Lyrus

I'm not a medievalist, so this suggestion might actually be harmful, but do you know about German modal particles? Watson's description of "but" reminds me of "aber" and "doch," two Modern German words frequently translated as "but." In practice, they occasionally appear, adverb-like, in the middle of a simple sentence, and sometimes the best translation just drops them entirely when they're only shading the overall tone of the sentence. Ich fand aber nichts. (But) I found nothing.

This thread's been quiet for a while. So, anyone else going to the open house tomorrow?

If you'd like to live within walking distance of the downtown campus (where your English courses will be), you might look in South Park, although finding openings might be more difficult. I'd recommend calling Perilli to see whether they have anything left that might suit you. I've found the neighbourhood much quieter than living on Fourth Street & Beechurst Ave (Beechurst is a major roadway for the city) or in Sunnyside (one of the better examples in that it is a real building and has all of its doors).

There must be something about Ohio that attracts us infant prodigies like moths to the... bright, burning thing that attracts moths and then rewards them with generous employment prospects after several years of doctoral study. Because that's what moths like. They have that in common with infants. Also, neither population types especially well. My writing sample has a silly spelling error. The error's in a quotation from a book I no longer have, and I didn't use sic, so I have no idea whether the error was original to the text or my own brilliant contribution.

Ah, thank you (for the very quick answer), TripWillis!

Does anyone know when TOships in the writing programme will be announced? I had thought the date would have been last Friday, but I haven't heard anything from UMass, so I suspect I've made an error.

If I accept OSU's offer, I'll have to do some paper work. Protip: Do not write today's date in the field for date of birth. Will they reject me when they discover I am in fact not a scholarly infant prodigy? How long must I live this lie?

I don't know what they're doing, but it seems unfunded MA offers are a likely bet at the moment. The e-mail arrived just around 19:00, and I had no prior contact with UVA other than the applications process (which for me did not include any POIs or other personal contact). Rough luck, IM. I trust you'll find something satisfying to do, whether or not you want to tackle this nightmare again next year.

I hadn't heard anything from UVA since December, but I just received an (unsolicited) e-mail from Gordon Braden. He says there were 340 applicants and 12 PhD slots. Needless to say, I didn't get a slot. There's the offer of an unfunded MA, but I'll leave that topic to the lively discussion in other threads. UVA, it could have been great, but we part ways here. No hard feelings. Best of luck, though, to the rest of you who haven't heard anything yet. Edit: In case anyone wonders, my online application status is still simply 'submitted'. I don't know whether that will ever change or whether it's even supposed to be updated when results are in.

Congratulations! That first acceptance is everything; suddenly, you have an option besides quitting or trying again next year, and it's wonderful. I'm finishing my undergrad at WVU this semester. Since you already know people here, you might not have too many questions, but I'll try to answer anything I can.

I have no teaching experience either, a fact I just acknowledged. Their programme looks hospitable, and I'd like to begin to learn to teach there. I asked about Writing Butterfield (link), which is listed as 'Under Construction' there but (I now know) is a dorm dedicated to writing and literature. Where was that at my undergrad? I also asked for more information about their computer sections of first-year writing and what teachers have been doing with them. Ask for elaboration on whatever you find especially interesting. UMass is at the top of my list right now, so, if funding works out, we might well see each other next autumn. Best of luck tomorrow! Addendum: I waited by my telephone, which rang at the appointed time, so I'd say you should just wait for the call.

I had a telephone interview with David Fleming, an English professor who directed the writing programme for several years. Like you, Isidore, I read up on the programme (don't they have a great website?), and it's very exciting. I asked about some of their activities and what they've been doing in recent years, and I was impressed. Admittedly, I would have been happy just to see no mention of Strunk & White (Language Log's Geoffrey K. Pullum on the subject: link), but I think I'd genuinely enjoy working in the programme. The interview was, of course, also an interview, so there were suitable questions. How do I approach writing? What's something I've written recently and how did I go about writing it? How might I approach teaching a first-year writing course? Do you have any teaching or classroom experience? Since you've already written the original application (including the commenting on a student paper section) and have read the website (especially the sections on the programme's goals and philosophy), I wouldn't expect any questions to take you by surprise. I hadn't done this sort of thing before and was quite nervous, but it wasn't an intense interview by any means, and I relaxed as we talked. I thought it went well overall. That said, I've now been mentally replaying it and imagining the dazzling things I could have said were I not a blockhead. You are not a blockhead. Don't start thinking you are as soon as the interview is over. Best of luck!

I spoke with Dr Frank Donoghue, who told me that fellowship notifications should be made on 12. March or so. The English department has competed very successfully for the fellowships in the past, but of course there are no guarantees. Good luck to everyone! (Accepted, wait-listed, or otherwise.) Graduate School Fellowships, First-Year Awards info page

I was admitted in the applicant center last week with the others, and today I received a paper letter confirming the same. I haven't received any telephone calls or e-mails from OSU. There's been no mention yet of funding, just admittance.