ViridianMambo

So, I'm interviewing at two schools in the next month, and I want to compile some questions. I've got a few gathered now, but if anyone can chime in with their two cents, that'd be great! Here's what I have so far, gathered mostly from PhD Comics, lol! Admissions: How many applications does your program receive each year? How many students are accepted? How many enroll?Student aid: What kind of financial support can a student expect to receive during the entire course of the program? In each year? What about summer support? What is the cost of living in the area? How much educational debt have students accumulated, on average, by the time they graduate?Teaching: How many discussion sections and courses are graduate students required to teach in order to receive a stipend in each year of the program? What is the average teaching load in each year of the program?Are masters degree students expected or encouraged to teach?What support is there for training new teachers? Attrition: What percentage of students enrolled in the program eventually earn doctorates? How many leave with master's degrees? At what point do most drop out? What are the reasons given, if any (i.e., money, concerns about job market, seeking other opportunities, family responsibilities, etc.)?Time to degree: How many years does it take to graduate on average (not ideally, but in reality)?Placement: How long are graduates on the academic job market? Where, exactly, is every graduate employed in academe (and in what kinds of positions: tenure track, visiting, adjunct, etc.)? Who was their dissertation adviser? What were their subfields? Where are graduates working, if not in academe? Does the program also lead to appealing career paths outside of academe?

Got three rejection e-mails from Brown, Northwestern and UMN, with one acceptance e-mail from UC Boulder and one paper acceptance letter (????) from U of IL Urbana Champaign. No funding from the department at UIUC, but UC-Boulder mentioned a "support package" being finalized, so whatever that means, I have no idea! Stanford, UT Austin, and Indiana University are still lagging behind, but Stanford probably got a billion applicants, UT Austin is a bureaucratic beast so I'm not surprised it hasn't gotten back to me yet, and Indiana seems like it's still stuck in the 1970's in terms of technology, so I'm not surprised either. And they had a January 15th deadline. Anyone else have to apply using weird, outdated application portals or interfaces? I thought Colorado's and Indiana's were weeeeeeird. Brown too, but maybe I'm just used to ApplyYourself?

So, I got a "thin" letter from UIUC yesterday, but was *SHOCKED* to see that they actually accepted me into the MA program in Theatre! Huzzah! *But* no support from the department. BOOOOOOOOOOO. Anyway, just posting so others who are waiting on UIUC can lurk more productively! Now I have a choice! This is so weird, y'all....I really thought I wouldn't get in anywhere! Bon courage, mes amis! Fetchez la vache!

I'm MA too! Hooray! I think they had a visit weekend in January, but I knew for sure that I didn't want to go unless I knew I was accepted. So it's probably going to be an impromptu thing, but I'm not sure. Congrats again!

OMG FOR REALS?! MA or PhD?? Are you going to go visit?? HAPPY BIRTHDAY BTW! CU FTW!

Thanks, all! I am going to celebrate with a greasy burger and a gigantic beverage complete with umbrella and food coloring!

Anyone else think that FOR SURE they weren't getting in anywhere? 'Cause I sure thought I wasn't going anywhere! But then UC Boulder e-mailed me their acceptance! HOORAY! Anyone got ideas for celebrating? Bon courage, mes amis!

Stanford sent out an e-mail, which I have conveniently translated into LOLSpeak: "O hai. Thx fore ur applicashun. We'z not pick'd our candid8tes yet. LOLMYBAD. Mebbe we'z tell u in March?? Kthxbai." I am not hearty enough of spirit to keep this up!

Best Case: get into Stanford with full funding, be able to move cross country without doing permanent emotional damage to my cat, kick ass at my PhD, and get a sweet-ass tenure track (hell, ANY) job at a small liberal arts college where I can do it all, if I want. Ideally in Illinois. Then buy a little house with a gigantic garden and have a pack of equally gigantic dogs, at least one of which will be named Chewbacca. Nothing too specific, eh? Worst Case: get into a program with no funding, go $60K into debt (BOOOOOO), not be able to get into a reputable PhD program afterwards and have to go back to square one with the administration jobs (nothing wrong with them in general, just a little soul-killing for me). Live in a box next door to a dumpster. Weep until my tear ducts dry up. Eat Twinkies. Repeat. So pretty much what you said, SimilarlyDifferent. I worry because right now, I have a pretty rad job in a great environment (just not what I want to do forever, you know?), so I don't want to screw that up. Either I'm all in, or all out! Yeesh.

Theatre & Performance Studies. I knew it was a long shot, but hopefully this avalanche of Fail will precede an avalanche of Awesome. The rejections are coming fast and furious! Thanks

Don't know if any of you are interested, but just got a rejection via e-mail from Brown. Heads up for those who are eagerly awaiting word from them. *sigh* I'm hoping that good news comes in this month of poo! Anyone else hate February in general?

You guys all rock! Thanks for making heads turn in the cube farm where I work because I was trying not to pee myself laughing.

Anyone else think this is precious? Thank you; your consideration of our program is a great compliment to us.

Well, my first rejection was last night, so I ordered greasy takeout, watched some old man TV about volcanoes, and went to bed too late. This morning, I worked out hardcore, and I feel better. Hope I can minimize the takeout and maximize the workouts once the rest of the rejections (ha!) come rolling in! There's something oddly comforting about learning that pyroclastic flows make your brains boil and explode. Makes a grad rejection seem not quite as bad...