The Many Universities of California

[thinkagain]

Hey everyone,

I'm in the process of narrowing down my program selections and I am having difficulty distinguishing the many University of California [blank]s. It seems that they are all ranked fairly high, with UCLA and Berkeley at the very top (if I'm not mistaken). Can you tell I've lived on the east coast my whole life??

I want to apply to Masters and PhD programs in the subfield of Modern American lit, with an emphasis in gender studies and critical theory. Is my best option to find faculty bios and course offerings that match my interests most closely?

Can anyone from these schools/ applying to any of these schools help me out?

Thanks!

[sustain81080]

Hey everyone,

I'm in the process of narrowing down my program selections and I am having difficulty distinguishing the many University of California [blank]s. It seems that they are all ranked fairly high, with UCLA and Berkeley at the very top (if I'm not mistaken). Can you tell I've lived on the east coast my whole life??

I want to apply to Masters and PhD programs in the subfield of Modern American lit, with an emphasis in gender studies and critical theory. Is my best option to find faculty bios and course offerings that match my interests most closely?

Can anyone from these schools/ applying to any of these schools help me out?

Thanks!

Go to departmental sites and check out the faculty listings. Many of the UC sites now categorize faculty based on research areas in order to make it easier for the curious or prospective grad students. Off the top of my head, I'd tell you to check out Irvine and Riverside. I don't want to discourage you from applying to Berkeley, but I have to tell you that they get around 500 applications a year (if not more). Same with UCLA. If your numbers are great and SOP focused and direct, then by all means go for it.

[callmelilyb]

While I'm not attending one of the UCs, I'm from California, have cousins and friends that attend them, my parents are alumni, etc. so I am fairly knoweldgeable about the system. There is DEFINITELY a ranking order within the UC system, off the top of my head (and this is in no way scientific) I would place UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD and UC Davis as the highest ranked (probably in that order actually), Irvine and Santa Barbara in the middle, and Riverside, Merced and Santa Cruz at the bottom. Now, before I piss anyone off I have to state that ALL UC campuses have strong reputations and are good quality institutions. There is also going to be some shuffling around of rankings based on the specific program you are applying to (though Berkeley and UCLA are tops in just about everything).

I would say that Berkeley and UCLA are probably as competitive as the Ivies back east these days...

One thing to consider with the UC campuses is location, because frankly some of them are in very nice areas and some of them aren't....Berkeley and Davis are cool funky university towns, Santa Barbara is amazing for coastal heaven, UCLA you get LA, etc.

I think in general the UC English PhD programs are strong in gender/womens studies/queer theory, UCLA and Berkeley definitely have some top theorists as faculty (Judith Butler at Berkeley and Anne Mellor at UCLA come to mind)....

I don't know if any of this is helpful but if you have any specific questions you want answered I'll see what I can do!

[soxpuppet]

Only speaking to what I know: Irvine's not the middle for English - on pretty much every (admittedly unreliable) rankings system I've embarrassedly glanced at, in the order of UCs in English it's second only to Berkeley and LA. I've heard Santa Barbara spoken of well for English also, and Davis was rumored to be on the rise. For crit theory, certainly, Irvine is pretty much tops. I'm more familiar with their faculty in early periods, but I had eclectic tastes and all the American lit people I know there are really amazing. There seemed to be plenty of interest in gender studies - I don't know if this holds with the budget issues, but they used to fly Spivak out from New York every spring to do a grad seminar.

So for the UCs you can't look at just their general reputation, you have to be very specific, not only regarding department but also regarding your particular focus. Not only that, but in certain schools related departments work together more amicably than in others. UCSD has English and Comp Lit combined, for instance, and Santa Cruz has an atypical structure generally. Also, sometimes programs have different names: Irvine has a special crit theory grad emphasis, while Berkeley has Rhetoric. Different, yeah, but in many ways they're comparable, or at least may be attractive to similar applicants. Then you also have to consider regional issues. LA, Riverside, and Irvine people seemed to get together a lot. Professors go to conferences or even guest lectures at the other schools on a very regular basis, and grad students consult faculty at other UCs - so there can be some community between the campuses, especially those in the same region.

My best advice: approach the different UCs as you would the different schools of New Jersey: you wouldn't lump Princeton and Rutgers in a bundle - they're both good schools for different reasons. Indeed, ask your advisors to point you in the right direction, then look at faculty bios.

[pea-jay]

As a Californian wanting to leave this state, for grad school I'd take a hard look at what programs you want to study at which particular campus. With budget cuts and continued state deficits, I would check each program to see if they can stay funded. Some programs have been axed to save money, class sizes are up and course offerings down. Not saying this will be an issue for your program but just be aware of it.

[callmelilyb]

I should have clarified that my ranking was based on general (and probably, undergraduate reputation)...Irvine is definitely well-ranked in English, certainly better than Davis (which I've also heard is working hard to pull up their reputation right now).

I agree: "My best advice: approach the different UCs as you would the different schools of New Jersey: you wouldn't lump Princeton and Rutgers in a bundle - they're both good schools for different reasons. Indeed, ask your advisors to point you in the right direction, then look at faculty bios."

[BunnyWantsaPhD]

Word on the street is that U of CA at Riverside is not a good location to live in--can anyone speak to this? Because Riverside is only ranked #44, and it's on the complete opposite side of the US, if it's not a good place to live then I'm not sure it's worth the move. And by "not good" I mean that I've heard that it is not safe and not nice in general...yes, I know that is very general. 

[mightyheidi]

I'm also applying to Berkeley and UCLA for critical theory/queer theory/comparative ethnic literature. My undergrad mentor went to Berkeley for English and had really good things to say about it. He especially encouraged me to apply because my concentration right now is in Asian American lit, and Berkeley/UCLA has some of the top ASAM lit scholars in the country. I'm also considering UCSD Cultural Studies. 

 

Funding might be iffy with budget cuts (I heard that Berkeley only guarantees funding for the first year??), but UCLA seems to fund all their PhD students through fellowships. 

[id quid]

The original post for this is very old. If you have many more questions on this subject, it is likely worth starting a new thread.

 

That said:

 

@BunnyWantsaPhD: Riverside is not a very rough place, but it is not especially nice, either. I wouldn't really compare it to Oakland or Richmond, but it is a bit run down, and very adjacent to high crime areas. Like most cities, it has its good and bad parts. UCR's campus is straddling the line on that. The campus should have crime statistics available somewhere, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they were slightly higher than some campuses but not the highest. 

 

As far as the area: it's the desert! It's hot and dusty a lot of the time, but it has some beautiful landscape not too far off (at least if you're into desert geography). If you're really desperate for a change in scenery, it's <90 minutes away from snow and from beaches. 

 

I lived there for a year, about 15 minutes from campus, though it wasn't for UCR. Riverside is a nice enough place if you're careful, and it's cheaper than living in LA while still being somewhat nearby!

 

@mightyheidi: Berkeley does not have guaranteed funding, but it generally (at least the parts of the English department I'm familiar with) has good support from faculty for finding alternate sources. They do try not to admit without a funding package, but being a public school in a state with chronic budgeting problems means their ability to promise anything five years into the future is suspect; additionally, what counts as "funding" might not actually meet need. 

[BunnyWantsaPhD]

Thanks for the information! I actually did know that this thread was old, but when I've brought up topics before (such as schools, for example), other posters have commented that the information I was seeking was already discussed previously/elsewhere. Searching through old posts is not exactly the most effective way of trying to find information quickly, but I did happen to find this old thread so I thought I would dig it back up. 

 

Anyways, hmm...Riverside is not looking so appealing! Not sure I'm a desert/possibly high crime rate kind of gal ; )

[id quid]

I mean it more to say that if you aren't finding your answers here, a new thread might be helpful: no one in this one is likely to respond, since they originally posted years ago.

 

I may be talking Riverside down more than it deserves. I lived there a year, and had a fine enough time, but I was glad to go somewhere else. It definitely wouldn't be high on my list. Take my comments with a grain of salt! I don't like Los Angeles, either, though UCLA is a fantastic school and I'd be happy to study there. I think some of LA's culture leaks over into Riverside, which may be adding to my dislike. While there is certainly culture, Riverside felt much more like a party-city than others; that is to say that people were frequently amped up over the evening's clubbing plans rather than museum events or art walks or hikes or what have you. 

 

Also, desert. I prefer mountains and forests.

[Fiz]

Thanks for the information! I actually did know that this thread was old, but when I've brought up topics before (such as schools, for example), other posters have commented that the information I was seeking was already discussed previously/elsewhere. Searching through old posts is not exactly the most effective way of trying to find information quickly, but I did happen to find this old thread so I thought I would dig it back up. 

 

Anyways, hmm...Riverside is not looking so appealing! Not sure I'm a desert/possibly high crime rate kind of gal

 

I've lived in Riverside for about 18 years and attended the school! I can tell you what...it is hot as hell during the summer months. Easily reaches 106, sometimes for 4,5,6 consecutive days, especially during August! August is the absolute worse. Towards the end of October it tends to cool down, most around the 80's or high 70's, and once December and January roll around, it's 60's and 70's...sometimes 50's. It is in the middle of nowhere, but the good thing is the Beach, Snow, Forests are each only an hr away. Just drive in a different direction to get to each one, so you can have every climate.

 

I'm sorry but I LOL LOL LOL all the way to the bank when people say Riverside is high crime!! I've never been robbed, jumped, stabbed, attacked, or anything during my 18 years here. It's just about being smart and using common sense. If you walk around in a minny skirt at 2 am on a saturday night, well then...I think you'd be in trouble anywhere. I mean I definitely wouldn't leave my house door unlocked, but Riverside is no more dangerous than any other school in Cali. In fact, I'd be leery of USC and UCLA more than UCR. Dont walk those campuses at night. But that's just my two sense. Apply anyway and just visit the school if they accept you! Faculty is amazing! 

[NowMoreSerious]

Word on the street is that U of CA at Riverside is not a good location to live in--can anyone speak to this? Because Riverside is only ranked #44, and it's on the complete opposite side of the US, if it's not a good place to live then I'm not sure it's worth the move. And by "not good" I mean that I've heard that it is not safe and not nice in general...yes, I know that is very general.

Riverside is fine. I've never considered it an unsafe area at all, for what it's worth.

I would highly caution against counting UC Riverside out. They are a great program with interdisciplinary leanings and I consider them a program on the rise. They recently hired Fred Moten who is a huge scholar from Duke.

Remember you are also about an hour from Los Angeles, which isn't bad. Lets say a great conference is occurring at USC, or UCLA, or Irvine? It isn't that far a distance to drive, and the networking opportunities will be rich.

[BunnyWantsaPhD]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I actually decided to rule out west coast schools so that I can stay close to my nieces and nephews. I know that's probably not what many people would advise me to do, but I don't want to be too far from my family--they are just as important, or even more so, than my career. 

[rdsull89]

Hi all,

 

UC Riverside is really competitive, and increasing its profile constantly. We just hired Fred Moten and David Lloyd, we hired Sherryl Vint and Robb Hernandez the previous year, and we're hiring another professor this year in Pre-1900 American lit. . Erica Edwards just won an MLA book award, and a number of our faculty hold huge grants at the moment. If you're interested in critical theory and gender studies--Jennifer Doyle is an amazing person to consider.

 

That said, Riverside isn't the nicest place to live. It's a decent town, but it has its faults, but everywhere does. It certainly shouldn't be cause to rule out a school. 

 

If anyone has any questions regarding the program at UCR please feel free to respond or PM me!