Where to go, what to study
I have decided to apply for PhD programs for next year; now I just need to decide where. (I'm going to keep the ESL certification in mind in case I don't get any offers. I had thought of doing it during the next year, but it's too late to get in for fall quarter.) I am also still unsure if I want to keep doing Spanish or do Comparative Literature. At this point it's probably too late to do Comp Lit because I don't have the background preparation I need, but some places include film in their comparative literature programs. However, once you get to PhD level you usually have a bit of flexibility in what you take and what you study so Spanish is probably a good fit. We've also decided that we'd like to stay somewhere in the West, so here are some of the options I'm considering:
University of Washington: Not the strongest or most prestigious program, but it has the bonus of being the most convenient. We could even keep living in student housing.
University of Oregon: The PhD is in Romance Languages, which could be interesting. Eugene also has the bonus of being more affordable than some of the other options.
UC Berkeley: Very good, very prestigious program. Probably hard to get into. However, we have good friends living there. Of course the cost of living stinks, but I love the area.
UC Davis: A strong program and I probably have a good chance of getting in. It is, however, in Davis. Not my top choice for places to live. A few points for being somewhat more affordable.
UC Santa Barbara: They have a PhD in Film and Media Studies which sounds cool. And I love Santa Barbara. Unfortunately it also has the distinction of being one of the most expensive places to live in the entire country. Blah. And I'm not totally sure I want to do film instead of Spanish.
I'm thinking I want to apply for 3 or 4 programs, so I might just end up applying for most of these. We also have to consider the fact that Mr. Fob will need to be able to get a job. This will be more difficult in Berkeley and Seattle, since they both have library schools and therefore a high concentration of librarians. Davis and Eugene, however, might not have so many job options. Decisions, decisions.
University of Washington: Not the strongest or most prestigious program, but it has the bonus of being the most convenient. We could even keep living in student housing.
University of Oregon: The PhD is in Romance Languages, which could be interesting. Eugene also has the bonus of being more affordable than some of the other options.
UC Berkeley: Very good, very prestigious program. Probably hard to get into. However, we have good friends living there. Of course the cost of living stinks, but I love the area.
UC Davis: A strong program and I probably have a good chance of getting in. It is, however, in Davis. Not my top choice for places to live. A few points for being somewhat more affordable.
UC Santa Barbara: They have a PhD in Film and Media Studies which sounds cool. And I love Santa Barbara. Unfortunately it also has the distinction of being one of the most expensive places to live in the entire country. Blah. And I'm not totally sure I want to do film instead of Spanish.
I'm thinking I want to apply for 3 or 4 programs, so I might just end up applying for most of these. We also have to consider the fact that Mr. Fob will need to be able to get a job. This will be more difficult in Berkeley and Seattle, since they both have library schools and therefore a high concentration of librarians. Davis and Eugene, however, might not have so many job options. Decisions, decisions.
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