practical cat

Yeah! It was good, I'll share what I said in a PM yesterday: It's been a loooooooong weekend. Started off Friday morning with interviews with all five of the faculty who were here, a lecture after lunch, tours, dinner with the faculty. Yesterday we had a grad student symposium and a trip to the Lincoln Park zoo then a late night with current students. It definitely felt more like recruitment than interview with slightly higher incentive to be not a monster. It seems like a really great place. ETA: feel free to PM with questions if you'd like!

I did my undergrad at Michigan (and currently live just outside of Ann Arbor). Ann Arbor is really a great city with a good variety of restaurants, bars, local bookstores, etc. It's a pretty white and wealthy area (and people are pretty oblivious to that). It's a quick, straight shot on I-94 to the airport. The library system is phenomenal. The hospital is one of the best in the country. The city is not the best at snow removal. People at UM love being there and love working with other people who are there (it's a collaborative environment for sure), Ann Arbor loves Ann Arbor. There's a strong strain of school/city/state exceptionalism that differentiates Michigan from the rest of the midwest especially, I have found, in the eyes of people outside the state. Traffic is kind of silly in the whole city. Football is a big thing but also a really avoidable thing. It's a beautiful campus. These are just the first things that came into my mind and I think there are people with more direct experience with the department that can offer a fuller perspective.

I really want everyone in this thread to get into UPenn.

Ann Arbor's the best. Are you able to visit Michigan though? It might make you feel better (and you do have a while to actually make it official) but I don't think it's strictly necessary. People blind-accept off waitlists and as international students all the time.

Yeah, I bet you're overthinking! You're in the best possible place you could be right now with this program.

Yeah! I should've specified!

Yeah, to this end, I would add that in all conversations I've had with the RPC director, he's been very clear that there're 9 candidates though only 8 of us will be at the weekend.

Northwestern RPC hasn't released decisions yet, the on-campus interview weekend is the 26-27. As far as I can tell, they're just busy so I wouldn't worry too much.

I second the advice to dress in layers because it WILL be really warm inside and having removable pieces allows you to adjust to overenthusiastic heaters. You'll also be colder after dark so keep that in mind if there are evening events. There're also these things called HotHands hand warmers that you can throw in boots and mittens and that helps a lot.

I feel like, having gone back through all of the Northwestern Comm results ever posted, this year has been extra special strange. Hope you guys hear soon.

Yeah, I posted the RPC invite on the results board. Huge relief as this is my only application this year. Anyone else going?

No, but I remain hopeful as it seems that different programs have worked on different schedules in previous years.

Brandeis admits and waitlisters (congrats to both!) should feel free to PM me.

we're (Brandeis) shut down for the day because snow. it might be a while between the weather and spring break (next week). I don't actually have any real inside information.

Yes. It helped me in two respects: 1. I happened to have a concrete 15-20 bit that I could cleanly extract and revise into a writing sample that I wouldn't have had without the thesis and 2. it taught me a lot about my own interests and about the process. It had little bearing on the actual application process, I'm sure.

I named names at every school but the one I got into. Naming names probably didn't keep me out of anywhere but it definitely didn't make anyone see a fit where there wasn't one. Definitely do it if they ask for it, otherwise do whatever makes you feel comfortable knowing that some committees find it really important.

I'm reading about ecocriticism RIGHT NOW, datatape! I'm REALLY happy here. People are great, I'm excited about my upcoming (yikes) seminar papers, Boston is the greatest place ever. My interests are taking new/unexpected (but actually should've been very predictable whatever) directions and I'm just feeling really creative in a way I'd forgotten I could be.

I didn't cite anything in my SOP so I didn't submit a works cited. I could see circumstances where you would though. Do what's necessary.

Yeah, they're pretty interchangeable. You may be able to read a bit into what the department values based on their name -- "literary studies" reads more cultural studies and interdisciplinary to me -- but that's not always a safe move. The department websites (or DGS) will tell you more than any of us could in thinking about it in the abstract.

http://michigandaily.com/opinion/10viewpoint-being-black-ann-arbor02 I don't think it's all that different from any other college town in the US but, yeah, it's pretty white and upperclass.

Yeah, don't do it. Spend your time on your writing and your money on actual applications (or coffee or whatever).

Tired. No but really it is great and I love it here.

I hope it went well!

Just chilling. Reading some Bakhtin, baking some bread. I'm pretty content.

"Already Attending" !!!