spasticlitotes

Have you picked school colors yet? Also, I don't know if this is a factor for other people, but the grad students who will be with me in my cohort are factors for me. I had a really sweet, intelligent, supportive cohort for my MA, and they were all really chill. I think it really helped me enjoy my studies and motivate me to better myself.

I just fell off my bed laughing my head off - I spent a good ten to fifteen minutes in hysterics. Thank you for this. I'm pretty sure it's "Them apples." For the record. By OSU, do you mean Oregon or Ohio? If the latter, DO IT - I've never met an infant prodigy. (And that will make three of us. On GradCafe. As far as I'm aware.)

I heart this thread. Dorinda - it depends on what you want to study. I think you'll find the CIBs in both places. You could compromise in Chicago and get a small puppy, or become a Hurricanes fan (er....). The thing about Durham is that it'll be very academic in the stereotypical sense. That means you'll get yourself a good dose of book learnin', and maybe not much else. I did my undergrad in Chapel Hill, and I swear, Duke students came to Carolina to party. There's a sort of culture to Chapel Hill/Carrboro, but I'm pretty sure Durham culture involves learning to use a taser and carrying pepper spray everywhere (outside of campus - campus itself is gorgeous, kudos to Duke for getting something right). Chicago will have the culture and vibrance that any kind of interdisciplinary degree will need available easily, whereas Duke will have a limited selection. So do you want to be a sharply honed academic knife or a culturally aware multi-petaled flower? (I think they're both great, it just depends on what you want...) Note: Crown is my favorite whiskey. In case anyone missed that. Crown. Fiona, please sign me up for your university. I can train the bears in basketball. I've watched it done right for years. MrBrooklyn, you just threw yourself into the middle of a hungry pack of wolves. Do us a favor. Bring your friends. Or move to Ohio. With your friends. If anyone gets around to arranging a drink night, please let us out-of-towners know about a month in advance - I'd LOVE to meet all of you, and I'd be willing to drive/find really cheap plane tickets up there if at all possible. For serious. Tru. Dat. I'm curious... what do you mean by "odd"?

Have you thought of looking into a semi-funded MA degree at a smaller-not-big-name university? Like perhaps UNC-Charlotte? I'm sure this isn't the only one out there, but this department is ridiculously supportive for students who have the potential for a PhD and they have a lot of brilliant professors who are at the top of their field (esp. you, comp/rhet people!). They don't do tuition remission, but they give you a tiny bit of funding if they offer you a TA-ship, and that teaching experience is golden because you get to stay within the realm of English. You'd have to get another part-time job, but the tuition (in-state, at least, and out of state isn't heinous) isn't bad, so you'd probably come out with less than 10-15 grand in debt, which is half of the number being thrown out now. In-staters could live in slight poverty and pull through without debt, and I'm sure every state has at least one school like this.

Congrats, strato! Where are you heading?

I got the rejection, and while I understand that they can't accept us all, for a department that deals in words and nuances, they have GOT to realize that this kind of rejection is just plain mean. It's unnecessary, that's all.

Head up, chin high - I'm rolling on 12 rejections. I don't know that going 2/14 is really the salve on my wounded ego that it should be, so I feel you. Enjoy Yale, though! I think you've hit it on the head - I'm going to miss my gigantic bed and my biggest worry is actually trying to load all these damn books I have. I refuse to get rid of any of them. I'd wear the same pair of clothes for a year, but I refuse to let go of my books. If you have a friend who is kind, I recommend alphabetizing your books and taking trips back home frequently to visit said kind friend - take one letter up with you each time. That's the closest I've gotten, because after I saw your post, I took a few (not even close to all of my books) boxes and packed them into my car... and it totally slumped closer to the ground. *sigh*

YES! I'm at the 99.999% sureness level... We should be friends. Are you going to the visit weekend thingy?

This. I promise I will never think ill-favored thoughts of anyone again. (Okay, that's taking it far - amendment: I will never voice mean thoughts of anyone every again to any but my five best friends.)

Yeah, I'm really going to stop crying and be super thankful that I got into a fairly good school with funding. As for the "Howard Send" plan, I think you could write a fairly twisted story involving a library somewhere over which the rhet comp and literature departments of a university are fighting... throwing in some social commentary on the desperation of grad students could win you a pulitzer. Just sayin'. If it helps, I'm trying to convince myself that Columbus, OH is a city. *sigh* I guess it doesn't matter, because we won't be leaving the library/our desks for the next four (deluded optimism at it's finest) to five years.

Hundreds. And thousands. Of dollars. And all for what? All of you people are friggin amazing. And this system is seriously flawed. Maybe we should come up with a group proposal for adcoms. I like Ahab's idea, for starters...

Damn automated services. I feel your pain. aeplo, I got an email TO check the site. I think yank is right - they let go of those of us they wanted least first, so in case their first choices declined, they can turn to the rest of you. Way to play with your heartstrings. :-/

Isidore, I noticed you got into the BC MA program - congrats! I was wondering if you knew how that worked and whether you already had an MA... I got in, but I kinda have an MA, so would they just give me another one?

Haha, I thought this was a safe space! *sniff* Although check plus for Downton Abbey - I'm a little wary of where it's going because of how season 2 ended... CONGRATS JEliott!!!!! Where are you going?

Check your app status, guys. Today, the rejections flow like nectar from Olympus - and by nectar, I mean hemlock. *sigh* I just got mine, I'm going to go wallow. Good luck to everyone else! And Ver-million, congrats on all your impressive acceptances! How did you do it!?!?!?!