xolo

I've been enjoying your posts since you started here. So glad to hear the good news! Hopefully the first of many!

Thank you all so much! I was seriously paralyzed for a moment after reading the result, and I posted here before contacting any friends and family...because y'all have been such an incredible support system for the past 2.5 years (and the last few months in particular!). I'll stop hogging this thread now, I promise. I'm just so elated! Good luck to everyone still waiting, and always remember to check application portals, even when you don't have acceptance emails...

I'm a female graduate student under 30 who has never been challenged about grades or harassed by students in my classes, and I'm starting to wonder if I'm in the minority ... most of the other women in my program report things like this and I wonder why it's never happened to me. I don't dress particularly nice (I often wear jeans and T-shirts), and I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the fact that I'm quite tall, as it's the only factor I can think of that sets me apart from those who've reported difficulties. I'm one of those people who never get carded and was thought to be my real age or older throughout my teens, so maybe the height and the saunter scare people? Any other tall ladies had this experience?

I had the same experience, so I'm always confused when other TAs encounter these problems. Most of my students were no more than 2 or 3 years younger than me when I started as a TA and I'm not particularly tall (5'5"). I dress pretty casually as well (dark jeggings, blouse with cardigan, flats). Students would sometimes ask me about why they received the grades they did and always seemed satisfied with the explanation, even if the grade was poor. 
It could potentially be a body language issue? Ten or so years of martial arts have made me a pretty confident person in the face on conflict. That may cause me to subconsciously assert my authority more in my physical presence than some other women do. Above average height might cause others to do this without trying, as well.

telkanuru has said what I was thinking. It sounds like it might not be you, it might have been your supervisor.

Just to add another opinion, I bombed the subject test my first time and took it again.  In retrospect it was unnecessary since only two out of the fifteen schools I applied for required it, and the school I've chosen to attend does not, but at the time I was panicked about my chances of getting in anywhere at all and decided to retake.  
I did not study for a single second between my first attempt and my second.  I thought I would have the time, but it was the middle of a very difficult semester, and the subject test took a low priority.  I almost didn't show up on test day because I hadn't studied any more, but figured I had already paid and might as well give it a shot.  My score improved by over 20 percentile points, which brought me into a much more respectable (though by no means very impressive) score range.  
I agree with what everyone else here is saying about the scores being the least important part of your application and the test itself being useless, outdated, and ridiculously expensive, so don't retake it if you don't want to and I doubt a poor score will seriously mess up your chances anywhere if you're already a strong candidate.  But with that said, I think what version of the test you get can really raise your score just because one version might happen to have more works you're familiar with or more material related to your specialty or something you happened to cover in a recent course/seminar--another reason the test is completely bogus and arbitrary, but I did benefit from getting a "better" version of the exam the second time around.  Your score could possibly improve with very minimal effort, if you're in the position to throw down money on it.

Hi Scarves, I remember you from last year. How's it going? It sounds like things worked out pretty well for you. I'm starting to sweat next year already because of what I am required to do during my second year (a lot of work!)
I'm not familiar with the schools you inquired about, but it seems that you are either going to be in linguistics, Hispanic linguistics, or education
It sounds like schools with Hispanic Linguistics would be good candidates for you, possibly with Applied Linguistics as your area. Those types of programs can outsource a lot to the linguistics and education departments, right? Since your interests are pretty well defined, my only advice, which I'm sure you already know, is to start contacting and networking with professors to find one who you can connect with.

This is good food for thought. I'm so glad someone started this thread. I don't really have any good advice, it seems there is somewhat of a random order to these things.  I've been thinking about my quals that are due next year (next year equates to "tomorrow" in my mind) and I need to write about 40 - 50 pages.
Hey AllPlaid, I remember your great posts from last year when I was still dreaming and before I had to start working like a dog!
I'm finishing my first year too and my advisor has advised me to be flexible as I would be getting new ideas. However, I have given a couple of presentations on my originally planned area and it continues to be well received. My area is language contact in Mexico and a visiting prof was enamored of the topic - that was a nice ego boost. 
 

Hi WildeThing,
Most of the things you mention are not determinants (although it's really good you have them, you seem like a good candidate). A verbal of 161 if you are Spanish-dominant is phenomenal.
You need a writing sample and statement that show you have promise as a researcher. And possibly also a teacher (although I have little idea what a degree in Intercultural communications entails). As ExpDelay said, you need to align yourself with a department or prof.
BTW, 'obfuscating' is properly used in my opinion, your command of the English language is impressive, assuming you are Spanish-dominant.
PM me if you want to discuss any details. I went through this process last year, but I'm in the Spanish department so might not know too much that can help you.
Un saludo
 

Hey GradCafe! I'm finishing up my first year of the PhD (ahh!!), and wanted to start a conversation with you brilliant folks about choosing our area(s) of specialization.
The specialization I proposed in my SOP & writing sample, which was pretty specific in terms of periodization and methodology, is no longer especially thrilling to me. Coursework, and more generally hanging out with my awesome cohort and being around great faculty, has gotten me excited about stuff I had no idea I'd be into! (For example, I came in as a 19th Century Americanist, and have somehow fallen in love with a few 18th Century British poets! Weird.) (Also, note to future applicants: Don't feel like your proposed area of specialization is a binding contract! You'll have freedom and flexibility in your program to adapt your interests.)
So, I'm wondering how you all are going about choosing your areas of specialization! I can imagine beginning with specific authors or literary texts and building an interpretive methodology from there; I can also imagine beginning with a specific theoretical framework or conceptual problem and looking for texts that might help think through the questions. Other approaches?

In my undergrad nerd-herd, I was the Chaucerian.  That was my thing.  I was the one our friends went to for questions on the Tales.  Then I graduated and taught high school for a few years, and I realized something.  While I still loved Chaucer, I wasn't particularly driven by it.  But I lived for the Shakespeare unit.  I couldn't get enough of it--teaching it, talking about it, thinking about it, etc.  So when I eventually went to grad school, I specialized in Renaissance drama.
 
So as far as advice, I would suggest you think about what you might be interested in for a span of 30+ years.  What area/field could you NEVER fully explore in one professional life time, and yet still want to try?  Which batch of literature would you be REALLY bummed to never really get to teach?  The answers to those questions should really filter out the areas that seem interesting because you wrote a really good seminar paper on something (which is great) from the ones where you might be able to write several books.

About 5 years ago I decided to go for the PhD. I hadn't been in school in many years and had no degree in my field. I studied for a couple of years on my own, then started taking upper division language classes at the local university. It also allowed me the opportunity to develop a field of interest, writing samples, and LORs. These are some of the most important things for the PhD. In my opinion, grades and such are more "check-boxes" compared to original research, statement of purpose, and LORs. Now I'm in a top-10 program. I see on this forum that everyone has their own path. The main thing is perseverance and knowing what you want, not an exact plan on how to get there.
One thing that you should seriously consider. I went from a language student to a researcher and language instructor. Defcon 5!! Shocker!! Big time culture change. Be sure this is what you want. PhD does not equal "I love to read".

About 5 years ago I decided to go for the PhD. I hadn't been in school in many years and had no degree in my field. I studied for a couple of years on my own, then started taking upper division language classes at the local university. It also allowed me the opportunity to develop a field of interest, writing samples, and LORs. These are some of the most important things for the PhD. In my opinion, grades and such are more "check-boxes" compared to original research, statement of purpose, and LORs. Now I'm in a top-10 program. I see on this forum that everyone has their own path. The main thing is perseverance and knowing what you want, not an exact plan on how to get there.
One thing that you should seriously consider. I went from a language student to a researcher and language instructor. Defcon 5!! Shocker!! Big time culture change. Be sure this is what you want. PhD does not equal "I love to read".

I wouldn't judge what is a top program by US News either, but (will I get pummeled for this?), if you want a job, concentrate on the T10/T20. Depending on your subfield, it may be worth choosing a lower ranked institution to work with a highly respected adviser, but even those don't usually fall outside the well-reputed places. 

About 5 years ago I decided to go for the PhD. I hadn't been in school in many years and had no degree in my field. I studied for a couple of years on my own, then started taking upper division language classes at the local university. It also allowed me the opportunity to develop a field of interest, writing samples, and LORs. These are some of the most important things for the PhD. In my opinion, grades and such are more "check-boxes" compared to original research, statement of purpose, and LORs. Now I'm in a top-10 program. I see on this forum that everyone has their own path. The main thing is perseverance and knowing what you want, not an exact plan on how to get there.
One thing that you should seriously consider. I went from a language student to a researcher and language instructor. Defcon 5!! Shocker!! Big time culture change. Be sure this is what you want. PhD does not equal "I love to read".

About 5 years ago I decided to go for the PhD. I hadn't been in school in many years and had no degree in my field. I studied for a couple of years on my own, then started taking upper division language classes at the local university. It also allowed me the opportunity to develop a field of interest, writing samples, and LORs. These are some of the most important things for the PhD. In my opinion, grades and such are more "check-boxes" compared to original research, statement of purpose, and LORs. Now I'm in a top-10 program. I see on this forum that everyone has their own path. The main thing is perseverance and knowing what you want, not an exact plan on how to get there.
One thing that you should seriously consider. I went from a language student to a researcher and language instructor. Defcon 5!! Shocker!! Big time culture change. Be sure this is what you want. PhD does not equal "I love to read".

I understand how you are feeling. I don't want to generalize too much, but grad school is made up of people who are already some of the best in their undergraduate classes. So, you are taking a big group of people who are used to doing well and achieving a lot and putting them all together. When you are in this situation, if you are seeing other people do better than you, it's easy to think that you are somehow falling behind or not doing enough. But don't forget about the big picture. You have already achieved a lot and you are currently learning a ton and achieving a lot more too! Don't be compare yourself to others. I find it useful for me to track my own accomplishments and focus on what I am doing for myself because I want to, not because someone else is doing X and I'm afraid they will be better than me.
I think I am pretty good at handling these feelings when they crop up now because I've been a grad student for awhile. But they still crop up from time to time. For example, last month, I was pretty bummed that I didn't get awarded a talk for an upcoming important conference in my field. A friend and classmate of mine did though and I was very happy for them. But for awhile, I felt like I was messing up my career and wondering what I was doing wrong that I didn't achieve this thing (other crappy stuff was happening to my research at that time too). I allowed myself to be disappointed and feel bad/sorry for myself for a day and then reminded myself that there are factors outside of my control, I am still good at what I'm doing, and I shouldn't be comparing myself to others. To help me do this, I keep a list of things that I'm good at and accomplishments I've made in the past. Sometimes on days where I feel like I am a total screwup, going through this list helps me reaffirm to myself that I am capable of this. Grad school will have some moments where it will suck but others where it will be awesome. And then a few weeks after the disappointing moment, I got notice that I will be giving a talk on my research at a different conference coming up!
Sorry that I am rambling, but my point is that your anxiety that everyone will be better than you is common and I bet most of your classmates might feel the same way about you. I think it's really important to learn to not compete with yourself by comparing yourself to other people (it's part of learning to say no to yourself that I wrote about earlier). It means making peace with the fact that you cannot achieve everything and if you try to do everything, you might end up doing poorly at everything instead of being good at a few things that are actually important to you. 
As GradSchoolTruther suggested, the school counseling center is an excellent resource. They are here for students, so make use of it. I find that they are great for helping you process your thoughts and come up with solutions that work for you. They are not only for severe mental and emotional distress (although they are good for that too!). Going to see a counselor does not necessarily mean that you have a problem or that there is something wrong with you. They are a resource that is meant for us to use when we need it!

God, is it time to apply again? I'm soooo glad I was admitted to a consecutive MA/PhD program since I don't have a degree in my field and my university only takes people whose goal is a PhD. I sooo feel for you guys that are getting ready to reapply! I never want to go through that again!
I used magoosh for the gre and liked it. I managed to get 168 verbal which is shocking.

I was admitted to a top-10 program at a pretty well known state institution. I hope that answers your question - basically go for what you want!
In my case, I was out of school longer than anyone else on this thread and I came from a totally different background from Spanish or even the humanities. I went back to school for several years which afforded me my LOR writers and allowed me the opportunity to produce some writing samples. I don't think it was sublime prose, but it was a solid and unusual research topic (just my humble opinion  I think those were the most important factors in my case. It also helped that my research topic lined-up very well with the graduate advisor's interests.
I also think academia in the US is more open and diverse than Spain and Latin America.
But beware of what you ask for, in my case teaching undergrad Spanish courses is what I would call a labor of love, especially considering the paltry salary (But still, I'm very appreciate of what I have).
 

I was admitted to a top-10 program at a pretty well known state institution. I hope that answers your question - basically go for what you want!
In my case, I was out of school longer than anyone else on this thread and I came from a totally different background from Spanish or even the humanities. I went back to school for several years which afforded me my LOR writers and allowed me the opportunity to produce some writing samples. I don't think it was sublime prose, but it was a solid and unusual research topic (just my humble opinion  I think those were the most important factors in my case. It also helped that my research topic lined-up very well with the graduate advisor's interests.
I also think academia in the US is more open and diverse than Spain and Latin America.
But beware of what you ask for, in my case teaching undergrad Spanish courses is what I would call a labor of love, especially considering the paltry salary (But still, I'm very appreciate of what I have).
 

I did my MA at CU Boulder and got into Purdue and Hawaii and wait listed all over the place, including UVA, Mizzou and Santa Barbara. There was a recent comment too from someone else who did an MA at Boulder and spoke to the cohort's success in applying to PhD programs, something along the lines of everyone who tried it got into at least one top-50 program, though that has less to do with your inquiry about a gap there were nevertheless plenty of others with gaps similar to mine... I've made some allusions to the pro seminar that they offer and it is top-notch so that sounds about right. Happy to provide more info or chat privately, let me know what you think and good luck!

I think universities are businesses in the sense of not-for-profit businesses where public funding is managed. Unfortunately, for decades public funding has decreased, hence the double digit or greater tuition increases and the student debt crisis. Also, in the humanities there are about one-half the TT jobs as compared to 30 years ago. Enough of my sweeping generalizations, I think it's a great concept to meet and discuss this predicament, but unless the public and legislators are on-board, you might as well cloister in a room and theorize. And just to be more pessimistic, institutions in general, certainly including academia, have been in decline for decades. 
And I agree this is a great community until this kind of thread comes along. Some people don't like being called an ass-clown making shit posts. Really, really disappointing.

I don't know what your undergrad degree is in, but the five years afterwards have made you a BETTER candidate. Of course, you need to write an original SOP and have an interesting writing sample. One area you haven't mentioned, in general you need three academic references, that might be a challenge. Get your ducks lined up! ¡Pan comido! ¡No te va a costar un ojo de la cara! ¡suerte!
 

If you tell me how I've failed to do this, I'm 100% willing to listen. What motivated me to post it, was, as I pointed out above, the hope that someone who resembled me 6-7 years ago, might hear it and (ideally) not apply to PhD programs.  In other words, it was a case of learn from my mistake. I made a huge mistake. That doesn't mean you did, or anyone else in this thread did. But I know a lot of other people who made similar mistakes. And I figure it's statistically likely that at least one of them lurks this thread. 
I'm out of the academic job market, have been for a year. So I'm not sure what my fear of competition would have to do with this. And I really don't have an idea of what the patriarchy has to do with this? 
I'm sorry, I suck at this board and don't know how to quote twice within a post: 
"I'm going to say something ridiculous here, and the OP is going to hate it: Getting a PhD is the best decision for me because it provides a level of security I have never had. I know that for the next four years I will have a regular paycheck,insurance, respect and responsibility. I still believe that I'm in a field that's generally "market proof" (it's not as good as it was even five years ago, but there were still more R/C jobs than English jobs this year, for a smaller number of graduates). I'm only considering programs with 90% placement rates (not hard at the top 20+ r/c programs, while making sure that I will have opportunities to teach business and technical writing, assume administrative responsibilities, and do other work that isn't as "pure" academically but better situates me for the market as it is developing."
 
I don't hate this at all. I think it's great, and I'm genuinely happy for you, and for anyone who's doing meaningful work that they're passionate about. My OP wasn't addressed to you; it was addressed to the people feeling uncertainty, who maybe are doing an MA/PhD like I did and have the chance to leave after the Master's. Or, like I said, the person who's considering grad school but is on the fence about it. I realize that's not you, or likely anyone who has responded here. But like I said, even one lurker reading it -- that's why I wrote it. 
 
"Maybe the question the OP should ask isn't why do we want to be like him, but what are we doing to avoid being the sort of sad, underemployed person who trolls people excited about the opportunity to go on."
This was not my intention, and maybe I should have been more clear about my intended audience in my OP. FWIW, I'm not a sad person, or underemployed. My adjunct gig is up at the end of the school year, and after that I'll be moving on. 
 
"It's the worst kind of ivory tower blindness that makes people think that their situation is somehow unique. I've worked in industries that collapsed, and saw people who worked 10, 15 years in the field fail to find jobs outside of retail. I've worked with adults trying to raise kids on $8/hr without any real hope of personal improvement or job advancement. I've been on the market as both a college dropout and a college graduate, and experienced difficulty finding 9-5 work in both situations."
 
I never said my situation -- or that of academia -- was unique. I also never said anything about my work history before academia. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

You all have been far nicer to OP than I am about to be.
OP, you are an asshole. What motivated you to post this? Is it some sort of patriarical bullshit (or, more likely, a fear of competition in an admittedly tight job market) that caused you to post this? Is it a desire to mansplain something that any potential PhD student already knows because no one else listens to you? I know it isn't a case of "learn from my mistake" because you've failed to critically evaluate what your own mistakes even were.
It's the worst kind of ivory tower blindness that makes people think that their situation is somehow unique. I've worked in industries that collapsed, and saw people who worked 10, 15 years in the field fail to find jobs outside of retail. I've worked with adults trying to raise kids on $8/hr without any real hope of personal improvement or job advancement. I've been on the market as both a college dropout and a college graduate, and experienced difficulty finding 9-5 work in both situations.
I'm going to say something ridiculous here, and the OP is going to hate it: Getting a PhD is the best decision for me because it provides a level of security I have never had. I know that for the next four years I will have a regular paycheck,insurance, respect and responsibility. I still believe that I'm in a field that's generally "market proof" (it's not as good as it was even five years ago, but there were still more R/C jobs than English jobs this year, for a smaller number of graduates). I'm only considering programs with 90% placement rates (not hard at the top 20+ r/c programs, while making sure that I will have opportunities to teach business and technical writing, assume administrative responsibilities, and do other work that isn't as "pure" academically but better situates me for the market as it is developing.
Maybe the question the OP should ask isn't why do we want to be like him, but what are we doing to avoid being the sort of sad, underemployed person who trolls people excited about the opportunity to go on.