xolo

When I mentioned it to the first years, they almost all said that they didn't want to be part of "that toxic website". And to be fair, there have been some crazy moments, and I know people lose their minds slowly about the results board. A lot of people in my cohort and the year above me were active on here, and we still talk about some of the trolling. But, as I said, I think the interesting conversations and clandestine information sharing more than made up for it.

Hi dazed, you seem to be saying that, yes, there are fewer applicants, not just a perception of fewer? GC certainly is not perfect but I find it a useful source of information and way better than most web boards. I wouldn't consider it toxic, it has some really fantastic moderators that try to be upbeat.

Hi dazed, you seem to be saying that, yes, there are fewer applicants, not just a perception of fewer? GC certainly is not perfect but I find it a useful source of information and way better than most web boards. I wouldn't consider it toxic, it has some really fantastic moderators that try to be upbeat.

Hi dazed, you seem to be saying that, yes, there are fewer applicants, not just a perception of fewer? GC certainly is not perfect but I find it a useful source of information and way better than most web boards. I wouldn't consider it toxic, it has some really fantastic moderators that try to be upbeat.

Wow, that's interesting to hear. Other than a few bad apples and cranky posts, most of the old threads I've read here seem fairly equanimous. I actually don't understand the obsessing about the results board...it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Then again, check in with me in five weeks or so, and we'll see if I'm singing the same tune...

Hi everyone,
 
I recently came across this site while researching information about graduate school, and I'm so happy I found it! I have some specific questions about Purdue and rhet/comp MA degrees in general, and I'd appreciate any help and insight!
 
 
To start, I'm currently a junior majoring in Writing and Rhetoric and French Language and Literature at Oakland University in Rochester, MIchigan. I've been told that Oakland is pretty well-known for its undergraduate Writing and Rhetoric program, and I've indeed learned a plethora of useful and meaningful things thus far in the program. I've fallen in love with the field of rhetoric and composition and can truly see myself studying it even further and then teaching other students about the discipline. My professors are very encouraging of my academic pursuits and one of them actually graduated from Purdue with her PhD back around 2007, which is actually why I'm interested in Purdue in the first place.
 
My professor has told me stories about the experiences she's had there and about the program itself, and I really feel like it's where I can excel. She also warned me about how competitive it is and how there aren't a lot of MA students that get accepted, so I'm also looking into the programs at Ohio State, University of Miami at Ohio, and Michigan State since some of our previous students attend grad school there for rhet/comp.
 
Basically, I want to give my applications my absolute all. I've never wanted anything more in my life - I just want to get into a good program so that I can learn and follow my passion. I've yet to take the GRE and will probably do so this summer, and my GPA is currently a 3.92 and shouldn't dip below a 3.9 by the time I apply in the fall.
 
So, here are my experiences so far, and I'd appreciate it if anyone could tell me of other ways I can make myself more competitive:
 
I work at our writing center (I started my sophomore year) and have been able to present at a couple of conferences through my employment there, one national conference and one regional conference. I also participated in what we call our Embedded Writing Specialist (EWS) program where a writing center tutor goes into a basic writing class once a week to help the professor workshop with students, and next semester I'll be an official TA for an upper-level writing class. I also have a publiation in the manual we have for our EWS program. Additionally, I won a writing award the department offers and I'm the president of one of our writing clubs and the chief editor of our corresponding journal.
 
Beyond the writing and rhetoric stuff, I've studied abroad in Montreal, Quebec and will potentially study there again this summer or will possiblly go to France next fall. I've also won a few awards for my French performance and hope to start tutoring French at our university's tutoring center.
 
This is what I've achieved so far, and while I know that I should proud and happy for what I've done, I still feel like I could be doing more. I'm sure there are people applying who are waaaaaay more qualified than myself, and since I still have some time before applying, I'd like to maximize my potential. Additionally, I understand that there's the issue of funding, especially for MA students. I know they say to not to go to grad school if you don't get funded, but what if I were to pay for my MA and get funded for my PhD? Isn't that how it works sometimes? I have a nest egg of money that I could contribute to grad school since I have a full-ride for undergrad, but would that be a foolish thing to do?
 
Thanks so much for reading, and thanks in advance for any responses!

Hi,
 
I'm still an undergrad finishing up my last year, but I might be able to give some advice about what I've learned about the application process for an MA. Some of this I've learned from forums like this one, from professors, and from articles/research from sources such as the Chronicle of Higher Education. You sound like a strong candidate for grad programs, and it's great you have passion for comp/rhet. As someone who's finishing up my own application materials, the biggest thing I think I'd advise someone to do is to study for the GRE as early as possible. I started this summer, and I honestly think that was too late. I had some minor health problems and got behind on my prepping. Trying to get caught up and stay on top of 18 hours and a research scholarship complicated things too. I ended up not performing as high as I wanted to, scoring only slightly above average on one section, but almost perfectly on the writing. I'm not that great at standardized tests, so I don't think a lot of prep would have dramatically impacted my scores, but it might have lessened my anxiety. So, I'd definitely prep as early as you can. From what I've been told, it's not the most important part of your application, but you still want to score well.
 
Maybe it's just my anti-debt fears, but I'd personally never pay for an MA or a PhD in English. Employment is just not secure, and if a program really wants you, they'll support you either with a fellowship or a TA position. I'll graduate with my BA debt free because of scholarships, yet if a program chooses to not support me, I won't be attending. I'll simply reassess and look at all of my options. I'll either reapply or look at getting certification to teach high school. Ultimately though, I'll end up where I'm supposed to be. 
 
I hope everything I've shared is helpful. Good luck on the application process! 

They always can be improved. My writing sample kept evolving everytime I did a final spell check. Don't worry. They will now better, even professors get multiple re-writes on articles.
 
Waiting is easier if you are, like me, in the southern hemisphere and its summer time.

I already said I trimmed, so I'm not sure why you feel the need to say this. That's why I brought it up in the first place, just in case I seemed unfocused.

Fingers, thanks for that clarification. I was curious because I have been flagellating myself over the schools during the application process. I'm in waiting mode right now and just went back and looked at my application material - it really needs a lot of additional work! At least that's what I thought, but I suppose that's true of any writing. I'm applying to UT Austin, UCLA, UCSB, USC, UA, UNM. It's great to see some activity in this forum. My interest is in language contact, especially little languages fighting for recognition against a much larger language.

¡Qué bueno que tengamos más personas por aquí! Veo que alguien en el grupo está aplicando a mi antigua alma mater. Fernando, are you going for the PhD in Lit in ND or the MA in Spanish?

I am looking bad?
 
I'm not the one talking down on someone for making certain choices in their lives when they are looking for support. The guy just wanted support and then you got some freaking English Lit people come in here and basically tell him he's an idiot for doing what he is doing. 
 
$30K really isn't that much money. If someone had been working for 6 years that would mean $5K a year one would need to save, that is peanuts. 

Easy to answer: It's never done, you just run out of time or collapse from exhaustion.

I, too, think perhaps apps are down this cycle. But I really don't know.
 
hypervodka- For the life of me I cannot see anything in your post that would cause me concern. Your POI responsibly did what they said they would do - comment on your WS. It is very positive.

Since this forum is still fizzling, I will add this as a final post:
 
A classmate from this course works in one of the university's professional development centers, and shared what was happening with a boss that works closely with professors. This individual was shocked by the specifics of the class, and believes that there is a strong case against this professor for unprofessional conduct in the form of verbal harassment/abuse for repeated actions since the beginning of the semester. (This happened to a number of other students in this class too, and in past courses as well. I was warned by most everyone in my cohort when I arrived to university.)
 
I'm not interested in pursuing it AT ALL, but that is the one detail I will provide to show that perhaps I am not entirely crazy, paranoid, or grade mongering. (Again, there are others, but this one was the most important.) This course weighed me down all semester and negatively impacted my mental health, and I'm sorry for letting that shine through in the OP without relevant details (and for posting).
 
Mea culpa gradcafe. Thank you for the insights nonetheless!

I don't know how much of this was directed my way but the "don't pile on" messages did start after my post so of course that's meaningful 
 
Analyzing posters' assumptions, reactions, and, perhaps, misunderstanding of graduate school norms can help them both with the current situation and future situations. Maybe that's being critical, but it could also be more helpful in the long run.
 
Here, when asking about a possibly mistaken grade or inquiring about a grade bump, the OP will have more success (now and later) if he/she doesn't assume: (1) that they know they're doing A(wesome) work; (2) that they deserve an A because they have scholarships, which is irrelevant; (3) that the professor is unprofessional; (4) that the professor is out to get them. Those attitudes--if they are perceived by the professor--can have toxic repercussions for one's reputation and future. #1 and #2 are more likely to come across because professors can sense entitlement from a mile away, and #4 just looks paranoid.

I agree with proflorax that we (graduate students in general but also specifically the users of this board) need a safe space to vent. C&C did not post anything that would harm any other person. We might not always agree with the poster's point of view, but that doesn't mean we always have to criticize or react negatively to it.
 
Since there are no details that would identify any person and that C&C is not taking any actions that would harm our community here as well as the general "academic/grad student" community elsewhere, then I don't think there is any harm in a venting of frustration/stress like this.
 
I would say a post like this by C&C is far different from a lot of other posts that were "harmful" venting because they either specifically named programs or schools or people and/or they advocated for extremely unprofessional or dishonest behaviour. 
 
In addition, I would note that the original post asked for advice on how to proceed with asking the professor for a grade increase. The first few comments were responding to this question directly. I agree that it's helpful to advise C&C that perhaps 89.89 is just a coincidence, but we should keep in mind that 1) each poster might not share all the details of the situation and 2) for the sake of establishing a supportive community, we can recognize that sometimes some of us are more stressed out or feeling very frustrated and just need to vent their feelings without having their situation analyzed and criticized.
 
I know I sometimes give unsolicited advice so I'm guilty of this as well. GradCafe is an online, pseudo-anonymous forum that can be used for a lot of purposes. Sometimes, the poster wants advice and feedback on their actions; sometimes the poster just wants to vent and say unprofessional things behind the safety of the Internet, and sometimes, the poster just wants to ask one specific question without having to justify their past actions or motivations. Or sometimes a combination of the three. I think it is reasonable to say that for the latter two cases, it's not too much to put our highly analytical graduate student minds in the background and just be supportive when another colleague seems to need it.

You say "teaching", I say "advising". People here offer their own advice and perspectives, and sometimes that perspective is that the person asking the question is wrong. I don't see that as problematic. Nor can I really agree that this is simply venting. There's a thread for that, and this one specifically solicited feedback.
 
I agree that the question is fair, but I also think that the advice to first examine one's initial reaction - that his or her grade is unfair - is well-founded. Moreover, people only seemed to "pile on" based on C&C's followup posts - Cookie's statements were originally not well-received. 

Hey people. We all have freak out moments in grad school. I don't see the reason to pile on C&C. The professor ended up agreeing that C&C did A-level work, C&C ended up with an A. The conflict has been resolved. What's the point of harping on someone who responded to a stressful situation differently than you would have? 

I don't think you know my background so I won't be offended by your ignorance, but I did post a disclaimer, did you notice that?  At least I identified my program, unlike your anonymity.  And most programs have much in common, so, yes, I think it was a helpful post.  Now, can we help the OP rather than needlessly attacking others?

I don't think you know my background so I won't be offended by your ignorance, but I did post a disclaimer, did you notice that?  At least I identified my program, unlike your anonymity.  And most programs have much in common, so, yes, I think it was a helpful post.  Now, can we help the OP rather than needlessly attacking others?

I don't think you know my background so I won't be offended by your ignorance, but I did post a disclaimer, did you notice that?  At least I identified my program, unlike your anonymity.  And most programs have much in common, so, yes, I think it was a helpful post.  Now, can we help the OP rather than needlessly attacking others?

I know this is an old thread, but in case anyone comes to it looking for any information, I can give you the lowdown on funding at Middlebury, and details on the language schools in general. I have an M.A. from Midd, earned in 2011.
 
I highly recommend the undergrad programs for anyone who wants to get a strong foundation in a new language quickly. But everyone (at the undergrad and grad levels) learns a tremendous amount in these programs, both linguistically and in the "subject" classes (which are all in language).
 
I also think that the M.A. programs are a great way for prospective Ph.D. students to test the waters and build their CV if they are not quite ready for a Ph.D. program immediately after undergrad.
 
There are actually two (well, three) ways to go about getting a graduate degree from Middlebury. Both require 12 classes.
 
The first is a more "traditional" route:
spend one semester in Vermont (3 classes), then immediately go to one of Middlebury's schools abroad (in Madrid, Paris, Florence, etc. depending on your language) for a full year (6 classes), and come back for a final summer in Vermont (3 more classes). (Technically you can also take 9 classes abroad and finish in the spring semester, but most people prefer to take their time and enjoy their year abroad, and as you will see below, in most cases finishing early wouldn't actually save them any money.)
 
The second main way to go about it, which is very popular with high school language teachers and some others, is to get your degree by coming to the language school in Vermont for four summers (usually consecutive, but not always). Obviously you need to have at least 6-7 weeks free each summer, which is why it's good for people who already work in education. For people with full-time jobs in other fields, it would be hard.
 
If you are looking for a "fast track" to a Ph.D. program, this would probably not be the option for you, either. But there is one big advantage to doing it this way:
 
ALL graduate students (right now) get financial aid in the form of scholarships or grants for 100% (!!!) of demonstrated need for the summer sessions. This includes the students who go abroad—basically, all of the graduate students get their summer sessions paid for (if they need it). I don't think most students realize this, but the school has started to publicize it more.
 
I don't know what "demonstrated need" translates to in this context, but all the grad students I knew, including people who were employed full time as teachers, got this free money. Basically this means that the students who come back for four summers get an M.A. for free, without any teaching responsibilities and without relocating. This includes room and board for the session. You just pay for transportation and incidentals. The total value is in the $32k range, as tuition with room and board for a summer is somewhere between $7k-8k, and rising.
 
The other side of the coin is that most students do have to pay for the year abroad. There are some who are lucky enough to get grants or scholarships to fund their year abroad, but if you ask the majority of them, they are taking loans, and the total cost is around 40-50k for the nine months. That's about 20-25k for tuition, and the rest for living expenses, so your mileage may vary.
 
That's what I ended up doing, because one of my major goals was to study abroad again. Whether this was the wisest financial choice in the long run remains to be seen, but I can't imagine having done it any other way. Fortunately, I qualified for all federal loans (no banks involved), under the new program that is wholly managed by the Dept. of Ed., and they offer very flexible income-based repayment plans, and the possibility of loan cancellation if you work long enough in public service.
 
Academically, it was definitely worth it for me. It helped my figure out my direction in my academic career, and I have (so far) been accepted to two great Ph.D. programs in my specialization (which is a pretty small subfield). My academic record was a little sketchy before getting into Middlebury, and I am sure I would not have been accepted without that degree. Of course, I worked hard to maintain a good GPA, and I cultivated relationships with professors to ensure good letters of rec, which are both crucial elements of PhD applications, as I am sure everyone here knows.
 
I know a number of other Midd M.A. alums who have gone on to apply to Ph.D. programs, and they have generally had their pick of where to go, so an M.A. degree from Middlebury definitely can pay off.
 
Everyone please feel free to reply or PM me if you have any questions about my specific case or Midd in general. I will get notification via email. I encourage everyone to apply. Also note that Middlebury has rolling admissions and the final cutoff isn't until April 1, so if you are on the fence or got rejected from your dream Ph.D. program, you can still apply to do an M.A. at Midd for this year!

juzaib, the schools themselves can probably provide you with that information, or at least a lot of it. No one on this board can tell you your chances however (assuming you meet those minimum keep outs) because that really depends on your SOP and Writing Sample and maybe other things like the interview, which of course we know nothing about. However, you should apply everywhere you would like to attend, you shouldn't doubt yourself, because it is a bit of a crapshoot anyway. Bom día!

Eep, submitting my first apps today!! *does a little nervous dance* I really think I've done all I can. My scores are good, my writing is solid, my diversity statement is . . . diverse? I don't have the publications that some people have, or any professional conferences, but my favorite professor told me the other day that she'd be "REALLY surprised" if I didn't get into every school I applied to - which I figure means I have a pretty good chance of getting admitted to at least ONE of the US schools on my list, heh.
 
I have to admit, I am exceptionally grateful for the holiday break that's about to start - I know this process is not designed around the mental health of the applicants, but it is really smart to have applications due right before a time of year when hugs, sugary treats, and alcohol are widely available. At Berkeley, school doesn't start again until Jan. 20, so I figure I'll only have about a month between then and the time it becomes reasonable to start obsessive e-mail checking.