Sgt. Pepper

Amen.

I'm handling it really well. My primary address remains my parents' home, I refuse to change my license (in part because I would have to re-take the written exam, but mostly because I am not emotionally prepared to make such a change), I complain about the food and lack of Italian specialties, and everywhere I go I find people from my old state and area who say, "Oh God I miss it! I want to go back!" Oh, and I keep a countdown of the days til I go back for a conference in October. 35 days til Long Island! So I think all in all I'm handling it rather well.

Princeton is indeed a nice place. But then again...it is Princeton. New Brunswick... Rutgers is also not the prettiest college campus, although given that I grew up near Princeton, my view of how a college campus should look is somewhat stilted. Oh New Jersey, take me back! I'm sorry I cheated on you all those years with the City, and now with Minnesota... I didn't mean it!!

Now, which part of the Armpit are we talking about? Northern New Jersey, Central, Redneck-of-the-North Southern Jersey? Ah New Jersey.... Where the weather during the summer includes an ozone warning. Where the oil refineries light up the night sky like Christmas lights. Where you can live your entire life and still not be able to figure out where other people in your state live unless they tell you their exit on the Turnpike. Where the World Class Shop Rite really is World Class... At least til Wegmans came along. Where God dammit you need a car. Where traffic tends to be a lifestyle, not a rush hour thing. Where the state university is named after a guy who was in fact from NY and had nothing to do with the school or the state. Where you can still catch plenty of Revolutionary War re-enactments and see famous historical sites of the 18th century, so shove it Massachusetts. Where you sometimes find yourself wondering where the "garden" in the "garden state" went. Where at least two presidents made their homes: Woodrow Wilson and Grover Cleveland. Where you occasionally happen on nice little towns that are not totally mass produced subdivisions. New Jersey.... Where you're never far away from somewhere you actually want to be.

Oh god I miss New Jersey. I never thought I'd say that, but dammit I miss New Jersey.

I want to see Channel 11 in this "Big Red Barn" they keep talking about, preferably on what the woman termed "thrifty thursdays." Oh yeah, and I quote, "Big Fat Bacon: One-third pound slice of bacon fried and carmelized with maple syrup, served on-a-stick with dipping sauces." with "Fry Dogs, a French fry covered, deep fried hot dog on-a-stick." mmmmmmm.

I went... from what i could tell, it was mostly international students that showed up, since quite a few of the brochures at the library table were printed in Chinese... My department starts orientation Monday and then class on the 8th 'cause in Minnesota, you have to wait for the State Fair to end to start class.

Yeah, I registered for classes just for the purpose of getting an ID and a U pass, 'cause I'm running out of quarters really quickly. I'm not so concerned about murder or crime, it's the damn tornadoes that kind of freak me out. I heard this siren noise and thought, "OH MY GOD!!! where's the cellar like in the movies??!" I'm right by Lake Calhoun, and while normally I'm not a lake person, it's actually really nice. One of these days I'll get up to Lake Harriet... You can sign up for the email/internet id without being registered yet and get wireless and use the library computers/computer labs. It's funny how no one beeps their horns in Minnesota. I've heard it once on the bus, and it just soft little tap, not the way I'm used to where you lean on that horn so it goes full blast for about 2 minutes.

I'm getting my Upass and public library cards today. I've been to the Target, and for a brief moment I thought I would walk out the door and see Route 1 just like back at home... I like the downtown, but I'm really enjoying Uptown and REALLY glad I didn't move closer to campus.

I did it. I am an east coaster who never imagined herself living in the Midwest. Yet, here I am in the so called "Grain Belt." I've been told I can't be from New Jersey, I don't have the accent and apparently Minneapolis is a crime ridden city. You have to lock your door with one dinky deadbolt. Other than that, I'm digging my adopted city. That Mary Tyler Moore was on to something!

This is exactly why I avoided moving until the last minute and the one week before my department's orientation is already looking like it's going to consist of "sooo, what do I do now?" My mother has suggested, repeatedly, "clean. Aren't you going to have to clean?!!!" Apparently the process of sanitizing my already rather clean apartment takes days. Who knew?

i work in a library as a reference assistant (I actually work at two different libraries with this same position) while taking five courses and it's not so bad. The good part is I end up doing a lot of reading and researching, so I do all my coursework while I'm sitting around. I just got a ton of stuff done the last couple hours, and it works out great when I have 5-7 hour stretches.

livin' car free in Minneapolis Minnesota. Car free but with one sweet bicycle and an awesome unlimited bus pass.

In the 1950s up until 1965, there was a golden period where schools were fighting for history grad students, hiring them before their dissertations were even finished in a desperate attempt to fill tenure track vacancies... It's been downhill from there. I'm not going in expecting anything. Every field I'm in people are killing each other for part time jobs that essentially go nowhere. It's a bitch.

I happen to know for a fact that if it came down to it, Minnesota could kick Rutgers' ass, and I think we could take NYU also.

Do they have ozone warnings? 'Cause I'll really miss the summer ozone warnings...

Hahaha! I'll just go to my department's. It's free. I think.

I don't know about you, but the lunch sounds good... assuming, of course, that it's free. I've been told to plan on going to the state fair in late August, apparently it's quite thrilling.

purchased on clearance whilst i was visiting. that's how much i loved the school when i visited. And that gopher is pretty damn cute. While I would usually agree, and yes the M's style does irritate me ever so slightly, but my undergraduate institution had no athletics to speak of, we didn't really have a mascot, and this "school spirit" did not exist. So it's very foreign and exotic right now.

University of Minnesota. It was the fried cheese curd that sold me, really.

Well, it's official. I'm a Gopher.

Dear Rutgers, I regret to inform you that your pseudo waitlist/acceptance has been formally rejected. This was a particularly tough and competitive season, and I received many excellent applications and offers of admission. Unfortunately, you simply do not meet the ambiguous, subjective and undefined predetermined "fit" requirements I've established. Rutgers, you made me like Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink and I do not appreciate that. I always loathed her for waiting around for Blaine when Ducky was so perfect, so right. You, Rutgers, are my Blaine even though you are not good looking, preppy, wealthy or popular. And so, I bid you a fond farewell because I have a prom to get ready for. PS- You won't know this decision, at least not until you call and ask, and even then I will be vague and unresponsive.

Hello caller, Like most people undertaking this grueling process, you have dreams and aspirations. We've all heard the stories of tenure track job shortages and the purgatory that is life as an adjunct, but being perhaps young and naive we use a variety of responses to counteract those realities. "It won't happen to me, I'm talented, gifted, I'll make it. The job market might change by the time I finish, I'll be okay." "I can worry about that in five, six, seven years when the time comes. I've got skills. I've got options. I can live with little money, I can live in a small town; I can't live without Marxist theory." Your post is brief and information scarce, so this diagnosis is based on little and perhaps worth even less. Which path to choose? Your dilemma is not one of not being wanted, or of fantasy versus reality. You are not a postmodernist, there is a concrete "reality" and "truth," feelings hold little sway. Your practical side is screaming "I NEED A FUCKING JOB AT THE END OF THIS!!!" while the other side of you thinks "But school 2 leaves me warm and fuzzy, it feels right." Despite the academic fetish for a classless society and its radical leftist tendencies, we need prestige and firmly believe not all universities are created equal. Much as we fight it, brand names like Harvard are the academic equivalent of Chanel. The first issue you must confront is branding yourself. Presumably you applied to both ethnic studies and history programs for a specific, undisclosed reason. You, like myself, are torn between two worlds and sometimes pure history just doesn't feel fulfulling. Perhaps these alter egos are why you have decided according to personal, predefined standards that neither department "fits" you intellectually. For you, ethnic studies and history are like a black and white cookie: take away the chocolate and the "feel" isn't right. Perhaps your solution should be found outside your department, and you need to think of the magic word: interdisciplinary. Which department will let you explore other opportunities? Which move away from narrow labels and agree, "history is the study of many other fields" or "ethnic studies requires looking back as much as it does examining the present." The advisers you've chosen present a challenging dilemma: "eminent professors who seem attentive and helpful." Helpful and eminent? A tantalizing dilemma, indeed. Had they simply been cruel, viscious beasts on either side you would most likely be feeling relieved right now, but neither treated you badly. Tant pis. But the post does not mention current graduate students. Graduate students are a unique breed: their predilection for pontificating the negative aspects of their life makes them perfect wells of knowledge for fresh, young students. They know where the bodies are buried, and most are more than willing to say, "Eminent professor is nice, but try getting him to read a dissertation chapter and return it on time." They understand the inner bureaucracy that lurks in every department. Graduate students will let you know how disorganized a department is, for some know the dirty little secret that the administrative assistant has a tendency to forget to submit the proper forms for paychecks. Oops. As a good graduate student, regardless of adviser, you should verse and arm yourself well in the departmental bible: the departmental policies and procedures handbook. Directors come and go, and most scholars cannot be bothered with trivial things like "administration," but you are a smart cookie. You will know what forms to fill out and even have them in ahead of time: you're funding will always been renewed punctually. Why? Because, as we all well know, knowledge is power. And you are left saying, "But this doesn't solve my problem. I'm still lost and confused, torn between two decent options." And so the next question to arise is the practical one, where your brain is still screaming "I NEED A FUCKING JOB." We all need employment, and you state that school 1 has a better placement record than school 2, so where does that leave you? First, you have already established an unequal playing field. History degrees have a glutted market, but what about ethnic studies? Debating between the two, you must first ask your advisers "what have you done to further the employability of your grad students today?" Some urge a specific minor field, while others illuminate divergent fields with better employment options. One may even say the words "public history." We all have dreams of tenured glory, with monographs that, being the scholarly achievements they are, almost 300 people read, including our families who were forced against their will. The responsible adviser and graduate student will diversify their portfolio and have the dreaded "plan B." It can never hurt. Advisers are the people who find and obtain job interviews, ask you adviser at school 2 exactly what their track record is, and don't settle for "Well, I can't really remember..." Because they always do. As for geographic location, this seems a minor question. Your pursuit of happiness is primarily concerned with the interaction within the Ivory Tower, not outside of it. So many people say, "It's in a great city," so few say "the department has exceptional workshops where grad students and faculty get together and discuss their work in a free, open and constructive fashion." Before thinking of the world outside the classroom, think about the world within. Have you left the department with a tingly feeling, eagerly rushing home with visions of planning your first workshop? It is a question of growing as a scholar, and loved ones, especially relatives and friends, are excellent at playing the bum just to see what the new town is like. There is now unlimited calling to family and friends, video chatting online, too, so you will not be stranded in the hinterlands without contact. Lastly, do not immediately dismiss feelings. Rational thought is an excellent tool, but in all honesty historians (and ethnic studies people, too) are humanists and we care about feelings. At least most of us, anyway. If the feeling is right, then it's right. If the feeling is wrong, do not ignore your instinct. The people who do on television are usually the ones who end up in bad accidents or dumpsters, and we wouldn't want that for you.

Ah, the ubiquitous "School 1" "School 2" problem. Well, I am not in your exact field, but I do have an inkling of how to address your problem since we seem to be approaching a similar situation with similar questions. "I want to go to Columbia," you cry. "It has centers, institutes, faculty, oh my!" The possibilities, it seems are endless, you can even take courses at other top five universities, what is there to not like? The faculty in your exact field are superstars, they're famous, but this name recognition comes at a price: they aren't very interested in your work when they have so much of their own to do. "It's in New York," you tell yourself, "Where I really want to live!" Because although you don't necessarily say it this way, Michigan and Ann Arbor are in the middle of nowhere. They're hick towns and you're a cosmopolitan intellectual. Most New Yorkers and even East Coasters would agree, there's nowhere between here and California worth living, it's all tumbleweeds and Okies. They're fat and wear fanny packs; you'd be isolated from everything the country has to offer that is good and worthwhile. As a New Yorker myself, I know the feeling quite well. We used the term "flyover states" for a reason. But beyond the shiny surface, the cracks begin to show in ubiquitous school number 1, and school number 2 (note which one received which numbers) has been wooing you like Romeo did Juliet. They offer you money, they at least feign excitement over your research. They act cooperatively and demonstrate a collegial atmosphere. Yet still you hesitate. "The faculty isn't precisely in my field," you might retort. But consider this: what if your field changes as you read further and discuss new ideas? Being exposed to different ideas might prompt you to re-evaluate your field in a way those with the exact same interests could never accomplish. "I'm not familiar with their areas," but who is stopping you from learning and vice versa? In fact, I have found that faculty who are completely unrelated to my field have the most insightful remarks to bring to my work and, remarkably, they have advised some excellent dissertations that overlap nicely. Eager faculty will also be more willing to work cooperatively both with you and other adivsors to give you the support and intellectual environment you feel you need. If they're excited about your work and your goals, then obviously the divergence in subject matter does not preclude them from thinking they have something worthwhile to offer you. Have you seen copies of recently advised dissertations? Engaged and interested faculty will go a long way towards helping you finish in a quick, efficient manner. Five years into your program, do you want to be tracking down Socrates on his world lecture tour to give you comments on your first dissertation chapter? Graduate school, despite what many grad students and others might think, is not a punishment. You should not be resigned to "doing hard time" at your graduate institution. It is a time to grow as a scholar, to discover your voice and career path. For a very long time, scholars believed that seclusion and natural surroundings fostered deeper intellectual thought. Columbia tried to escape New York, but didn't quite move far enough. But still you hesitate. Since School 1 has yet to offer you admission, this discussion is relatively academic. As scholars, though, this certainly does not preclude us from fretting over the theoretical and hypothetical. If School 1 ultimately rejects you, would you simply turn down 2 in favor of re-applying next year? Is there no place other than 1 where you can grow as a scholar and historian? I suspect, and forgive me for lapsing into Dr. Frasier Crane, that your hesitation regarding school 2 stems from some deeper problems. You "really want Columbia," you've wanted it since before you even applied. Already you have envisioned yourself in their gated fortress above Morningside Heights, engaging with the Socrates of your field. You've purchased your Columbia Tshirt and worn it around the house! School 2 is not contending with School 1, it's contending with your fantasy of school 1. I am most certain that, had school 2 treated you the same way as 1, you would have simply said "fuck you" and moved on. Part of letting go of 1 is letting go of the fantasy and dream. You saw yourself in Manhattan, cosmopolitan, witty and urbane, not a tiny town in the Midwest. God invented planes, trains and automobiles so you could travel, but Ann Arbor doesn't have three international airports and countless trains, but then again who else does? Which do you care about more: your subject matter or your living environment? If you answer the latter, perhaps you can find an alternative employment that allows you to live in the Big Apple. If it is the former, I suspect you have already decided where you should be, but perhaps now is the time to stop fighting it.

All I know is, there is no way I am waiting around for Rutgers. New Brunswick is not exactly a place worth waiting around for, and to be completely honest, I'd rather be in a department that wanted me and treated me in a remotely respectable fashion. If this is how they run admissions every year, then they must anticipate receiving a lot of rejections of their own. They can't expect us to wait around for them if and when they decide to start talking, since they certainly aren't the only funded game in town. Hopefully, in the future perhaps the Gradcafe will function as some kind of Better Business Bureau for grad school and people will avoid Rutgers.