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oldmangandhi

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Posts posted by oldmangandhi

    New study out on academic prestige and hiring

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    Yo are you dumb fucks really arguing about this?

    Let me poop some truth on you.

    Even if you don't get a tenure track job at Columbia. An ivy league will. Will. Help you get a job at Melbourne or Berlin or Penguin or Verso or some other fucking corner of the world where they pay a decent amount of money to talk Marlowe.

    So suck it up. And realize that brand name does have value.

    And if God forbid. You end up having kids and a partner that loves going to the spa every fucking 9th weekend. You will still fucking need an income to pay for that bs. So here's the cold damn truth -- money matters. Reputation matters. And even if you don't end up teaching. You could make a living as an editor or an administrator. And pay the bills.

    Sorry that reality doesn't sound like a Stoppard show.

    But here's the truth -- if you got bills to pay, where you come from has significant fucking bearing on where you end up.

    Fall 2015 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    So this may or may not brighten y'alls mood today. But 2015 is the Chinese year of the goat. If you all were born in a goat year (like me!) then 2015 is your lucky year! And not only that, the month of Feb is supposed to be extra special! Now I am not a superstitious person. But if some ancient Chinese mystic tradition tells me that the month when all the decisions come out is auspicious then I will bank on that haha!! We all know that admissions decisons are a crapshoot and a little bit of good luck never hurt anybody. So try and stay optimistic and hope for the best :)

    Wishing you all the best of luck!

    What are you reading?

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    I have been reading Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. And it is incredible to say the least. I just finished reading Crime and Punishment and after that I knew that I needed more Dostoevsky. He's my crack.

    I would highly highly recommend reading the chapter entitles "The Grand Inquisitor" from Karamazov. Its some powerful stuff.

    0% Confidence of Acceptance

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    Its great to hear that this year might be a little less competitive, in terms of the number of people applying. It gives me immense hope.

     

    I was wondering if anybody knows from where this rumor has originated. Who has heard that this year there might be fewer people applying? Is there any strength to this rumor? Can you send a link to some article or blog post where this is mentioned?

     

    Getting an acceptance this season is my plan A,B,C, and D. Failure is not an option for me. I would appreciate any news telling me that this year might be less competitive. 

    The Path to Grad School...

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    1. If you practice a lot, you can get a good GRE score. Getting a good score will help your application manifold. That being said, a very poor score can hurt. But if you are spectacular in all other regards, and are able to outshine the scores of applicants who got better scores through your CV, Personal Statement, and Writing Sample, then your GRE might not matter. Emphasis on the might. Scores are important, thats why these programs are not test optional. So practice hard and get a score. I believe you can retake the GRE a few times. So if you don't get a high score in your first try, its not the end of the world.

     

    2. Getting into a funded Cultural Studies/Film Studies program is probably more difficult than getting into law school because humanities PhD programs generally accepted much less people than law school. So don't think about grad school as a fall back option. These programs are a serious deal. Around 200-300 people apply and maybe 10 get in. Some accept even lesser people (Johns Hopkins for example). So don't pin all your hopes on getting into a PhD humanities program. There are many people on this forum (myself included) who turned in over ten applications without getting a single acceptance. So my own piece of advice would be to send in applications, and work hard at making them completely perfect. But also keep your eyes and ears open for other opportunities of career growth and development. 

     

    3. It is best not to be too hung up on location. Programs can vary a lot and you should apply somewhere where your interests match the focus of the graduate program. Do some thinking, analyze your interests, and find a program that matches up will with them. Your ideal film studies program might be at Washington University in St. Louis or at Ohio State; who knows? The issue of "fit" is more important than you think. If your goals and interests align with those advanced by the program, then you have a better chance at getting an acceptance. Besides, most humanities PhDs end up teaching at a college or university. And given the bleak job market, there is no saying where you could be employed after you get your degree. So I would reiterate, don't be too hung up on applying to schools in four states that you outlined - find programs that you would see yourself in, and apply to those places. 

     

    4. Best of luck. 

    Arrived at MSt program, considering withdrawing

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    Honestly, I don't think anybody on this forum has the authority to give you good advice on this predicament. If you don't like where you are, and don't think that you will grow to appreciate your program and geographic location, then maybe its best to quit and seek better opportunities elsewhere. On the other hand, spending time in different cultural contexts has been known to add to your perspective, which is also crucial to being a writer or artist worth any salt.

     

    If your ultimate goal is to write, you don't need a degree to do that, and you clearly know that. Ultimately, we all get an existential slap across the face - "what am I doing with my life?" - is question that even the likes of Sartre and Heidegger spent a lifetime ruminating about. There is no right or wrong answer. You just gotta do what you gotta do. 

     

    Perhaps the best recourse would be to have a meaningful conversation with a person you know, trust, and respect. Please don't make such life altering decisions based on the opinions of anonymous people on the internet. 

    GRE Screw Up

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    Apply to U Chicago's PhD program in English and make sure you check the box that says you are ok with being considered for the MAPH. From what I've heard nearly everybody who applies for the phd gets in for MAPH. U Chicago has an excellent brand name and the MAPH can potentially take you places, provided you can pay the fees and afford living in Chicago. If you don't know what MAPH is, I really recommend looking it up. I know my suggestion is a little convoluted - but you are much more likely to get in for MAPH as a phd applicant than as a MAPH applicant. U Chicago's phd program is diabolically competitive to get into (with your GRE scores, you are most likely to be rejected), but their master's program accepts a LOT of people because very few actually end up enrolling. You have nothing to lose, except the application fees. 

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