ComeBackZinc

Nope. I'm just going to have to wait until I can fly out there and hope to strike gold.

Definitely a great new program, as far as I understand. Big commitment to digital literacies. One nice thing about them is that the school seems to have made a major commitment to Rhet/Comp, in terms of funding, institutional independence, etc.

I don't know, whatever people want to play! I play guitar and bass. I'm pretty good too, if I do say so myself!

Just wanted to say that I am the son of a Wes professor who grew up on Wesleyan's campus, so I have less of Wes insider knowledge but know a lot about the town and campus, etc. If any questions pop up that I can answer, I'll be glad to.

Thanks for the info! By the way-- I am starting a band of students when I get out there. Oh yes.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Ed, the average age for a doctoral student in the US is 35.

I got grown, mind got blown.

I didn't read this website or any others while I was waiting to hear back from schools, on the the theory that it wouldn't change what happened and that I'd drive myself crazy. I was rejected early from University of Illinois-Chicago; I communicated a little with Ralph Cintron, which was a thrill, but it was clear that I wasn't what they were looking for, so I wasn't surprised. I was a bit surprised to be rejected (quite late in the process) from Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, for a variety of reasons. But I was accepted to Purdue with 5 years of funding last Friday, via email, and that was my top choice, so I'm just ecstatic. Been hard to concentrate on finishing out the semester the last few days, both in terms of my own work and the classes I'm teaching.

That's good to hear. I am just going to have to get to West Lafayette, hopefully sometime in May, and see if I can't arrange a lease for fall. It's so hard to try and apartment shop from long distance.

I think it's quite common to feel a little hollow after getting accepted. The process is so long and the anticipation is so great that there's a lot of pressure on to feel ecstatic, which is self-defeating. Besides, here's the thing-- before you choose, the possibilities are endless. Once you've chosen, you know what's coming next. It's just human nature that the unknown and limitless possibility excite you more than reality. I'm sure excitement will come soon. Given the emotional turmoil and length of the process, feeling worn out is to be expected. And-- congratulations.

There are just so many things that could go wrong here....

TAKE THE MONEY! Remember, it's always easy to consider debt that you won't have to pay right away. It's a lot harder to actually confront life with that kind of debt hanging over you when you start having to pay it. Follow the money.

Finding an apartment is definitely my number one anxiety right now. I can't possibly get to campus until the middle of May.... Although it looks like there are a lot of options. Proximity to campus is a big deal for me too.

MA, or PhD? Going to an unfunded MA program can often make sense. My advice is to never attend an unfunded PhD program.

Now that I look again, these are actually from like three years ago. Same anxiety applies though! http://www.digitalparlor.org/rhetcomp/RhetCompPicnic2008/

There's a service here called CARFAX. Before I used it, I kind of thought it was a ripoff. Having bought a car (for $1500 exactly, funnily enough-- grad school budgets....) while using it, I now think of it as a life saver. You should at least consider using the service.

If you're sure, decline. You'll likely be opening your spot up for somebody else.

Nice! I'm so excited, I have to make sure to keep my focus on finishing this semester, both for my own stuff and for the classes I'm teaching. Both the chair of my current department and the professor I'm closest to went to Purdue, so I'm probably annoying them with all of my questions. I was looking at photos of the Meet and Greet picnic from last year and I got a little anxious about meeting so many new people. Also, I was looking at that website that lists housing opportunities for students, and coming from the northeast, I was blown away by how cheap the rental rates are.

Another great book: the Rhetoric of Rhetoric by Wayne Booth.

Now I worry I'm insulting programs if I leave them out... Cincinnati has a good program, as does Wisconsin.

Whatever you do, do it carefully, openly, and respectfully. Academia is such a small world....

So many big questions. Let me throw a few things out there. First, peruse College Composition and Communication, which is probably the flagship journal, from the NCTE, our professional organization, and College English, also from the NCTE. I'm also partial to Pedagogy and Research in the Teaching of English. On the rhetoric side, Bizzell and Herzberg's The Rhetorical Tradition is used all over the place and is an exhaustive text. Big schools-- any list I've seen includes Purdue, Illiniois-Urbana/Champaign, Michigan State, Illinois-Chicago, Syracuse, Penn State, University of Rhode Island, and Arizona. (I could easily be leaving some out.) Ohio State has a great tradition of rhet/comp but as I understand it (and perhaps someone with first person knowledge could fill in) the discipline essentially doesn't exist anymore. I had always heard Purdue spoken of as the best program, although that has recently become, ah, a little self-serving of me. I can tell you from experience that URI is a small program but a great one, with a separate (and separately funded) Writing department, Writing major, some big names like Bob Schwegler and Nedra Reynolds and great up-and-comers and, incidentally, a 100% hiring rate since they started awarding PhDs with a concentration in Rhet/Comp in 2000. As for big books, I can't really tell you anything exhaustive, but personally I love Angels' Town by Ralph Cintron, Composing Research by Cindy Johanek, Research on Composition by Peter Smagorinsky, and Whistlin' and Crowin Women of Appalachia by Katherine Sohn. As far as advice goes, individual questions would be good. I would just say that Rhet/Comp is a very different world from lit-- incidentally, I love and value both, I've just chosen Rhet/Comp for myself and my future-- and to expect to do very different things. Personally, I'm interested in doing empirical research that is largely on the side of the social sciences, with statistical and validity checks, etc. So expect to be engaged in pursuits that are very different from what happens in lit. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions, I'll do my amateur best.

Anybody? Would love to hear from just about anyone! So excited.

I think that it's impossible for any of us, looking from the outside, to know just what the answers to your questions are. But I do think-- and I don't mean to be unhelpful here-- that you likely know, if you really think about it. I actually only got into one school, myself, but it's my top choice program and an ideal scenario. I was a bit bummed to get rejected by the other schools, but as soon as I had that one offer, I knew that none of the rest really mattered. I can certainly see how the confluence of factors you're describing could make the situation emotionally confusing for you. I have to tell you, speaking from my own perspective, having a funded graduate offer trumps all. I guess the question is: are the issues you're describing really why you're ambivalent about this? Is it the short-term realities of acceptance and rejection, or something deeper? It may be that you have deeper reservations but are rationalizing that with your short term concerns. If that's true, you likely already know it, if you really think about it. Speaking as someone who has been in a grad program working with PhD students for the last couple years, I will say: if you're not certain, don't go. It's too hard, there are too many deflating and frustrating moments, the money is too little, the job market generally too bad.... But if you really think about it and you find that this is what you want, try to put things in perspective. You're in! You're funded! You're never gonna look back and worry about who rejected you five years from now, if you're pursuing your passion in the academy.

Food for thought!