anoveldave Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 I am close to finished with narrowing down my list of schools. Do you think that 15 is too many to apply to? Right now, I have just about 15 across a wide range of tiers that all seem a pretty decent fit with professors I'd want to work with. Do you think I need to narrow it down even more? I just recently narrowed down a list of 17 schools to about 13 (8 definite's and 5 should's). Aside from the two/three schools that seem to be a perfect fit, the other schools all have their respective strengths and the fit doesn't seem too off either. I've been hoping to try to cull a list of 10 or under from the 13 but it seems like that might be limiting. I think 15 would still be manageable, as long as you can devote a good amount of time to each application. Of course, there's the financial investment to consider. If I don't receive any sort of application waivers, I anticipate to pay about $1100 in application fees and $225 for GRE scores. If you aren't too burdened by the costs, I'd say go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asleepawake Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 If I don't receive any sort of application waivers, I anticipate to pay about $1100 in application fees and $225 for GRE scores. If you aren't too burdened by the costs, I'd say go for it. Oh, don't forget about the costs of sending transcripts and (maybe) Interfolio! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastiansteddy Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 I just recently narrowed down a list of 17 schools to about 13 (8 definite's and 5 should's). Aside from the two/three schools that seem to be a perfect fit, the other schools all have their respective strengths and the fit doesn't seem too off either. I've been hoping to try to cull a list of 10 or under from the 13 but it seems like that might be limiting. I think 15 would still be manageable, as long as you can devote a good amount of time to each application. Of course, there's the financial investment to consider. If I don't receive any sort of application waivers, I anticipate to pay about $1100 in application fees and $225 for GRE scores. If you aren't too burdened by the costs, I'd say go for it. Thanks for this note. Yes, I know it'll be expensive, but I purposely saved up for this process. I think I'll still probably do the 15. Ugh when will this process be over?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anoveldave Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Oh, don't forget about the costs of sending transcripts and (maybe) Interfolio! The price of transcripts has been brutal. Luckily, I managed to order the maximum from my undergrad when they were still free! But I'm still short and it seems like prices increased again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestage Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 The price of transcripts has been brutal. Luckily, I managed to order the maximum from my undergrad when they were still free! But I'm still short and it seems like prices increased again. Well, at least you can get them. I spent a semester at a community college a decade ago, and this will mark the third time I've had to fight them over the phone to find someone competent enough to discover my transcript. The first time (when I attempted to transfer as an undergrad), they promptly failed to send them out anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imogene Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Well, at least you can get them. I spent a semester at a community college a decade ago, and this will mark the third time I've had to fight them over the phone to find someone competent enough to discover my transcript. The first time (when I attempted to transfer as an undergrad), they promptly failed to send them out anyway. Regarding this kind of situation and the cost of sending all the transcripts to all the programs: I wish more programs followed that "upload PDFs of transcripts" during the application process -- only requiring the formal transcripts be sent from schools upon matriculation. Many programs do this now, but man, it would really make things easier if we only had to get one copy sent to us during application season! asleepawake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Crazy Poet Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 ok everyone I'm feeling overwhelmed and confused I know I need community, diversity, queer friendly environments and my top 5 is changing still moving forward with University fo Michigan at Ann Arbor-Ph. D in English and Women's Studies University of Wisconsin at Madison-English/Literary Studies UC Irvine-Culture and Theory Ph.D *considering Arizona State Ph.D in Women's and Gender studies any recommendations? Is there anyone who studied at these schools and has any feedback. I have an MFA if that's insightful at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
practical cat Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 I did my undergrad (in English & Women's Studies) at Michigan and am more than open to PM conversations about the departments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Crazy Poet Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 where are you currently pursuing your ph.d? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arglooblaha Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 I'm definitely applying to 1) NYU American Studies 2) UNC Chapel-Hill Communications 3) UT Austin Cultural Anthropology/Cultural Forms (haven't decided which) 4) University of Wyoming American Studies Might Apply to: 1) University of Minnesota Comparative Studies in Discourse 2) Washington State University American Studies 3) University of Chicago Anthropology (although, probably not because i've only heard bad things about the experience of studying at University of Chicago) 4) University of Michigan Anthropology or American Studies 5) Brown University American Studies 6) Queen's University Cultural Studies 7) Berkeley Rhetoric 8) Stanford Anthropology 9) Columbia Anthropology 10) CUNY Anthropology My research focus is roughly tourism in the U.S./cultural geography/identity/pop culture/political economy (elevator speech not formulated yet). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arglooblaha Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 ok everyone I'm feeling overwhelmed and confused I know I need community, diversity, queer friendly environments and my top 5 is changing still moving forward with University fo Michigan at Ann Arbor-Ph. D in English and Women's Studies University of Wisconsin at Madison-English/Literary Studies UC Irvine-Culture and Theory Ph.D *considering Arizona State Ph.D in Women's and Gender studies any recommendations? Is there anyone who studied at these schools and has any feedback. I have an MFA if that's insightful at all. I've heard from multiple sources that UC Irvine isn't very diverse/has a whole lot going on in terms of community...I've heard that it is in the suburbs and that a lot of people that go there/live there tend to be more traditional/less intellectually exploratory and experimental. But, i've never been there myself - only heard it from people who live nearby/know people that went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arglooblaha Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 My interests are feminist disability studies, new media, and rhetoric and composition. It's been a fun, challenge coming up with my list because there are no rankings for rhet/comp, so my criteria was based on fit, placement rates, and location. These schools are on my definitely list: UNC--Chapel Hill Purdue University Ohio State University University of Arizona University of Maryland UT Austin Penn State UMass--Amherst These schools are on my maybe list: Arizona State Miami University UI--Urbana-Champaign University of Michigan, Ann-Arbor I'm trying to decide if it's too risky to just apply to the first eight schools, the ones I really want, or if I should aplpy to all twelve schools to see what happens. I got my BA from OSU's Comp Studies dept - what department are you applying to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chalkboardsonata Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 I've heard from multiple sources that UC Irvine isn't very diverse/has a whole lot going on in terms of community...I've heard that it is in the suburbs and that a lot of people that go there/live there tend to be more traditional/less intellectually exploratory and experimental. But, i've never been there myself - only heard it from people who live nearby/know people that went. Did my undergrad there and that's not at all true. Yes, it's in the middle of a master-planned suburb, but that doesn't seem to have much influence. Take a look at the work of their Creative Writing MFA alumni or the members of their Critical Theory Institute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfLorax Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 I got my BA from OSU's Comp Studies dept - what department are you applying to? Awesome! I am applying to the Rhetoric, Composition, and Literacy PhD program. Last May, I spoke with Professor Brenda Jo Brueggemann over email, and now I head-over-heels for that program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfat Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Because I am now dirt poor (maternity leave = no pay check for 6+ weeks), I am contemplating dumping Yale from my list, unless I can be convinced otherwise. Does anyone know much about Yale's program, other than what's on the website? My thesis advisor told me I shouldn't bother applying because even if I got in, I'd have to live in "that shithole" New Haven, lol. I just can't tell if their program is too stodgy and traditional, or if they really encourage interdisciplinarity and work in theory/genres rather than strict periods. Also their language requirement is a mean bitch. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waparys Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 3) University of Chicago Anthropology (although, probably not because i've only heard bad things about the experience of studying at University of Chicago) Is this just for the Anthro dept or the University in general? What have you heard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arglooblaha Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Is this just for the Anthro dept or the University in general? What have you heard? I've heard it about the whole University - three things mostly. 1)I've heard that it is really really cut throat and competitive - not a good school for having some kind of intellectual community. That in general, the students' quality of life is poor b/c they aren't very happy. 2) I've heard that in general, the students tend to get stressed out from the competitive pressure to the point where many of them end up on suicide watch. 3) I've also heard that the area immediately surrounding the university is super wealthy, but not very affordable for living. The areas of Chicago that are affordable, don't have direct access to the university through the subway system and that it can take over an hour to commute to campus b/c of it. I've also heard that it is depressingly obvious how poor the communities immediately outside of Hyde Park are (the area where the university is) . All this came from people who went there. I haven't taken it off my list though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastiansteddy Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 1)I've heard that it is really really cut throat and competitive - not a good school for having some kind of intellectual community. That in general, the students' quality of life is poor b/c they aren't very happy. 2) I've heard that in general, the students tend to get stressed out from the competitive pressure to the point where many of them end up on suicide watch. 3) I've also heard that the area immediately surrounding the university is super wealthy, but not very affordable for living. The areas of Chicago that are affordable, don't have direct access to the university through the subway system and that it can take over an hour to commute to campus b/c of it. I've also heard that it is depressingly obvious how poor the communities immediately outside of Hyde Park are (the area where the university is) . Not that I'll be accepted, but Chicago is my dream program. This is all stuff to worry about if/when you are accepted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazedandbemused Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 I've heard it about the whole University - three things mostly. 1)I've heard that it is really really cut throat and competitive - not a good school for having some kind of intellectual community. That in general, the students' quality of life is poor b/c they aren't very happy. 2) I've heard that in general, the students tend to get stressed out from the competitive pressure to the point where many of them end up on suicide watch. 3) I've also heard that the area immediately surrounding the university is super wealthy, but not very affordable for living. The areas of Chicago that are affordable, don't have direct access to the university through the subway system and that it can take over an hour to commute to campus b/c of it. I've also heard that it is depressingly obvious how poor the communities immediately outside of Hyde Park are (the area where the university is) . All this came from people who went there. I haven't taken it off my list though. I'm glad I'm not crazy, because I've heard the exact same things as you, which totally put me off the school. I have a friend who just finished her PhD at Northwestern and mentioned that few of the people she knew from U Chicago were satisfied. Also, in the words of my advisor, "The Chicago English department is a den of vipers." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Espressos Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 I'm glad I'm not crazy, because I've heard the exact same things as you, which totally put me off the school. I have a friend who just finished her PhD at Northwestern and mentioned that few of the people she knew from U Chicago were satisfied. Also, in the words of my advisor, "The Chicago English department is a den of vipers." Haha! I've also heard lots about the hyper-competitiveness of Chicago. A faculty mentor of mine warned that it was extremely cutthroat and very elitist. She also met some people from the school and was really put off by them. ...But for some reason, I'm really drawn to Chicago's program. I can't really explain it: there aren't any professors that are that great of a fit for me, but I'm still probably going to apply there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
practical cat Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Chicago was one of the first schools to make my "probably" list (though it's still up in the air as to whether or not it'll make the "definitely" list) even though I'm really put off by what I perceive to be the school's attitude. There're a couple of people there that I'd be really excited to get to work with despite my continued reservations about elitism. (That is NOT an attitude that works with my interests, approach, and perspective.) I guess this is more of a "spring concern" than a "fall concern" for me though. wreckofthehope 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisajay Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 UC Riverside USC UCLA Stanford UC Berkeley UC Davis davis was much higher on my list before timothy morton left for rice. i'm willing to leave california for a teaching position once i finish my phd, but i'm not prepared to leave to pursue said phd. unfortunately, this leaves me feeling as if my chances are slim to nil, with slim on his way out of town... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timshel Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 UC Riverside USC UCLA Stanford UC Berkeley UC Davis davis was much higher on my list before timothy morton left for rice. i'm willing to leave california for a teaching position once i finish my phd, but i'm not prepared to leave to pursue said phd. unfortunately, this leaves me feeling as if my chances are slim to nil, with slim on his way out of town... I'm at UC Riverside. What is your area of interest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisajay Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 (edited) @Timshel: broadly, my areas of interest are literary theory, 20th century through contemporary literature, and pop culture. most of my work over the past year has dealt with the intersections & divergences of print and digital culture, and remix culture as it relates to post-humanism and ecocriticism. what area(s) are you in? i've gotten in touch with rob latham & james tobias, both of whom were very helpful. Edited October 16, 2012 by lisajay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastiansteddy Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 @Timshel: broadly, my areas of interest are literary theory, 20th century through contemporary literature, and pop culture. most of my work over the past year has dealt with the intersections & divergences of print and digital culture, and remix culture as it relates to post-humanism and ecocriticism. i've gotten in touch with rob latham & james tobias, both of whom were very helpful. We have pretty similar interests! I'd love to be at Riverside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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