French - Fall 2011

[forsberg]

Invited to French open house at Columbia via e-mail.

[JoeySsance]

Hey everyone! I got an exciting e-mail from Columbia! It's neither an acceptance nor an interview invitation, but kind of a hybrid. I don't know, what do you guys think? Here's part of the e-mail I received from the DGS:

"The selection committee in the Department of French has reviewed applications and we are extremely impressed by your dossier and your potential as a PhD student in our Department. You have been selected to attend the open house that we are organizing on March 7. This will give you the opportunity to learn more about Columbia and to meet with faculty in our Department, and will give the faculty a chance to learn more about your research projects. Shortly after the open house the Department will make formal offers." Then Professor Diagne mentioned info about travel and lodging arrangements, etc.

So what should I make of this? This strikes me more like a "shortlist" of candidates they'd like to interact with further before finalizing their decisions.

Ok, so Berkeley and Columbia are the only schools from which I've gotten news so far (and what wonderful news it has been)! But I have a conflict... already! Columbia's open house is on March 7th and Berkeley's visiting days are March 6th and 7th (but the 7th will be more department-focused apparently). They're both being very flexible and said I could make alternate arrangements if necessary... I had literally hit "send" on an e-mail I sent to the grad secretary at Berkeley expressing my interest in their visit (though nothing's official yet) and immediately afterward I received the e-mail from Columbia. What should I do? Berkeley is the one that's more of a sure option (with really generous funding) whereas Columbia seems a bit less sure... I love both programs, but I'm not sure where to invest more energy. I guess it's good news that they're both being so flexible. Would showing up for an unofficial visit at Columbia put me at a disadvantage in any way? Should I just show up at Berkeley another weekend since the stakes are lower?

Did anyone else get this e-mail from Columbia?! Good luck to everyone!!

[JoeySsance]

Invited to French open house at Columbia via e-mail.

Haha, I posted just a few minutes after you. Congrats forsberg! If my scheduling conflict works out, I'll see you at Columbia's open house!

[JoeySsance]

Hey everyone! I just got a phone call from the DGS at Harvard! I'm in!!!! This is soooo exciting!!!! I'll post more details later!! Good luck to everyone else!

[MMissouri]

Congratulations!

Hey everyone! I just got a phone call from the DGS at Harvard! I'm in!!!! This is soooo exciting!!!! I'll post more details later!! Good luck to everyone else!

[JoeySsance]

Congratulations!

Thank you MMissouri! And welcome to our thread, by the way! Did anyone else hear back from Harvard this afternoon!?

[forsberg]

Congratulations on your offers Joey !!!

Accepted into UChicago via phone from a professor (one on mySOP) yesterday.

Got admitted to Harvard via phone from the Chair of the RLL today.

Good luck everyone !

[JoeySsance]

Congrats to you, too, forsberg! I hope you're feeling better by the way! So it was Prof. Greene (the RLL Chair) who called you? My call was from Prof. Suleiman. Apparently two of my professors of interest (on my SOP) have been on leave this year and had no influence whatsoever on the admissions decisions... I'm stoked to have been admitted despite that!! I posted some of the details on the results board by the way. This was the last decision I was still waiting on (except Columbia's formal decision after the short list open house visit), so I can pretty much lay this crazy applications process to rest peacefully!! What a relief!!

[ouibeque]

First of all, congrats to everyone whose been getting good news! Those of you who are attending Columbia's open house, I will see you there....

Two questions:

1) Now that many of you have some options on the table, what are you thinking about going into the decision-making process? I am actually perhaps more filled with anxiety now that I do have options; unlike many people, I didn't have one "dream program" going into this. So now, I am facing a choice between multiple departments that I really love! Visits will help, I know, and I have several more over the coming weeks. But what are your perspectives on making these decisions?

2) Forsberg, JoeySsance (and anyone else in the know): You have both been accepted to Harvard (way to go!). I was also called yesterday and notified that I have been waitlisted. I'm sure they will be asking if I want to remain an "active candidate," and I'm having trouble deciding. I do really admire the department, but I'm not sure if I should just be happy with the wonderful offers I've already received. What are your thoughts on Harvard? Why is it your "dream program"? Just wondering if my own thoughts on this line up with y'all's...

Edited February 16, 2011 by ouibeque

[JoeySsance]

Ouibeque, merci! Congrats to you as well on your great offers.

I can relate to feeling torn asunder by admissions offers. In my case, I've been excited about the program at Harvard because even before I thought of applying, my undergraduate professors had such great things to say about it. The professors who encouraged me to pursue French Ph.D studies (including my thesis adviser) told me they believed I would feel right at home at such a theoretically rigorous department. In terms of "fit" I am strongly compelled to agree with them. However, I'm considering all of my options very carefully! My fit is just as strong at Columbia and Berkeley. In fact, in some unique way or another, each of those departments exceeds my wildest dreams, again regarding "fit" (whether it be in terms of the professors, their course offerings, the interdisciplinary options and secondary fields, the international exchange opportunities, etc.). I can imagine myself thriving at any of them. So for me, it will definitely come down to the visits and also, the funding packages. This is going to be an extremely tough decision for me because I absolutely love each one of these programs (!), so again, I definitely know where you're coming from. I'm sure forsberg can relate, too, as he has quite the array of offers himself, as do Overboard89 and others on this thread. This is precisely one of the reasons why I created our French 2011 thread and I really do hope it can be helpful to everyone in general, and particularly to those of us who are considering multiple offers. I encourage all of you to post here with your perspectives in hopes that we can all help one another make some sense of this difficult decisions process.

Ouibeque, my general advice for you is to go on the visits with an open mind. Make sure you know your priorities and definitely give serious consideration to fit. Talk to the current grad students, meet the librarians, be sure to chat one-on-one with your professors of interest, etc. Get a feel for the campus, the surrounding town/city... Consider funding offers. I'm sure these are all things you've likely heard before, but they certainly can't be stressed enough. As for staying on Harvard's wait list, ask yourself whether you might be happy at Harvard if it did become a possibility for you (and I mean, genuinely fulfilled, personally, academically/intellectually...). You definitely have some nice offers as it is, but it can't hurt to have another offer (even if it might bring along a little more anxiety), but only insofar as it would be a good match for your passions and aspirations. Harvard admits are being pulled in various directions and it's likely that the department may have recourse to their wait list in a few weeks. You never know.

Par ailleurs, here are some interesting articles for everyone to check out. Perhaps you've seen some or all of these already. Some of what you read won't be... pretty. But I've tried to strike a balance somewhere between bleak and exciting.

http://chronicle.com/article/Fastest-Declining-Academic/126360/

http://chronicle.com/article/Traditional-Language-Programs/126368/

http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/12/06/27110/

http://paw.princeton.edu/issues/2010/12/08/pages/1594/ (This letter is alluded to in the previous link and it's about German, but it's a worthwhile read)

Bonne lecture! (Maybe something in these articles could spark an interesting discussion?)

P.S. If my choice of sources doesn't give away where I went to undergrad, I don't know what else possibly could.

[GK Chesterton]

Gah. I hate, hate, hate reading article like those, because it's rarely pointed out that in this crisis of the humanities, university administrators' salaries continue to skyrocket. My school had to make tremendous budget cuts for the last two years, while conceding that yes, they had raised the Chancellor's salary to $600,000 to keep his pay competitive with other similar institutions. Every Dean makes more than the professors - even the registrar makes mid-6 figures. It's outrageous, and people seem complicit with the fact that this neo-liberal "Is this a marketable skill?" crap has pervaded actual institutes of higher learning.

Blech. American anti-intellectualism is depressing, particularly with regards to foreign languages. It's not a matter of just learning to be bi-lingual (particularly not for the sake of aiding US troops in nightly raids), although there is admittedly something quite pleasing in being able to read and speak with people in a different language - it's a matter of taking affirmative steps to demonstrate that you are aware that your language and culture are not the only language in the world, and that university education is about a community of scholars all over the globe. It's a frightening monotonization of thought, that humanities and foreign languages are taking a hit while undergraduate business programs and sports marketing (give me a break) are flourishing.

(Not that I am mad with JoeySssance - I think he probably knows where I am coming from on this.)

[ouibeque]

GK, I couldn't agree more. The pervasive (American) belief in the irrelevance of the humanities is what leads to, for example, the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities having their already meager budgets slashed... And you make a very valid point about the allocation of resources in the university environment; my undergraduate institution repeatedly eliminated humanities courses due to "budget constraints" and froze tenure-track hiring, yet continued to augment the salaries of administrators, renovated the Student Center, and invested in additional buses to transport students to the medical campus more frequently (although the route was already served by regular mass transit AND the university shuttle). Time to stop, or this will rapidly devolve into full-blown ranting.

On a lighter note, my SO (one of those weird business/sciences/math/econ types) and I have been trying to figure out ways to make humanities recruitment more like sports recruitment: "I don't know, Yale... while your stipend is larger, this offer from Harvard includes a Corvette, a Beacon Hill apartment, and a 'flare' fund." In all seriousness, though, we are the ones who will be facing the challenges of making the humanities relevant in the coming decades, and what an uphill battle it promises to be.

Joey, interesting perspectives on "fit"; you're correct to assume that your advice is not original, but that does not make it less valuable--perhaps the greatest benefit of these forums is simply that they remind us that we are not alone in our anxiety and neuroses. I misread your assertion about Harvard as meaning it is your *one* dream program, rather than one of several; good to know that you, like myself, are feeling pulled in multiple directions! Each program has so many unique features and strengths... it's like trying to pick a favorite novel/food/ice cream flavor! As to Harvard, I've decided to stay on the waitlist; I do feel like it would be a good fit, and I'm trying to not worry about which is the *best* fit until I have a more complete data set. Options can never hurt, I suppose.

I really enjoyed the article on Princeton's German program. While we, of course, tend to focus on what various departments offer their grad students, I think this Princeton's approach to their undergraduates is particularly compelling as well; if humanities, and languages in particular, are to stay alive and active, departments must entice undergraduates with new and dynamic opportunities like these that serve to demonstrate why these disciplines are still relevant. Or that's my two cents, anyway.

[JoeySsance]

I’m glad the links I posted have sparked some lively discussion already! I understand where you’re both coming from and I can only agree. It’s really frustrating how undervalued foreign languages and literatures are. Did anyone read the comments sections on any of the links I posted?

e.g. “You can get Rosetta Stone for under $500 and learn a language, or you can take 4 semesters worth of a language class (the equivalent of a full semester's tuition, so several thousand dollars). So far as I know, there's no evidence whatsoever that the latter is any more effective than the former. If foreign language departments want to prove their value, start by showing that they add something above and beyond language learning software. As it stands, for schools with tight budgets, it seems like languages are sensible to cut because there are so many other options for learning one.”

Case in point, I’m afraid. And that’s coming from a student (or alumna/us) who, presumably, has (or had) the privilege of attending a university which is one of the strongest and most vocal advocates for foreign language study (as is beautifully illustrated in President Shirley Tilghman’s letter about Princeton’s German department).

Reading the related articles about how institutions like SUNY Albany, the University of Central Missouri and the UNC system have been dropping language departments has also troubled me, specifically due to the administrators’ preposterous rationales:

e.g. http://www.dailytarh...ms_to_eliminate

“Cutting programs that don’t produce many majors is one approach to eliminating unnecessary duplication, said Jon Young, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Fayetteville State University.

“If it doesn’t have many graduates, then maybe that’s a sign that it’s not necessary,” he said.

…“The question to ask is, ‘what are the needs of the state?’””

As someone who’s interested in ideology studies, that last statement strikes me as especially telling of where our country’s priorities are with regard to education.

In my personal life, my love of foreign languages and cultures has in many ways alienated me from my peers. I’ve experienced this in a variety of contexts. For instance, I went through the public school system on Long Island (which, admittedly, isn’t too bad at all) and from elementary school through high school, I was asked by students as well as teachers whether I hoped to become a translator one day. Of course there’s nothing wrong with translation, and it’s actually something I do professionally, both within and outside of my studies (not to mention how fascinating translation is on a theoretical level). However, it didn’t ever seem to occur to any of them that there might be other reasons why I was so passionate about learning languages. It almost always came down to a very pragmatic assessment that what I was doing could perhaps be very marketable but never that there could actually be other reasons driving my interest.

Then, as an undergraduate at a certain institution which happens to really foster students’ interest in languages and literatures, my skills were sometimes reduced to an eccentric idiosyncrasy, imbued with cultural capital. Some acquaintances (and even friends) presented me to others as “the guy who speaks [X] languages” (that number gradually increased throughout undergrad) and would, in the same breath, point out my friends who were Olympic athletes, etc. It was as if my skills either somehow justified my place at that institution and/or were my ticket into certain social circles. Thankfully my entire undergraduate experience wasn’t like this, but it’s certainly something one doesn't easily forget.

When asked what I’m studying, sometimes, I honestly just can’t deal with some people’s ignorance, and so I resign myself to responding “translation studies” (which was my undergraduate minor, so it’s not entirely false). I really can’t wait to start grad school and finally be surrounded by people who can relate to me. Of course sequestering ourselves in the Ivory Tower will in some ways hurt rather than advance our cause. I do, however, hope that amongst academics, we can find a way to powerfully impact the current discourse on the importance of studying languages and cultures.

Sorry for the long, rambling post… I guess I needed somewhere to let that out. Feel free to post your own perspectives and experiences. I hope this continues to be a lively discussion. By the way, what are some of the reasons all of you have studied French and other languages? It'd be nice to get a feel for the diversity of reasons and passions that have in one way or another led us to apply to foreign language MA and Ph.D programs.

[forsberg]

On a lighter note, my SO (one of those weird business/sciences/math/econ types)

Ha. That was totally me 5 years ago, before I decided to go down the humanities path.

Anyway, maybe I was just fortunate, but my experience with studying languages and discussing that with others has been quite positive. When people ask me why I major in French I simply explain I want to become a scholar of French literature and that usually evokes an intrigued but positive reaction.

[JoeySsance]

Anyway, maybe I was just fortunate, but my experience with studying languages and discussing that with others has been quite positive. When people ask me why I major in French I simply explain I want to become a scholar of French literature and that usually evokes an intrigued but positive reaction.

That's awesome, forsberg! Once in a while I get nice reactions like that, too.

I did forget to mention another instance where I got an alienating response. So one time, I had an appointment with an ophthalmologist not too far from campus. The doctor, whom I was meeting for the first time, awkwardly tried to strike up a conversation with some small talk. He asked me, "So what are you studying?" And without giving it much thought, I responded, "I'm studying contemporary French philosophy," to which he replied a bit coldly, "Oh my, what a positively esoteric major!" The conversation kind of abruptly ended there and we went on to discuss the actual reason for my visit.

*Sigh*

But yes, luckily a lot of people have been supportive and interested enough to ask me more about what my studies entail. However, I encounter such open-minded people almost exclusively within academia... I guess in the future I should find a way to answer that's perceived as more "accessible" to others... Or failing that, just respond "translation" which seems a lot more palatable.

Any other thoughts or experiences?

[forsberg]

Update for Stanford:

Heard via email from a professor (one on my SOP) yesterday.

Some awesome news. Can't wait for the visit

Edited February 19, 2011 by forsberg

[Nedjamma]

Hello everyone,

I know many of you went on to visit Universities these past days. -The 5 days absence of postings is one of its consequences- I wonder how things turned out.

I was also accepted at Penn which was my first choice. I visited Rutgers which offered me a nice fellowship. Many of the faculty members are extremely motivating. The department has something really special to offer that another does not have.

Now, I feel the end of this period of stress and excitement is coming close and I still wait for decisions. {

Bon courage a toutes et a tous.

[JoeySsance]

Hello everyone,

I know many of you went on to visit Universities these past days. -The 5 days absence of postings is one of its consequences- I wonder how things turned out.

I was also accepted at Penn which was my first choice. I visited Rutgers which offered me a nice fellowship. Many of the faculty members are extremely motivating. The department has something really special to offer that another does not have.

Now, I feel the end of this period of stress and excitement is coming close and I still wait for decisions. {

Bon courage a toutes et a tous.

Félicitations Nedjamma !! That's great about Penn and Rutgers! I haven't gone on any campus visits yet but several of our friends have in the past few weeks. My first two weeks of March will be pretty packed though! I can't wait! After all the visits are over and all formal offers are in, maybe we can make a list of where everyone was admitted. This could serve as closure for what's been a long and crazy process and could also prove useful to future French applicants who may have questions about applying to certain schools. Let's wait until all offers are officially made. Good luck to those still waiting. Profitez bien de vos visites !

[forsberg]

Congrats Nedjamma for UPenn and Rutgers offers. Fantastic !!!

I just got an E-mail from the DGS at Duke, I’m in.

Good luck everyone !

[forsberg]

The schools will probably be done contacting the students very soon, so we'll all be settling into decision mode

Good luck everyone with the decisions

Edited March 2, 2011 by forsberg

[hcohu]

I'm not entirely sure if my comment is germane to this discussion, as from what I can tell most of you applied to Ph.D programs, but I'm wondering if there's anyone out there who's applied to French M.A. programs. I've applied to NYU's M.A. program in Paris (Language and Civilization), Columbia's French Cultural Studies in a Global Context program (which is also in Paris), and Middlebury College's Paris-based program. I've been accepted to Middlebury, but am still waiting to hear from NYU and Columbia. I had a phone interview with a NYU professor last week, but I won't hear back about their decision until the end of March. So, am I the only one out there applying to these programs? I'm pretty set on pursuing my M.A. in Paris, as I spent very little time abroad as an undergrad. Perhaps I need to start another thread, je ne sais pas...

[ouibeque]

Bienvenue hcohu!

I don't know if anyone else is applying to master's programs on the thread, but maybe your posting will bring others. Regardless of the degrees we are pursuing, I think we are all pretty much in the same boat--waiting, perhaps, for final words on admits or funding, and trying to figure out where we'll end up next year. Hey, you have an advantage--at least you know in which city you'll be!

Anyway, I replied largely because, although I did not do the NYU Paris MA, I did study abroad through NYU Paris; because I was an advanced-level undergrad, I took many courses with the grad students and could probably offer you some insights on faculty, etc. Not to put the cart before the horse, since you haven't heard back yet. But if I can answer any questions, feel free to ask. Congratulations on your acceptance, and good luck for your upcoming results!

Hey Forsberg and Joey--did you enjoy Columbia? I ended up not going and withdrawing my candidacy... great program, but I just didn't think it quite as perfect a fit for me as a few others, particularly since I dislike NYC and have offers in cities where I'll be much happier. I was a little worried about it, but got very nice and supportive emails from the DGS, administrator and grad students. So I've embarked on my decision-making process, officially, since I've now turned down several offers (scary!). How was the open house? Did they successfully seduce you guys?

[forsberg]

Hi Ouibeque

I'm not really in a position to answer your question, because I withdrew from Columbia quite early on It was essentially for the same reasons as you (not a great fit, not very fond of the city). At that time, I already had an acceptance from a school for which I had a much better fit, and I wanted to minimize the time I spent in visits, so it seemed like the right decision.

[JoeySsance]

Hey everyone! So I'm back from my campus visits and have a really tough choice coming up. Is everyone else done? I know some have made decisions already. Feel free to come back and post about your decisions or your decision process!

I'm not entirely sure if my comment is germane to this discussion, as from what I can tell most of you applied to Ph.D programs, but I'm wondering if there's anyone out there who's applied to French M.A. programs. I've applied to NYU's M.A. program in Paris (Language and Civilization), Columbia's French Cultural Studies in a Global Context program (which is also in Paris), and Middlebury College's Paris-based program. I've been accepted to Middlebury, but am still waiting to hear from NYU and Columbia. I had a phone interview with a NYU professor last week, but I won't hear back about their decision until the end of March. So, am I the only one out there applying to these programs? I'm pretty set on pursuing my M.A. in Paris, as I spent very little time abroad as an undergrad. Perhaps I need to start another thread, je ne sais pas...

Hey hcohu! Welcome! I don't know much about MA programs... but I did create this group with MA applicants in mind... I was hoping it would be inclusive of everyone applying for higher degrees in French (and not just literature but also linguistics). I hope either current MA students or other prospective MA students will come and join the discussion. You're definitely not the only one out there applying to these programs! Congrats on Middlebury and best of luck with NYU and Columbia! Do keep us posted!!

Bienvenue hcohu!

I don't know if anyone else is applying to master's programs on the thread, but maybe your posting will bring others. Regardless of the degrees we are pursuing, I think we are all pretty much in the same boat--waiting, perhaps, for final words on admits or funding, and trying to figure out where we'll end up next year. Hey, you have an advantage--at least you know in which city you'll be!

Anyway, I replied largely because, although I did not do the NYU Paris MA, I did study abroad through NYU Paris; because I was an advanced-level undergrad, I took many courses with the grad students and could probably offer you some insights on faculty, etc. Not to put the cart before the horse, since you haven't heard back yet. But if I can answer any questions, feel free to ask. Congratulations on your acceptance, and good luck for your upcoming results!

Hey Forsberg and Joey--did you enjoy Columbia? I ended up not going and withdrawing my candidacy... great program, but I just didn't think it quite as perfect a fit for me as a few others, particularly since I dislike NYC and have offers in cities where I'll be much happier. I was a little worried about it, but got very nice and supportive emails from the DGS, administrator and grad students. So I've embarked on my decision-making process, officially, since I've now turned down several offers (scary!). How was the open house? Did they successfully seduce you guys?

Hey ouibeque! I did enjoy my Columbia visit! I'll send you specifics via PM. I hope your decisions process is going well! Best of luck to you and to everyone else!

[gradschoolorbust!]

Hey all. I've lurked around on this thread for a while so I thought I'd actually say hi. So who heard back from Cornell by phone on 3/17? You had been wait listed earlier, right? How does it feel to be accepted by them only because earlier admitted applicants turned them down? Are you thinking of accepting their offer or did you already get better offers? I'm just curious. Good luck to you and to everyone else!