adverbially

Anyone else STILL DECIDING? Or is it just me? I got accepted off of a wait list the afternoon of the 14th - not exactly great timing.

The info came from the MA director and the PhD director at the university where I did my Master's, which is a pretty well-ranked and well-regarded school. That's just the advice of two people, though; I'd fish around.

Even though some of my interests are in Irish studies, and even though I already have an M.A., I was strongly advised against applying abroad. I was told that a European PhD is more or less useless here, unless you want to teach at, say, a really good private high school. Bummer, though, because 3 years in Dublin sounded pretty sweet.

You're right; I should just stop being lazy. Thanks!

Even sillier question: They let you know ahead of time if this is the case, right? I've already gotten acceptance offers that come with TA-ships attached, and there's been no mention of needing FAFSA stuff on file in order to receive the money. I'm clueless.

I don't need to fill out a FAFSA in order to receive stipends or money from a TA-ship...right? Only if I want to take out additional loans?

I know a number of you here have posted acceptances to UW-Madison. I'm currently on the wait list and am trying to decide between Wisconsin and another school ahead of time in the lucky event that I'll have to make a decision quickly after April 15. OK, really, I'd just like to spend as long as possible agonizing over a choice I may not even have to make. At any rate, I've clearly been scouring the Madison Craigslist site for apartment info and have committed the department website to memory, but there's one gap in my information: Funding. Are any of you willing to share information about the funding package you've been offered?

I applied and almost attended a few years ago. I wound up turning it down because they offered no guaranteed teaching opportunities (the one girl I met who was a T.A. stumbled into it because a prof had to take an unexpected leave) and because they considered MA students part time - no health care. Those things might have changed, though.

I remember from when I applied to MA programs a few years ago that Villanova accepted applications until pretty late in the year. The funding deadline was earlier, though.

It's quite possible. I haven't made any decisions yet, and I'm still thinking about it, but I'm leaning toward other places at the moment. I'll let you know what I decide.

yup.

Yeah, actually, now that I think about it, that's what I've heard, too. Since none of us can predict what the market's going to be like, you're right: Gotta just follow the passion.

Ditto here and Indiana.

I guess any advice would have to hinge on exactly what it is you'd like to do. I, too, considered medieval studies programs, but wound up applying only to English programs because much of my interest in medievalism has to do with how it's represented in different time periods or genres- in other words, I'm not interested in"pure" medieval studies. Would your research benefit from the ability to draw on resources across a number of medieval disciplines (i.e. history, music, in addition to literature)? If so, think about it. I'm sure, also, that Cornell would encourage you to take a bunch of English classes, and, though I don't know much about the school, I'm willing to bet there's some substantial crossover between the Medieval Studies and English faculty; you'd still have access to English department resources. One of the reasons I applied as a medievalist is because I was told I would be much more marketable both as a PhD applicant and as a job applicant a few years down the road. Apparently, every department feels obligated to staff at least one medievalist. A Medieval Studies PhD (as opposed to one in English) would probably qualify you to teach in a number of different departments and in the end might make you even more marketable than someone with a straight English PhD. Then again, the teaching/hiring landscape is obviously undergoing some economically-influenced changes, so who's to say what will be marketable six or seven years from now? Regardless: Cornell! That's awesome. Give them a visit.

Still no word.