Carolina08

Just wanted to point out John D'Emilio is retiring. I spoke to him last year when I was exploring programs and he said he would not be taking anymore students.

I was admitted this year with a proposed research topic in Gay & Lesbian History. Here

Parking in Chapel Hill? Um, non-existent. If you are a grad student living on campus you get a guaranteed space,, but it is only good at your house no where else. As for the rest of the town there are meters & parking decks everywhere but expect to pay well to use them. Nearby Carrboro however has free parking everywhere. Only downtown Chapel Hill & campus is tight. On the bright side Chapel Hill / Carrboro has a great public transportation systems and its completely free. Most anywhere you want to go in town has a bus coming by every 10-20 minutes. Because of this however UNC will not give you a parking permit on campus if you live off campus within range of the public transportation system. Seriously though you can get by on the buses. I only use my car if I'm going to the grocery store or going out of town.

I would steer clear of Glen Lennox. A) It's not the nicest area and from what I'm told can get pretty loud. If you plan to bike remember Chapel Hill is an appropriate name. From Geln Lennox the hill to campus is pretty long & steep. Even in coming home downhill traffic on that road is dangerous. That said remember the bus system in Chapel Hill is nice & Free. If you want to have a bike on campus I suggest putting it on the rack on the front the buses and taking it with you. Now as for Grad students in general, most live in Carrboro the more cultured and less rowdy side of town. There are plenty of Condos, Coops, Townhomes, & Apts here to rent. The town has an amazing music, food, & art scene all within walking distance which is why it is known as the Paris of the Piedmont. Remembering that buses are frequent and free try checking out the Villages in Carrboro for a cheaper apartment on the quite side. Want something a little nicer? Check out 56 Magnolia in Chapel Hill. Even nicer? Try Meadowmont or Southern Village. Other than that checkout Craigslist and other sites for housing in the area. There are many huge houses that have been divided up by grad students to afford the rent. Also you might check out apartments just across the border into Durham county. Chapel Hill actually spans 3 counties and Durham is only maybe 5 mins away from campus at points. Here you will find a lot more housing for your money but may have a small commute. Break down: Shared Apt / Condo or Coop: $250-350 Single Apt / Condo: $500-1050 Double Apt: $650-$1200 Student Family Housing: $825-930 (utilities included) Single Grad Student Housing: around $2700 per semester

I have a similar background. It took me 7 years (4 part-time, 3 full) to get my undergrad after I was forced to drop out of high school to support myself. I worked hard to get where I am often overcoming tremendous road blocks that had at times dramatic effects on my grades. I never gave up though. When I realized my grades were a little low for the caliber programs I wanted to attend I took a year off to collect research and formulate a well constructed dissertation topic while taking grad school classes part-time. After I got accepted this year to an Ivy a contact in the program told me my grades where lower than the average admit but my narrative demonstrated profound upward momentum while my year off researching demonstrated preparedness and determination. It felt good to know all that work was worth something to them, but at the same time I feel like the Junior Varsity kid whose been given a shot at playing in the big game. All eyes are on me to see if I succeed. Of course I'm that much more nervous because I've yet to get into a second program. I applied to 5 top tier programs and only got into 1. I also applied to 2 second tier and 1 third tier and have already been rejected by one of these. Finally I was in the process of applying to 1 top tier international that I was almost certain to get into though without funding. I suppose I'm probably reading into all of this too much. I could have been rejected from others for any number of reasons and I was likely to get into a top tier international, yet its still nerve racking nonetheless. I've never stepped foot on an Ivy campus, sure I went to a small Private part-time for 2 years and finished at an elite Public. Even though my undergrad public ranks higher than the Ivy I've been accepted to, it feels like a whole new ball game. Will my down to earth, interconnect with communities I work with, research style fit in this bastion of prestige? Will my knowledge, a combination of real world experience and college education, be contested in ways I did not experience as an undergrad at a social activist university? I suppose this is what really scares me. I know I'm intelligent enough, but will I have to fight for what I know the whole way. Am I strong enough to do that if I have to? Will it leave me better scholar or hinder my progress every step of the way? I've been given an amazing opportunity to learn from some of the brightest minds in the country who come from a diversity of backgrounds, but the symbol of the institution they represent feels so far from the reality of my life.

Okay here is a question for the women? What do you wear to the Grad school visitation weekends? I've heard everything from dress in casual clothes (though no t-shirts) to go all out. All in all I'm lost. I want to make a good impression but these events are all day affairs so I also want to be comfortable. That said here are the factors I'm working with: 1) Obviously I'm already accepted. I've been offered a 5 year funding package plus stipend for a PhD in History 2) The school I'm visiting is an Ivy League, but the faculty appears pretty laid back. At least the ones I'll be working with that is. Note: I've never stepped foot on a Ivy League campus. For undergrad I did 2 years at a small private methodist university then finished at an elite Public. 3) The main day begins at 9am & ends with a party starting at 9pm. During this time I have two important events a meeting with the DGS & a faculty question/answer panel. Other than that its socials, housing guides, & tours. 4) I tend to dress nice but never overly decked out (Think J Crew or Martin & Osa). Most of the time I wear nice jean trousers and a sweater or turtleneck to work with a dressy coat. 5) I don't do dresses, heels, or skirts. One of the great things about being gay is you can get away with avoiding heels & wearing pants anywhere and people just chalk it up to the fact that you are a lesbian. It's one of the few benefits we have in this culture & I exploit it at every turn. In short can I get away with something like nice trouser jeans, a turtleneck, & a wool trench coat or do I need to break out the slacks? Thanks for the help!

My offer includes 5 years of funding plus 3 years of summer support (no work load required) that can be taken at any point in time in my graduate career. According to my advisors, most grad students use this money during their first few summers to bridge the gap. After that funding typically comes in the form of outside fellowships for research or summer teaching opportunities. That said this is coming from a top tier Ivy so I'm not sure if this offer is standard practice.

I received a rejection by mail yesterday. It was dated Feb. 27th. I don't know what took so long, I actually live in Chapel Hill! For those of you stressing out you probably shouldn't read too much into this. The department knew I was accepted to my first choice school as of Feb. 18th with a funding package they couldn't match. This may of course have nothing to do with my rejection, but if you were on a committee with half as many slots as last year and you knew one applicant already had a better package elsewhere... Just saying my advisors told me programs tend to avoid accepting people they think will not actually attend. Of course it could also be any number of other reasons. Just trying to alleviate those of you who are beginning to panic. Good Luck!

Brown requires 3 per semester plus Professionalization workshop, but we have 0 workload the first year. All incoming students come in on departmental fellowships until we get training in Pedagogy. After that its 3 a semester plus T/A responsibilities until completion of exams. At least this is what I've been told. I won't start until this Fall.

Received word on the 19th I am accepted to the PhD program in History with 5 years of funding. This was one of my top 2 programs, but I've yet to hear back from the other. I'm leaning towards Brown, though I need to work out a lot of logistics first. Of course all this assumes I actually have a choice. I could after all be rejected from ever other school, but I have to say that would surprise me considering I got into Brown.

Go to a school you have been accepted at. Finish your masters then apply elsewhere as a more qualified student. Best of luck!

Just wanted to pass some information along. I went to undergrad at UNC in History and am pretty well connected there. I was told by a credible source that they received 407 applications this year. Plus with budget cuts the incoming class is going to be roughly half that of last year. I can also confirm that last year they did have an unusually high acceptance rate. If I remember right, they prepared for an upcoming class of 20-25 & somewhere around 35 accepted. I've been accepted to Brown, but I'm still waiting to see what UNC says. All in all things are looking pretty dismal though. Good Luck! P.S. I was told admissions letters are going out next month, but I think they are still finalizing everything.

I'm not the same person that replied about Brown, but I got in too. My acceptance letter did not arrive till the 24th, but I received communication faculty starting on the 20th. As I understand it all admitted students have received emails regarding the visitation weekend. Best of luck! Hope you get good news soon!

There is a saying around here. The gay guys are in raleigh, the Lesbians in Durham, & the families in Chapel Hill. I've been here for going on 4 years now and am extremely active in the lgbt scene although mostly as non-profit board member. Though I myself am a lesbian I think I have enough close gay male friends to speak to their experiences a little. First of Chapel Hill/Carrboro. This is the most liberal of the entire area. The town is small but its very progressive. We have had gay mayors, council members, and we passed non-discrimination in public schools in 1996. You can also register as domestic partners in both towns though the rest of the state won't recognize it. Take one walk down the street and you are bound to see guys or girls for that matter holding hands, cuddled up on a bunch, and generally being open about who they are with. The Carrboro side is even more progressive and this is where you will generally find most grad students. If you are in town check out the local lesbian owned bar/restaurant Spotted Dog. For the T's in LGBT Carrboro appears to be pretty welcoming. My partner and have regularly seen trans women working at local businesses and thats just the ones we can read. There is a non-discrimination ordinance on trans issues as well though. You won't find specific gay spots outside of the occasional special night at a bar, but everything is pretty well integrated. Imagine a town where you are just part of the community instead of having a special section of town, club, or bar that is gay. Now the down side of Chapel Hill & Carrboro is that its pretty small. You'll probably want to venture out into Raleigh or Durham for a social life thats not connected to the university. Just a note of interest. I study LGBT history & I have found references to Chapel Hill being quote the gayest place between DC & Atlanta dating back to the mid to early 60's. Durham: This is likely the 2nd most liberal. Generally speaking the down town is pretty friendly but be careful at night. The city has problems with gangs and violence. Duke campus & 9th street are the places to see. The state Pride and gay & Lesbian film festival are held here every year and usually attract people from al over state along with Virginia & South Carolina. The city government from what I've seen is pretty friendly. We always see local politicians at Pride trying to garner the gay vote. Outside of that check out Steel Blue, which is one of the largest gay bars in the state and Drag bingo at the Durham armory. Raleigh: This is the least progressive but its still pretty liberal compared to the rest of the state and downtown has an unofficial gay district. Places to see while you are in town: Check out West Martin St & West Hargett. Around this area you will find gay owned shops, the gay book store, 4 gay bars (2 are connected and turn into one late at night), and many other generally gay or gay friendly places. I suggest checking out the book shop first (White rabbit) and asking them what is going on that week or what you should check out. Also in Raleigh, the Crab Tree mall always has a plethora of gay boys looking to meet somebody (I know I got dragged along with guy friends a lot) & check out Glenwood Ave where it meets downtown for integrated gay friendly places. Other than that Raleigh hosts the Crape Myrtle Festival (a huge gay fundraiser usually with big name performers) & AIDS walk in Ride every year. Generally speaking the area is friendly though some parts of the triangle are more than others. There are always events happening in addition to those I mentioned above you just have to get out there and look around to find the info. The state as a whole is generally moderate compared to the rest of the south. Democrats usually control both houses & the Governors seat. Because the state is pretty conservative don't expect them to pass pro-gay legislation, but they do put a stop to ant-gay measures. We are the only southern state to have defeated every anti-marriage bill that crosses congress floors though it is up again this year for the 5th consecutive year. Hope this helps. It really is a great place to live if you are going to be in the South. I'm from Pennsylvania but I would be more than happy spending the rest of my life in Chapel Hill.