runonsentence

As soon as possible. My mentor (who has 2 young children) insists that, though we don't believe her now, we have more time in grad school than we will once we're in a TT job. She has given the advice to several of my colleagues that although she understands the desire to wait until one is in a stable job situation, you're just too tired to run after young kids once you're 37, 38—and you will probably be busier than you are now. I have two or three friends who have had children while still in PhD work. One friend is in the sciences; she and her husband alternate days at the lab, and equally bear the burden (non-pejorative sense!) of staying home to raise their child. Another friend of mine in my English department just had a child; because she's about to take her exams and move to the dissertation, her schedule can be more flexible than if she was in coursework.

Hah, I have to admit that my dad (an account) does my taxes for me, despite the fact that my age now rounds to 30. I'm not sure exactly where. But if you file as a student, you can claim education-related expenses and get a bit more of a refund, if you do withholding on your paycheck. I find my Gmail (and/or buyer accounts on Half.com and Amazon) to be a really easy way to track my book purchases. Half and Amazon help you out by filtering by year. Took me no more than 5 minutes to compile.

I, too, was FREAKED THE HECK OUT by all the gloom and doom that overwhelms Internet searches on grad school life. I came into grad school thinking that everyone I met was suicidal, isolated, trapped, bearing cut-throat and/or two-faced colleagues' politics, and miserably poor. Instead, I came to a collegial program full of grad students who have become close friends and faculty who have gone out of their way to support me. Grad school has its unbelievable stresses at times, but not a week goes by where I don't think to myself how happy I am to be in graduate school, how excited I am to go into my field, and how "right" this life path (that I was once so unsure about!) feels. I don't want to belittle the bad out there—there are many grads who are marginalized by the system. But don't let the gloom and doom paint the entirety of the profession. I think people just aren't talking about the positives as much as the negatives.

it's possible to get a lot of lit texts really cheap secondhand. (especially using half.com—if a seller has more than one book that you need, shipping costs are reduced per subsequent book.) that said, and bearing in mind that I occasionally "splurged" on a new copy or on a text that was outside reading not directly related to my current coursework (but pertinent to my exam reading in two years), I claimed $439 in book costs on my taxes this year. and yes, I amazed even myself in tallying that. other caveats: I am in rhet/comp (I take fewer lit courses—straight-up fiction seems to be cheaper in general), and I am on the quarter system, so i enroll in 6 different 10-week seminars per year.

For what it's worth, I have a friend at ASU, and he says that the funding year-to-year isn't as uncertain as that makes it sound. As I understand it from him, it has rarely, rarely been stripped from a graduate student. But this is what I vaguely remember from a conversation last year, when he was making his PhD decisions, so you should check on this from other grads currently in the program.

Wow. I'm wondering if that applies to Rhet/Comp, too. Got an acceptance letter today, but it mentioned nothing about funding. I know some friends who applied in previous years for Creative Writing and either weren't offered money or weren't offered money until after they had accepted other offers. Should have taken that as a red flag before I paid that app fee....

Just received a rejection via USPS. Letter dated March 25th, postmarked April 7th, arrived on the 9th.

I would echo what's been said above, in that the answers to all of your questions will eventually involve identifying sub-fields within rhet/comp that interest you. (But I realize that you're here looking for a way to build a general knowledge and eventually work into a more specific direction!) MA/PhD programs: interestingly, MA programs in rhet/comp are still more the exception, rather than the rule. (Recent CCC article on this....) I'm not sure where to recommend in terms of an MA program, though you need to make sure that it will get you teaching experience, if possible (my MA at Cincy did this and really prepared me to move into the PhD, even though I did my MA in Englsh lit).Other "big" names that have been left out so far: Milwaukee does great interdisciplinary and digital work; UNC Chapel HIll won some CCCC diss awards in recent years; University of Texas-Austin is traditional but stellar. There's also a comp/rhet roundup 2011 thread in here somewhere that lists the programs we all applied to this year, to give you an idea of where you might look, depending on subfield.Names: one thing that might be more manageble that perusing every journal we publish is checking out the CompPile bibliographies. These are compiled by well-regarded researchers on specific topics, and give you an idea of who's been influential.Orgs: join the NCTE and the CCCC (NCTE membership is a pre-req for CCCC). MLA is useful when you're on the job market at the end of the PhD.Books: some books that my mentor had me read last summer to get a sense of the field and its current direction include Rhetoric & Composition as Intellectual Work (Olson), Writing Teacher's Sourcebook (Corbett, Myers, Tate), Composition Studies in the New Mllenium (Bloom, Daiker, White), and Politics of Writing Instruction (Bullock, Trimbauer).

Accepted PhD Rhet/Comp offer at Cincinnati! Declined full funding at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (that was a tough decision!!) and told Ohio University they could take me off their waitlist (I was apparently "very, very high" on their waitlist), both PhD in Rhet/Comp.

I've heard absolutely nothing from GSU. Where online did you see your decision posted, the application log in? Mine just says that my application status is "submitted."

In my program, there is a language requirement, and you simply have to fulfill it—it may help your application to show that you've made strides toward language proficiency, but I seriously doubt it affected their admission decision. The measure of having fulfilled it in my program (and I imagine most others) is a translation exam. Some students come in and take the exam without having to take classes; others take anywhere from 1-3 classes before taking the exam. Bottom line: I doubt anyone is going to demand you translate something the moment you walk in the door. Yes, the rules are usually different for medievalists—the ones I'm friends with from undergrad all took tons of Latin courses, etc. And you're right that it can help with time to degree, etc. But if it's going to turn your life topsy turvy, I personally wouldn't recommend you kill yourself to take some community college language courses. Especially based on my experience in my program. Many of my colleagues fulfilled their language requirement in French, a language they hadn't (or had hardly) studied before.

I would say no, though perhaps it's my department's culture. While you're in coursework in my department, it's normal to go home or go on vacation during the breaks between terms, over holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, etc. We're only paid for 9 months, so taking vacations over the summer isn't an issue unless you've been lucky enough to be given some kind of summer work (RA position, teaching). And as long as you're getting your reading and writing done, no one bats an eye when grad students take reasonable trips to visit home, etc. even when you're in your reading year or writing your diss. In my department, I'd say it is unusual or unheard of to feel pressure to stick around campus over university breaks or holidays. (As long as I haven't missed any other meetings that term, I've even had professors gracefully allow me to miss class the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving.) I go home every Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break, and at least once every summer. But for the record: I'm always doing at least some work over those breaks.

Have you seen this thread yet?: I applied to Penn State but haven't heard a thing, so you're in better shape than me.

This could potentially be really helpful or not at all–but some key questions that are helping me make my own decision: - Teaching (all my offers involve TAships). What is the usual teaching load? What kinds of courses do students teach, what kind of variety is it possible to get, and how soon/often? - Additional funding options from the university and/or department. (Important for professionalization/preparing for the job market!) How competitive is travel money for conferences, and do the grants usually meet students' actual expenses? Are competitive fellowships (that would release you from teaching, if you're also looking at TAships) around? - Additional Experiences. Are other administrative or research experiences available for students, in addition to teaching? - Exam process. Are people getting stuck in coursework, or moving on time to exams? What is the exam process like?

It definitely will vary, by department/program, and by person. My double major and undergraduate research interests in intersections between literature and music scared a POI at one school I applied to, but then were listed as a strength (read: a reason I was accepted) at my current institution, where I'm completing my MA. So the answer for you might be to do a lot of research on programs and (how I regret giving you this advice, because it's hell to do—trust me) tailoring your SOP for each program.

I'd agree to never pay for a degree (tuition, that is), unless you're going into something that will give you a six-figure salary and thus make you independently wealthy.

I have a friend in a very, very similar situation—fellowship or TAship? And I think the answer is all in what you want to do most at the end of the degree. If you were to see yourself doing teaching-intensive work, for instance, or know that teaching will be part of your eventual career, the TAship will mean good experience. If you plan to pursue a more research-oriented career, a fellowship will give you more time to work toward that as a graduate student.

You're not an old loser! On one hand, many grad students make hardly any money. And tons of us have (or still!) live with our parents. And on the other, grad school (or any career, for that matter) doesn't have to be what defines you. Find something meaningful to do, outside of your research, if you take another year off. Something like tutoring or mentoring kids at Boys and Girls club, for instance, might really make you feel good for making a difference with your talents. I understand the frustration of feeling like you're not contributing to household expenses; but it ALSO sounds like you've made a lot of big life decisions in order to help take care of your family, which I'm sure they know and appreciate. Your call on this, I think, especially because the answer may depend on what kind of relationship you've developed with him. But a call sounds like it might be a good idea to me. Something like a phone call might be easier than trying to sit down for 40 minutes crafting out the perfect email when you're feeling unsure about things and have so much background behind the decision to wait another year. Good luck contacting him!

Although I suppose a potential PhD program would never know for sure, I suspect most applicants list assistantships on CVs and talk about their research and/or teaching experience in their SOPs. (And omission of such material from an application may be glaring for an adcomm). I know I did this extensively in order to look competitive.

To be overly broad, I'd say the answer to your question is tuition (full or partial), a stipend, and some kind of health insurance. I've never heard of a housing allowance. However, it's really hard to say what a "standard" funding package is—that tends to vary by field and is just very specific to the university you're looking at. For instance, English PhD stipends at state universities are often in the mid-$10k range, while my boyfriend is in the sciences and earns a stipend in the mid-$20k range. Tuition remission can vary too, especially since some schools are strapped for cash these days (many state universities, for instance). For instance, I didn't bother applying to Florida state universities even though there's some great work being done in my field down there because a lot of people are only receiving offers of partial tuition remission because the state budget is in the crapper. Health care also varies. My university offers me only health insurance; we have a crappy "dental discount" and no vision. And I have to pay for about $450 of my health insurance every year. Other schools may cover more. Some schools may cover dependents/spouses on health insurance plans, but mine doesn't.

Four years is definitely standard. (The notion in rhet/comp, at least, is that you can definitely do your degree in four years, though five years will give you a stronger diss.) Definitely talk to the program, ask what other students do if they want to do a fifth year—many universities (especially big research unis) have competitive university fellowships available, which might be more attainable than something with a national pool. Some programs can also cut you some kind of deal with adjunct pay for teaching or some other creative work-around, but it'll depend on the place. This is also a possibility. I have a friend at ASU who told me that it's possible to finnegale some stuff with your credits if you take a fifth year so that tuition payments are extremely minimal.

Thanks for sharing that Malcolm Gladwell piece. (My God, he's a beautiful man.)

Yes, it will be difficult to do applications again. The application process is always difficult. But this may not even be something to worry about, if you end up finding some options for attending school #2. And if you DO reapply, then it will be something to deal with once the time comes. If you decide that a grad degree is what will make you happy, then the choice to undergo the application process a second time will be worth it. If the stress of reapplying seems like too much or makes you too upset or suicidal, then just don't! Like was said earlier, you need to approach every decision by asking yourself what will make you happiest. I wish you good luck with getting funding at school #2! Don't look at it like a rejection—it's not, or they wouldn't be looking into things for you and expending extra effort to help you make it work. Time spent researching programs and reading papers doesn't sound like wasted time to me at all. It's built you a foundation that will only help you if you do pursue graduate studies. And yes, screw your advisor.

I'm not sure if the Canadian school will give you the extension, but it doesn't hurt to ask politely.

I know how awful it can be to feel like your life is on hold. But to reiterate some wise words that have already been said here, do remember that this is all about what will make you happy and what you can live with! I know you probably don't want to hear this, but it really IS okay if you get to your program and don't like it—nothing has to keep you there for five years, and if you tell yourself the most important thing is to be happy, then it won't be turmoil to decide to do something about it, you simply WILL and you'll be awesome. You should pursue the degree because it makes you happy; if it stops making you happy, that's what leaves of absence and leaving entirely are there for. Take this one decision at a time. I understand, all of those obstacles and gross feelings are hard to push out of your mind; I also carry the tendency of jumping ahead 18 steps from any decisions I make and worrying about everything I can all at once. But give yourself a bit of a break: don't worry about the LORs now. If you decide you'll reapply, you can worry about that when the time comes. It sounds to me like the decision in front of you is (a) go to school #2, or ( reapply and get in somewhere compatible with your true, emerging interests. Talk to school #2 again. Send them an email, tell them you're their top choice and that while you know they said they didn't have funding for you, you are really bent on making it work and would welcome any creative solutions they might have up their sleeves or leads on outside sources of funding. Really reasonable email, and I am sure it would be received well, especially since they liked you and your application enough to accept you. If you choose the reapply next year, remember: this year wasn't a wasted effort. It gave you clarity about your future research, and you'll have an even stronger package next time around. Most importantly, don't beat yourself up over ANY of this! You did well with your apps, considering that you did a rush job and weren't completely sure of direction. And if one of your research advisors really was annoyed over sending out 15 letters, then you shouldn't feel bad, because what he needs is a reality check and to take another look at his job description. You can do this, and we're all here for you. Feel free to send me a PM anytime you need to talk.