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Kamisha

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Posts posted by Kamisha

    Virtual Whiteboard Apps for iPad

    in Teaching

    Posted

    Does anyone know of any virtual whiteboard applications for iPad/Mac?

     

    I am planning to teach online next year and want to create videos to supplement my instruction. I would really love to include some whiteboard demonstrations. 

    How to Discuss “Fit” in Statement of Purpose

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    I’m interested in how everyone approached the idea of “fit” within their statements of purpose. How did you go about articulating why you were good fit for their program? 

     

    I tried to emphasize the professors who I wanted to work with and why I wanted to work with them. I only devoted about a paragraph to it and, while I’ve had success, I feel like I’m missing something in that area. 

     

     

    Fall 2014 applicants??

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    For those waiting on UW, when did you apply? They seem to be rejecting people sporadically, though I haven't seen anyone post an acceptance. I'm just trying to find a method to the madness.

     

    I have a funded PhD offer from another school, but I'd absolutely jump at an offer from UW (though I'm not expecting that to happen). 

     

    I applied January 2nd and haven’t yet received a rejection.

     

    I think it’s so odd that Washington broke their typical notification pattern this year. Maybe they’ve moved to rolling admissions? Maybe they are just doing 1st round, 2nd round, 3rd round, etc. until they get to a small pile of candidates to accept?

     

    Washington stresses me out. I just want my rejection. Haha. 

    Should you get a humanities PhD at all?

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    Macchiato - I'm close with several students choosing between PhD programs at this very moment and in talking with them have gotten the sense that applicants do not have a fully realistic picture of what the job market is like--nor do many admitting programs provide that data for them.  I'm also an interested observer of the job market as I prepare to go on it in the fall.  Also, I have a lot of friends who have gone through the job market--some of whom have been spectacularly successful, some who are fighting to get by.  Many of them felt that they had little knowledge about the job market when they started (though it was certainly better than) and many of them feel they would have made different decisions had they known.

     

    In his fit of immaturity, TDazzle suggested that these statistics are known to all.  In actually, getting numbers on the situation is rather hard.  There are aggregate level numbers like those reported by the MLA, etc, but those don't really tell us what it looks like on the ground.  Few schools actually report reliable numbers too.  The Harvard numbers I posted are the best quality and timespan I've see for what it looks like to get a PhD from a top department.

     

    No, as I said at the end of my post, I am not at all inclined to steer people away from choosing a PhD program.  In fact, all things considered, I would very likely choose to do it again.

     

    My point is not to dictate peoples' choices--each of us have to decide for ourselves, obviously, and what you value may not be what I value--but since a tt job is the endgoal of many pursuing PhD programs, data that helps people on the verge of committing to a career figure out how likely that is may be very useful to some.  Unfortunately, as TDazzle's snark makes clear, such information is, for many, also anxiety provoking. 

     

    Thanks for responding. I think I somewhat understand your mindset, though I’m still not entirely sure that post was appropriate in terms of audience and timing. That being said, I can appreciate your intentions even if I disagree with them. 

     

    You’ve touched upon a topic that is frustrating for all of us, especially because most of us (as you have indicated, some individuals seem to remain somewhat oblivious to the market) hear the points you bring up every day. Moreover, everyone on this board has already applied and already, for the most part, already made the decision to go for the PhD. Our futures (like yours) are uncertain. As such, it’s understandable that posts like your initial one feel like another unnecessary knife to the stomach. Again, I understand the holistic intention, I just don’t know that the post was appropriate for this audience and this time of application season. 

    Should you get a humanities PhD at all?

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    The most important question, I think, you should be asking yourself in this season of acceptances is if you should go to grad school at all.  If you are in the humanities or certain fields of the social sciences, the job market is very bleak.  It may well be better when you graduate, but it may well not be.  There are troubling trends like MOOCs that, many people think, will  restructure much of education in a way that will reduce the number of tenure track hires.

     

    How bad is the job market currently?  According to Harvard, as of the fall of 2012, only 52% of those who got a Harvard PhD in the humanities from 2006-2011 had an academic job.  (And it looks like, based on some other data they report elsewhere, that about 1/3 of those are in non-tenure-track positions.)  23% were "unemployed and searching."  And due to self selection bias in reporting, this data probably underestimates the number of unployed.  http://history.fas.h...s-2006-2011.pdf. 

     

    Because of the job market, many people from elite programs in the humanities, for instance, spend several years after graduating twisting in the wind with low-paid, time-consuming, and short-term lectureships and visiting assistant professorsips before either get a tt job or quitting academia.  If you are really committed to an academic career, you may well be signing up for a PhD + several years of uncertainty and scrapping by after that.

     

    Of course not all fields and subfields are made the same.  Some of your fields will have excellent job prospects; others, terrible.  It behooves you to research the matter and think about the kind of bet your are making.  You are giving up 5-8 years of pay, and more importantly, 5-8 years in which you could be launching a different career.  When you graduate at age 30 with a PhD, you will have opened a few doors (for instance, you are an attractive hire for a private high school), but shut many more.

     

    I am not saying you should not go.  Personally, I have found getting a PhD immensley rewarding.  But it has also come at a great cost.

     

    Without condescension, I’m curious about what prompted you to create an account today and post this? I would understand a bit more if you were a GradCafe regular who had developed relationships with members on this site, but creating an account simply to post this is interesting. 

     

    I understand that many individuals who are in the market or are getting ready to enter it are currently feeling the stress of competition and poor job prospects. It may be that your intentions are holistic and you sincerely feel inclined to steer others away from making the same choices you did. If that is indeed the case, why speak up in March after people have already invested their time and energy into applying? And if you just suddenly felt the urge to speak up today, what special thing happened to make it imperative do so? What I find particularly interesting about the timing of your post is that you seem to be speaking to those who are already accepted. You say, “...you should be asking yourself in this season of acceptances if you should be going to graduate school at all.” Why not warn individuals before they apply rather than wait until they are accepted? Rather than letting them enjoy success, it’s almost as if you are attempting to tear it away from them by telling them that an acceptance really means nothing in the grand scheme of things. You may think that true (and maybe you don’t...I’m just telling you what I see in the post), it is a bit cruel of you to do so. 

     

    The job market is absolutely bleak. I think most (if not all) of us who haunt GradCafe are aware of that. We know that most PhDs must search for 6-10 years before landing a tenure-track line (if they ever do). We’ve seen the statistics, been warned by faculty members, and have been cautioned by other GradCafe members. We are, arguably, the most aware of job prospects because it is pointed out to us daily in all contexts. I’m not meaning this is a flame at all, but I really would like to know the thought process of individuals such as yourself who feel as though it is their moral obligation to speak to those of us who are applying and caution us against doing so. Why is that your place? Again, I understand that the intention may be holistic in nature, but it still feels as though it borders on condescension. 

     

    Again, this isn’t meant as a flame. I’m just genuinely curious about the mindset and the motivation behind this post. If you want to PM a response rather than post it on the feed, that would work, too. 

    Fall 2014 applicants??

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    I'm thinking about getting feedback from the schools so I can at least get a sense of how my application was perceived. Kamisha, didn't you send emails? Any advice on how to phrase them?

     

    I did send emails and have received wonderful feedback as a result. Here’s my template:

     

     

    Dr. NAME,
     
    Thank you for the opportunity to apply to PROGRAM AND SCHOOL. If a moment in your schedule allows, would it be possible to find out what I might do to become a more competitive applicant in the future?
     
    Thank you sincerely for your time and consideration.
     
    Best,
     
    NAME

     

     

    I hope that’s helpful in some way! 

    Fall 2014 applicants??

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    Couldn't wait any longer and called Iowa. They told me via phone that I was rejected and that they already sent out the letter a few days ago (via snail mail, I presume). Damn, I really thought I had a chance here still. 

     

    So, right now I'm wait listed at one place, and I have an unfunded offer at another (with possibly funding to come). This really, really sucks. If you're accepted or wait listed at University of Minnesota, and you're studying in the 18th/19th century lit category, and you know that you're going to decline please do so asap.   

     

    I’m sorry, Bunny :( Sending positive vibes your way. 

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