Does the university offer health insurance to all PhD students/TAs/GAs?
If not, add a grand or more to the annual cost of living. • Does the program offer travel funding for conferences? How much? • Are the program requirements distracting? Some programs’ literature course requirements are basically functionless relics of composition’s historically inferior status to literature; others (such as those of many of the Illinois schools) are more useful components of integrated English Studies programs. Some programs don’t require any lit courses. • Similar considerations for foreign language. How intensive is the requirement and does it seem integrated or simply tacked on? • What are the details of the exams and dissertation? What’s the time frame for these? • Will the program allow you to enroll part time, in absentia, or evenings only, if that’s what you need? • Can you get into the program, given your academic background? Some schools give more weight to GRE scores, some to grades. Almost all rely heavily on the personal statement and sample papers. • What
