ComeBackZinc

Are you talking about for grad apps or for professional development once in grad school? I wouldn't pay $1000 in either case, though.

Back when I did my first round of applications years ago (and failed completely), I saw that somebody had listed an acceptance based on a phone call. It didn't match the timetable I had heard from the department, so I called the grad secretary. We had a really nice conversation with her, she said that it would be against policy for a professor to call at that point, they weren't ready for acceptances to go out, etc. I felt super relieved, decided it was a hoax, was so much happier. Then, when we were just about to hang up, she goes "of course, if a tenured prof decided to call somebody, what would we do about it, ha ha ha! I wouldn't be surprised!" And she hung up. I seriously wanted to jump out a window.

Funny thing today: someone left a thumb drive in one of the computer lab computers labelled "Dissertation." I'm sure they'll come looking for it, and I'm sure they have backups... but can you imagine? Just hearing the story my heartbeat started racing.

I have bad insomnia, which can help as an academic but makes obsessive message board surfing harder to avoid.

Yesterday, omeone on the results board from a discipline other than English wrote that she had gotten an email asking her to check her on her status on the website. The website told her that she had been rejected-- on January 30th. Really? 17 days to notify somebody? I understand that these departments are busy, but with everything automated on the website, I just don't get that.

I wanted to send some good vibes to you all. Unfortunately, as I am a dope, my image says "DOOG !KCUL," which isn't comforting to anybody. But anyway: *good vibes* *good vibes* *good vibes* Also, I know that you lovely English people will be cheered by the site of an on-campus office (meager though it may be) filled with books. I love love love mine, despite everything.

If anybody takes a trip to Yale, you gotta try Sally's. Pepe's is great too, but Sally's is the best. Call ahead.

Yeah, me too. I just feel self-conscious because whenever I talk about it people tease me.

I keep forgetting that people only want to hear what they want to hear, on this forum.

I felt like you would get one for sure, since they notified you so early, but I was afraid of saying so and then it not happening. Congrats!

New Haven isn't that bad. It really isn't. Go a little farther afield and it gets a bit hairy, yeah, but that's oversold. (Often, I assume, by Yale undergrads who come from money and think anywhere that isn't a gated community is "high crime.") If you stick fairly close to the campus bubble, and you're likely to at most schools, you'll find a lot of cool galleries and restaurants. Plus, taking MetroNorth into NYC is cheap and convenient and drops you right at Grand Central. Or you can hope off at the previous stop if you want to check out Columbia. Only takes about an hour and a half.

You guys could do a Google Plus hangout really easily. Although it seems like nobody has Google Plus who doesn't actually work for Google.

Ha I finally got confirmation that I can take graduate level stats next semester and have been so jazzed about it. Different strokes!

One of the smartest things I was ever told about this process, from a very accomplished professor, was that people often suffer because they romanticize the process. Of course, we're all in it to pursue the life of the mind and chase our research interests. Nobody here is in it for the money. (Ha!) But of course this process is marketing. How could it not be? The academy is filled with human beings, so fads, personalities, flash, marketing, and self-promotion matter. That doesn't mean that candidates who get accepted (or hired or published or tenured) aren't deserving. Far from it. But pure hearts and pure intentions can't be separated from human failings and frailties. That's life. The fact that grad admissions aren't "fair" (whatever that means) isn't a bug, but rather a feature. It helps you get used to the fact that none of it, wherever you are in your career, is "fair."

It very likely means you're in. In many places, the department technically recommends people for admission, while the graduate school technically extends the offer of admission, even though in practice the department chooses. I'll risk saying congrats!

What's your area of interest, antecedant?

Wow, I love tons of books that are listed here.

Follow the money.

Teaching isn't a worst case scenario. You'll enjoy it, I'm sure.

Good on you for pushing the joy and happiness stuff here. You're right that it can make it even worse for congratulations to appear in the commiseration thread.

Purely out of curiosity, if you got a funded MA offer from UConn, would you consider going even though you've got a PhD acceptance?

Strangely, that was the case on the computers at school for me today, but not here on my home desktop.

And Bloomington is a truly beautiful campus. (Don't tell anyone I said that, it's a state law that I have to hate IU.)

Ha! Well put.

Nor does it make you a good academic. Plenty of geniuses weren't meant for university life, after all.