bdon19

Yay!! Welcome!!

I know UNC is one of the schools that does this, but we also invite ~40 students to the visiting weekend each year. While it doesn't mean exactly that we don't have any money, we don't have infinite money, and it does beat what we used to do (and what I know a number of schools still do), which is putting visiting students up with current grad students (a bigger concern for someone like me, with infinite allergies!).

I'm a current PhD student at Chapel Hill and, unfortunately, it seems to me that all acceptances and waitlists have been sent out. Sorry to spread the bad news -- UNC is a great place to be, and I wish all worthy candidates could be accepted here!

Proflorax, thanks for the tips! I'm jealous of your exams -- we choose a major and minor, then have 6 hour written exams for the major, 3 hours for the minor (spaced a week apart) prior to oral exams. Our department JUST mandated (as of like two weeks ago) that we include no more than 200 texts total on our reading lists, but even that is a bit frightening. So far I'm trying to manage between trying (and failing) to take notes electronically versus in a small notebook or something of the like. I just recently got the following tips from a committee member for how to take notes, though, and I thought the advice is worth sharing: 1) Begin chronologically, but feel free to switch plans if this doesn’t work for you. It is important not to get bogged down by a text or period – keep moving! 2) Read the entirety of the text, only marking pages that are interesting/important. 3) Take notes. Write down 5 main characters, 2 major plot elements, 5 interesting things and a 5-page section for discussion. 4) Take the 5 interesting things and/or 5-page section and identify your “centers of gravity”. Come up with 10-15 categories or umbrella terms. 5) Using your 10-15 categories, form your exam questions.

Hi all, long time since I've frequented this forum. I thought I'd reach out to y'all to see if anyone has any groundbreaking tips or techniques they'd like to share when it comes to studying and note-taking for comprehensive/qualifying exams. I just started my "reading semester" and I'm struggling to find the time to take any sort of exhaustive notes (or any notes at all, really). Anyone have any advice they'd like to offer?

I noticed there were some UNC admits on the results board today! I'm a second-year in the program now, and I'd be happy to talk to some of the admits for this year if you have any questions about the program!

Nope -- if I had chosen to write an honors thesis, it wouldn't even have been done (and only barely started) by the time I was applying, so I decided to focus all my energies on the apps themselves. It worked to my advantage having that extra time!

Well, most of my friends who've presented at similar regional MLAs told me to expect maybe 10 people at the most--I think that's pretty standard--so I was actually happy to see like 15 people show up for my panel! The last conference I went to (AWP), most panels were similarly attended, with the exception of the ones where bigger names (think Cheryl Strayed and the like) were panelists--those had big turnouts, but really, only like 50-75 people fit in those rooms. So think our attendance was pretty normal for a conference consisting mostly of grad students. That being said, I had an awesome time!

Man, that was a great conference! Don't think I met any Gradcafe-ers there, but I had a splendid time!

I feel like work during grad school takes on two different meanings. Hardly anyone I know takes on outside jobs other than the odd babysitting gig if they can help it. However, nearly every graduate student in my department takes on some sort of additional work--tutoring, tech support, grading, etc.--within the department to earn some spare cash, which somehow doesn't seem like extra in the same sense.

Hi lovely GradCafe friends, I'll be making the trek from NC to Cali for my first real (read: not undergraduate) conference! Yay!

From what I know about languages for medievalists/early modernists (the only fielsd other than comp lit for which languages *really* matter in most programs' eyes), there is absolutely no need to have your languages "match" those of your profs as long as you have the required language for whichever medieval/early modern field you plan on specializing in. But with that list, I doubt anyone would bat an eye at you not having the other languages, unless the only reason you're applying to that particular program is to work with that professor, in which case you may want to reconsider applying to such a program in the first place. Remember, it's never a good idea to apply to a program that only has one faculty member who really piques your interest. Hope this helps!

After a year, I feel SO much better than if I had been checking in 6 months ago. At that point, I was feeling a lot of "holy crap, what am I doing? WHY am I doing this!?" But now, it is still summer (even if it doesn't feel like it!), and I'm sitting at Starbucks cranking out a conference proposal just because. I am super pumped about the upcoming semester's classes and my first foray into the world of teaching! I got a little "behind" last year (I didn't really do much...or really anything...by way of conferences), but as a first year coming straight from undergrad, I kind of feel like I experienced a year of burnout that I am going to follow up with a year of productivity! In other words, I love my life as a grad student now, and I wouldn't have it any other way! How are the rest of y'all doing? I kind of miss being on GradCafe every day!

I would definitely put in a word for Chapel Hill (though I'm super biased ). But we have some really strong faculty in the English dept in post-45 lit, one of whom regularly teaches courses in critical race theory that might be of interest to you.

Mark McGurl's essay "The Posthuman Comedy" (and the following conversation between him and Wai-Chee Dimock) is worth looking into. Plus, McGurl is a rock star who knows how to wear a pair of black skinny jeans.

Definitely UNC! (I'm not biased or anything...) But, in all seriousness, UNC is really strong for early modern. Let me re-state that: REALLY strong. I came from a similar-sounding liberal arts institution for my B.A., and while I don't think that any graduate program will ever be able to offer (at least/especially on the administrative level), the exact type of environment that I had there, I definitely enjoyed my first year there greatly. In terms of religion and literature, UNC offers the option of taking courses at Duke as well, and they have at least one or two cross-listed literature/religion courses every semester offered through the divinity school. I am only on GradCafe sporadically now that I'm not applying myself (like now, it's usually when I'm procrastinating writing), but do feel free to PM me with any questions you might have about the program, and I'll try to get back to you! Good luck with your applications!

One of my favorite human rights related texts is Human Rights, Inc.: The World Novel, Narrative Form, and International Law by Joseph Slaughter (oh, the irony in that name).

Nope. I turned every single one of my applications in at the last possible minute, and it didn't seem to affect me either way.

It's (not), feel free to PM me any questions you might have about faculty, living in Chapel Hill, the prpgram, etc. I actually moved here from Chicago, so I understand your concerns. I am actually heading there in four days for spring break, and I can't wait! And to all of the recently accepted prospective students, I look forward to meeting you later this month!

THIS. I am definitely thought of as the "youngest" in my program, even though I'm not the only one coming straight from undergrad, and I'm certain that has much to do with my height. My roommate is 27, and an amazing teacher, but she is my height and often has to compensate by putting on fierceness. People refer to the two of us with diminutives and talk down to us constantly. It is amazing just how ridiculous people act just because a person happens to be short!

While my cohort is pretty evenly balanced in terms of people coming in with/without MAs, there is only a handful (4/16) coming straight from undergrad this year. I constantly feel like "the young one" in my cohort, and not always in a good way. Though I am excited to start teaching next year, I'm afraid my students will walk all over me because I'm 5'2" and look like I'm 12. I wouldn't worry about being "older," mainly because you all start out in the program on such an even plane that it ultimately doesn't matter. It's often an advantage, in fact, to have had various life experiences that we young'uns never had. Or, in my case, to have even had experience previously doing things like, oh, paying rent and whatnot.

Congratulations! This is awesome news! Are you coming to the open house/prospective student weekend? I'm so excited to meet the new cohort!

Haha Sebastian is totally awesome! Now I am tempted to just spend all my time watching the miniseries...

To be perfectly honest, I don't think POIs care all that much whether or not you've read their work. When I went to the prospective student weekend at UNC last spring, I met, mingled, and chatted with a number of professors both in my field and outside of it. I found myself having interesting conversations with two POIs about the field, but their own work never came up. If it did at all, it was usually a passing mention of things they are currently working on, rather than what they've read. I think, in general, faculty want to see that you are well-versed in the field rather than reading up on them, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. PS sebastiansteddy, I read Brideshead Revisited for the first time yesterday and now it aaaaaaall makes sense.