somethinbruin

What was most helpful for me was having a supportive MA cohort and adviser, but each was supportive in a different way. My fellow students could commiserate (three others were applying with me), while my adviser had a firm hand. I could freak out with my classmates, and then it wasn't so bad when my adviser was doling out the tough love. So I think my advice would be to foster strong relationships with your cohort. I was relieved that my relationships with them never got competitive or adversarial. We all had different focuses, so that helped. We weren't best friends, but we all agreed early on that we would get more out of our classes if we supported each other, helped each other out and pushed each other in a positive way to be better. They were a great sounding board. We ran our SOP's past each other, checked CVs for typos, and did general application troubleshooting together. When the application process got absolutely insane, we dragged each other out to dinner, or a movie, or a round of drinks and talked some sense back into each other. It was great to have someone who understood the process. Family and friends are great, but unless they've been there, they can be somewhat unhelpful (hearing "don't worry, you'll get in somewhere" just got maddening). My cohort knew what I was going through. Instead of saying, "don't worry" they would just pour you another drink and say "yep, this process sucks." I needed that.

I think you've hit on an issue here that you will have to address in your applications. How do you present/frame your varied background as an asset and not as a liability/inability to focus? I think the answer lies in how you present your experience in your statement of purpose and in how well you articulate what you want to study and get from a PhD program. We've actually traveled eerily similar paths, you and I. I graduated undergrad shortly after you did from a small lib-arts school (English lit BA), moved abroad for a bit to work as a journalist, kicked around at some less than scintillating jobs that gradually let me back to teaching. I just finished a lit MA and will start a PhD program in the fall. When the time came for my PhD applications, I thought for a long time about how to present my background. In the end, it was a minor (very minor) part of my statement of purpose, and I made sure that it connected to my areas of focus. For me, that meant briefly mentioning my experience as a journalist in relation to my desire to see writing as a way to understand contemporary relationships between people, countries, traditions and writing (I promise it was put much more subtly in my SOP). The majority of my SOP dealt with my theoretical focus and research interests, both how they developed in my MA program and how I imaging they'll be pursued at the PhD level. So I think you're in a pretty good spot. The interviews I went to spoke very highly of my varied jobs and detours on my way toward an academic career. If you acknowledge that variety and frame it as something that led you to where you are today, then it shouldn't be a major issue. Plus, the other things you mentioned (bulking up on theory, taking some comp/rhet, engaging in professionalization such as publishing/presenting) will help to solidify (for you) and clarify (for the schools you apply to) your interests as a scholar. If you do these things, then your recent record as a scholar will count much more than your varied past.

With a good pair of boots (I like Columbia brand) and a winter coat, I think it's totally doable. It might just take a few minutes longer. Cleveland gets a lot of snow, but we also deal with it pretty well, most people have their sidewalks cleared in a pretty timely fashion.

I don't think it's an issue of what matters "most" per se, so I don't think you can definitively say something like "years 3/4 matter more than years 2/3." The bottom line is it all matters, generally speaking. Some schools pay more attention to your grades within your major, while others look more at cumulative GPA. I would say that it's probably easier for adcoms to look beyond poor grades in the second year than it is in the fourth year, but that's never guaranteed, particularly in competitive, top-tier programs that have lots of applicants and therefore lots of choices. Sometimes what grades the schools look at depends on when the application is due. December 1 and 15th due dates mean you probably won't get the first semester of your 4th year considered in the application. Sometimes schools with December due dates will ask you to update your transcript materials. January due dates generally don't have that concern, and your first semester, fourth year grades will be reflected on your transcript. But how grades are weighted with regard to whole applications is highly department and school specific. If there is a particular year or course that you're concerned about negatively affecting your application, perhaps consider explaining or giving those grades some context in your personal statement.

I'm not a gender studies person, but I seem to remember that the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee had a strong focus on writing by women under their Literature and Cultural Studies PhD. One of the profs in my current department went there and spoke very highly of their feminist theory profs, particularly Jane Gallop. You might want to check them out.

First off, I'm sorry about your divorce. It's a terrible time and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Take care of yourself during the process. I had a relative in a very similar situation. Her married name was on her law school degree, registered with her state bar, and some national organizations. For her, it came down to the question of what she wanted to be called in her everyday and professional life. She ultimately chose to return to her maiden name. It took a few weeks to change the documentation with these places and for her co-workers to get used to the switch, but it honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The organization that took the longest to make the change was her alumni association, believe it or not, but that situation resolved itself quickly when she told them that she wouldn't be sending them any more checks until they got her new name right For her, the thought of keeping her dreadful ex-husband's last name was too much. She wanted to go back to her maiden name so she wasn't constantly reminded of him. The legal process wasn't much more than filing an application, waiting for a fairly pro forma hearing, and paying a nominal fee (under $100, I think). Some states include the name change in the divorce decree, so check on that. New credit cards took less than a week. New passport arrived in a month. Some of the legwork sucks, but these places deal with name changes regularly, so they're pretty good about it. I think the biggest questions are personal ones: What do you want to be called for the rest of your life? What will you do if you keep your ex-husband's last name but then meet someone new and decide later to marry again? But beyond personal questions there are professional implications. I think the biggest issue is consistency so that employers can find the work listed on your CV if they choose. If you decide to switch back to your maiden name right now, all you would need to do is note on your CV that your thesis is listed under XZY name, I think. But I don't think I would want all of my published work to be under a name that wasn't legally mine. It's problematic. I think it's OK for the few things you mentioned that were published pre-divorce, but I think long term it might be hard to explain. Honestly, publications are a big part of the reason why I will be keeping my maiden name. It's the only way to assure that consistency that I can see. Maybe someone else with more experience with this will chime in with another alternative...if so I'd be eager to hear it. If you're applying to conferences, I think you can use your maiden name without a legal name change without it being a big deal. As long as the name on your proposal matches your CV, I think you'll be fine. None of the conferences I've done work for have ever checked legal names. They all just sort of took folks at their word that the name they're using/submitting under is the one they want on the programs/schedules/web pages. I have no idea if this has been helpful or not. It's just my experience with the whole professional name/married name fiasco. Best of luck to you, whatever you decide!

The short answer is that utilities vary, so you should make sure to ask landlords what utilities are included in the rent. Electric or gas is generally not included in your rent. You won't have to pay for a phone line unless you want to get a land line in your apartment. Water, sewage, and garbage are the utilities most commonly covered by landlords (half of the apartments I've lived in have included water/refuse in with the rent, the other half I paid for.) As for cell phones, I've generally found that my overseas friends are shocked by the cost of cell phone plans in the US (I remember my Israeli cell phone being very affordable and including international calling--you won't get that in the US without a hefty charge). My friends with smartphones (I can't afford one) have bills that range anywhere from $75-$200/month depending on their data packages. There are a few no contract or pay-as-you-go plans (Virgin mobile springs to mind), but I can't speak as to their quality. Maybe someone else can. Food prices in the US have risen in the past few years. There are expensive grocery stores and there are budget grocery stores. I live in the midwest, so groceries are more affordable than in major metropolitan areas. I budget about $250 a month for food, but I could spend considerably less if I had to. That $275 goes to fresh, whole foods most of the time. I think if I had to do it on a shoestring, I could get by on about $200/month, but I like to cook so I'm OK with spending more. Also, at various times in my educational and working life, I've participated in community food programs. You might look into whether one serves your area. I used to use something very similar to this program: http://www.oneharvest.com/. You can get a lot of food for significantly cheaper than grocery stores through a lot of these programs, so you might check to see if one operates in your area. Not knowing where you're living, it's hard to say exactly what your costs will be. You might try some international cost-of-living calculators and see if they can give you a good idea of how costs will differ between where you're from and where you're heading. I've used this one before when traveling and living outside of the states. http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living

Don't know these buildings specifically, but Overlook Drive is a nice street in a nice neighborhood. I looked at a few places on Overlook during my last housing search. I would have no problem living in this neighborhood. Overlook is also walking distance to Little Italy--so be prepared to gain 15 pounds if you like Italian food!

Everyone else in my master's program did that. None took the subject test. All got into strong PhD programs.

I will freely admit that I did not study a whole lot for the GRE subject exam. I did however use the Princeton Review Cracking the GRE Lit test book that Datatape recommends. I would not recommend going into it blind. I also have a BA and MA, but it was so unlike any exam you take in school. When was the last time you took a multiple choice exam in English Lit classes? I think my Brit and American Lit survey classes had a few multiple choice questions on their exams before the essays, but that was my freshman year of college, so those days were long gone. So I would at least spend time with a review book of your choice. At least that way, you'll have gotten some information on how the test is structured and can come up with a strategy for how to take the test. I spent maybe three weeks casually reviewing the Princeton Review book. I would have hit it harder if more of my schools required it (only one did and it was a longshot school). Also, I was well aware that the way the subject test is set up is far, far outside of my wheelhouse. I suck at memorization/quote identification, and I can't remember the last time I had to read early and middle English. Both figured prominently. I am a much better researcher and writer than I am test-taker. I overthink standardized tests/multiple choice questions and then after a while I just sort of don't care anymore. The test was so absurd and non-indicative of your abilities as a scholar that halfway through I contemplated just turning it in because I couldn't muster the energy to care. The whole thing was an exercise in futility. When all was said and done, I did thoroughly average. Not bad but not great. Pretty much what I expected. I got a high enough score to be considered for the school that required it (which I didn't get into, but not because of my GRE subject score, I'm told. It was more of an area-of-focus issue. They were looking for Americanists this year, and I'm anglophone/Brit in concentration). So I guess in summary, I would say to give the test some attention, just so you have an idea of how it is set up and how to maximize your score. But I wouldn't spend too much time re-reading works you've already read. The payoff isn't that great, and not that many schools require the test in their applications.

If they said they would have the decision by the end of this week that just ended yesterday, I would give them until Wednesday before you followed up. You never know what might push these decisions back, be it a big project that blew up or a hiring manager who was out with the flu. Sometimes companies just don't work as fast as they think they're going to. That said, I don't think there's anything wrong with following up via phone if you don't hear anything on Monday or Tuesday. I would go to the person in charge of the hiring. Perhaps frame it by saying that you're still extremely interested in the position and ask if they need any more information from you as they make their decision. If they say no, then it leads naturally into the question of when the decision will be made. If they give you another bogus date and still don't reply, I would say move on with your employment search. If they're unorganized enough in their hiring to operate like that, then they're probably not that great to work for, either. Also, there's nothing wrong with putting in applications at other places while you're waiting to hear. They haven't taken you off the market, so keep looking until they do! Anyway, that's just my two cents. Best of luck to you!

I wouldn't mention it, mostly because it's unnecessary personal information. As a doctoral applicant, admissions committees aren't going to care. They will be concerned that your SOP and PS deal directly with explaining the type of researcher/psychologist you want to be. They'll want to know what you've done, what you want to do, how you plan to get there and what you can bring to the table at their university. Very few adcomms are interested in biographical details unless they are strongly connected to what you plan to study (and even then I would suggest keeping it to a minimum). Plus, it seems like the accommodations you receive are unlikely to interfere in any major way with your studies, or with how professors operate their labs or classes. It will be a non-issue as far as your potential work there would be concerned. So while I don't think it would hurt your application, per se, I would leave it out, and use the valuable space in your SOP/PS for more important information that better sells you as an asset to their university.

I have taken longer papers and turned them into conference presentations, although I'm in a different field than yours (English lit) so YMMV with regard to my advice. It's not a huge issue to not "re-write" the whole paper, but that's pretty much what I had to do with mine because of time constraints. The thesis/thoughts are the same, but since writing and presenting are so different, it inevitably requires a different rhetorical approach to suit the situation. The first real question I would have for you is what are the time constraints this presentation is operating under? Generally conferences limit you to 15-20 minutes, and if that's the case you've still got a pretty long way to go. A 15 minute presentation is about 7-8 double-spaced pages since most people can read/deliver a page in about two minutes. The second question is what can you eliminate as ancillary? What will your audience generally know since they share your field? Your paper may be theory heavy, but since your audience is high-level, you may not have to delve as deeply into it as you think. What is your core argument? I think you've already identified one ancillary argument that can be left out of the presentation. That's good. Most of your work is going to require stripping away ancillary material, which is never easy because we are emotionally invested in our work and our writing. Faulkner said "In writing, you must kill all your darlings" and I've never found that more true than when reworking a paper. You've got to recognize that you love it, then recognize that it doesn't work for what you need in its current form, then kill it and bring it back to life as something else. When I have taken longer papers and reworked them for conferences, I've always started by writing an abstract. Most literature conferences require them for the proposal anyway, so I've found them a good place to start. Sell your paper to yourself in 200 words. That way you're working from something small, rather than looking at this daunting 30 page document that you have to cut by 75%. The abstract boils down your paper to its core argument. Then it's easier to build it back up. After I've got the abstract, I ask myself what is the essential information that forms the linchpin. I jot down a few notes/quick list of what these areas/sections are. What absolutely, positively cannot be cut? Open a new document on your computer, and put the new abstract at the top. Then copy and paste the key paragraphs from those indispensable sections from the old paper into the new presentation. This will look rough, but it will give you a place to start. The challenge then becomes fitting these sections together by filling in the gaps, but at least with this method you've stripped away most of the 30-page paper, distilled it to its core essence and into something that you can start to refashion into your final presentation. Also, don't be too worried about presenting in front of the "home crowd." It will be worth it because, in the end, whatever questions you might get can be used to strengthen your presentation before you ultimately deliver it at the conference. I recommend taking a legal pad and pen up with you so that you can jot down questions and notes for later. When I've done dry runs with faculty, they've always been very gracious, helpful and thought provoking. No one expects you to be as good as a professor with tenure. They know you're a grad student just starting out, and they appreciate that you're taking your first halting steps into professionalization. It is natural to be self-conscious about presenting, but I wouldn't worry too much about running a draft past faculty. They're there to help you, not to put you in front of a firing squad. Good luck refashioning your paper! I'm sure you'll be great.

Something to consider, because I know this happened to two friends of mine who did psych Master's programs. Many Psych PhD or PsyD programs will require you to do an MA as part of your coursework, so getting it before moving on to doctoral work might not be the best option. Both my of my friends (one PsyD and one PhD) entered their doctoral programs with Master's, and they had to re-do the two years of master's work anyway. Having a master's did not really shorten their time to degree in the doctoral program. Both felt like they "wasted" a lot of time on the Master's program. That's about all I can say because I'm in a different field, but I thought it was relevant to your question. Best of luck to you as you consider your options.

Some states require drivers education classes, no matter what age, so in some places it may be necessary. Not sure what the requirement is for California.

I don't have book recommendations, per se, but I thought you might want to consider taking a Yale open course or something from Coursera over the summer. Yale's open English courses has an introductory literary theory, and getting some theory in your background might be really helpful. Bonus: you can do the whole thing on your own schedule. Here is their website: http://oyc.yale.edu/english

I generally just keep to the basics. Something along the lines of "Dear So-and-so, I would like to propose a presentation entitled XYZ for the ABC conference. I have attached the abstract for this presentation. I look forward to hearing from you regarding my proposal. If you need any further information, please feel free to contact me at blah blah blah..."

Hi there! I know that at Kent they make their GA's do a summer semester course to introduce them to teaching the course (I considered Kent for my MA a few years ago, but ultimately chose somewhere else). I assume you will get most of your materials then. But that doesn't really help you start preparing now, does it? I bet if you wait another week or so, until after post-semester activities have wound down, the director of first-year composition might be willing to send you example syllabi, let you know the texts, and maybe even get you exam copies of the books/reading. Send him/her a polite e-mail and see what you can get your hands on. You also can start thinking about the basic elements of composition that you're probably going to have to teach, no matter how the course is structured: the rhetorical triangle, textual summary and analysis, development of argument, crafting thesis statements, topic sentences, organization, etc. Look around the web for handouts and exercises that you can crib from other areas/instructors. Also, I agree wholeheartedly with Glamour_Girl. You're going to spend a good amount of your time teaching students how to think critically, so have that in mind when you read the texts you're going to assign them. Think about ways to engage them with the text. How can you get them involved in the process of reading and writing? I always joke that I will teach through interpretive dance if it gets my students into the lesson. It hasn't come to that yet, but I have been known to toss a hackie sack around the classroom to keep them on their toes. (To them, not at them, mind you. I also bribe with junior frosty coupons...best $1 I ever spent at Wendy's.) Basically, I would encourage you to think about how you would like to be taught writing. When you were coming into undergrad out of high school, what were you most nervous about? Most of my students would say that they're good at having opinions (lord, do they have opinions...), but feel pretty lost about how to back those opinions up through ethical arguments, research based evidence, and analysis that weaves the two together. That's where you're going to spend most of your time. Do you have to do a themed course? If so, I would recommend going with something broad so that you can get a lot of mileage out of it. If you get too narrow you run the risk of alienating students who have no interest in that particular area. But broadness gives you some latitude.

Cairo! Wow. I tried to get into Cairo when I was living in the Middle East, but there was a border crossing situation that week and I headed to Jordan instead. I looked into Heritage Suites, and it is campus housing for CSU students only. Not really a problem, except you never know what you're going to get with undergraduates regarding parties/noise/obnoxiousness. You're lucky you've never lived with dorm furniture :-) It's usually pretty crappy. I think being car-free can be done in Cleveland, so don't lose hope about that. My friend is an exchange student from Turkey, and she's making it work without a car here. It is just trickier. You just have to do a little homework before you move to make sure you have access to bus lines that get you where you need to go. Also, CSU has ZipCar on campus (http://www.zipcar.com/csuohio/find-cars), so you can rent a car hourly/daily if you sometimes need to. Living along the HealthLine might be a very good idea for you. Here is a map of the route: http://www.riderta.com/routes/healthline. The HealthLine runs 24/7 through CSU and the Clinic, is very regular/reliable, and makes it so that you can live in the University Circle/Mayfield Road area (bigger apartments for a cheaper price, full kitchens and bedrooms, easier access to groceries, etc.). Have you looked at Montlack Realty? I know they work with a lot of graduate students and Clinic staff. http://montlackrealty.com/apartment/mayfield-hampshire-apartments/ I don't know why I didn't think of them before. Rents for 1 bd apartments seem to start at about $600, which is good for the area. I gave a quick look around their website, and I think a few might work for you: Under the Cleveland Apartments Tab, Fairhill Tower and Liberty Fairchild might work. Both are located right on University Circle, near lots of bus lines and the HealthLine. Under the Cleveland Heights Apartments: Pretty much any of those listed will work for your location. Cleveland Heights is a great city with lots of character. Apartments on/near Mayfield Road mean you will have easy access to the HealthLine. You would also have the option of biking to the Clinic if you lived here. I probably wouldn't bike from here to CSU because the neighborhood west of the Clinic is not good. Shaker Heights apartments might work as well, since the Rapid Train runs along Shaker Blvd. to the heart of downtown. Don't be confused by the name, though, the Rapid is not quick. It will take about 40 minutes to get downtown from Shaker on the Rapid. But it's worth considering Shaker Heights and checking to see whether the Rapid or the bus lines might get you where you need to go. Anyway, those are just some options to consider. I've only rented an apartment sight unseen once, and it was when I was relocating to the Middle East. It was a leap of faith, to say the least. I would, if possible, make sure the place you're renting from has a good website with lots of pictures/floorplans/contact info. I see Montlack all around town, so I know they're a legitimate rental company. The University Studios place is legit, also. If you're worried about renting a place sight unseen, consider contacting a realtor (Howard Hanna Real Estate is the biggest in NE Ohio) to help with your search. It won't cost you anything since realtors will get their commission from the landlord, not from you. The realtor can take into account what you want/need, and really target your search. Hope this is helpful. Let me know what else you have questions about.

Congrats on picking CSU (I think I responded to one of your other posts). Cleveland is a great city. You're going to love it. I'll start with the housing options you listed, then move on to your other lifestyle questions. Out of curiosity, where are you coming from? Lake Park Tower: I would caution against this place. It looks appealing online (and cheap) but there is a reason why it is so much cheaper than market rate in the area. It's a big tower with one (poorly maintained) elevator. The surrounding neighborhood is sketchy. I looked at this place when I moved to Cleveland's east side, and knew immediately that it wasn't a viable living option. University Studios: I have driven past these. They look nice, but I have not been inside. From what I can tell on their website, they do not have full kitchens, only kitchenettes, so that would be a big negative since you can't really cook. They are small (~400 sq ft) but expensive. You can get more bang for your buck if you rent somewhere like Cleveland Heights or Shaker Heights. Heritage Suites: This place, like University Studios, is very close to CSU's campus I think it's part of campus housing...if it is campus housing, you'll be paying much higher than market rate, and it will be furnished with typical dorm room furniture. You're in a tough spot looking to live between CSU and the Clinic, because that area is economically depressed and generally not very nice (high foreclosure rates, high crime, drug activity, not a place to walk around at night). Will you have a car or be relying on public transportation? Either way, you might consider looking out toward Little Italy, Coventry, Cleveland Heights or Shaker Heights. There you can find 1-2 bedroom apartments or duplexes for about $700/month If you'll have a car, there is plenty of parking at the Clinic and CSU (check with your department to see if parking passes are included in your stipend) Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights are near the Rapid, which will get your downtown relatively efficiently. The other two places have lots of bus access, and anything that connects to the Healthline bus route will get you to the Clinic and CSU, I think. The cities and neighborhoods I've listed are where most of the staff at CSU and the Clinic live. Very few people live in downtown Cleveland, or in the "midtown" area between CSU and the Clinic. But outside of the city you can find a lot of duplexes and some decent apartment complexes. Neighborhoods you should avoid: Hough, Buckeye-Shaker, East Cleveland, Kinsman, most things that say they're in "midtown," which is not nice. Neighborhoods/Cities that are mostly OK on the east side: Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights (East of MLK drive), South Euclid, Coventry, Little Italy Neighborhoods on the west side: Lakewood, the areas around W25th and Tremont are pretty trendy right now. Rocky River and Westlake are a bit farther out, but have good apartment living. If you have a car, they would be viable options. Public transit from these last two is a little more complicated (multiple bus transfers). I found my last two rentals in Cleveland on padmapper.com and craigslist (which now has a mapping feature). Regarding your paycheck. If you're making around 21,000/year, you can expect your monthly take home to be around $1,300 month, I think. That factors in Social Security, Medicaid and Federal/State taxes. You'll also have to pay Regional Income Taxes (RITA), but to be honest the RITA system is so screwed up I never really know how much I'll have to pay every year. Last year I made $12,000 and RITA was around $300 for the year. RITA doesn't get taken out of your paycheck, though, you pay quarterly or at the end of the year in a lump sum. Your stipend should be enough to live decently in Cleveland. If you got a roommate and rented a house, you could actually live pretty well. That's what I do. I rent a house in Cleveland Heights with two roommates, and it's really great. We've got 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, about 1,500 square feet not counting a finished basement. Two bedroom duplexes in Cle/Shaker Heights rent for around $1,100/month, so if you got one roommate, you both could live really nicely for about $650 including utilities. There are also some townhomes directly north of the Clinic on Chester Ave. They are gorgeous, rent for around $1,350/month and are affordable if you have a roommate. I can't speak to how outsiders who come to Cleveland like it, because I grew up here. But I left after high school, lived all over the world, and have come back to Cleveland. I will be sad to move away in a few months. Cleveland has a lot of positives (see my post above yours). There are also negatives (poor public transportation is my biggest gripe). I generally find that people who come here and get involved find that there are always things to do, whether that is sports/recreation, or the arts. Winters are snowy, tough and long, so if you're from a warm country be prepared for that. I am so sorry this was so long. Good luck in your housing search. Let me know if I can answer any more questions or help in any way.

If a PhD in your field won't help you do what you want to do right now, then I say hold off. Go out and try to get the jobs you want. Chase the dream job rather than incurring more debt for a degree that won't get you where you want to go. Along the way, you might find that you can teach as an adjunct somewhere with your masters. I know that some of the community colleges around me offer forensic science classes. Also, and I can't believe that I know this, but Ohio University, Central Florida, and West Virginia all have chem PhD programs with a concentration in Forensics, (I have a friend who applied, but ultimately reconsidered and just stuck with his masters). Best of luck to you!

Kudos to you for re-evaluating what you want. I went to an undergrad institution that sounds very similar to yours, I also looked for a PhD program that was strong on pedagogy and got students tons of teaching opportunities. Are you applying to MA programs, PhD programs, or both?

If it was a typo and your deadline is Jan. 2014, your application may have gotten caught up in some deadline confusion. If you were working in Jan-May 2013 on an application due Jan. 2014, then your application likely got filed in with the 2013 applicants. If that was the case, then around May I would expect them to send out automatic rejections to the incomplete applications on file. Schools don't usually see applicants working on an application a full calendar year before they're due, so generally after they are done with the current year of applications, they'll close out those files, wipe the slate clean, and open up the application process for next year. I know some of the applications I filled out this year asked me to specify which semester I would be enrolling, but others did not an just assumed I was applying for the upcoming fall. I don't know if this is how your situation played out, but it's worth considering.

You might want to consider an Amazon Prime student membership (I believe it's free for the first six months, so if you time it right, you can use it for fall and spring textbook orders). With the membership, you get free 2-day shipping, so you might be able to order the books right after you register, get them in time for classes, and avoid the obligatory 485% bookstore markup.

Hi Eddie, As a fellow English MA (soon to be PhD) I LOVE talking about writing! Be it success or horror stories, I love working with student writing. WIth regard to how long it "should" take you to write, I think that's a matter of determining or knowing how you work best. I personally spend a TON of time reading (over-researching, actually) and notating. The writing part comes pretty quickly to me. My classmate, on the other hand, makes his way through the research stage rather quickly, but writes rather slowly. So our timetables and processes are different, even if we're working on the same paper for the same class. He is consistently working on draft #2 or #3 when I finally stop researching and start writing. We both understand how our process works best. I view my semester as a system of "triage" in which I have to prioritize my tasks. After about the second week of classes, I'll sit down and consider due dates, paper requirements, etc, and determine which paper is the "easiest." I will then determine when I want that paper finished (usually in the next three weeks), and get it out of the way early. I find that getting the first one done helps immensely with my stress level. After that, I prioritize the rest of the semester's tasks into a game plan (I also work backward like Andean Pat, based on when I want each project finished). This game plan gets put into my master calendar, which has all of my obligations planned into it. This helps me see how my school life and my "outside" life work together and conflict in tangible, visible ways. It also lets me break each day into manageable chunks that can be given specific tasks. So instead of saying "This week, I have to write a draft," I can say something more concrete. "To write my draft this week, I need to spend Monday afternoon reading/notating these three articles." Then after Monday, I can assess what needs to be done for Tuesday, so on and so forth. This is involved, and it may not be ideal for you. I think it all boils down to finding what works for you, then developing the discipline to stick to it. I really, really struggle with this. Sometimes I don't stick to my system as well as I would like. When I stumble, I strategize how I'm going to recover rather than beating myself up about it. My system is there to help me, not cripple me when I don't adhere. With regard to your perfectionism, I would say that drafting is your friend. Write the first draft with the conscious thought that your first draft is just about getting the ideas on the page and is therefore intentionally imperfect. It is allowed to have problems! Problems are good. It lets you wrestle with difficult things (can you tell I'm a theory nerd?). When you are writing the first draft, don't allow yourself to grind to a halt if you come across a problem. Keep writing or move on to something else (a whole other section of the paper if you need to). This is the draft that you use to identify imperfections, then work toward address them. If you need some externally imposed pressure to get your draft done, consider setting an appointment at your school's writing center. Then you can have a "deadline" for your draft and also get the added benefit of getting an extra set of eyes to look over it. (Full disclosure: I work at my school's writing center, so I'm a shameless shill for writing centers). Writing centers also can offer a judgment-free environment where you can get valuable practice in dealing with criticism of your writing. Finally, realize that no piece of writing is ever finished--it just reaches the point where it can be turned in. (This is my generic knock-off of da Vinci's "Art is never finished, only abandoned.") There is no perfect piece of writing. I've never gotten a paper back with no criticism on it, and I never will. Your task is to make it as strong as possible, then release it to the world so all can see your brilliance! Best of luck as you finish out your semester! Courage!