Difficult Choices

Pardon the long periods of silence lately. I’m about 5,000 words into the first chapter of a thesis (will it ever end?) and have been scrambling about trying to figure out where I will be next year. My significant other and I have been accepted to two Ph.D. programs so far (haven’t heard from the third one yet). We were a bit concerned, with competition being what it is, about applying when we both need to get into the same school. Now, it hardly matters what the third school says.

The first two schools that replied have fine programs, and it’s just a matter of who offers the best financial support. One of the schools is a new and innovative program, with lots of flexibility (essential for someone like me with wandering interests). The other school has nearly a hundred percent job-placement rate for its graduates. Naturally, I’m leaning that way. Competition for that school is really stiff. They only accepted seven people, and my household contains two of them. Needless to say, we’re flattered. The schools are unnamed here for reasons of paranoia— I certainly don’t want anyone changing their mind.

But there is little time to rest on laurels, when there is thesis and teaching work to be done. Oh, and the matter of the grant proposals that I need to get together for a non-profit, and the business of trying to get a grip on twentieth century language philosophy.

Ack, I wish I could clone myself about now.