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I am an undergrad beginning applications next Fall semester, and I need advice on my current school list and perhaps any experience with the schools or living in the cities. I am primarily interested in Southern literature, theory, identity, and philosophy, Civil War literature, history, and philosophy like Transcendtalism, and African American literature from pre-Civil War to now. I plan to pursue an MA first then go on to a PhD. My current top two MA schools and potential advisers or professors with whom I am interested in working are Leigh Anne Duck and Adam Gussow at University of Mississippi and Cody Marrs at University of Georgia. Aside from University of Mississippi and Georgia, my list includes, in order, University of Alabama and Kentucky, and if I decide to pursue Rhet/Comp instead, University of Illinois. My dream PhD schools are UNC Chapel Hill and University of Virginia. I am confident in getting a good placement for the MA level, but I am concered about things like living stipend, fit with the university, and potential for improvement before moving to PhD. I have a strong application which I think will place me at the top of any MA level group of entering students, but I do not think it would be strong enough to ensure me a spot at my dream PhD schools. I will definitely be applying to an MA at Miss., Georgia, Alabama, and Kentucky. Would the application fees be worth it to also apply to PhD at UNC or Virginia? Does anyone have experience with Mississippi or Georgia and their faculty working in Southern Lit? What are some schools I am not considering which also have strong Southern lit faculty? What is it like to live in Oxford, Tuscaloosa, Athens, or Lexington? How do the costs of living compare? Of the four, Alabama and Georgia offer the highest MA living stipend at $13,500 and $14,000 respectively, but Georgia expects a much higher teaching load at 3/3 for the second year. Mississippi offers $10,000, and I do not yet know Kentucky's stipend. I have chosen each of these MA schools because they offer funding. Mississippi is my top interest, but they also have the lowest stipend offer. How likely am I to get other fellowships or scholarships in addition? Will $10,000 go very far in Oxford? That is already below my lowest margin for a stipend, but Mississippi seems like where I want to be for Southern lit.