kikalique87

It's great to hear that you are so happy at Purdue! Could you share what in the department and the teaching makes you so enthusiastic about the program? My friend is a first year in the rhet/comp (Gracemarie), but I'd love another perspective. Thanks!

Purdue's program pretty much speaks for itself. My only hesitation is that Ohio has offered more financial support, so I'm trying to work everything out in my head and heart (and so far failing to come to a satisfactory conclusion). It's definitely better to be at UNCG for the PhD. I have several friends there in the various programs, and at least when I was there a few years ago there was some serious animosity between the MAs/PhDs. Plus at least with the PhD you have a chance at some funding. But the professors are fantastic, and there is such a diversity in the department I didn't fully appreciate until I was gone. Also, Greensboro is fantastic. So much history. I did visit Purdue right before Thanksgiving break. I loved it because it felt homey. Everyone was so welcoming and brilliant. I'll be honest, I was intimidated as all get out and walked away thinking I would never get in. The professors were down to earth and incredibly helpful with my questions, plus they wanted to talk about my current thesis work. They were more helpful than my current committee in that respect. I have a few friends in the program already. I appreciate how structured the program is and also that there are so many opportunities for professional development. I liked Purdue more than Ohio State (I also visited that program in the same trip), but it may have been because I had a meeting with a tangential POI. Ahhh. I'm trying to weigh a Purdue fellowship, all of the scholars at Purdue who have interests in line with mine, and the amazing community against Cindi Selfe, more money (and possible fellowship), and all of the digital comp resources at OSU. High class problems.

I was accepted to the rhet/comp program a few weeks ago. Right now I'm facing the surprisingly difficult decision of choosing between Ohio State and Purdue. Jbarks, I did my undergrad at UNCG. Are you thinking Purdue over G? Congrats on your acceptances!

How is Italian Village? I found some really cheap pretty nice houses online there, but the term "recently gentrified" has been bandied about quite a bit. I am just looking for some place that is not undergrad heavy, safe enough, and won't break the humanities TA stipend.

I agree with everyone who mentioned Jasbir Puar; she was the keynote at our department graduate conference held today, and I'm in awe. Terrorist Assemblages is fantastic, and her new work also is great. Wendy Hesford is also brilliant; her new book Spectacular Rhetorics is phenomenal. I have to mention How We Became Posthuman by Katherine Hayles and Simulation and Simulacra by Baudrillard. For those who are science inclined, Karen Barad's Meeting the Universe Halfway is a great reading of materiality and meaning from a feminist quantum physicist perspective. And now I must dive back into Hayles to finish up at least 1 thesis chapter.

I did my undergrad at UNCG and still have strong ties to the school. If anyone has any questions about the program or surrounding area, I'd be more than happy to answer them! In a nut shell, I loved UNCG and Greensboro.

Just got the rejection from the WGS and English joint program. Thank goodness; now I'm done for the year! The rejection email was incredibly sympathetic. I felt like I should be consoling them: "It may console you to know that we received quite a large number of applications for admission to the Joint Ph.D. program. Our entering class next year will be in the neighborhood of 2 students, which should give you some idea of the odds. What these figures do not convey is the exceptionally high quality of our applicants. In the vast majority of our decisions, we felt that we were choosing among degrees of excellence rather than discriminating between the worthy and the unworthy. It is distressing to us all that we were able to take so few out of this tremendously well-qualified pool of applicants." It's good to have a rejection that makes me giggle instead of cry.

Unfortunately I have no advice to give on the summer MA graduation, but I can commiserate regarding the thesis writing. My suggestion is to ask anyone in your program, especially recently graduate students and your director, what they suggest. I know my proposal was VERY different from the others in my program because of my topic and my director's specifications. Best of luck. Anyone else have a stack of grading in addition to thesis writing? Teaching 2-2 is ridic.

Oh no! I have spent more time than I care to admit crying in the Apple store. I know this is a little too late now, but do you have a Dropbox account? I have killed more flashdrives and hard drives (internal and external) than I care to admit. Dropbox is great because it automatically saves in the cloud. I hope you are able to possibly recover the last 4 weeks of work.

I just received a waitlist email as well, but I'll be removing myself from the waitlist. Fellowship offers at 2 other schools that better fit my interest. I hope that helps someone on here!

So what are your interests? I'm digital media studies. I basically applied to OSU for Cindy Selfe, but she's retiring in a few years, so I'm not sure how the timing is going to work out.

My friends built it up so much as the funniest book ever written, and it didn't match my humor, so I think I was mostly disappointed. I also read this a while ago when I was working on my biology degree, so I probably didn't appreciate/recognize its literary merit.

The DGS called me today, and he said they have 20 spots this year, although I didn't catch how many applicants (I was driving and illegally on the cell phone, I couldn't not take the phone call!) He also said they scaled back the size of the incoming PhDs because of the way they are restructuring the department. Don't lose hope! Good luck everyone

Junot Diaz is the best! I met him last year when he spoke at my school. He was incredibly hysterical and irreverent. Best speaker ever. I have to add A Confederacy of Dunces to the list. I've been told that disliking it makes me a bad English student and humor/soulless, but I didn't find it funny at all. This is the only book I can remember selling back to the used bookstore with pleasure.

Ah you are my best friend right now! I'm about 99% positive if my snowball's chance in hell occurs I won't accept since I have been fortunate enough to receive great offers that fit my interests better, but there's still a desire to be wanted (to be the object of the Other's desire). Hmm, a paper on the psychoanalysis of graduate school admissions...

Yes! it's incredibly frustrating, although many things appear to go wrong in my dream thesisland as well. I've tried the time structures as well, but my main problem is that my time is not my own since I teach 2 freshmen comp sections and have more administrative duties than most tenure track professors (my MA program is ABSURD). I've found I'm only able to write between 11pm and 3am, which makes my morning teaching a disaster. Luckily the rough draft is due next week, and I hope to return to a normal life shortly after.

I'm 70 pages into my MA thesis on alternative theories of digital embodiment. I am finding it incredibly hard to stay motivated now that I have the luxury of 2 acceptances w/ fellowships. My director told me at this point it just had to be done, but (as I'm sure many of you can relate) I want it to meet my incredibly high standards. Any ideas for staying motivated, friends?

Leave it to Duke to send out rejections on Valentine's Day. Glad I already went through the very short grieving process.

I got the letter today as well.

I do hope there is a different timeline! I applied as well. I also have no idea how to work the U-Mich website, so I (luckily) can't check online like a crazy person.

For those of you who have a decision in your applicant center, have you heard anything yet from the department? I'm thinking about calling the graduate office on Wednesday to ask what's next in the process, especially because I've already received an enticing fellowship offer from another school.

And of course, as soon as I post that, I received an email from the DGS (turns out previous emails had been from the acting director of rhet/comp) offering me an official position and the Ross fellowship. Details to follow next week on funding.

I'm the one who heard from Purdue. I received an email from the acting DGS to tell me I was nominated for a fellowship, so based on that (and my Purdue alum faculty member's interpretation of the email) I ASSUME I am accepted. The DGS said they are still waiting on their funding to be finalized before they can make any official offers, they should know by late February, perhaps sooner. Hope that helps!

My applicant center says there was a decision. " Congratulations! You are admitted to the university. Hoping this is not a computer error.