ThousandsHardships

I love university gyms and their group fitness classes!! The school I did my master's at also had wonderful PE classes open to all students. I'd take four PE classes every term (about two hours a day, four days a week total).
I had been overweight since elementary school. I had never even been able to jog a single mile nonstop, and exercise of any kind made me feeling sick in ten minutes and would leave me winded and unable to function for the entire day. But by the end of my master's, I was deemed petite and muscular. I was able to run 10K races no problem and take military conditioning as a class (training with the cadets). I found a love for kickboxing and eventually found that even after an hour or two of intense exercise, I'd still be fully functional again within five minutes, as if nothing had happened, save the occasional bit of muscle fatigue.
I kinda stopped exercising again after moving to France, but I fully intend to get back into it when I start school again. Fortunately I didn't gain too much weight this year, from what I tell. My new school unfortunately won't have PE classes to take, but I will take advantage of gym membership and use it to participate in group exercise classes. I've never had a passion for exercise, so those classes really help with motivation.

I'd like to contribute something about humanities majors. Most of these points still apply, but since most faculty research alone and do not have labs, there are not as many undergraduate research assistantships to go around. But research experience is still very important, and the way that successful candidates get this experience is usually through an honors thesis, which is basically an independent research project that you take on your senior year, supervised by a faculty member in your field. And do a lot of reading outside of class (both primary and secondary resources and theoretical readings) on the topic you're interested in so that you can show off your knowledge when needed. When applying to graduate programs, also make sure to read the publications of the faculty that you think you may want to work with so that you can talk to them about their research.
Teaching potential is also considered for applicants to humanities PhD programs, because it is typically assumed that students entering into a humanities PhD aspire to a career in academia. A lot of the times these students are actually required to teach during grad school as part of their professional development (often leading classes on their own), which differs from a lot of STEM programs which treat teaching as only a means of financial support as needed. So it would be very useful to obtain some teaching experience in either the field that you intend to go into or in writing in general, because all humanities fields require writing.

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 began a PhD program four years ago in a STEM field and graduated three years later with two master's degrees instead. This year, I will be beginning my PhD journey anew in a humanities field. My mindset about my PhD has completely changed during this process of self-discovery.
Four years ago, I applied to PhD programs because I loved being in the university setting, and I loved to teach. I thought that a PhD would be the ultimately gateway toward teaching at a four-year university. I treated research and my PhD as something that I simply had to put up with in order to reach my long-term goals. This made me miserable. I saw no end to what I was doing, thought of lab work beyond the bare minimum as a waste of time, was constantly stressed at my lack of progress, and was very worried about wasting my time in school possibly without getting the degree I wanted or the job I coveted.
This time around, though, I've realized something. When you love your field and the research makes you feel alive (even if it does sometimes lead to tears of frustration or distress), then it is not a waste of time. Why? Because when you think about it, what are you looking for in a job? Money? Something you love? A PhD program gives you all that, if you choose the right field, and if this is what you want. I for one want to go into academia. As a PhD student, I get to satisfy my curiosity, I get to express my insights in writing, I get to interact with intelligent scholars, I get to teach to my heart's content, I get to take advantage of campus resources, and I get to get involved in student affairs. And I will be paid for doing so. This is everything I've ever wanted in a job. If it is only for five years, then I will have the best five years of my life. Why would the best five years of my life be a waste of time? If I can't find a job in academia, I will at least have had these five years, and that is better than nothing. If I need another job, I can find another then. A PhD student isn't just a researcher; s/he is also a teacher and a student leader, if s/he chooses to be. An individual trained as a teacher and student leader will not be limited to a single path.

Once you've been through a graduate program, it would look a little questionable if all of your letters came from your undergrad program (one is okay but definitely not three), so be sure to do well in your classes and get along with your professors. People switch programs for various reasons. As long as you don't make it seem like you have something personal against them, your professors will treat you professionally and it shouldn't impact the quality of your letters, if that's what you're trying to ask. And if you do use an undergrad professor, make sure to update them on what you've been up to since you last saw them.

I had to answer these questions more than once:
"Why would you study [foreign language] in [place where it's not main language]?"
"Can't you already speak [random language]?"

It really depends on the program and school. I'm pretty sure I just clicked "accept" for my last school. For my future school, there's not even a portal or an official university acceptance, so replying via email is the only way we can accept (and from there on the admin puts us down with the university as having accepted and she says she'll come back with paperwork in May). And believe me, I've triple checked this last one to make sure that I wasn't just missing something.
When you've clicked "accept" in the portal, it means that you've officially accepted the offer. Nothing will go wrong if you don't do anything else. If something is missing or if there are additional things to do or send, the school will contact you about it. As long as you've accepted it in the portal, they will not rescind your ability to enter the program just because you forgot to do something else.
However, if you've been in contact with faculty in the program, it is polite to let them know that you've accepted the offer and that you're looking forward to working with them in the future. In my previous program it didn't seem entirely necessary because we didn't enter committed to any particular PI, and while I did go to recruitment weekend, I wasn't really in communication with anyone to the point where they need to know whether I'd be coming. But if you've been talking to people throughout this process, it'd be good to let them know.

Four years ago when I first applied to PhD programs...I got home from work and checked my email at my desk right by the window and saw an offer letter complete with an invitation to visit the campus. I think the first thing I did was cancel a phone interview with an M.S. program I had applied to in Canada.
Three years ago when I was applying to a concurrent M.A. at the school I was attending, I had been taking classes with the professors in the program so I simply asked one of them and she confirmed that I was in. To her it hadn't really been an issue since I was competent in the field, was doing the work anyway, and was funded by my other department. I never did get an emailed acceptance. It simply showed up on my transcript and records in due time.
This year, applying to different PhD programs, my acceptance came while I was on the train getting home from work. I decided to connect my phone to check my email after reaching the train station, and there I found my acceptance email. I immediately texted my mom and then bought Thai food to gorge on because it meant so much to me to get into this program and redefine my educational experience that I no longer even cared if I got fat.

I don't think that your job will affect you negatively at all. Assay research and data analytics sound incredibly relevant to chemistry, and it's looked very favorably upon to have experience working professionally, even if it's unrelated to your intended research direction. As far as your manager is concerned, I wouldn't stress too much about it. If he's any sort of a decent person, he would not use your move as an excuse to hold a grudge. He should understand and respect your goals. If he doesn't, he needs to make that clear from the very beginning and urge you to choose a different recommender.
The best tip that I can give you with regards to your application is to get into contact with any potential PI's you might want to work with for your master's/PhD. Stronger students can often get into great programs without being in touch with any faculty members beforehand, but your GPA would not make the cut if you didn't have someone in the program explicitly pulling for you. Many programs put applications with a sub-3.0 GPA on their automatic reject pile without even looking at the rest of the application. This is because most schools I know of require a 3.0 GPA minimum. This isn't set in stone, and certainly many students get in without it, but it makes things complicated for the department/program, and they need a really good reason to put in that extra effort to convince the university to let you in or to risk the university rejecting you after they've already invested time and resources on your behalf.
Other than that, you may want to mention the sources of your difficulties in your statements. Don't give excuses and don't make them the entire focus, but you may want to explain your difficulties and show how you've managed to work through them to get to where you are today and how they've shaped your interests for your field. Getting a few publications out certainly couldn't hurt either, and make sure you have very strong letters of recommendation.
If you have the financial resources and really want to start your program as soon as you can, it doesn't hurt to apply this year. If all else fails, just apply again the following year. The worst that could happen is that you get rejected and have to apply again the next application season, which you'd have to do anyway if you don't apply this season. I was asking myself the same question last year. I didn't have a good relationship with the faculty in my M.A. program and was debating whether to let things mellow out for a few years before expressing the desire to apply to PhD programs in their field. I decided to give it a go anyway, and I got in. Sure, interpersonal relationships might have cost me some very good schools I could have gotten into otherwise, but I do get to start my PhD at a school I'd be happy with, with a very responsible and involved mentor, and I'm no longer stressing over whether this road would be closed.
As for your master's vs. PhD question, maybe you can apply to PhD programs and indicate on your application that you'd like to be considered for the master's program in the event that you were not deemed to be a good fit for the PhD? I know some schools that do that. Check with the programs. Good luck!! 

Also, make sure you are admitted to a new program before withdrawing from the first.  If necessary, you could probably negotiate a leave of absence that will keep your options open.

They won't be writing 10-15 different references. Likely they will write a single reference letter and use it for all of the schools, with small modifications as needed. And if there are supplementary questions, they will spend a few minutes answering those as well. Professors know that you'll be applying to multiple schools. It's part of their job to help you through the process. The best thing you can do for them is not to avoid asking them for letters, but to send out the official requests several months prior to the first deadline and all at the same time if possible. Also give them a list of the schools and deadlines. With all of this information laid out ahead of them, they will be able to work to their own schedule. In my experience, each of my recommenders submitted the majority of their recommendations within a half-hour time period (some within two minutes of each other). Clearly they weren't writing entirely new letters within that timespan or else they couldn't have submitted them one right after the other.

They won't be writing 10-15 different references. Likely they will write a single reference letter and use it for all of the schools, with small modifications as needed. And if there are supplementary questions, they will spend a few minutes answering those as well. Professors know that you'll be applying to multiple schools. It's part of their job to help you through the process. The best thing you can do for them is not to avoid asking them for letters, but to send out the official requests several months prior to the first deadline and all at the same time if possible. Also give them a list of the schools and deadlines. With all of this information laid out ahead of them, they will be able to work to their own schedule. In my experience, each of my recommenders submitted the majority of their recommendations within a half-hour time period (some within two minutes of each other). Clearly they weren't writing entirely new letters within that timespan or else they couldn't have submitted them one right after the other.

At "that" level, you're judged for your thought and organization above all. Grammar, if it's an issue, can be easily corrected. No one cares if you make mistakes as long as they are easily correctable mistakes. If your English prevents you from performing to the best of your ability in terms of your analytical capacities (e.g. if they make your writing a mess and difficult to understand), then there may be a problem. But honestly, if they've accepted you, then likely you are capable of doing exactly what they expect. You may work more slowly, but chances are that you're harder on yourself than anyone else will be on you.

At "that" level, you're judged for your thought and organization above all. Grammar, if it's an issue, can be easily corrected. No one cares if you make mistakes as long as they are easily correctable mistakes. If your English prevents you from performing to the best of your ability in terms of your analytical capacities (e.g. if they make your writing a mess and difficult to understand), then there may be a problem. But honestly, if they've accepted you, then likely you are capable of doing exactly what they expect. You may work more slowly, but chances are that you're harder on yourself than anyone else will be on you.

Of course! It's your course work, grades, and research experience that matters the most (well, in addition to letters of recommendation and personal statements). As far as your degree goes, you just need a bachelor's level degree and relevant classes that demonstrate your background.

Generally, I would strongly suggest ignoring RMP reviews for any kind of decision making on your part. Students will form their own opinions, and those are only sometimes related to actual facts. On a practical level, it depends on how much work you want to put in. If students dislike the prof, they may come to you more or they may give up. If you are encouraging and open, you might end up spending a lot of time fixing what the prof broke. They may love you, and you'll get excellent reviews. Or they may blame you for everything that's wrong and whatever you do won't be good enough. There are also questions of how supportive the prof will be with solutions, resolving disagreements, and such. So short answer is, if you want to keep a low profile, you can keep your role to a minimum and follow his lead in how you treat the students, or you could present yourself as the recourse for any confusion he introduces. Part of it you have to play by ear depending on the class you get and its nature, as well as your relationship with the prof. (You also didn't mention how large the class is, what works for a class of 15 may not work for 150, and vice versa.)

I think you could be a strong candidate, and your record clearly shows a positive trend and achievements within your field. In other words, I don't think your GPA will be a red flag. However, just because you're a decent candidate doesn't mean that you'll come out on top among the other applicants. Here's where your statements and recommendations come in. Make sure that you recommenders see your statements and give you feedback. Then follow that advice even if it means completely overhauling your statements five times.
One advice I've gotten is to be not too specific but also not too general. Committees want to know that you will learn from their program, not that you already know everything. They also want you to be well-rounded, not just an expert on a specific topic. However, they do also want you to have a direction, something that you're interested in, a question that you're curious to explore, and an idea of what you want to do. It's a delicate balance. I think one good way to go about doing that in your statements is to use a past research project as a starting point. Talk about what you did and how it led to your interest and preparation in both your specialization and in the field as a whole. It's important to identify prospective mentors, but it's equally important to show that you're willing to learn from scholars outside of your existing expertise.
That said, if you do see someone with an exact match, mention it in your statement! I got rejected outright by some schools with over a 50% acceptance rate. But I did get an interview and a top-of-the-waitlist position from an Ivy League school (not HPY but still) that seemed to have the lowest acceptance rate of all the schools I applied to. I'm convinced that the fact I had extensively cited one of the professors in my writing sample and mentioned this in my statement might have had something to do with it. And for the school I will be attending, the professor I intend to work with had taught the works I wrote about in his class and a lot of stuff matched his interests perfectly. It might not be the key to an acceptance, but it'll definitely make the person's eyes light up in recognition when they see your statement and your work.

Sounds like languages are most likely just a hobby for you. Whether they look "impressive" on a CV is debatable and ultimately whether or not they will matter at all will depend on your career plans. If you want a career in a therapeutic field, Spanish sounds like a decent choice. Depending on your location, you might ask what other languages underserved communities speak, and that will vary by geographic location. Frankly, though, I would not choose a language based on some vague notion of prestige and I would not put too much stock in what it will do for your career if you're just self-taught and don't even have career plans at the moment. Treat it like what it is -- a hobby. Just go with what's the most fun for you right now. 

READ. And watch talks in Korean on YouTube or something, ideally in your area of specialization. If your goal is to be able to perform research in Korean, then the only way you can do that is to read more, look up words that you don't understand, read layperson articles about that subject, etc.

The best advice I got about academic time management was this:
Put in the things outside your work first (sleep, time to maintain your health, relationships, hobbies). Then use the time remaining (within reason) for work. 
Research (and teaching) can easily extend to fill any time you allocate for it- there is literally no end to what you can do. So limit it by deciding what your other (arguably) more important life priorities are, then make sure you take time for them. 
As a starting point, I worked grad school as a regular 9-6 job. Sometimes I had to work outside that, but I tried to keep that to a minimum and only during discreet periods. That also ensured I had time in the evenings to cook good food, work out, spend time with my family, and pursue my hobbies.
As a great resource, I'll recommend the book "Making Time, Making Change" (http://store.newforums.com/Making-Time-Making-Change-SDB05.htm). I went to a faculty development seminar by the author, and it was fantastic at refocussing the narrative from "how much time to do I have for things outside teaching" to "how much time do I have left for teaching once I budget in the really important stuff in my life". 

The one trick I've learned (mostly through analyzing why I respect some professors despite being subject to their scathing criticism) is to be honest and confident and deal with the behavior like a boss, but to never judge or make assumptions about the student's personality, motivation, or abilities.
Instructors who get the best results:
Might tell the student that his/her behavior comes off as [insert negative thing here], but will never say that the student is A or B or that they think the student is A or B. Might say why they took points off and where the problems are in a certain paper or assignment, but will never generalize the performance on that single assignment to make negative assumptions about the student's performance overall or question the student's effort or abilities. Keep personal feelings out of it. Treat each situation as something separate - once a conversation is over, let it be over. Don't let your attitude cloud your other interactions with said student or with other students. If they don't bring up the topic of a past unpleasant interaction with you, you don't bring it up first. You smile and treat it as if nothing happened after the fact. Also, it's okay to clue in the instructor of record if it gets too absurd.
As a TA, one of the worst interactions I've had with a student involved that student being aggravated by a not-so-great grade on her essay and was trying to get points that I couldn't give her. She yelled at me during office hours, refusing to believe that her answers weren't correct and telling me that she didn't think I understood how much money and effort she put into her education, that I didn't care because I wasn't paying nearly as much as her, and that I wasn't qualified to teach and probably didn't even read the textbook.
I ignored any attacks on me. I told her first of all that I didn't question her ability or effort - there were specific things we were looking for and she didn't have it; it didn't mean she was a bad student or that I graded on a whim. I also explained the answers to the questions and the reasons her answers didn't express them adequately. I then told her that she was welcome to go to the instructor for a second opinion (which she was going to do anyway). After she left, I followed up with an email recapping what I'd said, BCC'ing the instructor, and I met with the instructor later that day to talk more about the incident. When the student sent in the essay for that second opinion, the instructor and I went through it together, and the fact that the instructor was on my side about the grading helped the student come to terms with her grade, and she ended up apologizing for her attitude.
Honestly, I have to really thank this student. She gave me a killer answer to a really common and hard-to-answer interview question! 

Well, if you need to fulfill prereqs that you don't have and you've already finished your degree, there's not much else you can do than make those prereqs up by attending extra classes. You can explain the extra classes in your SOP, even spin it to show commitment. I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about things you can't change. 

The one trick I've learned (mostly through analyzing why I respect some professors despite being subject to their scathing criticism) is to be honest and confident and deal with the behavior like a boss, but to never judge or make assumptions about the student's personality, motivation, or abilities.
Instructors who get the best results:
Might tell the student that his/her behavior comes off as [insert negative thing here], but will never say that the student is A or B or that they think the student is A or B. Might say why they took points off and where the problems are in a certain paper or assignment, but will never generalize the performance on that single assignment to make negative assumptions about the student's performance overall or question the student's effort or abilities. Keep personal feelings out of it. Treat each situation as something separate - once a conversation is over, let it be over. Don't let your attitude cloud your other interactions with said student or with other students. If they don't bring up the topic of a past unpleasant interaction with you, you don't bring it up first. You smile and treat it as if nothing happened after the fact. Also, it's okay to clue in the instructor of record if it gets too absurd.
As a TA, one of the worst interactions I've had with a student involved that student being aggravated by a not-so-great grade on her essay and was trying to get points that I couldn't give her. She yelled at me during office hours, refusing to believe that her answers weren't correct and telling me that she didn't think I understood how much money and effort she put into her education, that I didn't care because I wasn't paying nearly as much as her, and that I wasn't qualified to teach and probably didn't even read the textbook.
I ignored any attacks on me. I told her first of all that I didn't question her ability or effort - there were specific things we were looking for and she didn't have it; it didn't mean she was a bad student or that I graded on a whim. I also explained the answers to the questions and the reasons her answers didn't express them adequately. I then told her that she was welcome to go to the instructor for a second opinion (which she was going to do anyway). After she left, I followed up with an email recapping what I'd said, BCC'ing the instructor, and I met with the instructor later that day to talk more about the incident. When the student sent in the essay for that second opinion, the instructor and I went through it together, and the fact that the instructor was on my side about the grading helped the student come to terms with her grade, and she ended up apologizing for her attitude.
Honestly, I have to really thank this student. She gave me a killer answer to a really common and hard-to-answer interview question! 

It depends on the nature of the editing service. If they are writing your dissertation for you, then yeah, that's not ethical! But if the service is simply edits to things like grammar and spelling, then it is fine. My school offers a free proofreading service that will make spelling and grammar corrections to our dissertations (I think they have a contract with a proofreader). You can choose whether you just want edit suggestions or if you will allow the proofreader to directly make edits in your actual text for you (students are generally encouraged to choose the latter). 

If you're interviewing for a job, you will be in a suit or a blazer. You will not be showing any of your tattoos unless you have one that's literally on your face. And if some shows despite a suit, then so be it. For the most part, the reason that tattoos are not looked favorably upon in the job market is not because of the tattoos in general, but because showing them visibly in an interview setting knowing that they might be frowned upon tends invite questions as to whether you're taking the job seriously. But as long as you prove yourself willing to follow interview norms and portray yourself as a dedicated professional, then the interviewer could really care less whether you're covered in tattoos. Once you're actually on the job, it also doesn't matter as much.