rising_star

Here's the thing. Even lots of discipline will make it difficult to learn a language like Chinese on your own. While it's a good idea to begin studying on your own now, you should check to see if there are any schools in your area that offer a beginning Chinese class that you could begin in the spring semester. The rigor of learning in the classroom is really difficult to replicate on your own, even with something like Rosetta Stone. I think your idea of looking for an East Asian Studies MA is a good one. But, don't worry about the cost. Focus on identifying and applying to 2-year MA programs that offer funding to their grad students (typically as a TA for an intro level course) Please don't take this approach. As I said before, there's a lot to be said for learning in an immersive classroom environment, which is difficult to replicate. You should be around and with other students that you can learn from as that will help you master the language. So will spending time immersed in it, though only once you reach a certain level. If I were you, I would make an appointment with your university's study abroad office to review all of your options for studying abroad. It's possible that they'll identify even more options if you say you aren't concerned about getting credit from your current university. Another idea I haven't seen mentioned yet. Have you considered signing up to teach English in China for a year or two? Several advantages. First, income. Second, you'll be (or can be) surrounded by people speaking Chinese and you'll have invaluable everyday experiences with the language that will help your skills grow by leaps and bounds. During school breaks, you could enroll in local, intensive language learning programs to learn even more. And you could do it all without going into debt. Just a thought...

Hey! Welcome back! I think that you should try to identify programs you're interested in, then read their grad handbook online to see how they handle comprehensive exams, since that will help you identify the most appropriate programs given your research interests and concerns about comprehensive exams. History isn't my field so I can't offer any specific programs or anything. but, sorry to hear that your comps weren't a good experience and that you're back to applying again.

I doubt anyone legitimately puts in 100 hours of productive work week after week. It's just not possible given the human body's need for rest. So, that point in the letter is ludicrous. Seriously ridiculous. And, as Sparky points out, there's no legitimate reason for it. The author even indicates that when s/he says that they recognize that not everyone can commit to 80-100 hour work weeks but that productivity is what matters most. The part about needing to read is a legitimate one. I try to read at least the abstract and conclusions of an article every day, though this doesn't always happen for any number of reasons. But yes, we need to read to know what's going on in the discipline and stay current.

You can't just out of the blue ask someone to mentor you. You need to build up a relationship with that person first. Have you continued corresponding with her? If not, try to build a relationship through email first, then maybe you can advance to phone/Skype conversations, and meeting at conferences.

I think you need to schedule your day and divide up your work better. For your TA work, you need to limit the hours you will answer emails and grade student work. Set a reasonable amount of time per assignment and stick to it (I used to limit myself to one minute per double-spaced page I had to read/grade). Only answer their emails once per day, and limit the amount of time you spend doing so and the length of your responses. Tell them if they want more, they need to come to office hours or ask you before or after class. But, there's something I don't understand. If you're only affiliated with a BME lab, why do you have to take classes in that area? Or did you decide to enroll in two separate degree programs?

The only gifts I've ever given are handwritten notes thanking them for the things they've done, specifically tailored to each person obviously. I've been told that these meant a lot.

I would include a strong writing sample, if I had the option to upload only one supplement.

Pick up a copy of Bernard's Research Methods in Anthropology and read it. Then start reading qualitative methods texts in the Sage Research Methods series. That should help you. Because really, without knowing your specific research questions and what you want to know by asking them, it's impossible to say what kind of analysis you should be doing.

hypothesizer, I would say that neither of the measures you have proposed makes sense, particularly since they both rely on an inverse probability that cannot be calculated.

Your university/department probably has a template for the data management plan since all NSF grants require it. Also, the deadline has been extended to December 6...

I would be clearer about how the location relates to your research. In fact, you might want to put it in the section where you talk about the research you want to do, rather than in a fit paragraph. If, for example, you want to study the U.S.-Mexico border, then you'd want to say in your application to UCSD that their location puts you closer to your study population, if you know what I mean.

I have folders and binders of hard copy journal articles. I organize them mostly by topic, keeping all the references I'm likely to need for a given paper in the same place. But, you really should develop an organizational system that works for you!

I would put it on a CV under a heading like "Selected Coursework".

The SOP opening I used back in the day (I applied to PhD programs in Fall 2007) is basically the same as Quant_Liz_Lemon's. I'm not including it for anonymity purposes but, here's the basic structure: "At the forefront of my research interests are A, B, C, and D, with an emphasis on using Z theory to acknowledge problems." It worked, btw. I got no complaints about it.

If I were you, I would send an email to your new program and see if you can send out an announcement for the department list saying tha tyou need housing for spring semester. It's definitely not to late to do this and you may be able to find a sublet of a furnished place. Alternately, you could stay with another grad student while you're working on finding your own place to save on costs. If I were you, I wouldn't just go for campus housing because, in my experience, it's both overpriced and not as nice as what you can find on your own.

Nah, I don't think you're behind. I doubt many people finish their spring semester syllabi before the beginning of January unless they have to for other reasons. But, definitely get to work on creating a syllabus, particularly if there are books you want that the bookstore will need to order and stock for students. You should also go ahead and start pulling together the readings you'll need, class activities, etc. The more you can prepare now, the better off you'll be once the semester starts.

If you don't have a psych background, you should get one before you apply. Clinical psych programs are notorious for being ridiculously competitive.

Do you want to go to the school? Then apply. Because your recommenders already have to write for NSF so this app letter will only be a modification. And really, you can't focus solely on the NSF right now. Do the other application because you'll likely regret it if you don't. Honestly, I can't believe that you're going to drop a school that you're excited about and that's a good fit for you and instead apply to others that you are less excited about. Are you insane? I realize this process makes people crazy but really. A recommendation letter can be written in a couple of days and it is not that much additional work to add one more program. TRUST ME! Professors are used to this happening because that's how things go. Have you ever paid any attention to academic job ads? I applied recently for a position that was posted on Oct 17 with a deadline of Nov 1 and required 3 recommendation letters. I'd already asked for letters for other things and not one of my recommenders balked at being asked to submit this additional letter. Not one. Read that again and let it sink in. So, here's what you should do. Email your recommenders to let them know about the additional school, where the letters need to go, etc. Set up an online acct for that school's grad app and start working on it. Email the POI and thank her for her enthusiastic reply, let her know you're still interested and will apply, and say that you look forward to speaking with her further. Check FB, Twitter, G+, GradCafe, or whatever other social media less and use that time to work on your application and get it done. Got it?

The major national conference in my discipline requires abstracts but never final papers. Particular sessions may require participants to submit their papers in advance (for example, for a discussant to review ahead of time) or may invite participants to submit their papers to an edited collection for a book or special collection for a journal. But, that's not the norm by any means and it does not make this conference any less important or significant in our field. YMMV since your field is different.

FWIW, my MA and PhD programs are organized along a similar timeline to yours. I have rarely met with either my MA or PhD advisor three times or more in a semester. This semester, I've had one 15 minute phone conversation with my advisor, exchanged few short emails, and that's been it. In the first year of my MA (which I finished in 2 years), I only met with my advisor a couple of times since I still needed to figure out my project and there wasn't a whole lot they could do to help me with that. The ethical thing is a much bigger concern, particularly if others in the discipline are aware of these ethical concerns. You don't want to spend your entire career associated with someone whose ethics are questionable. The wisdom of switching advisors and remaining in the department is really department-specific. In some places (like my own graduate program), this happens with relative ease, little fuss, and no objections from the faculty involved. But, this may not be the case in your program. Before you do anything, consult your department's program handbook. There are two approaches for handling this. The first is to talk to your DGS and mention that you are considering working with someone else and ask about what the procedures for doing so are and if ze thinks doing so will offend anyone. The second is to start meeting with potential new advisors about your interests and see if they are even willing to take you on as a student. Good luck! Let us know what happens.

There are loads of environmental studies programs, and also programs that don't have that name but have lots of faculty in that area. For example, the subfields of environmental anthropology and political ecology (in geography and anthropology mostly) present a social science-based approach to studying the environment. You might try looking in those areas too.

1) Yes, plenty of people here have had issues with their advisor. What's unclear to me is how severe these issues are. What do you mean when you say that she's not paying you any attention? What are you expecting of her? Why do you think she's not setting you up to succeed? 2) To switch programs, you're going to need to apply to and be accepted by the MPH program. It's not as simple as transferring, though you may be able to start taking courses in the MPH program before being formally accepted.

That sounds like a better idea to me. A publication or even a revise and resubmit from a respected journal would be a strong indication that you're working on improving your writing and have made good improvements.

Relax! You haven't made the wrong decision just because the research you're doing right now (in your first year, right?) isn't what you want to do for your career. Give it a chance, first of all. Second, realize that your research focus will shift over time in grad school. Yes, you can do a postdoc in a related area if you want to. Your current research won't hinder that provided you're able to clearly articulate the research you will do as a postdoc.

I want to reiterate a point: the POI likely will not tell you at the application stage that s/he might be leaving. Two examples: when I applied to PhD programs, there was a program where I communicated with two faculty members, determined that our research interests match, applied and then, after some delay got rejected. It was my only rejection and I didn't understand it so I asked my MA advisor, who in turn asked a friend of hers. That friend informed me that *both* of the people I applied to work with were taking other jobs. After the department's internal hiring process was complete and they hired two new faculty in my subfield, they admitted me, encouraged me to talk to these new profs, and decide on their offer. Clearly my rejection was about lack of fit with the remaining faculty more than anything else. Second example: As previously mentioned, my advisor took a new job last spring. There were a few rumors circulating in our department in December/January, which he officially confirmed in February by telling his current students that he was interviewing for a few jobs. The announcement that he had accepted an offer elsewhere came in mid April, I think after the big April 15 of grad admissions. So, asking before applying wouldn't have yielded any information. Just some food for thought.