felicite

Just accepted Washington University in St. Louis (and rejected University of Washington)! English Literature Ph.D program Interests: British Long 18th century, Performance Studies, any Marxist derived theory

I have loved Pilot Precise V5 fine or extra fine since I was 11 years old (they are my father's favorite and I stole his). But recently in a desperate bid for more color and while raiding my old art supplies collection, I have begun to use Staedtler Triple Plus fine liners and Uchida LePen. The Staedtlers are more art supply than pens, but I love them.

I am waitlisted for funding (a TAship) at one program and the other offer is fully funded. If I can't get funding for the first year, I am definitely going to have to accept the other school. But I'm waiting.

I'm going to be emailing one department this week since I am waitlisted for a TAship. I need to know if there's any chance. If not, I will go with the fully funded offer. I don't think it's awkward at all. They must know that funding does play a vital role in decision making.

Thanks! I will email them on Monday to maybe find out how likely it would be to get one. (Not that they'd tell me.)

I took the GRE over the summer before applying and studied for a week before. I got 98th percentile on vocab (old test) and a 5 on writing. I didn't stress out about it too much because they don't consider the math score (I got 49th percentile) and that was what I was worried about. I stressed much more over the Lit Subject GRE because I took it during Fall classes. Reread my Norton Anthologies and used a Princeton review for the rest. I got an 89th percentile which surprised me considering I had to guess on a number and I somehow forgot the last page of the test (fingers were too dry) and all those questions were on a poem I knew! I didn't realize this stupid mistake until the last minute of the test. But on the whole, while these were all important, Statement of Purpose and Writing Samples are more important. One DGS actually joked with me about my Statement of Purpose which began with an anecdote of me falling in love with Derrida (reading on my iPod Touch) while sitting inside of a trashcan during rehearsals for Beckett's "Endgame." It took me a while to finally realize this story explained alot about my passions, who I am as a person, and fed right into what I wanted to study. But to this DGS it was memorable.

Should I just assume that if I haven't heard anything about funding, I'm not getting any? I was just accepted last week. I want to email them to ask because I have a fully funded offer, and if there is no funding I'm just going to accept that.

I am publishing something this year but I wasn't ready for it until now (also nothing was really good enough until now). I've presented at conferences but I don't think it did that much on my application, though the experience was nice. The writing sample I used is the paper I'm publishing and one of the professors I met with commented very positively on it, but I hadn't published anything when I applied.

I'm still deciding between two acceptances and I'm sick so I'm procrastinating writing, but I am really excited and feel like the most blessed person in the world at this very moment (it could be the fever). Happiness! I watched Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog twice. It was great.

I winged it. It was strength of program and then gut. This mostly happened because I was working full time and attending school full time when I applied, which left me barely enough time to sleep and not enough time to research more in depth. I don't recommend the approach. I was accepted to the two schools which were last minute add ons and I felt had the least to do with my interests, but I'm in with full funding plus stipend for one.

I will be closing the play Hedda Gabler the night before, taking finals the day before and afterward, finishing a paper or two, and packing to leave for London, Europe, Russia, and China all summer on the 22nd. So, maybe I'll sleep a bit. Maybe I'll just pack. Maybe I'll scream at the top of my lungs until I lose my voice.

I'm really not too worried about the language thing, but I know German, and grew up with a mother and uncle who yelled (or spoke) in French. So, it mainly a matter of refreshing vocab for both and grammar rules for German. I'm actually looking forward to talking with true experts about ideas, so I'm lacking the impostor syndrome. But it may be because I took a couple years off in the middle of undergrad, had a real job, became an office manager, and basically grew some amazing confidence (or the amazing ability to delude myself). I'm also coming straight from a BA, but I'm not too worried. It'll be hard, but I spent most of my undergraduate career working a full-time night job, participating in one or two plays a semester, going to school, occasionally interning, and maintaining a high GPA for my scholarship. If I get any sleep at all, it will be manageable. And I will love what I'm doing. Life is going to be awesome.

Performance Studies: Richard Schechner has an overview called Performance Studies. He also looks at the different theories surrounding its creation, since he was one who codified performance studies as it is seen today. It's a good jumping off point to then go into all the other many facets. I particularly like Joseph Roach's work within this field.

It's one of my few skills. I can validate the shit out of people.

You know, I was stressing out about this until yesterday. I have only heard from one program, which was luckily WUSTL with full funding and great stipend. But that was on February 2nd. It's been three weeks. I assume Michigan's rejection is on the way, and some others. I actually volunteered to be a stage manager in addition to my three part time jobs just to take the edge off and it worked! Two days of obsessively scheduling rehearsals and I am so glad I got accepted one place and they like me! They really like me! And I'm in such a zen place right now that if everyone else emailed tomorrow to reject me, I would be glad I wouldn't have to make a decision! Anyway, I just wanted to tell everyone how awesome you all are! I didn't get into one of the most prestigious schools, but I got in straight from my undergrad, so life is great! Everyone out there, jump up and down and give a holla! We are all really smart and people like us! Feel validated amazing people!

Yeah I had more calls yesterday than I get in a week. One was an 800 number. I was a little excited but they just wanted me to donate blood. Then my boss kept calling me because of problems. Every time that phone rang . . . so many feelings.

Congratulations!!!!!

I've been going crazier than I ever have before (and I've been some crazy kinds of nuts). I just volunteered to stage manage a play because that will give me something else to do (besides taking 14 credit hours and working 36 hours a week) to prevent me from panicking every moment of every day. Sleep deprivation has calmed me down a bit. But not enough! Screaming!!!!! Hate this!!!!

Me too, I thought I was good for the weekend. Now I'm entering panic mode again. This mode involves very little work being done and refreshing pages every minute interrupted by daydreams of all the wonderful things computer hacking skills could do.

Just turned 29. I only admit to 24 or 25 though. I had to take a few years off in the middle of undergrad because of major health problems but ended up getting a real job and caring for my grandmother until she died. I wouldn't be studying what I'm studying if I hadn't taken that time off and lived in the "real world" for five years, so I never saw it as a problem. Of course, I look younger, so I usually don't have people question me about it.

1. Started re-watching highlights from the 2010 Tour de France. (I'm a cycling freak so this makes sense.) 2. Packed my first two boxes of books in preparation to move . . . somewhere.

P.S. I love Matt Smith. He is my favorite Doctor Who.

I had a misspelling in my title of my writing sample for an English PhD application. Most got fixed. One didn't. I'm hoping they thought I was making a statement of some kind. Still waiting for that rejection.

Reading this I am really glad I kept my part time job working at a hotel through my BA and MA. Luckily, I have experience so I have never had a problem being hired for the front desk. I know most of the hotels I have worked for are usually looking for housekeepers (who are citizens). They get paid per room, so once you get fast, you can make some money. Not something long-term, but if you need money it works.

Mine had to be written the week before finals, so I baked them cookies and gave them each a handwritten thank you note right before finals. I knew I wouldn't see them until January so that is why I did it so early and it nicely coincided with the holidays.