UC Davis

[Nightingalesing]

I'm so glad this thread has become more active!

After returning from 3 days at Davis I am strongly considering getting my Comparative Literature Ph. D there. The faculty is a superb match to my interests (I also study Shakespeare but my focus is on East Asian performance studies) and everyone I met was enthusiastic about their work and generous with their time. It was a very laid back and active academic atmosphere.

Of course the financial situation is a little concerning to me, but my fears were almost entirely eased by my discussions with the grad students. As I discussed briefly in the other thread about funding, all of the students I talked with were very honest about their funding situation. In their opinion, the teaching load was not too difficult and actually put them in an excellent position in the job market after graduation. The stipend was also enough to live comfortably in Davis and in some cases Sacramento.

Of course, I haven't made a final decision yet either. We'll see how it goes!

[Pamphilia]

To be very fair, grad students at Davis seem as well protected as they can be from the financial shitstorm happening in the UC system right now. As I understand it Davis is working very, very hard to shore up its grad programs, and is even expanding in some cases. Current students, correct me if I'm wrong, of course--but as it's been explained to me by a few people, the financial situation for Davis grad students seems about as positive as it could be for you all at the moment.

Edited March 16, 2010 by Pamphilia

[zcn]

Davis is so far the best funding package offered to me (I only applied to two PhD programs). The aid seems fairly competitive, but maybe that's just because I've spent the last few years living in an area with no job market for BAs. I worked at a bookstore--both prestigious AND useful, at least if I'm going to write my dissertation on the linguistics of cash registers and employee handbook literature. From what I can see on craigslist, the housing in Davis seems pretty nice (gyms, free internet, etc.) and cheaper than the Bay Area. I've been living on less than the stipend in a more expensive city, but as I said, I probably have low standards.

Even if the funding wasn't perfect, though, I'd probably still want to go; their program and classes just seem extra fascinating (I was happy to be contacted by Colin Milburn, since his classes look too cool; unfortunately there wasn't a lot of science fiction in my period, the 18th century, haha).

Are any/most of you going in with your Master's? Sounds like you have your niches fairly laid out already.

[strokeofmidnight]

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).

That's a difficult situation indeed. I don't have advice, but I've struggled with a similar dilemma. While I haven't made a final decision yet, it looks like I will be turning down Ivy league offers for a UC school. While the funding at the UC is reasonable, the Ivy's are offering me almost a 10,000 higher every year, with a lower cost of living. I know the UC system (and the program that I'll most likely be accepting in particular) very well--and I'm not at all worried about the funding or budget cuts, per se. (I know the SUNY system somewhat as well--and while both are dealing with budget crisis, they seem to take very different approaches).

My decision basically comes down to fit. The program that I'm leaning towards is pretty much a picture-perfect fit for what I want to do. It has comparable placement rates, an atmosphere that I enjoy, and some of the best professors in the country for my particular, obscure topic. I don't know if I can say the same for the Ivy's. I would probably be more than content at any of them, but it's hard to pass up a program that seems designed for me.

I'm a transfer student, so I'll briefly note this: when I first applied, I turned down a program that was probably a better fit for a program that was paying me a whole lot more. I'm transferring out--that should say enough about how that situation worked out. Not everyone has the same approach or values, of course, but I find that as long as I have enough to live on without too much penny-pinching, it's far more important to me to be in a program that can best support my work.

Granted, my decision is considerably simpler than yours: it's basically a funding versus fit issue, since the other factors are more or less equal (desireable location, good placement rates, etc).