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Everything posted by orphic_mel528
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2017 Acceptances
orphic_mel528 replied to JessicaLange's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
@natalielouise If you are talking about U of Oregon: I'm declining my offer. My portal changed to say Admitted in the department decision space, but I think that just happened today, days after I got the letter by email. I have no idea if they have a waitlist. Good luck! -
2017 Acceptances
orphic_mel528 replied to JessicaLange's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Pete, what kind of plants are we talking here? -
Hindsight (is) 20(/)17
orphic_mel528 replied to la_mod's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
I have to echo the "fit is everything" statement. You can have the highest GREs and GPAs in the world and the most brilliant plan for research; if there is no faculty/other resources available to support you, they will not take you. So when you're writing that SOP, I feel like the most important thing to make a case for is how you fit into that program and why you'll be successful there. Attrition rate concerns are real; do your best to prove that their investment won't go unfulfilled. Moreover, don't just ask what your country can do for you; say what you can do for your country. How will your goals and philosophies fit into and support the initiatives/goals/philosophies of the university? Finally, as to fit: if you apply to a PoCo program and you've taken literally one class in PoCo, I think it's safe to say that's going to hurt you. You have to demonstrate adequate preparation. As to personal retrospection: I think there are some things I could have paid more attention to, but really, I think I did the best I could for an unusual situation. I was applying with a low undergraduate GPA in an entirely different field and a high MA GPA. If I can take a guess as to what may have influenced my rejections, I don't think it would be unfair for an ad com to say, "She's not sufficiently prepared." I can see how that assumption could be made based on my transcripts when considering my subfield. If I hadn't been accepted to any program, I likely would've taken more classes as a non-degree seeking student in an MA program. -
The Graduate School Ponzi Scheme
orphic_mel528 replied to VirtualMessage's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Guy or no, I stand by my original statement. This photo also appears when you Google "Teddy bear Stockholm Syndrome." -
The Graduate School Ponzi Scheme
orphic_mel528 replied to VirtualMessage's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
This guy's a trilby, spray tan, and a My Little Pony doll from full cringefest. Yikes. -
2017 Final Decisions
orphic_mel528 replied to Mippipopolous's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
I'm still waiting on one program, but I've already made up my mind. UMASS it is! Very excited to work with Dr. Zucker and the rest of the people at MCIRS. -
2017 Acceptances
orphic_mel528 replied to JessicaLange's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Okay, I see. That's definitely a toughie, but I'm sure you'll figure it out This is the not-so-latent hippie in me speaking: I think if it were me, I'd review my persons of interest and their recent work and really tap into which of them gets me the most excited. Like, meditate on it awhile. Go with your gut. There are a thousand ways to rationalize the decision and everyone is going to tell you different things regarding the facts, but at the end of the day, you know best. Trust your instincts, even if they may not make 100% sense on paper. -
2017 Acceptances
orphic_mel528 replied to JessicaLange's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
You got into Fordham's PhD program or their MA? If it's their PhD program, I'd definitely take it. Fordham has one of the best financial packages going. There are fit considerations, sure, but I assume you've already thought about those. -
Let's talk notes. :D
orphic_mel528 replied to loganondorf's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
unræd knows what's up. -
Let's talk notes. :D
orphic_mel528 replied to loganondorf's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
The MTN obsession is real, girl. Whole Instagram and Etsy cults forged in worship of stationery. -
2017 Acceptances
orphic_mel528 replied to JessicaLange's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Just got my acceptance/offer letter from University of Oregon! Stoked, although now ancy about the decision making. Congrats @Zelda! -
2017 Acceptances
orphic_mel528 replied to JessicaLange's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Aw, thank you, that's so nice! Likewise! -
2017 Acceptances
orphic_mel528 replied to JessicaLange's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Why should you feel guilty? You've worked hard and you've earned your acceptances. To me, there's nothing wrong with having pride in oneself until you use it to hurt other people. I don't see you doing that. If anyone interprets it that way, it's because they're feeling badly about themselves, which has nothing to do with you. Without going on a full rant: the "humblebrag" accusations drive me batshit. If you've worked hard to be/get/do something, then you have every right to delight in that. What, are we never supposed to feel good about ourselves? Pssht. Go on, girl. -
2017 Acceptances
orphic_mel528 replied to JessicaLange's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Hahaha, I don't blame you one bit! -
2017 Acceptances
orphic_mel528 replied to JessicaLange's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
A bit of light relief in the face of anxiety and disappointment here on GC: My students know I've applied for my PhD and ask me about it from time to time. I told them I hadn't heard from UW or UO yet and a kid in the back who almost never speaks very seriously says, "Maybe they're too high to tell you." -
The Language Requirement
orphic_mel528 replied to Hartley's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Comp Lit programs are beasts about language reqs, but I guess it makes sense. I'm sure you'll be fine -
2017 Acceptances
orphic_mel528 replied to JessicaLange's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
It's not personal, it's business. They know it and aren't hurt by your decision; they know how the process goes. But I know what you mean; I almost feel like I'm projecting my, "PLEASE LOVE ME!" pre-acceptance emotions into them. -
Reactions to PhD Study
orphic_mel528 replied to orphic_mel528's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Your FIL is a toad! Best of luck to you and your wife. I'm sure you will do just fine and your naysayers can eat it. -
Reactions to PhD Study
orphic_mel528 replied to orphic_mel528's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Here, here! Or, hear, hear! -
Let's talk notes. :D
orphic_mel528 replied to loganondorf's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Bears mentioning that using a fountain pen with an ink converter also has less of a deleterious impact on our poor boiling planet -
Let's talk notes. :D
orphic_mel528 replied to loganondorf's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
The addiction is real, I warn you. -
Let's talk notes. :D
orphic_mel528 replied to loganondorf's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
I know what you mean about the favorite question. I guess what I was really asking was, "Which one are you using the most right now?" I bought a bottle of the Vert Reseda over the summer because it's such a nice turquoise (a little more to the green side of turquoise than Lamy's) and I haven't been able to stop since. -
Let's talk notes. :D
orphic_mel528 replied to loganondorf's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
YAS, a fountain pen enthusiast! What's your favorite pen/ink? My current favorite is the Visconti Van Gogh series with a fine nib and J. Herbin ink. -
Reactions to PhD Study
orphic_mel528 replied to orphic_mel528's topic in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
I'm super glad to see that people have had positive responses. I have, too, but when people make negative or mocking comments... I think many of us women here have been on the receiving end of a lot of weird talk like the kind you and @imogenshakes have mentioned. Always the baby thing! And heaven forbid you say you don't want children, or aren't sure. That is, after all, the downfall of society: women in the workplace instead of at home. Yep. We did it, ladies; we destroyed the world! It's interesting to see how many of us come from backgrounds in which education was either devalued or in which we're the first in our immediate families to get advanced degrees. As @Wyatt's Terps pretty much said, one shouldn't mistake ignorance for malice, but the comments that come after the explanation is given can't really be chalked up to much that's positive. Undervaluing people in the arts and humanities is a point of total mystification for me. Yes, congratulations, you're an engineer--who wrote your book? Oh, your engineer professor wrote your book? Who edited it? Who published it? And by the way, who taught you to write? Who taught your professor to write? Who wrote the textbooks you've been using since you were 5? Who writes the stories for the games you play, the newspapers you read, the movies you watch? Who develops the curriculum that is the backbone of standardized education, which is the only reason you get to sneer at me from your engineering job instead of from the ditch you're digging? Is the underlying suggestion here that we should all return to life wherein the only entertainment is super-rigid liturgy, and the rest of our time is spent in drudgery for capital gain until we die at age 35? Because I sort of thought that the greatness of the Renaissance era was, in part, the ushering of an age wherein people were making art and pursuing knowledge for the sake of [drumroll] art and knowledge. Most people think that was a pretty great path to trot down.