serenade

"self-described fundamentalists, who are otherwise obsessed with ancient languages (Greek, Hebrew) as they constitute core mechanics for their theology, are extremely negative towards Latin because of its association with that greatest of evils, the Catholic Church." Ah, yes, Latin is the very language of the Antichrist. I agree that this opinion is fueled by a specific religious agenda, hence making religion relevant to this issue. My intention was not to conflate ignorance with religion, but rather with those of the fundie stripe.

Ok so this post is really just to vent about people who don't respect Latin or realize its usefulness. My high school aged cousin has been taking Latin for years but is going to a new (private, not academically rigorous, fundamentalist, religious) school next year. Her future principal told her that her Latin credits won't count because "Latin is a dead language." When my cousin and her mother remarked about the usefulness of Latin and the diversity of disciplines that it has actively shaped, the principal basically laughed them off. The school in question only offers Spanish, which she will have to take (nothing wrong with Spanish, of course), but it would be nice if the school offered more than one language choice. I can understand not counting certain courses because they don't transfer/fit the curriculum for graduation requirements, etc. but to give the reason for not counting them as because it's a "dead language" or a "waste of time" is a mark of complete ignorance to me. How do you explain the centrality and worth of Latin to someone who refuses to acknowledge it as a useful language???

Never knew this distinction existed. Everything makes sense now. Thanks!

The paper is a requirement for the course. I'm thinking it means lit review/historiography as well. Thanks guys.

How do you afford seminar books on a grad stipend budget? The book list for one of my upcoming seminars in the fall is already posted, and buying used books will cost around $293 for one seminar ( x 3 seminars = ~$900 per semester). Is it typical to spend a large amount of your stipend on books? Also, this is unrelated, but when looking at one of the course descriptions for a seminar, it says it requires a "bibliographical essay." Does that mean historiographical, as opposed to primary source based?

Just out of curiosity, Humulus, what happened? Did he succeed in taking your idea or were you able to stop him?

Congrats! With the horrendously bad luck you've had, a 3.5 and being able to graduate at the end of the summer are HUGE accomplishments, and in no way are failures. I don't know how anyone could survive such a toxic academic environment AND personal life chaos without going insane. But you did it! After this, you'll be free to get on with your life and do what YOU want, for a change.

Ah, thanks. Very helpful, particularly #3. Good to keep in mind.

TakeruK, what are ways to manage the risk? Be really vague when discussing research? Just curious as I begin to navigate this process.

Do you think the problem is just forgetfulness/absent-mindedness or do you think your advisor is being intentionally toxic? I think the answer to that will determine how you handle it.

Weird. I was just about to post almost the exact same question in the Research board, but I happened to see this one first. Good timing. As to contacting external professors, I've always approached it with the mindset to just ask them for information/advice about a specific research topic rather than try to involve them as a co-advisor/comm member. Not that the latter is a bad idea by any means, but if it feels like too much of an imposition, you can always just send brief emails asking for help on a specific question without asking him to commit to helping in a formal, long-term way. My intended question actually related to the concept of someone 'stealing' your research ideas if you contact them for help. I could see the need to be cautious in doing this with current grad students, but is it safe to talk to senior scholars without worrying about them taking your ideas?

Not to hijack a thread, but I have a question: I submitted a paper to a graduate journal last summer and got a revise and resubmit request a few months later. I resubmitted the paper last December. To make a long story short, I learned a few days ago that the original grad student editor is no longer editor and the department never replaced her with another editor, meaning my paper will probably stay in purgatory for a long time (the end of this month will be a full year since original submission). Anyway, I'm considering withdrawing it from the graduate student journal I sent it to and sending it to a top tier journal instead. Although the rate of acceptance at said journal is generally low, I'm curious just to try. Has anyone had experience getting accepted or rejected at top tier journals as a grad student? Is it worth even submitting?

I also only had research experience from my university but it wasn't a problem in terms of PhD applications. Good luck!

I raised my V score by 6 points and Q by 4, though I probably could have raised the latter higher had I put in more effort. Raising your Q score 9 points will be challenging but doable in 5 months.

I'm kind of late to this thread, but just wanted to chime in, M&M, that I did my MA with a primary focus in Medieval Europe (my thesis focused on the Carolingian Era) and a secondary field in Colonial America. It was the best of both worlds because I'm deeply interested in both eras. So although you'll ultimately have to pick one as your primary field of study, it doesn't mean the other has to completely go down the drain.

lucky duck

Yes, this chart is generally accurate if you're aiming for Ivy League schools, but so much depends on your field. What field will you be applying to?

rim shot

Lol! Funny how History is seen as second-tier over there (though at times, here in the States as well). Congrats on the conversion; that speaks to your skills as a teacher, no doubt!

shot gun

Completely agree. My MA advisor told me they were insignificant because I was "only" MA; he also thought MA students shouldn't write theses, publish papers, or basically engage in any kind of professional development. Learned to take his most of his advice with a grain of salt.

This is one among many reasons I dislike having two spouses in the same department.

Just out curiosity, have you made any legal headway since the original post? That is totally unfair for them to make people offers and then shut down a program at the last minute.

Since there is no guarantee that the Ireland internship will lead to a PhD, I wouldn't take the risk. Go with the Netherlands instead, particularly if the two schools are close in rankings.

long jump