I had an interview (well, 6 interviews) at Brown University on Friday. I tried so hard to see the bad bits about Providence and the course, I tried to dislike the professors and be sceptical about the enthusiasm of the current grad students. In the end, I failed pretty miserably.
After 3 hours of walking around Providence on Thursday I concluded that it is a wonderful city. The size feels so much like England and the narrow streets with quirky shops and independent coffee shops make it feel like some areas of York or London. Even on a grey and rainy day like Friday I still loved it. Maybe because of the greyness - being a Brit, I feel unnerved by whole months without an overcast day :) But Thursday was glorious sunshine, and I loved it then too. They professors were friendly and interesting, and had an obvious interest in my work. Even the Egyptology professors wanted to know what I do and why I like it. The obvious inter-departmental links really appealed to me and I felt very encouraged when I was told by one of the Assyriology professors that if I came to Brown I should maybe consider taking classes in the Gender and Sexuality department as it would clearly benefit my research. Why yes, yes it would. And I would very much enjoy doing that. I loved the freedom of the program and am excited by the fact that I would have maybe 6 mandatory courses in 3 years. The rest I can choose for myself. This may not seem like a big thing for you American types, but coming from 6 years in the British university system it's like being taken to a sweet shop, being given a bag and being told that you can have anything you want, as long as you have enough time to sample everything properly. The current graduate students were sincere and clearly loved their department. They didn't stop being enthusiastic when we were in the bar without the professors, which for me is a big tell that they weren't just putting on a show.
I loved them two days I spent there, and if I go to Brown I am certain that I will enjoy the vast majority of my work. The problem is that going to Brown involves Minx leaving her job, the child being totally uprooted for the 3rd time in her (almost) 5 years of life and us all moving to a state we have no experience of, to a city with pretty high unemployment. Moving to Baltimore is, by all counts, a safe move. Minx can commute to work until she finds somewhere else and whilst the child wll move schools we will still be close to her extended family, whom she loves dearly. When I first got back to DC from Providence I was very upset. I felt like I was an awful person for even considering moving everyone halfway up the country, but that I would be missing out on something huge if I turned down an offer from Brown. (All of this is currently purely hypothetical - I currently have no actual offers and am desperately hoping that I get at least one). Having now had a good cry and a decent amount of time to think, my thoughts are now a lot clearer. Yes, I will be upset if, in the end, I turn down an offer from them. I still think it's an excellent school and that I would do well there. BUT. I have an interview at Johns Hopkins next week. The course was started in the 1800s and was the first of it's kind in the USA. The program is KNOWN for turning out exceptional scholars and whilst it may be slightly more constrictive it has distinct academc advantages over Brown. If I am put in the amazing position of having to choose between Brown and Hopkins, then I will have a place at a fantastic university no matter what the decision is. The one nagging feeling I have left is how at home I felt at Brown. Well, I'll just have to see how I feel when I get to Hopkins on Monday.
Yes, I'm one of those annoying people who often bases huge decisions on a 'feeling'. It's never let me down yet.
After all that...well, all I have to do is get an offer or two. That's not so hard now, is it?
(p.s. new post up on polytical.org)
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