lindenscoopers

For those who are interested in Purdue's MA program: I've combed through their requirements for graduation and it seems to me that Purdue's "distribution requirement," which requires you to take at least one course in each of the 5 periods they designate (medieval, 18th century, 19th century etc.) is a bit prohibitive to real in-depth study in the area you want to specialize in. For me, I want to focus on 20th to 21st century works, but if I have to take at least 1 course in the other 4 time periods, plus the 2 core courses they require (intro to english studies and intro to linguistics), plus the 2 courses you need to take in order to teach composition... then there isn't much left for me to take the courses I want to choose.

Oh, and are you waitlisted for the MA program or the PhD program? Because I got admitted only to the MA program. I do hope you'll get in, and if you do, I'll see you in August.

Like you, I also love a place that is sufficiently cold in its winter season. I guess, in terms of faculty, Florida is the better one right now, but when you take what that article says into consideration, then I think the prospects of Florida maintaining its quality are dim. I had really already told myself "OK, so Florida offers less money, and you have to teach 3 classes a year instead of 2 for Purdue, BUT it has better faculty and better prospects for doing the PhD so don't even dare to choose Purdue just because it offers more money and is close to really cool cities like Chicago and has a decent winter......" But then I read that article and BAM. On top of that, everyone I asked said that Purdue has a better name. I wonder why this is so when Florida ranks higher for almost everything? One of the people I talked to said that he only knew University of Florida because of the Gators...

Thanks.

Just curious: why would you choose Florida if it were a PhD, FreakingOut? (I'm an international and know near to nothing about the reputation of schools besides maybe Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, etc., so anything, ANYTHING about the place, reputation, faculty etc. would be very very helpful to me). *DESPERATE*

Thanks for your reply. The thing is both have advantages and disadvantages, but as an international student, it's even harder for me to decide because I really have no clue on how these schools are viewed generally. The idea I have is that people think of Purdue as the better school, but the idea I got from all the info I looked up is that Florida is a better grad school for English. So... ARGH!! An impossible decision.

I have (English), and haven't heard anything. I'm international, so I guess the mail could take some time getting here, but still, it's kind of late already. I'll probably give them a call.

I got admitted to both Purdue University's and University of Florida's MA program in English. Both offer TAships, Purdue for $11830 a year and Florida for $9200 a year. Florida ranks higher though for English (46 vs Purdue's 56 in the last ranking). I also think the cost of living in Gainesville, FL is lower than that in West Lafayette, Indiana... What would you choose? Any suggestions? Thanks a lot~

I got rejected by Washington University in St. Louis, and admitted to the University of Florida's MA program ($9200 TAship -- is that enough to live on in Gainesville, FL??). Nothing yet from Chicago, but thanks, Dan. The rejection letter is taking its sweet time arriving. Purdue University -- $11830 TA-ship / University of Florida -- $9200 TAship? Which one would you guys choose? Both are MA programs.

Did anyone hear from University of Chicago/University of Iowa/University of Florida yet? Waiting.......... anxiously. :? I'm preparing myself for 3 rejections. At least I got into Purdue (MA program though, but with funding, very important).