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Sigaba

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Everything posted by Sigaba

  1. If one stipulates that the "correct" or "interesting" idea is what matters, then one can turn your POV on its head. That is, if a graduate student calls professors "Professor" or "Sir" or "Ma'am," those conventions don't matter if the graduate student presents ideas that are "correct" or "interesting." Which, as it happens, describes my approach to addressing professors and presenting ideas. (Welllllll, the "interesting" part [sometimes] , if not always the "correct" part. )
  2. Agreed. IMO, her "yes" was really a "no" that would have better served you if she'd just said "no."
  3. If you suspect that you have a learning disability, I recommend that you take steps to figure out if you do have one, which one it is, and what you can do to mitigate it before starting graduate school. Put yourself in the best possible position to succeed as soon as possible. Your path is going to be hard enough without a potential X factor lurking around, waiting to raise its head at the worst possible moment and in an unforeseen way.
  4. Heed Safferz's guidance. The SOP is an opportunity to demonstrate one's skills as a writer.
  5. Read carefully the "fine print" on your application materials. When you sign the dotted line, are you consenting to background checks? Are you affirming that you're sending all of your transcripts for all the schools you've attended?
  6. The reasons center around my belief that the needs of a department are greater than the preferences of a teaching assistant. YMMV.
  7. You're going to hate graduate school if you don't find ways to turn the corner on this dynamic.
  8. @handk-- The woman has done you a favor, and shown you respect, by detailing why she said no. I recommend that you keep those reasons in mind when you're in graduate school.
  9. I'm going to drift out of my lane for a bit to throw in two cents. I work for an engineering consultancy. Among our clients are colleges and universities. Many (read: most) of these institutions bench mark themselves against comparable institutions. This academic eyeballing is a way of keeping up with the Joneses although what is being compared doesn't always make sense to outsiders. From this practice, I'm inclined to believe questions like "Where else are you applying?" is a form of marketing research and not a cause for alarm. (For those of you who gain admission to schools that ask such questions, you could let the Powers That Be know the questions freak out applicants.) IRT the specific situation framed by the OP, I ask, why not list the schools alphabetically, either by school name or by city/state? @Loric, you've been in a bit of a tailspin the last week or so. How about giving yourself a break, cooling off for a while, and coming back strong when you've got it together again? (At the very least, stop digging yourself deeper into the holes you've started and stop giving guidance on matters that are beyond your expertise and your experience.)
  10. Congratulations, Hazak. I am not an engineer but I do presently work for an engineering consultancy. I recommend that among the factors you consider in making your decision is the number of firms in the area that have internship programs. That way, you could potentially stay close to campus during the summer while getting paid (albeit very modestly) to do some work in your intended field for a potential employer. Also, if your career aspirations include becoming a principal, you might look at each institution's business school to see if you could do some course work. This type of training might give you an edge in the job market down the line. HTH.
  11. Some suggestions for scrubbing your writing sample. Take a day or two (or three or four if you can stand it) in which you don't look at it or even think about it. When you return to it, print out copies of the draft for proof reading. Typos and other gremlins are good at hiding on computer screens. Read through copies of the draft looking for your specific mechanical issues--one read through for each issue. (For example, read through one for verb tenses, read through two for spelling, read through three for run on sentences, and so on.) When you've brushed up the draft after the previous step (using the same process), consider printing it out again and reading the writing sample backwards, word by word. Don't say "fuck it" because that is bad mojo. Yes, you are going to reach a point where you have to stop. When you do, tell yourself that you've done the best you can do under the circumstances. HTH.
  12. Agreed. My R61 series bought the farm after five years and I was able to get a refurbished T430 at a decent price. One could take Usmivka's guidance to the next level by searching tech-related BBs for components within a lap top. As it happens, my aforementioned laptop had a defective graphics card that impacted HP and Dell laptops more often than Lenovos. I did not learn of this defect until after the machine died but I was fortunate that it lasted for five years and was still running well enough that I didn't need to do any upgrades to the OS, the RAM, or the HDD. Although it is conventional wisdom for consumers to not purchase extended warranties, it was my experience working at a software R&D lab that businesses frequently do. The reason why is to have in place a plan for getting machines up and running again with minimal down time. While there's a good chance that you won't ever need the warranty and there's also a smaller chance that the repairs won't work, ask yourself if you want to be in graduate school without a warranty and be on the hook in terms of money and time if SHTF. IRT to OS, I recommend that if you're in the market for a computer, wait until you get to your department and see what everyone else is using. My $0.02
  13. I would ask myself: "Precisely why, after receiving guidance from a burning bush at 'my top choice school,' am I second guessing that advice by conducting a straw poll among strangers on the internet?" Also, you're sending mixed messages about your cumulative GPA. You told her it "isn't so hot." Now, you "don't know if a 3.4 warrants this extra scrutiny." Which is it?
  14. I recommend that you discuss your career objectives in a way that shows you understand how your own interests fit into the needs of your field as well as the broader needs of either the Ivory Tower or the private sector. By detailing how you fit into those two overlapping big pictures, you may demonstrate to readers that you have a maturing (but provisional) vision of your future rather than an embryonic fantasy. One other point. Do not ever assume that anything related to your pursuit of an advanced degree is "obvious" and therefore not worthy of your full attention and your best effort. You want to give people reasons to take you and your interests seriously--using words like "obvious" is an invitation to do the opposite.
  15. I made a practice of greatly expanding my office hours the week before exams, organizing study sessions, and, on occasion, distributing study guides. As the day of the exam approached, I'd ramp up the intensity of the discussions and the complexity of the questions. Throughout, the focus was on how to use the exam as an opportunity to read, to think, and to write like a historian. I gave hard deadlines to students for the submission of drafts for evaluation. My comments and "blue penciling" made it clear that the task at hand was to craft a well written historiographically sustainable argument. For what ever reason or reasons, I got very few "When was the War of 1812?" type questions and was never asked "What grade will I get?" (I'd like to think it was because undergraduates responded positively to heightened expectations and increased opportunities for support. But it may well have been because I come across as someone who is often grumpy.)
  16. I would not make the request even if the coordinator solicited the information. Instead, my focus would be on how to be an effective TA regardless of the schedule. IMO, one's personal preferences are not more important than the needs of one's department. That being said, if you are going to make the request, phrase it in terms of what you want to do, not what you don't want to do.
  17. My assumption is that aspiring graduate students will lean forward, show initiative and ingenuity, and put themselves in the best position to achieve their goals regardless of the obstacles they face--including finding ways to get information/guidance. During previous application seasons, members of the Grad Cafe have discussed this topic. While they may be long gone from this BB, the threads and posts in which they discuss what they did and share the results remain available to all. (The search string "Berkeley personal history" yields 179 results dating back to 2008.) An aside. In the coming years, you are going to experience many moments when those who are further along in the process appear unwilling to discuss this matter or that one. Now is as good a time as any to start developing the skills and the motivation to get such individuals either to point you in the right direction or to send you to someone who will.
  18. A question. If one were planning to climb a mountain but had never done so before, should that person seek advice from people who been there and done that, or should that person ask others who had also not climbed the mountain?
  19. Sir Richard Evans is https://twitter.com/RichardEvans36
  20. The dynamic you describe above sounds like a worthwhile theme to explore as you read your selected works and, time permitting, do some additional historiographical research in the relevant journals. That is, while you learn the social history of twentieth century America, also focus on how the field itself has changed over time. HTH
  21. Do you study military history or the interrelationships between military historiography, academic historiography, and military affairs?
  22. In especially anxious moments, I compare the situation to the most stressful experience in my life: having a hand gun pointed at my head while refusing to give the thief my gear. Generally, the comparison provides perspective -- no matter how bad things may seem, I'm not going to get shot over it. This method worked pretty well for me. That is, until the week of my first two qualifying exams.
  23. Although the above information doesn't square with my experiences, it is good to know for future reference. IRT the taking of photos, IME, it isn't so much the fact of having photos of students, but the way one goes about doing it. For example, if you use an instant camera, have the students write their own names on the pictures, and, on occassion, allow for a retake, you can get some relaxing chatter going. Also, I've benefitted from using a student information form that provides a grid for student's schedules and making it clear before hand that the grids will be used to schedule my regular office hours. Finally, I may have been glib when I wrote of a "riot act." I simply meant reading a sentence or three on the school's policies on academic integrity.
  24. Depending upon the schools to which you apply and the specific command for which the historian works, you might want to consider carefully using a LOR from that individual. For example, if you apply to a school that has an emphasis on the Pacific rim and the historian works for USPACOM, the LOR may do more harm than good. Such are the legacies of the navy's role in American imperialism. On the other hand, if you apply to a school that has military historians and the historian works for USSOCOM, you may be especially GTG. Overall, you may benefit from doing some background research on your programs to see if faculty members were opponents or proponents of OEF and OIF, if not also the presidency of Bush the Younger. My $0.02.
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