Imaginary

I'll add another perspective, here. I am a graduate student and former high school teacher. I would never expect a student, even a student in university or graduate school, to turn in an electronic copy after they had already given me a print copy. I find such a request extremely irresponsible at this level. As a high school teacher, I once misplaced a student's assignment. I felt terrible and it caused me a lot of anxiety; thankfully, I found it. I have taken great care to never repeat that mistake. Even at the university level, why should students have to do extra work due to an instructor's mistake? That said, such problems could be avoided simply by requiring all students to turn in electronic copies rather than print copies.

I'm not arguing that it is an extra chore. Rather, I am arguing that (despite the policy) it would be problematic if the student were to suffer consequences due to the prof's mistake. Everyone forgets policies once in a while, or has something unfortunate happen - a lost USB, for instance. Some students struggle with anxiety, which may cause them difficulty both with following such policies regularly and/or with following through should a prof contact them unexpectedly with such a request . In any case, I believe the OP is an undergraduate rather than a graduate student. 

I'll add another perspective, here. I am a graduate student and former high school teacher. I would never expect a student, even a student in university or graduate school, to turn in an electronic copy after they had already given me a print copy. I find such a request extremely irresponsible at this level. As a high school teacher, I once misplaced a student's assignment. I felt terrible and it caused me a lot of anxiety; thankfully, I found it. I have taken great care to never repeat that mistake. Even at the university level, why should students have to do extra work due to an instructor's mistake? That said, such problems could be avoided simply by requiring all students to turn in electronic copies rather than print copies.

I'll add another perspective, here. I am a graduate student and former high school teacher. I would never expect a student, even a student in university or graduate school, to turn in an electronic copy after they had already given me a print copy. I find such a request extremely irresponsible at this level. As a high school teacher, I once misplaced a student's assignment. I felt terrible and it caused me a lot of anxiety; thankfully, I found it. I have taken great care to never repeat that mistake. Even at the university level, why should students have to do extra work due to an instructor's mistake? That said, such problems could be avoided simply by requiring all students to turn in electronic copies rather than print copies.

I agree with you that if an instructor misplaces a copy of their student's work, it should be on the professor, not the student. I am constantly fearful that I will misplace one of my students' work so I always keep it all in a folder, count before I take them home to grade, count them before I bring them back to work, etc. I don't actually know what to do if I lost an assignment (I guess I will have to check the university policies). I think without any policy, my only choice would be to either: 1) request another copy of the work, or 2) do not count the assignment towards the final grade (only viable if it's a small-value assignment). Option 2 is easy but it could hurt the student if this was going to be their best work all semester.
But, in this particular example, there is a university-level policy: All students must keep copies of their work. This is a reasonable University level requirement and something the student should have known. I think this is a great policy because then in the case that an instructor does lose an assignment, they can ask for another copy. Or, alternatively, if there needs to be an investigation on the work, students must be able to provide a copy of their work to those who need to know. 
Sending in another copy is barely extra work, especially since the student should have already have a copy of their work as per university policy. It would be unfair if the professor gave the student a deadline like "give me another copy of your work TONIGHT!" But if the professor makes a mistake, loses their work, and asks for another copy, and provides a reasonable timeframe + allowances for submission of the copy, then it's all fine. 

That's wonderful, @DanJackson! Unfortunately, I was too overwhelmed last year as a new PhD student with a family and new to Canada, so this was my only shot. Thank you for sharing your experience for others; it could really make a difference.

Just yesterday, I met someone who currently holds a Vanier. He ranked 4th in the nation. 

Good luck today everyone! I am sure we are all enjoying the life of mad refreshing the page. 

I imagine closer to the end of the day? Good luck everyone and congratulations on your nominations. Just getting here is a big deal.

I have not heard end of day. I heard earlier. I'm sticking to my 2 days. I might not make it.   I really hope they don't give me my ranking if I didn't get it. I'm not sure i want to know either way.

3 more days!

I know! The last two weeks have gone by so quickly, but this last week before the results are released is going to feel like forever..
 

I'm a new to the site and just signed up.  I was pretty confident until I did  so, however.  In the security question this site requires to ensure that I'm not a bot, it asked the name of the planet we're living on.  I typed in "Earth".  I was told that this was incorrect.  Have I missed some new developments?  I retyped it.  Again, it was invalid.  I know I've been busy with coursework and stuff, but I thought we were still calling this place, Earth.  Maybe it was the capitalization...it's an earth, not the Earth.  Sigh.  Good news is that it asked me what three plus 11 was and despite my GRE math score being in the toilet, I was able to figure it out.  But just in case it comes up in an interview, would someone let me know what planet we ARE living on.

I would be flattered and would make sure to submit the paper, but this is not an official invitation, so I wouldn't list it on the CV as an invited contribution. 

I'm interested in what other people out there think about this interview. Personally, I think the SLP said all the wrong things. She's right about one thing, though: She's old! 
Thoughts?
http://www.npr.org/2015/07/23/425608745/from-upspeak-to-vocal-fry-are-we-policing-young-womens-voices

And, as much as I'm infatuated with my program and location, I am worried about job prospects four-five years from now.

Update: I was contacted by the chair of my department today...they offered me a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) which comes with full tuition remission (including remission of the out-of-state portion of tuition), fees, health insurance, and a stipend. I am INCREDIBLY excited and will accept their offer momentarily.
 
I am incredibly excited with how my season turned out and I hope everyone else fares as well as we come down the stretch.
 
Best!

Hi All, I am writing with some GREAT news! Over the Easter weekend I sent a note to the Grad Coordinator at Wilfrid Laurier enquiring as to when applicants would be notified of results.The next working day I received 3 emails one after the other.
 
The first notifying me that I was accepted to the PhD Geography programme!
The second the letter to provide to the High Commission to obtain the study permit.
The third...CONGRATS on my award of the Ontario Trillium Scholarship!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I'm thrilled beyond words!!!!!!!!

What does your typical day look like?  How do you manage your time?  Bonus if you have a family, but not necessary.

It often IS possible even if there isn't a formal program listed. It really depends on the second department. Some will make you apply just like all other external applicants (this is a pretty competitive programs) where this is not necessary at other universities.
 
The only thing I  might caution you against is bringing this up with your Dean before you have even matriculated. They admitted you and want the focus of your work to be in their department. If you bring up the idea after a semester of "exploration" I think that might be an easier sell.
 
Best of luck with your decision and whatever program you choose.

Right? Guess I'm going to be the only 29er (soon to be 30er) in my program when I begin in the fall... 

I think some bring it up because it is truly a concern, in particular if their age is an outlier (20<, or 29 and above).  I always assumed that my current age was closer to the median but after seeing the spread above I feel like an old man, and I am not even that old! When I read posts by those who are 21 or 22 who talk about the "older students" I also assumed that they were just that, older...as in like late 30s or 40s or whatever.  Now I am thinking who they were really talking about were the 27, 28 year olds in their program.  Sigh.  

Congratulations, Janaca! I applied to English and Women's Studies at U Michigan three times..

This is a thing, but as far as I can tell it's also a privilege given to tenured scholars. The pattern seems to be that you train as a 20th century Americanist, Victorianist, Miltonist, etc, get a job and tenure, and then publish your magical treatise on Shakespeare and Toni Morrison.

I don't think it's harmful to gesture towards interests that are less period bound in a SOP, but the reality is that hiring is very much tied to periodization. When you go on the job market, you'll be applying for positions that fit your period "slot." Even if scholarship is pushing the boundaries of periodization/genre/temporality, it's a situation in which the material reality of the job market hasn't caught up with/doesn't reflect this scholarship. 

I had an eye-opening experience during my application process regarding specialization:
 
I marketed myself as an Americanist, and all of my interesting research ideas are in American literature. One application asked me to organize all of my UG classes by period, and I realized (to my legitimate surprise) that I had taken something like 6 American lit classes (including 2 seminars). In every other period, I had taken one or (rarely) two classes. Correlation does not imply causation, but my takeaway from this is that I am so interested in American literature because I have knowledge in that area (duh.) It is also overwhelmingly the type of literature I read for fun.
 
I am going into my MA with this in mind. I still plan to take American lit classes, but I am going to see what happens when I take courses in other periods and geographical locations and keep an eye out for research opportunities.
 
After all, I had a professor who taught and studied Victorian literature, but took exactly no pleasure in reading from that period. She had a real passion for modern British drama, but almost never taught it. "I don't mix business and pleasure," was what she told me about this (to me) weird choice. It should be added that she just published a book on Victorian lit and is a respected scholar of that time period.
 
tl;dr: Keep your options open!