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wuglife427

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Everything posted by wuglife427

  1. Thank you both for your replies! TakeruK, your interpretation is more in line with my intuition, as I can't imagine this process starting over the holidays. But since there is difference between sounding true and being true, I think I will take your advice and ask them. I do actually hope to send it early, but since I am currently struggling to see light on the other side of the very busy tunnel that is midterms, I want to have a contingency plan. It would be helpful (and honestly a bit of a relief) to know whether I could delay it, even though as it stands I am aiming to get things done sooner.
  2. I am applying for NYU's Linguistics PhD program, and under Application deadline it says "Recommended Deadline: 12/18, Final Deadline: 1/4." I have finals 12/15-12/18 and am driving home on 12/19, and a few other schools have final application deadlines in that period, so I am very tempted to put NYU on the back burner until all that is done with. That said, I'm not totally clear on why one date is "recommended." Is it just a suggestion of a date that will ensure they have all your application materials before they start reviewing? Or do they actually value applications differently based on which deadline they were submitted for? I'm inclined to think it's the former, since the adcom probably convenes after winter break, but I just wanted to see whether anyone had any insight into programs with similar deadline setups. I would hate for my chances to be messed up by something like this! Any input would be greatly appreciated.
  3. MIT does not require GRE scores for linguistics PhD applicants. If they're not a top-quality program, I don't know what is. I don't know anything about the schools you mentioned or your field, but based on what people are saying about MA programs and the fact that the GRE has been shown to be unreliable in predicting performance, I wouldn't assume that Cal State schools are of poor quality.
  4. I emailed a prof to ask for a recommendation two weeks ago, and have I have not heard anything back. She's on sabbatical, so no office hours. If she agrees to write it, I doubt that she'll submit it on time. If she refuses, I don't know who my last letter-writer will be. I'm starting to get really worried that she just doesn't like me, and if I badger her at all I'll end up with a weak or even negative letter. Blergh.
  5. I have a 15" macbook pro. I like it because when I write papers, I will often have a page of notes and a page of writing side by side. (And when I'm procrastinating, I'll have netflix side by side with tumblr or gradcafe!) Also, SPSS and Excel can get really frustrating when your screen is small compared to your data set; when I know I'm going to have to use SPSS at work, I try to get there before the other undergrads so I can get the widescreen monitor . That said, I have bad shoulders, so I often wish I had gotten a smaller one when taking my laptop to class. I think GeoDude's idea of a small laptop for class and a large monitor you can hook it up to is really smart. The only problem I see is that it limits where you can work: I like to move around when I work, sometimes sitting at my kitchen table and sometimes sitting on my couch or wherever, and a fixed monitor would keep me fidgeting in one spot. But if you're the type of person who always always works at a desk, or you're willing to stay at a desk when you need a bigger screen, then that sounds like a good compromise.
  6. Maybe something along the lines of: "Hi Professor _____, I am just writing to thank you again for writing a letter of recommendation. I really appreciate the time you put into it, and while I unfortunately was not admitted to XYZ University, I am sure that your support strengthened my application. For now I will focus on gaining experience in X field by doing Y, and perhaps in a year/X amount of time I will be a more competitive candidate. Again, thank you. Sincerely, coffelovr" Not perfect, but just something to break the news while shielding them from blame, and showing that you are dedicated to your education/self-improvement such that it leaves the door open for possible future recommendation requests.
  7. My point wasn't that I was applying only to tippy-top-ranked schools; it was that YoungR3b3l's assertion that they were "average" was simply incorrect. As I said, I put in many hours of research and talked to someone who is very knowledgeable about her field and the people working therein. I will say that reputation and placement record is an important factor to consider, given that professor positions are hard to come by and I do want a paying job after I get my degree. In any case, I've made a spreadsheet listing potential advisors at each of these institutions, and I've knocked off any schools--no matter how highly ranked--that didn't have what I was looking for or that put too strong an emphasis on facets of linguistics that don't interest me. Trust me, I'm putting quite a lot of thought into this decision, not just culling the ranking lists.
  8. Actually, UMass and Santa Cruz are considered to be in the top three of theoretical linguistics programs (along with MIT). In addition to having fabulous syntacticians, they do an excellent job of teaching you how to teach, making their grads highly sought after. They have recent grads teaching at Stanford, Yale, Brown, Georgetown, and lots of other top schools. I was shocked when I realized getting into Santa Cruz could be harder than schools most people consider top-notch; this is a very specific field, so you have to look at the program itself vs. its composite strength as an institution for undergraduates. Argh ok Harvard is on my list...I copied and pasted the list from my spreadsheet, and it might have gotten deleted while I was working out the formatting issues. But thank you for suggesting it!!
  9. Hi everyone! Posting here is bringing back a lot of memories of College Confidential forums...I still have trouble believing I'm already applying to PhD programs! I'm looking to pursue theoretical syntax, with a particular focus on Slavic languages. I'm also interested in field work with minority languages, so depending on where I end up I may branch out into morphosyntax of languages of the Caucasus or Siberia/Far East of Russia. In terms of specific research interests, right now I'm getting really into case theory and concord, and my senior honors thesis will be focused on that. I'm also into certain aspects of psycholinguistics, particularly how we can use experimental techniques to inform syntactic theory. After a lot of research and several meetings with my advisor, I've come up with the following schools: UC Santa Cruz MIT UMass Amherst Chicago UConn NYU UMD Stanford UC Berkeley SBU I'm pretty intimidated by all of those schools, and I'm still looking for the best balance of optimism/confidence and avoiding eventual disappointment I really appreciate you getting this thread going! This process is so crazy, and I'm sure it will only get more stressful when the school year gets going...it'll be helpful to be in touch with people going through the same thing
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