Purdue 2012

[Jbarks]

I've seen a few Purdue acceptances on the board. I was accepted yesterday (Literary Studies), and it's definitely a top choice for me. I'm just curious who else has been accepted, so we can share our thoughts on the program or ask questions.

[kikalique87]

I was accepted to the rhet/comp program a few weeks ago. Right now I'm facing the surprisingly difficult decision of choosing between Ohio State and Purdue.

Jbarks, I did my undergrad at UNCG. Are you thinking Purdue over G? Congrats on your acceptances!

[Rupert Pupkin]

I applied to Purdue's MA program since they require an MA for their PhD program. I'm wondering if those decisions are released separately. Based on the results board, it seems like not many people apply/get in to the master's program.

[ComeBackZinc]

I'm not gonna try and sway anybody to come here or anything, but I am very happy to answer questions, whether publicly or in PM. Also, if you want the scoop from someone in lit, or theory or cultural studies, or whatever, I can definitely check with someone and get back to you.

[Jbarks]

Thanks, Kikalique! I almost did my MA at UNCG, and I like their program a lot. It's seems laid back and super friendly. I also did my undergrad in NC, so it would be a comfortable location for me. Right now I'm trying to weigh everything evenly, even though it's difficult. I'm contacting both programs and trying to talk with as many people as possible. I also have ten other programs I haven't heard from yet.

Have you ever been to Purdue before?

Congrats on your acceptance!

[Jbarks]

I'm not gonna try and sway anybody to come here or anything, but I am very happy to answer questions, whether publicly or in PM. Also, if you want the scoop from someone in lit, or theory or cultural studies, or whatever, I can definitely check with someone and get back to you.

I will likely take you up on this offer very soon! Thanks!

[jywayne]

I'm waiting on the Philosophy & Literature program to get back to me. Here's to hoping!

[kikalique87]

I'm not gonna try and sway anybody to come here or anything

Purdue's program pretty much speaks for itself. My only hesitation is that Ohio has offered more financial support, so I'm trying to work everything out in my head and heart (and so far failing to come to a satisfactory conclusion).

Thanks, Kikalique! I almost did my MA at UNCG, and I like their program a lot. It's seems laid back and super friendly. I also did my undergrad in NC, so it would be a comfortable location for me. Right now I'm trying to weigh everything evenly, even though it's difficult. I'm contacting both programs and trying to talk with as many people as possible. I also have ten other programs I haven't heard from yet.

Have you ever been to Purdue before?

Congrats on your acceptance!

It's definitely better to be at UNCG for the PhD. I have several friends there in the various programs, and at least when I was there a few years ago there was some serious animosity between the MAs/PhDs. Plus at least with the PhD you have a chance at some funding. But the professors are fantastic, and there is such a diversity in the department I didn't fully appreciate until I was gone. Also, Greensboro is fantastic. So much history.

I did visit Purdue right before Thanksgiving break. I loved it because it felt homey. Everyone was so welcoming and brilliant. I'll be honest, I was intimidated as all get out and walked away thinking I would never get in. The professors were down to earth and incredibly helpful with my questions, plus they wanted to talk about my current thesis work. They were more helpful than my current committee in that respect. I have a few friends in the program already. I appreciate how structured the program is and also that there are so many opportunities for professional development. I liked Purdue more than Ohio State (I also visited that program in the same trip), but it may have been because I had a meeting with a tangential POI.

Ahhh. I'm trying to weigh a Purdue fellowship, all of the scholars at Purdue who have interests in line with mine, and the amazing community against Cindi Selfe, more money (and possible fellowship), and all of the digital comp resources at OSU. High class problems.

[marlowe]

I am continually blown away at how many North Carolinians there are here.

[Galoup11]

I applied to Purdue's MA program since they require an MA for their PhD program. I'm wondering if those decisions are released separately. Based on the results board, it seems like not many people apply/get in to the master's program.

I applied to the Master's as well--status still Under Review.

[crystalleem]

I applied to Purdue. I presented at their interdisciplinary conference last year, and everyone was fabulous! I was very impressed with the campus and the department. I haven't heard anything yet. Does anyone know if that probably means a "no"? For those of you who did get accepted, what is your focus area? That might help me know whether I'm out or not.

[ComeBackZinc]

I applied to Purdue. I presented at their interdisciplinary conference last year, and everyone was fabulous! I was very impressed with the campus and the department. I haven't heard anything yet. Does anyone know if that probably means a "no"? For those of you who did get accepted, what is your focus area? That might help me know whether I'm out or not.

I didn't find out until well into March myself. Same with most of my cohort.

[impending]

I just got an email from Thomas Rickert (after I emailed the grad coordinator about my March 1 deadline) saying that all first round offers were out, but I'm on their small, unofficial waitlist. I applied to the MA in rhet/comp, if that makes any difference.

Edit: But I don't think they normally notify people that they're on the waitlist, so not hearing anything doesn't mean you're out. I just was trying to work around my crazy deadline, and I'm really grateful to have gotten more info from Penn State and Purdue to help. Unfortunately that info is that I'm unofficially waitlisted for both, and I'm going to have to keep trying to prevent ASU from taking my funding away while I wait... but still.

Edited February 28, 2012 by impending

[Jbarks]

From what I can discern from last year, I believe they notify in waves/whenever more funding becomes available. So, unless you receive a straight out rejection, I would think positively.

[ComeBackZinc]

I don't have any insider info to speak of, but I can say for certain that rhet/comp chooses its own candidates and notifies them on its own schedule. I believe that's true for each subdivision in English, but I'm less sure of that. So if you are in a different focus, don't get discouraged.

[Bayo]

I am continually blown away at how many North Carolinians there are here.

Word. I have the same thought every time I visit this forum.

[lolopixie]

I applied to Purdue. I presented at their interdisciplinary conference last year, and everyone was fabulous! I was very impressed with the campus and the department. I haven't heard anything yet. Does anyone know if that probably means a "no"? For those of you who did get accepted, what is your focus area? That might help me know whether I'm out or not.

It seems that Purdue sends out acceptances on a rolling basis and keeps that rolling for a long time. Someone posted up on April 20th last year that they received a call in regards to acceptance to the program. I do not think it means you have not been accepted. I'm waiting with you.

[crystalleem]

It seems that Purdue sends out acceptances on a rolling basis and keeps that rolling for a long time. Someone posted up on April 20th last year that they received a call in regards to acceptance to the program. I do not think it means you have not been accepted. I'm waiting with you.

What is your area of focus?

[neverstop]

ComeBackZinc--could I take you up on your offer?

I was made an offer for the Philosophy and Literature program but there is no funding. He was forthcoming that he didn't see it for the first year, but I would be considered for funding after that. I get the feeling that the program(s?) are lacking in $, but if I accept is it pretty much a given that people receive funding thereafter? I've heard that quite a few schools aren't giving funding to first year PhD's, but they receive it after.

I really like that program, location, and people, but I already owe quite a bit and out-of-state tuition is roughly $30,000/yr so I'd slam myself into the 6 figure range for debt after just one year. I'm willing, I admit it, to spend the $ because I've just spent 2 years out of school working menial and terrible jobs. Becoming a prof isn't just something that fits because I love to read, research, and teach, but I HATE routine 8-5 5 days-a-week, cubicle dwelling, bipolar-former-beauty-queen-boss jobs--no matter how good the $ was.

This job (and we all know it's not a "job", but part of your personality and who you are--academics just see the world differently and we like to be surrounded by people who are similar) is really all I've ever pursued, so yeah, I'm going no matter what next year, but I'd like a little good news about the tuition and teaching situation there. Or, if failing that, are there nearby community colleges I could teach at on the side?

And if I haven't rambled enough--how's the living situation there? Are there plenty of jobs and apartments around $500 or less? Thanks!!

[ComeBackZinc]

It'd be my pleasure.

So: my official stance on PhD programs without funding is not to go. Not to be a jerk, just because of all the money/jobs stuff you're familiar with. But, since you seem resolved, let me fill you in.

First, I don't want to speak above my knowledge on the odds of you getting funded. I will email the director of ICAP (Introductory Composition at Purdue), who is awesome and a friend of mine, and see what the chances are of you adjuncting your first year, and I'll try to see if anybody knows what the odds are of you getting funded. Since Purdue doesn't permit anyone to get out of taking freshman comp, and it's a five day a week class here so it takes more teacher, and since we have 33,000 undergrads, it's a giant program. If not, then I would definitely look into Ivy Tech, the local community college. It's actually a great school, as far as CCs go, with good funding and modern facilities.

Tippecanoe County has to grow on you, and it's obviously not a metropolis, but there are a lot of things to recommend about it. First, rent is cheap. My girlfriend and I live in a really big two bedroom with a downstairs storage room, separate laundry room, attic, backyard, off-street parking, located in a good neighborhood right downtown (20 minute walk to campus, 10 minute bike)-- and we pay $800. I've seen plenty of one bedrooms for $400-$500. I will say that you definitely have to shop around a lot. Because the school's so big, there's lots of scuzzy housing and you need to shop around. But there are a lot of gems, too.

My advice is to live on the Lafayette side, like I do. There are nice places to live in West Lafayette, but it's dominated by undergrad housing, and I wanted to live away from the madness. The Wabash river runs between West Lafayette and Lafayette. But as I said, if you live downtown in Lafayette, you're really close to campus, and there's actually a decent bus system that's free to ride with a Purdue ID. Also, there's a dedicated land bridge that is just for pedestrians and bikers, which takes you from downtown Lafayette and the bars and restaurants there over to the Wabash Landing, where there are a bunch of restaurants and a movie theater.

Plus sides, there are actually a lot of cool bars and restaurants, with a good mix of ethnic foods near campus. Also, the farmer's market that runs from April through October has been going on for over a hundred years and is big, eclectic, and awesome. Chicago is only two hours away and Indianapolis is only one. Downsides to the area definitely include the feeling that all these cool bars and restaurants are half empty all the time, and the fact that no cool bands come here, because it's too close to Chicago to be worth making a stop.

I could tell you about more school specific things if you want. I should preface this by saying I am over the moon happy here and so I'm pretty biased.

[kikalique87]

I could tell you about more school specific things if you want. I should preface this by saying I am over the moon happy here and so I'm pretty biased.

It's great to hear that you are so happy at Purdue! Could you share what in the department and the teaching makes you so enthusiastic about the program? My friend is a first year in the rhet/comp (Gracemarie), but I'd love another perspective. Thanks!

[impending]

It's great to hear that you are so happy at Purdue! Could you share what in the department and the teaching makes you so enthusiastic about the program? My friend is a first year in the rhet/comp (Gracemarie), but I'd love another perspective. Thanks!

I'd love more info too! I don't have an acceptance yet, but with the positive email from Thomas Rickert, I'm trying to start considering possibilities now. You've already completely sold me on the wonderful community environment (though I could certainly stand to hear you gush about it more...), but I'm also curious about support within the department in terms of fellowships, conference funding, other seemingly small things that can go a long way? And it seems like TAships vary, but is there kind of a standard load? Has anything been less than stellar about the program?

Thanks so much; you've been super helpful and supportive of us anxious applicants.

[ComeBackZinc]

I should be clear: a lot of people are not fans of Lafayette. Too small/quiet for them, too many junky parts of town, etc. Probably best to try and visit.

As for why I love school so much... Well, I love my cohort (most certainly including Grace!), I love our department head, I love the faculty I've worked with, I love my mentor....

I can't speak to the other subfields, but the rhet/comp core is pretty special. There's five core classes that all rhet/comp people take: Classical Rhetoric, Modern Rhetoric, Postmodern Rhetoric, History and Theory of Composition Studies, and Empirical Research in Composition. Then you take a secondary or sometimes two, a linguistics requirement, and pass a language requirement. I'm pursuing secondary areas in Writing Programs Administration and ESL.

For me, the breadth of the department, and the different kinds of research you can undertake, is really wonderful. Some of my peers fall completely on the theoretical and rhetorical side; I'm far on the empirical and composition side. Right now I'm taking a serious quant theory and stats class, whereas some others won't do much work like that at all. That freedom and breadth of research styles, and the faculty it takes to put into practice, is pretty special.

I really enjoyed my MA experience, but one glaring flaw was that the relationship between the Writing and Rhetoric department and English department was, well, not the friendliest. I admired and respected people on both sides, and I truly believe in mutual respect and friendship across the disciplines, so that often made me feel unhappy. Here, it's much more cordial. Not to say that there aren't some issues, but everyone is respectful. And that goes double for the students. I am close friends with people from lit, theory and cultural studies, ESL and SLS, the creative writing program.... We share office space and go to bars and really get along.

Less than stellar things:

Aside from the stuff that is true anywhere, personality stuff.... the building is old and dilapidated and not going to get renovated during my time. The campus is huge, brick, and impersonal; as much as it pains me to praise the Hoosiers, Bloomington is just a much prettier campus. Also, the lack of centralized library stings. It's not that the library facilities are bad. It's just that they are, in Purdue fashion, completely utilitarian. I think there are a dozen libraries divided by department. (If you think that's bad, it's actually a reduction from more than 20 a decade or so ago, as I understand it.) That's the thing about the school. It's a big, grinding machine. A lot of really amazing research and teaching comes out of the university. But it will never feel cozy or homy. It's just not built that way. I'm cool with that, but other people have not found it nearly as comfortable. It took a long time for the campus to warm up for me, and it can seem imposing and lonely. (So. Much. Brick.)

Also, most everybody makes $13,000 a year. Even in a cheap state, that's tough. You can make a bit more if you work at the writing lab or take on different teaching assignments that you're allowed to apply for after your first year, but competition is pretty fierce. The campus health center and our health insurance is pretty good, but not great. The food at the student union is good but overpriced. You can get around without a car pretty well except for the supermarkets, which tend to be farther away.

Oh, and this is perfect for my research interests and convictions, but you need to be prepared to teach 1) students who are STEM majors and aren't that interested in your class (at least at first), and 2) non-native English speakers who may have pretty serious difficulty with expressing themselves in English. Well more than half of the 40 students I've taught here this year have not been native English speakers. There are support services to help you, and I think you'll find the experience rewarding, but it can be a real challenge.

Finally, while our rhet/comp program is the oldest and one of the best, our general ranking is not that high. Which I hate to even bring up, but sadly in the context of this job market, you have to.

I promised myself I wouldn't try to sway anybody I talked with on these boards into coming here; I hope it doesn't seem like I'm trying to do that.

[impending]

Thank you ComeBackZinc!

It doesn't seem like you're trying too hard to win us over, just that you genuinely love the program, which is awesome to hear.

[Galoup11]

New rejection posted for Masters, any other MA applicants still in review?