hj2012

I burned all my application materials and sent the ashes to the sky after I hit the submit button -- I knew there were going to be too many things I regretted! [in all seriousness, my stuff is sitting in a folder on my desktop, but the bonfire idea sounded cooler. I also submitted everything all at once, so it's been easier to keep myself from revisiting old files.] Your interests are fascinating, although I'd be curious to know if you're defining "femininity" along traditional lines of feminine performance, especially in light of the work of third-wave scholars that have tried to redefine the word altogether. Is your work primarily historical/archival? Your second interest is even more intriguing to me, because there have been so few studies of everyday life for gays, and there's a particular dearth for those focusing on lesbian experiences. I did my undergrad thesis work on Afro-Caribbean diaspora in London, but am applying with an interest in the transpacific diaspora (with a particular eye toward Filipino, Korean and Vietnamese populations). I've strayed quite a bit from purely literary interests, and now look at sociological/anthropological discourses surrounding migration, particularly those created in the context of U.S. empire activities (Spanish-American War, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War). ....wow, this still sounds quite broad. I promise it sounds much more concise in my statement!

Also, what are everyone's research interests? Mine are in my signature, though I could be persuaded to elaborate more specifically.

Or you could send them a personal courier, or maybe a carrier pigeon. Definitely!!! I'll be pretty busy through the holiday season, but I know the long, dreary days of January/February await...

With your location/job restrictions, that does make a lot more sense. In Boston, Harvard has a great Asian Studies program, but I assume it probably has a residency requirement. Tufts offers a professional IR degree, but I don't know if they allow part-time students. You might also consider Boston University. They have a strong Asian Studies center to supplement their MAIA program. You could also look at NYU's MAIA program. I'd imagine an MIS degree (and your stated goals of entering the business world) would give you an edge at places with an international business bent. I also wouldn't count yourself out for professional IR programs. They're actually less competitive than an M.A. program like Yale (that accepts, what, ~10 students max?) and a good number of students from my undergrad institution transitioned into highly ranked programs like SIPA, SAIS and Fletcher straight from undergrad, even without work experience. However, I believe most of these programs require full-time enrollment. There's probably an Asian Studies thread floating around somewhere on gradcafe. They might know better in terms of program recommendations if you're committed to area studies. ^^

I feel you. My partner is also applying to graduate schools right now. If I don't get in anywhere, I'd probably end up trying to get a job in the city where he decides to attend.

Phil Sparrow, thanks for the insight. Out of curiosity, is there a set of schools that is generally considered to be "up and coming"? What are they? I'd also be curious to know which schools are in danger of being supplanted...I've already submitted all my apps, so it doesn't quite matter, but I am curious.

Wait...how is the OP irresponsible? From the OP's post, it seems that he's in a stable relationship. He says he owns a home and two vehicles TOGETHER with his partner, so this is obviously not a random fling. Even if you take every necessary precaution, sometimes pregnancy still happens. There's no contraception that comes with a 100% guarantee. Anyway -- OP, congratulations. A close friend of mine recently had a baby; she's ABD and seems to be balancing the writing process and parenting life pretty well. Also, I was born while my father was still a Ph.D. student, and my parents managed fine. My mother had a full-time job, and my great-aunt was able to provide childcare, which really helped them a lot. As far as I can tell, I'm not any worse for the wear. It's definitely doable, and I wish you and your girlfriend all the best.

Hey, I remember you. I see you weren't able to squeeze in a retest. =/ My advice remains the same: if Yale states a GRE minimum score on their page, you'd be best off emailing them directly and finding out if they'll consider your application. If there is a section for additional information on the application form, I might add one sentence to explain your situation. However, I don't know if it'll really help your application to do so. Are you applying to other programs besides Yale and Columbia? They're both pretty competitive, so you might want to cast your net wider. This is just anecdotal, but...I did a Fulbright grant in Asia a few years ago, and a number of people from our cohort applied to East Asian Studies programs (with Ivy league degrees, stellar GPAs & GRES, good resumes, etc) and some still were rejected from Yale. Honestly, it's a crapshoot regardless of how good your stats are. You can also check the gradcafe results survey to see how accepted candidates stack up in terms of GRE scores, if that's what you're most worried about. Also, looking at your information, it looks like most of your experience is professional. Why do you want an area studies degree? If you're not interested in going into academia, professional IR programs might be a better bet. They'll care a lot more about your work experience.

If you don't have a 4-year undergraduate degree, I doubt you're qualified for most master's degrees. In that case, a certificate program would probably be best if you're dying to come to the U.S. However, I don't really know why you're so dead-set on coming to the U.S. if there's no chance whatsoever you can qualify for an H1B.

I also don't expect to hearing back from anywhere until February at the earliest. And wow.. maybe W&M is still operating out of the colonial Williamsburg mindset?

Congratulations, verycunning! That's awesome -- and just in time for the holiday season! Agreed. Get it down as close to the limit as possible. Why give them an excuse to reject you?

I'm kinda in the same boat in that both my boyfriend and I are applying to grad school at the same time. I'm looking at PhD programs with the intent of becoming a professor one day, so I'm not as worried about grad school as I am about tackling the two body problem when looking for jobs. Then again, that seems so far off that it's difficult to really consider right now, when I'm not even sure if I'll get in anywhere. >.<

Wow. That's quite the reading list! Wish I could say the same, but knowing me, I'll probably be curled in bed with a copy of 50 Shades of Grey....

If you find an employer who is willing to sponsor you for an H1B visa, then everything else becomes incidental. You cannot do a CPT or an OPT as an H1B visa holder (CPT/OPT are primarily educational programs geared toward F1 visa holders). I also know that many American universities require three years+honours in order to qualify for admission. You'll have to look carefully at your options.

Do you have other work experience and/or a stellar resume? It's pretty difficult to get sponsorship for an H1B.... For CPT, usually (though not always) you are required to complete a year of full-time study before you become eligible. Also, CPT is generally part-time (20 hrs/week or less) unless it's during a vacation period. Someone else could probably tell you more about the utility of a compsci degree in industry.

Hey there! Try using the "results search" to find the GRE scores of applicants to your target programs. http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/ Hope this helps!

I believe the thesis track would definitely help you if you decide to continue on to a Ph.D. If that's a strong possibility for you, then I would lean toward the thesis option.

IMO, some Bs in your first year of college are not worth explaining.

Bullet cat! Take deep breaths! It sounds like you have a bad case of impostor syndrome. There's a reason why you're at your school, and it's not because you somehow secretly sneaked in. (You deserve to be there!) The names you're mentioning have written foundational texts that underlie much of the literary debate today. Even if you don't have a passion for critical theory (perfectly understandable), you should be familiar with the major works of figures like Derrida, Foucault and Said. However, this doesn't mean you have to reference them all the time, or be able to recite their works -- just be aware of the trends and contributions of major theorists to your field. To use the example of Said, you might start by getting a grasp on some of his key concepts and ideas, e.g. "orientalism" or "diaspora," by reading a summary of the trends surrounding the word (can be found in a Routledge Critical Theory Companion or an intro text like Keywords for American Cultural Studies). Honestly, if he's tangential to your research and field of study, I might just stop there, since the goal is to understand what people mean (or what they're trying to get you to think) when they reference Said. That said, if you're interested at all in transnationalism, race, (post)imperialism, third world studies, etc. you should probably be reading directly from the primary source, although I'd start with Said readers as opposed to cracking open to the first page of Orientalism. As for Foucault......there's always Sparknotes. (BTW, this is me assuming you're in a literature program, because I'd imagine you wouldn't have to deal with Foucault, Derrida and Said in a speech pathology school.)

Hey Lisa! I'm not a SLP applicant, but you might get more of a response if you post in the Speech Language Pathology forum: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/95-speech-language-pathology/ Best of luck on your applications.

If you're looking to do a specific neuroscience major, I'd look carefully at the majors available at each school. I'd expect something like neuroscience to be interdisciplinary and therefore (relatively) rare as an actual major course, especially at a smaller school like Geneseo.

To add to what Joeyboy said, it's also kinda insulting to your future husband....I would hope that he would marry you because he loves you for your personality, unique qualities, etc ... not because he thinks you're going to be obedient and clean the house. If that were the case, the guy should find a housekeeper, not a wife.

I think it's good to have as many people read it as possible, since it's always possible to take their advice with a grain of salt and only use the suggestions that jive with you. Some of my most helpful feedback has been from friends who are also applying to grad school. It's not that they told me to rewrite crucial portions, but it was nice to have someone help with transitions, word choice, tone, etc. FWIW, I also had my two undergrad advisors read it...and they told me contradictory advice. Oh well!

Are you looking for schools with specific Neuroscience major programs, or are you looking for a dual biology/psychology degree? Geneseo, with its smaller classes and "honors college" feel, might be a more nurturing environment than, say, Binghamton. However, there will be fewer and less diverse research opportunities at Geneseo, simply because it's a smaller college. At the undergrad level, it's ultimately really hard to predict which institution would prepare you the best for grad school. I'd say you should choose the place that fits you best holistically -- in terms of environment, location, etc. The rest will sort itself out.