empress-marmot

I wasted space telling them things they already knew. They knew my specialization. They knew I had research experience and teaching experience, they knew my GPA and GRE. They also knew what my professors had written about me, as did I. (I didn't ask for my professors to send me drafts of their LORs before they submitted them—they just did anyway.) My SOP was essentially an analysis of the rest of my application. I summarized the lines of my SOP's last paragraph. It reads like this: “So yeah, that is who I can be with a degree from you. I know that you do not know much about me or what I am interested in, because I have spent this whole document telling you stuff I have done, rather than telling you about stuff I would like to study...[i am] woefully unprepared to write an SOP, but I definitely have hidden depths which I have not told you about, because I have not actually told you anything you didn't already know.

Didn't the GRE have this program which delivered a mock-test? That's a free option. I think I also found some free practice tests floating around the Internet, and you can probably find older practice books priced very cheaply. I think I used Kaplan's books, which I got for free back when B&N was still promoting their Nook. One of my friends used GRE vocabulary flashcards. As an English major, I didn't find those particularly helpful. Based on what I know now, I'm surprised I was accepted anywhere with my SOP. A person I trusted advised me to be very matter-of-fact and kind of...clinical, I suppose? That was a bad idea. I'm sure the acceptances I received were from the other parts of my application. If you need an example of what not to do, let me know. I just wanted to add that you should check the program's website to make sure your application to the program is also your application for funding (if you want it). Some schools require you to fill out additional applications or provide additional materials for those TAships.

The Rhet/Comp program directors I've talked to have seemed very open to taking MA students from different backgrounds. I think the field is still young enough that adcomms want to know what you'll do in their program more than what classes you took to get the MA in Rhet/Comp. I would focus on your research time. Taking a course you don't really need seems like a lot of extra effort, especially during an application season.

A couple months back I looked at all the Rhet/Comp PhD programs (that I could find, anyway) and looked up where their faculty got their degrees. I came up with a couple traditionally strong programs, if anyone wants the list.

The 'top jobs' nowadays (according to a quick websearch) are in technical fields: nursing, business, computers, engineering, etc. These have the advantage of teaching skills the market wants. Isn't the advantage of the humanities, though, to teach you how to be a better human? This requires a lot of abstract thought, lots of complicated, overreaching moral and ethical questions which range throughout the disciplines. For an example here, I just asked a nurse whether she'd taken a major-specific class which encouraged her to think about anything besides nursing. She answered that she'd taken an ethics class, but it was about ethics in nursing. Is it too offensive for me to suggest that technical degrees just train a person to do a job? (I don't mean to denigrate here. I certainly hope the nurse who's saving my life doesn't stop to think about the metarepresentations of misanthropic marmots.) There's this vast working class being created to not think very much. That scares me when we talk about an image problem founded on a labor problem. The humanities fields aren't blameless in creating this mess, but if most of us are being trained to not ask questions, then there are probably questions which need to be asked. Now, "Go into the Liberal Arts and Sciences so that you can ask questions and have oil tycoons attempt to fire you for asking questions!" is probably not a convincing argument for incoming freshmen. Then again, I don't think LAS can change the image problem without changing the labor problem. That means going to those oil tycoons and asking why they won't hire us, an operation not unlike belling the cat.

I thought you had the right idea when you wrote "sitting down with the theorists." For me, it's important to view these Big Important Theories (thanks to ProfLorax for terming them so) as...just theories. Afterwards, I go back and read the notes or the intros, and then realize that I just made fun of a Big Important Theorist. After reading the page, I try to pick a quote which sums up the most important idea expressed on that page. I suppose I try to read theory as a casual conversation between the Big Important Theorist and myself. I also write jokes (occasionally cartoons) in my margins, or link quotes in the text to quotes from other works, or comment that someone just made a good point. When said theory gets too...exciting, I cross out unimportant sentences. Or I'll start translating the language into the vernacular, which is always entertaining. Maybe I'm destroying all that is noble and good about theory, but a slightly-irreverent perspective might keep you from turning to Netflix. Good luck!

It is an inconvenient time, but I did it because I wanted to be absolutely sure I would have no issues with graduation. Whether or not you've decided to go yet, you should look at all the paperwork you'll need to complete before/during your study abroad. I had to apply to the foreign university, apply for a residence permit, apply for housing, apply (and reapply) for classes overseas. At home, I had to petition Financial Aid to let me keep my scholarships, apply for graduation, and reapply for housing. That sort of thing can take a really long time, and you don't need (more) stress from trying to rush it all through. Also: studying abroad creates a hole in your CV, because all those activities, work experience, etc. stop for an entire semester. I compensated for that by doing some volunteer student teaching in the country's high schools. To make up for the lost research/conference activities, I made sure everyone reading the CV knew I'd spent that semester abroad. I guess it worked?

Hello! In my experience, study abroad was the thing about my application most people mentioned when I went on a campus visit. (1 comment on SOP, 1 comment on writing sample, 4 comments on study abroad) However, it definitely wasn't the strongest thing on my application. Not doing it won't sink your chances. Yup. It was impossible for me, but I was really homesick abroad. All I wanted to do overseas was get lost in the city and feel sorry for myself, and it ended up delaying graduate study for a year. I'd recommend having your application materials ready by the time you fly out. Well, I would never advise anyone to do something fiscally irresponsible. If you have the money, though, go. Personally, I didn't like Europe, but I didn't know that till I went. Even though I was lonely and miserable, I learned a lot about a new country, new culture, new language, different styles of education--even how to eat on $15 a week. This feels like a red flag. I've sometimes wondered if I went to Europe because I was running away from some stuff in my personal life, so perhaps I should be blaming those miserable months on myself. In summary: If you're truly worried about finances or your emotional state, consider holding off. However, if you have the finances and all your application documents ready to go, studying abroad is an awesome opportunity.

I cringe every time I read one of those "PhD at Starbucks" articles, because it just reinforces the popular myth that PhDs (and the people who have earned them) are useless for anything in the "real" world. We can inundate the media with "PhD Making World Better" stories, but those aren't as sensational as Starbucks. Agreed! I'm amazed that somehow I've managed to get a high school diploma and a BA, and yet I've never been taught anything about social justice. How can we change that for future students? It's really easy to blame administrators, I agree. I have to admit that I'm jealous of their ergonomic furniture and offices with windows, but the administrators at my school were constantly being fired without notice. They had to deal with a thousand petty complaints. Someone in student affairs once told me that she had to find first-year students on Facebook and ask them why they hadn't returned to school for the second semester. If I had to do stuff like that, I'd want ergonomic office furniture too. Perhaps the real enemies here are the anti-intellectualists?

I don't know who has money in academia, but someone needs to get a grant to audit these placement statistics. How many students are in TT/secure NTT jobs, and how long did it take to get them? How many students are in alt-ac or post-ac careers? Was their decision to leave academia voluntary or involuntary? How long did it take them to begin making significant contributions to savings/retirement funds? If some independent organization started reporting those results, I bet we'd see a lot of programs reform. Quickly. Even better, if more people could get grants for professionalization. My program director just received way over 50k for professional development, though I probably shouldn't be more specific than that. I'm really pleased with my program's ideas about what I can do with an MA or PhD as well, though I support reducing academia's dependence on graduate/adjunct labor. (I feel awful for writing this. Still, to continue producing such a surplus of PhDs who feel that they are forced into adjunct positions is wrong.) I just don't know why we're having such a tough time discussing all of this. Perhaps I'm naive, but I believe in the mission of higher education. There are a bunch of Awful People doing Awful Things to it, but I don't want to walk away without at least trying to help. I don't want to professionalize just to get a job. I want to professionalize so I can make people listen to me/want to help too. If that means walking into Awful Person's office, looking him/her in the eye, and asking why it is okay to pay adjuncts $16,000/yr to teach a 4-4, so be it.

The Chronicle writes about professionalization like it's a dirty word they're being forced to use, and I'm not sure why. Professionalization is a way of increasing my power in the workforce. Why wouldn't I professionalize? What part of professionalization is most important for you and your career, and how are you going to address it during your time in graduate school? If you're already in a program, what was hardest/easiest for you to do? Is there anything you would have done differently? Similarly, if we increase our power in the workforce, then we should think about reforming that workforce. How are you going to help higher education? For example, I'm a member of my school's graduate student union, and I want to increase the required minimum stipend (which my department then supplements) to at least the poverty line. Lots of questions here, I know. I think most of us agree that higher education needs to be fixed. Most of us probably agree that we don't want to walk away just yet. I'd like to read your ideas for professionalization and reform.

I must have missed your original post, HelloThisIsDog. I'm so sorry your application season didn't go well. Good luck on next year's cycle!

I'll second the congratulations, InHac! Congratulations to everyone!

Congratulations, IQ84!

I'm looking over reading lists for next semester and plotting ways to avoid buying more books. Mojitos sound good, though! Happy April 15th!

If you think that this program is going to make you unhappy (due to inadequate housing, financial issues, not being near your spouse), then you should not attend. I don't think any opportunity is worth feeling awful, especially if you keep feeling awful for the entire PhD program. However, if you think a lot of the concerns might clear up within a year, that's a different consideration.

Congratulations is probably the wrong word to use, but I think you made a good decision.

That's good to know. Semenza is required reading for one of my classes this fall, but his advice is certainly a little...scary? I don't mind reading all the time, because that's what I do anyway. I do mind when research threatens my Friday night television/popcorn time. Nothing threatens Friday night television/popcorn time. Though maybe that 70 hours counts toward making friends in your discipline, volunteerism, becoming a better person, etc. Someone who studies that much is probably not going to be successful as a person, and search committees hire people. Thank you both for your advice! It's good to know that Semenza isn't the ultimate authority. And ToldAgain, my program requires a thesis, but I would do the thesis anyway. I never learned to pace myself when writing, and writing a thesis would help me set a daily writing/research goal.

I'm glad to know someone else thinks that's a little high too. I rechecked that information--it's from Semenza's Graduate Study for the 21st Century, and he recommends 70 hours (p. 37). I just didn't know whether he was including time spent teaching/office hours in that estimate, so I rounded up. It's still a lot of hours, though.

From what I've seen, fewer BAs have been admitted to PhD programs recently. Perhaps PhD programs are looking for quite a bit of 'professionalization' in their applicants, more than some students out of undergrad can manage. Though the Chronicle has to defend professionalization from people who say that learning how to be an academic is synonymous with learning how to be a drone, I like the concept of professionalization. During the next two years, as ToldAgain writes, I'll start growing my academic network. I will also: -try to publish -take over one of those administrative positions open to graduate students -learn if working 75-80 hours a week is something I want to do for the next twenty years -take advantage of my school's internship program -become a better applicant for PhD programs/academia beyond PhD programs No fully-funded MA program should be considered a safety net. If academia is a job, then my MA is training for a promotion (though that's a really cynical way to view it). I'm excited about spending two years studying things I like with people who think like me. That happens rarely enough that I'm grateful for the opportunity.

Hello! I'm living somewhere around Tampa right now, and I did a little research into the apartment scene a few months ago. Perhaps I can help. I'm on the second floor of a condo right now, and I've only seen a teeny spider. Why would I kill a teeny spider? I use common sense, though, and I never leave food out--it's either sealed into an airtight jar or in the fridge/freezer. Dishes get washed immediately. Doors aren't left open, otherwise the geckos like to come in the house. I've heard about problems with roaches/palmetto bugs, but I guess the pesticide control people are doing a good job. Sometimes I see snakes sunbathing on the sidewalk. Apartments near USF aren't impossible to get, though it's hard to find something on a budget. My personal budget was about $900/month including utilities. That should be enough for a studio/efficiency/one-bedroom near USF. There are tons of apartment complexes within walking distance, and if you want a place, you should go on all the waiting lists immediately. Studios/efficiencies/affordable one-bedrooms are in demand, as you might expect. A graduate student talked to me about USF's affiliated housing once--I was told that it's full of partying undergrads. I guess if you need a backup plan, it's there. I'm sharing a place with some people, and my rent is about half what I budgeted. I read somewhere not to live south of Fowler or west of Bruce B Downs, and it is generally good advice. Some of the apartments you'll find on Craigslist are sketchy, so always use Google Streetview to check out a place. I hear that a lot of graduate students end up commuting. Be careful about the commute, though. Once it took me two hours to drive twenty miles. (That was during rush hour, though.) If anyone has more specific questions, I will do my best to help out. Welcome to Florida!

You know, my application season maybe didn't go as planned, but I received four acceptances (to schools I considered "safeties," as much as any funded program is considered a safety). I was able to meet some really fantastic people at each school, and one program stopped being a "safety" in my mind. I'm really excited to be going where I'm going. There are good folks in my future. And yes. The GradCafe is a wonderful place. I've 'met' so many supportive people on here. I don't think I could have done this without you all.

I totally agree! Congratulations, Wyatt's Torch!

Congratulations on your decision! Have fun this summer!

I think you've made a good decision. You promised yourself not to take an unfunded degree, and you should try not to break (too many) promises to yourself. That's the perfect thing to write. Good luck!