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Sparky

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  1. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from Sigaba in GPA woes   
    My MA school/dept and PhD school dept both make it very, very clear that an A is the expectation of all grad students. That is not to be confused with easy classes or standards; the point is that grad students should be doing that level work, or they should not be in the program.

    I'm not saying that a 3.7 will get your app thrown in the trash without being looked at, but I do think that an A-minus average is nearing the point at which you want to have professors maybe speak on your behalf. Especially if you're talking about a semester of all B-plusses or some such (which I realize is not in the OP and her situation might be different).

    I am the TGC voice of gloom-and-doom on this because I watched a very close friend get kicked out of our program over essentially a 3.7 (mix of A's and B+'s). I accept that more optimistic perspectives may apply in many cases (ETA and I will be hoping this is true for you, OP! you seem cool), but I'm not going to have one of them.
  2. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from geologyninja13 in I've been MIA... now what? crisis management   
    You need to meet with your DGS. A lot of the answers to your questions and worries will depend on the policies of your particular university and department, and she's the one who would know.

    I can tell you that at my school, time spent on official leave would not count against you in terms of 'advancing towards candidacy' time limits. On the other hand, we have very strict limitations on how long you have to finish off an incomplete before the I turns to a permanent F.

    As for handing in a whole bunch of work and reminding the department that you've been delinquent: in all honesty, this is throwing up huge red flags for me that shout EXCUSE rather than 'legitimate reason.' It's precisely the kind of self-defeating non-logic that makes perfect sense from the inside and makes everyone else facepalm mightily. Maybe your situation is different, but isn't this something that you would take care of with individual professors? I took one incomplete the first semester of my PhD, and I'm not sure even the DGS ever had any idea. Meet with each individual professor. Find out what you have to do to finish the work for the course. Have them give you a deadline. Get the work done. If you do this (meet w/the profs, I mean) *before* you meet with the DGS, it would probably make you look more serious about catching up.

    Have you worked with a therapist or counselor on campus? There's probably someone who specializes in grad student issues and could give you further insight. It honestly seems like you're dealing with a lot of depression/anxiety issues that are perhaps more severe than many but very similar in type.

    And, of course, e-mail your adviser. If you want to get started on your diss prospectus, you need to do this. On the other hand, if your relationship with your adviser isn't working out so well, is there someone else you might work with? Someone who could kick your ass a little more? It seems like you might need that if you ever want to finish.

    You can't continue to "slip by." You've been trying that. It hasn't worked. You need to reach out to your department.
  3. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from bibliophile222 in I've been MIA... now what? crisis management   
    You need to meet with your DGS. A lot of the answers to your questions and worries will depend on the policies of your particular university and department, and she's the one who would know.

    I can tell you that at my school, time spent on official leave would not count against you in terms of 'advancing towards candidacy' time limits. On the other hand, we have very strict limitations on how long you have to finish off an incomplete before the I turns to a permanent F.

    As for handing in a whole bunch of work and reminding the department that you've been delinquent: in all honesty, this is throwing up huge red flags for me that shout EXCUSE rather than 'legitimate reason.' It's precisely the kind of self-defeating non-logic that makes perfect sense from the inside and makes everyone else facepalm mightily. Maybe your situation is different, but isn't this something that you would take care of with individual professors? I took one incomplete the first semester of my PhD, and I'm not sure even the DGS ever had any idea. Meet with each individual professor. Find out what you have to do to finish the work for the course. Have them give you a deadline. Get the work done. If you do this (meet w/the profs, I mean) *before* you meet with the DGS, it would probably make you look more serious about catching up.

    Have you worked with a therapist or counselor on campus? There's probably someone who specializes in grad student issues and could give you further insight. It honestly seems like you're dealing with a lot of depression/anxiety issues that are perhaps more severe than many but very similar in type.

    And, of course, e-mail your adviser. If you want to get started on your diss prospectus, you need to do this. On the other hand, if your relationship with your adviser isn't working out so well, is there someone else you might work with? Someone who could kick your ass a little more? It seems like you might need that if you ever want to finish.

    You can't continue to "slip by." You've been trying that. It hasn't worked. You need to reach out to your department.
  4. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from _kita in do people transfer from one to another phd program?   
    Well, there are good reasons to transfer, and there are bad reasons to transfer. A good reason to transfer might be something like, your advisor left the school and no other faculty do research in your subfield. In other words, you went to the school with the fullest intention of making things work out, but circumstances are simply out of your control. In a situation like this, generally the department will also recognize that it is better for you to be elsewhere. This is critical, because remember that you will have to get LORs from profs at that school. Also, you will have to explain in your SOP why you want to start over, and badmouthing the school or saying "I just didn't like it" are on most "SOP death kisses" lists I've read.

    On the other hand, some people who don't get into a top-ranked PhD program their first time around go to a lower one with the intention of transferring. THIS is not a good idea. Firstly, if you see your place as 'temporary' it will affect your work and your relationships with the all-important LOR-writing profs. Secondly, what if you apply and don't get in? Transferring grad programs is not like transferring undergrad. You will be in the same pool as "first-time" applicants, except your application may be scrutinized even more heavily (why does R want to leave Harvard? does Q not get along well with people? was the coursework too challenging? etc). Also, and policies on this do vary slightly, if you did apply again, successfully, you would almost certainly enter the new program as a first-year student again. Some of your credits might transfer, especially if you stay through an MA--maybe. At most schools I looked at (I'm not in art history, but I imagine it's similar), you could transfer in at most TWO previous classes.

    Bottom line: transferring is an option if, once you get to a school, you find out it's not the place for you. However, you should NEVER, EVER, EVER go to a program with the INTENT to transfer. Because look, what if you apply to transfer and then don't get in anywhere? Are you really going to be able to be comfortable in your current program, when everyone there knows you tried to get out of dodge?

    (Note: I was a transfer student as an undergrad, so I am very sympathetic to worries of 'I don't know if I'll like it.' The best advice I have is, visit the campus, talk to profs, talk to students, and if you are not wildly enthusiastic, don't do it. Don't take the offer. If you're still aiming for a PhD, apply again in the fall).
  5. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from Sigaba in do people transfer from one to another phd program?   
    Well, there are good reasons to transfer, and there are bad reasons to transfer. A good reason to transfer might be something like, your advisor left the school and no other faculty do research in your subfield. In other words, you went to the school with the fullest intention of making things work out, but circumstances are simply out of your control. In a situation like this, generally the department will also recognize that it is better for you to be elsewhere. This is critical, because remember that you will have to get LORs from profs at that school. Also, you will have to explain in your SOP why you want to start over, and badmouthing the school or saying "I just didn't like it" are on most "SOP death kisses" lists I've read.

    On the other hand, some people who don't get into a top-ranked PhD program their first time around go to a lower one with the intention of transferring. THIS is not a good idea. Firstly, if you see your place as 'temporary' it will affect your work and your relationships with the all-important LOR-writing profs. Secondly, what if you apply and don't get in? Transferring grad programs is not like transferring undergrad. You will be in the same pool as "first-time" applicants, except your application may be scrutinized even more heavily (why does R want to leave Harvard? does Q not get along well with people? was the coursework too challenging? etc). Also, and policies on this do vary slightly, if you did apply again, successfully, you would almost certainly enter the new program as a first-year student again. Some of your credits might transfer, especially if you stay through an MA--maybe. At most schools I looked at (I'm not in art history, but I imagine it's similar), you could transfer in at most TWO previous classes.

    Bottom line: transferring is an option if, once you get to a school, you find out it's not the place for you. However, you should NEVER, EVER, EVER go to a program with the INTENT to transfer. Because look, what if you apply to transfer and then don't get in anywhere? Are you really going to be able to be comfortable in your current program, when everyone there knows you tried to get out of dodge?

    (Note: I was a transfer student as an undergrad, so I am very sympathetic to worries of 'I don't know if I'll like it.' The best advice I have is, visit the campus, talk to profs, talk to students, and if you are not wildly enthusiastic, don't do it. Don't take the offer. If you're still aiming for a PhD, apply again in the fall).
  6. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from Sigaba in How to address transferring in SOP   
    Well, why do you think transferring is not just important, but necessary?

    If you transfer now, that means you're applying to a school with less than 3 full months at your current one. In other words, the program that you applied to and whose offer you accepted, you couldn't even give a full semester's chance? That's going to make you look flaky, and like you weren't really prepared for grad school. Yale Div will be wondering whether you will do the same thing to them. And you might destroy your relationships at your current school in the process.

    An MTS from BC is nothing to sniff at. You say you're happy? Get through the two years, then go apply to Yale for the PhD.
  7. Downvote
    Sparky got a reaction from cloud9876 in How to address transferring in SOP   
    Well, why do you think transferring is not just important, but necessary?

    If you transfer now, that means you're applying to a school with less than 3 full months at your current one. In other words, the program that you applied to and whose offer you accepted, you couldn't even give a full semester's chance? That's going to make you look flaky, and like you weren't really prepared for grad school. Yale Div will be wondering whether you will do the same thing to them. And you might destroy your relationships at your current school in the process.

    An MTS from BC is nothing to sniff at. You say you're happy? Get through the two years, then go apply to Yale for the PhD.
  8. Downvote
    Sparky got a reaction from I just hate pure math in do people transfer from one to another phd program?   
    Well, there are good reasons to transfer, and there are bad reasons to transfer. A good reason to transfer might be something like, your advisor left the school and no other faculty do research in your subfield. In other words, you went to the school with the fullest intention of making things work out, but circumstances are simply out of your control. In a situation like this, generally the department will also recognize that it is better for you to be elsewhere. This is critical, because remember that you will have to get LORs from profs at that school. Also, you will have to explain in your SOP why you want to start over, and badmouthing the school or saying "I just didn't like it" are on most "SOP death kisses" lists I've read.

    On the other hand, some people who don't get into a top-ranked PhD program their first time around go to a lower one with the intention of transferring. THIS is not a good idea. Firstly, if you see your place as 'temporary' it will affect your work and your relationships with the all-important LOR-writing profs. Secondly, what if you apply and don't get in? Transferring grad programs is not like transferring undergrad. You will be in the same pool as "first-time" applicants, except your application may be scrutinized even more heavily (why does R want to leave Harvard? does Q not get along well with people? was the coursework too challenging? etc). Also, and policies on this do vary slightly, if you did apply again, successfully, you would almost certainly enter the new program as a first-year student again. Some of your credits might transfer, especially if you stay through an MA--maybe. At most schools I looked at (I'm not in art history, but I imagine it's similar), you could transfer in at most TWO previous classes.

    Bottom line: transferring is an option if, once you get to a school, you find out it's not the place for you. However, you should NEVER, EVER, EVER go to a program with the INTENT to transfer. Because look, what if you apply to transfer and then don't get in anywhere? Are you really going to be able to be comfortable in your current program, when everyone there knows you tried to get out of dodge?

    (Note: I was a transfer student as an undergrad, so I am very sympathetic to worries of 'I don't know if I'll like it.' The best advice I have is, visit the campus, talk to profs, talk to students, and if you are not wildly enthusiastic, don't do it. Don't take the offer. If you're still aiming for a PhD, apply again in the fall).
  9. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from horrificmodernist in "There are several areas of concern..."   
    So, to translate:

    "We give you so much work that you don't have time to do your own research. The problem, of course, is that you are not working hard enough. Moreover, we do not trust that you are actually working all the time when you are at home, so you need to be spending 16-hour days in the lab. Every day. Every week. Never you mind that everyone exaggerates how much work they do/how little sleep they get in retrospect, because we live in an effed-up culture where it's cool not to sleep, to be a workoholic, to brag about how horrid your life is, to brag about how horrid the weather in your city is, etc. And fat chance we will raise your stipend! Also, we have entirely forgotten that when you are a graduate student, the stress level of any interaction with a faculty member at your school is multipled times a GAZILLION. We have forgotten what it is like to be smooth and confident with people you may never see again or who have no power over your immediate or intermediate-term fate, but feel like the gum on the bottom of the shoe of the people who hold the power of life and death and doctorate over you."

    I am suspicious in general of "you must be miserable because we were miserable" arguments. As a medievalist, I see very very many reasons universities should adapt to new ideas and knowledge about stuff like, oh, how much sleep the human brain needs to function semi-properly, instead of doing what has always been done. Or perhaps you physical science people would like to begin your graduate careers by teaching Bible study?

    On the other hand, I think a lot of the points *could* actually be quite good ones, but the method of delivery (a mass letter to all the students in the dept? the Voice From On High?) sort of shifts it from the well-intentioned mentor voice that I assume its author thinks s/he was assuming, to the patronizing "kids these days" tone that yields my 'translation.'
  10. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from fopdandyhomo in Challenging the Grad Cafe: The Six Word Memoir   
    (Not a "memoir" per se, but...)

    In German, this would be easier.
  11. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from RunnerGrad in "There are several areas of concern..."   
    So, to translate:

    "We give you so much work that you don't have time to do your own research. The problem, of course, is that you are not working hard enough. Moreover, we do not trust that you are actually working all the time when you are at home, so you need to be spending 16-hour days in the lab. Every day. Every week. Never you mind that everyone exaggerates how much work they do/how little sleep they get in retrospect, because we live in an effed-up culture where it's cool not to sleep, to be a workoholic, to brag about how horrid your life is, to brag about how horrid the weather in your city is, etc. And fat chance we will raise your stipend! Also, we have entirely forgotten that when you are a graduate student, the stress level of any interaction with a faculty member at your school is multipled times a GAZILLION. We have forgotten what it is like to be smooth and confident with people you may never see again or who have no power over your immediate or intermediate-term fate, but feel like the gum on the bottom of the shoe of the people who hold the power of life and death and doctorate over you."

    I am suspicious in general of "you must be miserable because we were miserable" arguments. As a medievalist, I see very very many reasons universities should adapt to new ideas and knowledge about stuff like, oh, how much sleep the human brain needs to function semi-properly, instead of doing what has always been done. Or perhaps you physical science people would like to begin your graduate careers by teaching Bible study?

    On the other hand, I think a lot of the points *could* actually be quite good ones, but the method of delivery (a mass letter to all the students in the dept? the Voice From On High?) sort of shifts it from the well-intentioned mentor voice that I assume its author thinks s/he was assuming, to the patronizing "kids these days" tone that yields my 'translation.'
  12. Upvote
    Sparky reacted to kdavid in Book recommendation - C20 Chinese history?   
    I concur that Spence's work is the seminal introduction; hence its "brick" status.
     
    If you're looking for background on the Qing, I'd recommend William Rowe's "China's Last Dynasty."
     
    Re: Lieberthal's book, I'm not sure if there's a more recent revised edition, but the first edition was published in 1995 and second in 2004. I'd imagine quite a bit has changed in the last two decades.
     
    In addition to these, I'd also recommend Jeffrey Wasserstrom's "China in the 21st Century What Everyone Needs to Know." It's a short read which answers all the basic questions you need to know to be familiar with China's recent history.
  13. Upvote
    Sparky reacted to hj2012 in Book recommendation - C20 Chinese history?   
    Jonathan Spence's The Search for Modern China is the size of two bricks, and goes from late Ming to the 1990s. In my opinion, it is a wonderfully written overview of modern Chinese history, providing historical contextualization for the events of the 20th century. 
     
    Disclaimer: I read Lieberthal's Governing China in an undergrad course, but I think it's a great introduction to the political history of the PRC.
  14. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from blasian in First semester discouragement   
    {{gentle hug}}

    I had a rough first semester of my MA and downright horrible first year of my PhD. Here I am back for more.

    So the good news is, it does get better, it really does. The beginning sucks, no matter what. (To be clear: the second semester of my PhD was bad not in and of itself but b/c it was basically a 'hangover' from the first semester.)

    Feeling alone *is* the worst part of it. There is very much a culture of "pretending everything is hunky dory" in academia, even though nearly everyone is falling apart underneath the facade, at least/especially the first year. Is there a grad student support group run through your counseling center? If there is, GO. I cannot recommend it highly enough. (I had a scheduling conflict first semester last year and couldn't go. But I am convinced they are the sole reason I made it through the spring. Well, them, and long protracted phone conversations with, yes, my mother.) At least at my school, it's not group therapy in the traditional sense--which I've done for a different issue and have actually found quite counterproductive--it's basically grad students in all sorts of programs sitting around and venting. Of course it feels AMAZING to get everything off your chest IN PERSON, i.e. not just on the phone , and sometimes other people will have really good advice for you (especially the older more experienced students...I am eternally in their debt). But the absolute biggest value is that it completely beats you over the head with the giant Baseball Bat of You Are Not Alone. 'Cause let me tell you, I was convinced that I was the only person in my department at my university in graduate school who took an incomplete in a class, still couldn't finish the paper, nearly failed out of the program, cried every night, was homesick, loved what she did so much it hurts and would die if she had to give it up but didn't know if she could bear how crappy other stuff was, etc. (And keep in mind I had already been through First Year Blues with my MA! /sigh.) Grad student support group saved me.

    As far as teaching goes--yeah, the beginning sucks. (The beginning of any job sucks.) But I guarantee you that your students aren't nearly as hard on you as you are on yourself.

    As for friends--I finished the first entire year with basically no friends. It is three weeks into year two and I am rich in developing friendships, even if we don't have time to hang out beyond an hour for coffee after office hours.

    (Also, if you need a dose of "you are not alone" right now, search this forum for "depression." You'll find several threads from last fall consisting of multiple people, including me, basically talking about how stressed and sad we are and how much grad school sucks and everyone says it's going to get better and why can't it just get better now. I was a stunning exemplar of maturity last fall, yes, yes I was. )
  15. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from Sigaba in What are You Currently Reading?   
    My guilty pleasure as a medievalist is to read about the Reformation.
  16. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from dr. t in What are You Currently Reading?   
    My guilty pleasure as a medievalist is to read about the Reformation.
  17. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from abeilles in Packing: The Final Frontier. Five things essential for gradstudent life?   
    Besides the obvious (laptop, clothes, etc): e-reader, 2 nonleaking coffee tumblers (one for home and one for campus), Gore-Tex outerwear including running shoes, extra laptop power cable for campus, enough emergency money set aside to replace any broken electronics, and a dog.
  18. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from biogirl2013 in Dealing with students on the spectrum   
    Do you use PPTs during discussion or while you lecture? The prof I'm TAing for right now does, and he color-codes his slides. If the background is green, students are free to ask questions related to that or the previous material. If the backgroud color is e.g. yellow, it means don't interrupt. And so forth. Of course he explains the system to the class at the beginning of the semester/at the point when it becomes necessary to do so.

    That doesn't help deal with the "unrelated tangents" problem, but it might keep them more manageable time-wise, and thus be fairer to the rest of the class as well as still giving your enthusiastic but needing a little help student a legit chance to engage.

    The prof has also remarked that he started getting more questions in general once he implemented the color-coded slides. Apparently students felt like he was giving them "permission" to ask questions, even though ostensibly the floor had always been open for them. So there's that as well!
  19. Upvote
    Sparky reacted to Katzenmusik in Fall 2013 Applicants?   
    I have also decided where to go!
     
    It came down to a choice between the place where I thought I'd personally be happiest on a number of fronts (Interdisciplinary Program) and the place where I'd be set up best for a traditional academic career (History Program).
     
    I visited the Interdisciplinary Program and absolutely loved it.  I waited a while to see if the warm glow would die down, but it didn't. 
     
    When I turned down the history program, I felt a twinge of regret, but that dissipated, and I'm at peace with my decision.  
     
    Exhale.
  20. Upvote
    Sparky reacted to coffeekid in PhD applications for 2013-2014 chit chat...   
    Just turned down a life of job security and good pay in clinical psychology for Vanderbilt's PhD in Religion, Psychology, and Culture.

    Happy discerning for the rest of you!
  21. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from brequie in Learning a new language from scratch- NOT a medievalist   
    Well, I *am* a medievalist, so as one of the people who has to pick up whatever language a particular primary or secondary source just happens to be in, perhaps I can offer helpful advice.

    If there is strong tradition of scholarship in your subfield in a particular language, learn that one.

    As far as the actual language acquisition goes, most people here audit the undergrad intro classes. There are a few graduate reading classes offered in the summer (mostly the basic languages--Spanish, French, German). If your own school does not offer any, you can probably get a grant through the international studies office (or equivalent thereof) to take a summer class either at another U.S. university, or at a program abroad! (Woo!)

    During the learning process, I find it very helpful to read children's and YA books in the target language--especially ones that I've already read in English. Just to get myself used to it.

    Also, keep in mind that there is a difference btwn "learning a language" and "learning a language for the test." The second is much, much easier. Of course, if there's a bunch of scholarship on something relevant to your research interests in a particular language, you probably have to, well, actually learn it.

    And finally, speaking as a medievalist: if you know a Romance language, the advice to learn another Romance language is good--but for the love of all that is holy, don't pick Latin unless your dept requires it.
  22. Upvote
    Sparky got a reaction from virmundi in Anyone studying religious history?   
    I started off in theology (BA, M*), and am now working on a PhD in history. "Once you start down the dark path" &c. (See also my signature.)
  23. Upvote
    Sparky reacted to toby42 in History?   
    I don't know if it will be the main focus of my studies, but early Christian history (1st-5th centuries) will definitely be a large part of whatever I do. It might even become my main focus, I don't know.
     
    At this point, my main emphasis is biblical/textual studies, but in my opinion this must include an in-depth knowledge of the social and religious contexts in which the text was written. The period after its writing and dissemination is also highly important as it gives insight into what the earliest texts looked like and how they were interpreted (hence my interest in Patristics). For me, early Christian history is an essential part of understanding scripture. Heck, it's an essential part of pretty much anything we do - be it history, theology, textual, etc.
     
    With this, I am also greatly intersted in the period of Jewish history (social, religious focus) from 150 BC - 70AD, and for the same reasons - the Jewish context in which Christ came and the NT was written is a vital part of understanding scripture. For this reason, my plan is to continue on toward my Ph.D. in Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity... So yeah... I <3 history.
  24. Upvote
    Sparky reacted to Therewillbeluke in What's your dream degree? Anywhere, anyone...   
    So tough! Either the Academy (POI: Plato), or The University of Paris (POI: Thomas Aquinas).
  25. Upvote
    Sparky reacted to 11Q13 in What's your dream degree? Anywhere, anyone...   
    It would be the resources of Harvard, the combined faculties of Notre Dame, the Harvard Divinity faculty of the ~1970-90s (before Stendahl retired, after Levenson joined, if there actually was any overlap), Princeton Seminary in the Metzger era, and be located on the campus of UC Berkeley (along with Danny Boyarin)...and throw in EP Sanders for good measure.
     
    ...a bit more dreamy than you were probably looking for
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