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la_mod

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Everything posted by la_mod

  1. la_mod
    How annoying! I've also been having various car issues. I know it can make it at least a few more months, but I wish I knew where I'll be living next year. If it's somewhere that requires a commute I'm probably going to have to hit up Craigslist. Hopefully your tires are an easy / cheap fix!
  2. la_mod
    I know it's a little early for a venting thread, but... oh well. How are you all doing? What miscellaneous gripes do you have that don't fit into the other threads? share your woes with us! Here's mine: I have had to switch health insurance three times in the past year and am having to change doctors again. Usually this wouldn't bother me so much, but I feel *so* on edge wrt grad admissions and can't help but think "if I had gotten into a program last year, I'd totally have stability in my life right now." Anyway, it may not even be February yet, but let's commiserate together.
  3. la_mod
    I have a gut feeling that Berkeley will be Friday, but it could just be my gut hoping for a first response...
  4. la_mod
    I am wary to give advice, as I was shut out last year and haven’t received any good news. The advice I got was to do what I’ve done: 1. Attend a conference 2. Get a publication 3. If possible, work in something somewhat academic (I’m employed by my university’s research foundation) 4. Edit the heck out of everything 5. Cross your fingers and reapply Hopefully it works! EDIT: I also hope that you get in, but if you don’t, it could be *because* of your age? I graduated a year early, so I was 20 when applying (I’m 21 now), and a few of my professors told me that a PhD program would be hesitant to invest 6 years into someone so “fresh.” Although I know this is what I want, I also understand that 20 year-olds tend to change their minds a bit more than someone who has an MA and a few years of work experience.
  5. la_mod
    I am! But I know nothing about it, ha. Last year I applied to Toronto and received a postal rejection in mid-March. Not sure if paper is typical or if that info is remotely helpful! I’m an American with an American BA. Oh! Also, for non-Canadians: Toronto received ~200 MA applications last year, had a class of somewhere between 30-45, and only accepted ONE non-Canadian.
  6. la_mod
    Fair point. More so I meant: I wonder if all the people in the top schools are in cahoots.
  7. la_mod
    I wonder if networking is related to rankings? My professors (whom I love) know very few people from other schools and the ones who do know are fresh out of their PhD Sorry I’m not able to cut this down because I’m on mobile, but yes! This 1000000%!!!! I also met the LOML on my break year and am actually thankful for my sweeping rejections last year, ha. Hopefully I get into school, but wow.
  8. la_mod
    Re: that last point: I literally did not know that grad programs were funded until a professor casually asked me if I had considered grad school and I said “oh, I can’t afford it.” I was so floored! I thought that only really wealthy folks got MAs / PhDs!
  9. la_mod
    What do y’all think about school rankings factoring into grad admissions? You can say that they don’t... but let’s be real. When you look at the students currently at (from what I remember from last year at) at Stanford, most of the cohort is from top 80 schools. I go to a school ranked in the mid-100s and had a prof who told me it would be impossible for me to get in anywhere. Maybe I’m just bitter? I had the grades and ambition to go to a “better” school but just could NOT afford it. (Addendum: I LOVE the school I went to and I’m so glad I went there and was forced to confront my own elitism. But still, I worry that it’ll hinder me.)
  10. la_mod
    Most of the schools I applied for this year only offered waivers for *current students* that can demonstrate need. Because I graduated in May (and didn’t fill out the FAFSA in preparation of graduating) I was ineligible, though I would have qualified. The GRE does something similar.
  11. la_mod
    Ok, so they send out ~40 requests for interviews, but they only interview like 25 people, then choose from THAT final pool.
  12. la_mod
    ALSO, I wasn’t going to single out Chicago, but that whole “we’re going to send 40 interview requests but only honor 25, so the other 15 are cut” is SUCH BS. It left such a foul taste in my mouth that I didn’t reapply this year.
  13. la_mod
    Yeah and I think it would be equalizing and totally worth it. Not sure that making sure low income students have access is a priority tbhhhh
  14. la_mod
    I agree with @Wooshkuh, that they would get more applicants. But like... is that so bad? It’s labor-intensive for readers, but the alternative is that only people who are wealthier are able to apply to a lot of “reach” schools. If everyone needs to have one or two “safeties” (which is becoming harder to gauge anyway), then really bright students who might have otherwise applied to Penn etc may decide it’s not worth the risk. There’s a reason that first-gen students such as myself have a hard time accessing postgrad education. EDIT: I’d also add that I recognize my privilege here. I know I applied to a lot of schools and a lot of them are SUPER reaches. I’m lucky that I live with my parents and don’t have to pay rent. If that weren’t the case, I’m not sure what I would have done. I’ve heard of other programs doing unofficial GRE scores until admission, which I would like to see!
  15. la_mod
    Also, have you read Lolly Willowes? It’s so witchy and splendid.
  16. la_mod
    A recent fun read about Stanford Comp Lit: The Possessed, by Elif Batuman! It’s so funny and every time I read it I think about her feud with one of the profs there (though perhaps I’m reading into other things I’ve read online). I’m also super into her autobiographical novel, The Idiot. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention any Woolf on her birthday, so I’ll recommend Night and Day by her, for which I have a deep personal love.
  17. la_mod
    I LOVE this book! I read it last year while dealing with a tough time and it was incredible. I’m obsessed. I want to reread.
  18. la_mod
    Alsoooo just missed two phone calls from a certain area code. Tragically, the voicemail was in Chinese, so that’s probably (most likely?) not who I had hoped.
  19. la_mod
    Dreamt that I got a Columbia interview request; woke up in a cold sweat.... no email. Subconscious-shellacked?
  20. la_mod
    I know that someone had posted saying that Columbia is running behind, but I think that -- if they do interviews -- they should be sending emails about it in the coming days. I received mine exactly one year and one day ago! Let the email refreshing begin...
  21. la_mod
    oh my goodness! congratulations! you deserve it so much; i'm so happy for you!
  22. la_mod
    shellacked no more! congratulations!!
  23. la_mod
    I’m pretty much going to have to. My boyfriend is going to be doing a year masters program here and plans on moving wherever I get in. I’m almost hoping that I get into a program that will let me defer for a year, though I know that’s improbable. I reallllly do not want to do long distance but there’s no good alternative.
  24. la_mod
    I am neither married or a parent, but I hope to be both within the next few years, so it’s great to hear from everyone who has gone through this! Have any of you ever had to live away from your partner / spouse? How did you handle that?
  25. la_mod
    I'm so jealous of everyone who has started to hear back from schools! Looking at the places I applied, I think I'll be waiting at least two more weeks. The anticipation is really wearing on me!
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