girlmostlikely

I'm glad I could help! Definitely feel free to PM me--I'm very familiar with the faculty at the programs to which I applied (and can even offer some anecdotes!) and a fair sense of faculty at other programs too.

I'm a 19th-centuryist (though I also sometimes trip into the early 20th century) and I do feminist theory and gender/sexuality. I applied to Columbia, USC, Chicago, and UCLA, and got into the first three. I can't speak to USC, as I received their acceptance the latest, by which point I had already limited my choices down to Columbia and Chicago. I will say that Columbia has a very vibrant and present 19th century community and overall one of the largest Victorianist faculties in the country (I think only Rutgers and Indiana can rival it.) If its not obvious, I will be attending their program, for both its strengths in the 19th century and in gender and sexuality, though I also have a strong interest in performance and that's why they've edged out other schools I was considering. Your list looks good and I'd say your top 5 is, subjective though this may be, pretty accurate. (Depending on one's interests, though, one could rearrange the schools.) However, two other schools I applied to (and, incidentally, got accepted to) were CUNY and Rutgers. I'm very surprised that Rutgers is not on your list, as they are well-known for having a great Victorianist faculty! Both within and without their Victorianist facutly, they also have alot of great faculty who have worked on or are working on gender and sexuality (e.g. David Kurnick and Carolyn Williams in the 19th century contingent.) CUNY doesn't have quite as large a Victorianist faculty, but they do have Talia Schaffer. Now, I am biased here, but you can't go wrong with any school in the New York City area--NYU, Columbia, CUNY, and Rutgers are all great for the 19th century. Plus, you can take classes at other universities, many of the schools are heavily represented in NVSA (Northeast Victorian Studies Assocation), and there are other institutionalized opportunities for cross-university correspondence specifically for 19th century scholars and students. That's the end of my pitch.

Have you applied for on-campus housing (e.g. a university apartment)? If so, you might want to wait until you get your assignment because I believe it will also include the week during which you will move-in (including arranging a lease-signing, etc.).

I'm going to be going to Columbia (as a Victorianist), but I got accepted to both Chicago and Rutgers and can give some further thoughts on this. Rutgers is particularly great for Victorianists (and has a reputation as such), especially because they have a large number of faculty working on a variety of topics related to the 19th century. Moreover, there seems to be a very strong Victorianist community in the Northeast. Not only is there NVSA (Northeast Victorian Studies Association, which holds a yearly conference), but in the NYC area there's a Victorianist collective of students and faculty that holds meetings and get-togethers several times throughout the year, and CUNY has a monthly seminar on Victorian studies. There's also a Rutgers-Princeton Victorianist group, I think. Chicago has a small handful of truly fantastic, renowned Victorianists, but you can't beat Rutgers for 19th century studies (maybe Columbia can beat them, but it's a close tie.

I'll be going to Columbia too! (For the MA/MPhil/PhD sequential program, of course.) Mailing in my final transcripts today to prove that, indeed, I have received my degree.

At a lunch at the open house for one of the schools I visited, it came up that my undergraduate adviser keeps telling me to submit a portion of my thesis for publication, and two profs said DON'T PUBLISH. Not because of the quality of my work (neither had read my writing sample) but precisely because it is best to let ideas mull and you don't want something permanently attached to your name forever if your ideas or argument might still be inchoate, or if you haven't gotten much feedback on something except from your adviser. (Graduate students have multiple advisers and also collqouiua to help them with publishing). If you want to get a paper out there, conferences are the best. I presented at an interdisciplinary undergraduate conference (sponsored by my university), and submitted a paper for a seminar at a major conference in my subfield. Though I had to pay a hefty some to attend the latter, there was no application or pre-approval necessary beforehand. It was definitely a great experience and if anyone has a few hundred bucks they don't mind spending, I'd recommend seminars/round tables as a way to circulate your ideas around and to get feedback.

I ended up choosing Columbia. I had an absolutely wonderful visit (and its nefarious reputation for departmental conflict is an old rumor that continues to stick). It seems to be a very supportive, democratic environment--if one that requires a fair share of self-initiative and independence from students, which I have no problem with!

I officially declined (both the general offer and the ECF) on Monday. Unless CUNY is super-fast with moving through the general waitlist/funding waitlist, in which case you received my ECF, my spot should be going to someone else soon.

I got my rejection letter in the mail today. It assured me that my application got the "full consideration" of faculty members in my field. I wonder if this is a coded way of saying that I made it to the final rounds, or if it's just a formal nicety they say to everyone? Alas, I just accepted the offer of another Ivy League school yesterday, and everyone--even faculty from the other schools that accepted me, it seems--believes that it's the best place for me.

Long time no see, gradcafe. Been too busy with all the post-acceptance recruiting and preparing for visits. I've officially accepted a program, and now I feel all funny. Perhaps because it was precipitated by my being unable to visit another program, and my sudden self-realization that I definitely know where I want to go and that it's time to start a new chapter of my life.

I can send you a more detailed PM later, if you'd like, but I can say that the campus visit for me was absolutely wonderful. Everyone (faculty and students alike) were very friendly and generous with their time and attention, and often very warm. The campus was beautiful--but perhaps I say this because it was 60 degrees and sunny, and my undergraduate campus was full of soviet-style mid-century architecture. It overall seemed like a pretty democratic sort of place. Also, EVERYONE I talked to said that the undergraduates there are really amazing, which matters if you'll be TAing. Campus apartments were pretty nice too. Much more spacious than I had anticipated, for very decent rent.

In the email from the DGS ("Welcome to Columbia") it notes that you can either have the department admin (Pamela Rodman pbr2101@columbia.edu ) book your travel tickets, or you can send her the receipts and get reimbursed that way. I'd suggest emailing her and getting confirmation that you will also get reimbursed for international travel (you are international, right?). I'm just taking a train from Boston to NYC! But I will indeed be there. Anyone know if, from that post above, only 16 students were accepted? Man, I feel blessed. But also illogically lucky.

Okay, this is such an example of #AccepteesProblems, but I just spent an hour and a half emailing people from [redacted] university who have contacted me--and I was mostly just saying "I am going to be out of town for a few days, I'll forward some questions to you afterward!" The biggest program to which I've applied is also being the most welcoming, and I'm kind of getting overwhelmed. I just ate through nearly half a tub each of trader joe's triple ginger snaps and dark chocolate-sea salt covered almonds in order to physically occupy myself, and now I am too caffeinated. And I need to wake up early tomorrow, to write a more thought-out email to ANOTHER POI.

Save for the specific details re: application decisions, this pretty much describes every email I've gotten from ETS and a couple graduate school admissions offices. (I'm not naming names. Except, it's not you, Chicago, Columbia, or Rutgers.) At this point, I just want Harvard to notify, and I want an implicit rejection. I know I say this from a point of privilege (acceptance to two top 10 programs, and acceptance to my three very top choices), but I am getting so overwhelmed corresponding with faculty and students from my current options. You were a much better fit than I thought you were, Harvard, and you have some GREAT new recent hires, but I can't handle any more.

My application status worksheet currently has NOTHING listed except for my name, my DOB, and the program to which I applied. It's been this way since December 12. Yeah, I stopped trusting the ApplyYourself pages after a handful of phone calls to GSAS inquiring about the blankness of my application. They are seriously the nicest people over there in my experience, though.

Trip, if you are a proud Diesel regular, you've probably seen my adviser, who my friends saw in there pretty much every day there over the summer. Silver hair, goatee, glasses, wears a lot of black. Totally not the type to live in Davis, at all.

Also, if you enjoy working at cafes, be prepared to shell out cash or steal it on your iphone/ipad--both diesel and TG charge for wireless! Hence why I go to the magical Tealuxe in Harvard sq (also, because they actually know how to brew a cup of tea there).

Hey, I am a current Medford resident! Yeah, I'd probably avoid living in the Davis-Porter square area (Elm St or Highland ave). I'd recommend living off of Broadway, preferably in the Ball square area--as it's still only a 10-15 min walk from Davis. Plus, there's a bus route that runs down Broadway from Davis to Sullivan Square, which is the orange line (Davis is red line). Broadway has some great cafes and restaurants between Ball and Teele Square. I currently live off of Broadway going away rom Ball sw toward Sullivan. My roomates are Tufts grad students wh do walk to campus. I can answer any questions you have about the immediate area as well.

Because I can't stop dwelling on this. I wonder if this is what everyone refers to when they say "department politics" at Columbia? I know the (non-GC) source from whom I directly heard this, something a friend said her adviser said (because said adviser had a friend whose been teaching at Columbia for a very long time), was also to referring to something a few years back. I wonder if this might be it? http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/17/nyregion/columbia-soothes-the-dogs-of-war-in-its-english-dept.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm It sounds utterly, utterly nasty and something that would stick to Columbia for a while. But it's also about a decade-old dispute, and since then Columbia has attracted alot of really awesome already-established profs from other schools. Most of my POIs at Columbia are fairly recent hires. (No, I'm not talking about Judy.) I wouldn't think that they'd all come to Columbia if it were a hostile environment. Plus, they are all those god-forsaken "feminists" and people interested in such esoteric, nonsensical issues like gender and sexuality. How do I get to the bottom of this? Where is my sleuthing hat?

Thanks, will do! Man, I hate that choosing programs has to involve things like departmental politics, how students relate to each other (and how they relate to faculty), etc. Can't it all be about finding the best mentors and resources for one's research? Especially because it's difficult to get answers on these things from the people who are recruiting you. You need to somehow be able to access insider information.

Yeah, I've heard that same thing about Columbia (somewhat indirectly). You know off chance if that conflict was more wide-reaching--e.g. about general direction of the department--or if a handful of people just really hated each other? One of the good things about Columbia's size, I would think, is that you might be able to avoid some departmental politics if it doesn't involve your own advisers/mentors.

Yeah Chicago's reputation confuses me. For undergrad they are known as where the fun goes to die, because of the core and unforgiving grade deflation. The faculty I've talked to there have taken it upon themselves to tell me that though the academic environment really requires both students and faculty to really "think on their feet," challenge colleagues and allow themselves to be challenged, &c., it's not a roughly competitive environment save for an odd apple or two. This is why the fact that you are being recruited by faculty who really want you in the program is difficult. Anyone know anything about Columbia's reputation, in terms of how students relate socially and academically? I know they are not known for being too lovey-dovey collegial, but... Anyway, when I was in undergrad, I was the undergrad representative, and I decided that my primary responsibility was to ply the department with baked goods. On pi day I made three dozen mini-pies of various kinds (peach, berry, pecan, etc.). I had to explain to people what pi was. I also brought in cookies all the time. Unfortunately, though, my thesis adviser has some sort of advanced ninja celiac disease and cannot have ANY starch (not just gluten), sugar, or dairy. He told me once that he brings home my baked goods to his partner, who actually doesn't have much of a sweet tooth. As a graduation present, I gave him a five pp single spaced thank you letter (how else was I to respond to the Maria Callas CDs/DVDs he gave me??). Not sure I can put in the effort to write equally long letters to my other recommenders, but I do think a well-thought out thank you card is the way to go.

Oooh, this is all very interesting! I understand (or understood) David as undergoing a gradual self-shattering in the novel--at first unwillingly. That scene towards the end where he's looking in the mirror and then suddenly imagines Giovanni was a favorite of mine. I wrote the paper during my brief flirtation with psychoanalysis, so I was really drawn to scenes of mirrors and gazes. Though I tried to integrate my discussion of subjectivity with some historical materialism! The class was co-taught and one of my profs has done a lot of recent work on Baldwin. Trip, are you familiar with Aliyyah Abudur-Rahman's essay on GR? She argues that David undergoes a gradual racialization in the novel. To lighten this abit: yeah, anyone as resistant to camp as David won't rank among my favorite fictional characters, though I love GR nonetheless!

Not to shoot myself in the foot, here, but I think the thing about Rutgers is that they attract the very best applicants who end up getting a handful of awesome acceptances. My twin sister is in a tippity-top English PhD program (ranked higher than any school I've gotten into, she'll remind me!) and she knows quite a number of people who declined Rutgers. So, though I have no statistics to back it up, AT ALL, I get a hunch that Rutgers has a waitlist for a reason.... Also, Dorinda--another thing you have to consider is not only on what money you'll live, but where you'll live. I don't know much about Durham, but Chicago is a world class city with a great arts scene, the world's greatest bookstore (yes, Powell's is better than Strand, it's better than Harvard Books...) and with fantastic museums. And, as Chicago faculty remind me, a really up-and-coming arts scene on campus. The town my sister's in has about the same standard of living as Hyde Park,and though her stipend is a bit more than mine, she definitely lives comfortably enough to splurge on prosciutto and crab legs for dinner when she wants. (Hi Liz! I'm sure you're reading this.) You're vegan, right? These excesses won't be a problem for you. Also, Chicago has the greatest veg*n restaurant ever, the Chicago Diner, it cannot be beat. Not to mention, we haven't had the opportunity yet to do one of the most important parts of learning about and choosing a program: talking with current graduate students. If it's not obvious, now that I have a number of options, I can no longer say with %100 confidence that I'll be attending Chicago, but I love everything I've learned about the program and therefore I want EVERYONE TO GO THERE.

The question is not making Giovanni's Room gayer, but giving more narrative subjectivity to Giovanni. I once tried to write a paper about Giovanni's personhood, failed, and wrote a paper about how different marginalized figures--Giovanni, all those scare queens hanging around Guillaume's bar--destabilize David's personhood. Speaking of pretension (or lack thereof), that book may have been the anchor of the Queer Studies class I took as an undergrad, and queer theory might be the example people use to make of the esoteric excesses of the humanities academy (grrr), but that doesn't change the fact that "man, when I first read this book, I HATED David" was my point of departure for intellectual discussion.