letters

dear end of the semester,

i waited a long time for you-- the entire semester, in fact. and you have finally come, and i am glad you're here, but i am sad that my coursework for my master's is done. i am also going kind of insane with all the papers i need to work on, etc., when i have no more motivation. and i have no time for friends, blogging, etc., but i'm glad you' re here because it means i get to sleep a lot! my fav thing! huzzah! now its time for you to go away and summer to start so i can have a normal life again, like the one i had pre-grad school. only this time, it's like a real summer vacation! yay!
love,
me

I am going to William and Mary

i chose william and mary and just emailed my acceptance to them! HOORAY! there are lots of reasons why i finally chose this one, but the highlights are:
1. it has the best reputation in American Studies of all the schools i applied to
2. there's a prof there doing EXACTLY what i want to do (women in american religion)
3. it's a gorgeous place and i would love to live there
4. i'm thisclose to renting a cottage with cathedral ceilings and wood floors (YAY)
5. it's 1.5 years, so cheaper than any other program (with the exception of UT)
6. my fav prof at skidmore has tons of friends from harvard that teach there
7. i can prob. get into a much better phD program from w&m than anywhere else (unless i stay at w&m, which is possible)
8. i've made friends with a grad student via email, wendy, and she seems really awesome so i already have a friend there!

here's a good story: i was looking at w&m's radio station website when i came across a show that sounded great and the DJ played a lot of music i like. i thought, "hooray! i can make a friend!" and DJ turned out to be my friend Wendy, the american studies grad student! what are the odds? i mean REALLY? i feel like that's a total sign.

so thank you everyone who have offered help, support, a shoulder to stress out on, etc etc. please come visit me in Williamsburg, Virginia! i move in beginning to mid August, so let's hang out before then!

W&M

i think i may pick william & mary. am feeling faint and sick at the prospect of choosing. scary!!!

The College of William & Mary said YES!

holy shit ya'll. the College of William & Mary said yes to grad school! sweet god in heaven i never thought THAT would happen. they only take 33% of applicants! it's the second oldest school in the nation (founded in 1693) after Harvard! It's in Williamsburg, VA, site of Colonial Williamsburg (where they have people dress up and do blacksmithing, etc). They are offering me no funding whatsoever, which is tricky (11-12k per semester just for tuition), but i'm pretty much in the same boat at Purdue (i applied for a TA position in women's studies but i may not get it). however, let's focus on how shocking and amazing it is that i got into this school:

fun facts: w&m has a lot of secret societies and had the first ones (take that, skull and bones at yale!). thomas jefferson went there, jon stewart was class of '84, it had the first law school (and still one of the best, today), and a ton of other important people (like supreme court justices) are alumns. Phi Beta Kappa was founded there in 1776 and it has a huge greek life (but no greek life for grad students).

fun fact from wikipedia: Unofficial traditions include the Triathlon, a set of three tasks to be completed by each student prior to graduation. These include jumping the wall of the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg after hours, and if so inclined, running through the Boxwood Maze to the Palace itself, steaking through the Sunken Gardens, and swimming in the Crim Dell.

Another unofficial tradition, which the College administration attempts to quell each year, occurs on the last day of classes in the spring and is referred to by the students as "Blowout." On this day, it is customary to wake up early, begin drinking before one's classes, and show to up to class intoxicated and spend the rest of the day at the numerous keg parties which are always held. On this day, a student can win a t-shirt claiming they stayed sober on that day if they blow a .00 into a breathalizer, which is usually administered by a student group at the Sunken Gardens.

Crazy! There is also a lot of drama surrounding the recent departure of their president, and that info can be found here: http://jezebel.com/356171/state-fires-college-president-for-hosting-sex-workers-art-show (via Jezebel, my favorite blog ever)

YAY ME! i still want to go to UT, but i'm hopeful that if i got into w&m, i might get into UT? maybe?? please? i should know by this week! (also waiting on UMassBoston, but unless they offer me a full ride that's a no).

one last quote: "William and Mary can make a good case for being the most selective public college in America. Its size . . . is ideal, the envy of a good many prestigious private colleges. Its setting and its own lush campus . . . provide the stuff calendars are made of. Its academic program . . . is no nonsense, followed by impressive placement in graduate schools and jobs." Richard Moll, author of The Public Ivys: A Guide to America's Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities.