jtractatus

Yeah, you're right. I'm more just pretty much anything after 1950 plus a bunch of weird psychological/ disability studies things. But perhaps that doesn't mean anything. I'll pray for you! She--I feel bad I kept referring to her as a "he" (I'm an idiot)--was working from home today, so perhaps she didn't have time to reconvene with the adcomm to determine who would come next. I really don't know, but wish everyone the best. I hope we all just get in somewhere and never have to develop hypertension through this agonizing process again. J

Congratulations on getting in, August. If there are any other waitlisters biting their nails on this, I was notified by Sangeeta today that the final slot was offered to me--HOWEVER, I had already declared somewhere else and informed him of this like ten minutes ago. Hopefully this great offer trickles down to one of the other waitlisters. The details were 4 years, health insurance, 18k-20k stipend, no teaching first year, then 2, then 3, then 2. Good luck everyone, James

Hey Rachel, I'm still fielding offers but suspect I end up at Lehigh. If I don't, maybe the fellowship will trickle down to you! Dawn finally sent me the "line" schedule this morning. A 300-level course is an honors senior class that graduates can sit in and usually just write a longer paper or do some additional assignments for graduate credit. Anyway, here's that: Traister, early modern literature Grodon, transatlantic 18th c conspiracy and paranoia Dolan, slavery/abolition in British romanticism Fifer, contemporary american poetry Watts, creative writing and literary study There will be 300s by Lay (Milton), Dominque (new 18th c prof), Moglen (US modernism and war), and Singh (James Joyce). I'd go with Fifer, Watts, and Singh (I loved him). Hope everything's going well. Congrats on declaring. Must be nice to know where you'll be living... James

Dawn said funding info would be out my early March at the latest, so my advice would be to hold off until the Open House if you can. If you still haven't heard by then, I think she'd understand your concern. However, if you're really freaking out to know--I would be--I'm sure a short, polite query to Dawn (or maybe Donna) on Monday wouldn't hurt anything--it's not like they would deprive you of the TA spot for asking! Good luck, James

Hey Rachel, Dawn invited me to the Whitley class at 9:20, so I'll be joining you there. At least with two of us, we can diminish the Lone Strange Outsider Phenomenon. Then she said there's some lunch thing at 12:00, then I'm meeting with her at 2:30, then the graduate student presentations at 4:00. Singh is on leave this year, so I have no earthly idea what I'll do to fill the time, but suspect it might involve a library. Hope you've heard some good news from other schools or regarding funding at Lehigh. I've been rejected with extreme scorn and contempt from most of my others, so it's looking like I might commit to Lehigh within a week or two. Have a nice weekend, J

I received the wait-list email from the DGS today too. My last name beings with MC. Hope this helps! Good luck.

Hey Rachel, Sorry, Kramp (my contact) didn't mention anything about financials aside from my personal stuff. I guess you could email Dawn about it, but that might be weird. Not really sure about the etiquette. I'm sure you'll know by the Open House. Well, not sure, but I'd bet a lot of money on it. Yeah, we're pretty much waiting on the same programs. I have a friend at Rutgers who said the adcomms made their decisions Friday, so we'll be receiving our probable rejections early next week, in theory. Applied to Penn, haven't heard from them, don't expect to (they accepted 6 out of 720 last year!!!!). I think Maryland is done accepting, so maybe we're on the waitlist, but probably not. I did SUNY-Bing (that application process was a pain the ass, right?) and SUNY-Albany because they have creative dissertations and I'm into creative writing. Also applied to the MFA/PhD at Cornell, which is a complete joke. NYU and PSU (I applied to neither) started accepting on the results board last week.... Let me know what Dawn says about classes and anything else about the 3rd. I'm still pretty vague on the details. Good luck with Rutgers this week! Rutgers is the best program I think I have a tiny (crosses fingers) shot at--Cornell, Penn, and Maryland are insane: I applied simply so I would never have to think about them again Take care, James

In case you don't feel like wasting your time checking, here's the Thursday schedule (perhaps erroneous): Whitley, 19th Century American, ~9:30-10:30 (you already know this of course) Singh, Modernism in England/India, ~10:30-12:00 Setton, Mediterranean Jewish Literature, ~10:30-12:00 Traister, 16th Century England, ~10:30-12:00 KEETLEY, Women's Lit and Global Violence, ~1:00-2:30 Singh, Post war Globalization, ~2:30-4:00 I think it's bizarre and amazing that Singh teaches two courses in one day; I love him already. I'd also like to check out Keetley's course: 1) seems sort of cool; 2) well, obviously, she's the DGS! Hope this helps, James

Hey Rachel, The Spring 2011 schedule is available on the English department website. I just looked at the classes conducted Thursdays and decided which seemed most interesting. I guess I should go through Dawn and get permission from the various professors before showing up --I actually wasn't invited to any classes, which I'm just guessing means that Dawn quickly detected a correspondence between your research interest and Whitley's class, while seeing no such connection(s) in my case...???... James

Hey Rachel, I think I might sit on Singh's Literatures of Globalization class. Its post-colonial inflection is appealing to me, plus it conforms to the (provisional) schedule that seems prepared, i.e. the doctoral students reporting on their research @ 4, etc. (Not sure if there are any other plans.) I heard yesterday that I received one of the Fellowships; I hope you did too, or else I seem like an asshole. If not, it was my impression that admission=TA/stipend opportunities, so if I were you I would just assume that I was receiving funding. Here's the sentence from Dawn over the summer that leads me to believe this: "When we admit PhD students, we guarantee them 4 years of a Teaching Fellowship." You're admitted, right? So...Of course, this could have changed, maybe I'm mis-interpreting it, etc. Obviously I can't speak for the program! I got my first rejection (from Delaware) right after getting the Fellowship news, so that kept me grounded I guess... Hope you have a nice weekend. James

First of all, congrats to those who got into Delaware ( I was, um, rejected unceremoniously). In re: the MA/PhD question, I was corresponding with Dr. Larkin, the DGS, over the summer, and he admitted that the available PhD slots were first considered for internal MA applicants, and then--if any are left over--externals are considered. So obviously that's not good for externals, although one of the students ahead of me at Villanova did get accepted into the PhD program last year as an external MA applicant. I guess this was kind of a miracle. The girl was a genius, if that explains the miracle. Perhaps the lesson for next year is to not apply for the PhD as an external MA unless you feel confident you're a genius? J

Hi Rachel. So I guess you've received Dawn's news about the (provisional) Open House/Campus Tour/Class Sit-In on March 3rd? Fortunately for me, my university is on Spring Break that week, so I'll be able to attend. Do you think you'll be, or would that be redundant after doing the same last year? Anyway, if you are, I look forward to meeting you. If you're interested, I haven't heard anything this week regarding fellowships, which I suppose means I wasn't selected. I hope you have better news to report. And how're your other schools going? I'm still in an environment of Absolute Silence--I'm not sure I exist, actually Anyway, hope you got a fellowship and/or heard back from some other schools. Either way, I'm sure you'll regain your ability to speak correctly before Fall 2011. Best, James

Hey Rachel, Hmmm. The fact that they are "making decisions" about TA positions might refute my (ignorant) assertion that we're automatically funded--however, in order to be optimistic and minimize the Angst and Dread that is an ineluctable part of this process, I'd argue that, since we are both up for fellowships, then we might have a head start on those TA positions anyway. I'm probably wrong about this but let's pretend I'm right. I'm so happy the fellowship decisions will be communicated on/by 2/14--a lot earlier than I anticipated. I probably wouldn't mind sitting in on a class and wandering around the campus. My father actually taught there (in the Education Dept.) but I never went up there with him. If we decide to visit maybe we should align our travel dates--I'm sort of shy and would be really anxious all by myself! What other programs have you applied to? And are you coming out of a BA or MA? I'm completing my MA at Villanova University now. Oh, and you mentioned a concern about the teaching load. In Dawn's email, she said one course per semester, which isn't bad. Not sure if Lehigh offers Summer opportunities. Thanks for your sleuthing, James

I just received a letter stating that we have to accept before financial aid considerations are announced (we will be receiving some official correspondence from the Graduate Office soon, evidently). However, if my interpretation is correct, the "acceptance" is merely pro forma, for we can still decline after receiving the financial aid offer. I think that's the case, at least. The letter encouraged me (us) to send any questions to Donna Reiss (dmr1@lehigh.edu), the admin asst. in the English Dept. James

Hey Whitman, congratulations again on your acceptance. I was corresponding with the DGS, Dawn Keetley, over the fall, so have some additional information for you (or us) to consider. CAVEAT--this is in no way official and may have changed since I received the information; in no way do I speak for the administration. Anyway, Dawn wrote me that everyone accepted was automatically given a TA position for ~18-19 K a year for four years. In addition, after the first year, students are able to supplement their incomes by working in the Writing Center. Health insurance, she wrote, was either 50% or 100% covered, based on considerations I was unable to perceive. What about the Open House was so appealing to you? I've lived in suburban Philly my entire live, but only went to Bethlehem once to see the Eagles' training camp. And I'd be interested to hear your field(s) of specialty. I'm focusing a lot on post-postmodernism--writers like David F Wallace, Eggers, Monson, etc.--and contemporary literary theory; disability studies and postcolonial theory; and representations of psychological distress in literature (I was a social worker in a mental hospital for years). Congratulations again. Have a good weekend. J