wanderlust07

Viking. Funeral.

officer down

I'm sure these are entirely automated once the poor soul on the other end inputs the initial info (+ any updates if you've sent in missing materials), so I have tried to avoid fussing over them. augustquail: The note at the top says somewhere in the middle that, because official transcripts are not required until after admission, they are all marked for now as "unofficial." So if you have a U, they have them...no sweat. tejaswi: Far as I know, there is no way to check application status/feed our paranoia until the final decision has been made, at which point they send another email (which, from the sounds of the closing lines here, has a link/instructions for logging onto an online letter with the decision). Not long now...good luck, all!

THIS. There are plenty of programs that either have a film studies field subsumed into the English department, offer a film studies certificate/permit cinema and media as part of a scholar's general breadth work, or are at least closely affiliated with the film department if it is separate. Looking for particular approaches from those theoretical texts, finding the authors, and then finding out where they're working and what they're doing now, is another way to build a list of schools around your interests. (One of the advantages of working with film, as opposed to 19th century lit for example, is that there is much less likelihood of the big name people you admire being retired/deceased...Although I suppose I'm assuming your interest is mostly contemporary film...) I also realize we've glommed onto film--hey, shiny!--but the rhet/comp direction is definitely another place to go. I am not at all into rhet/comp, but there certainly people on these boards who can give you a sense of how those programs could fit your interest/background. re. the GRE: By "cocktail party" I meant strict memorization of names/associations and the ability to quickly recognize the big name styles. I think there are ways to use the test books productively depending on your strengths and weaknesses, but I want to reiterate the fact that some departments don't use the test at all, or if they do, not for much.

data stream

Mojingly, your suggestions for this are made of WIN. *bakes cookies* I think my favorite is "Pathological Optimism Incinerator."

Welcome, bfat! I'm going to give the blitz version, in complete faith that others will soon chime in. Re. applying to the PhD in English w/o the BA. My (admittedly from outside the adcoms) sense is that the single most important things would be: 1. for you to be able to answer, both for yourself and on your Statements of Purpose, why you want to switch--are you applying to programs with a film studies emphasis? ones in writing/composition? Are there parts of your undergrad or current program that will carry over or that have informed your emerging interests? Figuring out what sort of research you might want to do and how it is related to your other interests will be more helpful than the GRE. 2. Related to 1, why these schools? Are there specific people there you want to work with? Specific parts of their programs that appeal to you? 3. Your GPA makes you sound like a very promising student, but it's hard to tell from this either why you're making this move or how theory-heavy your coursework has been. Do any of your new lit courses involve working with theory/criticism? This will both help prepare you for graduate work in literature and (more importantly) help you make sure you WANT to. re. the Lit GRE--having the English BA would have given you some leg up in that you would have had more built-in exposure to a lot of the texts and names referenced. Don't panic, though--It really is the cocktail party approach to literature. (I've heard they are moving to some analysis/close reading questions, but I haven't taken it in years, so I'll defer to someone else on how that looks). The consensus seems to be that the various review books are inevitably out of date but better than nothing. If nothing else, investing a few bucks in a used Princeton Review or the equivalent would give you a rough idea of the breadth of texts and periods, the structure of the test, and a some extra practice tests with which to time yourself. I took the test twice (vast overconfidence in round one...) and used a review book to make flashcards of names and texts I didn't know and to build a reading list of stuff "I should have read by now." I had to push back my application another year for other reasons, so I had extra time to study for round two, but I did wind up raising the score almost 100 pts, FWIW. -Double check to see if schools you're applying to really need the subject test. Some refuse to even look at it (even big name schools), and some only use it as an arbitrary cut off or for funding. My two bits would be to consider fit before anything else and to consider applying for a range of schools, including ones that allow alternative tracks (placing your application in the MA pool if it doesn't make the PhD cut, funded MAs, etc), if only because I think everyone in our field is at least a little crazy .

eggs on

Other: Sell all my crap and move back to Europe. Get job as a) translator, pastry chef, c) itinerant writer/journalist/busker (people will pay me to shut up).

Wow. In my only dream so far, I was chillin' on my friend and fellow applicant's futon when my first rejection showed up. This was swiftly followed by all my other decisions and we had a rip--off--the--band-aid party, in which I found out all my notices were rejections (I don't think I was paying attention to his--even in my sleep I'm a self-centered jerk). Then I decided the only way to cope with this was with copious amounts of liquor and we were suddenly in my apartment across town, since my friend usually doesn't have alcohol at his place. There we broke open a bottle of Scotch and got shitty. Then I woke up and was both comforted by the fact that I had not (yet) been universally rejected and disappointed that I did not have the power to magic myself to alcohol whenever I wished.... I probably would be having more if I had more time to sleep, but this seems pretty tame.

Re. your professors--I think it's perfectly acceptable to thank them politely for their concern and tell them that you do have plenty of outlets for relaxation (or some similar noncommittal remark that indicates it's none of their business while acknowledging they're trying to help). They are trying to keep you from burning out, but you are entitled to suggest, as politely as possible, that their concern is unwarranted or intrusive. They will generally allow the matter to drop without any fuss, in my experience. That said, grad school is the realm of serious burnout, and knowing how to walk away from my desk is the only thing that keeps me (arguably) sane. Have you considered solitary activities that engage less of your brain (or at least less similar areas of your brain)? My attitude toward relaxing is that, if nothing else, I should be doing something that stimulates other senses and stretches other muscles than my academic studies. I also often don't like being in large crowds (sometimes for medical reasons), but I do find solitary exercises that don't necessarily involve reading. I like taking long walks, chilling with a mug of tea and a movie (anything from utterly brainless bad scifi to interesting foreign flicks), cooking, listening to music, and backpacking. If I want something more of a blend of academic and social, their are plenty of lectures + receptions or movie screenings + lectures/panels on campus that allow members of the community to sit and absorb and then engage with the material, presenter(s) and fellow students and faculty however much or little they wish.

purple potatoes

bar none

summer lovin'

storm surge

raising Cain

Definitely look into public transportation in cities where you've applied. I know people who get by without one, and I use mine only a few times a month for things like grocery/shopping runs, getting me to hikes, airport trips, etc (we carpool a lot if it can't be walked or bused). I don't know where you're looking in Missouri, but public transit there is pretty lousy/non-existent (even in StL, which recently lost a bunch of public transit funding). I second qbtacoma's recommendation of the city guide forum. You might also check to make sure "walking distance of campus" =/= "totally unsafe."

kingdom come

baited breath

pale horse (AKA "Binky")

This probably won't work based on the error message you're getting, but I had a few apps not play nice with Firefox (no idea what browser you're using). Some of the online applications purport to be compatible with various web browsers but pretty much lie like a rug. You may try from a second browser just to make sure the problem is with the file itself and not the system (this is assuming you can't get ANY .pdf to upload to the system, clearly). While we're covering the ABC's: The file is an actual .pdf (ie converted or scanned to a .pdf rather than just mangling the extension?) If you can upload other .pdfs to the system, something is wrong with the file, and I'd try to get another copy (if you're up against a deadline, many schools are understanding if you give them a polite heads up and offer to send transcripts as hard copy or email attachments--ask who needs it). If nothing uploads from any browser, I'm sure they will take into account the tech. glitch on their end when looking at apps, but you should still email and give them a heads up (sometimes there's a support button on third-party e-applications that will put you in touch with some person who may or may not know anything/bother to read your email carefully, but that's another avenue worth checking if you have time).

daily journal

fallen tree

apple butter

I looked to my left. I immediately and fervently wished that I'd looked to my right. There was a large green tree. Its branches looked contorted from the wind, but there wasn't even a breeze. A single, luscious pear hung from the highest branch. Unfortunately for my starving stomach, the trunk of the tree was crawling with enormous spiders. Undaunted, I reached for the pear, and upon grazing it with my fingertips, it turned black, shriveled on the vine, and released a pungent cloud of milky smoke. "What the ...?!" - I thought and woke up. To my dismay, I discovered that the pungent cloud of milky smoke existed even in the waking world--at least, I reflected while pulling on my pants, the enormous spiders were gone.