scarvesandcardigans

Exactly what I would say. Make sure your personal examples don't digress too much. Leaving time to review what you write in full is usually where any corrections can be made in that regard. (Side note: It is easy to avoid too much usage of "I" if the personal example that you have involves other parties!) I wasn't sure if I could provide a specific example from my test-taking experience, but one essay topic of mine ended up being about general education in college. Because my undergrad university has a general education program that is subject to lots of change and scrutiny, it was easy to talk about. That was a personal example, but "I" was hardly used because it was just something I could speak about without inserting myself into the essay.

I learned that any chance to talk about why there are some not-so-satisfying grades on your transcript should be discussed. You could talk about the positive change you felt after you finally found a field you enjoyed and had the chance to take the start of an academic year from a, let's say "healthier" perspective. I would note that the concussion/difficulty allowed you to see your potential and gave you an opportunity to grow/learn about yourself as an academic during stressful situations.

I guess my primary question is whether or not you have checked out the faculty members for programs that you are looking at. Or, have you spoken to a professor in your department currently? They might have some information regarding programs and what might be the best direction to go. In my humble opinion (I have no idea about specifics regarding research and programs that you mentioned, but I'll more than likely take a look later), I think that faculty and program availability should take precedence over the application requirements. If you find a place that you really want to attend, the requirements should be no issue. My best guess for program alignment is cultural studies with a concentration. Northwestern has a curricular track of cultural studies and expressive arts, but I can't tell if there's an option to focus on mid-20th century to present. That's the best advice I can offer. I wish you luck in your search!

eteshoe's link is incredibly helpful. Since you say you are a strong writer I'll try to focus my advice on examples only, hopefully that will help! One thing that I actually carried over from an SAT prep class was to create my own relevant categories of strong examples and familiarize myself with them before the test. I very briefly skimmed the long list of topics, and I picked out some of the overarching themes in the prompts, listed them out, and then tried to think of relevant examples from a variety of fields (art, history, politics, social science, etc.) that I could draw upon when it came time for the test. I made sure I knew a good amount about a few, and at least a thing or two about most of them. Not having to think about real-world examples while actually writing the essay helped me to focus on the strength of the essay as a whole and not just my own support. I found this useful primarily when writing about analyzing an issue. Personal examples can be strong as well. It is my belief that hypothetical examples could very well be strong ones as long as they are things that could realistically happen given the situation from the prompt. With regard to analyzing an argument, I tried to take both perspectives of the argument presented in a different way. Say I supported the yea over nay side of the presented issue. I would include logical support for that yea side, but then speculate (in come the hypothetical examples again) as to why the nay side could be considered valid, but then bring back the logical side to further the point that it was not. I think that showing a consideration for multiple perspectives rather than hashing out as many supportive examples for one side made for a more thorough essay. But that's just me. My AWA score was a 5.0. Your mileage may vary on the advice, but I hope it helps a little. Good luck!

"Hate" is such a strong term in this case. Maybe I'm just covering my own ass, but in my post I hope I didn't make it out that way. I really do agree with a lot of what you say here. Educators at any level should be able to openly discuss grades and overall standing within a course. I think that we as the (future) educators should find our roles in encouraging those students to come to us with any concerns. If a student can show me that they have learned the (or part of the) process in the particular field where I teach, then I am really pleased. That's progress! As my professor mentioned (in previous post), it's whether or not you learned something (I'll add something significant) that is more important to me than the grade on a page. I think that a lot of what is being discussed here goes without an open line of communication between teachers and students, which is really what we need. I learned the lesson in college that the professors DO want to help, after being told so many times that it was "up to me" to figure it all out.

I am so sorry this happened! At least the program director from the first school understands your situation and is still keeping an eye out for you. One of the oddest pieces of advice that I received was to follow the money, which was so odd considering everyone told me for undergrad to "go where I wanted" and that "money was not a factor." Money does suck, no doubt about it. I hope good things happen for you at the second school as well! At least you have a very good chance of keeping connected to that first school - so maybe in the future something good will come of those connections!

True. What's worse is to see those mediocre chains driving out better local businesses because of the draw of a familiar name. Where I went to school, there were many small businesses that got hurt by the influx of chain restaurants, which seriously decreases the uniqueness of a small college town.

Stem cell.

I have been marathoning Criminal Minds on Netflix and keeping up with the new episodes on CBS. They always make it interesting. I also enjoy watching Bones on Fox!

Interesting topic! I am interested in bilingualism and second language acquisition of the Spanish language, particularly for L1 English speakers. I would like to study how errors in speech and writing can inform us about the level of acquisition in post-critical period learners versus critical-period learners or children, and how we can mirror the inherent techniques in children to attain more native-like levels in adult learners, or attempt to combat the effects of fossilization. More specifically, I am interested in the role that working memory plays in L2 learning, particularly related to word mapping, approximate coding, and even code-switching. I would like to study the cognitive processes behind language development in individuals and apply what I know to pedagogical techniques to make language learning relevant and interesting, as well as more effective at the higher-education level. Since I'll only be starting an MA, my research interests are kind of general at this point, but I fully expect them to evolve and develop further. (Side note: if I said that out loud, it would definitely be within 30 seconds. I talk like Speed Racer drives.)

Having a spouse is definitely a good way to cover having a roommate! I would definitely recommend apartmenguide.com for decent places in that price range. One thing that I like about that site is that you can search specifically for complexes near universities to eliminate going way out on the opposite end of the city. I feel like anything between Tate street and Church street would be a good place to feel like you're right in the center of a city like Philadelphia, but that's just me. Good luck!

Very thought-provoking response. I agree that no one is “entitled” to a good grade. One thing I might add is that effort is also relative. For one student, a real effort might be found in camping out in the library all night to research and write a paper, whereas another student might see a couple of hours’ worth of time for that same paper to be sufficient. Professors and lecturers have their expectations and should be clear on the level of effort that they deem appropriate for earning an A, or at the very least a passing grade. One of my professors had his students do multiple evaluations throughout the semester. He would ask us to grade ourselves on our participation, assignments, attendance, etc. He would then provide his own grading of each student and return it to us so that we could see how our efforts were aligning with his expectations. I thought that was a very effective way of helping me get on track with where I should have been and where I was as far as my experience in the class. Those courses ended up being some of the most engaging and interesting during my college career. I also agree that students without extensive background knowledge should be capable of doing well in lower-division courses, but then effort comes into play again. How many students will actually follow through by being attentive at all of the lectures, by taking good notes, doing the assignments, and engaging in the material? An upper-level course of majors will obviously (and hopefully the majority of students will) be interested in content, because that’s what they worked hard to get to, but will a lower-level course of the same topic warrant the same amount of interest? I am sure that it’s possible for most people, but is it probable? An amount of accountability should indeed be placed on the student, as mentioned, but there is a responsibility on the instructor to step back and evaluate whether or not they are being as effective as they can be. There should be a sort of evolution that takes place. Often I have worked with students that just don’t care about the material for a certain course because those lower-level courses are normally outside of the desired field of study. It hurts me, and I’m sure it hurts the instructor when a student says (and demonstrates through effort, or lack thereof) that they just don’t care and don’t understand why that subject has to be taught. I think there needs to be an effort to try to make content in all courses relevant and interesting, especially when there is a variety of interest within the classroom. Regarding “playing it safe” with courses, one of the best pieces of advice that I ever received was to branch out and take the more difficult courses. This came during my freshman year with my academic advisor. I was more interested in taking a biology course because it was the “easy science” at my university, and he suggested that I try something different that I really wanted to do, like astronomy. He said that future schools would rather see that I put myself out there in an unknown or difficult situation and that I tried my best than see that I had stuck with general courses gave me good grades, but nothing interesting. It sounds like you, brown_eyed_girl, kind of have a regret of not doing that, and I agree that it is definitely one of the pitfalls within academia. I have had that same fear over and over, but that one slice of advice really overpowered whenever it came time to choose classes. And because I branched out, I did earn a couple of Cs, but I also learned the value of my own work ethic in the process. I would take those grades any day over an A in a course that I didn’t have to put effort into earning. I have to say that the advice from your last paragraph is really striking. I like it a lot. So much so that I’ll probably end up writing it down to remember it later in time, or when things get difficult. After a rough semester during which I earned one of my C grades, I spoke with the professor (I ended up taking 3 of his courses actually) and told him about my grade. He looked at me, and then just asked, “But did you LEARN something?” I thought about it, and about how I couldn’t stop talking about his course material weeks after it had ended, and it made me feel a lot better. I did learn a lot, and his philosophy was very much the same as your professor’s: realize the standard to which you should hold yourself and that it’s about us and our education.

Perhaps those professors/university employees easily witness the outcome of public school education that is outlined within this article (Students looking for ultra-efficient formulas to get As) and decide they want to instill a different work ethic within their own children.

I am definitely in that boat! I graduated in December and have been working in a 9-5 office job, while living at home to save some money. It's torture. I'm most looking forward to moving into my own space and throwing myself back into the academic environment. It's a general statement, but the 9-5 life is soul-sucking to me, I miss having assignments and reading and learning, interacting with other like minds, things like that.

Are you looking for a roommate? What kind of funds are you going to allocate toward housing? All-inclusive preferred or no? I'd be happy to help or answer any questions (I've been to the GSO/WS area a lot), but what are you looking for? I have found that apartmentguide.com is pretty good about providing info about quality, normally non-student-oriented housing options. I also just went straight to google maps and typed "apartment" for Raleigh and a ton of results came up, which allowed me to do my own research about what kind of companies and properties are out there. One other thing that I did which was helpful to me was joining the university Housing page on Facebook. It's mainly for undergraduates, but there are usually grad students lurking around looking for roommates. This time of year those pages are overrun with subletting, but usually when I see posts that fall within my price range or amenities, I'll look it up on my own. It gave me insight as to where UGs go for housing, and where to avoid. Doing a little basic research about Greensboro, I found a couple of places: The District at West Market has really affordable all-inclusive studio apartments, and it looks like it would be a nice walk to campus, not too far at all! www.chaneyproperties.com also has a lot of affordable houses. They have mixed reviews on Google, though. As far as Greensboro, I didn't see mentioned the potential for you to travel to a lot of different places. There is an Amtrak/bus station downtown and you can take the train east or west, or even take a bus up to the mountains if you are looking for some different adventure. Fares are relatively cheap, too. Downtown has a lot of different things to do, and the city's proximity to Winston-Salem and I-40 opens up the opportunity to see and do new things even more.

The Avett Brothers - The Once and Future Carpenter

Gosh, it sounds like you have quite a lot on your plate come fall! Best of luck! I think that one thing that really helped me was - in addition to having a well-organized schedule - making to-do lists for each day and week. On Sundays, I sit down and write out EVERYTHING that I will be doing in the next week. This includes events outside of my normal schedule, assignments that are due, chapter readings, goals for research papers, etc. I would divide it out by each course or topic, but at the end it was usually a very long list, because then I'd come up with something else like a small grocery list, or just little things that would slip my mind that were important to remember. Looking at this list made me very aware of the culmination of work that I had to do, and the well-kept schedule made me aware of how much time I actually had to accomplish those things. Plus, crossing off things on your list makes you feel pretty good! Doing this really made me feel like I had my life together, and my productivity increased so much. Also, don't forget to take time for yourself and friends/family. Your life may be planned out hour by hour, but you need to sit back and take a breath sometimes and just enjoy your "own time," or free time, should you have it! Keep up with a leisurely activity that you have always enjoyed, like knitting or casual reading, for example. When you have finished things that you have to do, and you have some leftover time, they are great rewards. Currently, my mental preparation routine in the morning is to wake up, take a shower, make myself some coffee, then make the bed, and get breakfast/lunch ready for the day. It gives me a jumpstart to feeling organized and productive. Picking out your clothes in the evening will save you minutes in the morning, too. Also setting aside workout clothes and keeping a set readily available in your car/office will give you more of a reason to find time to exercise. When I get home in the evenings, I actually have been working on jigsaw puzzles as an "unwind" activity. It keeps my mind going, but it feels really relaxing. I also try to do all of my evening work outside of my bedroom/off of my bed because that is a reserved space where I want to feel relaxed and happy. I feel like a lot of what I'm saying is scheduling/motivational tips, but it's the little things that keep you going, and your momentum! Know how YOU "recharge," as in what makes you feel rejuvenated and ready to face challenges. Allow yourself time for that. Know when you are most productive and make sure that those hours are when you are doing your most important work. Also know that if you are ever feeling overwhelmed you can talk about it to your advisors, fellow students, friends, etc.

I would first browse the school's/program's website as much as possible to see if your questions can be answered there. Then, try to line up important questions and compose a nice, professional email to the program outlining your questions. I'm sure that programs receive messages like this all the time. That's what advisors and program coordinators are there for - to get your questions answered. They can't expect you to know absolutely everything. It may become annoying if you keep sending individual messages with different questions, kind of in a haphazard way. But, if you can start a quality conversation about the program with a faculty or staff member, it has the potential to be helpful in your application.

I love this. For my first acceptance, I had just sat down at work. I opened my email on my phone and saw that I had received a decision from my second-choice school (the one I am now attending). I opened the decision letter on my work laptop and just kind of sat and stared at it for a couple of minutes. I had only read "pleased to notify," which was in the first line. I didn't bother reading anything else. Then, I got up and walked into my boss's office and told her the good news. She is an alum of the same university, so she was really excited. Then I called both of my parents at work, texted my boyfriend, who called me on his lunch hour. I was on the phone a lot. Then I just kind of went back to work like nothing had happened. For the second acceptance, I was waiting to hear back from schools toward early March, and had not received any other emails since the aforementioned. So I logged on to the application portal of one school, which had said that a decision was reached on Feb. 19, even though I had received no email about it being posted! I opened it and thought first, "Oh okay, rejection - I can handle it." I skipped the first paragraphs and skimmed the words "intent to enroll," and my heart skipped a beat, or five, and I read the rest of the letter. It was definitely a surprise. Kind of mellow, now that I look back on it. I wish I had done some kind of neat happy dance.

Agreed about the work/responsibilities relating to goals. That will be a big relief as far as stress, as far as I'm concerned. I worked retail and food service during undergrad, and it was always difficult to deal with mentally, when it was the last thing that I wanted to do. I worked as a tutor for 2 years teaching courses in my field of study for about 20-25 hours a week and it was SO MUCH BETTER! It actually felt rewarding and fulfilling. Because of that schedule and a grad class plus three other core classes, I was on campus from 8-8 some days, sometimes even past midnight. I'm really hoping for actual "down time" sometime during grad school. Even like an hour a day will suffice!

Sometimes I bring a mouse with me if I know I'm going to be doing a lot of editing. It's nice to have instead of wishing I had brought it.

There are a lot of factors that go into the duration of PhD studies. The go-to number is four, but a lot of people take five or more years due to research, dissertation development, etc. It also depends on whether or not you will be a full-time student. Some PhD students only go part-time if they have jobs, families, things of that nature, and will take more time to finish. The courses/research that you do during your Masters studies may help as far as some preliminary or qualifying coursework/examination when you get to the doctoral level, but that depends on the requirements of each program. Basically, if you are going straight from undergrad to doctoral level studies, there is a likelihood that you will have to do some master-equivalent coursework, or something along those lines, so it may take more than four years. I hope that helps a little bit.

I haven't had any similar experiences, but I just want to say that I'm really sorry that it happened to you. I hope that maybe in the future if you have any communication or interaction, that it is improved still. My only thing I can think of is that his thoughts may be along the lines of, "It's just another student, I'll see more in my lifetime" so he's trying to shake it off. I'm in no way giving the benefit of the doubt, though. That would be a terrible way for anyone to think. How you feel and react show a lot about you, and that you really care about the relationship. But it happens, and all I can say is that I wish YOU all the success you can find in the future.

Jack Daniels

I love sitting on quads or in parks to read. But if I have to do work with notes, papers, or a laptop, I'll usually find a cafe or a place with nice outdoor seating and make my home there for a few hours.