taking stock of my life as of this moment.
The newest Hyperbole and a Half is such a ginormous GPOY it's almost scary.
(I can only hope I develop a fear-proof exoskeleton, too.)
POTENTIAL UNIS FOR ANGIE B:
• BROWN | RHODE ISLAND.
A long shot, I know. But they're the only super high-ranked uni that has a media studies masters/doctoral program combined. JBarr is writing me a letter of rec, and as a graduate of Brown her words will hopefully count for something in my favour. It also helps that I've written an undergrad thesis -- something few people actually do -- especially since it's in the media studies field already.
I've always been slightly enamored with the idea of living on the East Coast, one of the few places in the US that truly has a sense of history. It would be a welcome change of pace to life in the Midwest, even if the winters can be hard. It's also not in TOO metropolitan of an area, and has a ridiculously lovely campus.
• UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS | AUSTIN.
Slightly better chance of getting in here, but I wouldn't be able to get an actual degree in media studies. Instead, I'd be aiming for an MFA and PhD in Creative Writing/English, with media studies classes mixed in.
I've heard nothing but lovely things about Austin: that it's a liberal bubble in the red sea of Texas. Nicer weather = less pain for Angie. The city sounds lovely, I've heard great things about the uni/English program.
• SYRACUSE | NEW YORK.
Same situation as University of Texas in terms of degree/classes I could take. I could secure a FULL RIDE re: tuition PLUS a living stipend that equals more money than I've ever made in a year of actually working for my money. The financial coverage sounds a lot more likely and hopeful here. The TA positions would require that I teach/assist classes focusing on: British literature, film, media studies, and Billy Shakes. I... Think I would be more than up for ALL of that. I think I could be really happy teaching classes on those subjects.
Never really wanted to live in New York, but at least this is central New York, and not the actual city. The city of Syracuse wouldn't be too intimidating, since it's only slightly larger than Peoria. The campus looks lovely.
Rutgers is a maybe -- a pal from Eureka I've always been hugely envious of went there and liked their English program, but I don't really want to live in New Jersey. University of Wiscosin-Madison is another maybe for a Creative Writing/English degree. But right now it looks like those top three are the choices I'm most interested in.
Am I being stupid in only applying to three unis, especially since one is such a super long-shot? Yeah, probably. But the way I look at it, I don't want to apply to unis just to apply to them. It seems stupid to waste the time/money on applications to places I'm not that interested in. I'll get these three applied to, and then if I manage to find a bit more time I'll research a few other places and apply to them before the December deadlines. It's just important that I get something accomplished re: grad school now before I get too frustrated and give up on the entire endeavor for the year.
I know I'm not the best student ever in terms of my portfolio/academic resume, but I do have some pretty big things to brag about: Assistant Editor of the school paper, inducted into both the English and History honors societies, one of six (I believe there were only six of us?) Honors program graduates in my class, an undergrad thesis on a surprising subject (at least I'll be memorable for that, right?), a 3.7 GPA, ridiculously impressive verbal GRE scores, study abroad in New Zealand, four years of French, a Sandifer Mentorship, contributor to the school's journal, published in an independent journal, co-creator and staff writer for an online magazine, Dean's List three years in a row... I know there are other things I'm blanking on right now, but yeah. I think I've got a solid chance at one of the three places mentioned above.
Trying really, really hard to stay upbeat and confident today. Broke down a little too much last night; ended up spending most of my evening crying in bed with my collection of Stitches. How much more pathetic can you get? I'll allow myself another breakdown over the weekend if I must, but that is it. I have to stay on task and get this done.
LETTERS OF REC:
• JBarr (confirmed).
• Dr. H (likely).
• Dr. Toliver (hopefully? *crossing fingers*) -- COLLEEN, TELL YOUR DAD TO CHECK HIS FACEBOOK.
• Julie (confirmed).
And if all else fails, I guess I'll have to ask one of my managers at the Barnes. Even though I'm pretty sure Brown stipulated three academic letters of rec. Hm.
Going to sit down with the bound copy of my thesis, read through it again, and try not to cringe too much. Must pick out a section to spruce up as a writing sample. Guess the weekend will be spent on that fucking personal statement, which I'm still impossibly daunted by and having a hellish time wrapping my head around. Why can't I just say, "I'M FUCKING AWESOME. YOUR UNIVERSITY LOOKS FUCKING AWESOME. LET ME COME TO YOUR UNI TO MAKE IT EVEN MORE FABULOUS AND AWESOME!"?!?! *le sigh of frustration*
UNIVERSITIES! DON'T YOU WANT SOMEONE WHO ASPIRES TO BE VIOLET CRAWLEY?!?