Skyride Season

@megalomaniac Yes! Heading there for a PhD in WGSS. What about you?

@seung I've also been somewhat surprised that I have hardly heard anything from my program (admitted & accepted). I did go and visit, during which time they outlined their expectations for our attendance at orientation in the Fall, answered our questions, introduced to current students, etc. But since that time (early March), I haven't heard anything at all. I feel like this is normal, but I'm First Gen and so I have to admit that actually I have no idea. It sounds like you're feeling anxious, Seung, waiting for the department to get in touch. I know I am! I should add that my department put me in touch with the current cohort, but we have not communicated much, most likely because they are incredibly busy. D:

For those who use Evernote, I've found that Scannable is a brilliant companion app for smartphones. It uses your camera to snap images of post-its, flyers, handwritten notes, and other documents that you want to immediately convert to jpg or PDF and saves them automatically to your Evernote account. You can specify a default save folder on Evernote, share docs with others, save to your phone, etc. On my computer, I really like SuperNotecard for brainstorming and organizing ideas for papers. It's similar to Trello, but for some reason I could just never get on board with Trello (maybe the subscription version is better?). But if you like kanban boards (e.g. Trello, MeisterTask) for organizing thoughts, you may like SuperNotecard. Though I will be the first to admit that that is not the coolest-sounding name... Personally, I find Google Drive indispensable, because I collaborate with others in real-time on documents regularly. It's also great free storage space (lucky for me, I had my thesis backed up to Google Drive when my laptop crashed last year and everything on it was irrecoverable). It's also way more aesthetically pleasing to me than Dropbox. Specifically for productivity, I am partially to the pomodoro technique, and after experimenting with various pomo apps, I use the smartphone app Flat Tomato almost exclusively. Other pomo apps are prettier and certainly have more features (I love the idea of historical charts so I can track when I was more or less 'productive,' which Flat Tomato does not offer), but the vast majority you have to pay for. If any of you have paid for a premium pomodoro app (or if you have recommendations on other productivity apps/websites), I would love to hear from you!

If such a forum existed, I would join it! p.s. I reckon you'll continue getting voted down on posts like this because it might be perceived as generating competition with this site and I doubt moderators like that.

Hey! 1) I had a horrible (not "horrible," but horrible) GRE score. The program I got into doesn't look at GRE scores. w00t. 2) I wrote a thesis for my MA program, part of which I used for my writing sample. I think that probably made me look good? 3) By seminars, do you mean conferences? I was lucky in my MA program in that I presented at several conferences and also helped organize a couple. For the program I was accepted to, I believe this looked good, as they seem to value engagement with others in the field (which tends to happen at conferences). 4) I think I had some killer letters of rec. Obviously I couldn't see them/am not privy to their contents, but I've seen letters that those faculty had written for other students, and they were great. Plus, one of the faculty at the program I got into has a working relationship with a faculty member from my MA program. I'm not sure if that helped? Seems likely. Also: even though my GRE was awful, I had a 4.0 in my MA program, which apparently didn't help with regard to the other two places I applied to, as I was rejected from them. However, I think the place I'll be going to in the fall just doesn't care about numbers that much and is much less invested in quantifying students' abilities than most programs-- so I'm not sure they were all that impressed by my 4.0, anyway. Good luck!!

Context: I'm on a year-break between my MA and PhD. Lost someone close to me in the middle of my MA program-- that it threw me for a loop is an understatement. But I finished the program and then was shocked to find that I got into a PhD program. "Super anxious" is an accurate description. I think I will get more excited as I learn more about the specific classes I'll be taking (seeing reading lists, syllabi, etc.), getting to know faculty and students, and so on... But right now I am extremely anxious. Worried about moving to a place where I know zero people, far away from all my family and friends. I'm at a weird moment in my life where the idea of "Hey! Let's abandon everything we know and start over in a brand new place!" sounds less than exciting. But, having said that, I know that the thrill isn't gone in regards to academia because I still find myself nerding out about CFPs, new monographs, conference, and journals. Like most things, I'm sure there will be a transition period where everything is excruciating, but I know there will also be unique opportunities that I don't presently have in my dull 8-5 job. For one thing, I am ecstatic to be returning to an environment where I'll be surrounded by people who not only respect my identity but many of them share it. I won't have to constantly explain what I mean by 'non-binary pronouns' and the like, for instance. That will definitely be a relief. I'm also excited to try out an idea I've had for a while, which is a queer/crip/fat health & fitness group (kinda non-existent where I am now); it's much more likely to be successful in the place that I'm moving to and will hopefully provide me with a blueprint in case I want to start similar projects/groups less queer/crip/fat-friendly places in the future. The sort of outside-the-mainstream circumstances of my life will be much more mainstream while I'm in this doctoral program. @Electric Anxiety, how are you hoping to engage people and make friends? What kinds of things do you like to do, especially to maintain your (physical, emotional, spiritual) well-being? As an INFJ (myers-briggs type), I definitely hear you about wanting and needing community, but the journey to achieving that requires 'putting myself out there.' @hector549 re: being in a different city from your partner-- me too! Do you have any ideas for how to cope with that? Skypeing and visits are great, but I'm used to be around my partner every day, he's kinda essential to the way I decompress from a stressful day... Wondering how I'll deal with being far away from him all the time. *gulp* p.s. congrats to everyone on getting into your respective programs!

This is such a great question, I have received many different answers to it when I have asked professors, colleagues, etc. Thank you for posting it here! Accommodating your habits (i.e. Know Thyself) seems to be really key for a lot of people I know who write, especially academic writers. The two most productive writers I know have cited a) abiding by a daily writing schedule (tailored to their own habits) and b) small working groups that help hold them accountable as two factors that significantly contribute to their productivity. Maintaining a schedule really seems to require discipline in the beginning, but then daily (or bi-weekly, or whatever your thing is) writing becomes habit! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, @rising_star

To be fair... I'll be going to school on the West Coast for my doctoral program, so maybe things are more laid back there. But in my field you would definitely get social bonus points for skating!

@shadowclaw Thank you for all your advice, I appreciate your taking the time to share! I'm glad to hear that there are places with smaller units, because what I've seen online is quite discouraging. Not only are they bigger (and thus probably noisier) places, but they're certainly not as nice as I'd hope they'd be for their price. I've hardly seen any one-bedrooms for less than $800.

Hey, thanks for helping revive this thread! I keep looking online at rentals and striking out, in terms of pricing alone. I'm hoping that when I go for a visit, I can check places out in and around Corvallis. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Philomath, it is hard to get an impression from Google Earth alone! I would love to be able to commute by bike; I've heard Corvallis is a very bike-friendly city.

One of my coworkers just recently told me that she went for her PhD in her mid-50s. So I guess you could say "43 isn't older." But I wouldn't say that because each of us experiences ageism differently and pursuing different degrees at different ages is obviously very subjective. Some people told me they were glad they waited until they were 30 to do a Masters or PhD. I was one of the oldest people in my MA program, and although nobody in my program treated me differently or discriminated against me in any way, it was outside the program that I experienced negativity being 'old' and doing my MA. Especially where I'm from, people assumed I would be ashamed that I'm a 'student for life' and not making as much money as they are, not as "far along in life" as they are, blah blah. Anyway, it seems that being a 'nontraditional student' is a highly subjective experience...

When I started my MA program, I had no funding, but after one semester I was awarded a half-time GAship. The following year I had a full-time GAship and was awarded several (small) scholarships. The GAship included a tuition remission, which obviously cut way back on my student loans. All that to say, maybe ask about what could be offered down the line? I was pretty assertive about the GAships; I straight up asked them, What do I need to do to get one of these? And they were forthcoming with me, so perhaps these programs would be forthcoming with you.

I'm wondering when to break the news, too... I was accepted into a doctoral program for fall. When I interviewed for the full-time job I have now (which is boring but pays quite well and has great benefits-- one must wonder why I'm leaving it...), I did mention that I was thinking of applying to PhD programs. Three months later, I applied to a few programs, assuming I would be rejected from all of them. I was pretty astonished to find out I've been accepted to my first choice. I haven't told a soul at work, and I don't know if I should wait until the official acceptance deadline passes (April 15th), or if I should let them know sooner (I'd rather not, since I'm on probation and don't have union protection until May), or if I should let them know much later. The hiring process here is excruciatingly slow, so it would be awful of me to give them only 2 weeks notice. Even a month's notice would probably not be enough time to hire someone into my position. What are people's thoughts on this?

I am mostly likely going to be moving to Corvallis in the fall (2017), and I'm pretty excited for it! I've never been to Oregon, but everyone says it's beautiful if you don't mind rain. I would really rather not have a car, so does that mean I'm stuck paying too much for rent? Corvallis is significantly more expensive than mid-Michigan...

I have frequently found that a major reason white people in EL are afraid to live in (or even travel to) Lansing is because Lansing has a proportionally greater number of Black people living there. i.e. racism. That being said... The more EL folks who move to Lansing to commute to EL, the more gentrification will become a problem in Lansing. It is already happening in certain areas. So you may want to keep your newfound neighborhood on the DL...

Fair warning about parking on/near campus: it can be very difficult to find a spot, and it tends to be very expensive. EL and MSU parking police are notorious for ticketing and towing. Almost every Spartan I know has a story about being ticketed in some ridiculous situation (e.g. they dozed off in their car, woke up 5 minutes later to find a ticket on the windshield, that kind of thing). I highly recommend getting a bike! There are bike lanes on all the major roads on campus, there is an MSU bike shop that does repairs and has tools handy if you want to do your own, and bike racks are unlimited.

I live in Lansing and I love it. It's grubby, it's inexpensive, it's kinda weird at times. But I'm a grubby, cheap, weird person, so that may be why... If you are looking for cheap housing, you're not fussy, and you don't mind commuting by bus, bike, or car, then Lansing a great alternative to EL (which is comparatively more expensive). I lived in EL for undergrad, and it significantly contributed to my student debt even though I worked full time in the summers and part time all year. Food, rent, entertainment-- everything is more expensive in EL. It's true, though, Lansing can be pretty boring if you want to be around other students, and it's horribly drab in the wintertime.

Thank you, that is helpful. Yes, it has been my impression that it is discouraged in most cases. I suppose it certainly doesn't instill much confidence if one chooses to do that...

I agree with @Louisamae about Betsy Devos being extremely harmful to public education (which will absolutely affect higher ed in the long run, especially for specific groups of already-marginalized people). Now that we have the benefit of two months of hindsight since the election, I'm sure some of the original writers on this thread would want to amend their comments. We are standing at the brink of major changes in immigration, healthcare, and education, to name a few-- all of which will have ramifications for us as graduate students. Although various neoliberal forces have been impinging on the vitality of universities for years, we are about to see changes that will directly impact the lives of queers, Muslims, immigrants, POC, crips, and others who have been specifically target in Trump's rhetoric. The university for which I currently work hosted a (very well-attended) teach-in today where scholars talked about anti-antisemitism, racism and Black Lives Matter, the potential for a Muslim registry, and other issues that are currently affecting or in the near-future will affect the students here. Their remarks were surprisingly 101-- because, I think, unless one has already felt the effects of racism, misogyny, xenophobia, etc., then one has not necessarily been paying attention to what's happening nor imagining what could potentially happen. A lot of people in the crowd were cis, non-disabled, white kids. Evidently, it is not redundant for them to hear their professors say, "You need to pay attention. This is a poisonous political climate for Black people, Jews, queers, etc. This is happening to your fellow classmates. Fellow professors, you need to address these issues in your curricula. If you see Islamophobia, queerphobia, etc. enacted in your classrooms, do something about it." There will certainly be very really political consequences coming out of Washington, but I am also worried about a rise in discriminatory and exclusionary actions in university settings from people emboldened by Trump's rhetoric. Eastern Michigan University (where I got my MA) is case in point. </apocalyptic rant>

I've heard the same thing-- lots of competition, drama, and politics. Big turn off, to me!

Someone explained a shortlist to me as the applicants who are "next in line" in the instance that "first in line" accepted students do not choose to attend that program. But others who know better might wanna correct me! Okay, I also wanna ask a question as a first gen kid... What is deferred admission, do they do that for PhD programs typically, and how can one politely ask for it? Does it put one's acceptance at risk to ask for it?

I just heard back from Oregon State about a week ago! So yes, hopefully you will hear back very soon! Agreed, the waiting game is awful and anxiety-provoking.

I only applied to UToronto for PhD programs this year. No word yet. I applied to Western Ontario's MA program three years ago and I had to reach out to them to receive a response (which was a rejection). I also applied to MA programs for WGSS/feminist studies in the UK-- Sussex got back to me blazing fast with an acceptance. Manchester was also timely with a rejection.

It just so happens that one of my MA program professors did her PhD at Rutgers. She was fresh out when I started, and she would brag like no other that she was among a select few who actually has a PhD in WGSS (as you probably know, the field is still relatively young and there are only about 2 dozen dedicated WGSS PhD programs in the whole world). She has a point-- since WGSS is a rising discipline, people who are poised to get their PhDs in the next 5-10 years will have an huge advantage when it comes to landing tenure-track jobs in WGSS programs. However, I don't think that means it won't still be hypercompetitive, though... Jasbir Puar is at Rutgers, she's a WGSS superstar, obviously. That indicates the seriousness of the program and the degree to which Rutgers is invested in the field, I think. Angela Davis and Donna Haraway are at Santa Cruz-- and they are amazing and renown, which definitely boosts the prestige of the program.

I will check the WGSS thread out! The school I am mostly strongly considering is Oregon State. I'd appreciate you taking a look! I am most excited about Patti Duncan and Qwo-Li Driskill, but that is because they are the two faculty with whose work I am most familiar. There are several other amazing faculty members, I just don't know as much about them and have only met them once (at a conference meet-and-greet).