UC Davis

[intextrovert]

I was so happy to get my first acceptance yesterday - from UC Davis! I saw that the results page shows four other people who also got good news from Davis, so I was just curious who the others are! Anyone willing to claim? What's your subfield, what are you interested in studying, what profs would you want to work with? Are you planning to go to the admitted students weekend? (And anyone know when they'll give us info about the details?)

I really like the program because of my interests in ecocriticism and geographical/spatial approaches, specifically in the Modern period/20th century. I've also got a secondary interest is Romanticism. They've got a good number of faculty doing really interesting work in ecocriticism, globalization studies, cultural geography, transnationalism, etc. so I'm very happy! I was very worried about my California applications, considering the budget situation, but he did say 5 years of funding, although the specifics come in the next few weeks. Anyone have further info on Davis's funding?

And actually, if anyone out there has any info at all on the program - or the place! - I'd love to hear about it!

[tinuvielf]

Intextrovert... did your acceptance email/phone conversation say something about an accepted students' weekend? Mine didn't. Although I wonder if that might be because I'm international and they don't know if I can make it to the U.S. I've been checking out apartment info and other stuff on Davis. It seems a fair kind of city and since it's only about 20-30 mins from Sacramento, it shouldn't be too bad. The prof who emailed me said he was on his way out of the country for a few days but would give me a call when he got back later this week. I'm writing down questions to ask him, so I'll broach this one concerning the campus visit.

Congrats on being accepted!! We should get each other's email and other info and chat sometime. You can email me through my profile. It'd be great to meet you as there's a possibility of our being colleagues in the future.

Edited February 3, 2010 by tinuvielf

[callmelilyb]

I didn't get into Davis, but I live there (well Sac) now, so if either of you want some city-specific info regarding bookstores, restaurants or whatever, let me know....

[tinuvielf]

I didn't get into Davis, but I live there (well Sac) now, so if either of you want some city-specific info regarding bookstores, restaurants or whatever, let me know....

Thanks for offering up your knowledge, tlsaborido. I guess I have two questions. Is it easy to get around without a car in Davis? And what's the apartment scene like there? I guess I'm wondering if a person could afford to eat after paying rent/utility bills on a grad stipend of what I'm guessing might be $1200 or $1300 a month. (I don't have a clue what the stipend would be yet, but I saw some data from about 6 yrs back that gave $14,559/yr as the stipend for English grads at Davis).

Thanks again for volunteering and good luck with everything!

[mj88]

I got a call from a professor on Monday saying I'd been accepted, and that they were sending me more information. I followed up with a thank you email today, with a few questions. I'm thrilled because Davis was my top choice. I'm also working on ecocriticism and spatiality, but in terms of working class literature and environmental justice.

I am also concerned about funding. The professor told me it was "a guaranteed five years of funding." I'd love to get that all in writing! The cost of living in Davis is going to be higher than my master's program school too, so I'm already concerned about finding affordable housing and seeing if I can sign up for food assistance, etc.

I'm hoping to pull together some funds for a campus visit, and waiting to see what information I get regarding when and how. I asked the professor who contacted me to put me in touch with current grad students who could answer some of my questions. We should start some kind of private email group to share the information we hear without getting ourselves in trouble by posting it publically. I'm not sure how easy that is with this interface, but I'd be very interested in staying in touch with you guys over the next six months or so.

[callmelilyb]

Davis is definitely bicycle/walking friendly! In fact, the city is known for having more bikes than cars and I would even go so far as to say that there is some resentment towards those who do drive around town, lol. Everything is fairly accessible on bike from the city center and to and from campus, I own a car now, but if I moved into Davis I'd probably sell it.

They have the most amazing farmer's market every Weds evening and Saturday morning, seriously I've never been to a farmer's market this amazing anywhere, not Portland or Santa Cruz or anywhere. The BEST local fruits, veggies, breads, baked goods, meat, fish, etc. Ugh, I'm getting hungry just thinking about wlaking through the market...

It's definitely small-town/college town as far as atmosphere, but the Mondavi center does bring in some good musical acts and lectures thorughout the year and Sac and SF are really quite close if you are hankering for the city.

Some people refer to it as "The People's Republic of Davis" -- they've done a lot of work to keep local bookstores and such in business and have worked hard to keep out places like WalMart, etc.

As far as money goes I'd say you can expect to pay between $500-600/month to rent a room, more if you wanted a master bedroom. Outside of rent, however I think Davis is pretty cheap as far as food and other expenses. Rent is higher in Davis than in surrounding communities (like Sac or Roseville) so you could always live outside the city (20-30 minute commute). But Davis is so fun, I'd rather live there and penny pinch!

If you have any other questions, let me know!

Oh, and congratulations on the acceptance.

[intextrovert]

Tinuvielf - He didn't mention the visiting weekend, but that was the one question I managed to get out during the phone conversation, and he said that yes, they will definitely have one and it will likely be in early April, but he's not sure exactly about the timing. So yay!

I got a call from a professor on Monday saying I'd been accepted, and that they were sending me more information. I followed up with a thank you email today, with a few questions. I'm thrilled because Davis was my top choice. I'm also working on ecocriticism and spatiality, but in terms of working class literature and environmental justice.

I am also concerned about funding. The professor told me it was "a guaranteed five years of funding." I'd love to get that all in writing! The cost of living in Davis is going to be higher than my master's program school too, so I'm already concerned about finding affordable housing and seeing if I can sign up for food assistance, etc.

I'm hoping to pull together some funds for a campus visit, and waiting to see what information I get regarding when and how. I asked the professor who contacted me to put me in touch with current grad students who could answer some of my questions. We should start some kind of private email group to share the information we hear without getting ourselves in trouble by posting it publically. I'm not sure how easy that is with this interface, but I'd be very interested in staying in touch with you guys over the next six months or so.

Ecocrit party! And yes, tell me about it - I anxiously await news of what "five years of guaranteed funding" actually means, especially in the California public school system of 2010 - yikes.

Good news: if they have a visiting students weekend, I THINK that means they fly you out without expense. Can anyone wise confirm? Am I making that up or pulling it from fantasy-land?

I'd love to keep in touch as we navigate this process - feel free to PM me and we can figure it out.

Davis is definitely bicycle/walking friendly! In fact, the city is known for having more bikes than cars and I would even go so far as to say that there is some resentment towards those who do drive around town, lol. Everything is fairly accessible on bike from the city center and to and from campus, I own a car now, but if I moved into Davis I'd probably sell it.

They have the most amazing farmer's market every Weds evening and Saturday morning, seriously I've never been to a farmer's market this amazing anywhere, not Portland or Santa Cruz or anywhere. The BEST local fruits, veggies, breads, baked goods, meat, fish, etc. Ugh, I'm getting hungry just thinking about wlaking through the market...

It's definitely small-town/college town as far as atmosphere, but the Mondavi center does bring in some good musical acts and lectures thorughout the year and Sac and SF are really quite close if you are hankering for the city.

Some people refer to it as "The People's Republic of Davis" -- they've done a lot of work to keep local bookstores and such in business and have worked hard to keep out places like WalMart, etc.

As far as money goes I'd say you can expect to pay between $500-600/month to rent a room, more if you wanted a master bedroom. Outside of rent, however I think Davis is pretty cheap as far as food and other expenses. Rent is higher in Davis than in surrounding communities (like Sac or Roseville) so you could always live outside the city (20-30 minute commute). But Davis is so fun, I'd rather live there and penny pinch!

If you have any other questions, let me know!

Oh, and congratulations on the acceptance.

tlsaborido - Thank you so much for your detailed reply! Davis sounds like such a neat little town and I'm aching to be somewhere again with a fabulous farmer's market. How often to people make it out to San Fran? Or how about to do outdoor stuff in the surroundings? Do you consider it a "pretty" place? How's the weather?

[greekdaph]

Not every school that has a visiting weekend pays for you to go. Alas!

I've experienced the following variants:

-School provided up to $500 for flight and hotel.

-School paid for transportation up to $200.

-School did not provide transportation but housed prospectives with current grad students and paid for meals while we were there.

That said, though, let me add from my experience that it's worth it to do everything you can to visit. At some schools I saw, the gut feeling told me everything I needed to know. And in the very small world of academia, the connections you make with professors and students can come in really handy down the road. Even if you choose not to attend their program, those people will remember you and root for you.

Good news: if they have a visiting students weekend, I THINK that means they fly you out without expense. Can anyone wise confirm? Am I making that up or pulling it from fantasy-land?

I'd love to keep in touch as we navigate this process - feel free to PM me and we can figure it out.

[callmelilyb]

tlsaborido - Thank you so much for your detailed reply! Davis sounds like such a neat little town and I'm aching to be somewhere again with a fabulous farmer's market. How often to people make it out to San Fran? Or how about to do outdoor stuff in the surroundings? Do you consider it a "pretty" place? How's the weather?

It is a great little town! The program probably wasn't the greatest fit for me, but I applied anyways because I would just LOVE to live there for 5+ years (and my parents went there and basically made me apply). From Sac I make it into SF a couple of times a year...usually for something specific and I generally drive to Pleasant Hill or Walnut Creek and then take the light rail (BART) into the city so that I don't have to worry about parking which really sucks in the city ("the city" being SF, obviously). Really, Davis is in a great location: within an hour or so from big city San Fran, about 45 minutes from wine country in Sonoma/Napa, and about two hours from Tahoe. There are tons of great outdoor activities in the surrounding area...what specifically were you thinking?

Davis itself is pretty....lots of cute little cottagey houses, lots of trees, and cute little funky neighborhoods, art and good restaurants to choose from for the size of the town. The campus is really big and spread out with an arboretum and waterway on the edge of campus and lots of big green grassy areas. It was originally an ag school so you can imagine the influence on the campus layout, the cows are right by the football stadium! :]

Not sure what part of the country you're coming from, but it's good ol' central valley California weather. Summers are hot and dry in the 90's-100's in July and August. It will get into the 100's regularly in August! Winters are pretty mild, in the 50's -- sporadic rain and sporadic sunny days. It gets warm here by mid-March and stays warm until the end of September, maybe even October depending on what you consider warm.

If you end up deciding on Davis down the line, let me know and I can give you some great restaurant recommendations and other neat info.

I'm happily jealous of you!

Edited February 4, 2010 by tlsaborido

[mj88]

Have you guys gotten anything official yet? It's been two weeks and I want more details.

Edited February 15, 2010 by mj88

[Brokenmoped]

I'm at UCD right now for undergrad, and I'll say that callmelilyb's description is perfectly accurate. Check out the Davis wiki (http://daviswiki.org/) for all things Davis!

[Brokenmoped]

One more thing for the ecocrit people: get to know Tim Morton and Mike Ziser! They're both extremely intelligent, helpful, and wonderful professors! Oh, and read Morton's most recent books, Ecology Without Nature (2007) and The Ecological Thought (coming out in April).

[intextrovert]

mj88 - I also haven't received anything official from them yet, but on the phone they said Colin Milburn "wants to send out the details in the next two to three weeks." Since it's been exactly two weeks today from that phone call, it seems like today would be the earliest they would SEND them out, meaning the package would come later. But I bet it'll be another week or so before we hear.

Thanks for the Davis wiki link, Brokenmoped! It's a nice resource. And yes, I've checked out some of Timothy Morton's stuff already - he's great. And Michael Ziser was the one who made the call, actually! Seems like a good number of faculty are doing some really fascinating research, and it's great to hear that they make good mentors as well.

[mj88]

Intextrovert, I've now heard that they are hoping to send the information in the next couple of days. And the dates scheduled for the visiting weekend for the newly admitted students will be April 8th and 9th, but they'll send out more info on that as well.

Can't wait!

[intextrovert]

Intextrovert, I've now heard that they are hoping to send the information in the next couple of days. And the dates scheduled for the visiting weekend for the newly admitted students will be April 8th and 9th, but they'll send out more info on that as well.

Can't wait!

Thanks for the info, mj! I'm especially grateful to know the visiting dates, since that means I can't chaperone a trip then! Luckily, though, that's during my spring break so I don't have to find a sub. Yay! I'll start checking my mail obsessively now (because I don't already).

So excited!

[Pamphilia]

Hi! I know I'm a little late to the party, but I just received a call from a professor mentioned in my SOP and I am IN at Davis! No fellowship, but five years of "guaranteed teaching." I had a great chat with the professor and she made me very excited. Yay

Maybe I'll see y'all in April!

[mj88]

Congratulations, Pamphilia! I am super excited, too. Davis was my top choice, and going there will be a dream come true. I've been able to pump quite a bit of information out of a few professors and a number of the grad students, so feel free to message me if you have questions I might be able to answer.

[Nightingalesing]

Hello!

I hope its okay for a Comp Lit person to resurrect this thread. I am remarkably pleased to have been admitted to Davis and would love to get in touch with my (reportedly small) potential cohort. My research interests are focused in Asian Studies, specifically modern Chinese drama.

Next week (Monday- Wednesday) I will be visiting Davis. The department did not mention paying for my trip when they mentioned a visit, but once I asked they were very generous in covering almost all of my expenses (especially considering the fact that I'm coming from the other side of the country). If anyone has any questions but is unable to get to Davis, I would be get them answered.

Looking forward to visiting what I am sure is a very beautiful campus!

[Butitwaslaundryday]

Hello!

I hope its okay for a Comp Lit person to resurrect this thread. I am remarkably pleased to have been admitted to Davis and would love to get in touch with my (reportedly small) potential cohort. My research interests are focused in Asian Studies, specifically modern Chinese drama.

Next week (Monday- Wednesday) I will be visiting Davis. The department did not mention paying for my trip when they mentioned a visit, but once I asked they were very generous in covering almost all of my expenses (especially considering the fact that I'm coming from the other side of the country). If anyone has any questions but is unable to get to Davis, I would be get them answered.

Looking forward to visiting what I am sure is a very beautiful campus!

Hello, congratulations on your acceptance! I am still waiting to hear back from UC Davis for comp. lit, and I was just wondering--when did you hear about your acceptance? Thanks! Also, can you see who the other accepted people are since you say "reportedly small potential cohort"?

Edited February 26, 2010 by Butitwaslaundryday

[Nightingalesing]

Hello, congratulations on your acceptance! I am still waiting to hear back from UC Davis for comp. lit, and I was just wondering--when did you hear about your acceptance? Thanks! Also, can you see who the other accepted people are since you say "reportedly small potential cohort"?

Hello!

Davis notified me on Feb. 10th. Unfortunately I don't know too much about who has been admitted, but my potential advisor has told me that the cohort is made up of five people.

Best of luck! I really hope everything works out well for you!

[zcn]

Hello! Hope it's all right to resurrect this thread. Just found it and I'm excited to "meet" some of my future classmates. I haven't 100% decided on Davis, but it looks pretty solid. I'm sorry to say my fields of study aren't quite as focused as some of yours yet, as I've taken a few years off after UG. So far I'm broadly looking at 18th C. Brit via satirists, gender, and science/medicine writing, with a completely separate interest in American Gothic.

Is anyone else going to visit day on April 9th? Has anyone visited yet? Have you had much contact with students/faculty (I couldn't think of any good questions for Colin M., try as I might)?

[mj88]

Hi zks,

I am attending the campus visit days and a few other days besides, so I can look at housing and use it as a mini vacation. I'd say chances are 98% at this point that I'm going to Davis. I've been in touch with a number of current grad students, and they've all given me excellent information. I might be able to answer some of your questions, and you can always look through the website listing of grad students for those in your area of interest and contact them. My experience thus far is that everyone is glad to contact you back, and honest about the program. I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone next month!

Thanks for resurrecting the thread,

MJ

[Cimorene]

I've been accepted to the English Department, and am feeling conflicted. I was offered a financial package that's quite a bit larger from an Ivy school, but Davis's program is pretty much exactly what I'm interested in (Shakespeare, gender, feminist studies). I'd love to go to Davis, all things being equal, but gambling on a UC school right now, in this economic climate, when I have an offer of a larger stipend, cheaper cost of living, and three years of fellowship (so no teaching during those years) seems unwise. Especially because I live on the east coast, as does all my family and my partner's family, and moving across the country (with a dog and two cats!) will be very expensive.

I wish I was independently wealthy, so money didn't affect my decision so much. But I've been quite poor my whole life, and I don't want to be stressed about money the way I have been when I'm trying to write my dissertation. I'm also worried about things like research and travel money, which is available in spades at my other option. And I'm at a SUNY school right now, so I've seen what happens to a department at threats of budget cuts (or, actual budget cuts).

[mj88]

Well, it sounds like your choice is pretty straightforward, at least to me. I'm of the opinion that it doesn't really matter if the program at the other school isn't perfect for what you want to do, as long as you can make it work for you. I'd go for the higher-ranked (I'm assuming), more money, closer to home school if I were you.

Otherwise, I'll see you at Davis!

P.S. Make sure you let Colin Milburn know you've been offered a larger package elsewhere. He may be able to pull some strings.

I've been accepted to the English Department, and am feeling conflicted. I was offered a financial package that's quite a bit larger from an Ivy school, but Davis's program is pretty much exactly what I'm interested in (Shakespeare, gender, feminist studies). I'd love to go to Davis, all things being equal, but gambling on a UC school right now, in this economic climate, when I have an offer of a larger stipend, cheaper cost of living, and three years of fellowship (so no teaching during those years) seems unwise. Especially because I live on the east coast, as does all my family and my partner's family, and moving across the country (with a dog and two cats!) will be very expensive.

I wish I was independently wealthy, so money didn't affect my decision so much. But I've been quite poor my whole life, and I don't want to be stressed about money the way I have been when I'm trying to write my dissertation. I'm also worried about things like research and travel money, which is available in spades at my other option. And I'm at a SUNY school right now, so I've seen what happens to a department at threats of budget cuts (or, actual budget cuts).

[Pamphilia]

I'll be honest, I turned down Davis largely because of money. It is also an ideal program for me (I'm in early modern/gender fun as well). However, I've been offered better funding and more desirable teaching loads at other programs that are equally excellent fits for me. If circumstances were different, I can't say that I would definitely go to Davis (it would be a very, very difficult decision between Davis and my other options) but I certainly would not have declined so quickly. I love Davis's program, and the faculty (especially in my--our--area) is *outstanding*. Plus everyone there just seems super nice and easy to work with! But alas, money talks.

I've been accepted to the English Department, and am feeling conflicted. I was offered a financial package that's quite a bit larger from an Ivy school, but Davis's program is pretty much exactly what I'm interested in (Shakespeare, gender, feminist studies). I'd love to go to Davis, all things being equal, but gambling on a UC school right now, in this economic climate, when I have an offer of a larger stipend, cheaper cost of living, and three years of fellowship (so no teaching during those years) seems unwise. Especially because I live on the east coast, as does all my family and my partner's family, and moving across the country (with a dog and two cats!) will be very expensive.

I wish I was independently wealthy, so money didn't affect my decision so much. But I've been quite poor my whole life, and I don't want to be stressed about money the way I have been when I'm trying to write my dissertation. I'm also worried about things like research and travel money, which is available in spades at my other option. And I'm at a SUNY school right now, so I've seen what happens to a department at threats of budget cuts (or, actual budget cuts).

Edited March 15, 2010 by Pamphilia