ProfLorax

Fantastic! I'll see you there. I'll be the one wearing a red rose... ... not really. But I am thrilled to meet some of my potential cohort! ETA: No, but really... I'm trying to figure out the cool way to reveal my secret GradCafe identity while meeting fellow admitted students.

Congrats! Will you be attending the visit day on March 13?

Just got the call from Arizona! Sounds like they are accepting six RCTE students this year. Anyone else heard from Arizona yet? Crossing my fingers for my GradCafe friends!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! So happy for you! ... Also, just got the phone call from Michelle Simmons... I'm in at Miami! With a university fellowship to boot.

!!!!! If you end up at Ohio State, do you plan on working with Brenda Brueggemann? OSU's Disability Studies program is what drew me to their English Department.

I'd say to not worry about it. My POIs have only really wanted to talk about the program and how it will meet my needs. I didn't feel like they expected me to ask questions about their current research.

Some questions I have asked my POIs: Which graduate seminars do you teach? How often do you teach a seminar on ________? (If they are not teaching a seminar on the topic I want to study with them) Do you work with students through independent study? What resources and opportunities are available for students like me who want to pursue ________? How often do students and faculty spend time together socially? Professionally? Are you currently taking on new students to advise? Have you advised student dissertations on ________? My first phone conversation with a POI was wonderfully casual, so we also talked about living in the area, the sense of community between faculty and students, and teaching in other departments. Hope this helps!

So far, I've talked on the phone to a professor (Donna LeCourt) and student from UMass, and I have to say, it sounds like a wonderfully collaborative and supportive environment. Everyone talks so highly about the area, and I'm starting to get a good idea of how the faculty and students interact. I can't wait to visit!

Thanks, bfat, for giving me the lowdown on the locations! I think visiting is going to be a huge help, and since all programs rock, I'm going to have to go with where I see myself living for five years. I keep hearing the most awesome things about Amherst and Northampton! Yes, this is really true. Thanks, champagne, for breaking it down when I needed it the most. Fortunately, we've been talking about this potential move and a future academic career for four years now. I just need to keep the faith that our relationship is strong and will thrive wherever life takes us. /cheese Thanks, ktwho! My partner is a software engineer; he currently works for the federal government, so he'd be able to easily find a new job in DC, which is a definite perk. We are considering living in DC if we end up at UMD. But I gotta tell you; I cannot get over the sticker shock for rentals in DC! And this coming from someone who lived in San Francisco for years. Still, I think we'd be much happier in DC. School all week, protests and museums all weekend!

I just need a space to exhale, so here I go... I'm freaking out, ya'll. I feel so fortunate to have options, but now those options are paralyzing me with uncertainty. What if I make the wrong choice? What if I ruin the great life that my partner and I have here in California? I plan on visiting all the schools to which I've been accepted, and I believe those visits will help clarify where I belong... but what if they don't?! Am I being selfish in relocating my little family across the country to pursue a career I believe, deep down inside, will be challenging and fulfilling in a way no other career could? The rational side of my brain knows that everything will work out. I have been accepted to great programs, so maybe there really isn't a wrong choice. But the fact that my whole life is about to change, and so is my partner's, is finally becoming real to me. I think I'm going to have to start running again this week to clear my head. Thanks for listening, everyone. I'm grateful to have this space to emotionally vomit when needed.

What are the job placement rates for each school? Is there a significant difference? I'd recommend looking and see where their recent graduates ended up. Which school places graduates in the type of institutions you'd want to end up at? Lucrative funding is great, but that's only for five or six years. I'd recommend go to the school that will help you produce amazing scholarship and place you into a fantastic academic job. The job is the endgame! ETA: And a positive graduate student experience will help you write a memorable dissertation and get the job, so also don't discount the importance of your happiness.

I'm screaming too! Let us join our voices in a low, loud, long yell. RAWR! All of the schools I applied to have fantastic faculty, fit, funding, and placement; they are all well-known for their rhet/comp programs; they all also have great resources for rhet/comp students. Visiting is going to be crucial for me. Since I love all of my acceptances equally in terms of their academic program, I think location and atmosphere will end up being the deciding factors. I can't complain too much. This is a great problem to have, and one I definitely didn't expect!

I have a similar question. I emailed this morning asking for more information about the visit day, but I haven't heard back yet. If I do, I'll post it here!

The phone call was from Dr. Ray, the DGS. Still, talking on the phone is exhausting, so I wouldn't be surprised if she spread it out over a couple of days or longer. (I would, at least! I hate talking on the phone.) Good luck! Congrats! I can't help you with transportation, as I am flying in from California then probably flying directly to Champaign for their visit days. Oy! So much travel. Like you, I still have the find subs and get my time off approved, which is why I am trying to squeeze in two schools into one trip!

Re: University of Arizona "The committee is finalizing its review and you will be hearing back from us next week. Thank you for your patience!"

Yeah, I haven't heard anything yet (beyond LinkedIn notifying me that one of my POI's was scoping out my page, ha!). I'd like to know sooner than later, as well, so I can finalize my travel plans for March.

Definitely don't give up hope! I got my phone call the day after a bunch of people posted acceptances to UMD. At that point, I had already assumed rejection, so imagine my surprise!

I miss the school-specific threads of the former years, so I thought I'd start up a Maryland one. Who else has been admitted? Are you thinking of going to the visit day?

This image brings me so much joy.

Your post so perfectly captures the emotional tornado that is application season. I can't stop smiling at your good news! Congrats, and enjoy the high!

Thank you! This looks PERFECT! These essays can help my brain gears start moving again, and then I'll try to tackle some of the other books on your list during the summer.

THANK YOU FOR THIS! I wanted to ask a very similar question, especially since my BA and MA are both in lit. Thanks, KenAnderson, for that comprehensive list! Do any rhet/comp folks have a favorite reader/anthology?

Thanks, everyone! I had assumed rejection since so many acceptances went out yesterday, so it was a very surprising voicemail! It definitely sounds like they are still in the process of notifying, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for the other GradCafers waiting for news!

Just got the call... IN AT MARYLAND!