My friends aren't helpful.

[feuervogel]

On Facebook, I said, "talk me out of applying for a PhD in German studies."

Two people are trying to talk me INTO it.

Application deadline is December 8.

It's a joint UNC-Duke program, and I can't find any information on which school's tuition you pay. (UNC's would be so much cheaper.)

The main reason I didn't continue my German studies right after college (aside from thinking I wanted to be an O-Chem professor, hahahaha, lol) was because I didn't think I could get a decent-paying job with that. I really hate that a mercenary decision I made when I was 17 (ie, to go into sciences because $$$) is controlling my present and future.

(I also really like public transit and urban planning and smart growth, but German is something I've loved forever, or since the late 80s, anyway, when I started studying the language.)

Problems I see: a) I want to write. b) There's the barest chance I could get my shit together in time for the December 8 application deadline. c) I wouldn't be able to go to VP next year, if I get in. d) I'm a horrible student--total slacker. Though maybe if it's something I care about, it would be easier.

So, maybe I think about it for the next 6 months, figure out the answers to the questions they want answered on their application form, and make a decision then. I know myself, and, while I make impulsive, snap decisions, this is kind of huge. (Also, I don't really have any 10-20 page papers. The one I wrote on Schnitzler's Reigen when I was in Marburg is 5 pages (I got a 2 on it), and I found my collected papers for Ideas and Power in the Modern World, which included some German philosophy (Marx & Hegel, mainly, also Kant), but they're all 3-5 pages, too.

Argh, I don't know.

Comments

[julieandrews]

I wouldn't rule out Viable Paradise. It is only a week, after all. Although Clarion or Odyssey would fit better in a college schedule. I can't readily find the VP costs, but I had the sense it was quite expensive compared to Clarion. When you factor in duration and Clarion scholarships.

Also, what if you submitted a story that had German or Germany as a theme? Or even if you wrote another paper, 10 pages really isn't all that long once it's doublespaced. Maybe 5000 words or so? Standard short-story size. Couple days of Nanowrimo writing. :)

You might also get away with submitting 2 5-page papers if they're meaty enough content-wise.

[a-nightengale.livejournal.com]

Sounds like taking a bit of time to think about it might be the wisest option, frustrating though it can be.