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indigo_black

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    Women's Studies

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  1. Congrats again! You must be so excited. The decision must be tough but at least it's a good kind of decision, right? My undergrad degree was in American Studies and my MA was a research degree in American women's literature, so I'm confident I won't be too far behind students who did WS at undergrad. Err, I hope... My American Studies degree had a big focus on gender studies, feminism and queer theory so that's given me a good grounding, plus I've kept up with my reading in the last 3 years since finishing my MA so hopefully that'll put me in a good position. What discipline are you coming from? Do you think you'll go on to a PhD afterwards?
  2. Congrats on the acceptances! I got into Emory's women's studies PhD, and Indiana's Gender Studies PhD. I'm also waitlisted at Ohio State. Haven't heard from the other programs yet, and I'm assuming I'm rejected because they sent out acceptances already, but it's ok because I'm pretty set on Emory. The program is awesome, I really liked all the faculty and current students when I visited, and it's a great fit for what I want to do. Plus I love Atlanta!
  3. Here in the UK, we have a centralised system for undergrad applications. We choose the 6 schools we want to apply to, complete one generic form, send it to the central system (UCAS) and they send it on to our chosen universities. The schools then accept or reject our applications, send their decisions to UCAS, and UCAS notify us. Approximately 9 million times easier than what I just did for grad school in the US.
  4. indigo_black

    Atlanta, GA

    I'm in the same predicament. I'm going to Emory in the fall and am looking to rent an apartment or house to share or sublet for the first semester. In the second semester, my partner is moving out to join me and then we'll rent an apartment on our own. At the recruitment weekend, I went on a tour with a current grad student who said that Decatur was a good place to live but I don't know how easy that is to reach by bus/MARTA. I'll have a car but don't want to pay that much to park on campus so was ideally wanting somewhere I could walk from. I'd walk 2-2.5 miles but, like Crustaceangirl said, that limits my choices somewhat. All the areas in walking distance are out of my price range, I think. It's frustrating that I live in the UK and can't afford or fit in another visit before I move out there, so I'm relying on the internet to find a place right now.
  5. Hey Juno, I was also lucky in that I had a friend go through this whole process the year before I did so she was a great source of advice and encouragement for me! Let me try to answer some of your questions... I can't say for sure but my feeling is that my extra-curricular stuff made my application more appealing. The journal sounds great! I would definitely mention that in my application if I was in your position, and your other stuff will make you appear a more dynamic, hard-working and well-rounded applicant. As for money, I didn't apply for any scholarships for studying in the US. You'll find that many external funding opportunities are for US applicants/citizens only. However, I made sure I applied to programs that offered tuition waivers and generous stipends as part of their admissions offer. This info is usually on departmental homepages, and when I couldn't find it online, I emailed grad program coordinators for the info. MAs in the US are sometimes funded but rarely are they funded enough to cover your international tuition plus living. Also, they're way more expensive than over here so you're probably better off doing an MA here. Can you live at home while you do your MA to save money? If so, take a gap year after undergrad to work full time, and just save up the tuition. During your MA, you can take out a small graduate loan or work a few hours on weekends/in evenings to earn pocket money for going out. The AHRC application was rough but nowhere near as bad as US grad school forms so go ahead and give it a try. You'll need two strong references (another reason to get your profs on board now!) and a detailed research proposal. Recommenders: your dissertation supervisor will be your first choice as they'll get to know you well over the course of your research. How about seminar tutors? They will know you well. Make a point of speaking up in seminars so they remember you. Try to take at least 2 classes with the same professor in your third year, or take another class with someone who's already taught you so you build up a bit more of a relationship with them and they'll have more to say in a recommendation. The GRE is a pain. I bought a book way in advance to familiarise myself with the kinds of questions. I devoted a month to studying, doing 1-2 hours per night, 5 nights a week. I didn't do as well as I'd hoped but I think a month tends to be the average. Maybe give yourself 6-7 weeks? Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
  6. I can't say this for sure but I think marriage certificates for same-sex couples acquired in other countries might not be recognised by US immigration. I say this because civil unions granted in certain states aren't even recognised in the rest of the US. What country are you from? I'm from the UK but fortunately my partner is from the US so we'll actually be living together for the first time when I go to grad school.
  7. Also, the programs you're applying to are really competitive, which isn't to say you won't get into them but it's worth looking at all your options. Take your time to look around online and see where else interests you. For those programs, you'd need a solid to high First (73+ I would think) with Honours plus fantastic recs from your profs. Get schmoozing with them now! I had my undergrad dissertation and MA thesis supervisor write one, my other MA thesis supervisor, and a prof I took a class with who was also my MA viva examiner. Also, you'll have to take the GRE, a standardised test that measures your knowledge of vocab and mathematical reasoning as well as timed-essay writing skills. We aren't used to standardised tests like that in the UK at all and, having never taken them before, we're sort of at a disadvantage compared to American applicants who do the SATs first. Start studying for that well in advance. The test centre is in London. You can buy study guides for it at Blackwells. That's a very short explanation of the GRE but I don't know if you already know about it. Ask me more if you have no idea what I'm talking about.
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