Indecisive Poet
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Posts posted by Indecisive Poet
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@telkanuru - Thank you! Noted, and will work on this structure.
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58 minutes ago, Warelin said:
I think having specific questions in mind would be extremely helpful. Research can be very broad and incorporate a lot. Not having specific questions at the grad level might signal that you haven't done much research and are just looking to try to connect with as many professors as possible. Research is a big aspect of a dissertation so you'll want to show you can engage with their research and ask thoughtful questions. It'll take a bit of work as you'll try to merge the two but I think you'll have much better luck with getting him to agree.
Is there a chance he is giving a lecture open to the public? Might be the easiest way to introduce yourself and ask him thoughtful follow-up questions.Also, please allow him to find a way to say "no" comfortably by using strong language and allowing him to disagree if he doesn't think your research interests aren't a match or if he says he's too busy.
I think the questions I have for him come from a place of knowing I'm interested in what he's doing, but a lot of it being over my head. This is the part that gives me anxiety: knowing I have some grasp on what I want to research and some idea of what he (and others) is (are) doing but knowing that I still (no matter how much reading I do this year) have barely scratched the surface of what's going on in these areas. Sometimes I doubt that I should even pursue my interests because they're so philosophically and theoretically inclined and I've done so little work in these areas. When I think of the types of questions I'd have for someone like him, they're less beautifully articulated and thoughtful questions about the nuances of his methodology or arguments going on in his subfields, and more questions about how I can learn more about those areas, how I can feel like I have somewhat of a grasp on things, what sorts of things I should be reading, what the larger questions guiding his particular research are -- things like that. And I just don't know if it's okay for me to ask those kinds of things, and indeed how to do so without sounding like an idiot.
I'm confused a little bit by the wording of your last statement: when you say "allow him to say no" -- are you referring to his potentially writing me a letter? Do you think my research interests should be a "match" with all the faculty members who write me LoRs? I don't think they will be. The way I've asked about LoRs in the past was just chit-chatting with professors about my plans for graduate school and asking for advice on applying, and they've all offered to write me a letter without me needing to ask. In the future, I'm not sure what I'll say. I tend to get overly apologetic when I ask others for favors and might end up saying something like "Do you think you might be willing to write me a strong letter of recommendation for my applications? If you have too much going on this semester or don't think that's something you would be able to take on, that's absolutely fine" -- not sure if that kind of language would be appropriate. Also -- I know in this thread I've come across as taking these potential letter-writers for granted and I should have phrased things differently. I know these people are only that -- potential letter writers. What I'm really interested in is learning from this person. But: as an undergrad I thought precisely ZERO about who I was taking my classes with and got myself into a really less than ideal situation when it came time for LoRs, and I don't want to make that mistake twice. Hope that makes sense ?
28 minutes ago, Glasperlenspieler said:Do what's best for your own intellectual development. In the end, you'll get admitted to a PhD program because they think you have the potential to produce a high quality scholarly work, not because you have the perfectly tailored CV.
Thanks, @Glasperlenspieler. I guess my question now becomes: do I think I would get more out of a structured theory course or out of studying under this professor? I'll have to spend the next week or so thinking that through.
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@Warelin - this response is wonderful. I'm now certain this isn't the route to go down, so my next line of thinking is addressed below...
Also, this isn't what I wrote this thread topic for, but since your comments about office hours generally were so helpful: do you have tips on how to approach the initial office hour? I'm great with structured office hours -- i.e. making an appointment to address my paper topic or a problem I'm having -- but I tend to have anxiety around the type of visit during which I introduce myself, ask about their research, and tell them about my interests. This is especially true for those faculty members I'm not taking a class with. Should I start that off by just asking them if they can tell me about their work?
@Glasperlenspieler - you bring up great points. I think they are best addressed by providing some more specific context that I didn't want to bog my initial post down with.
53 minutes ago, Glasperlenspieler said:If these professors really are producing research that is interesting to you, chances are that they will approach the texts in a given course with similar approaches. Thus, even if the texts themselves are not your top choices, there may still be a lot gained from taking that course and experiencing how the professor engages with the works at hand. After all, presumably you are interested in these professors because of the sorts of questions they are asking and the sorts of methods they use rather than simply because they are interested in the same authors/period as you are.
My fall semester situation is this: there is a literary theory -- general literary theory, somewhat of a survey of several schools -- seminar that I'd love to take because my current interests have much to do with theory and it's my weak area. I didn't take a single theory course as an undergrad and while I've done a lot of learning on my own, I've been incredibly eager to take a formal, structured survey course in literary theory because I just don't feel grounded enough to do the kind of work I want to with it. I'm also concerned that applying to PhD programs without a single theory course on my transcript (especially since I'll be applying with an MA) will be a detriment to my applications, and I'm not sure how convinced they'll be by my ability to grapple with theory just because I display competency with the relevant strand of theory in my SoP or because I casually mention that I've done some of my own reading in it. Now, alternatively, this professor with whom I'm eager to work is teaching two seminars in the fall, both of which would be appealing and exciting for me if this seminar in theory weren't being offered. So it's not that I'm not interested in the seminars he's teaching in the fall; it's that it really feels to me like I NEED to take the theory seminar instead. I'm really quite torn, but it seems like I'd be putting myself at a disadvantage if I didn't. Unfortunately my program has a policy against auditing additional seminars.
53 minutes ago, Glasperlenspieler said:Conversely, if a professor is offering a seminar that is so exciting to you that you are contemplating skipping out on a seminar with a professors whose work you find more interesting, why are you so sure that they wouldn't be a good match for your research interests? And why are you so eager to take a class from someone, whose research interests don't match your own? It is important to remember here that the professors' publications lists or research blurbs may only given a partial view on a professors interests or areas of expertise. Just because they haven't published on X yet, doesn't mean they're not intellectually engaged in the topic. Furthermore, if they're offering a seminar on the topic, it's not unlikely that this field could represent a future research area for them.
Similarly, it's not that this person's interests have nothing to do with mine at all. I think there is some overlap, I'd get something out of taking the class with him, and I'd be able to discuss my theoretical interests with him. But I also feel that if it were a simple choice between which professor I'd rather have a relationship with, it would absolutely be the one who is not teaching this theory seminar -- to the point that I'd really feel like I'd wasted a big opportunity if I didn't study with him.
The other 2 seminars I know I am taking (they are compulsory but also exciting and useful since they are general courses within my period) are taught by faculty with the same period interest as me. However, there are several faculty members working in this period at my university and these happen to be the ones who are working on subfields and areas that don't interest me very much; there are other faculty members working in my period whose interests more closely align with mine, but they aren't teaching this fall. I think that complaining about these people being my potential letter-writers would be nit-picky and unfounded; I think having 2 LoRs from people working generally in my field -- if not in my more specific areas -- with whom I've taken classes would be perfectly fine. I guess I just feel like to not take a class with this ONE specific professor whose interests are nearly identical to mine would be a poor decision and a waste of that third letter. So that comes down to me foregoing the theory class in the fall, or:
For the spring semester, there is no seminar I'm 100% gung-ho on but several that sound interesting and exciting. Unfortunately, the professor in whom I'm primarily interested is not teaching any. He's teaching an undergraduate course that is my DREAM course (again indicating to me that his work is of great interest to me), but as I mentioned above, I don't know if I can take it (I'll have to reach out to my program director again) and I don't know if it's a good idea to take an undergrad-level class even if I'm allowed to.
I could also hold out on the hope that he'll be assigned as my dissertation mentor, but I think that's unlikely and risky. Writing this out has made me realize it's a question of: is it worse to not take a class with this person I'm so excited about and forego him as a potential letter writer, or to apply to PhD programs with no theory classes on my transcript and write my dissertation and SoP with no formal background in theory, when the projects I'm interested in doing will involve a good deal of it?
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@FishNerd - that makes sense. Honestly, I think as long as anyone is using their card responsibly, they shouldn't have any problems. So far I haven't come across a single credit card in any category that doesn't have a number of 1-star reviews. Credit card companies are ultimately out to make as much money as they can, not help people. I think by using any card as a debit card, not accruing interest, and not relying on bonus schemes to work in our favour, we should be fine.
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3 hours ago, Warelin said:
I think you also risk that professor or their students being annoyed with you because you might be taking some time they could ask questions. I think the scenario could change if you've previously had him for a class or he was a previous supervisor.
Is there a chance that an independent study is offered at your university that you can take in place of a class this semester?
Do you mean if I take up time in office hours with that professor? I guess I am unclear on the etiquette of office hours -- I was thinking it's acceptable to attend office hours with a professor who works in your department but with whom you don't take a class. The coordinator of my program suggested to me that I talk about my dissertation topic with this professor before I begin writing and while I am writing even if he is not my supervisor. But if it's the case that you shouldn't attend office hours with a faculty member with whom you don't work, that certainly changes things for me and I think I would want to sacrifice getting more out of my classes for working with this professor.
Unfortunately there are no opportunities for independent study available. The only option I can think of is that this professor is teaching an absolutely ideal-looking class in the spring semester..but it's an undergraduate class. I'm not sure what my university's policy would be on me taking this class or whether that's even something I'd like to do.
But generally -- I understand why it wouldn't make sense to ask someone I haven't worked with for a LoR. I was thinking about a post on here from someone saying they got a LoR from a professor they had met at a conference, but maybe that person ended up working with them on something and then got the letter from them.
It sounds like I'll probably need to forego taking the class I'd really like to take in order to take this professor's class.
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I am back with another question! This one is actually relevant to my immediate decisions rather than for applications a year+ in the future. Thanks for being SO consistently helpful, everyone.
Did anyone here use a letter from a professor they did not take a class with/a professor who did not supervise them in any formal way? Was this successful? Does anyone not recommend doing so?
I ask because I am about to start my 1-year MA and there is a particular faculty member I'm very interested in getting to know because his interests are strikingly similar to mine. I've read some of his work and watched some talks of his and his methodology resonates with me a great deal so far. However -- I'm registering for my fall "elective" course soon and the classes I am most excited about and would be most beneficial to me are taught by faculty members whose work I'm not particularly interested in, and the spring semester looks to be the same situation. The bigger issue, though, is that in my program, we are not able to ask a specific faculty member to serve as our dissertation supervisor; the supervisor is assigned to us by the department. It may be that this person is assigned to me based on my topic, but there are other faculty members whose expertise can be said to cover generally the areas I'm interested in as well, so it's certainly not a given.
I guess I have it in my head that a LoR from this person for my PhD applications would be ideal and I'd be remiss not to facilitate that opportunity. If I just form a relationship with this person by going to office hours, would it be reasonable to ask him for a LoR? Would it be better to have 3 LoRs from people who have all worked with me in a formal capacity, observed my performance in class, read my work carefully and graded it?
There are actually several courses for both semesters that are really exciting to me, but the ones I am more interested in are not taught by any of the faculty members on my "top 3-5" radar for relevant interests and interesting work. Would it be wise to choose classes I am less (but still somewhat) interested in, that I think I wouldn't get as much out of, and that I think won't look as appealing on a transcript if they are taught by those more "relevant" faculty members? Should I choose the classes I am most interested in and potentially end up with LoRs from faculty members working in different areas from me? Or could I ask faculty members who haven't really worked with me other than office hour discussion for letters? Would that be a risk?
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@a_sort_of_fractious_angel - I meant the latter, which sounds obvious now that I realize this is probably how most credit cards work. I'm used to using Capital One, which I link with my Wells Fargo checking account and pay off through there. I'm not entirely satisfied with WF though and will probably switch my accounts over to someone else when I return from the UK; Chase sounds like a bank to consider.
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13 hours ago, jrockford27 said:
Get a miles card early, I lament how many miles I could have been earning on trips that were ultimately reimbursed by my department.
Hmm, I should have thought of it this way. You're getting miles for flights you aren't even paying for so you can use them for your own personal trips that the department isn't paying for. The cards for specific airlines do seem to be the best offers but I'm also hesitant about getting one of those since I'd be restricted to that airline and I normally fly with budget airlines if I'm paying for the flight myself. I suppose I'll do some pro and con weighing against something like Capital One Venture. I don't anticipate needing to book a flight for quite a while so I'll have some time to decide, at least.
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If only I hadn't decided I would post all of my questions in July! ?
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Hey all,
Not sure if any response can be garnered on this somewhat inactive thread, but figured I'd try anyway:
Does anyone have experience banking in the UK? I am looking at international postgraduate accounts for 1 year. It appears NatWest/Royal Bank of Scotland have a monthly account fee of £10 and it looks like Santander has a fee as well, though it's not clear. Not sure about HSBC, and Barclays appears to be free. Any suggestions? If it comes to paying a monthly fee for the account, I'd rather opt out and just use my credit cards the whole year, but that seems inconvenient in case I need cash for anything.
Also, I am looking at Vodafone's £5/month PAYG sim card. I've used Three in the past but I don't think I will need as much as their minimum package offers and I don't want to pay £10 a month if I can save on that. I used Vodafone a couple years back and didn't have any problems with it. Any other suggestions? I plan to be on WiFi the majority of the time and I'd really just like the card so I can make occasional calls if I need to. I'm thinking about going on a camping trip next summer and I may switch to a more data-friendly provider then in the event that that pans out.
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After doing a ton of comparisons and research, I ended up going with Capital One Quicksilver (If I get approved). It's a flat-rate cash-back card. It doesn't offer much, but I have no reason not to start using a cash-back card since it's free money (any amount counts!) and having two cards will up my score since my current credit line on my undergrad secured card is pretty low. Plus, since I anticipate having some up-front apartment costs to pay when I head abroad in a couple weeks, I should easily reach that $150 cash sign-up bonus.
I looked into Chase Freedom/Freedom Unlimited and they seemed liked the best choices...but they both had 3% foreign transaction fees ?. I looked into Citizens Bank as well but the lower reviews scared me off as well as the minimum redemption amount and lack of automatic cash back. These are minor bones to pick but the Capital One option didn't have any drawbacks for me.
I think I will sign up for Capital One Venture when I start my PhD or at some point during/after it if it seems like I'm going to start doing a lot of conference/work related flying.
Thanks everyone!
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2 hours ago, FishNerd said:
I'm not sure how I like the card yet since I've only had it for a month but I have a cash back card through US Bank. It's the Cash + Visa Signature Card
I liked the sound of this -- being able to set groceries, bills, etc as bonus categories -- but I looked it up and got scared off by these reviews... you'll have to let me know what you think of it!
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On 7/20/2018 at 10:21 AM, CatBowl said:
Gotcha. Yeah you definitely have time! I'm hoping to get my apps in by the end of October as well.
Silly, paranoid question, but is there any benefit to getting applications in early? Do adcoms usually start reviewing them and mentally offering places as they come in or wait until the deadline has passed to start reviewing?
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Thanks for the recommendations, everyone. I think I am leaning toward a cash-back card. @a_sort_of_fractious_angel -- silly question, but do you need to bank with Citizens Bank in order to qualify for these cards?
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Will do, @punctilious. Thanks so much for the offer.
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So I guess my follow-up question is: is it most common to include a narrative of some kind in the SoP and has anyone had success not doing so?
The kind of statement that appeals most to me is one that explains my research interests, why the program I'm applying to is a good fit, and probably something about my M.A. dissertation (which will also almost definitely be my WS) -- i.e. "here's what I wrote on for that, and I see the next step in that line of inquiry being ____." But I suppose that format doesn't leave much room for any kind of a "hook" (though I'm not sure anything about my academic/personal background does either).
I may very well be moved to add in anecdotes about classes/professors/papers/texts over the next year, but what if I were to focus entirely on the problem I want to look at instead? One of my undergrad professors looked at my MA statements and suggested I focus less on my interests and more on classes I've taken, a departmental award I won for a paper (on Anglo-Saxon lit, ha), accomplishments, etc. Is this also good advice for PhD statements? I guess a brag statement feels different from a statement about my academic interests and the idea of writing the former kind of rubs me the wrong way. But I wonder if I should be striving for more of a balance. Like (roughly speaking) a narrative paragraph, a paragraph explicitly laying out what I want to research, and a fit paragraph.
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@jrockford27 Did you also take courses in media studies/20th century? I suppose my thought was that breadth is one thing, but only having taken 2 or 3 literature classes outside of a clear emphasis on film and medieval lit is another... and incidentally, not a single class in the period I am now specializing in.
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Hey all -- I hope those of you getting in gear for new programs or returning to programs this month are finding that transition smooth and exciting!
I have a couple of very particular questions that I'm wondering if anyone would like to share thoughts on. Generally, I'm wondering whether it's a good idea to give an account in an SoP of how I came to my current interests and what my personal-intellectual background has been like, or whether I should just explain what I'm interested in (without the why) and why the program is a good fit for that.
The particular bit:
As an undergrad, I had no idea I'd be interested in grad school and really wasted my own time. I did well grade-wise and made a couple of faculty acquaintances, but I took a lot of film classes and medieval literature classes because that's what worked with my schedule at the time. I'm 100% uninterested in both (though in a highly abstract way, my affinity for the medieval period did lead me to my current interests -- but this is loose and largely irrelevant). I will be applying for PhDs with an MA, so I'm not sure I even need to discuss undergrad at all in an SoP. Do I need to justify somewhere in my statement why I took these classes or how they can be narrativized into my current interests? They really can't be; I found my interests after I finished undergrad. Which brings me to:
I spent my gap year after undergrad independently reading and otherwise learning/researching about my fields of interest. This is my "narrative" about how I found my current interests and focus period. I don't have an "I took Professor x's course and we read y and I became interested in the problem of z" story. Luckily, I am about to begin my MA and all of my seminars and my dissertation will be in this period/these areas of interest that I found over gap year. Should I feel obligated to address, explain, or justify any of this in my SoP? Should I fudge it and say it was all Professor x's class my 2nd year of undergrad? Or does none of this matter because I don't need to talk about it anyway? I'd certainly feel more comfortable just diving into "here's what I'm interested in researching."
I've read several statements from successful applicants at a top-15 program and a few of them did include "we looked at x in Professor y's class and it ignited my interest in z" openings, but I'm not sure if that's the norm.
Thank you all!
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I'm not sure if this is an appropriate forum to post this in -- happy to relocate if needed!
I'm wondering if anyone has found success with a really great travel or cash-back credit card that they'd like to recommend to another grad student. I am just starting an MA program this fall but thinking about a credit card to open now and continue with throughout my PhD (if accepted -- fingers crossed) and for the next several years. Right now, all I have is a basic secured card I opened during undergrad when I had no credit score.
I am debating between a travel card and a cash-back/rewards card. Like many of you, I'm sure, I am very frugal. Other than rent and utilities, I generally only spend money on basic necessities, with most of that being groceries. Dining rewards don't appeal to me because I do my cooking and eating at home; likewise, entertainment/recreational shopping rewards don't appeal to me either. But it would be great to get free cash back on the money I do spend -- gas, groceries, the occasional pharmacy trip, maybe laundry or phone bill. But alternatively, while I don't travel much now -- and when I do, I'm used to flying with budget airlines and spending minimally -- I anticipate I'll be doing so quite a bit for conferences in the future, so I'm considering travel cards as well. The only thing is I'm not sure how useful that would be since my program will hopefully be reimbursing me for that travel anyway. Would anyone recommend one strongly over the other?
I'd prefer something with no annual fee. I will be abroad for my MA program so no foreign transaction fees is a must as well.
FWIW, my credit score is fairly good -- mid to upper 700s -- and I never carry a balance on my card, so low interest rate is appealing but not altogether necessary.
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Hey all, I just wanted to revive this thread quickly to see if I can scrounge up some more up to date info. I noticed on Yale's admissions page that they say previous work in language is considered as part of the application, and on Michigan's that they look for evidence that the applicant can complete the language requirement within the first 2 years of the program (I assume this means they look for previous language courses). I haven't looked through a ton of admissions pages thoroughly yet so I assume others are similar.
I have been self-studying both German and French, the languages I intend to use for my translation exams, for a little over a year, and I also took 2 semesters of basic German during undergrad. The latter is my only language background that would show up on an application. I'm considering doing one or both of UoW's online language for reading classes during my gap year between MA and PhD, but that wouldn't be done in time to make it onto apps either. Will this be a detriment to my applications? Should I be wary of applying to programs that say language background is considered with the application? German philosophy and Romanticism might be loosely relevant to my interests somewhere much further down the line, but I'm really only going to be doing work in English during my PhD program.
Edit: out of curiosity, does anyone have an opinion on the best languages to choose for a poetry/poetics concentration and possibly some peripheral work in Early Modern poetry? I chose the above 2 for Romanticism and some work in philosophy, but I'm interested in those other areas as well.
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21 hours ago, onerepublic96 said:
Hi there! Would you mind elaborating on why you're looking at American schools for your PhD? I'm in the opposite position - an American student about to begin my MA in the UK and hoping to do my PhD in the UK as well. Just curious as to your preferences/motivations... ?
I can't speak to a Brit's motivation for doing a US PhD, but this thread has some good info on the pros/cons of UK PhDs for US-based applicants!
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@CulturalCriminal Haha, awesome! That should be easy enough advice to follow.
Glad you landed such a secure gig : )
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Congrats, @CulturalCriminal! Any tips?
ISO Statements of Purpose
in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
Posted
I don't know how many departments do this, but it might be worth reaching out to the graduate administrator at your undergraduate university and asking if they have any samples on deck that they're able to share. In addition to those I asked current grad students at my undergrad to share with me, I was given copies of 3 successful statements that the department keeps around for just this purpose.