2019 Decisions Thread

[dilby]

So, where are you cool kids going this fall?  

[mandelbulb]

ucsd! it’s a drag i hate the sun though

[lyonel_]

Thanks for making the thread, @dilby! And, YAY, @mandelbulb!! I literally just made my decision official today. I, too, will be attending UCSD's Literature department in the Fall! So excited to be a part of such an interdisciplinary and transnationally focused department! 

[Maylee]

I agree, thank you for making this thread!

It's between U Missouri and U Nebraska, I think.  I can't decide! 

[MetaphysicalDrama]

Still deciding between Fordham and Southern Methodist. 

[ArcaMajora]

Made the choice back in late Feb, but seeing official transcripts come in and talking with a POI yesterday via phone is solidifying it further. Learned even more research possibilities (bless this POI for letting me know of the ONE Archive's existence, and if I time things right the drive there from Irvine isn't too onerous) that excite me even more about the school.

Adding to the UC love, committed to UC Irvine for the upcoming Fall.

[mandelbulb]

i feel like we should have a cross-UC facebook group lol

[hgtvdeathdrive]

still deciding between UMass Amherst and Buffalo ? I'm talking to several professors on the phone this week at UMass because they don't have a prospective students event, which is really throwing me decision off! I hope that plus the April 2-3 visit to Buffalo will help me decide. it truly feels like a 50/50 coin toss.

I'm literally writing this from a bar because I'm trying not to stress out so much  

[Maylee]

14 hours ago, hgtvdeathdrive said:

still deciding between UMass Amherst and Buffalo ? I'm talking to several professors on the phone this week at UMass because they don't have a prospective students event, which is really throwing me decision off! I hope that plus the April 2-3 visit to Buffalo will help me decide. it truly feels like a 50/50 coin toss.

I'm literally writing this from a bar because I'm trying not to stress out so much  

I feel you there! Only one program paid for my visit, so I've been emailing and calling people like mad to learn more and make a decision. I have no idea how to choose either!

Hopefully your visit will help. Sometimes I toss a d20 (even/odds) or a coin to make a decision. I find that the result of the die toss tells me what I didn't realize I already knew. 

[spatial_person]

Will probably be Texas (Austin). I did my undergrad at Texas, but there's been a significant time gap. So now I will Texas my Texas again in Texas.

 

 @dilby I got, and still get, a lot of vicarious excitement and happiness from your Yale news.

Edited March 21, 2019 by spatial_person

[dilby]

On 3/21/2019 at 3:48 PM, spatial_person said:

Will probably be Texas (Austin). I did my undergrad at Texas, but there's been a significant time gap. So now I will Texas my Texas again in Texas.

 

 @dilby I got, and still get, a lot of vicarious excitement and happiness from your Yale news.

Thank you!  

re: Texas, if you go to the visit next week, you will be meeting a couple of super cool people I just spent the weekend with at Rice. I hope you all have a great time!

[illcounsel]

Just sent an email to accept the offer from the University of Mississippi's MA program!

[urbanfarmer]

As everyone is getting settled into a decision, exciting but also anxiety-inducing among all the talk of a collapsing job market, I thought I'd share this really lovely piece that celebrates some of the great things about grad school:

 

http://avidly.lareviewofbooks.org/2012/11/13/love-in-the-ruins-or-should-i-go-to-grad-school/

[havemybloodchild]

Dallas bound y’all!

[ExileFromAFutureTime]

It's looking like U Michigan for me, barring a status change on waitlists. 

[ExileFromAFutureTime]

Back at you @dilby, you made a decision yet?

[madandmoonly]

When will GC member @dilby stop leaving us hanging & give us the deets about their second visit smh

[dilby]

19 hours ago, madandmoonly said:

When will GC member @dilby stop leaving us hanging & give us the deets about their second visit smh

Yes!  I had a great visit to Yale but, get this—I am still strongly considering Rice! That's a big decision, so I've got lots of phone calls to make and emails to write before I'm comfortable pulling the trigger either way. (Of course, I haven't even been admitted to Rice, so doing my best not to jinx anything here).

You were there during my visit, so you definitely got a sense of how happy I was and how much I fit in with just about everyone I talked to. This is definitely where Rice has a leg up on Yale, where the overall atmosphere was a little stuffier and more self-important than I'd prefer. Although of course that doesn't apply to everyone I met, and some of the professors I talked to were really warm, honest and helpful. And their work is really exciting, and meshed well with my own interests.

My academic and academia-adjacent friends and mentors are going to get a lot of questions from me in the next couple of days, to be sure.

[Anonymouse124]

Will be attending UPenn in the fall!  ? 

[I am nobody]

Same here. Which division? Masters or Ph.D?

[I am nobody]

1 hour ago, Anonymouse124 said:

Will be attending UPenn in the fall!  ? 

Same here. Which division? Masters or Ph.D?

 

• Edit

[Matthew3957]

I am officially joining the UC train again. Going to UCSC  

[inkbee1]

Still deciding between Rutgers and NYU.

[FiguresIII]

On the fence between UChicago and Berkeley. My preference is for Berkeley, the fit is phenomenal, and I love everything else about the program, but the problem is money, plain and simple. I don't see myself being able to live for six years in the Bay Area with their current offer. Chicago offers me more and the cost of living is SO much lower, it's scandalous. Doubting whether I should try to wring a little more money out of Berkeley...

[snorkles]

19 minutes ago, FiguresIII said:

On the fence between UChicago and Berkeley. My preference is for Berkeley, the fit is phenomenal, and I love everything else about the program, but the problem is money, plain and simple. I don't see myself being able to live for six years in the Bay Area with their current offer. Chicago offers me more and the cost of living is SO much lower, it's scandalous. Doubting whether I should try to wring a little more money out of Berkeley...

It's difficult to live in the Bay without housemates for sure. You can find some decent spots in places just outside of Berkeley, like El Cerrito. I managed a bedroom in a private home for 600 a month on the north side of campus, but it was a rare situation and I didn't have kitchen or laundry access. I'd expect to pay northwards of 1k for a room to yourself or 1700+ for a studio. Depending on your standards of living (and your offer), it might be worth trying to make it work. After my weekend trip to Chicago last week, I can say that I am not at all stoked on the area surrounding campus or the city itself (too big for me). The Berkeley campus feels much more alive, as well. I suppose that may be due to the fact that I toured Chicago during Spring break. 

And my contribution to the thread: I committed to Chicago some weeks ago. I couldn't pass on the program itself.