Clawsworth

I have almost finished an MA in English and I'm considering going on for a PhD in Education in Canada. All of the admissions pages I'm seeing say that you need an MA in a "related subject" or "area" to be considered for an Education PhD. Does English count? Would it be possible to be admitted into an Education program without having a BA or an MA in a field related to education? Thanks

My spouse was accepted at UBC, U of Alberta, and Western Ontario. He will probably be attending UBC's SLAIS program -- anyone else?

My spouse applied to UBC's SLAIS program and was accepted, and will probably be accepting their offer. Like you say, it is a solid program and I hear it has a great reputation.

I am friends with a colleague who posted his acceptances, and I was nothing but happy for him even though he was accepted to my top choice and I was rejected. Honestly, I was glad to know that acceptances had gone out for these programs, even though I was eventually rejected. I don't think it's conceited to post happy, life-altering news, even if you are friends with colleagues who are applying to the same programs.

My spouse checked his application status online a few days ago and it says "accepted", but he hasn't received any email or mail yet. It certainly does happen, and it's a bit frustrating because we don't know anything about finances or acceptance deadlines to that particular program.

Thank you, I'm glad to hear that!

Are visits essential for all PhD applicants? It seems like it would be difficult to manage for people who applied to a bunch of programs. I did not visit anywhere, and now I am even more worried about rejections.

Last year I received an acceptance email at 9am on a Saturday. I actually went back in my email to find it so I could see whether I needed to freak out on weekends this time around!

English PhD concentrating in medieval literature: University of Alberta University of British Columbia University of Western Ontario I know it's not many, but I really couldn't afford any additional applications.

Hi, I'm studying at a Canadian university as a US citizen. I know some people who brought their partners along, and they all say that getting a work permit was an easy process. Canada takes a very liberal approach to counting partners as common-law, even if they're unmarried (I think if you've lived together for at least a year than your partner will count as common-law). Here is the website that will explain it in greater detail. As for finding work, both of the partners of the US students I know found work easily and are happy with their salaries. My husband and I have been here for almost 7 months now (we're both grad students at the same university) and we're pretty adjusted to life here now. It was, admittedly, a stressful process changing over our bank accounts, drivers licenses, etc. over to Canadian equivalents, and we also had some funding problems as international students. However, all of our initial difficulties have been solved now and we're very happy here. I'm actually surprised at the number of US citizens in my program!

Fun!

Hi, my husband is applying for 3 MLIS programs (he has an MA in English) and he needs to send out the SoPs as soon as possible. He sent it to some of our professors for feedback, but they're so busy since it's the end of the term that we don't know when they can get to it. We were wondering if someone here could give him some feedback before we send them out on Monday. We're not exactly sure what a good MLIS SoP would look like, so any feedback from someone who does would be greatly appreciated. Send me a PM if you wouldn't mind taking a look, and I will look over your SoP or writing sample in return. Thanks!

FAQ: The "Snake Fight" Portion Of Your Thesis Defense. BY LUKE BURNS http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2010/11/19burns.html - - - - Q: Do I have to kill the snake? A: University guidelines state that you have to "defeat" the snake. There are many ways to accomplish this. Lots of students choose to wrestle the snake. Some construct decoys and elaborate traps to confuse and then ensnare the snake. One student brought a flute and played a song to lull the snake to sleep. Then he threw the snake out a window. Q: Does everyone fight the same snake? A: No. You will fight one of the many snakes that are kept on campus by the facilities department. Q: Are the snakes big? A: We have lots of different snakes. The quality of your work determines which snake you will fight. The better your thesis is, the smaller the snake will be. Q: Does my thesis adviser pick the snake? A: No. Your adviser just tells the guy who picks the snakes how good your thesis was. Q: What does it mean if I get a small snake that is also very strong? A: Snake-picking is not an exact science. The size of the snake is the main factor. The snake may be very strong, or it may be very weak. It may be of Asian, African, or South American origin. It may constrict its victims and then swallow them whole, or it may use venom to blind and/or paralyze its prey. You shouldn't read too much into these other characteristics. Although if you get a poisonous snake, it often means that there was a problem with the formatting of your bibliography. Q: When and where do I fight the snake? Does the school have some kind of pit or arena for snake fights? A: You fight the snake in the room you have reserved for your defense. The fight generally starts after you have finished answering questions about your thesis. However, the snake will be lurking in the room the whole time and it can strike at any point. If the snake attacks prematurely it's obviously better to defeat it and get back to the rest of your defense as quickly as possible. Q: Would someone who wrote a bad thesis and defeated a large snake get the same grade as someone who wrote a good thesis and defeated a small snake? A: Yes. Q: So then couldn't you just fight a snake in lieu of actually writing a thesis? A: Technically, yes. But in that case the snake would be very big. Very big, indeed. Q: Could the snake kill me? A: That almost never happens. But if you're worried, just make sure that you write a good thesis. Q: Why do I have to do this? A: Snake fighting is one of the great traditions of higher education. It may seem somewhat antiquated and silly, like the robes we wear at graduation, but fighting a snake is an important part of the history and culture of every reputable university. Almost everyone with an advanced degree has gone through this process. Notable figures such as John Foster Dulles, Philip Roth, and Doris Kearns Goodwin (to name but a few) have all had to defeat at least one snake in single combat. Q: This whole snake thing is just a metaphor, right? A: I assure you, the snakes are very real. (http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2010/11/19burns.html)

Hello, I am also about to send in my writing sample, and I would happy to swap the first couple pages with someone. Mine is on medieval literature, so it would be a bonus if any medievalists would take a look. PM me if you're interested, thanks!

My husband and I got married during undergrad for $100 and then some family and friends treated us to dinner afterwards. We had a really great time and I wouldn't change anything. As some people have pointed out, it really depends on your priorities. A huge wedding was not a priority for us, but it may be for you or your fiance. I don't think getting married in grad school is really any different than getting married any other time. You pay for what you want/ can afford in either case. With that being said, we are both in grad school now (in the same department) and getting married has saved us a lot of money over the years, both in taxes and in gaining us eligibility for certain scholarships.