UNCG

[PaperChaser]

From what I can tell according to the graduate studies webpage, anyone who does not qualify for in-state tuition is classified as out of state. There are very specific guidelines posted as to what to do to get to in-state status. I think the idea is, if you are funded, you are told outright; if you are not funded automatically, you are supposed to seek out a TA, RA or GA ship on your own through the graduate studies department, or to pay out of state tuition for the first year, live in Greensboro, and then shift to in-state rates after twelve months. That's according to what I can construe from the website - which is actually a little better organized than some I have looked at!!

Ultimately, though, you might want to call the DrEGS and ask outright; she seems really nice via email, and certainly would be able to answer your questions about funding.

FWIW, I'm all in for UNCG. They're so flexible classes and requirements, and I just can't turn down a really good job AND pursuing my dream at bargain basement prices. It's not for everyone, but the DGS said about half the PhD students have full time jobs and pay their own way, so at least I won't be alone.....

Louisville, VA Tech, and South Carolina, thanks for the consideration. Good programs, just not for me at this point.....(RELIEF)

[wordslinger]

FWIW, I'm all in for UNCG. They're so flexible classes and requirements, and I just can't turn down a really good job AND pursuing my dream at bargain basement prices. It's not for everyone, but the DGS said about half the PhD students have full time jobs and pay their own way, so at least I won't be alone.....

Louisville, VA Tech, and South Carolina, thanks for the consideration. Good programs, just not for me at this point.....(RELIEF)

Good luck! I'm sure you will love it there! I hear great things about the program from my friends.

[Medievalmaniac]

Are you applying for the MA or PhD? Or the direct-entry PhD? I'll tell ya what I've found out, lest it change your mind.

1. Because of funding issues I've mentioned before, only PhD candidates (who already have MA's) are being considered for funding. If you already have a MA and did not receive PhD funding, you can apply to teach as a adjunct (NOT a TA-ship)---the grad school didn't tell me that, past grads did. Apparently you can apply for admin work too.

2. I got an email saying I'm an "alternate" for a TA-ship. Because I'm in-state, the tuition is SO cheap that it's smarter (much, much, much smarter) for me to keep my job---as MM wisely noted almost all of UNCG's grad classes are at night---and go to school 6 hours a semester. That way, I keep my decent job, get in-school deferment on my student loans, only have to use Stafford subsidized loans (I had no loans except law school), and make progress towards the degree while having the stability of "well, if I lose my job, I have school; if I screw school up, I have my job." I was having a really hard time choosing between accepting a good job offer at a local law firm (while people far smarter than I can't even get interviews) and accepting a PhD deal that didn't GUARANTEE me employment after 4-5 years of work. So if I can have both, I'll take both. I haven't gotten the official "ok" from UNCG on this, but their Graduate Bulletin doesn't suggest that one not on school funding can't go part-time so long as the degree is completed within the time frame (7 years).

3. That said, if I can't go part-time, I'll probably defer...just haven't figured out which school yet.

4. The beauty of UNCG is that you have access to the UNC system without the cost of living in Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Asheville, or Wilmington. It's a GOOD school for Rhet/Comp, and the campus has been VASTLY improved (I obviously live in Greensboro). It's a NICE campus, and the English building is the nicest one I've been in...ever.

5. It's easy to get in-state tuition, but I wouldn't go if you had to pay out of state. Anyone who's seriously considering UNCG should keep in mind the funding shortage and not bank on getting funded if you're accepted; however, there are a lot of community colleges and smaller colleges (Bennett, Guilford, A&T, Elon, etc) that hire adjuncts and lecturers, so if you got in, you could defer a year to work and establish in-state residency.

6. I don't LOVE the city, but the cost of living in Greensboro (esp around UNCG) is fairly low generally and considerably lower than the aforementioned NC cities. I'm not going to promise anyone that they could live on the $14-16.5k stipend from UNCG, but if you're willing to tutor part-time or have a side gig (or don't have pets/kids/surprise expenses), you can get by. The one HUGE surprise I got hit with-which is probably LESS than those of you from north of the Mason-Dixon are used to-are the LOCAL taxes. Guilford County has ridiculously high taxes compared to most other NC counties.

Anyway, I think it's worth considering. It's a solid program with good placement rates, opportunities to teach outside Comp, decent place to live, relatively diverse, etc.

Thank you so much! This is incredibly invaluable information.

I will be applying with my MA already completed, which (as you noted) they appear to prefer, especially in terms of funding. I'll be out of state, though - we live on the border between Virginia and North Carolina, and I will petition for in state rates on the grounds that we are only twenty minutes from the border and that UNC is therefore the closest program available, but I am not banking on actually getting the classification. I'll probably just rent a room somewhere in Greensboro and get my mail there - alternately, I THINK if I am working there, I can also get residency status, so I'd only be out of state the first year in that case if I got a TA ship, which I'm pretty sure I would qualify for. As you have noticed, this program is a huge plus for those of us not going straight hrough, in that they really do want to work with people who are nontraditional students, and their scheduling makes it very possible for families, etc. Also, I've heard a lot of praise for the Nineteenth century scholars working there from several other professors in the field, and Denise Baker is an extremely well-known medievalist (she does mystic narratives) so in the grand scheme of things, even though it isn't a top twenty school, still the program is recognized for contribution to English scholarship, and I feel good about the education aspect of it. Another plus is that the English faculty is a fairly young one - they apparently are transitioning - and so I think there is less of a likelihood of someone I want to work with's retiring, whereas I know Kennedy at UNC-CH is finishing up and not taking on more students, Wittig is also nearing retirement, Norris Lacy at Penn State is looking to retire...the Olde Guarde in medieval studies is shifting, as it were. So, a program like UNC-G in which the two full-time medievalists both appear to be sticking around for a good time yet is definitely appealing for that reason as well. So -definitely applying!! I hope to visit the campus in the near future.

[PaperChaser]

Good luck! I'm sure you will love it there! I hear great things about the program from my friends.

Thanks, and congrats on your fellowship! Couldn't happen to a nicer person!

[wordslinger]

Thanks! And I hope we can keep in touch as we start our coursework next year.

Thanks, and congrats on your fellowship! Couldn't happen to a nicer person!

[Nighthob]

....and how some of the other schools (South Carolina, UNCG) have been minimally professional and borderline rude in their late or non-existent responses to what were VERY basic and necessary questions.

Off-topic from UNCG, but... I'm stunned to hear you include South Carolina. I've gotten very prompt and courteous responses to my emails throughout the process. I attended their graduate recruitment last weekend, and everyone was incredibly nice -- from the faculty to the students to the guy at the cafe in the Humanities quad. I was unsure about going until I visited, but the collegial atmosphere swayed me.

[wordslinger]

Off-topic from UNCG, but... I'm stunned to hear you include South Carolina. I've gotten very prompt and courteous responses to my emails throughout the process. I attended their graduate recruitment last weekend, and everyone was incredibly nice -- from the faculty to the students to the guy at the cafe in the Humanities quad. I was unsure about going until I visited, but the collegial atmosphere swayed me.

Nighthob- I've not done any graduate work at USC, but it was my undergrad institution, and I truly loved it there. Beautiful campus, very friendly people, and good professors. Columbia is also a fun and relatively cheap city. I'd be very curious to hear about your graduate experiences there... are you rhet/comp?

Of course, I cannot speak to email promptness or anything like that.

[Nighthob]

Nighthob- I've not done any graduate work at USC, but it was my undergrad institution, and I truly loved it there. Beautiful campus, very friendly people, and good professors. Columbia is also a fun and relatively cheap city. I'd be very curious to hear about your graduate experiences there... are you rhet/comp?

Of course, I cannot speak to email promptness or anything like that.

I'll be starting a PhD in English Lit this fall. Because my focus is ridiculously interdisciplinary, I think it'll be a great place for me.

I attended the Graduate Recruitment Weekend last week, and I loved what I heard and saw. According to the DGS, they've worked to bring in some great profs and increase their resources in the past five years. They have interdisciplinary work with Film and Media Studies, Southern Studies, Women's Studies, and they have a lot of interest in Digital Humanities. They've typically been known for Rhet/Comp and American lit, and (holy crap!) they have some great resources -- particularly their Fitzgerald and Hemingway collections. But, most people don't realize they also have one of the largest Scottish literature collections outside the UK. So, there's lots of good stuff going on there.

The website doesn't do the program justice. I highly recommend contacting the profs directly and finding out more about their research if you're looking at Carolina. And I agree that the Columbia campus is nice. The library is fantastic! Also, I made friends with a number of the students just from hanging out with them at Graduate Recruitment, so I can say that everyone seemed friendly, open, and helpful.

[Nighthob]

So, a program like UNC-G in which the two full-time medievalists both appear to be sticking around for a good time yet is definitely appealing for that reason as well. So -definitely applying!! I hope to visit the campus in the near future.

Just putting this out there. U of SC also has two dedicated medievalists (Crocker and Gwara). And you should see the illuminated manuscripts in the library!

[PaperChaser]

Off-topic from UNCG, but... I'm stunned to hear you include South Carolina. I've gotten very prompt and courteous responses to my emails throughout the process. I attended their graduate recruitment last weekend, and everyone was incredibly nice -- from the faculty to the students to the guy at the cafe in the Humanities quad. I was unsure about going until I visited, but the collegial atmosphere swayed me.

I wanted to go to the graduate weekend but was out of the US and didn't get back in time to make it the whole weekend. I was rather annoyed that the DGS said it "wasn't worth" coming down if I could only go down to Columbia (it's only 3 hours from me) Friday and Saturday. I was somewhat set aback that she didn't think meeting other students and seeing the campus, city, etc was "worth" driving to see. I had emailed some REALLY basic questions, and it took the graduate student assigned to the DGS (the student was very nice, she just didn't know much) a really long time to find the answers. Most of her answers were not particularly positive (perhaps my fault for question asking...). I was disappointed because it was by far my first choice scholar-wise (I totally agree it's a great program) but had such a low stipend. Still, I wish I had just gone down Friday and Saturday so that I knew what I was missing. Oh well! Congrats to those who are going!