Post-Acceptance Stress & Misc. Banter

[DorindaAfterThyrsis]

I will absolutely take you up on that offer, lyoness. Thanks!

First, however, I need to peel my ass of these boards and get my damn paper done (well, started actually.... ). Otherwise, I'm not going to graduate at all and I simply wont need to worry about where the hell to go next year!

[cquin]

Dorinda, if it makes you feel better, I would KILL to get into Duke. KILL. So don't let this stuff detract from the pride you should feel at getting into two extremely competitive and prestigious schools!

[TripWillis]

I spent a week in Boston about six years ago and I fell in love with it. The Tufts call was so amazing just because of my love for the city. Even if I do wind up with other offers, I'm going to have a really difficult time turning down Tufts. Recommendations would definitely be welcomed.

Favorite study spots: True Grounds in Ball Sq. and Diesel Cafe in Davis Sq. -- Diesel is a little more raucous, so watch out.

Best breakfast: Ball Sq. Cafe -- do NOT let Soundbites people sway you! I was a Soundbites devotee for years and then one day I stepped next door to try Ball Sq. Cafe and never went back.

Place to live cheaply: Medford will give you the best options in this respect, but if you choose Somerville, I would avoid the general area around Davis Sq. Anything with that close of proximity to the T will just be gonzo. Also try Ball Sq. and the area heading toward Winter Hill/East Somerville.

Favorite restaurant: Redbones -- best barbecue ever.

Favorite picnic park: Powderhouse

That's all for now. So excited for you!

[Stately Plump]

Favorite study spots: True Grounds in Ball Sq. and Diesel Cafe in Davis Sq. -- Diesel is a little more raucous, so watch out.

I'm tryna chill with TripWillis and BattlingAnxiety at Diesel Cafe. The place is sweet!

[Stately Plump]

Reading through a thread full of people talking about how shitty and evil the atmosphere and environment at both my accepted programs is can really make a gal feel swell.

Can't wait for September, when I can get started on the six years of abject misery and intellectual brutality that seem to be my fate.

I would have loved to go to Chicago; it was my top school that I didn't apply to (mainly because I had already applied to too many top schools . I would almost certainly have gone there had I gotten in.

I wouldn't worry about opinions expressed on fora. I think ideas, social connections, relationships, flourish greatly via the internet. I think opinions can be very, very dangerous. Don't let other people's anonymous banter about a particular school get you down. Chicago and Duke are some of the top departments in the entire country for a reason! I'm sure you're going to have nothing but success at either department.

And if it makes you feel any better, I've seen many, many cute puppies roaming free across campus .*

*I've never actually been to Chicago, never mind their campus.

[perrykm2]

Think I already said this, but congratulations to all the gradcafe users who have gotten into so many awesome programs! It's hard to keep current on some of the school specific threads.

[girlmostlikely]

Hey, I am a current Medford resident! Yeah, I'd probably avoid living in the Davis-Porter square area (Elm St or Highland ave). I'd recommend living off of Broadway, preferably in the Ball square area--as it's still only a 10-15 min walk from Davis. Plus, there's a bus route that runs down Broadway from Davis to Sullivan Square, which is the orange line (Davis is red line). Broadway has some great cafes and restaurants between Ball and Teele Square.

I currently live off of Broadway going away rom Ball sw toward Sullivan. My roomates are Tufts grad students wh do walk to campus. I can answer any questions you have about the immediate area as well.

[RoundandRoundAgain]

So much great advice and recommendations! Thank you!

[vordhosbntwin]

Wow.

Reading through a thread full of people talking about how shitty and evil the atmosphere and environment at both my accepted programs is can really make a gal feel swell.

Can't wait for September, when I can get started on the six years of abject misery and intellectual brutality that seem to be my fate.

Thanks for the honesty, dudes. Sleeping and/or eating were not things I really needed to be doing for the next 6 months anyway. Fretting about having my throat cut seems like a much better way to spend my time.

On a more serious note, I'm trying REALLY hard not to let the opinions and experiences (either positive or negative) expressed on this board influence my perception of the schools/programs too much before I have a chance to visit and do some sleuthing among the current students. I want to go in with an open mind, and really be proactive about ensuring that I have enough information (both factual and experiential) to make a good decision.

But fuck me. This thread has caused my anxiety to absolutely skyrocket.

Quick! Somebody post something about all the cute puppies that roam free on the Chicago campus, or how I can get dirt cheap tickets to the Hurricanes if I live in North Carolina!

(On second thought, the idea of actually sitting through a Carolina Hurricanes game is even more depressing than this thread.... )

Dorinda, I've lived most of my life near the triangle (Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill), and it is an INCREDIBLE place. Don't let people dissuade you from attending Duke because of the area; on my view, the triangle is one of the best - if not the best - spots in the south. Like any city with a wealthy university population and a poorer local community, Durham has some issues, but they're unlikely to affect your experience at all. Rent's cheap and food's good, and there is always some interesting cultural stuff happening in one of the three cities. It seems that some folks who were rejected from Duke decided to attack its location so as to comfort themselves; it's understandable that they're upset, but don't let their comments cloud your vision - Durham is a great place.

[TripWillis]

I just realized that "post-acceptance" sounds like a cultural theory of some sort.

"In post-acceptance theory, the object, which is not the object produces, through ennui, a measure of slippage..." etc. etc.

Why does all cultural theory remind me of The Books' The Way Out?

[girlmostlikely]

Also, if you enjoy working at cafes, be prepared to shell out cash or steal it on your iphone/ipad--both diesel and TG charge for wireless! Hence why I go to the magical Tealuxe in Harvard sq (also, because they actually know how to brew a cup of tea there).

[TripWillis]

Also, if you enjoy working at cafes, be prepared to shell out cash or steal it on your iphone/ipad--both diesel and TG charge for wireless! Hence why I go to the magical Tealuxe in Harvard sq (also, because they actually know how to brew a cup of tea there).

True Grounds charges for wireless now?? Annoying. Well, whatever. I never used wi-fi at the cafes anyway. In fact, I try to make it a point to go to non-wi-fi cafes when I'm writing so that the temptation to get on the internet isn't there. Most of the time I'm just there to read. I must've read a hundred books on the couches of Diesel and TG... memories.

[TripWillis]

Just to be clear, I was not rejected from Duke. In fact, I did not apply to anywhere in North Carolina, as I am trying to get out of this state. I was simply giving my honest opinion of the area, so there is no need to attack others or make assumptions about their motivations just because their opinions do not align with yours.

Snap. It is on.

[girlmostlikely]

Trip, if you are a proud Diesel regular, you've probably seen my adviser, who my friends saw in there pretty much every day there over the summer. Silver hair, goatee, glasses, wears a lot of black. Totally not the type to live in Davis, at all.

[DorindaAfterThyrsis]

Dorinda, I've lived most of my life near the triangle (Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill), and it is an INCREDIBLE place. Don't let people dissuade you from attending Duke because of the area; on my view, the triangle is one of the best - if not the best - spots in the south. Like any city with a wealthy university population and a poorer local community, Durham has some issues, but they're unlikely to affect your experience at all. Rent's cheap and food's good, and there is always some interesting cultural stuff happening in one of the three cities. It seems that some folks who were rejected from Duke decided to attack its location so as to comfort themselves; it's understandable that they're upset, but don't let their comments cloud your vision - Durham is a great place.

Thanks for the info about the area. I look forward to experiencing it this weekend!

The concerns I expressed have more to do with the "cut-throat" intellectual environment described earlier in the thread (as opposed to literal throat-cutting ). I live in a pretty interesting (read: poor) area right now, and so I'm not too fazed by talk of "high-crime" or "ghettos" (other people's phrases) or any of that shit (which tends to surround talk of Chicago in particular, but also Durham a little). I'm super poor myself, and have always lived in "rough" neighbourhoods since moving to the city more than 8 years ago, so I don't really find myself bothered by the prospect of living in a less-than-pristine area. Low-income areas don't scare me......because I'm a low-income type of gal.

Just to be clear, I was not rejected from Duke. In fact, I did not apply to anywhere in North Carolina, as I am trying to get out of this state. I was simply giving my honest opinion of the area, so there is no need to attack others or make assumptions about their motivations just because their opinions do not align with yours.

I appreciate your input, personally (despite all my melodramatic whingeing ). I will ultimately make up my mind based on my experience during the visit, and the advice of my current profs, but I definitely find insight of those who know about the program and area helpful in framing/processing my own experience and understanding of the program/area.

[TripWillis]

Definitely do not make your decision based on the area. My original comment was actually to Bdon, who was asking about Chapel Hill, and I still said that regardless of the area, you should still go to the best school for you. I just didn't like that someone would accuse me, or others, of giving false information because of jealousy. That is not what these boards are about, and I don't appreciate the attempt to change the tone of our discussions.

I think Davis, CA is the armpit of California. Same goes for Allston, MA.

Why? Because.

[koolherc]

I live in a pretty interesting (read: poor) area right now, and so I'm not too fazed by talk of "high-crime" or "ghettos" (other people's phrases) or any of that shit (which tends to surround talk of Chicago in particular, but also Durham a little). I'm super poor myself, and have always lived in "rough" neighbourhoods since moving to the city more than 8 years ago, so I don't really find myself bothered by the prospect of living in a less-than-pristine area. Low-income areas don't scare me......because I'm a low-income type of gal.

The amount of paranoia about UChicago's Hyde Park area is absurd. It's not even low-income, really. It just happens to have a lot of black people---but, of course, that means "ghetto" to a lot of people. Consider the fact that Farrakhan, the Obamas, and many of the wealthiest African Americans in the country live in Hyde Park. In undergrad, I worked as a tutor for a black family whose female head of household was a news reporter for the biggest local news channel in Chicago. Wealth oozes out of the area, and UChicago does its best to get rid of the "unseemly" elements via gentrification and employing the second largest police force in Illinois (after the Chicago municipal police force).

Edited February 22, 2012 by koolherc

[royo0210]

I am totally in this thread. I have no idea how I am going to decide between the programs to which I have been accepted, and it's completely putting me on edge that I still have places to hear back from. Ugh.

[SibylVane]

I am totally in this thread. I have no idea how I am going to decide between the programs to which I have been accepted, and it's completely putting me on edge that I still have places to hear back from. Ugh.

Also seeking decision advice from you wise sages of grad cafe, and happy to offer my own wisdom to anyone looking at UCLA, UC Berkeley, or NYU, where I got my degrees. royo - you have some outstanding choices there, but I will say Cal is one hell of a place to study!

[DorindaAfterThyrsis]

The amount of paranoia about UChicago's Hyde Park area is absurd. It's not even low-income, really. It just happens to have a lot of black people---but, of course, that means "ghetto" to a lot of people. Consider the fact that Farrakhan, the Obamas, and many of the wealthiest African Americans in the country live in Hyde Park. In undergrad, I worked as a tutor for a black family whose female head of household was a news reporter for the biggest local news channel in Chicago. Wealth oozes out of the area, and UChicago does its best to get rid of the "unseemly" elements via gentrification and employing the second largest police force in Illinois (after the Chicago municipal police force).

This is interesting (and disturbing), because SO MANY of the things I've heard about Hyde Park (I've never been there...or to Chicago) revolve around the fact that the university is a tiny bubble of wealth surrounded by "sketchy" areas, and that it's a crime-ridden and dangerous place to live (see the "Chicago" thread in the city guide portion of this forum for many examples of this). I take this all with a grain of salt because 1) I've not lived a sheltered life, so my idea of what "sketchy" and "dangerous" means is a little different than some peoples, and 2) I think you're right, obviously, that many people use "poor" or "rough" or "dangerous" as (rather transparent) euphenisms for "black". Not everyone does this, obv, but some definitely do.

I'm interested to see how this "rough" neighbourhood compares to my current "rough" neighbourhood (which is not actually rough...at all....but has a very high number of mentally ill, poor, and new immigrant residents, and is thus universally touted as "sketchy").

[jma310]

so i have a doozy for you all in terms of odd coincidences that happen when you're waiting for notifications from schools. i get an email from an unfamiliar name with the subject "it's decision time!" of course this would be an unfortunate subject for a rejection but nevertheless... it's from a book publisher rep asking me if i want to order books for next semester.

[veniente]

There seem to be a lot of rumours flying around about Columbia, that's for sure! My ex was almost lured into their English PhD program three years ago when he went through this process, but ultimately ended up in a different program-- one much better suited to his interests and personality. He heard after that the vibe in the Columbia English department was pretty cut throat. But, I think he might have heard this while attending a conference at the CUNY Grad Center, so perhaps it should be taken with a grain of salt. Seemed like there could have been a slight rivalry going on there.

Geez. Where isn't cut-throat? Duke, Chicago, Columbia.

I might consider trading my C if anyone has a Y or an H they don't want?

[ComeBackZinc]

I'd advise anyone who is interested in crime in any area, for whichever school, to do a reality check by investigating the local statistics supplied by the police departments. Advice about crime and "sketchiness" are so colored by bias and anecdote that they can be pretty close to useless. I know people mean well, I'm just saying.

[TripWillis]

I consulted this when I moved to NYC, and it made me feel a little better about apartment hunting. I also just find it fascinating period.

http://projects.nyti...e/homicides/map

Wow, also note how much it has dropped since 08. What happened? Are people murdering less because of the recession?

Edited February 22, 2012 by TripWillis

[veniente]

I consulted this when I moved to NYC, and it made me feel a little better about apartment hunting. I also just find it fascinating period.

http://projects.nyti...e/homicides/map

Thanks for this Trip! I think.

Sucks if you're a black man aged 25-34 in the Bronx at night-time in July.

Edited February 22, 2012 by arrivant