ThousandsHardships

I'm applying to PhD programs and I've gotten in touch with a couple of prospective faculty. If they sign their emails with their first name, is it good to assume that they're okay with being called by their first name? Or should I play it safe and wait until they invite me to do so? Or should I simply ask? I don't want to come off as disrespectful, but I don't want to be regarded as not being able to take a hint either. I have a master's degree and know at a LOT of, if not most, grad students call their professors by their first name. I've never been able to really do so, and half the time I actually end up avoiding their names altogether, which I know is the worst of the worst of ideas because it comes off as more disrespectful than simply using their first names, but I for some reason can't get over the mental barrier of not being able to call them anything unless they tell me on the first day what they want to be called. Any advice?

I don't think sending a 60-page thesis is a good idea, unless they specifically say that you can send in 60 pages. Is there a well-argued portion of your thesis that could potentially stand alone if you simply cap on an intro and a conclusion and edit a bit to replace any missing context?

It's common to select an excerpt from a longer paper for a writing sample. It does not have to be the entire paper as long as it adequately showcases your argument style. If you do so, you should also include a summary of the portions you cut out so that it does not hinder the readers' comprehension of the excerpt.

The advice I've gotten from professors is to talk about it, but don't make excuses, and don't make it into a game of self-pity. Focus on what you've done to overcome these challenges, in which ways you've succeeded, and how you will continue doing so in the future. I also wouldn't put it at the beginning of your personal statement. Stick it in somewhere in the middle and use it as an example of what a driven individual you are to persist in spite of obstacles.

Given your background, I think it really boils down to how you formulate your statement of purpose. The most common mistake that students make when writing their SOP is that they focus too much on their personal interests and passions and desires for the future, and not enough on their actual research experience. Objectively, I don't think you're at a disadvantage for comparative literature. Plenty of comp lit students come from a background in a single foreign literature, and your multilingual background will actually be a huge asset, regardless of which languages you choose to study for your PhD. However, when you write your SOP, make sure to key in on your background in English literature and the specific research you have done within English. Do connect it and broaden it up to what your future interests may be, but the essential part is "connect." Even if your interests are outside of your current experience, you still should connect it to your past experience and how your experience will help you pursue them. Don't overemphasize personal pursuits and influences that are not at least in some way grounded in your academic course work and research experience.

I know a ton of people who date and marry within their field. Several of my professors are married to each other, in fact. It can be great to have a partner who understands your field and whom you can potentially collaborate with in the future. As long as you're both mature enough to not let your personal life affect your professional decisions, breakups shouldn't be a problem. And since you don't even work under the same adviser, there is no need to fret over it.

One of the PhD programs that I'm applying to is in my home department at my alma mater. The professor that I would like to work with is someone whose class I've taken in the past, but whom I have not contacted for over six years. I'm not even sure if she would remember me. I took her class before I had even declared the major. As far as I'm concerned, she has not seen me graduate, she has not seen me do my master's, she has not seen my interest develop, and the weirdest thing is, I've been in almost constant contact with everyone else in the department except her. So my question is...how do I break the silence? I might get away with not contacting the professors in the other programs I apply to, but I feel like I can't get away with not contacting her since I technically know her. At the same time, I can't do that typical email where you introduce yourself and your interest and ask to talk to discuss this further. After all, how can I ask to discuss this further when I've already taken a class from her and know exactly who she is? I'd really appreciate any insights onto this topic. Thanks in advance for your contributions!

I did my M.A. in French, and yes, the majority of my classes were in English, although there was a fair bit of code-switching going on. The bottom line is that at the graduate level, you are expected to have mastered the language already. You are not there to learn or to practice a foreign language; you are there to analyze the literature. Whichever language allows you to best do this is the language that is used. For this reason, you will find that at a lot of schools, the native English-speaking professors generally hold class in English, while the native French-speaking professors will hold class in French, and they couldn't care less what language the students respond in. Typically the students contribute their original thoughts to a discussion in their own mother tongue, and everyone else naturally responds with that same language until another student switches back. I've also had professors who decide that we'd discuss English readings in English and French readings in French. Most scholars in the field in the U.S. do publish their works in English, so it makes sense to write seminar papers in English (if that happens to be your native language), and to discuss theory in English, especially if the theorist is not originally French. With regards to students resorting to translations, I haven't seen this done all that much, at least not with the students within our own department. Occasionally we'd get a student or two from other graduate groups who do need translations, but the translation is only a resource, and sometimes it's actually quite cool to hear the differences. It's usually up to the professor as to whether or not they accept students with subpar language skills into the class. There are pros and cons either way. I too love using my French and would love to use it in my classes, but sometimes these students from other literature programs or programs in history or philosophy can get a lot out of the class, and their intellectual merit can be of great value to all of us. Therefore, I don't think it's the best idea to always exclude them based solely on their language skills.

Right, but how do I know if it has been disturbed or if it has become airborne?

I found a studio apartment that's available for fall, and the people have already sent me a lease packet and everything. I was all ready to sign the lease until I found the enclosed asbestos disclosure form. Now, it doesn't say that the place actually contains asbestos, just that it "may" contain it. The place is pretty old, built in probably the late 60's or early 70's. Some apartments have been renovated recently but not mine, although it probably has been renovated at least a few times since it was built (I can't imagine otherwise). I haven't visited the place yet. I like the place, the amenities, distance, and community. Should I sign the lease or not?

I do know someone who accepted an offer, was later offered admission to another school, and chose to attend the latter. It was a HUGE hassle, but she will managed to accomplish it. Schools wouldn't offer admission so late if there was no way for students to go back on their initial commitment. If all else fails, you can probably accept the second offer and withdraw from the first as any student can.

I was waitlisted at this one school and accepted into the SAME school for a different program. I already accepted my offer to the second and was offered a pretty generous university fellowship. I'm half hoping that I could be allowed to pursue two degrees at the same time if I am accepted into both. I am now wondering whether I should tell the waitlisted department about my plans and whether it would be beneficial or detrimental for me to do so. I can personally see how it can be both. I know that my school does offer what they call "graduate double majors." I also have a history of taking on twice the average load. So it's not a question of whether my plan is doable, only whether revealing it beforehand would be beneficial or detrimental.

During my four years of undergrad taking over TWICE the course load of any average student and keeping all the files for every assignment I've ever had to do and being excessively detailed with all of them...I was able to fit my entire undergrad folder (containing everything) in a free 1GB flash drive. So unless you have tons of VIDEOS, PHOTOS, or music, you should have no problem with storage.

I've totally been browsing the items! I feel so lucky that my graduate institution has the same colors as my alma mater since they're both in the same university system (UC Davis and UC Berkeley). I am still trying to come to terms with the fact that my undergrad school was more prestigious, though. Not sure if I can fully commit to wearing the gear for a lesser known school.

I had an instructor for an undergraduate accounting course who explicitly put "no cheating" on his syllabus because he claimed that one of his former students did some major cheating and then used the "you never told us not to" excuse to get out of it...successfully. So yeah, make the rules clearer in the future, and use this semester's experience as an example to scare your students into behaving.

You should probably wear a collared shirt with long pants. Other than that, it doesn't matter. No one will think less of you if you're wearing jeans. But stay away from T-shirts (unless they show school spirit) and sweats. And don't wear anything with holes or rips.

I think it would really depend on your style. If you're one to be content delving exclusively and deeply into your discipline, then MIT would be good for you. But for those Renaissance men/women who would like to take advantage of diverse resources and academic excellence not only in your own field but in others, then Yale might be a better fit. If it were me, I'd choose Yale for that exact reason.

I'm a proud Berkeley alum so I will be biased, but seriously, Berkeley is no less prestigious than the other two. As far as absolute rankings go, it makes NO difference when all these programs are among the top ten, especially for programs that are offered at so many schools (meaning there are more schools to rank). If it were between Harvard and, say, a small unknown state school not among the top 50 in your discipline, then I'd go for Harvard regardless of funding. But for Berkeley, yes, the advantage of funding outweighs the disadvantage in ranking. Of course, if you're really adamant in leaving the Bay Area, then choose one of the others. I personally like being close enough from home to grab some stuff that I forgot at home whenever I need something. Aside from that, how do you like the programs and the professors you talked to? It's not just about the funding and the prestige. A large part of the decision should be whether the program is a good fit for you personally.

This is just something that you will have to check one by one. I feel that in general, of the schools that I applied to at least, the lower ranked ones tend to accept later applications. However, a lot of these schools will have priority deadlines. If you apply now, even if they accept your application, there is no guarantee that it will be reviewed or considered. Also, many schools may not offer funding to students that they accept after their deadline for fellowships. At UC Davis, for instance, my program has an absolute deadline in May, but we have to submit applications by mid-January to be considered for funding. That being said, I do know someone who was rejected from all schools the first round and was accepted to a small school after going through another round of applications in March. Good luck! But don't despair if you don't get in. Taking time to work and get some experience in your field will be a great application booster should you choose to apply again next year. Don't worry about your family. I'm sure they will support you no matter what. You are going to grad school for yourself, not for your family.

I love Chinese history, literature, philosophy, religion, and mythology, and I am fascinated by the concept of having to endure hardships to reach a state of enlightenment. Sort of like what Xuanzang and his disciples had to go through in the classic novel Journey to the West.

Schools usually send out offers to their top candidates first, sometimes to bribe them into coming, other times so they could meet deadlines in nominating them for fellowships. In addition, they want to make sure these candidates are truly interested before going all out to nominate them for university fellowship. Having made their first offers doesn't mean they won't accept others. I was a top candidate for one of my programs who accepted 8-9 students during their first round but told me that they intended to accept around 15-25 students total. Maybe that's what your situation is. However, I don't know for sure. The only people who would know would be the admissions committee at your program of interest.

I went to a recruitment event last week, me and seven other admitted students. At that event, they told us that we were the top candidates (hence the event to try to get us to come) but that they hadn't finished reviewing ALL the applications in detail. They say that they expect to make 15-25 offers total. This means that they accepted their best candidates first. This is in part due to their strategy to get these students to come since they know that students tend get very excited about their first acceptance and begin committing mentally as they research more into the possibility. At least that was the case for me. In addition, they will send out their first acceptances early if they plan a large event like the one I went to. I'm guessing that they also feel better about waiting on the rest of their acceptances because they don't actually care as much if those students accept the offer. Or they may not nominate them for the same fellowships so there are no deadlines for them to try and meet. Being wait listed is another very real possibility. They may wait on their admitted students' decisions before making their next offers. After all, they don't want to accept a student and then have no room for them in the program if more than the expected number of students enroll. Similarly, they don't want to reject a bunch of students only to find that no one had accepted their offer. I'm sure you'd prefer knowing outright instead of having your program decide and then change their mind, which is bound to happen if they make all offers and rejections at the same time. I know someone who was rejected by a top school, subsequently committed to another, only to receive word from the first school that they changed their mind. It was a lot of hassle as she actually did want that first school and had to face tons of administrative difficulties to withdraw her initial commitment.

If you don't want or can't get a full-time job, temporary employment might be the way to go. I've pretty much been doing temp work ever since I graduated from college, and it seems to be working out thus far. Got lots of experience that way! And yeah, I know what you mean about cruel rejections. My first rejection letter was from my alma mater that I've basically poured my heart and soul into with no holding back. My second rejection letter, which arrived on the same day as the first, was from the place that I've been working for the past nine months.

I'd go for the more prestigious school unless you are VERY set on having that specific professor. If you get into a program with a good match, you have all the options open and a motivating environment. If you pick a school solely based on the adviser, your paths will be closed if something happens to this person (e.g. sudden death, job change, change in research directions). You will also have a lot more resources if you have more people to turn to for advice since you feel that the prestigious program is a better fit for your career interests.

Hmm...I guess it's understandable. Sociocultural anthropology especially has its roots in sociology. In places like Europe, anthropology as a discipline is still highly sociological at its core. Psychology is less similar, but as a dietetics grad, we had a requirement in which we had to choose a course among intro sociology, general psychology, and cultural anthropology. In that sense, I suppose they are similar since they all offer insights on how best to perceive and/or interact with individuals from a perspective other than our own ethnocentric judgment. But still, I haven't met anyone who actually confuses sociology with psychology. I feel that psychology is just too different.