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StamfordCat

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    UConn Fall 2019!

    in Meet and Greet

    Posted

    23 hours ago, cassidyaxx said:

    @StamfordCat so really it depends. The Hartford traffic isn't ~quite~ as bad as DC sounds. Hartford is really about a 40 minute drive from storrs campus on a typical day with average traffic. Since most people are heading towards Hartford in the morning, it would probably not be too traffic heavy, just the usual traffic for a morning. Your way back in from storrs, however, would most likely not be fun. The traffic gets very very crazy around 3:30-6:30, as so many people are going in and out. Then it can take a long time to get home, especially if you need to go over any of the bridges back into Hartford. Hartford is still a pretty nice area and has a lot to do, but personally I hate traffic and Hartford is known for awful traffic. Manchester is still more of a city than storrs, but the commute is much better. It's about 30 minutes to storrs, and you miss the majority of the traffic within Hartford. Manchester is also only 15 minutes or so from Hartford, so you'll have plenty to do around you. However, I would say if you are looking for a nicer apartment, you'd probably have better luck in the Hartford area. Manchester does have some nice ones as well but not as much selection as Hartford. It isn't impossible though! Many people do commute from where I live (near storrs) to Hartford and while I myself didn't like doing it, it probably wouldn't be as bad if you're used to driving in it. 

    Thank you! Such helpful information!

    UConn Fall 2019!

    in Meet and Greet

    Posted

    On 4/13/2019 at 6:06 PM, cassidyaxx said:

    For anybody with questions about the Storrs area, PM me! I've lived here my whole life and did my undergrad at Uconn as well. 

    Hi everyone! I'll be at UConn in the Fall, English department. 

    Cassidyaxx, my partner and I are thinking of moving to Hartford. It looks like it's about a half-hour drive. Do you have any sense of the traffic between Storrs & Hartford? I just finished up my MA in the DC area, and my 25 minute commute was often an hour and half during rush hour :( 

    I guess what I'm asking is is it insane to consider commuting to Storrs from Hartford a few days a week?

    Here Comes the Sun/ Waitlist Movements

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    1 hour ago, cassidyaxx said:

    So I went to the BU visit on Friday, and I did reiterate my interest that they are my top choice while I was there. However, there's quite a few people on the waitlist and there were a few people with similar interests to mine. Should I email this week to follow up and reassure them that this was my top choice and I would immediately accept if offered a spot? I'm really stressed about moving off the waitlist and don't want to hurt my chances.

    I think emailing to follow up is a good idea. Similar to emailing after an interview. Just to let them know that you haven't changed your mind after the visit!

    2019 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    1 hour ago, vollie said:

    Actually, I hate to be using this account just to ask questions, but as someone who’s contemplating staying home and reapplying next year if I don’t get any funded offers...

    None of my mentors had English MAs (all Creative Writing professors and non-academics), and I didn’t do a lot of the things I see mentioned in this thread as things typical of an applicant because I didn’t know they were typical of applicants. I didn’t do an Honors Thesis because I graduated early for financial/personal reasons (I would have needed to stay a full senior year), and I’ve never been able to attend or present at a conference- the time I would have used for research ended up being used on internships and jobs, and my university didn’t have many opportunities for humanities research for undergrads.

    Did I miss out on my shot for a funded MA by not doing these things? Should I have never thought I could get into one without it in the first place? It seems like it was way more important of a factor than I thought. I only applied to standalone MAs, not MA/PhDs. 

    No. I got into a funded MA (at George Mason) with no publications or presentations. I did do a post-bacc first that allowed me to take and do well in 2 or 3 grad level courses, since I'd been out of school for like 10 years.

    2019 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    10 hours ago, Bopie5 said:

    Thank you thank you! This is so helpful. Definitely wanna avoid any taboos, and good to know that I can submit same/similar abstracts.

    For context, I'm presenting a paper at a conference (an abridged/revised/narrowed version of a 15 page literary analysis I wrote), and was wondering if that paper is now functionally "dead." Similarly, I'm having a paper published, and was wondering if I could ever present a version of it, or if it was also 

    I absolutely think both those things is accepted and normal! 

    2019 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    19 minutes ago, Bopie5 said:

    Okay, I have a potentially stupid question, but my family doesn't come from academia, and my school doesn't do much to help undergrads get to conferences, so, with the potential of looking like a fool, here I go!

    Is it gucci or taboo to submit an abstract to multiple conferences? Is simultaneous submission a concept in conferences/presentations, or should I not submit an abstract to a second conference if it's in review for a first? Obviously I would tailor the abstract to fit the emphases of the particular conference regardless.

    Similarly, if you've given a paper as a presentation at a conference, can you still submit it for publication in an academic journal? Or vice versa?

    Totally fine to submit the same abstract to multiple conferences. It *is* taboo to give the same paper at multiple conferences, although there is literally no oversight on that.

    I'm not sure about the second question. HOWEVER a conference paper is usually 7 pages, and a journal article is typically much longer and much more evidence-heavy, so I think it would be hard to use the same paper for those 2 things. I've seen articles where the author has said "this paper was originally presented at such and such conference" but those are usually late-career academics who can get away with such things.

    Here Comes the Sun/ Waitlist Movements

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Hermenewtics said:

    I can offer a bit of anecdotal evidence from last year when it comes to waitlists. I had three waitlists last cycle (along with an acceptance). Waitlist spot #1 came through in the last week of March while the other two literally e-mailed me the evening before the 15th. Unfortunately, I had to hold an acceptance spot while I waited, and I'm sure many people wait out the process with multiple acceptances right up until the bitter end. 

    This is all a long way of saying that if schools on your waitlist are your first choice, be prepared and plan to wait until the very last minute. 

    Thank you! Yeah, I noticed a lot of the "accepted from waitlist" results are posted on April 15th exactly! Yikes.

    But thank you, it's good to know.

    Choices choices

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    I finished a funded MA with a TAship at George Mason a couple of years ago. It was amazing. In hindsight, I think the money is the most important thing. Choose the option that means the least cost to you (including cost of living in addition to tuition, fees, moving expenses). Even though my program was funded and I had a stipend, I still had to take out a crapton (I mean, a crapton) of loans to pay for living expenses. That debt is no joke, and you don't want to start a PhD in a couple years with as much debt as I have!

    Comp/Rhet citation style??

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    1 minute ago, bumbleblu said:

    Hi folks, 

    I know it's decision season (congrats everyone!), but I have a quick and unrelated question. 

    I'm just finishing up the first year of my PhD in comp/rhet, having switched over from lit; I'm sitting here writing a paper and realized I don't actually know what the standard citation style is for this field? I've been using MLA as that's what I've always used, and though no one's ever said anything, I'm not sure if that's right. Looking over articles I've read this year, I can't recognize the difference between Chicago and APA. If it's Chicago, is it author/date for in-text citations, or notes? I know I could just ask someone in my program, but I feel a little goofy for not knowing this basic thing. 

    Can any comp/rhet folks please enlighten me?

    It's actually a bit muddled as far as what profs are looking for. But most rhet/comp journals publish research that's very data-heavy, and so they tend to use APA or an APA hybrid. 

    Help! Feeling too unmotivated and depressed to prepare for an interview......

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Conviction said:

    Hi all,

     

    I am accepted to one of the programs. But I'm still anxiously waiting to hear back from my #1 and #2 schools. The #1 program might invite me for an interview (they said they interview strong candidates whose first language is not English.) I'm an international student. I didn't even to study in the US. People don't speak English in my country. The fact that I am not a native English speaker makes me feel so insecure. Part of me hopes I get an interview invitation because that would mean that I'm so close to the acceptance. Another part of me hopes I don't get an invitation at all because I'm so afraid to have an interview in English. Honestly, my speaking is not too bad. It's not like I have a problem studying and working in English. But I know I make mistakes and use awkward phrases. My area of study requires A VERY HIGH level of English fluency, so mostly only the internationals who did their BAs in the renowned US colleges get in this top program (that's why it's a top program, right). So I kinda want to give it all up and prepare for nothing. But on the other hand, I feel like I should be still preparing for the interview. When I pull up the blank Word document to write something, I freeze. I edit and edit and edit, but still don't feel confident. I feel like my answers - including the SOP I've already submitted - suck, compared to the native speakers or internationals who have lived in the US for like half of their lives. I've done job interviews in English many times - but this feels different because they are the "professors". Being correct must be so important to these scholars.

     

    Plus, I'm working full time. So the only time I can prepare for the interview is after work, like from 7pm. Work is so stressful these days, so I get so unmotivated and depressed to prepare for the potential interview. I do nothing and go to sleep. Go to the office, get stressed, and repeat.

     

    If they do start sending out invitations for the interviews, it'll be from next week. I really have no time. But I'm doing nothing. I write some scripts; they sound so childish. I hate myself.

    Hey there! I'm just lurking. I'm in a different department than you (English) but I wanted to just tell you it's gonna be OK. I've worked in and interacted with a half-dozen grad departments, and there are always so many multi-lingual students, faculty, and colleagues. Not to mention students! They are used to this. Especially in STEM, there are so many international projects going on where everyone has a different native tongue. Think of your background as an asset, not a problem.

    If they want to interview you, they are 99% positive they want to admit you. They just need to make sure that, you know, someone else didn't write all your essays or something. :)  

    Also, unsolicited advice: just relax now. Get some sleep, eat well. Take care of yourself! This whole process is VERYSTRESSFUL. Once you have the interview scheduled, then start prepping. 

    2019 Applicants

    in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition

    Posted

    8 hours ago, cassidyaxx said:

    Anybody still waiting on Uconn? I have yet to hear anything from them and I'm thinking of emailing today.

    I'm on the waitlist. I emailed my POI last week, and she said I was definitely on the waitlist, and that they would let me know if anything changed. She also said they got "a lot of strong applicants this year." Did you end up emailing them?

    Rules about addressing professors by their first name?

    in Officially Grads

    Posted

    18 minutes ago, magnetite said:

    I've heard that a good rule of thumb is to initially address professors by last name, prefixed by either Dr. or Professor. If, at that point, they say it's fine to address them by first name, then, well, it's fine to address them by first name.

    That's a rather straightforward example. But what if a professor introduces himself or herself by first name to a large group of students, as recently happened on an interview weekend I went to? Is there then a tacit understanding that it's fine to address that professor by first name from that point on?

    Always call them Professor LastName. Unless they specifically tell you not to. 

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