Two Espressos

That sounds awesome. I wanna go.

Congrats, Trip! Exciting stuff right there. Still looking forward to meeting you and other GC members someday, maybe at a conference or something down the road? Also, congrats to everyone getting off of waitlists, making final acceptances, etc. I'm so happy that so many GC members had such successful application seasons! And to those who will be applying/reapplying next fall: good luck! I'll be joining you in all the nail-biting, drunk-posting, and neurosis-exhibiting that accompanies the graduate school application season.

You look friendly and awesome, and this was a cool idea (as was ComeBackZinc's photo a while back). I've used up my "+1" votes for the day, but I'll be liking your post tomorrow.

(<--- sunglasses to hide internet blushing) [i figure I should finally jump on the sunglasses meme that StatelyPlump (I believe that's her/his username?) started.]

Jesus Christ, I really didn't mean for my post to start this kind of a conflagration and detract from people posting about visiting, the waitlist, etc. I'm going to comment upon a bunch of things, so here goes... I should have clarified my reasoning a bit in the former post. My main issue with more southern states is the physical climate, not the political one. I live in the northeast, and I have trouble surviving our 75-85 degree summers! I intended to mention both the weather and the politics, not just the latter. Sorry about that. I am still somewhat concerned with the political atmosphere, especially because I live (and have lived, my entire life) in such a shitty town. But the weather's my main gripe. EDIT: And anyways, if Austin is how you and others have described it, then the political climate shouldn't be a problem at all. I put "elite" in quotes on purpose, trying to highlight the tendentious, arbitrary nature of the academic hierarchy. I don't think I was clear enough, so I apologize! I agree with your points. But I think that it's reasonable to be intrigued with a program that has, according to the subjective experience of several users, a very friendly academic climate. I'm not solely making decisions for those reasons, of course (and it's very far down the list of important factors), but it has made me more interested in researching/exploring UT-Austin's program, which I think is a good thing! Of course I'm concerned with "good programs with good funding that fit." Why are you personally attacking me, exactly? Once again, the heat is the main reason I'm uninterested in the southermost states. I should have explicitly stated that (I have in other posts, but I regret not including it in my former post in this thread). As for trolling, one of the things I love about TheGradCafe is that trolling is (mostly) nonexistent. This isn't /b/, and most people here have the decency to treat others with respect. My other comment may have been misleading and too simplistic, but I don't think that it warranted your vehement reaction. I don't understand why everyone's upset either. You're too kind, really. But thank you.

As far as the subject test is concerned: I met with a trusted professor to discuss the GRE (general and subject) earlier this week. I'm taking the General GRE in three weeks, which will only give me around a week to study. My professor said that probably would be OK, as she said that the math portion is rather easy and that extensive studying probably wouldn't help me score any higher on the verbal portion. Plus I hate standardized exams. I didn't study for the SAT and did fine, and I don't plan on studying much for the GRE. Also, my professor vehemently dismissed the subject test, saying that it was just "a fucking trivia test" that is "indicative of nothing." She told me basically not to take it unless one of my prospective schools required it. Some of my current schools might at this point, but I have no qualms with eliding them out of my list. I'm going to either use the seminar paper I'm currently writing, which will be in the vicinity of 15-20 pages, or a paper that will arise in an independent study I'm going to take this fall, which will also be in the vicinity of 15-20 pages. I'm still going to heavily edit the papers, of course, but I do have the basic paper(s) selected. I plan on submitting the same sample to all of my schools if I can. Admissions committees obviously don't want to read a paper that exceeds the maximum length, but I think they'd appreciate a slightly shorter paper, as long as it's of high quality, hence why I'm aiming for 15-ish pages (most programs that I've seen look for a paper between 15-25 pages; I've seen some as high as 30 pages and some as low as 8-10, but 15 is the relative norm, so I'm sticking with that).

It's posts like these that make so excited about the prospect of being a Ph.D. student! I'm glad you had such a great visit! To be honest, UT-Austin was never on my list of prospective schools (no programs in Texas were: the political climate is just mind-blowingly bad in that state, in my opinion), but I'm definitely going to put it under consideration, simply based on how excellent your reception was. Johns Hopkins is a more "elite" program, but at this point, I'd think you'd be better off going to UT-Austin. Either way, you've got great options.

Excellent news! So happy for you. Good luck!

UNC. My reasoning is in the other thread (Final Decision Thread).

Exactly. There seems to be an unduly neurotic fetishization of rankings from the more science-y fields (at least, judging from my ex, who's pursuing dental school in the fall), but I feel as if some humanities people have the obverse problem: entirely neglecting the importance of prestige, whether actual or *perceived* (this is the key term here). Whether we want to admit it or not, there is a hierarchy in academia, and ignoring it will only hurt us down the road. So yes...pay close attention to the rankings, but don't let them completely dictate your decisions like my ex, whose choice was entirely based on perceptions of prestige. "I like such and such school better, they fit me perfectly, and they're highly ranked, but such and such is an Ivy, so I'm going to go there."

Indeed! It's a pretty divisive film, though it made a lot of 'Top 10' lists. I wouldn't say it's my favorite film, but it's definitely in my top 10. I agree with Ebert's declaration: it was probably the greatest film of the decade (2000-2009). Anyways, sorry for hijacking this thread! Return to posting the results of your awesome application seasons.

I've presented at two conferences, one regional and the other international. They were both with Sigma Tau Delta, so they're mostly geared for undergraduates, though there were a few grad students there. Conferences don't mean shit when you apply as an undergraduate, but I'd encourage you to go to one or two if you can afford it or if your university will pay for it (they paid for me!). They're lots of fun, good networking experiences, and great opportunities to prepare for "real" conferences later. I wouldn't publish anything if I were you. I refuse to publish for the reasons aforementioned: I don't want a sub-par paper following me around the rest of my professional life. Or maybe all the papers I've written thus far are shit. Or both. Anyways, even the greatest undergraduate papers usually suck compared to graduate/professional work, so I'd stick to doing the best work you can on your writing sample, and maybe attending a conference or two if you're able.

That scene usually makes me burst into tears, though your comment "pull a Sammy" made me chuckle. I mean, with the music and the acting, especially the painful urgency in Caden's voice--how can anyone not cry? Trip, if I ever run into you at a conference or something, I'm totally going to get us into a deep Synecdoche, New York conversation. Just sayin.

Oops, didn't see the "apply" part of the topic. Anyways, my list still stands! That's how I'm narrowing them down.

It's impossible for me to say definitively until I actually (hopefully!) am in the position of choosing between schools, but as of now, I'd say that these are the most important factors for me, in order of importance: 1.) Funding 2.) Faculty 3.) Placement Rate (I originally had #2 and #3 switched; I suspect that the quality of the faculty has something to do with placement) 4.) Prestige (specialty, followed by department, followed by university as a whole) 5.) Location (social demographics, urban/suburban/rural, weather, cost of living, whether I can live there without a car or not, etc.)

Perfectly put. Lots of great philosophers in the area!

Also, as far as philosophy goes, Rutgers has one of the top programs in philosophy in the country. Sure, the University of Chicago is up there too, but if Dr. Leiter's Philosophical Gourmet is to be trusted, Rutgers is second in English-speaking countries (read: ranked above every single Ivy; second only to NYU). I'm unsure as to how the philosophy department/English department relations work out there, but I'd imagine that you could take many courses in the philosophy department if you so chose.

You're crazy if you don't go to Rutgers. Who gives a shit about the Ivies? I could understand your plight if you got into a very lowly ranked--or unranked-- school, and your decision was between that and MAPH at Chicago. But a funded spot at Rutgers? You realize that there is some sort of consortium between Rutgers and other local universities, meaning that you can take classes at Princeton, etc? EDIT: After a short google search, I discovered that this is indeed the case. You can enroll in courses at NYU, CUNY Graduate Center, Princeton, Columbia, etc. Again: go to Rutgers.

I've heard good things about it as well and have also yet to read it. If I have time, I plan to read it this summer.

This topic has veered into talking about the GRE (which I don't know much about but will comment upon below), but I want to add that I will be applying to MA and PhD programs in English this fall. At this point, I'm not very stressed about this whole process. While I want nothing more than to be accepted to a respectable PhD program, I'm content with doing other things. I'm quite satisfied with my undergrad experience so far, and I wouldn't mind working for a year if my application season goes to hell. I'm sure I'll be *very* stressed about this during the month or so before and after application deadlines, though... Anyways, my biggest concern--and it's a perpetual one, as my posts over the year evince-- is that I'm going to have a hard time selling my interests to a committee. I've yet to find a department that I feel fits me like a glove. I guess that could be a good thing (I'll stand out more then?), but I'm not so sure... As for the GRE, I know that I won't study for it as much as I probably should. I'm going to play around with some vocabulary flash cards and have my computer science/math major friend help me prepare for the quantitative section, but that's about it. The GRE doesn't intimidate me. I concur with the others: it's the least important part of one's application. Bombing it probably isn't a good idea though.

I study literature rather than philosophy (and wish to pursue a PhD in literature rather than philosophy), but I visit Dr. Leiter's blog frequently and voted in the poll. I voted "yes," though I can see both sides. Cutting student enrollment would provide more funding, at least in theory, right? That's the biggest concern for me.

I know, right? I think it's so awesome that these people could be my future colleagues.

I like this idea.