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Could anyone currently at Cornell share what you pay in taxes and/or fees? In other words, how much do you receive each year after taxes and fees are subtracted? I received the 24,000+5,000 summer stipend, which I think is standard.

I studied for the GRE in late May-early August last year and the GRE subject test from late June-November. I did reasonably well on both tests.

I turned down an offer at Buffalo a few days ago, but alas, I am not a Victorianist (lit theory/contemporary american).

I did not attend the prospective student weekend. I am living abroad and was not able to visit any schools. My areas are literary theory and contemporary American literature. Best of luck to everyone waiting!

I just turned down Minnesota, so hopefully that means good news for someone on the waitlist.

I just read the Semenza book, and would recommend it. A few of his suggestions might be slightly outdated, and some will not work for everyone (ie he assumes you will be getting an MA and then a PhD rather than starting the PhD right away), but overall the book was very useful and relevant and I think I will be returning to reread sections as I move through grad school. I especially appreciated the sample materials included at the end of the book. I have also read "On Writing Well" but I did not find it extremely useful, since it is not specific to academic writing and that's really what I want to master. I think it would be more useful for a pre-undergrad student or someone working to master basic prose writing. Edit: by pre-undergrad I mean an undergrad. Someone gave that book to me before college and so that's my association with it.

Upvote times a million. I am fortunate enough to have several acceptances now, for which I am very grateful, but even so, the rejections I've gotten still sting, and make me wonder if the acceptances I got were a fluke or something. I hope I will look back on this process in a few years and laugh.

To be honest, I find your rationale a little bit strange. If you eventually find that you love teaching high school too much to leave for academia, that is a GREAT thing. If I loved anything even nearly as much as I love academic work, I would do that other thing rather than brave the brutal academic job market. If you are not absolutely sure you want to do academia, that's a sign that you should wait before pursuing it. Just wanting to "learn more" is not a good reason. You can read and learn on your own. As for the point about not being as "good" if you take time off--I think it would be the opposite. The perspective and experience you gain will probably serve you well if you do decide to return to school. Also, I imagine you already know this, but a masters and a PhD are very different animals, and should be pursued for different reasons. Some people might disagree, but I would argue that the only reason to pursue a PhD is because you wish to seek employment in academia. If you want to eventually teach high school, a masters might serve you well, but a PhD will not. My sense is that you should take the teaching job. You can always decide to go back to school, if you realize that only more school will make you happy. Otherwise, you can build an enjoyable career in a much more realistic field and likely still have time to do plenty of learning on your own time, or maybe even in a masters program paid for by your employer.

Mine says "up to $300 if traveling from outside California." It didn't say anything about outside the country. What does yours say? My interests are literary theory and contemporary American ethnic literature (currently focused on African American).

I've sent you a PM.

Would you mind sharing why, specifically? Is it specific POIs, the culture of the deparment...?

From my research, I think I prefer Cornell over Berkeley. But I can't know for sure, and visiting both would be quite expensive (not to mention stressful, as I live in a small town in France and getting to California from where I am would take more than 24 hours). Any thoughts on Cornell vs. Berkeley from anyone? Berkeley will cover $300 of travel expenses, Cornell will cover none (but will pay for 2 nights at a hotel). It would cost more than $700 out of pocket to visit just Cornell (train and bus to Paris, flight to US, bus to Ithaca, etc.), and more to visit both.

I've been accepted at my top choice (Cornell) and currently it is the only school I am truly considering. I also live abroad and it would be very expensive for me to visit. That said, would it be stupid to accept without paying a visit to the department? Should I be considering some of my other acceptances or even waitlists (listed in signature) despite the fact that I am think Cornell is the one? I'm worried about taking an offer when I haven't visited, but flying to the US would also be expensive and stressful.

I am another Cornell English admitted student. How do I go about finding housing from far away? Would June be too late to look? I am currently abroad and won't even be back in the states until June.

I know, I was really confused about that message...