muchado

I second all the things ComeBackZinc said. I think most people would consider either program to be prestigious. When I was applying, my advisor definitely ranked MSU in the top five rhet/comp programs in the nation. However, if what their courses and faculty members don't fit what you want to research, it could be frustrating for you as a scholar.

vanilla1983 - Shoot me a message, and I'll tell you more about my experiences.

First of all - Congratulations! That's awesome that you've already heard good news from a school! Second of all - Definitely go, especially if it's paid. This is the program's chance to prove to you why you should go there! It's a really great chance to meet students and faculty and get a good look at where you could be spending the next several years of your life. My visit days were really what helped me decide between programs. You learn things about a program that you wouldn't be able to ascertain over the phone with the DGS or over email with a current student.

If you are really worried, call or email someone from the program and ask. If you don't already have a MA, I would recommend applying to a few funded MA programs in addition to direct-to-PhD programs. It's a good option if none of the PhD programs work out, and a strong MA career would open you up to even more possibilities in two years.

University of Louisville is another school that funds its MA students, and there are several people focusing their studies in rhet/comp.

There are a number of rhet/comp PhD programs in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. I saw that you already had UT-Dallas and UT-Arlington on your list. Others to consider would be Texas Woman's University and Texas Christian University. Louisville and Lexington (University of Kentucky) are only about 45 minutes away from each other, and I think there's a mass of Florida schools that are all pretty close? Have you guys looked at rhetmap.org? There is a geographic map of all the PhD programs that have at least a rhet/comp track.

My MA institution extended an offer to a graduate from there in 2012. She was incredibly intelligent and well spoken, excellent in the classroom, and very prepared for the campus visit. She ended up accepting a job elsewhere, but I feel like that's a good sign? I didn't really look into the program much as I'm not particularly interested in digital aspects of rhetoric, but I've only ever heard good things about the program.

Congrats ishmael! That's fantastic!

Yay! Congrats everyone on your decisions! Is anyone else having a hard time believing that it is finally April 15th? It feels like I've been in this process forever.

Taking written comps on April 24th. We got the email yesterday, and I immediately wanted to throw up.

The DGS at VT, Paul Heilker, is really nice. I'm sure he would be willing to talk to you about the program. I turned down an offer from them last Friday, and one of my other friends did the same earlier in the week. They could be trying to figure out who is getting those spots? And I also never heard from Purdue, but I already accepted another offer. I hope something works out for you soon!

I said it elsewhere, but I'm officially heading to Louisville! Hooray!

Yes! I'd love that!

I've officially accepted my offer from the University of Louisville! So excited!

Congrats to girl with glasses and Two Espressos! That's awesome! I just turned down offers from TCU, Texas Woman's, South Carolina, Houston, and Virginia Tech and a waitlist from LSU. I'm not sure if anyone here is on any of their waitlists, but if so, I hope you hear good news from these schools soon!

One of the girls I met at my Louisville visit did her MA at Alabama, and I'm pretty sure she combined some Comp/Rhet studies with Renaissance studies. So, that could be another option. Also, check out this map of Doctoral programs that have a specialty in Rhet/Comp - http://batchgeo.com/map/1a491427ce89c24f0206905a57091e6e

One student at a school I visited said that once she narrowed her search down to a few apartment complexes, she called the local police to ask about safety of the areas and such. They ruled out two of her three choices. I thought that was a great idea and will definitely be employing it once we decide where we are going. Also - thanks for the U-Pack suggestion! I'll definitely be looking into it. When we moved from Texas to NY two years ago, we just rented a Budget truck and (with both of my husband's parents and my dad) got the truck and our two cars here. It was a huge pain. If you do want to go that route, I would suggest assuming that it will take a lot longer than you think. Add on at least a couple of hours to any Google Maps estimate.

Yay Damequixote! Glad you decided!

By any chance does your school offer a lightened load in the first semester? I know that Louisville's stipend has a 2-2 load, but you actually teach a 1-2 your first year to ease you into the work load.

I'm still working toward a decision, but at the moment, I'm leaning toward Louisville. The visit was great, and I really enjoyed both the faculty and students there. That being said, I am visiting TCU next weekend and South Carolina a bit after that, so we'll see how it all turns out.

Alright then! I totally wrote them off after acceptances got posted earlier this week. I guess we'll have to see what the next week brings.

Wait, do you think they aren't done sending acceptances?

Proflorax - HOW DO YOU KNOW MY LIFE?!? I mean, obviously this is with different schools, but I feel like this is me every day.

I'm reviving this thread because my stress about choosing a school just got to the point where when I read a rejection letter my first thought was "well that's good, now I don't have to worry about another school." Anyone else gotten to this point yet?

I wore nicer black jeans tucked into boots at my last visit. No one seemed to think I was a terrible student because of this. I ended up deciding that looking nice but being comfortable for an all day visit was probably more important than freaking out about whether or not I should be wearing slacks or a dress or whatnot.