Squawker

"Anyway, I'm married, so I take my wife to the ballet, out to movies, restaurants, etc. We are going to a party in a few hours from now." I want a husband who takes me to the ballet! Ah well, good thing there will be no time for that in my future then, since it looks unlikely anyway. I haven't read a novel for pleasure since I started college. Actually that's a lie, I read one that someone lent to me (so I was then obligated to read it) but I don't know if that even counts because it was written by a professor in my field and was pretty much just about all the stuff I study. In high school I read novels all the time, even to the point of being "that weird girl who sits by herself reading at break time." No more, sadly. I read all day for my coursework, so the idea of sitting down with yet another book during my rare blips of free time just doesn't really jive with my lifestyle. I fantasize about being one of those old retired guys in their smoking jackets who sit around drinking whisky and reading presidential memoirs. Someday! I do work out a lot though, after 20 years of only working out when forced to do so in P.E. classes. I also cook a lot, which takes up a considerable part of my day.

I'm confident enough in my preparation and abilities, so I suppose I'm lucky to be avoiding impostor syndrome. That said, I'm a little bummed that after all these years of building up relationships with people in my department, and building a reputation as a good student, come autumn I'll be a new nameless face and will have to earn people's respect all over again! I'm sure I'll be fine, but every now and again the idea wanders into my head that perhaps I won't be, and maybe after all these years of working hard I'll buckle and become some kind of deadbeat as soon as they hand me my diploma. I'm already considering taking a year out after my MA so I can enjoy a smidge of my 20s before committing myself to several years in a PhD program. But I think I'm starting to stray from the original subject, so I'll shut up now.

I haven't carried a backpack since high school, and where I go to college at the moment carrying a backpack is weird and uncool (I suppose the equivalent of the wheelie backpack in high school!). I'm female, so I've been carrying my notes and books around in a medium-sized handbag for years and find it to be much more convenient than a backpack because I don't have to switch my wallet, keys, phone, chapstick etc. to a different bag every time I go somewhere other than class. I also don't need to take the bag off my back in order to get stuff out. If I were a man I'd go with a messenger back for that reason, although I suppose since backpacks seem to be acceptable/normal at most US universities, you should just go with whatever you find most comfortable. That said, you should consider the briefcase option. Alongside the whole beard thing, it's one of the reasons I'm jealous that I'm not a man. I wish I could keep my "important papers" in a briefcase without it looking odd.

I always use dear, unless of course it's a close friend (kind of ironic, now that I think about it). Whenever I receive a letter or email that addresses me with "Dear," I never get creeped out or think it's too formal. It's quite clear that the person is just following standard letter format! I always use "Dear Dr./Professor X" in my emails, and they respond to me with "Dear [Firstname]." This even applies to back-and-forth emails. The way I see it, using "Dear" is always the safest way to go. It's not going to offend anyone or weird them out. "Hi" and other less-formal addresses can be acceptable in many situations, but you never know when you're being too informal. If you always use "Dear," then you'll never have to face the difficult decision of how to structure your correspondences.

I'm still physically capable of staying up through the night to work, but the adrenaline doesn't keep me going the same way it used to in that I work very slowly through the night and I think the stress of the impending deadline reduces the quality of my work. Like other people here, I also work much better in the evenings, especially when it's really late and there's no one about doing anything. So I still do "all-nighters," except they're not really as extreme in that I stay up to do the work a few days before the assignment is due just in case I'm not able to pull it off in one night. I also tend to go to sleep around 6 or 7 am instead of just staying up through the next day as I used to do. I would never pull an all-nighter before an exam - I generally require 10 hours of sleep before scary things like that! For me, all-nighters are not about cramming all the work I've put off into the last minute before the deadline. They're more about finding a suitable time when I can power through my work and get everything accomplished in one sitting, after weeks of disciplined research. But it seems that I'm getting too old. I tell myself that one day, when I have a nice office of my own, I will be able to get more work done during the daytime. Hope that works out!

I am still waiting to hear from the University of Pennsylvania about their MA program. I don't even want to attend, and I have already officially accepted an offer somewhere else for a program I would much rather attend. Still, I put time into my Penn application, and paid the application fee. The online application confirms that my app was submitted successfully and completely, but I have yet to receive a single email from the department about my application, let alone a decision. I'm starting to wonder if maybe they don't get many applicants for their MA program, and don't even realize that someone actually applied this year. I haven't seen anyone post anything here about the Penn History MA. If I don't hear anything by 15 April, I may consider demanding my money back. Sorry to all of you waiting on NYU and other programs that have no respect for their applicants. If universities like Yale, receiving 10,000+ applications overall this year, can get their decisions out by early February, then I don't think it's too much to ask for other institutions to respond by a reasonable date. Good to hear that is seems you all have pretty good programs to fall back on if NYU doesn't happen.

Villanova University doesn't guarantee funding, but you can apply for a graduate assistantship and possibly secure a tuition waiver and even a stipend.

Are there any American journalism programs in cities with considerably large Indonesian communities? Can't say I've ever run across an Indonesian neighborhood in any US city, but you never know. I have a relative who has "shunned" my branch of the family for somewhat similar reasons. I am glad not to know him, as bigotry is apparently the least of is human faults! But then, as he never spoke to me while I was growing up, it is very different from your situation. There are no important emotional ties to be broken. Perhaps you ask yourself which would be easier: going to grad school for a couple years, then coming home and finding a partner, or staying home to find a partner with the intention of eventually going to graduate school. I would assume that the second option would be harder as it would involve uprooting the partner for a few years, and would delay your career. It's a challenging dilemma, I'm sure, if you don't want to compromise either priority for the other, but it sounds like your instinct has already decided on the matter.

I was faced with a similar decision for MAs. Wanting to be in the best place for PhD applications, I was initially quite stumped - choose the internationally renowned university with a meh program as far as my specific interests are concerned, or choose a great but not as highly ranked university with faculty members who teach classes that sound like they've been designed just for me. I was actually leaning towards the former, but when I talked about it with my family and some of my recommenders they all looked at me like I was crazy. Turns out I was underestimating the reputation that school B has in my specific field, and that despite the lower ranking of the university the specific program is actually considered more prestigious. I'll be attending school B. Sorry for the long personal rant. It sounds like you're deciding between PhD programs and not MA, is that right? I obviously have no experience with getting jobs after doing a PhD, but you should also consider the prestige of the individuals you'd be working with as well as the prestige of the university and the specific department within that university. I don't know what your field is like, but in mine only one of the expected Ivies is really up there as a top program in the field - the rest of the top programs seem like dark horses because they're at universities that some may never have even heard of! Obviously employability is a major factor to consider, but also think about whether you would want to dedicate 6+ years of your life to studying a topic you're not quite so crazy about. Sorry if that comment only makes the decision more painful! I know that I still feel a little queasy when I think about the choice I have just made and wonder if I'll be happy this time next year. I suppose that's just the wonderful advantage that comes with getting acceptances!

If you want to apply in advance, do you have to mail in your passport? Any advice about bringing a pet into Canada from the US? I hear you can do that at the port of entry as long as you arrange to arrive when there's a vet on duty but I thought I'd ask others as well just for good measure.

I added a section to my CV to explain the coursework I did. I also wrote briefly about a couple of courses in my SOP. When I wrote my statements for this past admissions round, I think I was too modest. I've heard that one reason women are less likely to be hired than men for the same position is that women tend to state their achievements and skills more modestly, whereas men are more confident about it. Not sure how true that is generally, but it definitely describes my approach! Next time I apply for PhD spots I will take a more straightforward approach, and won't bother talking about my weaknesses. No need to draw attention to that. However, hopefully by then, once I've done work on an MA, I won't have many weaknesses to deal with!

Hello all, I will be coming to Toronto next year. I've never been there in my life, so I'm a little scared! Since I'm rather far away at the moment, I'll be depending on my parents to find me a place to live. One thing I was wondering is, how big is the central campus, i.e. how long does it take to walk from Spadina Ave to Bay Street, or from Bloor to College street? I have a map but am not sure of the scale. Is it generally possible to live in this area outside university accommodation, or would that be impossible/outrageously expensive? I keep hearing/seeing people talking about how great the Annex is for living as a student - am I right in thinking that's the area right above Bloor? For the average Annex dweller, how long would it take to walk to, say, the main library, Queens and Wellesley (CMS), or Sidney Smith Hall? If decent location is my top priority, what would be the best area to check out for apartments if these will be my main academic destinations? Do many students manage to live close enough so as not to depend on public transportation for their daily commutes? Is it common for apartments to be furnished, or for landlords to include utilities/internet in the rent? If possible, it would be great if I could avoid having to deal with setting up accounts and getting fleeced by various service providers. Also, I'd prefer a furnished apartment but know that that's not always so easy to find in some cities. I should note that I'm American and as such don't know if things are done differently in Toronto to what I've experienced. Thanks for any advice!

Sorry if there is already a thread on this, but I couldn't find one with the search option. It looks like I'll be heading to UofT next year for a history MA. Having never been to Toronto, and having lived in a tiny university town for the past 4 years, I have to say I am a bit daunted! It doesn't really help that there's so little information online/on the departmental website about the program and general student life. Anybody else out there planning to attend next year?