a 'better' school than another--such distinctions are arbitrary or subjective and will lead to a vicious cycle of unsubstantiated metrics. One, however, should be wary of picking an "unknown" school, or a school with a bad reputation--since there are so many "good" schools to choose from, you shouldn't waste your time on schools even slightly suspect.

In the end, you should be picking between great programs. The most important variable is you. Where will you do the best work; where will you fit in; which program plays to your strengths and needs? Of course, a counterpoint could be made that the only constant is you--if you're going to do great work where-ever you go, then you should simply disregard rankings and focus on where you'll be happiest.

First, all rankings systems are completely limited by their methodology.

For USNWR - They go around and ask 2 members from each English graduate program to rank schools; they then compile all the answers and you have a giant list of completely subjective and statistically irrelevant rankings. That said, this list does represent some sort of 'brand awareness' which has some sort of effect on getting noticed when you get out on the job market.

For NCR (phd.org) - The list is outdated because there were significant setbacks and stalling. This ranking system is actually based off of 2005-2006 data and contains some very statistically incorrect methodology. Search around and you'll find that some departments were completely misrepresented and not all programs were measured with equal metrics.

For the ranking list above re: placement - It means absolutely nothing because it only uses raw data. It does not account for the size of a program (of course Berkeley has more people placed in schools--it admits 3 times the cohort of other schools!). It also does not account for the age of a program. It doesn't account for upward or downward shifts nor gives credits to programs trying to improve their clout.

This is all to say that one's efforts shouldn't be directed toward picking a 'better' school than another--such distinctions are arbitrary or subjective and will lead to a vicious cycle of unsubstantiated metrics. One, however, should be wary of picking an "unknown" school, or a school with a bad reputation--since there are so many "good" schools to choose from, you shouldn't waste your time on schools even slightly suspect.

In the end, you should be picking between great programs. The most important variable is you. Where will you do the best work; where will you fit in; which program plays to your strengths and needs? Of course, a counterpoint could be made that the only constant is you--if you're going to do great work where-ever you go, then you should simply disregard rankings and focus on where you'll be happiest.

First, all rankings systems are completely limited by their methodology.

For USNWR - They go around and ask 2 members from each English graduate program to rank schools; they then compile all the answers and you have a giant list of completely subjective and statistically irrelevant rankings. That said, this list does represent some sort of 'brand awareness' which has some sort of effect on getting noticed when you get out on the job market.

For NCR (phd.org) - The list is outdated because there were significant setbacks and stalling. This ranking system is actually based off of 2005-2006 data and contains some very statistically incorrect methodology. Search around and you'll find that some departments were completely misrepresented and not all programs were measured with equal metrics.

For the ranking list above re: placement - It means absolutely nothing because it only uses raw data. It does not account for the size of a program (of course Berkeley has more people placed in schools--it admits 3 times the cohort of other schools!). It also does not account for the age of a program. It doesn't account for upward or downward shifts nor gives credits to programs trying to improve their clout.

This is all to say that one's efforts shouldn't be directed toward picking a 'better' school than another--such distinctions are arbitrary or subjective and will lead to a vicious cycle of unsubstantiated metrics. One, however, should be wary of picking an "unknown" school, or a school with a bad reputation--since there are so many "good" schools to choose from, you shouldn't waste your time on schools even slightly suspect.

In the end, you should be picking between great programs. The most important variable is you. Where will you do the best work; where will you fit in; which program plays to your strengths and needs? Of course, a counterpoint could be made that the only constant is you--if you're going to do great work where-ever you go, then you should simply disregard rankings and focus on where you'll be happiest.