ProfLorax

Nope! One of the things I love most about our field. You want to make sure that any program you're considering has multiple people you want to work with, and furthermore, that these people are publishing in top journals/academic presses and frequently presenting at CCCC and RSA (and FemRhets, CPWA, and/or Computers and Writing depending on their interest). Check placement rates too. I'd say those are the most helpful criteria in determining a rhet/comp program's reputation.

Katla, I think it's wise to be skeptical of only three years of funding, and I think it's fair to raise your concerns with the DGS. I raise my eyebrows anything under five years of guaranteed funding for a PhD.

Maryland is experiencing some cuts too (as are most public universities), but nothing like Wisconsin. Your stipend won't be affected, as your offer becomes essentially a signed contract when you accept. But your mandatory grad student fees could increase, and travel funding could decrease. And like ComeBackZinc says, I wouldn't anticipate any new hires in the near future. But you'll also likely get lots of experiencing advocating for educational funding and discussing the value of the humanities, skills that are unfortunately increasingly important to the modern day humanities scholar-teacher. And you'll get to vote against Scott Walker in future elections, because as Wikipedia tells me, there is no term limit in Wisconsin (which is terrifying since this man has already won, what, three elections including the recall?).

Yes! I love the teaching load here. It's actually lighter than other public flagships, but it's heavy enough that I should have the opportunity to teach four different stand alone classes and hopefully serve as the assistant director of our Academic Writing Program my fourth and fifth year. I'm striving for the strongest CV possible before I go, and UMD is giving me the opportunity to do that. Some of the other mods mentioned that they didn't "get" my name right away, so I thought the caps would help. Thanks for noticing! I think it's good to be aspirational: I'd love to be Professor Lorax someday!

Hi Scottstein: There's a UMD thread below, but I'll answer your questions here. 1. Yes: you are essentially on a waitlist. UMD typically accepts one student per area. If UMD's top choice in DH declines their offer, you will get that spot. 2. Yes. I believe the standard stipend is around $19k for five years, but some students will have fellowship money tacked on as well. The teaching load is (assuming it won't change next year): Year 1: no teaching Year 2: 1-1 (teach one class in the fall and one in spring) Year 3: 2-1 Year 4: 2-1 Year 5: 1-1 3. Can't help you there!

Duplicate post. You can respond here:

I'm not a DHer, but I do list digital media as one of my interests. Specifically, I'm into digital activist rhetoric. I love studying at UMD, because anyone can take advantage of the lecture series and trainings MITH (Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities) puts on.

Hi all! If you have any questions about UMD, please let me know. I'm happy to chat about our graduate program! Also, I feel like you all might be right; I'd be surprised if all PhD candidates had heard back by now. I haven't heard who our rhet/comp acceptee is yet, and the current rhet/comp grad students are usually notified, so we can reach out. That being said, I am still on maternity leave, so I could just be out of the loop!

I tried to negotiate but failed-- it was my fault. I mentioned other offers and asked a question about my funding package, but the DGS (who is no longer the DGS as Maryland; they swap out every few years) either didn't catch my hint or ignored it. If I could go back, I would have the conversation in person. And since the DGS didn't take the bait, I wish I had followed up with a direct question. This is what I said: "I notice that my funding decreases in Year 4 and 5 even though I will achieve candidacy during Year 3." And I wish I had followed up with this: "Can you increase my Year 4 and 5 funding to match the earlier three years?"

To MM and all others in this situation: it's entirely appropriate to ask any and all questions at any point in the decision-making process. I suggest asking the DGS or whoever you've been communicating with the most (perhaps a poi). This is critical to realize: after you receive your first acceptance, you are in a position of power. Own it! Ask your questions directly. Negotiate your package. We are all rhetorically savvy; trust that you know how to best advocate for yourself in a respectful and convincing way. And specifically to MM: both of your concerns are valid. Your DGS has been asked about language training funding and placement rates several times in their career. Lastly, enjoy this brief period where you have some power!

Hey! How did we not talk about disability studies during our chat? That's one of my major research interests. I booked Robert McRuer to speak at our graduate student conference this year, and I started a DS in the Humanities reading group. We should talk shop someday! I'm reading Rosemarie Garland-Thomspon's Extraordinary Bodies right now to kick off my reading for comps. (I get really excited about fellow DS folks!)

True, California is very expensive. But Davis will be cheaper than the bay area, LA or San Diego areas. It's worth looking up apartments on craigslist to check out how much rent is there! I know Sacramento, which is just up the street from Davis, tends to be pretty affordable.

A lot. A lot a lot a lot. Really, that to me is the biggest determining factor of a program's success.

Omgomgomgomg! I'm still crossing my fingers for your remaining applications, WT, but I am so excited about the possibility of you attending UMD! Let me know if you have any questions. Ralph, our DGS, has done really well at finding funding for our MA students through GA and TAships!

I just wanted to briefly share my own experience with Plan B's. I first applied to graduate school right out of undergrad. I was flatly rejected from all PhD programs and only accepted to unfunded MA's. I enrolled in the MA program closest to home and spent two wonderful years living in the best city in the world (San Francisco), making close friends, and changing my field from American literature to rhetoric and composition. I also started dating this great guy. After earning my MA, I moved in with this great guy and lived for three years in one of the most beautiful areas: Monterey. I taught writing and reading at the local community college, a job I passionately loved. I woke up everyday thrilled to go to work. Two years after moving to Monterey, I got married to that great guy. I then realized that, while I loved teaching, I missed writing and research. I decided to apply to graduate school again, and the hubs enthusiastically supported my efforts. I applied to nine PhD programs and was accepted to five and wait-listed at one. I am now happily attending my dream program, loving what I study and teach, and enjoying my time with my growing family. I was so devastated my first go around. I taped my rejection letters to my bedroom door so I could be reminded of my failure everyday. Fast forward five years later, and I am grateful everyday that those programs rejected me. I would have never started this family, and more relevant to this forum, I would have never discovered the field I now love. It's hard to see the silver lining right now, but sometimes, Plan B's can freakin' rock.

Youngcharlie, I'm really feeling for you. I've been in your exact same position. Just remember that (1) it's still super early in the app season (I didn't get my first acceptance until mid-February) and 2) your worth as a person and a scholar is not measured by grad school apps. I think others will be happy to commiserate and provide solace, but could we move this to the Rejection thread? I don't want to derail the very deserveded celebration happening here.

I imagine this thread will get lost in the application season hubbub, but I too am preparing to study for comps! What does your exam entail? My comp exam is oral; we have no written component. The first hour, we present an answer to one of the five questions our committee submitted a week prior to the exam. The second hour, we answer questions from the committee. Any text on our reading list is fair game. As for prep, I plan to use Evernote to sort my notes. I like that I'm able to sort notes into folders and search for terms. Some of my colleagues also suggested creating a theme map, so that I can more quickly make connections between texts. I'm trying to keep my reading list manageable, so whenever a committee member suggests adding a text, I ask which text I should remove in its place. As I get closer to the big day (which isn't until September), I will organize a mock exam with my colleagues. Some of my classmates also suggested using the pomodoro method to study more efficiently. I'd love to hear how others are preparing!

Whoa. I'm really hoping you'll be getting good news from the doctor.

Hahahahahahahaha.

Hi there! I'm not in your field, but I am a PhD student who had a baby seven weeks ago. I'm actually breastfeeding as I type this! My partner and I discussed how to time having a baby, but then we realized something infinitely true: there is no "good" time to have a baby. During school or work, I'll have outside commitments. Instead, we decided to start having kids when we felt emotionally and financially ready. And now, I have a beautiful, strong, happy daughter, and I couldn't be happier. I'm still on maternity leave, so I can't tell you much about actual motherhood/grad school balance. But I can talk about pregnancy and new motherhood as a grad student. Here's some scattered advice I have for any grad student considering having kids: If you can, select an advisor/PI who is supportive. My advisor has three kids of her own and has been absolutely amazing. In fact, when our weekly meetings start up in March, I'll be bringing my daughter along! Find out your university's official parental leave policy for grad students and your department's unofficial policy. Have other grad students had kids? Does your department allow or even encourage creative solutions to scheduling issues? For example, my department encouraged me to teach extra in the Fall (when I was pregnant) so I wouldn't have to teach when the baby came. This has radically extended what parental leave the university granted me. Don't try to be a hero. Work with your university, PI, and department to take off as much time as possible. Child birth is amazing and wonderful and awful and exhausting-- all at the same time. Your body will need time to recover, and if you choose to breastfeed, that in itself takes weeks (and sometimes months!) to master. Start prioritizing your health and your family now. It's good practice. When I was pregnant, I stopped responding to student emails over the weekend (unless the student really did need a reply right away). I started putting up boundaries early on, so now it feels second nature. When the time comes, allow your wife to take over household duties. I finished up my coursework and teaching the week before my due date, and my hubs is the only reason our house is still standing. Invest in baby carriers and a hands-free bumping bra. Both will allow you to multi-task during the early days of infancy. Enjoy it. Pregnancy and new parenthood are both so strange, challenging, rewarding, beautiful, and wonderful. Take time every once in a while to really soak the whole experience in!

Hey WW! Welcome back. You can find very detailed academic profiles for most comp lit applicants in this thread:

Thanks, heja! I expect to slum it on the beach for at least several hours a day as well. Can't wait! BTW, my name is Ruth, so if you see me at CCCC, please say hi! I love meeting GradCafers offline. (Word of warning, though: I don't actually look like the Lorax.)

I have to echo the sentiment about emotionally detaching from rejections. As I've mentioned on this board in the past, no matter what stage you are at in your academic career, rejection is an integral aspect of it. Applying to graduate school and applying to jobs provide the highest stake experiences, but even as a grad student and then as a professor, you'll have conference proposals, manuscripts, grant applications, and more rejected. And really, it's so rarely about the worth of your work and more about what vision the person or committee on the other side of the game had in mind. Within my first year and a half of a PhD student, I have had my fair share of losses and victories, and I'm trying to embrace and learn from both. Also, self-care rocks! I hope you are all embracing some self-love during this tumultuous time. I took yoga for the first time last year, and I have to say, really focusing on my breath has been a life saver. Breath, music, and movement kept me going throughout an unmedicated birth (YES I'M BAD ASS), so I imagine those techniques could be helpful in other stressful situations! I only wish I discovered yoga during my application cycle. Cheers, and congrats to all those who have heard good news!

Hi Ramus! Congrats. Yes, you are on the waitlist. Our incoming cohorts usually have one student per area (one rhet/comp, one medievalist, one 20th century scholar, etc) to achieve a balanced and well represented cohort. You will be offered admission if the #1 pick for your field declines. A couple more things, Ramus: Ralph (our DGS) is extremely kind, fair, and approachable. Feel free to ask him any and all questions that come to mind. Also, the med/Ren PhD student from my cohort was just over at my house yesterday dropping food off (my cohort has been wonderfully supportive of me procreating). He was telling me how the biggest challenge of building his committee is that there are so many supportive and brilliant Renaissance scholars to choose from, he isn't sure who he wants to leave out! It's a pretty great problem to have. He also just published in Spenser Studies, so you'll be sure to have committed and productive colleagues in your field. Let me know if you want to chat more specifically about UMD, Ramus, and any other acceptee/waitlister!

I'll be there! This year's CCCC will be my first CCCC and my first conference with my daughter. I'm actually thrilled, mostly because of the promise of warm weather.