rainy_day

Anyone applying to UC Irvine? How long is your Personal History? They don't post any guidelines on length, and I'm not sure what to aim for! Good luck, all.

I think it's accepted that you fit into more than one category, and they'll have your SOP. I refuse to believe that something as small as that will determine your future!

Adjusting to being back in school can be pretty hard for a lot of people. I think the question you have to ask yourself is why you want this degree in the first place. You did a lot of work to get where you are, and that was for a reason! If you can tap into your motivation for being there in the first place, it might help you push through the difficulties you're facing. If you have depression/anxiety issues you're struggling with, I highly recommend finding a therapist to talk with. Most schools have someone right on campus. Because there's lots going on for you right now, and dropping out wouldn't necessarily address the things that are making you upset. In fact, it might make them worse. My two cents: Talk to your advisors about what you need to be doing better, figure out your schedule asap next semester, find a therapist to talk through stuff with, and find some ways to have fun/have a social life, because no one can work all the time. Good luck. P.S. You have a fantastic user name.

I'm not applying to Toronto, so take this as you will, but I've been operating with the assumption that 11:59, in my time zone, was the deadline for these schools. (Except for the jerks at Cornell, who say "5pm.") If you can get it in by midnight your time, it's probably for the best.

I have a section on my cv called "additional work experience." It's the final section, b/c it's not immediately relevant, but it also a. shows I am a well rounded person and b. explains what would otherwise be an employment gap. Think of it as an advantage, not a weakness!

Hey TImshel, Sorry for not actually reading your questions thoroughly before responding. Your plan sounds like a good one! It's still well within the deadline, and I'm sure they go by "post mark" rather than "received by." I don't think you need to worry about sending it priority, honestly. A letter explaining that you'd like this added to your already existing application folder can't hurt.

Hey Timshel, I just submitted my Buffalo application this morning, but I still have to send stuff in the mail. Here's what I did/am doing: I filled out the online application and there is a text box to include your SOP and awards/publications and job experience. I'm also mailing my SOP and CV because I don't trust that the text box will print out nicely at all, and I like presentation. haha. I'm mailing the following: Official transcripts (1) SOP Writing Sample CV And a cover letter, letting them know what is in the envelope Address: Director of Graduate Admissions, Department of English 306 Clemens Hall State University of New York at Buffalo Buffalo, New York 14260 My LORs also sent their letters to the above address. You have to provide them with a form, which you sign to waive your rights to read the letter. The letters can be mailed separately. Good luck!

I would also take the teaching opportunity; I think it looks far more prestigious.

Thanks, Timshel!

I submitted to Northwestern! I was super proud of myself for getting everything in a few days early...and then I found 3 typos in my sop and realized they had a word limit, which I'd exceeded by 150 words. Yikes. Really wish I waited until the next morning to hit submit! Good luck! The whole process definitely does get easier once you've done one, but I'm still finding myself editing my sop extensively between applications (beyond the fit paragraph). So much for being "done" with anyone part.

So UMass wants a paper copy of the writing sample and official transcripts. Do we know if they want anything else? When I was applying 2 yrs ago, almost everyone required at least a writing sample mailed to them. It's interesting to see how quickly that has changed. Also, at least their application process is more logical than UWashington, who wants a paper copy *of* the application itself, along with paper everything else.

I honestly believe the GRE Lit is the least important part of anyone's application, by far.

Yup! An Emeritus faculty member might be around here and there, but likely won't be teaching classes and definitely wouldn't be taking on new students.

Wait, this whole thread is blowing my mind. People have been told *not* to discuss individual faculty in their fit paragraphs? How on earth do you demonstrate fit otherwise? This literally goes against every advice I've ever received!

How are any of you dealing with your "fit" paragraph when it comes to the presence of academic rockstars at a given university? For example, I obviously do not think Spivak and Butler are going to be sitting on my dissertation committee, but their presence at Columbia speaks to why I want to go there. They are both hugely informative in my research, so it seems silly to pretend they are not there, but I cannot figure out how to mention them without sounding like a moron. Any ideas?

I'm in a similar position (my writing sample is on 16th century drama and I do contemporary American cultural studies). Send your best work. Just make sure, in your SOP, you make it clear how this project relates to your work as a whole.

Do you have to discuss the Army funding? If possible to leave that info out, without going out of your way to omit it (like leaving out the professor's university!) it might not be a bad idea. Politics is tricky in an SOP. Good luck.

It's interesting that you say this, because I think Butler gets *a lot* more readable as the years progress. My theory is that, with Gender Trouble, she was writing against the world, in a way, having to prove every single little point. But now--she's Judy B! She doesn't need to explain that gender is performative; we mostly buy that idea (or at least respect that it's a legible theoretical position). Undoing Gender, for example, is highly readable I think! (As far as theory goes, of course.)

Oh, I love Derrida. I kind of love them all, actually. Because I am a masochist. Although I think she's super brilliant and I love her, Spivak is one of the most difficult theorist to read, imo.

In my mind, it is much more important that your SOP be as air tight as possible. So I'd rather send in a statement that is a bit short but concise, than add a potentially weak filler paragraph. If you have something substantive to say, go ahead and add a paragraph, but if not, just hit submit. Or perhaps use a bit more time talking about the awesomeness of NYU itself. Good luck!

The old test quizzed you on vocab words without any real context, so memorizing words was really helpful and important. The new text places words in context, so vocal and reading comprehension are simultaneously important, and memorizing words is less helpful than it used to be, imo.

I recognize the specific tone of panic in your voice, and you've got my empathy MichelleNero. Specifically, I recognize the voices saying "If I do all of this they might forgive me, but I can remind them I exist until I do all of it!" And at the same time you're crippled by anxiety when you look at the mountain of work in front of you. So nothing gets done, and you're afraid to talk to anyone until anything gets done, and it's one vicious cycle that is making you crazy. You need to reach out and talk to someone in the department. Pick who you think might be the most sympathetic, perhaps, if that lessens the anxiety. Reach out to the profs to whom you owe work, and have them set a deadline. Meet with the DGS and/or your advisor, and work out a plan. You can't ignore this problem away, and you've also got to forgive yourself and stop beating yourself up so much, so that you can actually address the problem. I really strongly second the advice of talking to someone about depression and anxiety. It's something I've struggled with, and I know how painful it is, and therapy has been invaluable. You don't deserve to feel trapped like this, you know? Good luck.

Oh goodness, that's fantastic!

There is no way I would want to give ETS any more money than I already had to. Take some practices test, either through PowerPrep or a Princeton, etc, and do the best you can to keep the conditions "test-like" (i.e. don't let your roommate come in and talk to you about Friday Night Lights when you're halfway through).

I'm a fan of name tags, propped up on the desk. It helps you, and it also helps the students remember each other's names. I run a discussion section, so knowing names helps create a strong environment for discussion. A lot happens the first week of classes; sometimes we all need reminders beyond that first week. Like rising_star, I have a personal aversion to icebreakers. I plan on asking (in addition to name, major) students what they are hoping to learn from the class. I'm teaching intro to Women's Studies in the fall, so there really is a variety of answers to that question.