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soitgoes

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  1. Like
    soitgoes got a reaction from duckie0817 in 2020 Religion Application Thread   
    And PhD decisions!
  2. Upvote
    soitgoes reacted to TheCreuset in Grad. School Supplies?   
    For the non-coffee addicts, high-quality tea (from vendors like Adagio) and an electric water boiler like from Zojirushi are a must. I drank 4-5 mugs of tea a day while doing my MA in Seattle. The caffeine is a long, moderate high, rather than a sudden peak of energy followed by a crash. The level of alertness provided by the tea is much better for long periods of reading.
  3. Upvote
    soitgoes reacted to Gelpfrat the Bold in Grad. School Supplies?   
    If you don't have space for a filing cabinet or can't find an affordable one, you can always just put your files in a crate or box. I got a rectangular box that's kind of like a basket, rattan with a metal frame. Anyways, I just keep that on my desk and the extra wide manila files fit perfectly inside of it. I don't know what the proper name for these baskets is, but you'll see them at a lot of home furnishing stores and they're usually between 10 and 20 bucks.

    A laser printer is a great idea, and I wish I'd bought one this year because the library printing facilities are very expensive. Instead I've just adjusted to reading articles on the computer and only printing things that I'll be handing in. But of course, having a printer would be great because printing an assignment off in a hurry right before it's due is very stressful when you are relying on public printers!

    That ergonomic chair is also a great idea! You should be a personal shopper, Hejduk. I bought cheapo fold-up chairs for my apartment and they're impossible to work in. I do all my work on the couch, often slouching, and it's terrible for staying on task. I'd probably get my work done much more efficiently if I had a proper chair.

    Something I'm looking for lately is a small library cart to keep in my living room, where I do my reading. I do most of my reading at home, so I always have lots of stacks of books all over the place, in separate piles for books I need to return, books I need to read for this project, books for that project, etc. And I tend to make these piles on the floor next to the abovementioned couch, so it looks as though a crazy person lives in my home. It would be great if I could get a small library cart and just get cardboard dividers to separate my books for various projects. Unfortunately, my online searching has only found me incredibly expensive carts - they're all over a thousand dollars, it seems. I know I can probably just make one out of wood, and probably will do so, but I prefer the metal ones for their library charm. I guess I will have to go in search for a closing library. But I'm getting off topic!

    Mugs. I tend to use lots of mugs when I'm cramming for some project. There will often be 4 or 5 empty mugs scattered among the book piles next to my couch. Having lots of mugs means not having to do dishes quite as many times throughout the day or evening. It's also good to have some of those travel mugs with lids, so you can take your tea or coffee with you when you're running late for class, instead of scalding your throat by trying to chug it on your way out the door (what I do).

    If you're a lady or just someone who prefers to carry a handbag, get a special, sturdy tote just for library books. Most days, my usual handbag works fine for the 1 or 2 books I'll be carrying around, but on those days when I go to stock up on books for a paper, or once I'm done with the paper, return them en masse, it's better to have a sturdy bag that you don't mind getting a bit worn. Repeated use of favorite bags for transporting library books will wear out your bags quickly, and since you're a grad student you probably won't be able to afford replacing them with anything nice
  4. Upvote
    soitgoes reacted to hejduk in Grad. School Supplies?   
    Thanks for bumping this thread. Really makes me wanna go out and buy stuff! My supply prep has got to get started, as I'm t-minus 5-wks from my move across country.

    My two cents on what to get after reading the thread (some of these things are not office supply things, so keep that mind):

    Laser printer: I have an all-in-one printer which is nice, but damn is the ink expensive. Laser printers are cheaper in the long run for printing mass quantities of paper, which I'm we'll be doing in doctoral studies.
    External hard drive: get as big of one as you can. Seriously, get a TB if you can. While you may not need the space now, you'll be glad you have it farther down the road.
    Laptop/netbook: i can't justify purchasing a netbook when I already have a kick ass laptop, but it would be nice sometimes when I don't wanna lug the thing around. Pondering an Ipad and bluetooth keyboard here.
    Ergonomic chair: I have a back condition, and need an ergonomic chair to sit for long periods. This is dedinitely an area where you get what you pay for. A $200 chair is going to be nowhere as good as a Herman Miller Embody Chair, which I purchased a few years back and been worth every penny.
    Bed: Sleep is necessity, and if you have a mattress older than a few years, make an investment and get a good one. No single thing affects us more than poor sleep.

    Lastly, question everything you purchase. Don't purchase stuff just because you can, but honestly question the utility of the item. Doing this while I move, and will continue this as I purchase needed supplies. If something small such as new mattress can help you stay focused and succeed in grad school, why not?
  5. Like
    soitgoes reacted to breakfast in Grad. School Supplies?   
    I second the recommendation for a laser printer. Stay away from ink jets if you're going to be printing a lot.

    You're initially going to pay more for the laser printer, but over the long-term there is no comparison. I've had the same toner cartridge for an entire year and have printed thousands of pages. I can buy another toner replacement for no more than $30 if I go off-brand. Compare that to an ink jet, where you'll be buying new ink every other month at $20 each little cartridge of ink (more if you need color).
  6. Like
    soitgoes reacted to NTNerd in 2020 Religion Application Thread   
    @soitgoes, thank you so much for that super long and detailed answer!! it is extremely helpful, and I'm sure that others on this thread who are going through the process for the first time will find it very helpful as well! 
  7. Like
    soitgoes got a reaction from Rauschenbusch in 2020 Religion Application Thread   
    In my case, the questions on the writing sample were always regarding how it connects to my interest in pursuing further doctoral research.
    In one interview, three people from the religious studies department interviewed me at the same time (all with different areas of expertise). It was a quick 20 minute interview and it began with "tell us about your research interests." Unfortunately, I did not prep to answer the question so I stumbled my way through it. I was accepted to the program and the faculty said my interview was excellent. Perhaps I am too critical. Regardless, what I do know is that had I prepped for that answer, it would have been even better. So, make sure you have some sense of how to move about larger questions like "tell us about your research interests," "why did you pick this project?" "what methodologies interest you? regions?" "why us?" "do you have any questions for us?" Each of the questions, including the last one, is an opportunity to give professors information about yourself. You can choose to discuss your writing sample on your own, without them asking for that information: "And that's why I submitted the writing I did, because it shows x, y, z." It will help them connect the dots. (Also don't assume that they will remember your writing off the bat. Get a feel for whether they do).
    These faculty members asked me briefly about why I chose the writing sample I did. My sample was also a paper I wrote for a class; I did not edit it, and it was marginally related to my area. Knowing this, I made sure to have a narrative ready on how to help them connect the dots between my sample and my interests: "I chose the writing sample because I enjoyed the subject, it's related to theme x, y, z, which I hope to explore as a graduate student." Just have a narrative ready for how the paper reflects your interests and capacity. I do not think they will push for a detailed discussion of the paper. They may not even have read it throughly. 
    In another interview, which was done by my potential advisor, he had already read my file carefully. He asked very specific questions about my background, courses, language preparation. I could tell he was trying to fill gaps in his picture about me. He asked me about my writing sample: why did I choose a paper that's peripheral? Isn't even in my area of studies? Why didn't I choose a paper that reflects my language skills? The paper was interesting, he said, but he was wondering about these questions. So, I gave an answer, linking the paper to my interests and he was content with that. I also told him I could submit other papers if he was interested. And he said sure, and I submitted two other papers and some translations. I think it answered his concerns and I was accepted into that program. 
    So I would say: yes be ready to give them answers about the paper but, more broadly, be ready to connect it to your current interests and really explain your thought process in choosing it. How maybe writing that paper influenced your future decisions or interests. The questions they will ask you will be specific to your context, and the gaps they feel they have in your story. Try to think about what they're really asking you to explain, given the questions they have already asked you. Think about your narrative, what information professors have on you, and what gaps they may need to address. Anticipate those—but don't sweat it, and don't over prepare either! 
    Super long answer, and perhaps not what you're looking for but there you go!
  8. Upvote
    soitgoes got a reaction from dougy in 2020 Religion Application Thread   
    In my case, the questions on the writing sample were always regarding how it connects to my interest in pursuing further doctoral research.
    In one interview, three people from the religious studies department interviewed me at the same time (all with different areas of expertise). It was a quick 20 minute interview and it began with "tell us about your research interests." Unfortunately, I did not prep to answer the question so I stumbled my way through it. I was accepted to the program and the faculty said my interview was excellent. Perhaps I am too critical. Regardless, what I do know is that had I prepped for that answer, it would have been even better. So, make sure you have some sense of how to move about larger questions like "tell us about your research interests," "why did you pick this project?" "what methodologies interest you? regions?" "why us?" "do you have any questions for us?" Each of the questions, including the last one, is an opportunity to give professors information about yourself. You can choose to discuss your writing sample on your own, without them asking for that information: "And that's why I submitted the writing I did, because it shows x, y, z." It will help them connect the dots. (Also don't assume that they will remember your writing off the bat. Get a feel for whether they do).
    These faculty members asked me briefly about why I chose the writing sample I did. My sample was also a paper I wrote for a class; I did not edit it, and it was marginally related to my area. Knowing this, I made sure to have a narrative ready on how to help them connect the dots between my sample and my interests: "I chose the writing sample because I enjoyed the subject, it's related to theme x, y, z, which I hope to explore as a graduate student." Just have a narrative ready for how the paper reflects your interests and capacity. I do not think they will push for a detailed discussion of the paper. They may not even have read it throughly. 
    In another interview, which was done by my potential advisor, he had already read my file carefully. He asked very specific questions about my background, courses, language preparation. I could tell he was trying to fill gaps in his picture about me. He asked me about my writing sample: why did I choose a paper that's peripheral? Isn't even in my area of studies? Why didn't I choose a paper that reflects my language skills? The paper was interesting, he said, but he was wondering about these questions. So, I gave an answer, linking the paper to my interests and he was content with that. I also told him I could submit other papers if he was interested. And he said sure, and I submitted two other papers and some translations. I think it answered his concerns and I was accepted into that program. 
    So I would say: yes be ready to give them answers about the paper but, more broadly, be ready to connect it to your current interests and really explain your thought process in choosing it. How maybe writing that paper influenced your future decisions or interests. The questions they will ask you will be specific to your context, and the gaps they feel they have in your story. Try to think about what they're really asking you to explain, given the questions they have already asked you. Think about your narrative, what information professors have on you, and what gaps they may need to address. Anticipate those—but don't sweat it, and don't over prepare either! 
    Super long answer, and perhaps not what you're looking for but there you go!
  9. Like
    soitgoes got a reaction from NTNerd in 2020 Religion Application Thread   
    You are most welcome. It's my first time, too, and it's such an opaque process. One needs all the advice one can get! 
  10. Upvote
    soitgoes got a reaction from conraddy in 2020 Religion Application Thread   
    In my case, the questions on the writing sample were always regarding how it connects to my interest in pursuing further doctoral research.
    In one interview, three people from the religious studies department interviewed me at the same time (all with different areas of expertise). It was a quick 20 minute interview and it began with "tell us about your research interests." Unfortunately, I did not prep to answer the question so I stumbled my way through it. I was accepted to the program and the faculty said my interview was excellent. Perhaps I am too critical. Regardless, what I do know is that had I prepped for that answer, it would have been even better. So, make sure you have some sense of how to move about larger questions like "tell us about your research interests," "why did you pick this project?" "what methodologies interest you? regions?" "why us?" "do you have any questions for us?" Each of the questions, including the last one, is an opportunity to give professors information about yourself. You can choose to discuss your writing sample on your own, without them asking for that information: "And that's why I submitted the writing I did, because it shows x, y, z." It will help them connect the dots. (Also don't assume that they will remember your writing off the bat. Get a feel for whether they do).
    These faculty members asked me briefly about why I chose the writing sample I did. My sample was also a paper I wrote for a class; I did not edit it, and it was marginally related to my area. Knowing this, I made sure to have a narrative ready on how to help them connect the dots between my sample and my interests: "I chose the writing sample because I enjoyed the subject, it's related to theme x, y, z, which I hope to explore as a graduate student." Just have a narrative ready for how the paper reflects your interests and capacity. I do not think they will push for a detailed discussion of the paper. They may not even have read it throughly. 
    In another interview, which was done by my potential advisor, he had already read my file carefully. He asked very specific questions about my background, courses, language preparation. I could tell he was trying to fill gaps in his picture about me. He asked me about my writing sample: why did I choose a paper that's peripheral? Isn't even in my area of studies? Why didn't I choose a paper that reflects my language skills? The paper was interesting, he said, but he was wondering about these questions. So, I gave an answer, linking the paper to my interests and he was content with that. I also told him I could submit other papers if he was interested. And he said sure, and I submitted two other papers and some translations. I think it answered his concerns and I was accepted into that program. 
    So I would say: yes be ready to give them answers about the paper but, more broadly, be ready to connect it to your current interests and really explain your thought process in choosing it. How maybe writing that paper influenced your future decisions or interests. The questions they will ask you will be specific to your context, and the gaps they feel they have in your story. Try to think about what they're really asking you to explain, given the questions they have already asked you. Think about your narrative, what information professors have on you, and what gaps they may need to address. Anticipate those—but don't sweat it, and don't over prepare either! 
    Super long answer, and perhaps not what you're looking for but there you go!
  11. Like
    soitgoes got a reaction from NTNerd in 2020 Religion Application Thread   
    In my case, the questions on the writing sample were always regarding how it connects to my interest in pursuing further doctoral research.
    In one interview, three people from the religious studies department interviewed me at the same time (all with different areas of expertise). It was a quick 20 minute interview and it began with "tell us about your research interests." Unfortunately, I did not prep to answer the question so I stumbled my way through it. I was accepted to the program and the faculty said my interview was excellent. Perhaps I am too critical. Regardless, what I do know is that had I prepped for that answer, it would have been even better. So, make sure you have some sense of how to move about larger questions like "tell us about your research interests," "why did you pick this project?" "what methodologies interest you? regions?" "why us?" "do you have any questions for us?" Each of the questions, including the last one, is an opportunity to give professors information about yourself. You can choose to discuss your writing sample on your own, without them asking for that information: "And that's why I submitted the writing I did, because it shows x, y, z." It will help them connect the dots. (Also don't assume that they will remember your writing off the bat. Get a feel for whether they do).
    These faculty members asked me briefly about why I chose the writing sample I did. My sample was also a paper I wrote for a class; I did not edit it, and it was marginally related to my area. Knowing this, I made sure to have a narrative ready on how to help them connect the dots between my sample and my interests: "I chose the writing sample because I enjoyed the subject, it's related to theme x, y, z, which I hope to explore as a graduate student." Just have a narrative ready for how the paper reflects your interests and capacity. I do not think they will push for a detailed discussion of the paper. They may not even have read it throughly. 
    In another interview, which was done by my potential advisor, he had already read my file carefully. He asked very specific questions about my background, courses, language preparation. I could tell he was trying to fill gaps in his picture about me. He asked me about my writing sample: why did I choose a paper that's peripheral? Isn't even in my area of studies? Why didn't I choose a paper that reflects my language skills? The paper was interesting, he said, but he was wondering about these questions. So, I gave an answer, linking the paper to my interests and he was content with that. I also told him I could submit other papers if he was interested. And he said sure, and I submitted two other papers and some translations. I think it answered his concerns and I was accepted into that program. 
    So I would say: yes be ready to give them answers about the paper but, more broadly, be ready to connect it to your current interests and really explain your thought process in choosing it. How maybe writing that paper influenced your future decisions or interests. The questions they will ask you will be specific to your context, and the gaps they feel they have in your story. Try to think about what they're really asking you to explain, given the questions they have already asked you. Think about your narrative, what information professors have on you, and what gaps they may need to address. Anticipate those—but don't sweat it, and don't over prepare either! 
    Super long answer, and perhaps not what you're looking for but there you go!
  12. Like
    soitgoes reacted to batyah in 2020 Religion Application Thread   
    I really hope we hear today! The waiting is awful. But @soitgoes has good "anxiety logic" (ha!) too unfortunately!
  13. Like
    soitgoes reacted to SAH08 in 2020 Religion Application Thread   
    Will we finally hear something today? Are any universities closed for President's Day? Hoping for some kind of news. 
  14. Like
    soitgoes got a reaction from SAH08 in 2020 Religion Application Thread   
    My bet is we will likely hear mid-week. It wouldn't make sense for them not to just tell us on Friday if they were going to wait until Monday. Haha...this is my anxiety logic. 
  15. Like
    soitgoes reacted to Dewey in 2020 Religion Application Thread   
    I think soitgoes was referring to PhD programs, which release decisions considerably earlier. Last year Yale’s PhD decisions came out around February 15 (give or take a day or two). Chicago was the same day, if I remember correctly (it was a lot of rejections for me in one day!). MTS/MAR/MA won’t be until March, I’d bet. 
     
    It’s curious why Yale is taking so long! Interviews happened a few weeks ago.
  16. Like
    soitgoes got a reaction from batyah in 2020 Religion Application Thread   
    I’m with you all on this. Waiting to hear from Harvard (Committee), Chicago (Divinity), and Yale (Religious Studies). All three schools let people know either exactly today or close to today last year. I’m hoping at least one of the three says something—anything!
    The wait is actually quite a bit worse with gradcafe because I’m now expecting something today while in reality a response is not at all guaranteed!
  17. Like
    soitgoes got a reaction from duckie0817 in 2020 Religion Application Thread   
    I’m with you all on this. Waiting to hear from Harvard (Committee), Chicago (Divinity), and Yale (Religious Studies). All three schools let people know either exactly today or close to today last year. I’m hoping at least one of the three says something—anything!
    The wait is actually quite a bit worse with gradcafe because I’m now expecting something today while in reality a response is not at all guaranteed!
  18. Like
    soitgoes reacted to TakeruK in Advice to read papers well   
    Wow, that blog link is really interesting and I think I can learn a lot from that! I can share how I read scientific papers but I don't think I have such a detailed system.
    It does depend a lot on what I want to get out of the paper because that dictates how much time/energy I spend on the paper. Since you asked about reading papers "quickly", I'll talk about the three methods I use for the lowest level of reading.
    Level 0, for "keeping up" reading: The goal of this reading is to ensure I know about the latest papers. Every day, the pre-print server I subscribe to sends me a list of paper titles and abstracts for my subfield. This is how I mostly "keep up". The other way I "keep up" is to follow social media for my subfield---there are several facebook groups for various areas of interest to me and papers are discussed there. I also stay connected with my colleagues and see what papers they find interesting.
    When I do this type of reading, I will read the paper title and the abstract. If I remain interested, I might also skim the introduction since that's how people put their work in context with the field. Once you are familiar with the subject area, skimming for key words and citations will tell you what area of the field they are building on. The main goal of the Introduction reading is to figure out what important question they are addressing and why I should care. Then, I skip right to the conclusion and see what their results are. I do all of this reading/skimming without taking notes. Usually over my morning coffee. I try to spend about 5 minutes per paper.
    At this point, I decide whether or not to spend more time on the article. If I find the motivation compelling and the results significant, I will put the paper in my Mendeley library for further reading (see below) at a later time (sometimes right away if I'm really excited about it). Otherwise, I move onto the next one.
    Level 1, for "cataloguing" papers. The goal is now to take good summary notes on these papers so that I am able to find more details when I need them in the future. I may never need them in the future. I download the PDF and import it to my Mendeley library. I assign it a unique ID (usually AuthorLastNameYear plus additional letters for extra papers in the same year). I have some Mendeley tags that I use to organize papers by topics (like Gmail labels) that I also assign. I also have some special tags like "citeThisinPaperX" so that I don't forget to cite the paper when I get around to writing it. After adding this meta-data, I read the abstract, intro and conclusions again.
    This time, I will highlight key words. The goal is that if I am looking for details about X in the future, I want to be able to quickly flip through this PDF on Mendeley and have these important words pop out to me. I will also read over the methods section to ensure I know what they are doing. Often, this allows me to classify the paper further (using tags if appropriate). I'll also skim the rest of the paper, particularly the discussion to see their interpretation and any caveats. I use the "Notes" field of Mendeley to write a very short summary of the paper. Here, I also mention anything interesting that comes up or if I have any concerns, e.g. a new method, an unorthodox method, interesting interpretation, problematic assumptions, etc. I think this type of reading takes me about 30 minutes to do per paper.
    Level 2, for "understanding" a paper. This is a more careful reading. I actually read every word this time instead of just skimming. I use more highlighting. I also now use the sticky notes annotation tool in Mendeley. One big use of the sticky notes is to make sure I can understand the authors' flow of logic in each section. After each section, if I found the logic hard to follow, I try to figure it out and then write a sticky note that summarizes what I thought they were trying to say in that area. I also add sticky notes for Methods. Since these notes are searchable, I try to use standardized terms so that I can find related papers easily. For the discussion and results sections, I use sticky notes to summarize each and every one of their individual findings (whereas in the above sections, I focus more on the big picture results). I add my own commentary to their interpretations where appropriate. The goal is to annotate the paper enough that when I view the paper in Mendeley, I can click the notes tab and see just the list of my sticky notes. I should be able to reconstruct the main argument from the sticky notes without having to read the paper again.  If I have done the "Level 0" and "Level 1" readings before this, then this more in-depth reading usually takes 1-2 hours, depending on the paper length and whether I already know a lot about the field. Sometimes it can take up to a half-day if I'm trying to read way outside of my area. I sometimes also print out a paper to read at this depth because it's a little easier for me to read things in print and when I want to be able to read it while away from my desk. I try not to print too much because it wastes paper and I will have to spend time importing my annotations into Mendeley.
    I usually do "Level 0" and "Level 1" every day (or at least try to). The "Level 2" reading happens maybe once per week (a little bit more recently because there's lots of cool stuff). This is the depth I read to when I want to be able to speak about a paper at a Journal Club or something informal. Deeper reading levels, for me, include reading related papers , comparing results across papers, and making even more notes. I don't usually seek out papers to read to this depth level. Instead, I only do it when I need to, for example, when starting a new area of research and needing to know the foundational papers, or when I really need a question answered.
  19. Like
    soitgoes got a reaction from Taorluath34 in 2020 Religion Application Thread   
    'Twas me, and thank you, but I continue to hold my breath. I applied for Islamic Studies. Do not worry (too much) if you have not yet been contacted. From what I have gathered from their website, initially each subfield works independently. Wishing you all the best.
  20. Upvote
    soitgoes got a reaction from Kld89! in Master's Admissions 2017(MA,MTS, ThM or Mdiv)   
    I also called HDS. They said "by the end of the week." This could mean Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. I'm hoping they release the results by tomorrow.
  21. Upvote
    soitgoes got a reaction from Kld89! in Master's Admissions 2017(MA,MTS, ThM or Mdiv)   
    Tell me about it! 
    Has anyone called today? Wondering whether they'll say "by the end of the week" or before the end of the day :/
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