rachelann1991 Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Hi all! I've gotten three admits so far, and I was hoping I could have some people tell me what they think? I'm going into Victorian / Modern British literature and was admitted to University of Delaware's Master's program (they make you get a MA and then re-apply to their Ph.D), Stony Brook's Ph.D program, and Northeastern's Ph.D. program. I'd love to hear what your general perceptions of these schools are, what things to think about as I make a decision, or any advice about the areas; basically, anything you can tell me to help me think this through would be much appreciated! I applied to thirteen schools, but I'm not counting on any more admits - my stats aren't great, 3.77 GPA and no conference papers / publications; amazed I got into any, actually! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graditude Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I can only offer one piece of information: about the Stony Brook area, from a friend who did her PhD there while I was living in the city. It's very much a commuter school, the surroundings are dull and suburban, and rents are ridiculously high. Visits were tricky without a car, despite the LIRR. Even though she is a cheerful person, she found it gloomy and uninspiring. The program itself is excellent, but if location matters to you, it might be wise to pay a visit before accepting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortstack51 Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I can only offer one piece of information: about the Stony Brook area, from a friend who did her PhD there while I was living in the city. It's very much a commuter school, the surroundings are dull and suburban, and rents are ridiculously high. Visits were tricky without a car, despite the LIRR. Even though she is a cheerful person, she found it gloomy and uninspiring. The program itself is excellent, but if location matters to you, it might be wise to pay a visit before accepting. Seconded- I lived in the next town over for 3 months. There's not much to rent in the first place and the cost of living on Long Island is high. You will definitely need a car there as well. The village of Stony Brook is a cute little northeastern town with a park, and there are some things to do. It's actually one of the only hilly areas on LI so it isn't as flat and boring as the rest of it. For fun, a lot of LI people usually go into the city or go upstate, both of which are a hike from Stony Brook (1 hr 45 mins by train to the city). There are also the LI beaches, of course. Also, Port Jefferson (with the ferry to CT) is nearby. There are a lot of shops/bars there and a lot of young folks hang out there. I've heard good things about the program at Stony Brook itself. Just be prepared for a lot of strip malls. Also, traffic is always awful once you get out of the villages/small towns. TL;DR- if you don't mind small towns and suburbia and high cost, and you like the visit, go for it. But it can certainly feel soul sucking to live on LI. My fiancee's mother desperately wanted me to apply to Stony Brook so we could possibly move back. I didn't because I just can't resign myself to living there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ke6904 Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I was accepted to Delaware's MA program as well, and I also applied to Stony Brook but didn't hear back yet. I've heard excellent things about Delaware's program and faculty as well as about Newark, DE and the campus itself. I honestly haven't heard much about Stony Brook.. but if it came between the two, I would probably pick Delaware. One of my letter writers got his PhD from there, and he says it is excellent. They have an awesome placement record and you get a lot of teaching experience there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ke6904 Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Hi all! I've gotten three admits so far, and I was hoping I could have some people tell me what they think? I'm going into Victorian / Modern British literature and was admitted to University of Delaware's Master's program (they make you get a MA and then re-apply to their Ph.D), Stony Brook's Ph.D program, and Northeastern's Ph.D. program. I'd love to hear what your general perceptions of these schools are, what things to think about as I make a decision, or any advice about the areas; basically, anything you can tell me to help me think this through would be much appreciated! I applied to thirteen schools, but I'm not counting on any more admits - my stats aren't great, 3.77 GPA and no conference papers / publications; amazed I got into any, actually! By the way, if you are the one who posted for Stony Brook on the results page, you must have pretty good stats if you got nominated for that fellowship! Congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachelann1991 Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 By the way, if you are the one who posted for Stony Brook on the results page, you must have pretty good stats if you got nominated for that fellowship! Congrats. Thanks; yeah, it was me and good luck with the rest of your acceptances!!! And hah, my letter writer went to Delaware as well; she loved it there and assured me that the Delaware library is FABULOUS, and the teaching experience is awesome, too! Thanks, everyone, for the advice!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ke6904 Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Thanks; yeah, it was me and good luck with the rest of your acceptances!!! And hah, my letter writer went to Delaware as well; she loved it there and assured me that the Delaware library is FABULOUS, and the teaching experience is awesome, too! Thanks, everyone, for the advice!! That's funny, maybe they knew each other. Yes, I've heard excellent things about the library as well. Are you going to the recruitment weekend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachelann1991 Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 That's funny, maybe they knew each other. Yes, I've heard excellent things about the library as well. Are you going to the recruitment weekend? Sadly, no - I have my senior comprehensive exams Friday, and then I'm traveling that Sunday :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Algernon Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 (edited) I was accepted to Delaware's MA program as well, and I also applied to Stony Brook but didn't hear back yet. I've heard excellent things about Delaware's program and faculty as well as about Newark, DE and the campus itself. I honestly haven't heard much about Stony Brook.. but if it came between the two, I would probably pick Delaware. One of my letter writers got his PhD from there, and he says it is excellent. They have an awesome placement record and you get a lot of teaching experience there. Hi all! I've gotten three admits so far, and I was hoping I could have some people tell me what they think? I'm going into Victorian / Modern British literature and was admitted to University of Delaware's Master's program (they make you get a MA and then re-apply to their Ph.D), Stony Brook's Ph.D program, and Northeastern's Ph.D. program. I'd love to hear what your general perceptions of these schools are, what things to think about as I make a decision, or any advice about the areas; basically, anything you can tell me to help me think this through would be much appreciated! I applied to thirteen schools, but I'm not counting on any more admits - my stats aren't great, 3.77 GPA and no conference papers / publications; amazed I got into any, actually! I didn't apply to these programs, but I am very familiar with Newark, DE and UD in general (not the English department, though), so I can share information about the town/school. For a small city, Newark has a pretty vibrant and lively Main Street. Tends to be mobbed with college kids (read: undergrads dressed in Abercrombie) on Friday and Saturday nights, but there are some cute retail stores, restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. Having a car would probably be good, but not essential-- I'm pretty sure UD has shuttles, and Newark has a bus system, but I've never used it nor do I really know anyone who has. You could probably walk most places you need to go on a daily basis, depending on where you live, but things aren't super close together like in a big city. There's a great co-op on Main Street where you can buy all of your organic groceries. There have been a lot of improvements to downtown/the campus in the past 10-15 years, and there are more improvements each year. Certainly a thriving locale. It's a safe area. Easy access to Philly and Baltimore and even NYC or DC. Also reasonably close to the beach for the summers (1.5 - 2 hours). Newark housing isn't cheap, but it's not exorbitant either. It's a pretty typical mid-Atlantic college town, I'd say. Last call is 1am in Delaware, though, so that's an annoying quirk, if you go to the bars at all. Not much free parking downtown, either. If anyone has more specific questions about the town or school in general, I'd be happy to answer them. Oh, and make sure you pronounce in new*ark*. Not new*erk,* a la Jersey. Locals do not take kindly to being conflated with anywhere in NJ. ETA: Although DE's program didn't appeal to me personally, I've heard only positive things from faculty members and their spouses, both those inside and outside of the English department. The English faculty seem very proud of their department. Edited February 16, 2014 by Algernon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortstack51 Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 I should add that while I'm not very familiar with Boston, it is the cleanest and easiest city to get around that I've visited, if we're talking about living situations. Costs aren't horrible, especially of you take the commuter rail in from an outside town. And it's a very historic city, so a lot of the apartments are in old houses and buildings, if you're into that. Lots to do of course, etc etc, it's right on the ocean, all that good stuff. I applied to a few schools in Boston, but it doesn't look like I'm getting in, so I'm jealous you'll have the chance to live there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Algernon Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 I'll second Shortstack about Boston being great. I've visited several times and completely fell in love. The public transportation is excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachelann1991 Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 I'm from Rhode Island, so I'll just totally echo the obsession with Boston :) And glad to hear Newark seems like a good area!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbttcher Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Boston is beautiful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleperson Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 I applied to Northeastern and have heard nothing. I haven't seen acceptances posted to the results board but have seen a few mentions of acceptances and waitlists on the forum. I think that means I'm not getting in there. Darn! It'd be great to get into a Boston school. Congrats to you, though. That is awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachelann1991 Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 I applied to Northeastern and have heard nothing. I haven't seen acceptances posted to the results board but have seen a few mentions of acceptances and waitlists on the forum. I think that means I'm not getting in there. Darn! It'd be great to get into a Boston school. Congrats to you, though. That is awesome! Don't lose hope! YOU NEVER KNOW!!! My professors keep saying that it's not over until you hear; they like to admit people in "rounds" sometimes, and it's still so early! purpleperson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleperson Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Don't lose hope! YOU NEVER KNOW!!! My professors keep saying that it's not over until you hear; they like to admit people in "rounds" sometimes, and it's still so early! I think you're right that there's still hope. But we'll see.... Thanks for the words of encouragement! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laney Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 (edited) I'm not especially familiar with these programs since I'm in rhet/comp, but I can just offer a bit of location feedback. I did my masters in Boston (at a different school) and while I agree with everyone saying that Boston is amazing, I will also say that costs ARE horrible. I loved every minute that I lived there but rents are very high and getting worse every year, so every grad student I knew had to have multiple roommates (and still pay a lot anyway). Most people can't afford to actually live in Boston itself, and I know the area round Northeastern is very expensive. I lived in Somerville (on the red line) and it was great, but not cheap either. I would say that most PhD stipends, unless unusually high, will probably not be enough to live on in Boston, so that might be a consideration if you really want to avoid loans or working extra. That said, though, I do love Boston and have missed it so much since I moved away to do my PhD! Edited February 16, 2014 by laney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortstack51 Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Haha, I suppose I think of Boston as relatively cheap because I live in NYC currently where you're lucky to find anything decent for less than $1600/month Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laney Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 That is true! Compared to NYC, Boston is "cheap." My experience in Boston was that the cheapest possible studio apartments were around $1000 a month, somewhere three miles from the T, for a really tiny room with the oven next to the bed. I'd say average studio would be closer to $1300, one bedroom $1500-1800, and up from there. Although you can occasionally find a good deal and it depends highly on area and neighborhood. I was on the higher end in Somerville and somewhat cheaper rents can be found in areas like Allston. wreckofthehope 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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