pelevinfan

Unfortunately I've already watched all of Sherlock, otherwise that would be the most brilliant suggestion ever. I'll check out Star Wars and Star Trek, though! Never really seen either, so this should be fun :-) (especially egregious since I focus on sci fi...) Thanks for the suggestions, all!

Sorry, my response to that post was a bit misleading. I'm actually an ETA applicant, so I won't really be researching anything. I picked Russia because I've studied there previously and I absolutely love it there. Regardless of the outcome of the Fulbright, I"ll be starting a PhD program in Russian literature and culture in the next two years - of course, the Fulbright will affect if I start this fall, or next. How about you?

Ack - I threw my back out and am now bedridden for the weekend, at least. We're going into reading period at my undergrad, so there isn't much studying or work that I have at the moment. Anyone have any recommendations for movies available on Netflix or readings I can access without having to leave my bed?

Wait, seriously? That seems to be a big change from years past. Did she give any timeline?

YES. In high school, I literally read every single book we were ever assigned, save one: I could not force myself to get through Nostromo. We were given an entire summer to read it, too. It is THAT bad. I know I really should read Heart of Darkness, but after the monstrosity that was Nostromo, I can't bring myself to do it.

NYU didn't accept anyone who applied to the program that I did...I am no longer an NYU fan. (Except that I am and it would have been awesome to go there).

TripWillis, this might be weird since I've never actually had an exchange with you on these boards, but I was really hoping you'd get into Yale. Mostly selfishly, as I wanted to meet the famous TripWillis in-person one day... anyway, just wanted to say that it is definitely Yale's loss, and your other three awesome choices' gain! Good luck with a tough decision :-)

Hi Olga - Glad to hear that someone finds my research interests, well, interesting :-) Yes, I have been studying Russian academically, and I also stayed in Moscow for four months last spring. I know that a lot of Russians (especially the ones I met) think I'm crazy for wanting to go back. I can't help it though, I do! Я не могу сказать, что я свободно говорю по-русски. Я сейчас читаю рассказы Пелевина, например, по-русски, а обычно романы я читаю по-английски, то есть переводы. You've named some of the central figures of my research right now! I've spent A LOT of time with the Strugatsky brothers, and I'm actually working with Lukyanenko right now. I'm comparing the Night Watch series with the films that have been made of them. I have to say, he's a bit more commercial than I would like (which isn't helping my research) but certainly an enjoyable read. Thanks for the interest!

Wow, that is some serious chutzpah.

Yep, coming straight out of undergrad. I'll be studying Russian literature and culture at Yale - I currently work with Soviet and Post-Soviet science fiction and fantasy, but I'm hoping to expand into Soviet Jewish literature. I'll also be doing more with Yugoslav literature than I am now (which is basically nothing). How about you? I don't know much about Frankfurt apart from its airport, but it sounds like if you do get the grant, you have a pretty cool project awaiting you for the next year!

Hi vordhosbntwin - I am thinking that, if I do get the Fulbright, I will defer Yale for the year. I've already talked to my department and they cleared it (pending an actual acceptance and permission from GSAS, of course). Somehow, though, the Fulbright just doesn't seem worth it anymore...I think it says so in my profile, but I'm an ETA applicant. I mainly applied because (apart from the desperate desire to return to Russia as soon as possible) I wanted to have a year to improve my language skills for grad school. I was under the impression that my application was too weak to garner any acceptances the first round, and was at peace with having to apply in a future cycle. Obviously, that isn't how it turned out. What is your proposed research, if you don't mind my asking?

Ack, I did that pre-application when I was trying to decide where to apply. Strangely enough, I had that same back-to-back times a zillion (or so it felt) schedule at the school I will be attending. What was particularly tough is that, though I had some research-specific questions, a lot of my general questions about the program were answered by the first person I met with. I managed to fill up the time by slightly rephrasing some of my questions in the hope of getting a different answer, and by also asking them if there was anything I should know about the program that maybe wasn't widely known. Mostly, though, I've found that academics love to talk about their interests, so if you inquire about that, you should be good to go.

I had two POIs friend me on Facebook after my acceptance...I'm going in for a PhD program, though. So I would agree with the above posters and err on the side of caution when posting things online (though that doesn't really sound like it was your concern anyway).

Hi, Stately Plump! I'm in a similar situation - I'm a finalist for an ETA to Russia, but I also applied to graduate schools. I don't know how it works for Finland, but I know the Russia applicants typically don't hear back until mid-April. I went ahead and let my top-choice school know that I was a finalist, and they were very understanding and assured me I could defer if I ultimately get the grant. Are you thinking that you won't accept a spot at any of your current choices if you get the grant? I don't mean to pry; I'm just interested, I guess, in how to approach this whole process. To be honest, I had at first thought that if I got the grant, I would definitely just reapply next year. Now that I have an admit (at a program that really seems to want me!) I'm really having seconds thoughts. Part of me doesn't even want to get the grant, so that I can go ahead and start grad school and know for sure that I made the right choice. Okay, end awkwardly personal note on a public forum.

I love hearing that! A lot of people in my field seem to think that, because he has gotten popular, he is somehow less awesome than he was before...I disagree. Such a genius! I have to say in regards to your name though, my host brother in Russia tried to teach me how to play v shakhmaty and failed miserably...maybe I'll finally pick it up in grad school? :-)

Shaxmaty - just chiming it to say what an excellent name you have, and also that your picture is equally awesome. Good luck with your pledge!

Wow, congrats clurtheblur! That's seriously impressive :-) Thanks, Enzian! I feel you with the funding bit - I wasn't sure about my decision until the stipend information came in the mail. UNC is a great program though, so I hope it works out!

Anddd I'm out at Columbia. Makes it even easier to say that my final decision is Yale!

That's an NU screenshot, isn't it. I'd recognize that purple font anywhere.

Agreed, and same to you! Any idea which way you're leaning?

Wow, Enzian, we have a lot of overlapping interests. I'm also a BCS beginner person who does Russian , and I am also interested in Post-Soviet/Yugoslav lit. I mostly do sci-fi and fantasy, though. Good thing we don't have a lot of overlapping schools! :-)

Hi all- First time poster to this thread, as I'm not actually having Post-Acceptance Stress (more like Post-Acceptance Work Procrastination in the extreme). However, I have a somewhat odd question to ask. I've only been accepted at one program so far, but it is my top choice and I'm pretty positive I'll be accepting their offer. I let them know that I'm very excited about their offer, and now some of my POIs have started friending me on Facebook. So...weird or not weird? The advice I've gotten from a variety of people around me has been that I can't possibly reject the request, but that I should put them on limited profile. I pretty much only use Facebook as a place to geek out about my scholarly interests with like-minded friends, though, so I don't really have anything on there that I would mind anyone seeing. Is this a common thing? Has this happened to anyone else?

I know at my current institution, which has a pretty well-known PhD program, they usually get in the neighborhood of 20-25 applications a year. I would suspect most of the programs get about the same, which the exception of the top few, which probably get a bit more. Does that sound reasonable? To be honest, I'm not particularly confident that that is even remotely right. Still, I don't see how it can take upwards of two months to evaluate 20-25 applicants...

EXACTLY! At this point, I'm just waiting to get my final answers (in all honesty, I don't care what they are either way) so I can accept the offer that I have. What could POSSIBLY take so long?? There are, like, five of us to evaluate (okay, maybe 25, but still).

Has anyone heard a peep from Columbia? I find it kind of unnerving that, with how few of us there are on the board, acceptances may very well have gone out and we just don't know about it... Also sorry, what lies ahead, didn't apply to OSU and don't mean to hijack the thread!