LifeIsGood

Yay! I'm not the only one! I actually didn't discover this site until after I'd asked my husband to block me from my favorite time-wasters: The Chronicle, RunnersWorld.com, and Facebook. I told him about this one and asked him to shut it down, but he hasn't gotten to it yet. Darn.

It's really amazing what stress does to people. Makes me wonder what it would be like to be in grad programs with some of of them. Yikes.

I keep trying to find a way to contribute to this thread, and I keep bumping up against a wall: I seriously never even thought about general rankings. I was fixated on finding programs that were good fit for what I wanted to study, and then narrowing that list based on the ones that would have the best chance of landing me a TT job afterwards, and then narrowing that list even further by thinking about places that would also work for my family (husband who'll need to get a job, kids who will need good schools and friends they have something in common with, preferably close to family and current friends). Hence, just two schools. That being said, my initial list was topped by: Yale, Harvard, Columbia, JHU, Princeton, UNC, and Rutgers.

Interesting article on this: http://media.www.thesandspur.org/media/storage/paper623/news/2005/11/04/LifeTimes/No.Grades.In.College-1045326.shtml "However, there are draw backs to this type of grading. Since the evaluations replace grades, grad schools will be forced to read pages of evaluations rather than viewing the normal GPA or list of letter grades. On one hand, as msn.com has found, "last year The Wall Street Journal ranked the New College of Florida as the second-best public college or university in the country for sending grads to the nation's leading law, medical, and graduate schools." On the other hand, students fear this new system will cause grad schools to turn their heads at the detailed evaluations. Tradition, they have found, is hard to break free of."

I have kids and I still can't stand those baby updates. TMI, as far as I'm concerned. I only ever want to see two baby-related updates: pregnant and born. The rest of it just isn't that interesting if you're not one of the two people involved. I think schools should automatically send you a uni t-shirt and car decal when you accept their offer.

Natofone, I think it's to help differentiate between general ed requirements (like the Intro to Everything classes you had to take as a freshman) and your major field studies. None of my schools asked me to break it out like that, but many schools do. It also helps you look better on paper if you had mediocre grades in stuff outside your major, but kicked butt inside your major, or if your first two years were rough, but you got it together later on.

Yes! The only reason the prof eventually passed me (because I had to take the same prof all 4 times) was that I promised him I was quitting the engineering school. It killed me. I had a bunch of friends in the business school who thought it was hysterical that I couldn't pass that class. Oh yeah? YOU try it, Mr. Business Math.

Does child rearing count as a hobby? I've been running a lot as well, and am wearing my running gear right now, in fact, to head out after I've get a little work done. I've done some 5Ks over the last few months and will do my first 10K in March. I've found that it really evens out my mood and makes me feel more productive. Otherwise, my time is pretty well booked. I would like to play music with my husband (keyboard, bass, bagpipes) and oldest son (guitar, drums, trumpet), and they just got some awesome recording equipment, so I may start playing drums again.

I started UG as an engineering major back in the 1980s. I flunked out. TWICE. I flunked out once, they let me back in, and I flunked out again. That transcript shows a 4 attempts to pass Calculus 2, 2 attempts at Organic Chem, and a 1.7GPA. I transferred into a journalism program at a different school and cleaned up my act. But that 1.7 stands. I also have UG and G transcripts that have my intended major field down as: Engineering, Geology, Journalism, Environmental policy, English, and History. My intended PhD field? History. Can you say lack of focus and dedication to the field? I think I should have done this one thread first, and then the positives one. I may need to go back to the positives field for a few minutes.

I think this is spot on.

Lauren the Librarian, that sounds great and I'm happy for you that you found ways to make it work. Either you're a great planner or got super lucky! I'd add in a day of working at a local used bookstore so I could get big piles of novels for my back porch activities. I do think that it takes a lot of self-awareness to enjoy the quiet and solitude for an extended period of time. I'm not sure I have it in me.

Wow! This is great stuff, everyone! I leave for a couple of hours, and look what happens! I can't help but think that, even if we don't get into the schools we want, what company wouldn't want to hire such amazing individuals for any job that requires writing skills, problem-solving, and network building--which is every single job I can think of. But, that's all irrelevant because we rock and we're going to end up at good schools!

One of my potential advisors told me that he likes to see applicants who started slow and ramped up by the end (like you and me; my GPA in undergrad was horrific). Quote: "I'd rather have you make all of your mistakes BEFORE you get here!" And nice research exerience!

cpaige: Your awards and study abroad are excellent (as are your other stats), and they'll surely set you apart! Astro: There HAS to be a reason you think you'd do well at the schools you applied to! Believe me, there were plenty of negatives to leave off my list, so don't worry about how you compare. This isn't the full story for any of us. What's on your "pro" list? Captiv8d: I'm especially impressed by your publication record. And clearly the adcoms will be able to connect you with activities and people they respect. Excellent!

MissRyan, it depends on the program. Some will only look at the most recent, others will average, others big the best score from each round, others look at all attempts. I took it once, was assured that schools really just want to ensure that you hit respectable numbers, so I left it at that.

I'll do it! I could really use the positive thinking right now. * Strong finish in my MA in my major field (GPA 3.9). * Strong LOR from my advisor, a leading scholar in my subfield, who is known to and respected by the adcoms I'm applying to, and who I've been told normally doesn't take on MA students for advising, so he must think I've got something to offer. 2 additional good LORs. * Solid GRE with unusually strong quantitative score for humanities. * Excellent previous contacts with potential advisors, including a sit-down with a top scholar at Dream University where he said he'd email the adcom and ask them to flag my app. * Can show some language achievement by passing MA program's translation test and am able to say that I'm booked for a summer immersion program. * 1 publication in press, 1 conference presentation. * Extensive of non-academic professional work that shows self-direction, a daily writing habit, and a history of getting things done and playing well with others. (Wow. It's hard to hit Post on this. My internal editor against bragging is in overdrive.) EDIT: Yay, LaurenA! You're in like Flynn. Bring on the good stuff, people!

1. Husband and kids 2. Parents 3. Friends 4. Recommenders 5. And anyone reading the back of the t-shirt I'm having made up the next day.

This is kind of where I'm coming from. I'm in the humanities and have no delusion that the job market will be a cake walk. I've applied only to schools that: * Have several well-respected profs in my subfield. * Would give me a solid shot at a TT job afterward. * Be easier for my family, logistically, so even if there's no job forthcoming, we've still had some great years. I applied to two schools, either one of which would be awesome. If I don't get in, I'll find a job in my field that doesn't require a PhD (public history, high school teaching, etc.). I've been accused of arrogance, but on the contrary, I really don't assume I'll get in. I actually assume I probably won't, but going to a less-than-stellar school won't do me or my family any good. It would be a luxury to spend that time without a real shot at a job afterward, and that's not fair to my family.

This reminds me of when I got my undergrad diploma in the mail. It said magna cum laude on it. I was so used to doing poorly (I started as an engineering major and failed out spectacularly, before switching schools and majors) that I called and said, "There appears to be some mistake..." They laughed at me.

First, panic. Second, fancy celebration dinner. Third, panic again. Fourth, make a list of the zillion things to do before moving.

Mudlark, thanks for this post. I think it's something that we all need to keep in mind. There are other (perhaps easier) ways to have a happy and intellectually satisfying life.

A friend of mine says you have to speak what you want into being. So I am hereby predicting out loud to the universe that I will be accepted to Dream University with full funding. (Silently, I'm predicting that it's unpredictable, and I might get into all or none of my schools, with or without funding.) After that comes true, I will then predict that I will pass my MA comps, that my house will sell quickly and profitably, that the move will be painless, that I will love my new program and advisor, that my husband will land the best job ever in our new city, and that my kids will be happy in their new schools. That's not too much to ask, right?

When I posted this, I was 38. As of today, I'm 39.

Hah! Funny! Almost lost my coffee there.

I actually have the opposite problem. I got a 650V but a 750Q. Weird, huh? Makes me wonder if I've missed my calling as a physicist. Not really, but it does make me hope that what I've heard is correct: that GREs generally only matter for admissions if your scores are well below average. And even then it'll just mean more scrutiny of your other elements. If you get respectable scores on all three sections, you're fine. On the other hand, I've also heard that they do matter for competitive fellowships; they can be used as an easy ranking mechanism.