Minnesotan

Fair enough. I'll submit your worthy petition at the feet of one of the global moderators (read: the people with real power around here). Or I'll just wait for Brittypoo to see your comment.

Yeah. My gf did that in Russia, and apparently it's not the best experience. And you don't make any money.

Foiled again by online dictionaries!

As Snowcap realized, I was just being cute.

She called me a fish...

Google proves nothing! =)

Imagining the worst just makes me want to hang myself a second time. I'm not sure what I would do, if I didn't get in. I don't really want to think about it, either, unless the worst possible scenario does occur. I dunno. Teach English in Japan for a year?

I'm a cat person, myself. I can't stand needy people who don't smell, so needy animals who do smell are right out.

It's the first time anyone has been bold enough to inquire. Are there more of you folks lurking about?

You miss the point of these forums, entirely.

Hispanist? You just made that word up. Admit it!

Lots of latino/a, chacano/a, and latin america/o studies this year. Interesting. I'm concentrating on dead white guys. I like to be different. =)

You dream about dogs, Britt? That's kinda odd. I haven't been to craigslist for my cities yet, but I guess I going to now. You've all just enabled me; even more hours of my life are soon to be wasted, pining over the new cities and programs I could be attending this autumn.

Yeah. A lot of programs ask for a separate diversity statement. It would be fine with me if people wanted to list the challenges they've overome within the statement of purpose, but to ask for a statement specifically related to diversity seems wrong to me. For one, it runs under the faulty assumption that an individual can be diverse. Diversity is a relative term - individuals are only diverse when compared to other members of an established group. Therefore, diversity within an incoming cohort can only be judged if it is planned out ahead of time (meaning people *will* be selected on the basis of race, class, gender, or sexual or religious preference). These seem like questionable criteria for selecting candidates to accept into an academic program, if you ask me. If the shoe was on the other foot (i.e. people who are now considered "diverse" were discriminated against, due to race, class, gender, sexual or religious preference), there would be lawsuits.

As in, "Our aplications were crap, but we shot them off to the departments, anyway?" Fair enough.

"This is why I think that the writing sample/SoP should never substitute for a standardized test that measures the applicant's abilities alone." That's why I defend standardized testing - ideally we should have both subjective and objective criteria.

Another convert to the friday evaluation theory of success! Huzzah! I wonder when my adcoms start sorting and tossing. I don't dare bug the secretaries any more, as they've been very pleasant and helpful up till now (yay for applying mainly in the Midwest!). I don't want to turn that switch that makes them dread the sound of my voice. You know it's those ladies who really run the departments.

Not at all. I'm not one of those people who presents their resume to people they just meet, in an effort to earn their respect. My point was made in the utmost humility, based on my experiences on this, and other forums devoted to grad school applications. I did find the exam straightforward, and I do notice a trend when reading many people who did poorly on the exam complain about its arbitrary nature. I completely agree with you that an applicant is the sum of his or her parts, not any single part. That is also why I think diversity statements are often a thinly veiled attempt to insinuate racist, sexist, or classist policies. Everyone has to overcome adversity, but it is not the adversity that defines us, but our ability to succeed. Just because a rich white heterosexual male protestant from the suburbs applies to graduate school does not mean he should be turned down because of past trends in graduate education. He probably had his own problems to overcome, but society does not recognize them, because he is not a member of a minority group, gender, or religion in the U.S. When a person in the "majority" is passed over, in favor of a less successful minority applicant, academia suffers. We should educate the best, not the most pleasing to our notions of social justice. And, so you don't mistake me, I do not fit half of the categories I named above - I just do not choose to play on the sympathy of others to succeed in life, unlike so many Americans. I would rather do it on my own merit. But, again, this is merely my opinion, and is in no way meant to be insulting to you, or anyone else.

I would post in the Medical forum. That's about the closest thing.

There are more and more jobs in public history and corporate history opening up these days. Check the AHA website.

Plus it's fun to make your girlfriend call you Master (of the Arts). *ahem*

I used to watch Electric Company all the time, when I was young.

As much as earning an MA has made me a stressed-out grumpy SOB, I look back at my writing and research from two years ago and am shocked to find out how much I've grown (i.e. "Who wrote *that* piece of @#$%?!"). Even if it were just a matter of getting used to the lifestyle of a grad student, an MA was a very good idea for me. As far as how it affects my writing and research skills (I thought I was a very good writer before - now I'm not so sure I was), there is a world of difference already. I also think having an MA in-hand, or close to it, alters the way people see you. They know you're a dedicated academic, rather than someone with a bachelor's degree who isn't really sure what they want to be when they grow up yet. They know you've learned some of the research skills you will need to succeed, and they realize that any grade you've gotten in grad school required a constant struggle, whereas undergraduate grades are cheap. Add to the research concerns your extra two years of teaching experience, conference presentations, and workshop/seminar participation, and earning a separate MA is something quite significant. Let alone having the ability to see a two-year thesis through to completion (for better or worse, ugh!). There are other reasons for doing an MA first, too. I did mine to take a step up from my state university to a "Research I" before assaulting the very top programs in my field. They say prestige is overrated, but "they" are kidding themselves. Name recognition goes a long way. Hopefully the course I chose will help me get into better PhD programs. I know it has helped me grow as an academic. My advice to you would be to think about what you want out of your grad program before jumping into anything. If you get a nice PhD offer, by all means go for it, but there is no reason to snub an MA (especially funded) program that could help get you on your way. The experience is invaluable!

That's so funny. I've been lookig up pictures, checking apartments, and calculating commute times/checking public transit quality, too. Another good thing about cats is that they seem to know when you're stressing out over stupid things. They either do something completely ridonkulous to make you laugh, or come and give you a kitty hug to make things better. Someone is earning his treats this month!

Maybe if the government gave money to people outside the sciences, that would change. But, no. Everything we study has to have an immediate affect on society.