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jujubea

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  1. Like
    jujubea reacted to joysii in As a course reader am I required to attend the class?   
    I've never seen any of my readers present during lecture as an undergrad. The only exception was when they had to take the place of the prof a couple of times to do a short presentation or announcement or proctor an exam. If this is a professor you know closely or want to get to know closely tho, being present at their lectures where they can see you (if you're sure you won't fall asleep) is probably a better move. I don't think you even need to pay attention, you could bring your laptop and do personal work/take notes on the side as long as the prof permits devices in lecture.
  2. Like
    jujubea reacted to FruitLover in As a course reader am I required to attend the class?   
    At my school, readers do attend lectures. But as the others have said, better ask yours about their expectations.
  3. Like
    jujubea reacted to AP in As a course reader am I required to attend the class?   
    Ask your professor but rather than asking it like that, which might make you sound lazy, just meet to set expectations regarding: attendance, turn around of grading, meetings? then your real question is within another, broader, more "responsible" looking question
  4. Like
    jujubea reacted to vallaboop in Favorite Rejection Quotes from the Results Page   
    Rutgers University - New Brunswick English, PhD (F19) Rejected via E-mail on 5 Mar 2019 A 5 Mar 2019 report spam Stephen King's first book, Carrie, was rejected 30 times before it was published. Steven Spielberg was rejected twice from USC's School of Cinematic Arts, and now has a building there named in his honor. If this cycle isn't panning out for you, don't worry, success rarely comes easily or on the first try. Keep at it.  
    ?cheers to that
  5. Like
    jujubea reacted to eggsalad14 in Favorite Rejection Quotes from the Results Page   
    LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE (LSEPS) ECONOMICS, Masters (F18) Accepted via E-mail on 28 Feb 2019   28 Feb 2019 report spam APPLICATION WAS COMPLETE ON JAN 8TH, I'M VERY HAPPY TO HAVE GOTTEN AN OFFER FROM MY COUNTRY (IM BRITISH FROM BATH - NOT THE TOOL WE USE TO WASH, BUT RATHER THE CITY IN SOMERSET). I HAVE A DECISION TO MAKE BUT I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE ACCEPTANCE. I WISH THEY GAVE ME SOME FUNDING THOUGH... THE TUITION IN POUNDS IS MORE THAN I WEIGH AND IM A HEFTY BLOKE.
  6. Like
  7. Like
    jujubea reacted to vallaboop in Favorite Rejection Quotes from the Results Page   
    UC San Diego (UCSD) Computer Science, Masters (F19) Accepted via E-mail on 1 Mar 2019 A 1 Mar 2019 report spam Life has taken on a whole new meaning. To all you people out there, always have hope. Hope is the most important thing there is and always keep moving forward. “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!  
    Rocky FTW
  8. Like
    jujubea reacted to elx in Favorite Rejection Quotes from the Results Page   
    I just realised I said "I'm all out of rejections" when I meant "all out of reactions" and I think we share a similar, frenzied state of mind hahaah.
  9. Like
    jujubea reacted to TheHoff in Favorite Rejection Quotes from the Results Page   
    Ouch!

    I have a thing against UCR after last year. I was interviewed in January and they sent my rejection for Fall '18 in October/18.
    If you are charging $125 to apply, at least have the decency to notify your candidates.
  10. Like
    jujubea reacted to samiamslp in Favorite Rejection Quotes from the Results Page   
    ?? Poor dude. There's no place like home?
    University Of Toronto Computer Science, Masters (F19) Rejected via E-mail on 29 Mar 2019 I 29 Mar 2019 report spam Rejections from CMU, UIUC, UBC, UTA and now UoT. Only 3 colleges left. Decided to go big or go home. Home appears likely.
  11. Like
    jujubea reacted to feralgrad in Favorite Rejection Quotes from the Results Page   
    This one was a wild ride from start to finish. Hope the OP is okay, but the "yeet" kills me.

  12. Upvote
    jujubea reacted to Ternwild in Favorite Rejection Quotes from the Results Page   
    A journalist who doesn't like to read... ? I can see why they rejected them.
  13. Upvote
    jujubea got a reaction from Adelaide9216 in Anyone want to join/start a virtual writing group from the "How to Write a Lot" book?   
    Hey y'all. Sorry I dropped out of sight after starting this but glad it sort of garnered some interest.
     
    I ended up making a one-person writing group (ha) in person; I set a time and a place and I went there and wrote every week for 3-4 hours every time. It's the most progress I've made while school was in session on this particular project. I told my friends about it and just said "I will always be at xplace at xtime, rain or shine, if you ever want to join me for a writing session" - and by the end of the term, I had one other regular join-er. I never missed a week! 
    Anyone still interested in this? I saw someone mention a Doodle for gathering available times. It really only takes two of us. I'm gonna turn email notifications back on for the forum so I see if anyone responds this time.
    Maybe we can start in January after the holidays?
     
  14. Upvote
    jujubea got a reaction from magnetite in What would you look into on a visit?   
    These are some things I learned from my visits that were extraordinarily helpful:
     
    Look into the lives of the current cohort. Hang out with them if you can and see if you'd actually enjoy working and studying with them for 5-7 years. I didn't get to do this at one school and I really regret it. See what kind of study and work space they are given. Is it controlled access? Are you given a workstation (computer) or do you bring your own? Find out what their work-life balance is like; what they do and don't like about the program. Sit in on a class or two if you can. What is the atmosphere like? Serious? Fun? Casual? Professional? How do you fit in? What is cost of living and how are students getting by? Do most students commute, bike, walk, what? Why? Are classes all over the place or right next to each other? Any issues with getting into the classes they need? Accessing the people they need to? What are their relationships like with their supervisors? What is the building like that everyone is in every day? Are there windows? Does that matter to you? Is it loud or quiet? Hard to get to? Smelly? Flare up your allergies? Talk to as many professors as you can, including non POI's. What are they like? Are they happy are they disgruntled? What about? Do they have research constraints? (Meaning, are they able and allowed to study/research what they'd like to?) How many students do they advise each semester? What are their course-loads like? Are research assistantships ever available in addition to TA-ships? (Or vice versa?). What do people do during the summer? Both faculty, staff, and students? Is there funding available? Research opportunities? Are you expected to be working? On what? Where? How? What are library hours? What unique resources are there? How far is it from your department's building? Do you care?  Do the professors have any recommendations for what area to live in? And why?  
    What is transportation like, as relevant to your situation, whether that's public, biking, walking, or private vehicle. Parking. Safety if on foot or biking. Bus routes and times. What are food options like near campus? How about grocery stores in the area? Do you need a Trader Joe's or Natural Grocers nearby? How about a farmer's market?  And food facilities in the department - is there somewhere you can keep your lunch that needs to be refrigerated? Microwave available for everyone's use? Extracurricular
    Do they have the kind of yoga/rock climbing/martial arts/book club/game club/other hobby or interest groups at the school or in the area?
    What is the environment like? Weather? Terrain? 
    Do you have access to the types of places you like to go, whether that's clubs, bookstores, cafes, music venues, sports venues, good bakeries or restaurants? 
    Walk around the campus neighborhood, then walk around a neighborhood you might live in. How do you like the feel of each place? What's around? What are the local people like?
     
     
    ....if you're bringing family, I can give you a whole other list of things to ask and explore
  15. Upvote
    jujubea reacted to iwearflowers in Anyone want to join/start a virtual writing group from the "How to Write a Lot" book?   
    I would love to do something like this.
  16. Upvote
    jujubea reacted to juilletmercredi in Is there any way to write in shorter time bursts???   
    Yes, if you want to use the chunks of time you have productively, you have to prepare. You can use the shorter chunks you have to prepare for the longer chunks.
    One thing I had to convince myself of was to just write. Sentences are just a collection of words; paragraphs are made up of sentences. Even if you have a 30 minute span of time, how much can you write? Even if you can only write one paragraph, that's one less paragraph you have to go to your goal. Persisting in writing even small amounts is so important - set aside some time to write almost every day, even if it's only a short period. Set yourself realistic goals. I used Scrivener to write my dissertation in pieces, and Scrivener does easy word counts at the bottom of each section. Give yourself a couple of diagnostic sections to see how much you can realistically write in X period of time (realizing that there's a difference between theoretical writing, like a literature review, and things like methods). Then assign yourself goals at the beginning of each session. So maybe your goal for a 30 minute session is about 100 words. Believe it or not...that's about one-third to a bit less than one-half a double-spaced page (Times New Roman, 12 pt-font, depends on the length of the words).
    I outlined my entire dissertation from the beginning...and broke the entire thing up into 2-3 page chunks. Once I did that, the task seemed FAR more surmountable. (I also picked that tip up from a book.) I worked backwards from when I wanted to be finished and assigned myself specific sections to be working on on specific weeks/days, with deadlines. I communicated this timeline to my advisor for some external accountability (he didn't give a fig when I finished, lol, but it felt more accountable to me). Of course, this timeline and outline shifted and changed over time, but it at least gave me a roadmap and an overarching goal.
    I also realized that some of the writing rituals I committed myself to were actually, in truth, procrastination techniques. Figure out what you absolutely have to do to get started writing - I mean, the bare minimum that you can go with. Try writing exercises in different areas, without ideal conditions. How do you do? See, you didn't die. Since you have to change workspaces often, one thing you may want to do is pack a bag with the bare essentials you need to write. Try to purchase or download books/articles electronically and enter them into a reference manager, so you can be as mobile as possible. I wrote a significant chunk of my dissertation at a coffee shop around the corner from my apartment, just for variety. (I wrote probably like less than 5% of it in the graduate student workspace.)
    One of the most valuable things I learned was from the book Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day, by Joan Bolker. (The title is not meant to be taken literally.) She talks about "parking on the downhill slope" - which means when you stop, make it easy for yourself to get going again. Set aside 5-10 minutes at the end of each writing session to write yourself some messy notes about what you're thinking right then, where you were planning to go with a thought, what article you need to read or reference, or whatever else is helpful to help yourself get going. That way, next time you sit down to write, you don't have to waste 20 minutes trying to remember what the hell you were writing about last time.
    When it comes to data analysis and processing - document, document, document! Comment all through those syntax files! Literally, every time you run an analysis, write a short comment about what you were doing with that line of code. If you use a GUI system (like SPSS) just start a notes file in a program like Evernote or OneNote and comment what you're doing. That's the way to "park on the downhill slope" with data analysis. That way, next time you start up you can just glance at your notes/comments and remember where you where and what you were doing. I also took the time (~5 min at the end of each analysis section) to write to myself about what I was planning to try/do next, so that when future me sat down I didn't waste time trying to figure out what the hell I was doing and what this code was for!
    Another tip I used a lot is to save editing/revising for dedicated editing/revising days/sessions. If you're a procrastinator or a perfectionist, the temptation might be strong to edit/revise as you write, or to start editing/revising at the beginning of your session. If you do that, you'll look up 2 hours later and realize you've not written anything new. I put a banner above my workspace that say "JUST WRITE" to remind me to stop constantly editing and to just write. Even if I felt like I was vomiting out nonsense, a lot of the time I was able to take that "trash" and edit/revise it to something better later, when I had dedicated editing time. (Honestly, I wrote a significant portion of my dissertation with a glass of wine nearby. The buzz from the wine helped inhibit my natural perfectionistic tendencies and I was able to write more. Now, I often had to do revisions in the mornings but at least I had some words on the paper!)
    Recommended books:
    How to Write a Lot by Paul Silva (someone else recommended it; it's awesome)
    Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day, by Joan Bolker (again, not meant to be taken literally, but there are lots of practical tips)
    Complete Your Dissertation or Thesis in Two Semesters or Less (their timelines are, IMO, unrealistic. But the tips and skills are useful)
    Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation, by Sonja K. Foss and William Waters (They have this recommended activity that involves slips of papers. I thought the method was stupid, but I basically did the activity electronically and that was decently helpful.)
    The Craft of Research, by Booth, Colomb, Williams, Bizup, & Fitzgerald. Now in its 4th edition. Excellent resource!
     
  17. Upvote
    jujubea reacted to PokePsych in Is there any way to write in shorter time bursts???   
    back on topic;
    I'm currently reading 'How to Write a Lot' by Paul J. Silvia - it's a bit over 100 pages, so it's not a long read. You can get it on Amazon. It was recommended by quite some faculty I've worked with over the years (you may ask if someone has a copy). Although I personally don't have a lot of problems with writing a lot, it is helpful in many other ways and gives valuable tips on how to 'plan' writing and so on.
    Writing time is not just actual writing. You want to also spend time 'planning' your writing. you wanna spend some time on the outline and order of your arguments, set goals on what you wanna do on a day, etc. I do have a 'writing schedule' for a given month/week usually. For me, creating an outline first also helps me with remembering what I'm actually doing. I usually block out 3x 4 hours in a given week to work on writing (usually the afternoons I don't have class/other responsibilities; although it's also occasionally mornings - but I make sure I have at least 8 hrs per week fully focussed on writing) to write. I've also done 2 hours after lunch each day, but my current schedule doesn't allow me to do so. Sometimes I don't need this much time, but then I'll just use it to read things I'm interested in that are maybe not directly relevant to a paper I'm working on, but could be helfpul in the future. When I'm having writing sessions, people that work with me know that I will not be checking my email regularly during those hours (i.e., the 8 hrs that I'm devoted to writing) - if at all, but there are other ways to contac tme for important things. 
    I usually start by going quickly over what I wrote the previous session, weeding out any 'very wonky' sentences in the process and it helps me to remember what I was working on, although this step is not always needed. Then I just start writing. Sometimes I may just write the general outline of the paper; I add references later because I know what info I want to include. I often add more information and so on later, but I write a general body with all the arguments and the like first and put things like (xxxx) as a reference if I'm not sure who and what (sometimes I remember). I personally find it easier to just flow on like that than constantly move back and forth between checking references and writing - also because I already know my outline. When the general body of the intro is finished, I will usually start adding references and more information if I come across missing information (I find it personally easier to just 'add' an extra sentence with relevant info). I can also spend a session working on a lit review and taking notes on relevant information in a doc and use that for writing my outline later on. I also usually pre-write my methods and results , so I don't forget any analyses and just sorta fill in the blanks and outcomes (i.e., As can be seen in Table x , there was a *** between variable X and variable Y, *stats*/ Blabla was assessed using Scale X (alpha/Mean/SD)). After doing that I move on to the discussion because you need the results for that. But I do dot down some things I want to mention or go over while writing other sections. I generally work with keywords or short sentences to remind myself what the outline is/should be. Note that this order is not fixed. Some people also prefer to write methods and results first, and the intro later. It also depends on whether I'm collaborating with someone and so on - that's why planning and having an outline is so helpful.
    Because I have regular writing time, I also do not really have rituals to get into writing except getting a big coffee. My ritual is literally just closing all my other browsers (except EndNote maybe), make sure I have coffee, put on my headphones (I usually just listen to some jazz radio station on youtube - that's the other browser I'll have open) and just go. I usually will have a pop-up for my uni-email account, although I sometimes disable that too if I really want to focus on something difficult. Because your ritual takes about an hour, you may figure a way to use time from the ritual for actual writing - I'm not saying all, but just slowly get faster in the writing itself. If you plan your writing in advance (such as what you want to do, have an outline, etc.) it may save you some time later on. I also know people who keep a writing log (spend the last 5- 10 min of their session writing down what they did and goals for the next day), similar to how people keep a datalog where you summarize what you did with your data (you want to do that too).
    As for writing anything 'good' - I wouldn't necessarily focus too much on the output itself. Sometimes I can spend a whole session just writing a poorly, but it is easier to edit something than just write it from scratch. If you plan your text well (like flow, order of arguments, etc.), I think it will also make it easier to write something 'good'. Don't be discouraged by the fact that you may spend quite some time outlining your paper, because it will help you in the end for sure! Writing is not the actual amount of words you wrote down in a given time; it involves a lot more.
     
    As for other tips;
    - try to figure out what good times for writing are for you. I'm not very functional the first 1 - 2 hrs in the office, so I try to use that time for other tasks such as replying to emails, downloading papers, reading easy things, and meetings if possible. I do find the first 1-2 hrs good for editing too, so if I have a morning writing session, I usually use it for editing and data analyses (i.e., fill in the blanks in my methods/results).
    - Let other people know you have certain time scheduled for writing and don't care about what they think of that. 
    - Make realistic and attainable goals and stick to that. It could be goals as 'write an outline of the intro', 'write 500 words', 'finish analysis X', etc. You'll figure out over time what is attainable for you.
    - Be cautious not to just spent your writing time 'worrying' about writing, deadlines, etc. Actually use it to do things.
  18. Upvote
    jujubea reacted to ResilientDreams in Is there any way to write in shorter time bursts???   
    I second the advice about outlining. Usually I read my sources and take notes and make an annotated bibliography. Then I made a rough outline of what I want to say and copy and paste the quotes I want to use and put them in the outline. Then I start to write, and check off each section of the outline as I finish. 
  19. Upvote
    jujubea reacted to PsyDuck90 in Is there any way to write in shorter time bursts???   
    I would suggest creating outlines first. If you have a specific outline and clear notes on your source papers, it can be a lot easier to cut down the amount of prep time you have. When I was writing my MA thesis, I had all the articles grouped by topics and annotated so that I knew where I wanted to use them. Taking the time to do a detailed outline of each section, including possible sources, can make a huge difference. Also, sometimes it's best to just start writing. Things can be edited later on. If you at least get some ideas down, that can make huge headway. 
  20. Upvote
    jujubea reacted to dr. t in Is there any way to write in shorter time bursts???   
    It would be generally appreciated if you kept personal invective to a minimum. Sigaba has made what seems to me to be a fair critique to your original posting. That's not to say I agree with it, but it's not out of left field.
  21. Like
    jujubea reacted to TakeruK in How do I ensure confidentiality when I engage with a copy-editor?   
    I think if this freelance copyeditor is a professional, they should be prepared to answer questions about confidentiality. It's part of the job. If they are insulted by the discussion, I would find someone else to work with.
  22. Upvote
    jujubea reacted to Sigaba in CVs/Research & Teaching Lists: What info is relevant?   
    Minimize or cut from your to do list tasks that keep you from working on how you define yourself as a historian,  your SOP,  your writing sample, getting  your LoRs lined up, preparing for the GRE, improving your language skills, and the courses you'll be taking in the fall. For CVs, use the guidance that @jujubea in conjunction with CVs that you can find on line for graduate students in history. IRT the non academic archival research that you did, I recommend that you exercise caution in how you highlight it. If the research was performed for an organization that has objectives, interests, and sensibilities that are counter to the values of professional academic history, you may want to consider minimizing the experience or omitting it (if possible). Examples include think tanks that produce politically controversial policy recommendations and firms that seek to privatize history. IRT "padding," if you think it is padding, it probably is and will likely be viewed as such. That being said, it's likely that your CV is going to have a lot of blank space on the page, so you will do what you need to do to fill up some of the blank space. Understand that over time a CV, like a resume, evolves. A recommendation. Do what you can to craft your SOP so that it's a lens through which interested parties will read the information on your transcript and your CV. A second recommendation. Do what you can to differentiate between building the tools that are going to get you where you want to go and crafting totems that help you manage the anxiety of the application process. Pie in the sky, you're going to spend most your time building tools that also serve as totems. 
  23. Upvote
    jujubea got a reaction from Pierre de Olivi in CVs/Research & Teaching Lists: What info is relevant?   
    This is a good question, and one whose answer will change somewhat depending on what you're applying for.
    1) Resumes and CVs are completely different beasts. In academia, it's best to forget most of what you've learned about resumes, and just learn the CV game anew. CV's, in general, can be as long as they need to be, no matter what stage of your career you're in. What can be tricky for some is figuring out what is sort of lame/bs padding and what is legit good material that should make it onto the CV. Again, this changes depending on what you're applying for.
    2) ) What information should generally be included on a resume when applying for graduate programs in the humanities? Right now, I plan for my resume to include an "Education" section, a section on employment history and work experience (both work related to my prospective field of study and non-academic work/academic work not directly related), a list of academic awards and grants, and a list of skills (including languages) and miscellaneous certifications. I took out a section on volunteer work at the suggestion of my undergraduate adviser, but I still worry it will look like I am padding my application. Is there anything I should cut?
    Unless the program(s) you're applying for specifically ask for a resume, do not submit a resume, instead submit a CV. Education should be the first section. Academic awards and grants (of the sections you've listed) should come next. Instead of "volunteer work" that section should be "Community Service" and will eventually include things like serving on random committees, groups, or labs for relevant academic activities--essentially volunteering within your program, school, or academic community. It is OK that this volunteer work may be somewhat unrelated, in my opinion, because it shows that you dedicate time above and beyond and outside of normal work hours to the betterment of your community in some way. Also, just Google a standard CV to get the general idea. 
    1) Should I include work as a TA in a subject unrelated to the field to which I wish to apply? Namely, I worked as a TA in my school's mathematics department for two semesters before I declared a major, but do not know if admission committees in religious studies or history would care.
    Yes, in general, absolutely include it all. Teaching experience at the early stage you're in is relevant and worthwhile to include. Have a good one-sentence story or anecdote ready when they ask you why you TA'd in math and not your current major. For the programs which ask for NO CV and ONLY relevant teaching/research experience, I would strongly consider still including it, but I am interested to know others' opinions on this.
    2) Last summer I worked a non-academic internship on archival work, which included a small research component. If I clarify what sort of research I did in this internship and how it relates to my academic interests and goals, would it be appropriate to consider this research work, or should I only include it on my traditional resume?
    The word archival alone screams academia -- yes again include it because coming out of undergrad, it is very easily arguably relevant. Absolutely include it. Research is research. 
     
    I'm happy to take a look at your CV once you've put it together and tell you if in my humble opinion there is any glaring padding. Of the things you've mentioned, none sound bad. 
    Toot your own horn! 
  24. Like
    jujubea got a reaction from MettaSutta in Does anyone else feel "impostor syndrome" about getting into grad school?   
    I'm years into my program and still feel like I'm not smart enough, didn't deserve to get in, didn't deserve the funding package, and that my work is not as good as any of my colleagues let alone worthy of my professors' time or attention.
    Hey wait a minute, I think I've just figured out why I'm procrastinating so hard! 
    Here is a mantra for you:
    "I am smart, I am worth it, and I make valuable contributions to my academic communities."
  25. Upvote
    jujubea got a reaction from That Research Lady in Grad. School Supplies?   
    (grumbling audibly)... I've been through four PCs in seven years. I finally decided to stop getting "real" PCs and just got a little step up from a netbook for nothing dollars, since it's going to die on me in two years anyway. I back everything up on an external HD now too. 
    Some day a Mac though I think is in order... 
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