ProfLorax

Yes. I had a hard time, especially contacting DGS's I had a really good connection with. It helps to remember that they understand that this is part of the process; this happens every year. Do not be surprised if they ask you where you are going and why. You don't have to answer, but it helps them with recruitment. If it helps, here is the basic template I used: Thank you so much for the offer to the PhD program in English at University X. I am emailing you to let you know that I have accepted another offer, so I will not be attending University X this fall. I am so honored to have been accepted to University X, and I hope to work with faculty and students from University X throughout my career.

Wow. That's a lot of money, and that's not including cost of living. That's a whole lot of debt for one year. I'm not shocked that U Washington doesn't fund its first year students, but I am amazed that they don't at least try to offer in-state tuition to ease the sticker shock. Hell, you may want to consider going to school part-time and getting a full-time job; it's doable.

If you absolutely have to take out student loans, stick with federal loans. Avoid private loans (ie. Sallie Mae) like the plague. I have both from undergrad and my MA program, and I can tell you that everything is easier with my federal loans. Federal loans offer a variety of repayment plans, low interest rates, and forgiveness after twenty years of repayment. You just have to fill out the FAFSA. Also, note that you do not have to take out the full amount offered to you; if you get a part-time job, you may only have to take out a small amount, lessening your repayment burden after you graduate.

kayrabbit-- I can't make any promises, but if you want me to check out one or two apartment complexes while I'm there in June, let me know! Maybe I can take pictures? To everyone else: grad student organizations can be really helpful in finding places to live. Grad students will tell you which complexes to avoid, which neighborhoods are the most affordable, and more!

Yes yes yes email her! That way, she can plan ahead and find the best restaurant to meet your needs. There is nothing rude about taking care of your health! You aren't being pushy by notifying your program about any special diet needs; rather, you are ensuring a safe visit. ETA: I informed all schools I visited that I am vegetarian beforehand (which is not as significant as a serious food allergy). It was no big deal, and that way, I knew I would have something to eat at all the events!

This is a great question! I was wondering the same thing myself, so I checked the MLA and National Women's Studies Association websites. MLA has a huge list of fellowships and grants (but you need to be an MLA member to access it): http://www.mla.org/fellowships_grants. NWSA has small grants and fellowships for students writing their dissertations/theses in women's studies, as well as women of color and lesbian students: http://www.nwsa.org/content.asp?pl=16&contentid=16 This has potential to be a great source for PhD students! Thanks for getting the conversation stated, MercyHurst!

UPack gave me a quote... $3,600! Wowzer! I guess I knew that moving cross country wasn't going to be cheap, but I am certainly feeling some sticker shock. Renting a UHaul truck is $2,400, but like AurantiacaStella points out, driving across the country will cost extra in gas, random fees and patience.

Thanks for the advice! You are the second person to recommend UPack, so I'll give them a look. And good idea with the tranqs! I'll have to talk to our vet about that. I also may have to reconsider our ten day plan. We were hoping to give him about 60 minutes of walking each day on the road, but ten days is still a long time in a car. Glad to hear I'm not the only one thinking about moving! I will now! Thanks! I also heard that people can ship stuff pretty cheaply through Amtrak as well. Moving furniture is going to be the biggest pain. We have decided to sell, donate, or freecycle all of our Ikea furniture; our futon, couch, and bed are our only really "grown up" pieces of furniture, and we want to keep those for sure.

Hey everyone! Like many of you, I'm planning on a big move this summer. I'm curious how many of you have moved cross country. My hubs and I are starting to plan our trip from California to Maryland in July or August. We are hoping to take ten or so days to really enjoy the experience, and we'd prefer not to tow our stuff. We have decided on only taking one car; with public transportation, we think that one car will be enough between the two of us in the DC area. Also, we have a small dog. He's great in the car (he sleeps in a crate in the back seat most of the time), but he's never been in the car this long. Any tips? For those who have moved across the country, how did you keep costs low? (I cannot believe how expensive those movable PODS are!) Which route/s did you take? How long did your trip take? How did you go about planning the trip? Any secrets for maintaining one's sanity during such a long trip? Thanks in advance!

Hey there. I've been teaching at the CC for three years now, and I consider myself pretty savvy in the world of CC teaching jobs. Since CC is your goal, do either Boulder or Chicago offer classes in teaching composition? Unless you have a PhD, you will most likely be teaching various levels of writing and reading, so any coursework that focuses on comp will help you on the job market. Like others have said, teaching experience is key, way more than prestige. If both schools are equal in comp class offerings and teaching experience, take the least expensive option. Last year, I worked my ass off to make 50K as an adjunct. That salary is rare, even for a full-time position. Consider that when you take out loans. Also, CSU Fullerton offers a certificate in postsecondary reading and learning. The classwork is completely online and focuses on intellectual development for adult learners. In California, it is required to teach any reading courses at the college level. Even if the certificate is not required where you want to teach or you have no interest in teaching reading, it can be helpful to show you have taken coursework in college teaching. Having the certificate opened a lot of doors for me in California during my community college teaching career. http://www.csufextension.org/programs/prl/

At least in the humanities, students on fellowship are not allowed to have outside employment. You may want to first check to see if PhD program + job is even an option.

Yup! My husband and I are heading there for a week in June. We are actually thinking of buying a house (we have some money saved up from working full-time these past few years), but we aren't sure how feasible it is to buy a house in an area we aren't familiar with. What about you? Where are you thinking about living? We are hoping for Takoma Park!

Talk to your financial aid office! At my school, even though I was offered $20,000 in federal loans, I was able to decide how much to take out; most importantly, the first year, I didn't take out my full loan amount, but I was able to take out the remainder later on if needed (Which I did because San Francisco is an expensive city!). See if that's an option at the University of Houston. That way, you can initially take out less, but you have the rest if you need it. And good luck!

Thank you! No more visits for me. I'm relieved! Now, I can focus on moving my stuff, my husband, and my dog across country!

Hi there! My MA was unfunded. Here are some tips based on my personal experience: 1. Fill out the FAFSA. You won't get much, but you might get some state-based grants. 2. Only take out federal student loans. Avoid private loans like the plague. (FAFSA will help with this). 3. Scour the University of Houston's Financial Aid and Graduate School website for any small fellowships or grants they offer. You might be surprised at how many small scholarships are offered to grad students! 4. Part-time jobs with schedules that do not change week-to-week are awesome. 5. Since you plan to eventually apply to PhD programs, ask early on about financial support for traveling to conferences. Presenting at conferences can look great on your CV, and some programs have cash stashed away for professional development opportunities. If your abstract is accepted and your school does not offer money for conferences, contact the organization putting the conference on. They will often have scholarships, knock down the cost, and/or get you in contact with someone to share a hotel room. 6. Get out on time. Paying for two years of fees is simply cheaper than paying for three or more. 7. Work like hell during the summer, and save! Hope this helps!

crazyhappy, a few tips: 1. Post this in the Lit/Rhet/Comp boards. We are an active bunch, and you'll get lots of different opinions there. 2. No conference is going to look bad or keep you out of grad school. However, some conferences are notorious for being somewhat scammy in charging ridiculously high fees. Google the name of the organization. See what people are saying about it. 3. Talk to your former professors. I graduated three years ago, and my former professors have been immensely helpful in this process. Two of them I emailed almost weekly with questions. If you have any former professors you have a tight connection with, don't let the fact that you recently graduated prohibit you from asking questions!

Hey ya'll. I just wanted to chime in to say that this discussion has been riveting and has certainly challenged my own perceptions of posthumanism and animal studies. I was never really dismissive of those perspectives, but I was certainly ambivalent. Now, I am seeing how posthumanism specifically may align with my own academic interests in difference and power. Ok, this was my a-ha moment. The socially constructed definition of "human" has been utilized throughout history to oppress and marginalize groups of people: Women are merely less developed humans, compared to fully developed men. People with disabilities are more monster than human. Africans are animalistic, not human, which is why they need the care of guidance that slavery provides. It's eery to think about how so many categories of people have been considered less than human, which has led to real material and political consequences. Looking at the rhetoric of humanness during different historical periods and connecting that to the politics of division and oppression could lead to some really exciting scholarship (although I imagine this has already been looked into, and I'm just late to the party. As usual.)

*shrug* I did a'ight.

Yeah, I also think the OP is legit. Especially because s/he hasn't heard from SF State yet. When I applied, notifications didn't come out until April 30.

Did you read that these are MA programs? No MA problems are placing graduates into TT jobs. And 12K for an MA program is a pretty slamming deal. To the OP: to answer your question, what is your goal? Do you want to go directly into community college teaching after your MA or apply for PhD programs? The best program may depend on your goal. I went to SF State for my MA in Lit, which set me up well for a teaching job (I found out I was in the lead for a TT teaching job at my community college when I withdrew my application this morning) AND for PhD applications. There is very little in the way of funding, but if you are a CA resident, the fees are pretty low. Let me know if you get in! I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Thanks! It's the next day, and I still feel confident and calm about my decision. I'm sad that we won't be in the same cohort, however. Still, we will be in the same field, so our paths will cross at a conference or the like! Are you leaning towards UT Austin or U of Louisville?

Since this was my second time applying (my first was in 2008), I am going to focus on what I did right this time. I started writing my SoP in April. It went through hundreds of iterations. Since I allowed myself the time to revise, revise, revise, I was never stressed by deadlines. I was able to work on my SoP until I felt 100% confident. (Well, I was pretty confident about my statement. No PhD applicant can ever be 100% confident!) I also started communicating with my former professors and letter writers early in the process. This didn't just help me get my materials in time, but it also allowed me to reconnect with my advisors and receive great feedback throughout the process. They read through my SoP drafts, helped me revise my application list, and calmed me down during the more stressful moments. I contacted POI's beforehand. Now, I want to stress, I don't believe emailing professors necessarily helped me get accepted anywhere. BUT, communicating with them helped give me an idea about the culture of the program. Also, I found out early on who was retiring and who was staying. All of this helped me with my "fit paragraphs." And now, for the most important thing... I selected only a handful of close friends, colleagues, and family members to notify about my plans to apply. That way, I felt supported, but I also didn't feel immense pressure to succeed. If I didn't get in, I wouldn't have to tell all the people-- just the people who I knew would love and support me regardless.

This should come as no surprise to anyone, but I want to shout it from the rooftops: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND!

I'm so sorry, Datatape. This just shows how arbitrary this whole process is! At least you have some other great options to choose from. (Insert internet hug here)