hermia11

Well, for one thing, everything that seemed anxiety-inducing about grad school when I applied (language exams; balancing teaching, coursework, conferences, and publications, while still maintaining life in general; moving to a new place and knowing nobody) is no longer a big deal. This has left empty space for a new anxiety to set up shop - whether I'm doing "enough" at all times, in all grad things. But that's not atypical. You, ComeBackZinc? Others?

Exactly this. I started this thread when I was panicking about whether I ought to retry and aim higher. The job market is dire and I wanted to have every possible "leg up" I could get. But I just made my decision to go to a pretty low-ranking school with a small English PhD program. And you know what? I'm happy. Those who I've spoken to (both students and administrators/grad secretaries/faculty) are warm and friendly, and devoted to a program that fully supports my interests and my teaching, and which turns out reasonably successful grads. I think the revelation came when I finally realized what my goal in this process is - I'm absolutely devoted to literary studies, but I'm not planning to get a PhD and become a superstar, teaching at R1 after R1, or frolicking among the Ivies. Maybe I have low standards, but I'll be absolutely content at a small, liberal arts college somewhere. Granted, this doesn't mean I'm not going to work like mad to get published and network the dickens out of conferences and faculty, because absolutely no position in this profession is guaranteed. But it all boils down to this for me - while a highly reputable school would be fantastic to attend and could lead to opportunities I that won't end up having in the future, for what I want, I don't need it. I'm content. And I hope everyone finds their own contentment, be it an R1 or the University of Nowheresville. Good luck, all!

If we're talking teaching writing/comp, I use two required texts - Hacker's A Writer's Reference (mostly for grammar and citation styles) and Gerald Graff & Cathy Birkenstein's They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. The latter is an awesome starting place for freshman writing students, particularly those that aren't wild about the thoughts of spending 16 weeks "writing stuff." It hardly looks like a reference text, and is approachable, well-written, and organized into easily-digested tidbits for the students that haven't thought about their own writing and the "moves" academic rhetoric requires.

And the band-aid is off. Joining the Rochester reject club. I'm fine with this, and even more so hearing wherewoolf's mention of a less-than-stellar experience. Lots of luck to everyone elsewhere!

Nice! Congrats, lascosmo! If you don't mind my asking, was this via email or via snail mail?

TripWillis, can I be nosy and ask if this conference was the same you referenced in an earlier thread? I'm thinking of attending this school and I'm curious as to whether this should be a red flag...

Nothing here. Just rip this band-aid off once and for all, Rochester!

Yikes, that seems quick. And harsh. But, the week-long orientation should be helpful. (I'd get something resembling weekly workshops.) At least for me, the actual teaching of courses is the easy part; the grading, dealing with student concerns, and "after hours" stuff is the time drain. Glad I'm not alone, since I feel like I'm griping over nothing. Obviously, I realize this is what we're getting into as a profession and an integral aspect of the PhD experience. But part of me says geeze, guys, can I have just one year to nerd out and be more of a full-time student than part-time teacher? I'll just keep dreaming.

This may be an odd place for this question, but it sounds like the post-acceptance stress party is here. So. I've brought a question for this party (yay?). Is a 20-hour TAship the first year of PhD work "too much"? Is it possible to balance teaching 2 courses and taking 2-3 courses each semester? For some context, I've been an adjunct for 2 years (got my MA a few years ago), and taught mostly freshman comp. So I'm not entirely uncomfortable teaching - I'm just concerned whether this will leave the kind of time/energy I'd like to devote to my year of coursework. Thoughts? The money is super tempting... but the time for conferences, presenting, research, etc. is also valuable to me, particularly my first year when I'll still be establishing myself. Advice of any sort is appreciated. And sorry if I'm a Debbie Downer in the party thread.

I heard too, and got a TAship. (The email wasn't terribly informative - Michelle is supposed to send a letter with details soon, it said.) I'll need to hear the details, but this seems like an offer I'm going to take. Sorry I can't help you out, cinemaniac! But good luck - I'm sure someone has to turn theirs down. Also - did you get in touch with any grad students? I'm interested to hear!

Thanks, all, for this logical advice. I'll certainly be looking into placement rates and types of placements, and hopefully that will assuage my sudden panic. I did think I put out decent apps this year, and when I was applying I thought the schools I chose were good fits for what I wanted. Just somehow, between December and now, I got cold feet about this final decision process. I think this is largely me coming to terms with the fact that the school I feel best about fitting into is actually one of the lower-ranking ones out there. Thanks for this especially.

Forgive me if this has been covered elsewhere, and if it has, just yell at me and I'll shut up. But - does fit matter more than reputation in a PhD program? I ask because now that I have more than one offer (so bizarre to even write that, and truly I'm so grateful to be in anywhere), I'm frantic and thinking I went about this process all wrong. My current acceptances are state schools, no Ivies, and none that would even crack the top 50 "best" programs (granted, I'm still waiting on some that are well regarded, but please bear with me and my current freakout). I'm worried about reptuation because we all know the job market post-graduation is murky at best - and it's a market in which a degree from a reputable school may trump one from a lesser-known program. But the other side of this reputation coin is - if I go to a less prestigious yet better fitting program, would whatever I do there end up benefitting me more? (i.e. less brutally competitive atmosphere, more advisor attention, better recs after working more closely with professors, teaching support, etc.) Or should I think about reapplying to more competitive programs next year? Anyone in the same boat? Any widsom? Am I overanalyzing this?

Just got the same email and I'm joining the waitlist party, too. (Better than a rejection party, but at this point more options = more anxiety...) 3pm and I'm ready for a drink.

I've heard nothing either. Even called and nobody answered (how is that possible??). I'm pretty sure I'm just waiting for the rejection letter at this point, which I'm fine with since I'm in elsewhere. It would sure be nice to just know for certain! I did really like the looks of their Irish Lit program.

Ditto. Altogether, not so informative. But it is nice that we have until May 1 to make final decisions. That's a crazy long time!