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rainy_day

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Everything posted by rainy_day

  1. Oh, I hear you! I'm also a bit all over the place. For me, I'm not interested in any one particular time period or author, so that was out. I knew I was into power dynamics, and gender, and post-colonialism, and female authorship/audience, and pop culture, but also literature from various eras...It's hard to write a compelling SoP when you are all over the place. I ended up doing a lot of journaling/brainstorming about what interests me. I started with lists of key terms and authors., and then I thought about my favorite papers. I asked myself *why* they were compelling. For me, it wasn't that I was writing about Coleridge (although I do love him!), so much as the questions I was asking. I looked at the similarities between the questions I kept coming back to across my favorite papers. Finally, one afternoon of journaling, this one sentence that sums it all up just sort of came to me. Now that is the opening line of my SoP. Hope my story helps. I don't think it is the standard path, but it worked for me. In the other comment I just left you, I posted a link to some funded MA programs. BC does have Irish Lit and Gender Studies within their dept, fyi. Also, anecdotally, My good friend is at Brandeis right now, doing an MA, and she loves it.
  2. Good luck! I took a lit theory class last fall at a local university, and it was wildly helpful in narrowing my focus. Also, I didn't have a strong lit theory background from my undergrad, so if that's a hole for you and it's something you'd like to learn more about, I'd definitely recommend taking that for a class. Also, there are some funded MA out there. Maybe if your lit profs are trying to recruit you, they can work out some funding? If your undergrad student body is poor in quality, that doesn't mean the grad program is, you know? Here's a list of some funded MA programs: http://community.livejournal.com/wgi_lo ... 10017.html
  3. Oh! I love Cambridge so much. Go eat ice cream at Toscanini's in Central Sq (but probably only at the end of the month, as it is pricey). And go for a walk in Mount Auburn Cemetery; it is beautiful. And go to lots of movies at the Kendall Square Cinema. (Can you tell I miss Cambridge? Good luck this semester!)
  4. Sadly that article is locked content. I think that if someone signs their email with only their first name, it is an indication that they are not as formal. I am not in grad school yet, but for work I am constantly visiting and emailing professors, and if they consistently reply to me with their first name, after about 3-5 emails I usually start using their first name, too.
  5. I know that BC is funded for a number of applicants! Other than that, I don't have too much info. Someone will chime in shortly to point out that you need to focus on fit vs. ranking, which is true.
  6. Here's my two cents: If you know you want a PhD, I think it makes the most sense to apply straight to a PhD program because a) it can save a lot of money and who would want to deal with this application process twice? That being said, I don't think that the MA first is always a bad idea. I think the question you have to ask is: how much will I improve as a candidate? I have a friend who is completing her MA right now, and she's gained a huge amount of confidence, improved her grades and writing, and presented at a lot of conferences, and learned a lot. Overall, she is a stronger candidate having been through the MA first. She also spent a lot of money on it. Anyway, I'm rambling a bit, but I guess I am trying to say that an MA first can be helpful, if you think you need a leg up. I think if you don't need the leg up, then it is a waste of $$. Personally, I don't think it would be much of a boost for my application, so I'm only applying straight to PhD programs (see point a. and b.) Is their an English prof from undergrad that you can talk to? They will probably be your best asset, since they know you and obviously the field. Are you committed to applying this year? Another option might be to take a few grad-level courses at a nearby university in English to prove that you are up to the task and can keep up with the work, meanwhile you would work and save up some money.
  7. I bought this book, Graduate school Essays, by Donald Asher, and I found it really helpful! If you're feeling stuck see if it's in the library or at the bookstore; it might provide a good framework to help you brainstorm, focus, and revise your SoP. Good luck.
  8. I made a list of 53 schools, all in locations I'd be happy to live for the next 7 years (because at this point in my life, I know that location is important to my happiness and success.) Then I built out this big spreadsheet, listing the basic application info, sub-fields/specialties, faculty of interest, notes about program, etc. I used this to narrow down my list to about 30. Now I'm looking very closely at faculty bios and faculty research, aiming to break my list down to 9-12 programs. I'd definitely recommend making a big spreadsheet, and plugging info in, as you try to narrow down your choices. It was incredibly helpful for me.
  9. Haha! Sorry. My advice was a bit excited, eh? Any chance you go to Brown? Then you could borrow my cardigan! (I do not go to brown; I just live next door.)
  10. THIS! I am surprised how infrequently this is urged, but I think it is the most important advice out there. Your first ten questions are worth *way* more, in terms of determining your final score. I'd recommend freerice.com, because it is a fun way to procrastinate every ten minutes or so and it also emphasizes the first few quesitons in the same way the GRE does. (And it is the easiest way to donate imaginable.) As others have said, and I think you yourself see, being calm and confident is the most important part. Good luck!
  11. The pants sound perfect. If the shirt is a T-shirt/causal type, I would borrow a cardigan from someone. Or if it is somewhere in between dress it up with some jewlery/a scarf and nice shoes. (Can you tell I love clothes?) Have fun!
  12. I wouldn't bring it up! Most likely, they won't remember specifics (think of all the names that float across their desk in a given year). You aren't lying to say, "I am applying this year and am interested in your research...." But I don't really see an upside to telling them that you were rejected last year, you know? I don't think it will count against you if someone does remember, but I wouldn't make a point of bringing it up.
  13. If you think it will considerably raise your score and/or give you peace of mind to retake it, then I saw go for it. If you think your score will stay the same and/or it's less stressful to leave it as-is, then do so. At least, that's my take on it.
  14. I have heard that the "i love research" claim does not go over particularly well with adcoms, for two reasons. 1) it is assumed that you love research; that is why you are applying to a graduate program and 2) everyone and their mother writes about how much they love research. I have read that the trick is to "show, not tell," as in show them you are passionate about research by talking about what you have and would like to study eloquently and intelligently. I'm still drafting my SoP, so I am basing this on the advice I have received from others, but it makes a lot of sense to me. Good luck!
  15. I don't think they are impossible at a bigger/bigger name school, but they are certainly harder to come by. My department was 4 full time faculty members and no TAs, and about 60 majors total. This made it very easy to get to know my faculty very well, in a way that would have been a greater challenge at a larger school. I'm not trying to hate on the big/big name schools, but I do think an small, even unknown school can be a great asset, in and of itself. Just representing the SLAC alumni out there.
  16. Adcoms will want to see that you can undertake independent research projects. The honors thesis will show that. Also, you will work closely with one professor, who will then be able to write you a really solid LoR and mentor you thoughout the process. Even though it won't be complete until after you apply, the fact that you are doing it will look very good to a Communications grad ad com.
  17. Unfortunately, no one else can answer that question for you. What do you want to do? Why do you want to go to grad school? Why do you want to continue working? Which option would benefit your career, in the long term? I suggest a good, old fashioned pros and cons list.
  18. I am from a tiny, unknown school, too. The thing is, because I went to a tiny school, I now know my professors very well, and did lots of independent research with them. I graduated in 07, and we still email and meet up for dinner regularly. I will have really, really strong LoRs because of this. I also have a mentor willing to review my application at every stage of the process. If I had gone to a big school or even a big name school I would not have these kinds of relationships, and I think they are invaluable. SoP, Writing Sample, Perceived Fit, LoRs --> those are the criteria by which you will be judged most harshly. Maybe it's because I also went to a small, unknown school, but I honestly don't think it is going to weigh that heavily in the application process, considering all the other factors that are involved and are clearly so much more important. Good luck!
  19. Lots of people take time off (myself included!) for a variety of reasons. The adcom will not care why you took time off, or even that you did. (Although, some say they prefer students who have taken time off because they are a bit more focused, but that is debatable and will not get you into a program.) The adcom will care that you will succeed as a scholar. I plan to address the ways in which I've continued my work as a scholar while outside the structure of school/academia.
  20. Do you mean Rhetoric departments in general, or specifically the Berkeley Rhetoric department? B/c the department at Berkeley is not a traditional RhetComp department. (At least, that's how it seems from my research, but please tell me if you know something I do not.) I realize that "off-shoot" may have sounded flip or dismissive of the programs I was referencing; I didn't mean to! Many of those are the departments in which I am the most interested.
  21. Get a zip car, and go to ikea for the day! It's only about 35 minutes away, and you can get so much for a very little amount. I think Ikea even delivers.... Anything in the city, delivering, will get pricey pretty fast.
  22. Does anyone know what programs out there do not require the GRE Lit? For the record, I'm not making my *fit* decisions based on this piece, by any means. I am just interested, and the folks on this forum are so knowledgeable, I thought it was worth asking around.
  23. I would think of this more as research goals--because those are certainly career goals! And those SoP quesitons are usually the same for every department, I think, so they might not all make sense for our discipline. (I'm English too, though on the Theory/Culture Studies end of the spectrum.) Good luck!
  24. I bought Donald Asher's Graduate School Essays, and it's been really helpful so far. He has a lot of info about how to brainstorm, and there are lots of examples in the book, for different disciplines. The book is for *everyone* so sometimes the advice isn't so fitting (i.e. would be more approiate for professional degrees, rather than PhDs) but overall I think it was a great purchase.
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