Kamisha
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Posts posted by Kamisha
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People back out of conferences all of the time for a variety of reasons, lack of funding probably being the most prevalent. It’s not a big deal and no one is going to get mad at you for it. Everyone understands and most everyone has done it. Just give them as much notice as possible.
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I'd also disagree that nearly all the SoPs and writing samples are good. My adviser told me that some of them are comically bad (even those accompanied by glowing LoRs), and among the "good" ones, there are varieties of sophistication -- particularly for the writing sample. I don't think it's coincidence that the schools I was accepted to are more or less on the same level, while I was shut-out from Ivy-type places. My work probably didn't display the kind of sophistication necessary to achieve admission to one of the tippy-top departments. (Warning about this: I applied to mostly interdisciplinary programs, NOT English departments.)
That said, much of what you said also rings true. "Fit" is important. Departments want people who they can help succeed, and they seek out students who have interests that can be cultivated. However, among the top candidates -- "the short list" -- I would imagine that all the students have good applications AND topics that intrigue/pique the interest of an adcomm member. Just as you find it silly that adcomm members might be looking at miniscule differences in "quality" -- between a 97 and a 98, say -- I find it equally ridiculous that a department would rank applicants based on miniscule differences in "fit" in order to determine which applicant "aligns" the most perfectly with their ethos, especially since departments also expect to be able to shape their students in one way or the other.
My experience with writing samples comes from my direct contact with the universities that rejected me, which doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a universal truth, but it could be helpful for people to understand. I emailed the/was contacted by Adcomms and asked what I could do to become a more competitive applicant in the future. Every school but one (who didn’t like my SoP) told me that I made it to the final round of deliberations, but ultimately was rejected because, though my writing sample was high quality, it wasn’t in my area of interest and thus they couldn’t assess my readiness to work in that area. Many of these schools were first-tier in the rankings (Berkeley, Duke, etc.).
In that vein, another piece of advice: if you are rejected, email and ask what you can do to become a more competitive applicant in the future. Most adcomms are absolutely wonderful and will give you very detailed feedback about your personal file.
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Am I the only one who hasn’t heard anything new on PhD applications for over two weeks now? Is this normal? It’s driving me batty. I’m still waiting for three schools.
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Yes, it would be really helpful if I could talk to one of them about the university and Boise. If it's not much of a trouble for you, please putme in touch with them. Thanks
Will do. I’ll write them on FB right now and then send you a PM
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Thank you guys!
Kamisha, are you in touch with them? Would love to talk to someone from there.
I am! They aren’t in the English department and are just undergrads mostly, but they’d probably be happy to tell you about the university and the city!
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Guys! I just received a funded offer from Boise State University
Wanted to share the news with you all.Congrats! I have a bunch of friends at BSU and they love it!
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Anybody else hearing nothing but static from Washington and Boulder at this point? Seems crazy late in the game, I just want my rejections so I can move on and accept what I have/cling to hope to get off the waitlist at my dream school.
I’m still radio silent on Washington and two other schools. Ugh.
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I already rewrote it for Villanova, but I would salvage that one when I reapply for PhDs, probably, assuming my research interests don't change. WS might be a different story though.
Ran out of up votes, but I’m with you on this.
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Is this program a PhD? I would say to try to visit the campus if you can and actually speak to faculty. I thought I had great fit at one of my offers and mediocre at another but after visiting the campuses those perceptions have flip-flopped. Professors don't seem to keep their faculty pages updated and what is listed there might not offer an accurate picture of what they're currently working on. I also noticed that some professors who didn't seem to be suitable as advisors from their websites had a lot in common with me or let me know they would welcome working with me when I spoke to them in person.
it is for a PhD program and I actually did visit the campus. I thought it was a better fit before I went.
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I actually created an entirely new email address for my PhD applications so I wouldn't have to experience the stress of panicking with each new message. I highly recommend it.
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For anyone out there thinking of reapplying, are you going to start from scratch on your SoP or try to salvage some of it?
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There are so many subtle and overt things in what you said that just don't sit well with me. First off, touting one's education isn't useful to ending "discrimination" and it especially isn't useful to ending class-based oppression (which is always already complicated along racialized and gendered lines). Secondly, if you cannot recognize the very real material differences between a black person being called the n-word and a white person being called a cracker, then we will just have to stop the discussion now because I cannot abide that. Thirdly, I do not want to be part of your solution if it is characterized by a praxis of supposedly equity in which everyone always already deserves respect. Do people of color, queer folks, trans people, disabled folks, the poor and the ill get respect already? I am just not here for anyone centering white people's feelings or coddling us in order to talk about respect, or about ending discrimination, or anything at all really. We've always been coddled, why would it be useful to continue to do so if we were trying to imagine a world in which everyone is ~*equal*~?
Very little of what you’ve attempted to articulate here makes sense and what does is riddled with inherent contradiction and hypocrisy. Based on your comments thus far, it is evident that you and I represent two different mindsets about discrimination and how it should be handled and thus this conversation is largely fruitless. As you didn’t seem to understand my comments, let me clarify:
- My comment about education was purely to point out that you should know better than to dismiss pejorative language. I wasn’t touting that education is an inherent end to discrimination. Those of us who are educated, though, should recognize the harmful nature of using divisive language and strive to eliminate it.
- There are absolutely material differences between the N-word and being called a cracker, however I reject your implication that the use of the latter term is somehow acceptable. I’ve said it multiple times and I’ll say it again: discrimination and slurs toward any group is harmful to society.
- Everyone does deserve respect. Your implication that people don’t is very telling about your character.
- "Thirdly, I do not want to be part of your solution if it is characterized by a praxis of supposedly equity in which everyone always already deserves respect. Do people of color, queer folks, trans people, disabled folks, the poor and the ill get respect already? I am just not here for anyone centering white people's feelings or coddling us in order to talk about respect, or about ending discrimination, or anything at all really.” This passage is so poorly constructed that it’s hard to find your meaning, but the implication seems to be that the only people who deserve respect are minorities, which is simply untrue. Everyone deserves respect. Your assertion that people don’t is very telling about your character and exposes the mindset behind your ideological standpoint that racial slurs toward majority groups are acceptable.
- We've always been coddled, why would it be useful to continue to do so if we were trying to imagine a world in which everyone is ~*equal*~? Again, the message of your sentence is lost in the poor quality of its construction. (By the way, your term “we’ve” implies that you and I are of the same majority group. The fact of the matter is that I’m of a minority group that is regularly marginalized in American society.) You seem to be arguing that not uttering racial slurs against a majority group is the equivalent of “coddling.” Sorry, but no. It’s possible to promote equality for all groups in a way that isn’t destructive to one.
Based on your previous posts, I have a feeling that this discussion is going to do little to change your mind and I don’t care to engage in further conversation with you. Best of luck in your future aspirations.
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This isn't really true at all. Just about every place will allow for a resubmission of documents as long as it occurs fairly soon after the deadline.
Also, it's entirely up to you whether you want to keep fine-tuning your SOP/writing sample through the application season or not. Speaking anecdotally, I received my best responses from my later applications. I had continued working on both, making significant revisions to my sample. YMMV of course.
Some schools are okay with it, some aren’t. My opinion is that it’s better to veer on the side of editing and perfecting ahead of time so that you don’t have to contact departments about resubmitting.
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also i really need all my wonderbread cousins in here to stop getting so riled up about ~*slurs*~ like whitey and cracker. you're aware that whitey was created in direct response to terms like darkie and that cracker LITERALLY means the one who cracks the whip...a reference to being the MASTER in the context of chattel slavery...so...even if it is insulting what it calls you out on is your white guilt, not whatever parallel negative presuppositions there might be about BEING white. just saying y'all. just sayin. so calm it down.
I find it horribly tragic that educated individuals pursuing graduate study can study discrimination for a living in an effort to stop it, all the while preaching that it is okay to use derogatory language. If you ever want the world to change, you need to treat everyone with respect and stop justifying hate speech. The ideological mindset you preach toward your “wonderbread cousins” is what perpetuates racism and pejorative behaviors. Your diction is divisive and serves to reinforce racial divides.
In short: You are part of the problem, not part of the solution.
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Kamisha, I totally understand that feeling. I'm in the boat where, if I get that fellowship, I'd be tempted to see how well I do again next year. But I'm also terrified of losing out on the great programs I have been accepted into. What is your biggest fear with choosing one you got into?
I turned down one program that I was excited about because I didn’t get offered funding. As for the other one, I just don’t know that I can effectively pursue my area of interest there. I don’t think I would have the faculty support to do so. Obviously that’s a huge thing in a PhD program, so it might be better for me to do the MA in Film Studies at East Anglia to gain the skills I’m lacking and (hopefully) defer for a year. Otherwise, I’ll have to apply again. That being said, I’m still waiting to hear back from three schools who, when I emailed for confirmation of my rejection, told me that my file was still under consideration.
What are your biggest concerns?
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I just thought of another piece of advice: make sure you take the time to learn about the culture of a campus (i.e. how friendly it is, is it hyper competitive, what are faculty dynamics like, what extracurricular/social/professional development activities are available, etc.). Some schools have wonderful programs, but the culture just isn’t right for you.
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I’m so glad you created this thread. I’m having such a difficult time with the decision making process. The thing that terrifies me most is the thought of turning down offers this year, then reapplying next year and not getting any bites.
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Just so everyone knows, I ran into someone who went to a school in Washington who said that the environment at UW was very competitive when last he knew (about 3-4 years ago). I'm not putting this in the UW thread so I don't put the person who's from the program on the spot, but this person had friends who couldn't get their work done because other students would intentionally check out the books the friends needed just for the purpose of sabotage. They also described the relationship between faculty as "very competitive" and as leaking onto the grad students. Just a heads up.
And I thought my program could be bad sometimes. That’s really, really sad. I’ve heard of a few departments that are like that. In my mind, PhD programs should be a place where you form long-term friendships with like-minded individuals. It’s unfortunate when the pressures of academia turn kind and talented people into the worst versions of themselves.
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Speaking of Kate Chopin and funny stories...
In a British Literature survey course I took as an undergraduate, we read “The Storm.” For those of you haven’t, there is a scene during the storm where two characters get to know each other....you know, biblically. I live in a very religiously conservative area and one student didn’t understand that it was a sex scene, so he raised his hand for clarification as to what was going on. The professor went a rather fantastic shade of red and told the student that the pair were “vigorously enjoying each other’s company.”
This is how my friends and I now refer to sex...vigorously enjoying each other’s company.
- Imaginary, bgguitarist, jaymarais and 2 others
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If I were to ever get a tattoo, it would be a lightening bolt scar on my forehead. No joke.
- toasterazzi, igetstuffdunn and poliorkein
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I hate the term “Writer’s Block,” but am definitely struggling to get my thesis on paper. What do you guys do when you are having a hard time finding the right words and ideas?
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I saw a thread like this on another section of GradCafe and thought it was a wonderful idea. Let’s leave some advice to help out all of the candidates next year as they suffer through the PhD application process next year
Everyone chime in with your ideas! What I’ve learned that I want to share:
- Always submit a writing sample in your area of interest (or as close to it) as possible. While there are always exceptions to the rules, this is pretty much application suicide. Trust me--I learned the hard way.
- Make friends with other awesome GradCafe-ers. For the most part, it’s a wonderfully supportive community who really understand what you are going through. And, for that matter, try to keep the community civil by not picking fights and taking things too personally.
- Know what you are getting into. Never walk into academia without your eyes open. The job market out there is atrocious (as many feeds on GradCafe will illustrate) and most of us can expect to spend the first decade of our career working as adjuncts. We’ll all be lucky if we land tenure-track positions. That being said, my personal advice (which many might disagree with) is to not let tough circumstances keep you from chasing your dreams.
- Most of us are squeamish in showing others our writing samples and statements of purpose. Don’t be. Have your professors, friends, colleagues, etc. edit them; double and triple check for errors; personalize your statement for each school; and, for the love of all things Harry Potter, make sure you mention the right school/professor names in each copy of your SoP. You’d be surprised how easy it is to look back and notice errors.
- Apply to a wide range of schools because there really is no such thing as a “safety” school. Some folks will disagree with this, but my advice would be to not limit yourself to “top ranked” programs. Focus on schools with strong placement records that really are a great fit for you. And on that note...
- Fit trumps everything. Remember that. This applies not only to your decisions about choosing the schools to which you want to apply, but also to the schools choices in picking their cohort. They need to be the right fit for you, but you also need to be the right fit for them. Most everyone who is applying to PhD programs has amazing scholarly credentials, a strong background in teaching/TAing, incredible letters of recommendation, etc. If someone’s area of interest is a better fit for the program. Remember that and don’t take the rejections personally. You still kick ass.
- Dr. Old Bill, gk210, Angelo X and 8 others
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You don't know if the undergrad needed this class. At least at my university, many of the required classes are only offered once a year or once every two years, so when it comes around, you take it. Or, in my second field, computer science, classes are offered every semester but you must take classes in a certain order since every class has a specific pre-req. In this case, once again, if a class is offered, you take it.
Again, like I said, "or informing administration ahead of time” if it was necessary for the student to be in that section.
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OMG. Thank you. If I reapply, I have to retake it. And yeah, generally it is in September, October, or April. I'm kinda angry that they don't list in on the GRE website.
This is great info. I have to retake it, as well, if I end up going to England and having to reapply. That test is a nightmare.
Backing out of Conferences
in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Posted
The more prestigious the conference, the better it looks on your cv. Oh, academia politics. It sucks, but they definitely exist. This is kind of the order of prestige, from least to most:
Undergraduate Conferences
Regional Grad Conferences
National/International Grad Conferences
Regional Professional (MLA, PCA, etc.) Conferences
National/International Professional Conferences