2019 Applicants

[havemybloodchild]

2 minutes ago, mandelbulb said:

@kendalldinniene i can get more details from my friends who own, but as far as i know, the market is pretty competitive and everything in the city is pretty expensive. the market has been slowing down recently though! 

god this really reminds me of how little i'm looking forward to actually moving, even if i'm excited by the idea of learning a new city and starting a new chapter of my life...

I'd appreciate any info you can give me!  I've been looking a bit and there are definitely things here and there I can afford, but no word on HOAs, so who actually knows.  I would rather own a shoe box to myself than share a bathroom and kitchen with a building full of people for about the same monthly cost.  These west coast cities are just getting to be completely unlivable on one income.

I usually love moving but some of these locations are far more stressful to move to money-wise than others.  Of course, if everyone else can do it, you and I can, too.  Fingers crossed the move is the biggest stressor we all have come March or so!

[dilby]

One or two of you have mentioned video games to pass the time. If you have the inclination, What Remains of Edith Finch is a slow, beautiful narrative game currently available for free through the Epic Games Store. I sat down to take a look at it out of curiosity and ended up playing through the whole thing in one sitting. Strong recommend but it's real sad.  

[disidentifications]

10 hours ago, placeinspace said:

Honestly, I don't think it is. I've worked in many offices in my career with varying amounts of the same drama that I truly believe anywhere there's a bunch of people, there will be politics and drama. I expect grad school will be no different. 

9 hours ago, savay said:

Every department will have its own dynamic/issues/tensions but some can definitely be more welcoming and accepting for graduate students and graduate work than others. There's also institutional politics that can impact your experience - sometimes antagonistically. I love my current department - there are differences but on the whole we're a close, collegial bunch. My institution on the other hand could do a lot more for the humanities - for as much as they love to tout the strength of our programs, they love to cut our funding.

That's true, especially with regards to the disjunction between the goals of the department and the institution itself. Based on what little I know about UPenn from a friend who's doing her history PhD there, your (@savay) experiences are not unlike hers, though she's also taken care to emphasise that the English department itself is exceptionally cohesive and collaborative. Likewise, my own undergraduate university is currently also embroiled in a conflict of such sorts, and it's getting quite ugly — media coverage and all. Not to mention, of course, that students are often the collateral damage of these tensions. (I count myself lucky that the English department here isn't far too enmeshed in the debacle, though that's partly because we've always been horribly underfunded, to begin with, so there's very little cuts that the university can make... ?)

10 hours ago, placeinspace said:

 As a side note, I had planned to apply to NYU but after reading the stuff on that disaster I decided not to. It wasn't so much the drama as the complete lack of accountability from the admin. I'm not interested in being somewhere that's basically a free for all for important people.

I had considered applying there too, but for the same reason, felt it was best not to. The many pieces exposing the dysfunction of their complit department, which arose out of that whole disaster, pretty much put me off the thought of ever studying at nyu. (But then again, I'm not particularly keen on joining a department 'dominated' by Žižek either.) 

9 hours ago, savay said:

Also, re: Frankenstein and abjection, Susan Stryker's article,  on Frankenstein and Transgender Rage is great

Thanks for your recommendation! I'll definitely check that out!! 

 

[lyonel_]

41 minutes ago, dilby said:

One or two of you have mentioned video games to pass the time. If you have the inclination, What Remains of Edith Finch is a slow, beautiful narrative game currently available for free through the Epic Games Store. I sat down to take a look at it out of curiosity and ended up playing through the whole thing in one sitting. Strong recommend but it's real sad.  

this looks amazing! I wish I wasn't so basic with my games– literally still working through RDR2 lol 

[ArcaMajora]

1 hour ago, dilby said:

One or two of you have mentioned video games to pass the time. If you have the inclination, What Remains of Edith Finch is a slow, beautiful narrative game currently available for free through the Epic Games Store. I sat down to take a look at it out of curiosity and ended up playing through the whole thing in one sitting. Strong recommend but it's real sad.  

This sounds tempting Thanks for passing this along. I've been getting into narrative games lately (Quantic Dream was where I started with Indigo Prophecy and Detroit, but some really astounding ones have been released this generation). I've heard very fantastic things about What Remains of Edith Finch, and the fact that it's also free makes this even more tempting. I'll add this to my gaming backlog.

31 minutes ago, lyonel_ said:

this looks amazing! I wish I wasn't so basic with my games– literally still working through RDR2 lol 

Ngl same here lol. And I'm also going through RDR2 myself rn haha. It's an insanely good timesink though and I can't help but marvel at the open world that Rockstar has created. (it also definitely helps pass the time, Arthur Morgan is a great distraction from my e-mail and from checking admission portals). Glad to see another person here playing Red Dead though.

Edited January 11, 2019 by Ranmaag

[lyonel_]

10 minutes ago, Ranmaag said:

I can't help but marvel at the open world that Rockstar has created. 

100% this. I am a student of the fin de siècle of the U.S., and as close as a game can get, Rockstar hit the nail on the head tbh 

[dangermouse]

i am feeling woefully theory-dumb in comparison to some of the conversation on this thread, but i can't wait to get stuck in to those pdfs and Expand My Literary Horizons! will have a think about what i can offer in return when i emerge. 

[FiguresIII]

If you're into queer theory and still cling, desperately, to intimate close readings, Kevin Ohi's Dead Letters Sent is a goldmine. It was a game changer for my undergrad thesis. Especially the introduction and the chapter on the Symposium blew me away. I think you can access it on JSTOR.

[sad_diamond]

@savay I read Disturbing Attachments last year and loved it...it pretty much got me to apply to Emory's WGSS program, where Amin teaches (along with Michael Moon and Lynne Huffer). Actually I'm supposed to hear back from them today about whether or not I got an interview! They very kindly sent an email to everyone in December telling us we'd hear about interviews by the 11th. 

@dilby I haven't gamed in years but What Remains of Edith Finch sounds so lovely I'm downloading it today!

[sad_diamond]

Ah just saw on results page that someone got the interview email from Emory WGSS, so I think I'm down for the count there

[savay]

10 hours ago, kendalldinniene said:

This is what I'm afraid of.  I'm a crotchety old lady, I do not want anymore roommates unless they are cats or books.

That being said, Scandinavian Studies sounds fascinating!  I hope (besides the library homesickness) you're enjoying your time abroad.  Do you mind my asking what country you are in?  Scandinavia is a dream spot to live for me.

I ended up spending my two years in Seattle in the graduate apartment building - it was easy to get a contract while still living across the country and I am normally abroad on research during the summers and don't really have time to move. It's expensive, but not egregiously compared to the rest of the city, and is conveniently close to campus. But, by my second year I was feeling the financial impact of living alone. The U District itself is also not the coziest neighborhood - and you run the risk of seeing your students on your midnight ice cream/tacos/whatever run. If I end up staying for my PhD I'll probably move, which I'm not really looking forward to. (also the problem with the efficiency pod apartments here is that often they're worse than studios and lack their own kitchen, but you still have to shell out a grand a month!)

I'm in Iceland currently. My MA thesis is a translation of a contemporary Icelandic poet and an article on the intersections of translation theory and queer theory, with a side of queer kinship studies. The Nordic countries are great, though often idealized in US media, and while I don't know if I'll ever live here full time I've basically been splitting my time between Seattle and here for the last three years and will probably continue to do so. Immigration can be tough, and with the rise of national populism movements across Europe the barriers might become even higher. It's a weird time everywhere.

[placeinspace]

I'm super worried about paying for housing in grad school, especially because I have pets so grad housing isn't an option.

[Bopie5]

Similarly worried about paying for housing. Quick question (and maybe this is a totally ignorant thing to ask, but I'm the first in my family to apply for graduate school, so I'm still trying to get a sense of how things work functionally): do people anticipate using most of their stipends toward rent? Or is that not feasible/do you all anticipate directing your stipend toward other channels/needs?

[havemybloodchild]

2 minutes ago, Bopie5 said:

Similarly worried about paying for housing. Quick question (and maybe this is a totally ignorant thing to ask, but I'm the first in my family to apply for graduate school, so I'm still trying to get a sense of how things work functionally): do people anticipate using most of their stipends toward rent? Or is that not feasible/do you all anticipate directing your stipend toward other channels/needs?

Except where it is literally impossible to find housing for less, I’m anticipating budgeting 1/3 of my stipend for rent, like I would in any other situation. More than that is just miserable, in my experience.

[placeinspace]

18 minutes ago, Bopie5 said:

Similarly worried about paying for housing. Quick question (and maybe this is a totally ignorant thing to ask, but I'm the first in my family to apply for graduate school, so I'm still trying to get a sense of how things work functionally): do people anticipate using most of their stipends toward rent? Or is that not feasible/do you all anticipate directing your stipend toward other channels/needs?

Yeah stipend should ideally cover rent, but in a lot of places it's just not enough. My advisor went to school in Indiana because it was cheaper than a place like Chicago, but she still had to take out loans to afford rent.

Edited January 11, 2019 by placeinspace

[j.alicea]

I've found that it varies person-to-person. 30% of my monthly stipend covers my costs for rent and utilities, and my Master's does not offer quite as much as PhD's would usually offer. However, I live in area of the city this is not ideal for everyone. I grew up southside Chi, so I don't mind, but I know people in my cohort who are just not comfortable with that, and so pretty much all of their stipend goes toward rent, and some even need additional loans. Its tough. You want to live comfortably, but a stipend might require that you be flexible with your idea of comfort.

[pdh12]

Comrades!!!!

The dreaded and most desired hour has arrived on this end—-Penn State requested an interview (Comp Lit!) !!!

What Do I Say?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!! please send help! 

 

[Bopie5]

1 minute ago, pdh12 said:

Comrades!!!!

The dreaded and most desired hour has arrived on this end—-Penn State requested an interview (Comp Lit!) !!!

CONGRATULATIONS! That's all I have to say, I have no idea what you should say back, but this is SO exciting! Yay!

[punctilious]

55 minutes ago, Bopie5 said:

Similarly worried about paying for housing. Quick question (and maybe this is a totally ignorant thing to ask, but I'm the first in my family to apply for graduate school, so I'm still trying to get a sense of how things work functionally): do people anticipate using most of their stipends toward rent? Or is that not feasible/do you all anticipate directing your stipend toward other channels/needs? 

I would agree with others that it totally varies from person to person. @Warelin's funding spreadsheet notes the Living Wage Index which might help give a better idea of how one might fare on the stipend of a particular school. If you have a partner who brings in income or kids to care for, that of course makes a difference as well. Harvard's stipend is quite good at $2,886 per month, $721 of which we stick into a separate Taxes savings account each month. Our rent is a horrendous $2,300 per month but we don't have trouble with it because I bring in an income higher than his, and we continue to be able to save monthly into my 401k, emergency fund savings, and our 10-year-plan savings. I would imagine many grad students would need to have a roommate, at least in the Boston area or similarly costly cities.

[illcounsel]

4 minutes ago, pdh12 said:

Comrades!!!!

The dreaded and most desired hour has arrived on this end—-Penn State requested an interview (Comp Lit!) !!!

 

 

Congratulations!! I can't wait to hear how it goes

[pdh12]

Noooo it feels like the impossible barrier...i wonder if it will be more of a deep knowledge exam or “oh we just wanted to see if you were at least somewhat human” , both of which i’ll surely sabotage.

either way i’ll report the findings!

 

[punctilious]

9 minutes ago, pdh12 said:

Comrades!!!!

The dreaded and most desired hour has arrived on this end—-Penn State requested an interview (Comp Lit!) !!!

What Do I Say?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!! please send help! 

 

Congratulations, and good luck to you!!!

[Bopie5]

5 minutes ago, punctilious said:

I would agree with others that it totally varies from person to person. @Warelin's funding spreadsheet notes the Living Wage Index which might help give a better idea of how one might fare on the stipend of a particular school. If you have a partner who brings in income or kids to care for, that of course makes a difference as well. Harvard's stipend is quite good at $2,886 per month, $721 of which we stick into a separate Taxes savings account each month. Our rent is a horrendous $2,300 per month but we don't have trouble with it because I bring in an income higher than his, and we continue to be able to save monthly into my 401k, emergency fund savings, and our 10-year-plan savings. I would imagine many grad students would need to have a roommate, at least in the Boston area or similarly costly cities.

Thank you! I'm surely putting the cart before the horse here, as I don't think I'm likely to be accepted this cycle, but all of the schools I'm applying to have fairly good stipends. I know I'll have book expenses, travel expenses, groceries, fees, random needs, etc, etc, etc, but it seems feasible to find a place to live for $2000/month or less? Like @j.alicea, I'm comfortable living in "less ideal" areas, and I feel like hopefully I'll be able to make it work without taking out too many loans? Maybe I'm being too optimistic haha.

[jrockford27]

6 minutes ago, pdh12 said:

i wonder if it will be more of a deep knowledge exam or “oh we just wanted to see if you were at least somewhat human” 

Definitely the latter, except to the extent that you'll be asked to speak in a bit more detail about things you mentioned in your personal statement. Even in academic job interviews committees do not ambush candidates. Remember, they're now recruiting you as much as you're applying to them. 

Edited January 11, 2019 by jrockford27

[lyonel_]

25 minutes ago, pdh12 said:

Comrades!!!!

The dreaded and most desired hour has arrived on this end—-Penn State requested an interview (Comp Lit!) !!!

What Do I Say?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!! please send help! 

 

congrats! super awesome to see this!