Phonologist

I'm going to Hopkins. I turned down Stanford after being accepted off of their wait list. It was an extremely difficult decision. Job placement won out in the end - Hopkins phonologists have been taking up fantastic positions. Let's hope it works for me too!

I just realized that if I go to Hopkins I'll never have to deal with this question again, assuming no one asks a cognitive scientist how many languages they speak.

Well, the two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. I consider myself a generative phonologist, but my approach is very functional. My personal view is that a very minimal or "soft" UG guides the emergence and self-organization of sound patterns, but on the other hand, I tend to focus on the UG aspect exclusively. I don't know what I am.

I'm in the middle of my year off and I don't have any health insurance. It's an option, I guess. Also, would you really get insurance just by taking classes at a state school? Everywhere I know of doesn't provide health benefits unless you're a degree-seeking student.

How weird - it's like the advertising terms have been spliced into a legitimate text, although not very coherently.

Haha, thanks Dinali. If I do take myself off the wait list, it'll be with you in mind. I'm really hoping something works out for you!

I'm the one who posted the last JHU acceptance, for whoever was asking on the results page. I got a call from my would-be-advisor yesterday. It feels really good to have a legitimate acceptance (finally), and I'd be thrilled to go, but I'm holding out to see what happens with my various wait lists before I think about a decision.

The two programs I'm wait listed at don't admit anyone unless they can guarantee five years of funding. I think it'll hurt a little less if things don't work out, knowing that I was never actually admitted. To be accepted somewhere and not be able to go must sting pretty bad.

Yes - just found out I've been put on the "alternate list" at Stanford. UGH. I've got nothing solid at this point.

He actually called me before the visit, as did Legendre. I think they both want to talk to everyone. It was nice meeting you BTW. How was the "party?"

Ugh, I'm really bummed about MIT. Just this week I had a professor emailing me who wanted to see more of my work, etc. I thought that kind of interest would at least get me a spot on the wait list, but I've heard nothing. At least I'm done now, aside from my interviews. This whole grad school thing has turned out to be kind of a bust - I didn't get in at either of my top choices, and I don't even have anything definitive from my second-tier choices. These two interviews are going to be very stressful.

I heard mid-March, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they didn't finish until 2012.

I'm always glad to hear good impressions of Baltimore. I'm interviewing at Hopkins on Tuesday. Come hang out in the linguistics forum! We have fun and games.

I'm totally going

Pony Express