Two Espressos

I too have been warned that Chicago is cutthroat. I've heard the same about UC-Irvine, and that the latter tries to weed people out once accepted. But maybe this happens at a lot of places? I actually am somewhat attracted to the purportedly hyper-competitive nature of Chicago: it would be such a refreshing contrast to the school I attend now, sadly. As much as I would like a very collegial atmosphere--think UT-Austin-- and would need it to stay sane, I think that in an intellectual sense I need to be placed in a cutthroat environment to really grow. It would be good for me, I think.

The University of Chicago is such an awesome school. I didn't end up applying there, but I probably should have.

Not at all! I think your accomplishments this year are at least on par with, if not greater than, what everyone else has done.

Yeah, last year (and possibly the year before, although I joined mid-January of that cycle and don't remember it very well) wasn't like this at all. I remember the guy who was "a bit annoying" ("What's it like to be illiterate and pursuing a Ph.D. in the humanities?" or something like that), but yeah, last year's online culture was really different. But you shouldn't leave the grad cafe! Well, I mean you can leave if you want, but I want you to stay. I like hearing about others' experiences in Ph.D. programs and stuff.

Yeah me too. I googled the middle school line, though, and girl who wears glasses may have been quoting Mean Girls.

The chili pepper is probably the most meaningful metric on RMP, considering that most of the evaluations are ill-formed, nonsensical diatribes by unmotivated students. Things I've accomplished this semester: 1. I took an awesome independent study that helped focus my research interests. 2. Drawing from #1, I wrote my best paper yet, the only one of which I can say I'm proud. It was convincing enough to change my advisor's mind about a theoretical/conceptual issue, so I think that's a good sign. 3. I submitted another decent paper to an undergraduate conference, and I think it'll be accepted. 4. I've successfully been running the local chapter of my honor society and believe I'll be able to send a few of our members--myself included, hopefully-- to a major west coast city for the aforementioned conference. It's been a hectic term, but I'm feeling relatively sane, despite worrying about these graduate school applications every damn day.

Also out of up-votes. +1.

Yes, indeed! Last year was a great cycle for grad cafe members. Here's to hoping this year will replicate last season!

That's an excellent funding package, wow.

English literature, yes, but my current research interests are heavily philosophical and interdisciplinary.

As much as I'd like to say the former, it's probably the latter, haha. I kept changing my mind about what it was that I wanted to pursue at the graduate level--composition and rhetoric, English literature, philosophy-- so I kept switching the kinds of programs I'd research. I do feel that I've made a very informed decision as to the programs I applied to this year, though.

In a general sense, yes--I've been casually researching graduate programs and such for two years. I certainly haven't been working on an SOP, writing sample, etc. for two years.

Why not? It's a fun website, a great time waster, and an opportunity to learn from fellow applicants and graduate students.

I wasn't talking about the results page. I was referring specifically to the "regular posters" on here: people like TripWillis. I've been on this website for a while, nearly two years, and the regular-posting cohort has been quite successful for both application seasons I've been witness to, especially considering that most good schools have something like a 5% acceptance rate.

This is a bullshit comment. Lots of people on this forum get into great programs: Harvard (Julianne Pigoon, or something like that-- can't remember her exact username), CUNY (TripWillis), etc. If you stick around when admissions decisions start rolling in, you'll find that many regular posters--though not all, of course-- will get in somewhere, oftentimes several places. People on this website, at least the English forums, seem to be quite successful in their graduate school careers.

Hahaha Yes, I think an alliance is a necessity at this point.

jesus fucking christ It has a lot to do with your lack of tact. I agree with a lot of what you've been saying, but the way you go about saying it is so discordant. I'm led to believe you're either a troll or just really bad at communicating with people on the internet.

You're defining terms in an odd, insupportable way. What about people who aspire to teach at a community college, who would prefer that to teaching at an Ivy-league school? What makes that only an "okay" aspiration? We need people to teach at the "lower" levels of academe too, and not just disgruntled HYP Ph.D.s.

This made me laugh. And I feel the same way. Plus I want to be able to say that I did all that despite coming from humble--to put it mildly-- origins. It's an absurd dream, but fuck it, I'm going for it anyways.

Exactly. The foreign languages have a far worse job market than English does (a recently tenured French professor at my university joked that she got "the last tenured position in the country."). And, like you stated earlier, caw_caw_caw, many students avoid foreign languages if at all possible, especially undergraduates.

Yes, indeed. And it's common knowledge--and just common sense-- that when a random, unknown university receives 300+ applications for a tenure-track position, they're going to have to weed people out somehow. They weed out everyone not from an elite program because they can, while still having to contend with dozens of equally qualified people for that one coveted spot.

I agree with your first sentence and emphatically disagree with your second. The latter isn't rooted in reality whatsoever, as much as I'd like to believe it's the case.