KeelyMK Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 I made my unofficial decision today. I'll have to sort out the details later, but my brain feels so much better already! muchado 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DontHate Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 I made my unofficial decision today. I'll have to sort out the details later, but my brain feels so much better already! Awesome! I'm glad you're feeling good about it. KeelyMK 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taco Superior Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 (edited) I made my unofficial decision today. I'll have to sort out the details later, but my brain feels so much better already! ucla or uci? and what criteria did you use to decide besides your heart? or was it really mostly your heart (which is ok with me)? Edited February 16, 2013 by paulmilkesloones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeelyMK Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 ucla or uci? and what criteria did you use to decide besides your heart? or was it really mostly your heart (which is ok with me)?LA. Combination of empirical and imaginary factors lol. Pretty much all of my friends are down there as well as the jobs I'd like to have (TV/entertainment related) so it's going to just make me a happier person all around, which in turn will make me a better scholar. To experimentally test the validity of my choice, I actually flipped a coin (heads: LA, tails: Berkeley) and it landed on tails - which wasn't the variable I was testing. The important part was that as soon as it landed on tails, my immediate thought wasn't "ok fine", it was "best 2 out of 3". Heart wins justkeepswimming, Taco Superior, Lycidas and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DontHate Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Keely I'm totally down with your choice. I expect to see some better television coming out of LA in the near future thanks to you. KeelyMK 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swagato Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 How did your interview go, Don'tHate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NowMoreSerious Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 LA. Combination of empirical and imaginary factors lol. Pretty much all of my friends are down there as well as the jobs I'd like to have (TV/entertainment related) so it's going to just make me a happier person all around, which in turn will make me a better scholar. To experimentally test the validity of my choice, I actually flipped a coin (heads: LA, tails: Berkeley) and it landed on tails - which wasn't the variable I was testing. The important part was that as soon as it landed on tails, my immediate thought wasn't "ok fine", it was "best 2 out of 3". Heart wins Are going to the welcome week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DontHate Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 I think it went okay... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeelyMK Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Are going to the welcome week?of course! I'm so excited. Will I see you there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NowMoreSerious Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 of course! I'm so excited. Will I see you there?Absolutely! I haven't made any decisions (even unofficial) yet, but obviously LA is at the top of my list. I live in LA, too, so I don't even have to travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzyd Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 I made my unofficial decision today. I'll have to sort out the details later, but my brain feels so much better already! I'm so far from this it's not even funny! I'm still waiting to here from a good amount of schools so I'm wary about trying to narrow down choices just yet. I also haven't visited any place yet. So I can definitely say that I'm quite jelly of your peace of mind ! Despite my fear of flights longer than 2 hours, I'll be going to the UCLA welcome week as well so perhaps I'll see you there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeelyMK Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 yay it will be fun to meet you both! Good luck on your future decision-making, jazzy. you have some AMAZING choices already and more to come I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imogene Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 I'm still waiting to here from a good amount of schools so I'm wary about trying to narrow down choices just yet. I also haven't visited any place yet. So I can definitely say that I'm quite jelly of your peace of mind ! this is where I am. I have 2 acceptances, and still waiting to hear back from other schools, so I'm not even sure how to start making decisions. There are 2-3 other schools out there that I want to hear from because they'd be serious contenders if they were to offer me acceptances. I'm already stressing about how to pay (and get time off from work) for visits so that I can make better-informed decisions. I think your decision process was a good one, Keely -- listen to your gut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazedandbemused Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 this is where I am. I have 2 acceptances, and still waiting to hear back from other schools, so I'm not even sure how to start making decisions. There are 2-3 other schools out there that I want to hear from because they'd be serious contenders if they were to offer me acceptances. I'm already stressing about how to pay (and get time off from work) for visits so that I can make better-informed decisions. I think your decision process was a good one, Keely -- listen to your gut. Yeah, even though I have two acceptances, and both to schools that I'd be overjoyed to accept, I just don't feel comfortable even making a mental decision until I hear from more of my schools. One in particular, would have a significant chance of swaying me in its direction if the offer was right. I'm already feeling conflicted about what I thought would be a very easy decision. patientagony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzyd Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Okay even thought I literally JUST SAID I wasn't going to think about narrowing choices down... what do people think about Chicago versus Brown as far as 19-20th Century Am lit and race studies go? I understand these are broad categories, but I'm curious. During the application process I was too afraid to look at programs too closely, just because I didn't want to fall in love with any program (though it sort of happened anyway ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DontHate Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Okay even thought I literally JUST SAID I wasn't going to think about narrowing choices down... what do people think about Chicago versus Brown as far as 19-20th Century Am lit and race studies go? I understand these are broad categories, but I'm curious. During the application process I was too afraid to look at programs too closely, just because I didn't want to fall in love with any program (though it sort of happened anyway ) I'm not at all an expert in this, but I think Chicago is ranked higher in those areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tybalt Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Visit. All of your admits have tremendous reputations and name recognition for the job market. Regardless of your final choice, all of those names will ensure that your job application materials are taken seriously. That means you need to figure out which school will allow you to create the very best materials that you can (diss, cv, publications, etc). The only way to find that out is by meeting the people you will potentially be working with for the next years of your life. Maybe you learn that a POI is actually a HUGE jerk and would stress you out too much. Maybe you find out that one of your options has departmental benefits that the others don't (like being part of the Folger Consortium, having a guaranteed spot at the Cornell School of Theory, having publication/editing opportunities through an in-house journal, etc etc). Long story short--you apply based on rankings and what you can learn from their official materials. It's like looking at a dating profile. Before you propose (ie- attend), you want to go on at least one serious, in-person date with your program to learn the things that won't show up on a departmental webpage. Best of luck with your decision making process! Okay even thought I literally JUST SAID I wasn't going to think about narrowing choices down... what do people think about Chicago versus Brown as far as 19-20th Century Am lit and race studies go? I understand these are broad categories, but I'm curious. During the application process I was too afraid to look at programs too closely, just because I didn't want to fall in love with any program (though it sort of happened anyway ) muchado, intextrovert and Phil Sparrow 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Sparrow Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Not adding anything, just noting that Tybalt is spot on. DontHate and damequixote 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imogene Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 1. Location 2. Rank 3. Funding 4. Department size/culture. I feel like this encompasses fit and faculty... Curious -- is this the order the rest of y'all are placing these things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intextrovert Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Not adding anything, just noting that Tybalt is spot on. Yup. It would be absurd to make a decision at this stage based nakedly on the US News lists, especially when they're within 10 or so steps of each other. It's not that rankings don't tell you anything, because they are totally a good guide to general reputations when you're first researching, but they're simply not designed to differentiate between, for example, #7 and #13 in any meaningful way for individuals. It really depends on what you envision your particular project being and who in the faculty can support it, what sort of atmosphere is going to allow you to thrive and do your best work - all the stuff on greekdaph's list on the "Questions to Ask" thread. Ultimately it's your project that is going to get you a job; reputation certainly matters for getting you in the door, but you're already in the door with both of those schools. So it becomes very individual at that stage, and visiting is really the only way to get a sense of those things and what matters for you being able to be at your best. Usually, after visiting, it'll be pretty clear, especially with programs that have cultures as different as Brown and Chicago (so I hear!). ProfLorax and asleepawake 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastiansteddy Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 Curious -- is this the order the rest of y'all are placing these things? Not at all. Location isn't nearly that important to me, and for the most part, I don't think it should be. Of course, everyone has their reasons and specific circumstances, but I think it is more important to go to the right program over the right location. I am not saying that the right program can't also be the right location. For Keely, UCLA could be the right school for him/her. I am more interested in funding, fit, and to some extent rank. I am MOST concerned about where I will be able to produce the best work possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waparys Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 Not that I'm in the position to be making decisions (i.e. I don't have any choices...) but location is very important to me. A school can't be hours away from an international airport (and therefore big city). I need to be able to get there easily, too (i.e. without a car). My entire family is in Europe and if something happens (knock on wood), I need to be able to fly out ASAP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DontHate Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 I don't think I could do my best work in a location that makes me feel sad face Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figsmcfigs Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 Yup. It would be absurd to make a decision at this stage based nakedly on the US News lists, especially when they're within 10 or so steps of each other. It's not that rankings don't tell you anything, because they are totally a good guide to general reputations when you're first researching, but they're simply not designed to differentiate between, for example, #7 and #13 in any meaningful way for individuals. It really depends on what you envision your particular project being and who in the faculty can support it, what sort of atmosphere is going to allow you to thrive and do your best work - all the stuff on greekdaph's list on the "Questions to Ask" thread. Ultimately it's your project that is going to get you a job; reputation certainly matters for getting you in the door, but you're already in the door with both of those schools. So it becomes very individual at that stage, and visiting is really the only way to get a sense of those things and what matters for you being able to be at your best. Usually, after visiting, it'll be pretty clear, especially with programs that have cultures as different as Brown and Chicago (so I hear!). If Chicago has a reputation as super competitive, does this mean Brown has a reputation as being very supportive / friendly? Or is this about something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waparys Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 If Chicago has a reputation as super competitive, does this mean Brown has a reputation as being very supportive / friendly? Or is this about something else? I know this has little bearing on grad programs, but for undergrad Brown has a reputation of being a little loosey-goosey and follow your heart in terms of research. If their grad programs are at all similar then it seems like it would be a very encouraging place (especially if you're into non-traditional research). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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