Francophile1

perpetuavix..primarily it is because my advisor has not been very encouraging at all. And I was told I need to get better in certain areas before continuing on...SO since I cannot just take a year off and have some personal obligations, I really want to step away after my MA and teach, decide whether I want to go with school teaching or college and then decide on the PhD. My idea to change departments was mainly because I wanted to get certified as well along the way, but of course I could do that once I get a job in a private school as well. I am staying here for one more year but after that I have to decide-so I am preparing this decision now.

thanks everyone. My primary concern is with reviewing papers before submitting them and I have to agree with some comments above about that my department also does not really talk about any resources. In the first year we had a meeting and throughout the year we saw our advisor maybe 2x/year. I have also noticed that many graduate students in our program don't ask for help from other students since they assume that we all are very busy. SO there isn't really any kind of relationship as far as academically helping each other goes. I was able to talk to some students and get general advice on classes etc...but that's it. I also do not have a very encouraging advisor because instead of maybe giving me some ideas or even just talking to me about options how to improve I was discouraged and criticized. I am seeking outside help now academically so hopefully that will help.

Pedagogy all the way! This is why I struggle with the focus on research in my lit. program!

yes i looked into those options. My specialty is foreign language and i wanted to apply to both private schools and public to teach, but in my state although i could get alternate certification, jobs are hard to come by. But i am really currently in a good financial funding situation and i would hate to give it up.

with TA'ship I had to take 3 classes, and That is a lot...you will have to be much more focused and prepared for each class compared to undergrad

This looks very unethical! I would beware of this. The reason why you ask for recommendation is that they write how they feel about you not how you feel about yourself (that is what the SOP is for). Even if it is for a small grant it is a Proff's responsibility to do this!

Yes I understand of course that the student would have to seek out the help, however I was just pointing out that we do not have a senior-junior student help set-up or anything like that and most students the juniors interact with are junior students

I am about to begin the 2nd year of my MA degree (which is combined MA.PHD program) but lately I have been strongly considering just getting the MA and teaching some time in High school, while figuring out if I really want to pursue the PhD. My program is very literature based and my heart is just not in it all the way. Now the question, or more like advice that I am seeking is what to do now. I contacted the department of education in my school and they said I could transfer to their program and get the necessary certifications, and this way I would only have to be an additional 1 year extra in school, however since under the MA/PhD program I do get full tuition remission and teach a class in exchange for a salary and in the education department they said I cannot get this (especially this year). If I do this switch I might loose my TA'ship and I am not sure if I could even get tuition remission.... So, not sure what to do...do I go to my department and ask them if I could still do the TA'ship if I switch, although I am pretty sure since it's a different department they will probably not approve the fee waiver or just stick with this MA and then get certified? If anyone ever switched departments or is familiar with these politics please let me know. Thanks

no I mean we do not have a support program where senior students support junior students or anything like that. I barely even see them since they are mostly writing dissertations.

Yes, we basically don't have any senior students or faculty or any workshops even. I had to find out that I need to improve through essays and classes-that's it. In fact my advisor criticized my paper in many ways yet offered no other resources other than..why I didn't come to her sooner. I guess writing workshops would be my best option here.

I took it twice and ended up using my 4 score. Got into most programs. Basically what have been said here is true. This score is not as significant as the Verbal and Math. I do advise carefully reading on notes in study guides what exactly they want you to do in these essays. It is very specific and not your average way of constructing a college essay. Everything that was said about including problems and solutions is very true and you are on a time frame so that makes it more difficult. I believe there are essay examples what is considered good and what is not, so look over those and also try to write some at home (time yourself). Good luck

Hello, I am researching now few options on what to do after my MA, and am considering taking a break and working as an adjunct. What I want to find out is other people's advice on applying for such jobs, so please respond to the following questions if you can! 1. Can I apply to these positions BEFORE getting my MA? Most job posts seem to want transcripts, and I assume this is with the conferred degree and I am just wondering whether I should apply before actually getting conferred, or wait till after. 2. When is it usually advisable to start applying for fall? In the spring or summer? 3. And finally is there more of a chance of getting adjunct jobs in community colleges rather than 4 year schools? Thanks

yes i did but the schools i am considering are not on the list...any other advice?

Hello, I am researching studying abroad (not part of year abroad) but actually going there to study a full course independently and financing this. Does anyone know any banks in the U.S where you can take out a loan for this?

thanks! Good to hear this because I am not that interested in lit.

Hello, all Correct me if I'm wrong but I am getting a very distinct feeling that in the U.S if you want to have an academic career in foreign languages (possibly be tenured) programs seem to favor literature research over language acquisition or linguistics?! The reason why I'm asking is because I'm considering choices for MA to prepare me for PhD, and just seeing if I will be at a disadvantage if I go the language route-linguistics. I know there are researchers in this field in foreign language departments, but there seems to be way less of them that lit. researchers. Best,

For anyone still interested in this, I am a NYC resident and it is possible to find an apartment without a guarantor, stick to smaller companies or private owners (very limited in Manhattan). But you will most probably have to pay at least 1 months rent for a broker's fee..unless you are not looking for a whole apartment. Good luck!

Yes I would like to add to this and say that it is possible- however be very careful when calculating living expenses. I have known a few international students who relied solely on their TAships and didn't realize how much would be taken out of their paychecks for taxes and insurance, not to mention that many TA's have 8 month contracts and cannot work during the summers.

Hi, do not think for a moment that it is not a reputable school just because it is not on the FAFSa list. They do not support many great international institutions (for what reasons I am not exactly sure). Yes, unfortunately if it is not on the FAFSA that means you cannot get federal aid however you might be able to get some private loans such as Sallie Mae..it all depends...Also try to look for fellowships or other scholarships to finance your studies. Good luck!

Yes B2 is basically advanced but not expert. AFter BA in U.S you should be a B2 or C1 level. It depends.WHat kind of school you graduated from and your exposure to the language.

Actually yes he suggested this, but we are exploring options together so by no means has a decision been made. We are carefully considering choices.

No we are not EU citizens, so would have to get student visas. I was thinking about spain...do you happen to know universities that have undergraduate courses in english there?

We have heard that online programs do not have good reputations. Yes I have looked into quebec. Would I be able to get a full immersion experience there?

Hi all! I would love if some of you could give me some advice, since I'm currently determining my future and a very hard decision needs to be made soon! Let me explain. I dream is to teach French in University level, however I really need more in the country experience before I can do this. I have studied in France before but had to come back to finish my degree. Now I might have another opportunity to go again but must consider everything carefully before committing! I have a family, and although I am not married I am in a committed relationship. I also have a child who is not a baby. My dilemma is not with my child, since he has gone with me before and we made it work, but with my boyfriend, who has motivated me to pursue this, very kindly- but I also want to consider his future. Right now he is studying in a community college and I would like to possibly find him a program either in France or nearby England or other country that offers degrees in English. What I have found that in France they have very few english programs, as France is very focused on French, and even those few programs are private and have very high fees with no possibility of using U.S financial aid. He could of course come to France and enroll in language classes and then eventually proceed to a degree,but again for him this would be losing time, since he doesn't really need french for his degree! Now another option is for him to enroll in a degree in the UK, but then the issue is that we will have to be separated. He could possibly limit our "separation" time by doing one of his years in the UK..as study abroad in France though. And in UK he can use U>S loans-if need be. As far as the future, after I get exposure in the country and improve my language skills while getting an advanced degree, I could be open to jobs in Europe or in the U.S So, I apologize for long explanation...but I really need some people to give me their opinions and which option they would choose in my case! Thank you!

I am actually battling same dilemma right now! Want to go study in France but boyfriend doesn't know french and therefore he might end up going to London...difficult decisions..but london-Paris is not that far!