Rupert Pupkin

I disagree with the last post. While an MAT may not help you get into an English PhD program, teaching English classes while you get your MA can be a factor. It's not going to count more than the quality of your writing, but when schools are potentially investing years of funding in you, the certainty of your teaching ability is something they're likely to at least consider.

Since when are historicist and conservative synonyms?

Half of these figures are canonical.

It must suck to go through life constantly suspicious and skeptical of everything, never open to the intensified moments of consciousness a great work of art can give you. Is it really so bad to let yourself experience a work of art, to say "this work touched me in a unique way," rather than explaining those feelings away and exposing it of some wrongdoing? What is the result of this skeptical framework? What happens when you finally surmount the boogeymen who have been trying to brainwash you with Shakespeare? What are the ends of a literary criticism driven entirely by suspicion? Because we've been doing it for several decades now and, quite frankly, I don't really feel a lot of vigor left in the project.

/end profession. If Paradise Lost can't be deemed superior to anything else other than in the context of empire and ideological control, we've lost the plot.

How do you determine what works you study? Whatever you happen to stumble upon? If we've entered a "post-medium condition," why not read your grandpa farting as a "text"?

But an "aesthetic worth valuation system" is necessary to determine what works are used in the more interesting pursuits. If not, we enter a nihilistic abyss. Aesthetic value is irrelevant in choosing the african-american and queer works you study? Why do you study them then? Two Espressos isn't saying our entire project should be to categorize and rank works based on aesthetic value. I believe he's saying, as literary scholars, aesthetic value should play a role in determining which works we choose to study; otherwise, we just become second-rate social scientists. ETA: This was in response to Trip Willis.

TE, I have observed your posts and can relate to your agonizing over specific interests. It definitely seems like you are asking the "right" questions and making the "right" kinds of inquiries. You are already articulating your interests much more clearly than you were several months ago, and you've got months to go until applications are due; I certainly was an unrefined applicant at this point last year. Your passion shines through in all of your posts, and I think based on the progression you've shown on the board, you've got a great shot at success next year. I know a lot of the anguish you feel about your interests is personal in nature, but I think that a lot of the pressure we feel to neatly define attractive interests comes from just how damn competitive this process is. It sure made me crazy as I attempted to stand out from the crowd.

I sense a developing trend (or at least a more accepting stance) back toward formalism. As a formalist myself, I feel as though I won't necessarily be a pariah within my department the way I might have been 10 years ago. My department has actually hosted a conference on "New Formalism" in the past couple years, which has me pretty excited. Based on my interactions on this board and elsewhere, I sense that there are many scholars of our generation who are disenchanted by the domination of cultural studies and seek a return to aesthetics.

Has it not sunk in for anyone else? This still seems totally unreal to me. I can't even envision myself being in grad school, especially not while earning money for it.

This. I spent the summer prior to the application cycle writing my sample from scratch. Focusing more on research/thinking/organization than length, I spent a month reading every single piece of relevant scholarship that I could find, a month writing my paper, and a month revising. I ended up having a paper that easily fit the 15-20 page requirements I was facing, however, the 12-13 page paper I ended up with after revision was much stronger.

Thanks Two Espressos. It really is a great program. I just thought I would add to the conversation and hopefully make other people realize that these types of thoughts are normal.

Sadly, I feel some of this too. While I am truly excited about my top 25 destination, I still feel a little sore when I read people talking about some of my dream programs. I feel pretty guilty about it when I do, but I've always had this petty prestige envy. I think it stems from the fact that a lot of my cousins and family members left the southeast to go to really top-tier schools, while I stayed at my state university. I should just feel lucky that I got in anywhere and extremely gracious that I got into a school so highly ranked, yet I still feel envious when I see people discussing tip-top programs. I hate it.

Are you saying that you think Universities only admit lower-class students out of tokenism?

Yes, the job market is very weak, but I feel like everyone who is embarking on this journey already knows that. Sometimes I wonder why there are so many people who get off on trying to dissuade us. Sure, some people believe they are offering pragmatic advice to naive, starry-eyed students, but I sense that a lot of people criticize this process out of envy, bitterness, and resentment. The job market in the humanities is not the only thing currently in shambles. News flash: the entire economy is. I am currently working 30 hours/week at $10/hr as an errand boy at a large, soulless corporate law firm. If I want to continue my literary study in a fully funded program (funding that is more generous than I am currently receiving), why on earth would anyone tell me otherwise? This isn't 30 years ago. Most of us aren't turning down potential $50k+ salaries to languish away in grad school. For me the financial outlook a grad program provides is superior to the alternative, regardless of the woeful job market at the other end of the doctorate. Also, do the people who write these doom and gloom articles not realize that graduate study provides intrinsic worth? It strikes me that the type of person that would pursue a graduate degree in the humanities is the same type of person that would not conform to the worship of the dollar. Most academics are far leftists. It comes as no surprise that an argument founded upon "you won't be able to monetize your degree as much as you could in generations past" would fall on deaf ears. Why can't they understand that maybe, just maybe, we want to go to graduate school because knowledge provides us with more value than a dollar ever could.

Has anybody been able to visit yet? It looks like I will be accepting the offer before I am able to. If you have visited, I'd love to get some impressions.

Does Dino Jr. have a chance, Trip?

I'm in a similar position. I was rejected from 10 phd programs prior to receiving my first phd acceptance. I also received a couple MA acceptances. My transcript was so poor that I don't particularly feel dejected by my rejections; I had no business getting into any of the PhD programs I applied to (all in the top 30). I definitely feel like I barely snuck in, but I don't feel like a fraud. My flaws were apparent on my apps, but one school decided to overlook them. I feel lucky more than anything. As long as you didn't grossly misrepresent yourself in your app, I wouldn't feel like a fraud. There's a reason you were accepted.

Aeplo, you gotta go with UT unless you get first year funding at IU. I can't imagine a top 20 program not offering funding in 2012.

I feel the same way. I'm expected to take 3 courses my first two semesters while TAing a section of a large comp class. My 2nd year, I teach 2 classes while taking 2. As someone who has never taught before, I am a little terrified. It looks like I'll only get a one-week orientation before I'm thrown to the wolves.

Congrats, Ruby! Looks like you'll have quite the decision to make. Out of pure curiosity, which way are you leaning?

My choice is easy. I have a MA/PhD offer from a top 25 program in addition to some MA offers. It makes it a clear cut choice for me. I feel pretty lucky not having to make a tough decision. I'd be flipping out if I was on a wait-list.

I'll be heading to Urbana in the fall as an english grad student. I have a couple of a travel-related questions: 1. I am thinking about visiting from South Carolina. It seems pretty hard to actually get to Urbana-Champaign. Does anyone know the best way to fly there? It seems like it is way too expensive for me to actually fly into the campus airport. It also seems like the airport in Normal-Bloomington, IL is the closest affordable option, but I don't know how I would get from Normal to Urbana without a car. Is flying to Chicago, taking a one hour train ride to the train station, and then taking a 2-3 hour train ride to Urbana really the best option? It seems as though a mid-sized area with such a prominent university would have easier access. 2. Once I am in Urbana-Champaign, I would definitely like to visit Chicago semi-regularly. While the amtrak seems like a good option, is it possible to drive to Chicago? I imagine parking is limited and extremely expensive there. Would it just be cheaper/more convenient to take the train?

I'm thinking about visiting, but the acceptance letter doesn't say anything about any kind of visitation support. I live about 13 hours away via car. I am wondering how I will be able to afford a plane ticket there. Would it be tactless to ask about that? Is it normal for a school to not have a visitation weekend or provide any kind of financial support for the transportation?

It seems that it differs. I didn't get the full fellowship offer that another post on the results board states. For me: in year 1, I TA one class/semester for approximately 10k, with an additional 6.5k of support coming from fellowship money. After the first year, I would teach 2 classes/semester for approximately 20k. However, the email stated that there is some wiggle room with the teaching load. For instance, I could teach one course and work in the writing center or intern at the University Press to make up the difference. The most amazing thing about the funding: it's guaranteed for 7 years.