coyabean

YOu know what I wish? I wish they'd at least send you the ocassional post card or view book or flyer or something to make me feel like I'm making progress. The law school process is so romantic. They send emails and t-shirts and pictures and stuff. This grad school thing is an abusive one-sided relationship if I've ever seen one. I just want some physical representation that he, er, I mean THEY know I'm alive.

I kind of love you. Details like this appeal to all of my OCD tendencies. So, really, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Ok, my comment was eaten. It was all "i love you dorks blah, blah, blah, why i'm going to grad school blah, blah, blah" Lisa Dodson's "The Moral Underground", Malcolm Gladwell's new collection of his New Yorker articles, Paulo Friere (online) and really awesomely bad erotic romance novels with vamps and werevolves and crap. And I hate Twilight.

This is what I wanted to say but better. There is almost nothing I could do, at this point, to be a better candidate. I have work experience, relevent academic contacts and letters, publishable papers, etc. For humanities/SS folks being affiliated with a University is extremely important. There is little to be done in the private sector that could be seen as an application boost. What am I going to do? Write a treastise on higher education and government relations reform at my apartment with no access to data, technology or mentors? So, I rather resent the idea that if I were to not get in anywhere this year that there is something left for me to do that I have not already done. Not that it could not be true of alot of people, but one's experience is not a universal sample. The skill set for humanities and SS is just different than those for the life sciences. Presumably one need only be able to read, think critically and write. Unfortunately those are skills that are considered universal, thus increasing the pool of applicants. You don't need a background in anthro, for instance, to be considered for an anthro phd. That is not the case for biochemistry or what have you. There is a smaller pool of qualified candidates for the life sciences and private sector work that can be tangentially related to your academic goals. Those opportunities are not there for humanities/SS.

You say long walks on the beach and all I hear is

It depends. Something like cultural anthropology of knowledge production, critical race studies, urban policy and history higher education. Why? Because I'm crazy. I mean jusssst crazy enough to think that I might be able to actually make a difference in how education attainment is enacted in a first world democracy and that people who look like people I love might actually stand a chance at parity. And I can't sing. Cause if I could sing?! Mannnn...

OMG ROFLMAO!!! Someone else with my sense of humor! LOL Yes! That's exactly what I meant. Just drop that shit, homie and then back away like "what?! what?!!" but, you know, academically.

This is what I was told by one of mentors. She's done this a few times. She said she comes home with a stack of files and tries to read them before passing out asleep. She gets her definites and maybes together and at some point everyone compares definites and maybes and whittle from there. But it isn't some big marathon session with the whole group.

It varied. For anthro programs I told them about my proposed research project but I didn't drill down to potential sites, the reasons why I chose them, etc. I talked more globally about knowledge production, etc. For the interdisciplinary programs I was VERY specific, down to naming coursework, professors, area resources, etc. because I was told -- more than once -- that such programs are very attuned to candidates being self-motivated as they don't have alot of structure.

Oh crap. Thanks, Santa, for the bad marriage that keeps on giving. I hadn't thought to follow-up on this. The schools that are complete didn't seem to have any problems. One, my maiden name is my middle name post-marriage. Maybe that helped? I also list all names on every piece of everything I send schools: every page of the SOP, writing sample, etc. Also, with a first name like mine i think a last name is kind of superfluous, and no i'm not sharing. I will, however, check on it after the holidays. Thanks guys. I was almost in danger of relaxing!

Kitty pidgin for the win! lol

Dude(ette)!!! You've got a killer opening statement buried in there. Your research interests are informed by your experiences in Russia during the fall of the Iron Curtain...PERIOD! Right there I get that you are a global citizen, can bring something unique to the department, and probably have some languages under your belt. That second draft is better but I think your opening should begin and end with the above idea.

LOL My mentor did the same thing. I think there isn't much to say when something is effective. Are they supposed to go line-by-line with "great verb" and "ooooohh! snap! you sold that theorist!" and "excellent semicolon usage"? Not that I wouldn't mind hearing those things but it just isn't natural. Take it as a compliment.

I'm indignant on your behalf! That's crazy. It smells like a hustle to me.

is that how you guys got all the pretty colors, too? so envious.

LOL They are, huh?

What an interesting cultural commentary. I cannot imagine being 22 with that level of accomplishment, but I was a loser. Also as one who has been divorced let me just say that it is the most expensive maturation you can get.

Ooooohh, this sounds interesting!!!! I'm getting wind power and geography in racialized communities in the South?

I, too, have to knock out three requirements by no fault of my own. My degree audit was done incorrectly the first time. So, I'll be doing a stats class -- should be useful, actually -- french composition which I understand is a french lit course, astronomy, chaucer and a poetry workshop. Shouldn't be too bad. Except for French. I haven't taken it in 10 years! Fortunately my BFF is fluent and I've dabbled in it here and there. *sigh* I'm most excited about my job in the grad admissions office. I miss money.

On that OTHER board someone posted a link to creating wordles (http://www.wordle.net/). Being obsessed with all things applications it's an awesome time-waster, er, visual representation of your SOP. Can be interesting to see if you communicated what you meant to communicate. Mine: Yours?

Yep. If you really haven't thought about the issues you present in your SOP I think that's where the urge to BS comes from. But if you have then being direct and honest is not only easier, but more compelling. And not just the SOP. Everything I have ever written follows this rule. If I am not clear about my intention, my audience and my motivations when I write? You'll know it. LOL It'll be crap with a nice spit polish of pretense in hopes of distracting you. I think that's the real thing that adcomms mean by a "bad" SOP -- one where its clear that the person is using pretentious language, quotes, stories, etc. to hide the fact that they are confused or ill-prepared. If you're neither of those things then honesty is both the best policy and the best writing convention.

Oh NO!!! LOL This is awesome. THIS is what i need while waiting. It's horrible and small and petty but this makes me feel like I'm still in the game. May all of them be this bad or only slightly better.

You know, it could be me, but I really went for simple -- though learned -- and pleasant. I had this debate with others during the process. I hate pretense. So, even though I can surely BE pretentious I just felt like the adcomms would be swamped by that and it was best to be realistic and honest. And I hoped I sounded like someone they would want to meet in person since that's basically what I'm interviewing for. Once I decided that was the tone I wanted I actually went back to my drafts and just got as clean as I could, verbiage wise. Let's hope everyone else did this thing you bring up and I come off like a breath of fresh air!

I like the way you think! And drink.