C&C
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Posts posted by C&C
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Sorry not sorry Cookie, you're just wrong.
Most of us here frequently try to limit or omit details on our programs to maintain an air of professionalism even while dealing with uncomfortable situations.I am just thankful that this professor and I can have that solid professional relationship now that I am out of her class.
It was a lesson learned on my part, and I'm guess I'm happy I learned it early on in my graduate career. Yay learning? Haha
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She graded everything last minute even though we turned in all of our assignments much earlier so I know that was her guise to lower my grade based upon her mood. Thankfully, I had the good sense to check my transcript before sending out an email and saw that she bumped it to an A. I'm incredibly happy that my university is on a flat grading system so all As look the same.
Thank you both for the quick feedback! I've read in other posts about horrific professors and how political grad school can be. Unfortunately, it turns out my program is no different.
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I decided to check my grades this morning and saw that one professor (who is unprofessional and has made it clear that she does not like me) is dangling my grade at an [redacted]%. I am in this class with one other graduate student and we taught most of her classes for her (don't get me started on that), led discussions, and the course is in my area of interest...so there is no doubt that I did A work all semester.
I know she is doing this to mess with me, but I do not know how to approach her via email. I have scholarships and assistantships on the line so I need straight As. Either I convince her to bump me [up by redacted]% now (which is honestly the very least I earned) or I am most certainly disputing this grade with the department and any deans necessary. I am in such shock at how unprofessional she is and that I was stupid enough to want her to be my adviser.
Any suggestions? (Grades are due tomorrow so I need to contact her ASAP.)
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Your fellow students can be a nice support system. Personally, I have made only one close friend in my department which suits me well.
I chat with my classmates when I see them so we're all "friendly" even if we're not friends. I have found that many of my classmates come from interesting backgrounds and can have great insight---so don't rule them out just yet!
I don't see why you would need "permission." You could ask your POI if there are any students she thinks would be worth reaching out to. Everything is pretty crazy in my department right now. If you want to contact current students, I would wait until they are on break or right when next semester starts.
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It seems like your POI is suggesting that the majority of the students and professors are dedicating their studies to histories outside the US. If you feel like you could work with the 3-4 professors that you mentioned it should not be a problem--especially if 3 of them share your specific interests. Cohort refers to the graduate students.
The only troubling aspect that you mentioned was the use of the word "weak" by your POI. I am inclined to believe that she is referring only to the number of students studying US History. BUT it could also mean that she doesn't see the program as being particularly strong for US History students. (Not sure why she would speak negatively about the program though.) If possible, I would reach out to current students in your area of interest to see how they feel about the program.
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Perhaps the best monographs I've read this semester are Danielle L. McGuire's At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance & Pete Daniel's Lost Revolutions: The South in the 1950s.
I'm eagerly awaiting next semester's syllabi!
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UNC-Charlotte has both history and public history. I am a traditional history student, but I have taken public history electives. The departments work closely together, and if you ask I'm pretty sure they would let you blend courses. Especially if you already have some research topics in mind.
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Thanks for the replies everyone!
I'm mainly afraid that I'm trying to copy my professor's grading style so both halves of the class get the same treatment. I don't want to do a disservice to anyone!
At the moment, I'm mainly following what you suggested Fuzzy--everything is tentative and I'm definitely picking out patterns in what they understood and struggled with.
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Did anyone here start out with a fear of grading student assignments? And how did you get over it?
I sat down for 2 hours yesterday with the professor I'm assisting to go over how we wanted to grade the first exam, and to make sure we are on the same page in assigning grades. Now that I'm grading the exams alone, I am terrified of the responsibility. I'm following the notes I jotted down and the rubric she gave me, but my lack of experience is unnerving.
Any advice?
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In my experience, due to the beauty of computers, the applications usually will not let you 'submit' unless all of the required fields are 'filled.' Perhaps you could ask the programs if you could send what you have now for the writing sample (maybe an introduction and first chapter?), and then send in the finished product at the end of the semester.
The programs I applied to had no issue with this method, but as you noted, each program varies.
Best of luck!
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Hi everyone! It's great to join this thread as I will be applying next year as a MA applicant. I just took the GRE and I got a 313 (V 155 M 158). I plan to apply to several schools in the top 10 and mostly schools in top 30 (except for William and Mary which is currently ranked 36 based on the US News ranking). I have been really troubled by this score because I originally aimed to score higher. I know that GRE is not everything in the application, but do you guys think I should retake the test with this score? or should I just let it go and work on perfecting other parts of my application? Many thanks!
Kudos on taking the GRE so early in the application process!
While you're spot on about the GRE not being the most important part of your application, I recommend retaking it. Your first scores are strong, but since you're applying to top ten programs and you're a history student I think your verbal should be higher than the quant. However, I don't think you should be troubled by these scores (as I said they're already strong)---you have plenty of time to study, retake, and improve. I think you can easily crack the 160s in both sections!
Best of luck!
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Does your current program not require a senior thesis or seminar paper? I submitted my in-progress thesis to programs, and they had no problem with it.
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I find myself in a similar situation! I am constantly donating items and immediately finding more that I can part with.
For now, I will be living close to relatives who will help me with storage, but they want to move soon and I want to move abroad after grad school. I'm really hoping to learn how to downsize over the course of my MA program.
Were there any articles that you found to be particularly helpful?
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As much as I love my iPad Air, I don't think it's a necessity. I think having just one device allows for the best "seamless" experience. Personally, I think a Macbook Air (or a PC equivalent) meets all of your specifications.
However, if you're set on two devices, I second Juillet's advice. I use the latest MacBook Pro Retina and the iPad Air. No complaints with either device!
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After digging through the 20+ sections, I found out that my professor actually hasn't uploaded the required books yet. I'll keep my cool and email her late July/early August if I don't hear from her before then.
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Well I get to choose three options. How does it work at other colleges? Do they just let you teach some random course you may have no clue of?
I did not get to choose or rank courses. My department head emailed me (and cced the professor) with my assignment. The course is not within my field, and the professor is in the history department but specializes in African History (my area is the American South).
I'm extremely nervous, because I'm not sure what I'll be expected to contribute, it is not an intro course, and I have yet to hear from the professor. At least I've read one of the books on the list...in high school.
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2013/14: Applied to 4 programs--accepted at 3, waitlisted at 1.
2014: Decided on UNC-Charlotte--My interests have already shifted, but I want to study the American South (undecided if I want to stay in 19th cen. or move to 20th) with a concentration in public history (AKA taking the 3 core classes that differentiates the programs).
At this point, I'm excited, but I have no clue what I'm doing.
Best of luck to everyone!
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This just comes down to personal preference. Backpacks help my back and let me lug more, so I stick to them. The president of my undergrad university was seen daily walking around with a backpack.
In terms of looking "professional" it comes down to how you carry yourself, how you conduct yourself, and how you dress--not how you carry your books.
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Before getting my iPad, I tried using my Kindle paperwhite to read pdfs and a had a hard time getting them on the device and to format nicely. However, when I downloaded books for class on the Kindle, it worked like a dream. If you don't want to put the money down on an iPad, I'd recommend the Kindle for your books and just taking pdf print-outs to class.
(Maybe you'll have better luck than me at getting them onto the Kindle.)
When it comes to reading, I personally prefer the Kindle to the iPad as the iPad is always too bright for me.
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Not all universities offer free versions of Endnote for all users (mine, for example, only offers it free for students in certain schools). I haven't used the newer versions of Endnote - the last time I used it was probably in 2009 - but I remember it having the same functionality as Zotero and Mendeley for a lot more money. I actually prefer the way Zotero works, and another thing is that Endnote messed up my citations SOOOO many times. I spent more time fixing my references in Endnote-generated lists than Endnote actually saved me, especially for shorter lists. So I used Zotero. I used Zotero for my dissertation. I literally had 50 pages' worth of references and I would say about 5-10% were done incorrectly, and in that case, it was because they were downloaded incorrectly in Zotero. And then I could just fix them and hit "refresh" and voila, it's perfect.
I'm going to second your remarks on EndNote. After my horrible experiences with it during my undergrad thesis I will never ever ever use it again. I found out after submitting my paper to the department that EndNote had botched some citations and my entire bibliography (it changed the format after I saved and sent it to the printer) so I had to quickly do it all again without the program, reprint (the entire 95 pages), and sprint across campus. Needless to say, it caused unnecessary amounts of stress on top of everything else.
At this point, I'm considering buying EasyBib so I can use all of their citation formats. I've been using it with no issues since middle school so it's that or typing it all out myself (which really isn't that bad).
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I'm moving to the deep south and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to dress for the hotter months when it will be super humid and hot outside walking to classes, but frigid inside with the AC blasting. I also don't know if shorts are appropriate for grad school but I don't think I can do jeans in Alabama August
I'm looking into some 5" (or longer) inseam shorts with patterns or pleasant solids. I think as long as the top looks nice and the shorts are appropriate it's completely OK to wear them in the Alabama summer. Perhaps carry a cardigan to pull on in class?
I don't even bother with jeans until late Fall down here. It's brutal!
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Now that school is also my job (TA), I definitely feel it is necessary to represent myself and my department well. I've started searching for cute blouses on sale, as well as some nice shorts (bye, bye denim). It's definitely easier to look nice in the Fall in the South, because it is ridiculously hot in the summer. Sweater, skinny jeans, and Doc Martens is my favorite outfit.
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In my last semester of undergrad I had my hair as a dark brunette to fuchsia ombre...and several of my professors (thesis advisor included) liked it. My hair is currently toned down to light brown ombre, and I love it.
Go for the blue!
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How I found my schools:
1. Google, google, google! (It feels as if I did this for months on end in the beginning, but it was well worth it.)
2. Talk to current/past professors.
3. Based on those findings, narrow it down by research interest/reputation/geography.
Ex: If one program has faculty you like, but you couldn't stand living there...consider ruling it out.
4. Talk to your friends at thegradcafe
Best of luck!
Biased Grading
in Coursework, Advising, and Exams
Posted · Edited by C&C
Since this forum is still fizzling, I will add this as a final post:
A classmate from this course works in one of the university's professional development centers, and shared what was happening with a boss that works closely with professors. This individual was shocked by the specifics of the class, and believes that there is a strong case against this professor for unprofessional conduct in the form of verbal harassment/abuse for repeated actions since the beginning of the semester. (This happened to a number of other students in this class too, and in past courses as well. I was warned by most everyone in my cohort when I arrived to university.)
I'm not interested in pursuing it AT ALL, but that is the one detail I will provide to show that perhaps I am not entirely crazy, paranoid, or grade mongering. (Again, there are others, but this one was the most important.) This course weighed me down all semester and negatively impacted my mental health, and I'm sorry for letting that shine through in the OP without relevant details (and for posting).
Mea culpa gradcafe. Thank you for the insights nonetheless!