serenade

Does anyone else have that one annoying fellow grad student in your department who drives you insane? Monopolizes class discussions? Talks incessantly for no reason? Tries to be 'teacher's pet' in every seminar? Over eager to the point of annoying everyone around him/her? Completely lacks self awareness? For me, "that one" student in my department is also one of my advisor's students and I feel like he hogs my advisor's attention and tries way too hard to impress him. If a professor casually mentions a book during seminar, said student will immediately find a link to the book and email it to everyone in the room...within 1 to 2 minutes of the professor mentioning it. And then interrupt class to announce that he just sent the link. Or he will scan an entire 500 page book and upload it to a shared folder and send the entire class (including professor) multiple emails reminding them that he did that. He is just way. too. eager. And attention-needy. I really think a large part of it is lack of self awareness (though I don't think I'm the one to open his eyes) but part of it is also an inane need for approval from professors (particularly our mutual advisor) and peers. I've been trying my absolute best all semester to just ignore him and tune him out. But when I can't get a word in during any seminar or ever have a chance to talk with my advisor because he monopolizes his attention before class, during break, and after class, it just gets frustrating. Has anyone had any experience dealing with a fellow grad student like this? What do you when "just ignoring" it isn't working?

I don't have any useful advice here, but just wanted to say that reading this was like reading the inside of my own head for the past few weeks. As a first-year, I have nearly identical thoughts on a daily basis about all three papers, but especially about that "one paper in particular, from a class that has been very challenging, that makes me feel nauseous and panicky every time I think about it." Yep, I have one of those too. You're certainly not the only one to feel this way! Thanks to the above people for their advice/morale boosting etc.

Interesting topic. At my interview, the grad students just took us out for lunches/coffees/dinners throughout the visit. The department picked up the tab on all the food but if you wanted to buy alcoholic drinks, it was on you. In my experience, that setup worked fine. If you wanted to purchase your own alcohol, you were welcome. But yet we were always in restaurants/coffee shops, not bars, so people who don't drink (like myself) felt totally normal. Alcohol was available, but not obligatory. After they dropped us off at the hotel each night after dinner, a group of us went to the hotel bar every night and stayed up till around 1 a.m. hanging out, so if you really wanted to go to a bar, you could at the hotel (though I just did the hanging out part--not the drinking part). Yes! I remember us sitting around the bar saying this almost verbatim. Unrelated, these are probably obvious and self-evident, but I think it's good for people who are picking up prospectives from the airport to text/email them that day/the day before to let them know where to meet or what they look like (hair color, shirt color etc). I knew the person's name and type of car they had from my email itinerary, but it helped to hear more specifics from them via text earlier that day. It also helped to hear from them beforehand so it wasn't like 'total random stranger is picking me up' thing. Again, probably basic "picking someone up from the airport" etiquette, but FWIW. Also, when students have individual interviews at varying intervals during the visit, it's really helpful, in my opinion, to have a current grad student walk them there. If they're each interviewing at different times and not going there as a group, it's easy to get lost on a new campus. I remember having to leave an info session on professional grants to get to my interview and had no clue how to get to that building until a grad student pointed it out. Even better if they have someone walk them over since nerves are probably high (at least mine were) and it's easy to get befuddled trying to find a new building. In addition, it can be helpful to list on the itinerary what kind of attire is needed for each event. I guess this is also self-evident..i.e., dress up for the actual interview; look nice at events involving faculty; more casual at grad-only events, but it can prevent a lot of fretting (at least for girls) if you specify general attire for each event (though I think at some point during my visit, post-interview day, I just got tired of dressing up and wore jeans instead...almost like, my fate's already been decided in the interview so 'who cares' attitude, but I digress). Finally, if students arrive/depart at weird times that aren't convenient for grad students to chauffeur, it's helpful to let them know how to get a cab or arrange it ahead of time for them. I had to leave really early on the last day, Sat, to present at a conference later that afternoon like 8 states away, so another prospective and I took the hotel shuttle to the airport (our hotel conveniently happened to have one) early that morning. I don't think grad students should have to get up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday to take a prospective to the airport, but it would be nice for them to help students arrange taxi/cab/shuttle instead. Again, I'm sure these are all blatantly obvious, but they're what came to mind.

Ah, good points. Thanks. My department just says to maintain a B+ (3.3) average and that a B or lower is cause for concern. So technically I would be ok with getting a B+, but it would be in my best interests to get A- or higher in terms of future grants etc. Glad to hear that bringing up grades is not totally taboo.

I hesitated to post this topic because I understand that grades are not the most important part of grad school, they're merely an outcome of a larger process of garnering skills, and research > grades. That said, given that grades do have some importance, I have a question about how to discuss grades with professors without sounding like an undergrad begging for an A. It feels odd to even be concerned about grades. Coming from a BA and MA program with grade inflation, I don't think I've had to worry about getting an A since, I don't know, 10th grade geometry? (I'm in the humanities now). The whole idea feels very high school/undergrad to me, but alas, I'm freaking out about grades. Anyway, in two seminars I feel like I'm on the border between B+ and A-. At this point in the semester, the only substantial part of the grade left is the final paper. I'm hoping that a strong final paper can push me into the A- zone for the final grade. I've turned in early drafts of my papers to said professors and would like to talk with them about their feedback after they return the drafts. I'd like to ask (in more sophisticated phrasing) what grade range they think my paper falls into and what effect this paper could have on my final grade, as well as what I need to do to push myself into the A- range (again, in more eloquent phrasing). I guess I just feel like I will sound like a whiny undergrad begging for an A instead of a first year PhD student. I was thinking of writing down examples from the weekly papers I've done well on and from ones where I've done poorly and then listing areas I see for improvement in the final paper. And then asking the professor if they see other areas for improvement and how much improvement I need to make to get into the A- zone (though not in those words, of course). Hopefully that sounds better than just "um, hey, is this paper good enough to get me an A?" Again, I know grades aren't the goal, but they are important. Anyone have ideas or experience about approaching final grades with professors without sounding whiny? Or like a freshman?

By "majority consensus," I meant that while mbennett stated his or her belief that grades and work experience may carry weight over pedigree and lyrech said that a degree from there might not be a "dealbreaker," the posts from GradSchoolTruther, rising_star, telkanuru, and myself have given the opinion that a degree from WGU is not a good idea. Telkanuru told you that it will look as though you tried to do the least amount of work to get the credential and rising_star told you that it would be a "negative" or a "headscratcher." My main point in my above post was not so much to specifically count how many people sided "yes" or "no", but instead to imply that there is something to be said for reading between the lines when a group of people give you advice, even when it contradicts what you wanted to hear. If you are receiving this many warnings that your plan to attend WGU might not be a good one, then it might be good to consider that they have something valuable to say instead of becoming defensive when they contradict your preconceived notions. Remaining defensive helps no one - most of all, yourself.

Dear rvadog, All of the posters on this board have been trying to help you, not accuse you or evade your questions. The responses you've received are from people who indeed have insight into admissions processes and the majority consensus is that no, attending WGU is not a good idea. You appear very defensive toward the very people who are attempting to offer you (solicited) advice.

I have no clue how my BA degree factored into my PhD applications because I got an MA after the BA (both at the same institution) so I may not be very helpful here. But like you, I also finished a four year BA program in three years because of AP credits and summer classes (and extra-full loads every semester etc). I think that this is definitely something to mention somewhere in your applications, maybe in your statement of purpose. It's undoubtedly an accomplishment and you don't want committees to assume you attended a three year program when you actually attended a four year program. Clarified that way, I certainly don't think it could hurt you whatsoever. How much it helps is probably dependent upon how highly ranked your BA institution is (mine is abysmally low ranked so I don't know that it necessarily helped me but it also didn't hurt). Good luck!

Ah, very interesting. When you went to the archives, did anyone speak (limited) English? Or were you totally reliant on knowing Italian?

I second others in encouraging you to look into pursuing a PhD in the States! There is a British student in my department who came to the U.S. for many of the same reasons that have been discussed on this board (funding, more academic rigor, better job prospects for teaching in the U.S. etc). One caution, however, (and no offense to any USC people on here), but I would aim much higher than the University of South Carolina. If you're looking for programs strong in the history of the antebellum South, I would check out other schools in the South (University of Virginia, Vanderbilt, maybe University of Georgia) to see if any of the programs might be good research fits) but I also wouldn't limit myself to only schools in the South. You may be surprised that programs in other regions of the U.S. have people working on your area, though I have no clue since it's outside of my field. All that to say, good luck! The GRE is important (verbal > math), but it's only one part of your application and you sound like you have solid footing on some of the other parts (i.e. archival work) Like others have said, focus on your writing sample and SOP. Again, good luck!

Are you referring to reading Italian or reading the above languages?

This is encouraging to hear. Was this a grad school course geared toward reading knowledge? We don't have an "Italian for Reading Knowledge" course at my university so if I took Italian, I would be starting at the undergraduate entry level. Is that what you mean by "college Italian" or do you mean you took a grad reading course? It would be great if I could get to that level by the end of third semester.

How difficult is it to learn Italian compared to other romance languages? I've had 4 semesters of Latin and 5 semesters of Spanish (and 1 of French). How would you say Italian compares to French in terms of difficulty? I'm asking mainly in terms of reading knowledge, though I would need enough speaking ability to function in Italy if I ever did archival work there.

Sorry if this has been asked in another thread, but how long does your advisor take to return drafts? What is a reasonable expectation?

Does your advisor introduce you to people at conferences? Or do they leave you on your own?

I'm a first year PhD student and have an external fellowship application due at the beginning of November. I need a letter from my advisor, which would mean asking him at least by early October. However, by that point he will only have known me for about 6 weeks since the start of the semester. Doesn't seem like enough time to know someone well enough to write a good letter. Don't want to put him in an uncomfortable position. Has anyone ever successfully gotten a good letter from someone they've only known for a short period of time?

Is there a difference in formality between "Dr Last name" and "Professor Last name"?

I applied to 16 schools (got into 8, got rejected from 8). Yes, it's a pain in the @$$ and expensive. However, if you have the money and time, your list of 14 looks like good and realistic choices.

Switching fields is not a problem. I did my MA in medieval Europe and am switching to early modern Europe for PhD. If you have relevant coursework, even from undergrad, in the area you want to pursue for PhD, that's always a plus. If you have publications/conference presentations/archival research etc in the area you did your MA in, that's still good because it shows you know *how* to do research, even if you want to go for a different field for your next degree. Use the time during your application cycle to brush up on languages and remember that many programs don't require you to pass language exams until your second or third year (before comps and candidacy), so you've got some time. So it's all possible. Not easy, but possible.

Yep, I second all of the above. I also got my MA from the same no name school where I got my BA. I was terrified that this would ruin my PhD apps...but it didn't (unless you have your mind set on super elite schools...then you might have a problem). I still got into top 30-40 schools (based on US News rankings). Like you, my undergrad career was pretty mediocre (good grades but nothing else), but I made up for it in my MA and filled up my CV like it sounds like you have as well. That will go a long way. None of my recommenders were important people, but it didn't hurt my apps. As to your questions, I second everything the above poster said. I will add in regard to the writing sample, the adcomm is mainly looking for quality, not specific fit with what you propose to study, so I would pick your strongest paper, regardless of what historical period it's in. But, as the above poster mentioned, I would definitely pick a historical paper. Don't sweat the no-name school thing. Some schools do weed apps out because of pedigree, but not all. If you're a competent student, you're a competent student regardless of where your degrees are from. Bonne chance!

morning person

Yes to all the above. You can learn a lot from current students!

Oh boy, do I have a story regarding journal purgatory. I submitted an article to a grad journal in June 2014, got a revise and resubmit request November 2014 with a request to resubmit the revised version by Dec 2014...did it. Silence for six months (although I sent monthly emails inquiring the status of my revised manuscript). Finally, in June 2015, I contacted the department where the journal is based and asked to get in touch with the editor (I had been sending emails to the journal email address, not the editor's institutional address). Finally heard back that said editor was no longer editing the journal and the department had 'not gotten around' to appointing another editor to replace the former one. So basically the journal ceased to exist, unbeknownst to me, and I wasted an entire year with my article in journal purgatory. Awesome. Moral of the story: if you're getting silence for several months from a grad journal, contact the editor personally to inquire the status (and make sure the journal is still in existence).

lab rat

Not weird at all. If you're already going to be in the area, might as well. A lot of people might be gone for the summer, but it's worth a try.,