Showing posts with label university of illinois. Show all posts
Showing posts with label university of illinois. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Almost Famous
Check it out. The University of Illinois recently updated the listing of its graduate students webpage here. If you scroll down to the bottom, where all the "First Year" students are, you'll find my picture and undergraduate educational background. I know, it's the same picture as the one listed on this blog, but having my name and photo on a third party website -- a University website! -- is exciting.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Funding 101
Check it out: Seth Abramson's Funding Rankings on The Suburban Ecstasies. Fantastic stuff. I kind of wish I had this kind of resource when I was applying to schools last fall. Not that the knowledge would have changed my list (it wouldn't have), but rather, it would have provided a large measure of comfort for me in my decision making. To have a comprehensive list of schools, from one to fifty, documenting funding, length, and teaching load is nothing short of fantastic. It's a great read, regardless of whether you're currently (or will be) attending school or gearing up to apply for 2010.
As for the list itself, I am relatively unsurprised. To trumpet the University of Illinois' funding briefly, it comes as no shock to me that it ranks so highly at number three, as the University of Illinois manages to provide full funding for all its students through its incredibly tiny cohorts (three poets, three fiction writers a year) with many TA and internship opportunities. Every student teaches one section in their first year, and then two sections (or a combination of TAing and internships) in their remaining two years. TAing (based on previous years) gives an approximately $9,000 stipend. That totals ~$9K for the first year, and ~$18K for the remaining two. Combine that with the ridiculously low cost of living in Champaign-Urbana (single apartments go for $400-500, depending on how nice you want to go), and you have one of the best financial packages in the country. Surprised? I was too in my research of the program and subsequent acceptance. You'd figure that the University of Illinois would be a more widely regarded program based on the strength of its funding package alone. What most don't realize is that the University of Illinois is, relatively speaking, a very young program, established in just 2002.
Also unsurprising to me is the kind of footprint that Midwestern and Southern schools have on the list. Out of the top fifteen schools, seven are located in the Midwest -- University of Illinois, Indiana University, Ohio State University, Purdue University, Washington University at St. Louis, University of Michigan, and Southern Illinois University. In the top twenty, nine schools. The South, has six schools in the top fifteen, and nine in the top twenty. As I've intimated in previous posts, this kind of funding pattern is unsurprising. The major metropolitan areas in the United States -- the West Coast and East Coast, Chicago, etc. -- are replete with writers and writing communities by virtue of their large, concentrated populations. This is why so many schools located in these areas can sustain programs, some of them very prestigious, with little to no funding (Columbia, The New School, NYU, Northwestern). Simply, they don't need to offer their students funding; they have more than enough people living close by who are willing to pay full price. In contrast, the Midwest and the South, outside of the few major metropolitan areas, must provide aggressive funding packages to attract people out of necessity. To a writer living in Chicago or New York or Los Angeles, where many advantages of lifestyle and community are afforded to them, the prospect of moving to a town with a population of fifty thousand is made that much more appealing with the prospect of a fully funded program.
At any rate, Seth's list is an excellent jumping off point for anyone compiling a list of schools, especially if funding is one of your top priorities. It is important to note, however, that some schools, like the University of Minnesota, Syracuse, and Johns Hopkins, are all listed in the mid-thirties because of a lack of information in regards to their exact funding. I know all three programs fully fund their students, and probably quite well, however the lack of information unfortunately damages them in their standing -- how can you rank a school without any hard numbers? So I guess the lesson is, do your research. Regardless of Seth's wonderful funding list, I'd still apply to Syracuse and Johns Hopkins if I had to do it all over again.
As for the list itself, I am relatively unsurprised. To trumpet the University of Illinois' funding briefly, it comes as no shock to me that it ranks so highly at number three, as the University of Illinois manages to provide full funding for all its students through its incredibly tiny cohorts (three poets, three fiction writers a year) with many TA and internship opportunities. Every student teaches one section in their first year, and then two sections (or a combination of TAing and internships) in their remaining two years. TAing (based on previous years) gives an approximately $9,000 stipend. That totals ~$9K for the first year, and ~$18K for the remaining two. Combine that with the ridiculously low cost of living in Champaign-Urbana (single apartments go for $400-500, depending on how nice you want to go), and you have one of the best financial packages in the country. Surprised? I was too in my research of the program and subsequent acceptance. You'd figure that the University of Illinois would be a more widely regarded program based on the strength of its funding package alone. What most don't realize is that the University of Illinois is, relatively speaking, a very young program, established in just 2002.
Also unsurprising to me is the kind of footprint that Midwestern and Southern schools have on the list. Out of the top fifteen schools, seven are located in the Midwest -- University of Illinois, Indiana University, Ohio State University, Purdue University, Washington University at St. Louis, University of Michigan, and Southern Illinois University. In the top twenty, nine schools. The South, has six schools in the top fifteen, and nine in the top twenty. As I've intimated in previous posts, this kind of funding pattern is unsurprising. The major metropolitan areas in the United States -- the West Coast and East Coast, Chicago, etc. -- are replete with writers and writing communities by virtue of their large, concentrated populations. This is why so many schools located in these areas can sustain programs, some of them very prestigious, with little to no funding (Columbia, The New School, NYU, Northwestern). Simply, they don't need to offer their students funding; they have more than enough people living close by who are willing to pay full price. In contrast, the Midwest and the South, outside of the few major metropolitan areas, must provide aggressive funding packages to attract people out of necessity. To a writer living in Chicago or New York or Los Angeles, where many advantages of lifestyle and community are afforded to them, the prospect of moving to a town with a population of fifty thousand is made that much more appealing with the prospect of a fully funded program.
At any rate, Seth's list is an excellent jumping off point for anyone compiling a list of schools, especially if funding is one of your top priorities. It is important to note, however, that some schools, like the University of Minnesota, Syracuse, and Johns Hopkins, are all listed in the mid-thirties because of a lack of information in regards to their exact funding. I know all three programs fully fund their students, and probably quite well, however the lack of information unfortunately damages them in their standing -- how can you rank a school without any hard numbers? So I guess the lesson is, do your research. Regardless of Seth's wonderful funding list, I'd still apply to Syracuse and Johns Hopkins if I had to do it all over again.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Decision Time
I've finally figured out how to add photos to my posts, and just in time too. As one can probably guess by the image, I've made a decision. Illinois will be my school, and Champaign-Urbana will be where I live for the next three years, and I couldn't be happier. In doing so, I've turned down my waitlist spot at Notre Dame, my spots at Roosevelt and Western Michigan, and my quasi-waitlist spot at Purdue. I hope they are of use to other individuals out there.
My visit to the campus on Monday was nothing short of fantastic. While I had always known that the faculty were helpful and enthusiastic in my communication with them, I was pleasantly surprised to find out how close-knit the student body was as well. They made my decision an easy one, and I look forward to working with them in the fall.
Now here is that part where I shamelessly plug my program: Why am I so excited about the University of Illinois?
- It is a three-year, fully funded program. What does fully funded mean? You get approximately 11-12 thousand for the first year, and about 18 thousand for the remaining two years. That's incredible for a town as cheap as Champaign-Urbana.
- You get to teach, a lot. In your first year, you teach one class, the second and third years, two classes. This may not appeal to everyone, but the prospect of teaching at the college level fills me with both excitement and dread. But mostly excitement.
- If you don't want to teach so much, you can do other things. The great thing about the program is that you can forgo one of those teaching classes in your second and/or third years for other internship opportunities. There are individuals in the program who work with the program's lit magazine, Ninth Letter, who TA for biology classes, etc. There's a ton of flexibility with what you can do, which speaks to the value placed on the MFA students.
- I mentioned this above, but there's a tremendous opportunity to work with the literary magazine, Ninth Letter. Not only is it a great resource to learn about the publishing industry, but you also to get to read slush! Okay, so most people wouldn't be excited by that, but I am. I'm also a glutton for punishment.
- It's all about the people. I've always been a "big program" kind of guy, have always equated my prospects of meeting other great, decent people and writers as a pure numbers game -- the more people in your program, the greater chance you have to meet others of the same mind. But it's surprising how sometimes what you've always thought you wanted will often be vastly different from what you actually need. From what I can tell, the small community at the University of Illinois is close and supportive -- really, all I can ask for. Plus, I was fortunate to meet some of my prospective class while there, and they all appear to be great people. I can't wait to bring in U of I's class of 2009 with them.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Dreaded Visit
I've finally managed to find a clearing in my work schedule, and have set up a visit to the University of Illinois campus this weekend, March 29-30. I say "the dreaded visit" in the title of this post not because I don't want to visit, but because I have an almost allergic aversion to meeting new people, much less meeting new people that I inexplicably feel like I need to impress. Which makes no sense. Their aim is to impress me, not the other way around, right? Chalk it up to my neurotic personality.
At any rate, the application calendar season, while almost over with just three weeks left until April 15, is far from definitively finished for many applicants. Scanning the usual MFA resources (MFA Blog, the Speakeasy, TSE), it's clear that there are still countless individuals waiting to hear from half, sometimes nearly all their prospective schools. It strikes me as almost crazy that some people, through no fault of their own, have yet to hear from the majority of their schools with just three weeks to go. Uprooting your entire life and potentially moving halfway across the country in just four months is no small feat for any person. Throw in a girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other/wife/husband/children, then you've got a whole world of things to do, to prepare for, to worry about, never mind the whole process of actually considering offers between different schools and the hundreds of variables that can come out of that. Stress wrapped in a handbasket to say the least, and I haven't even mentioned wait lists. My heart goes out to all those who are still currently sitting on their hands, waiting for the phone to ring or the inbox to fill up. My advice? Call or email the program. We're sitting at three weeks from the April 15 deadline, and something (rude response or otherwise) is better than sitting in limbo.
At any rate, the application calendar season, while almost over with just three weeks left until April 15, is far from definitively finished for many applicants. Scanning the usual MFA resources (MFA Blog, the Speakeasy, TSE), it's clear that there are still countless individuals waiting to hear from half, sometimes nearly all their prospective schools. It strikes me as almost crazy that some people, through no fault of their own, have yet to hear from the majority of their schools with just three weeks to go. Uprooting your entire life and potentially moving halfway across the country in just four months is no small feat for any person. Throw in a girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other/wife/husband/children, then you've got a whole world of things to do, to prepare for, to worry about, never mind the whole process of actually considering offers between different schools and the hundreds of variables that can come out of that. Stress wrapped in a handbasket to say the least, and I haven't even mentioned wait lists. My heart goes out to all those who are still currently sitting on their hands, waiting for the phone to ring or the inbox to fill up. My advice? Call or email the program. We're sitting at three weeks from the April 15 deadline, and something (rude response or otherwise) is better than sitting in limbo.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Acceptance!
I got a letter of acceptance into the University of Illinois' MFA program on Friday, and frankly, I've been too busy geeking out the entire weekend to do anything but hyperventilate. Well, that and reread the letter every two hours just to make sure it's real. I'm thrilled to be given a chance to be a part of such an outstanding program. I'm sure I'll have more to say on this subject, but for now, I think conciseness is probably the smarter way to go for this post before I start blathering like an idiot.
Regardless, it's still extremely early in the game for everyone (both those who haven't and have heard back from schools). We're barely scratching February. Keep your chin up, your gameface on, and try to stay sane.
(I know. Easier said than done.)
Regardless, it's still extremely early in the game for everyone (both those who haven't and have heard back from schools). We're barely scratching February. Keep your chin up, your gameface on, and try to stay sane.
(I know. Easier said than done.)
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