Wayne State University (WSU)

[obrera]

Hey everyone!

 

I am a Canadian heading down to Detroit for a PhD in English Lit. I am worried about living in Detroit, but I am also excited. How are you feeling?

[brier]

Hi

 

I'm headed to Detroit as well for a PhD in English Lit. Coming from Louisiana (University of Louisiana at Lafayette), but my homebase is Illinois. I was originally like "eh, scary" but I've been doing some researcch and talking with some friends who know the area and I don't think it's nearly as bad as people make it out to be. I will say that if you're not going to live on campus (I'm not), then you should probably live in Midtown. It's the closest to campus and all of Midtown is patrolled by the WSU Police (Midtown has the lowest neighborhood crime rate in Detroit). The theatre scene is really getting me excited. On the whole, I think it's going to be great!

[obrera]

I'm assuming WSU? I'll be living in Midtown. I don't own a car, and I prefer walking/cycling. Well, if you're at WSU in English, nice to meet you! 

[brier]

Yes, WSU English. Nice to meet you, too! I do have a car, but I plan on walking (maybe biking) as well.

[obrera]

Good stuff! There can't only be two people on this forum going to WSU, though. WHERE ARE THE REST OF THEM!?

[AHerm]

I'm going to Michigan next year but live and work in Detroit right now, right around Wayne's campus. You have nothing to be worried about in and around Greater Downtown Detroit (which includes Wayne's campus, Midtown, Downtown, Corktown, the Riverfront, Woodbridge, New Center, and the Villages). Detroit is an amazing city with a lot to offer. Some of the neighborhoods are pretty rough outside of what I mentioned, but the part of Detroit you'll be living is very young and thriving.

[meva0701]

I'm attending WSU in the fall for a Ph.D. in English Lit.  I live in the Metro-Detroit area and will be commuting.

 

Did both of you receive funding?  I, unfortunately, did not, so I will be attending part-time for the first year.

 

What was your application and acceptance experience like?

[obrera]

Hi meva0701!

 

I am funded; not sure about brier. My experience was really good. I spoke with professors prior to applying, which helped a lot. And so far the department has been super helpful, although I can't say the ame for the International Students Office yet. Slow getting back to me. Anyway, nice to meet you! I'm sure we'll see each other around!

[meva0701]

Dear Lacey and obrera,

 

Congratulations on your funding.  My experience has been good. Every time I reach out to the department with questions, they are very helpful.  I met with Michael Scrivener and found him to be very honest and helpful concerning classes and potential funding in the future.  I can't say that I am someone who would be highly sought after in the initial admissions process, but I hope to prove myself once I'm in the program.  I've been out of grad school for six years.  I am married with three children, so I did not pursue a Ph.D. right away.  I've been teaching Comp. at a local community college part-time while being with my kids.

 

I live in a suburb of Detroit - Royal Oak.  I can honestly say I don't go to Detroit very often, but my husband went to Wayne for his undergrad.  He's been helpful in telling me where to park and how to get places.  I'm sorry I don't have any advice on finding an apartment, but I hope you find something that works well for you.

 

I look forward to meeting you both.  I'm sure we'll all be in Theory together.  By the way, what are your interests as far as lit. and possible research areas?

 

Best,

 

Eva

[brier]

Yes, our theory class will surely be a meet and greet ground I work with fairy tales. My favorite place to be is adult revisionist fairy tales (i.e. Angela Carter, Margaret Atwood, Oscar Wilde...etc.), but I've been known to dip into the classics and children's literature occasionally. That's going to remain my emphasis area (it's really the reason why I chose WSU). I also do quite a bit of work with feminist theory and have been branching out to film and media recently and hope to continue doing so. What are your interests or areas of research you are considering?

[obrera]

I study mostly labour literature, things like union songs and poetry. I've been known to dabble in children's lit, but I stay close to Marxist theory. Fun stuff! What about you?

[meva0701]

My interests are in the intersection of American literature, history, and culture as it relates to war.  Specifically, I am interested in examining narratives of American citizens who have shifted positions within the culture from “us” to “them” and back to “us” again as a result of war.  Think the South during the Civil War, Japanese Americans during WWII, etc.  I'm curious as to how these shifts are facilitated rhetorically and their effects on one's sense of American identity.  Theoretically speaking, I tend toward New Historicism and Postcolonialism. 

[brier]

Eva,

 

That sounds really interesting. Having lived in Louisiana for the past two years (like the deep south, hiking in swamplands, forty minutes from the ocean, have to cross a big ass bayou by long ass bridge to get to the highway that heads north South) I feel as though the South is still really separate from everything else. I've often wondered if Civil War residue is the reason they've fought to stay separate. It's very strange...traditions and expectations are very different. I consider myself to be well traveled and adaptable and I have to say...I found myself surprisingly relieved when I made the decision to head back North. 

[SensLu]

I went to school here for 6 freggin years.  It was really fun.  A lot of canadians go there so you'll never feel out of place or feel like you can't relate.  Because the school is one of the top 3 research schools and it's more affordable compared to UM and MSU, the student population is growing each year.  The school gets quite a bit of funding however they also provide a lot of support to students.  The school is constantly upgrading, every university president that's been there when I was there have been good.

e.

 

The english department in my opinion has always been good.  They offer a lot of help to people like me who was a horrible writer.  I liked all my teachers, the key is to be down to earth.  They have a lot of different English classes with a lot of sections.  So you shouldn't have a hard time finding a TA position.  From my experience, as an outsider looking in I can say English majors here take their craft seriously and because it's a more diverse international community, you'll have different perspectives.

 

There are also many venues like museums and independent book stores that promote up literary work from students.

 

Don't worry about safety, though I must tell you whether you're in Detroit, Chicago, LA, or New York, you need to be aware that all major cities are dangerous compared to suburbs.  They have good and bad areas.  People come to Detroit acting like they're in the suburbs and then complain about the city when something goes wrong.  Use street smarts and be nice to everyone.  I've lived in the city for 15 years before actually going to WSU for 6 years.  Nothing bad has ever happened to me considering I have done a lot of partying til 3am.  Especially considering a lot of the parties were in the old warehouses.  Additionally, WSU has the one of the best and well known campus police departments.  If something ever goes wrong around campus, you called WSU police instead of 911, Detroit police take too long to respond sometimes.

 

WSU is mostly a commutor school with a grow population of on campus students.  A big hipster community and growing biking community.  People who come to Detroit always tell me that they didn't realize how big techno is there.  I don't see why you wouldn't like Detroit, as an English major Detroit has one of the biggest art and literary communities.  There is so much inspiration and these people move into the city because there's more freedom to express yourself and your craft here compared to major cities that are more regulated and expensive.  Lots of cool new unique and small businesses are popping up.  Eastern Market is still held as one of the best European style farmers markets in America.  Downtown and Midtown Detroit doesn't have too many grocery markets so Eastern Market is where you want to do most your grocery shopping.  You also will not have a shortage of events to go to year round, and the surrounding cities Royal Oak and Ferndale are really fun.  Additionally, micro breweries are big her I think anyone would like WSU if they take advantage of what the community offers but I have seen so many that just stay on campus, do homework, and stay home.  Good luck!

[ArthChauc]

Bumping this back up. Are there any WSU acceptances around? 

[renvi012]

Bumping this back up. Are there any WSU acceptances around? 

Yo Arthur, I have a Skype interview on Wednesday. Hopefully I rock it and will be heading to the motor city in August

[kcbaz]

Just got accepted for the M.A. Counseling Psychology program and have accepted my spot!  I'm so excited as WSU was my #1 choice! 

[Science_Nerd]

I did not apply to WSU but I did live in Detroit very close to WSU campus for 2.5 years till last year so I just wanted to share some information about living in Detroit.

 

Personally, if you can afford, I strongly recommend to find a place to live where you don't have to take a freeway for school-commute.

 

First of all, Detroit is NOT cycling friendly AT ALL. So you might want to live close enough that you can take a bus or walk to school.

 

Because the main WSU campus is in the middle of office and medical center area, when the school is open, student traffic will be added on top of these workers. Trust me, its really bad. Also, because there are Lions, Tigers, and Red Wing stadiums so close to WSU campus, when games are in Detroit, the freeway traffic is worse than hell.

 

In addition, if you are employed in Detroit, which you will be as a graduate student (getting paid in stipend format or TA or whatever), then there may be financial support given if you decide to live in Midtown (I did not live in Midtown so I did not pay much attention to it . I dont have detailed information about it. I just know such thing existed. So please check this with WSU. Wouldnt hurt to ask ).  Detroit is in the middle of revitalization effort and trying to collect as much "professional, educated" population as possible to the center of Detroit. So there are many brand new apartments and condos in Midtown area.

 

If you don't mind living in an older apartment, you don't have to live in expensive Midtown apartments.

Take a look in Google Map where New Center One or Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit is at. It's about 5 mins from WSU campus, considering all the signal-stops and speed limits. Anyways, all I want to say is that it's very close to the campus that you could just take a bus if you wanted to. (I believe students would still have to pay to park in the parking garages. Undergrads I met were complaining about it. So it might be slightly different for grad students.)  In New Center One area just behind Fisher Building (active musical theater if you are interested), there are 1-bedroom apartments under $500/mo available, and still super easy to access major freeways + $45-55/mo parking in the secured parking garage that is adjacent to the Fisher Building. It does cost money, but I think being able to park your car in a secured parking garage during a night is very important in Detroit....just my opinion.

 

 

In the downtown~midtown Detroit area, the most decent grocery store is an expensive Whole Food Store, which just opened in 2013. There are few small local grocery stores around, but if you don't mind driving 10-15 mins on freeway from main WSU campus, there are Kroger and Meijer stores all over the place.

 

As for safety, there are some isolated areas that you wouldn't want to go, but if you look for apartments above locations, it's never as bad as people think.

 

Just one thing to keep in mind is that most of on-campus crimes are reported on Cass avenue that crosses in the middle of the campus. So you might have to avoid walking alone around Cass ave when it's dark.

 

 

 

Of course, if you don't mind dealing with freeway traffic in the morning and afternoon, there are much more options for you.

Edited March 17, 2014 by Science_Nerd

[renvi012]

Thanks for the post Science Nerd! I have been weighing WSU and a school in Seattle for a week now, and I am having a hard time deciding between the two. I like Detroit because 1) The program is great, 2) It offers a fully paid third year internship, 3) The area is very intriguing. I am coming from Minneapolis, and it seems that certain parts of Minneapolis are similar to Detroit. Also, the weather would be similar, which is a plus. And 4) It is next to Lake St. Clair, which was just named the #1 bass fishing lake in the country. On the other hand, Seattle offers 1) A great program, 2) an interesting city, and 3) Is close to my aunt (family would be nice when living across the country. Each has their own pros and cons. Anything that I may have missed that would entice me to spend the next three years of my life in Detroit?

[Science_Nerd]

I see that you are interested in psychology.  I think Detroit offers you a more diverse population than Seattle, in my opinion, that would enrich your research subject, if you were to do populational study.

 

To be honest, I was really busy at work most of the time, so I didn't get to explore much.

But I enjoyed the International Motor Show that Detroit hosts every year around New Year season.

Once my boss invited me and other coworkers to join him and his colleagues fishing on his boat on the Lake St Clair. It was indeed so much fun.

 

Like I said earlier, Detroit is trying to revitalize the city. As you remember a year or two ago when they tried to file a bankruptcy, it did hit the bottom finally very recently. But that means, it just going to go up and up from now on.  In the Midtown are and some part of Downtown area, I saw new apartments being built here and there. With the brand new Whole Food Store right at the center of Medical Center/ Campus area will encourage more students and professionals to live close to the area.

 

Edited March 20, 2014 by Science_Nerd

[renvi012]

As to your first point, that is actually one of the main reasons I want to go to Detroit. Like I said, very similar to Minneapolis as far as the public school systems go. Both are full of problems that help create two of the highest achievement gaps in the country. I figure if I can learn to work effectively within an environment like that, I could be effective anywhere. As to your second point, that is another reason I want to go to Detroit. I like the idea that the city can go nowhere but up, and I would love to be a part of that revival. I have always been attracted to dirty, dingy things. There is something appealing about Detroit. It has an incredible history and people really seem to embrace their Detroit roots. Lastly, I meant to bring it up earlier for any readers who may find it useful. The program is called LIVEDETROIT. It offers a rental incentive program that provides around 2,400.00/ year for two years to incoming graduate students and professionals who move to various Detroit locations. Also, they offer a 1/1 match program up to 20,000 towards the purchase of your first home. 

Edited March 20, 2014 by renvi012

[elzy2015]

Hi all! Just wanted to see if I could bring this thread back to life for Fall 2015. I haven't made a final decision yet (still waiting on one waitlist) but there's a good chance I'll be attending WSU in the fall for a PhD in Management. Anyone else attending in the fall? I'll be moving there with my wife - we've both lived in the Midwest extensively and been around Detroit but haven't lived there. Would be cool to know some people outside of my program.