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kent shakespeare

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Everything posted by kent shakespeare

  1. I vaguely recall the pressures of being 20-something and thinking I *had* to do x,y, and z by certain ages... Let me tell ya, real life don't work that way. I just turned 41, and I'm a month into my grad studies. And there are plenty older than I around. Thanks for the chuckle, and the nostalgia. And always remember the 90-something woman who graduated from law school in California a couple years ago.
  2. It depends on the school. Where I am, Trent U, it's not only welcome, but you can apply to a couple programs on the same application fee. Some programs are interdisciplinary, and some research topics (like mine) can fall into multiple categories. If a school you are interested in allows it, it's worth considering.
  3. kent shakespeare

    xxx

    It sounds like you were using the novels as primaries, showing attitudes of the times they originate from. I know of other projects along a similar line that were acceptable on their own merits.
  4. f I were you, I'd make it clear that you need full funding to go to Penn. Otherwise, I'd stay at your school and do your PhD there. It might not be optimal or even exciting, but it seems to meet your financial needs - and your mom's.
  5. plenty of people entering MA programs don't have a lot on their CVs. Many are either right out of undergrad, or maybe took a year or three off and worked.
  6. generally, yes, it means credit hours. but when in doubt, check with them. sometimes a U will have their own way of doing things.
  7. It seems like a good idea to me, but then I'm not in an elite program, nor a decision-maker. It seems to me that is shows you are up to grad work in History, and that it would strengthen your application. It would give you more up-to-date recommendations as well, and up-to-date writing samples.
  8. Yes, you should. I've been in a similar place - 5 schools, and two of them were only 2 classes each. one of those 2 sunk my funding chances at one school; at another I was tentatively approved but they still waited for all the transcripts before officially accepting me.
  9. I always hated conclusions, too - the whole "summing up" bit. Rather than trying to sum up, I have better results by reframing the conclusion. Find a new angle through which to reframe your main points in such a way that reiterates but also freshens them up. If your SOP is a story, then your main points are your characters - like any good story you need to show how your points have developed along the course of your narrative. Not knowing specifics, it's hard to suggest something less abstract.
  10. Don't be discouraged by age. I'm 40, and even going back to finish a BA in recent years there were plenty older than I. Grad school cuts even heavier our way. it seems many Us want at least 1 LoR from a prof, but others can be from professionals/community leaders etc. - just choose some who know you know how to work on and complete projects. If your undergrad school isn't far, go in person and meet up with old profs (the web can help you determine who is still around, of course). You'd be surprised at how much they might remember about you. Failing that, a single refresher course, as the other said, even at the CC level will prove helpful. As an older student, the CC instructors will appreciate someone who actually pays attention, does the work and speaks up in class.
  11. I'll ditto about Ithaca. I've had many LGBT friends who have lived there over the years. All love it. don't know the others. But friends who visited Davis in the early-mid 90s said it was a very conservative place.
  12. I did an honors thesis as well, but it didn't even factor into my applications (as I had nothing ready from it until well after application deadlines). It is still definitely worth doing. An MA thesis seems far less daunting having already done a project of somewhat comparable scale. It's great experience.
  13. Thanks. Since I posted this, things seem to have been resolved. It just took a while to reach the right person, and find out what I needed to do.
  14. Tuesday is the day. Cleared the border and got my study permit yesterday - only a three hour delay (Greyhound). Enjoying a few days in Montreal before I hop the bus for Ontario.
  15. first of all, don't underestimate a prof's memory of students. Even if one doesn't quite recall your name, a face-to-face reunion will probably remind them. In my experience, profs are only too happy to write new letters. They are more likely to remember you than to remember the outcome of prior letters they've written- if they even knew the outcome. you remind me of me sometimes - throwing up obstacles where there aren't any. Stop talking yourself out of the effort. Our own resistance tends to be our worst enemies.
  16. Ithaca is a smallish city but with a lot going on. I've had lots of friends who have gone there. Its got many big-city cultural assets in a place that isn't so big. For a major metro, Boston is a much more college-ish city than Chicago or NYC; it just feels like a giant college town. NYC may have more colleges, but they don't permeate into city identity the way they do in Boston. It's a quite beautiful city. The University area of Pittsburgh is quite nice, a sub-city unto itself. Great parks, restaurants, nice area to live. San Diego has amazing weather year-round, and is quite nice. I don't know the U area specifically. Vancouver is also a beautiful city, but I haven't been there since '92 so I can't say much more about it other than it's nice.
  17. I prefer a small-to-medium city, where you can still meet people and there is enough going on, socially and in the arts, yet with enough of a smallish feel that one can feel at home. If I were you two, I'd try to compromise, and look for a small town commuting distance from NYC. Westchester, SW Connecticut or northern Jersey might meet needs, where you can be in Manhattan in less than an hour: Rutger's and 2/3 of Pace campuses off the top of my head. Of course, that depends on your programs, too.
  18. I'd include the year in France on your application, whether in your CV, statement of purpose, or (as some schools require) in your statement of language proficiencies. I'd also discuss the situation with your potential supervisor. It's hard to see it being the deal-breaker; schools I've looked say that they will just expect you to take more language courses if you can't pass a basic translation test.
  19. The CCs around here are only hiring adjuncts; nothing f/t. here's a thought: go to the PhD program, and get your foot in the door as an adjunct while working on your PhD. It'll get your name higher on the list when a f/t opening does arise. At such a time, you can decide whether/how to continue your PhD.
  20. there are still plenty of unique topics... unfortunately you have to adjust a bit. You can always do something CW-wise once you're a prof. Maybe you could use your Italian and look at Italian migratory labor in the US south during the 19th C? Plenty of Italians migrated around the Pond throughout that era. Could be interesting to see what primaries exist in Italian or English. Thus you could sidestep the CW in you topic but also include the CW era. Have your dolce and eat it too.
  21. Yes. Stafford loans. You can begin an application on-line, and it will list your school among the choices if it is one approved for the Stafford. I used Sallie Mae, which has a straight-forward application, and one used to working with overseas schools. You just click on "International" for school location, and then scroll through the many choices.
  22. I'll second that. pants are easy to get away with multiple day (especially if you're like me and most of your pants are black of different styles). It's better to have some variety in shirts. Re: the prior Q: Unless you are in a specialized program that expects a particular clothing style, grad classes have flexibility in attire. But if you have a TA/RA of some sort, you should dress probably reasonably professionally. See what the more seasoned TAs at your U are wearing.
  23. looks like a case of, "do as I say, not as I do." if you re-read your own posts, you'll see you are far more guilty of what you accuse others than anyone else.
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