danieleWrites

How goes it in Zoomie Land? I was Navy, my spouse was Army for a while, 11B, LRRP, went to Desert Storm with the Big Red One, spent the rest of his career with the Arctic Light before cancer kept him from shipping out to SF Q school. He says to keep all of your sick call slips. Jungle rot is 10% from the VA, for example.

TakeruK, Mathcat, Vene, you're obviously not veterans, so: DROP! is an order to do pushups. It has many cultural meanings that movies like Private Benjamin, In the Army Now, or Full Metal Jacket, or anything involving boot camp or basic training can explain. It comes from the sensibility that pain will make you think. Someone needs to publish a drill sergeant quote of the day calendar. The weird thing. It's pretty simple. In the military, a person has two names: their rank and their last name. You call people who are equal to you or beneath you in rank by last name or by rank, occasionally by rank and last name. Even good friends call each other by last name. First name basis is weird. You call people above you in rank by rank and last name, or rank, or sir or ma'am. You do not call them by first name. Ever. Not even those who are colleagues. I had a very good friend in my class at A school (AIT) whose first name I knew, but could not use because he outranked me. Even when we were not in uniform, not on duty, and just hanging out with the group, he was "sarge" (multi-service post). It is not only simply not done, it is military law (see UCMJ articles 15, 89, 91, and 134). When a colleague with higher rank than me asks me to call her by her first name, it is weird. It's a perfectly normal military vet thing. The official term for it: cognitive dissonance. Believe it or not, universities are hierarchical in ways that are very similar to the military. While there is no law that requires a student call a professor by title, there's enough chikcenshit to enforce that cultural norm. Chickenshit is a military term, definition here: http://johnshaplin.blogspot.com/2010/06/chickenshit-by-paul-fussell.html Vene, while I appreciate your rush to be offended on the part of graduate students everywhere, you're a PFC. You've never lived under the UCMJ panopticon.

I think the one thing I'd import from my Navy days is DROP! Some people could really use doing push ups. It's also very weird that one of my profs thinks of PhD students as colleagues, so we are to call her by her first name. It is, apparently, not Doctor.

Interesting argument that shows quite a bit about how people interpret ambiguous terms in different ways. Like "application fee" or "processing". I find myself pretty much leaning toward Justin123's point of view, which is that in exchange for his application fee, his application should have been evaluated by someone qualified to make the evaluation. I don't feel this is "entitlement" or "whiny" or someone complaining about not getting into a school or into a safety school. I think it's reasonable to expect service for payment. Had the university made it clear what the application fee was not to pay for evaluation of the application, I don't think Justin123 would have made this thread in the first place. But, to review: 1. The student paid the university an application fee. 2. The student submitted the application. What should the student then reasonably expect in exchange for the money spent on the application fee? 1. That the application will be reviewed by at least one person with the qualifications to evaluate the suitability of the student. or 2. That the application will be "processed", which has an ambiguous meaning that involves anything from full adcomm review to a low-paid office worker sorting applications into stacks based on predetermined criteria that he or she has absolutely no say in and, further, who possesses no qualifications for evaluating the suitability of the application in any event. He or she might even be a computer program. In other words, in exchange for the application fee, what responsibilities does the graduate school have and the individual program have in regards to that application? The essential disagreement seems to be this: 1. The application should be reviewed by the adcomm. vs. 2. The application should be processed, that is, put into the system by people not qualified to evaluate an applicant's suitability, where it will be available for review should the adcomm choose to review it. My belief is that in exchange for an application fee, each application should be evaluated at some point by someone qualified to evaluate the applicant's suitability. In this view, what the program did to some international applicants is unethical. Though, frankly, I would be shocked if there was a program on the planet that didn't believe that their only responsibility toward an application in exchange for an application fee was to have some low-wage peon put it in the system, if a computer program didn't already do that for them. Additionally, the OP's emailer is a PR moron. American business institutions have perfected the art of prevarication. S/he should be fired for being so honest.

Find out why your original research adviser dropped you. Make sure that's what happened, actually. "Stopped advising me" can mean a multitude of things. If you're still nominally this person's advisee, either find out how to change advisers and make it so, or find out how to get back on track with your research. Once you've got a clear reason why you've been dropped, figure out how to address whatever shortcomings got you dropped as an advisee. Then, go to your professor's office hours and ask him if he has any openings in his lab group and what you should do in order to become a part of it. Express your interest because he can't read your mind. The next step is to organize the rest of your academic career in line with the program's scheduling. You should have completed coursework after this many semesters, done reading/testing/whatever by this time, begun work on your diss by this time, and completed it by that time. Sketch out a basic time line with realistic goals to shoot for. Organize your research interests so you know what you have to do before you can start researching, what you should probably need to do while researching. Organize conference opportunities well in advance. Certain ones crop up every year, and you'll know that you have a shot at presenting your personal research, so find out when the submission deadlines usually are (look up last years, for example) and start planning. Organize the work you have already done that is complete or near complete in such a way that you can cobble together an abstract, poster, paper, whatever to submit to a conference. Look through your completed or near complete work and start planning on writing papers to submit for publication. What to do next? Take charge of your academic career, don't wait for things to happen to you. Sure, your undergrad GPA is going to bite you in some ways. But it's not what's keeping you from getting published, or from presenting, or from working in the labs. It might cause you funding problems, but that means looking for funding more creatively, where your undergrad GPA isn't as much a factor as your letters of recommendation and research proposals. If you aren't a member of your field's professional association(s), join. If you don't know how to organize yourself, find a self-help book or see if your library or school has academic help sessions (many universities do). If you're undermotivated, see the school counselor. Check into organizations like Toastmasters. It's not your adviser's job to lead you; it's your adviser's job to shepherd you, that is, to keep you in the pasture while you're wandering around, doing your own thing.

USA, here. I started out in computer science and collected F's to the point I was on academic probation when I switched majors to English with a soc minor (eventually switching to sociology with an English minor, and then getting a BA in English, too, 'cause I'm all why-quit-school that way). I'm in an English PhD program now. The only time I've ever had to explain what the heck happened during my freshman career was when they asked me why I was crazy enough to take calculus. In the US, programs often look at your GPA in your major first, then overall GPA. If your in-major GPA is stellar and your overall GPA isn't as stunning, the transcript clearly shows that one's ability to fail at Object Oriented Programming is unrelated to one's ability to be a rock star in literature.

I figured I'd be a scientist, sociology to be specific. Math and esoteric theory? What's not to love? Anyway, I was reading Marx in my junior year for a soc theory class and we were assigned to read Death of a Salesman in my Am. Lit survey class (I was minoring in English because I rather fancied myself a creative writer). The Gundrisse + Death of a Salesman = light bulb time. Fast forward to my poetry class, after getting my BA in soc and while chasing a BA in English, creative writing emphasis, and one of my many "discussions" with my prof about getting all didactic with my audience. Light bulb time again. I connected the rhetorics. Instead of chasing a PhD in soc, I'm getting it in English. Still into soc stuff, to the point where I pretty much consider what I'm doing the sociology of literature. Kind of Terry Eagleton-ish. So here I am. And I still have "discussions" with my former prof about didacticism and audience in poetics.

I have no idea about job prospects in your field, however, I would imagine that work involving climate change, conservation, water, or food will be turning into a growth industry soon. I do have some advice for you. Read the peer reviewed journals in your area(s) of interest. You should know what your basic research interests are so you can find a program that will help you do what you want to do. Reading the journals will show you what work is being done in your area(s) of interest, which will also give you some basic ideas about what's out there to research and what you might like to pursue, yourself.

I'm still getting letters from schools and I'm in my second year. I'm fielding email and snail mail from a variety of institutions, some of them quite prestigious, inviting me to join an MA program or other. None of them are in my actual field, either. Not that my BAs wouldn't get me into these other fields, but, seriously.

Check into auditing a bit. Some universities don't charge, or charge a minimal fee. Some universities charge full tuition price. If you're funded it may or may not cover the cost of auditing a class.

Rather than take the word of "usually said," do a little bit of research. Find out what sort of job placements recent grads from PSU have gotten. If that information isn't available on the program's website, you can email the department itself and ask. Find out about U of F, as well. You can also find out where their graduates have gone on to further their studies. PhD is different than getting a job since the criteria for acceptance into a program is different than the criteria for an offer of employment. Your scholarship will outweigh your school's credentials, generally speaking. People who have gone to unknown schools, poorly ranked, if ranked at all, have gotten into top flight programs based on their scholarship. I know of a woman who got a bachelor's in a school no one has heard of, went on to Harvard for a degree in law, and now pulls in six figures as an entertainment lawyer. Of course, this is a single, anecdotal instance. Considering your location, you might find it helpful to check into the Persian communities in which the cities that the schools are located. While they can't offer you much in terms of advice on which program will suit your career goals, they can offer you a lot of help in other ways. You can also check to see if the universities have Persian student associations, or Iranian student associations. The student associations can give you a lot of helpful information, as well.

I'm currently trying to work myself up into a mid-life crisis so I can avoid working on an abstract to submit to a major conference. (Go me.) It's really hit me that I'm older now, and when I start shopping my application to university search committees, I'm not going to look like someone with "fresh ideas" because age does not equal fresh. I'll be competing with people who aren't going to hit phased retirement age in 20 years, but in 40. The worst part? I'm doing something of the sandwich thing. I'm looking, all wall-eyed, at my kiddo, who is 19 going on 20 and at a complete loss about how to go about his life these days, and my parents and in-laws, who are telling me that nursing homes are out, out, out! In the middle of all of this, I have to write papers, present at conferences, and read. I'm doing the kind of planning that my cohort doesn't understand too well. They call their parents for support; I call mine to make sure they didn't fall.

Libraries often have free access to Mango! I'm talking about public, municipal libraries, not just university libraries. If there's a large enough community, you might find it helpful to make some connections with immigrants that speak the language you're working with. You can exchange English lessons with Spanish (or whatever) lessons. There are often community organizations that will help you get into contact with people who can help you out that way.

First, I think that it's okay for you to feel envy. Why not? When people have things we want, but don't have, it's natural to feel some envy. The trick is to feel it and let it go without the envy obstructing your life. I've found that it's about rewriting the script for the voice in my head that runs all day long. You know, the one that repeats things like she's married and I'm not and she's nice but I can't stand to be around her and I'm blah blah blah. We all have that voice. Take over. Instead of letting your thoughts dwell on your jealousy or envy or negative thinking; deliberately think positive things. She's a really nice person and I'm happy for her. She's someone that could be a great friend and I'm someone that can be a great friend, because I am happy for people who have things going well in their lives and I like to celebrate the positive things that happen in people's lives and in my life. Having her as a friend would be a positive thing to celebrate in my life. Negative emotions only hang around when you focus on the issues that cause these emotions. Dwell on the positives about yourself and about the people you feel jealousy toward. Say it out loud, write it out, whatever. If you turn your thoughts into positive things that uplift you emotionally and help you connect with others, even when the very natural negative thoughts or emotions drop by for a visit, you'll be happier over all, which will help you be a better friend.

I chatted with mine in person, as well as an email at specific points that I felt would be helpful (you should be receiving information from these particular universities about where/how to send letters by this date; the deadline for all my applications is today, would you like copies of any of my updated materials; the universities would like the letters by this date, is there anything you need from me to help you out) all the while keeping the semester schedules in mind. I didn't bother them during the last two weeks of class nor the week before class started or during the first week of class. One of my recommenders was a month late with the rec letter, anyway. I think bugging them is important, to remind them. Professors are super busy people. I also think it should be done in a way that is courteous to them, conscientious of their workload, and done in such a way that helps them help you. Dropping by during their office hours (a call to the secretary can get those for you) for a brief chat is always great because it reminds them of who you are and you can remind them of your scholarship. A phone call during office hours can work, too.

I took a year and a half off. I also started with something of a handicap in that my MA was in a creative writing emphasis and I'm after a doctorate in literature/rhet/comp (don't ask, I'm long-winded). I adjuncted during that time and published some poetry, so I did "keep up" a bit. I got into my top pick with funding. YMMV, of course. I don't think taking time off will hurt you. Of course, anything you can do to add to the CV won't hurt, either, but I wouldn't sweat it. It's not like literature has the research obsolescence like Apple products do (the iPhone 6 is obsolete now, right?)

I didn't think I titled mine. And then I looked. I did. The first thing to go is the memory.

Once you've done your victory dance, read over the acceptance letter/email and followed directions, make sure to update your C.V.!

There are programs that allow you to annotate readings, like Adobe IX, but you mostly have to pay for them. Some universities offer them free in computer labs. Many software manufacturers offer a student discount. The big key, I've found, comes down to three things: (1) making sure you back up all electronic copies of anything--multiple backups for papers!, (2) having an effective electronic filing system that you can not only find things at will, but can also clean up without spending hours sorting through folders on the various hard drives/cloud storage places you keep things on, and (3) making sure long term file storage is in a file format that doesn't go obsolete when the software manufacturer comes out with new product, like using .pdf and .rtf. Try opening an MS Word 3.1 .doc these days! Argh! The thing here is study habits. You like paper and working with paper. Can you transition to a screen just as effectively? Can you do the same quality of work, or feel similar satisfaction with your work, when you use a laptop screen or a tablet? I print stuff that I want to annotate extensively, and then I scan my work and save it as a new .pdf, even when I do keep the paper copies. For everything else, I currently use a personal cloud (home network storage device) for current work and store old work on an external hard drive when it's no longer strictly useful. Instead of annotating the document, I take notes on paper or in a word document. Sometimes, even OneNote. Though, these days, I'm not happy with MicroSoft and will be shifting to something else when I get unlazy enough to go looking for something. I don't do well in a class/discussion setting with a computer or tablet in front of me. I'm one of those people that must constantly look things up, even when it's not as relevant. Example, the exact date a particular WWII battle began, when the year and season were not only all that was needed for the discussion, but information we already possessed. My family will torture me on trips when I have no data signal on my phone by asking questions I don't have the answers to. For me, bringing stuff into the class on a tablet does happen, but not when we will do a deep discussion of that stuff. For that, I print it and leave the electronics stored away. One of these days, I'll start scanning my paper notes & syllabi from old classes into .pdf files and store them, too. I think that the answer is the one best suited to your learning style and your needs, but also one that involves clear organization. Organizing = stress reduction!

Since no one answered this, this is a question you should direct to the department itself. Start with the secretary. In all likelihood, they will understand the vagaries of electronic submissions and ignore it.

The purpose of a writing sample is for the adcomm to evaluate your scholarship on their own. You should not send writing samples with anyone else's commentary on it, unless specifically requested.