Henry Hudson

CC grades do not count as much as your 2 upper years. moreover, low CC grades and higher upper years look good - it shows you have matured and improved as a student. The reverse - high CC/low upper, would suggest either burnout, hitting a wall, or inflated CC grades. so you're on the right track! (I was in similar circumstances as you, btw. for my MA, I was accepted at 3/4 of my app schools, and 2/3s for my PhD. in both cases, the ones I missed were extremely competitive schools)

yeah, as much as I love gmail, I don't trust it to send out school emails. Even when you choose the account settings for sending out mail, it still does wonky things. that's why I do specifically log nito campus mail to send out messages.

excellent point. It is best to keep all student emails in the campus system. it keeps your private email private, reinforces the appearance of professionalism, and avoids potentially awkward situations available to a disgruntled student.

I do the forwarding, but to send a reply, I'll log into campus mail so the reply comes from my school address. But that's basically the only time I have to log into campus mail; for just reading Gmail is perfect.

I've yet to publish, but my profs generally tell me that there is no pay, it's part of the job (and for us, for establishing ourselves). even scholarly books profs write are not generally significant income generators.

ditto that. I usually get sick of it by February. December (or earlier) it's still new and fresh. January's okay, but by February, I'm usually ready for a heat wave.

thanks, Zarc! I'm still keeping an eye out on the web, but won't do my serious looking until I arrive in mid-late August. probably do the hostel thing for a week while I hunt. I'm also open to roommates. I'm 43, male, and quiet. Anyone can feel free to message me, too.

I've been in Edmonton in winter. Yes, it gets cold, but it really is a drier cold; it doesn't penetrate the way East Coast winters do. Days it was 0C/32F, I walked around with my coat unzipped, no hat (and my hair is thinning), no gloves. I'm from the northeastern US, and thus far have mainly lived in the Northeast, plus Ontario and Newfoundland Canada. I'm looking forward to the mild Vancouver climate and yes, even the perpetual drizzle that makes the PNW so lush and green.

I've been in a similar place, but a few months off. I have to be done ASAP, as I have to defend in August and start a PhD in Sept. I have two 30-35 page chapters to my committee, a third chapter that will likely be about 40 pages a couple days from completion; after that, it's just an intro (that's already half-written), a short conclusion, and revisions. I've chosen five dedicated hours each day to work; I require myself to write for at least a full hour with no distractions: 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm. Each session must run at least the full hour before I allow myself any distractions - I don't answer the phone, and politely tell people who knock on the door to come back later. Each session can only involve writing, looking up something in my notes/books/pdfs, jotting down new notes to help plot out structure (and identify blockages/things I'm resisting), or a short-as-possible research-specific internet search (no email break). When I can't write, I write about why I can't write, identify what I'm stuck on, and work around it. I later go back to whatever I've skipped and fill it in; it can be easier to fill in later than plod through sometimes. Sometimes I can only write a paragraph. Sometimes I can only type up notes/quotes and plug them into a rough outline; that way they are in place to jam into sentences/paragraphs later. When the whole thing is too overwhelming, chip away at something small and manageable. Sessions usually run over the hour once I get into it; 20-40 minutes extra often. once they are over, I can get some fresh air, eat, run an errand, check Facebook, etc. But I have to resume writing at the next scheduled hour. this way, I can work up a storm for a brief time, then have some built-in mental breaks, and resume again before my momentum is squandered. Good luck! you can do it!

straight form the horse's mouth: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/acceptable_documents.shtm note after the list: "Non-US/Canadian citizens are not required to carry their passports if they have documents issued by the U.S. government such as Permanent Resident Cards. Those who do not should be carrying their passports while visiting the U.S." I would interpret this as yes, you really should bring your passport on a domestic flight. "Such as" does not (to me) imply *only* a permanent rez card, but rather *any* fed document: I-94 and visas, would likely count too. And it would be better to have it along than run into a TSA official who demands one of you; even if they are wrong, you don't ant to argue the point when catching a flight.

interested, but not my main focus.

congrats! once the subway expansion up to York is finished, it'll hopefully be easier.

As long as you offer a study plan that is focused, specific and well thought out, it doesn't matter where your internship was or what your thesis as on. You can even describe how these helped you narrow your focus. your writing sample shows you can write well, analyze, get into detail and scholarship. Yes, ideally it would be close to your topic, but I'm told it's more important to show your mastery of research/writing/analysis than to be on the same subject. Chose based on quality, not specific relevance.

Hi! I'm a SUNY Plattsburgh grad who also had a low Comm College GPA. I did a lot better at Plattsburgh. I'm told ad-comms would rather see improvement in your upper years. Going from a lower CC to higher 4Y GPA actually looks good. there are a few snobs out there who do look down on CCs, but they aren't the majority, it seems to me. And if you did better at Oswego than CC, all the better for you! The reverse looks bad; improving does not. I agree with Derfasciti on a short explanation for the family situation, but the CC needs no explanation at all. plenty of ad-comms in History (unless you're going Ivy League, U of M or other top-tier schools) will not worry too much about GREs or fluke semesters if your writing samples/proposals are excellent. If you really want to do an MA first,you may want to look North. Canadian Unis fund MAs much batter than in the US. Even as a Yank, I got a quite generous offer at Trent, and only had to borrow a little bit (that said, Trent is backing out of the US loan program. Don't apply to Trent if you may need a US govt loan!). U of Toronto has a good Russian prog, I understand. Moreover, Cdn schools do not ask for GREs for History. I too have gone the MA route 1st. I think it does make a stronger PhD applicant, especially with a good superviso who can open doors, and maybe even a journal publication or two (even a book review) if you can manage. But even doing conferences as an MA student lets you make connections. I have been told to avoid SUNY for grad History programs (except Binghamton and Stony Brook) - a lot of History grads wind up getting no job placements. hope that helps. good luck!

similar here. But back in NY State (where I'm from), my hometown has been up around 100F/38C, and got the same storms we did. so I'm not complaining.

Definitely take the PhD offer... but ask about deferring for a year. if you defer, you get to go to the UK, and won't have to reapply for PhD programs next winter. if you go to the UK for a year without deferring, you may have one great year but botch the years afterward.

Am I correct in extrapolating, based on the Waterloo comment, that some (perhaps many) of you still waiting did not line up (potential) supervisors in advance? (not a dis. just curious)

I would broach the subject as seeking advice for grad school apps. describe your interests and goals, and seek their input as to what schools to even look at. you certainly could mention that their work as put them on your radar and that you are currently thinking of them as potential supervisors. your inquiry could be worded in such a way to let them off the hook, too - by asking if they are not taking on students for any reason, if they have recommendations for alternatives. This gives them the opportunity to show what they know and think of their field, if they are taking on students, or what their own department's prospects are these days.

I had friends who used to commute from North Van for their MAs, and found it doable. They suggested Commercial Drive to me, but I'm looking at Hastings, myself.

It seems to me like these might be some well-trodden topics. You may want to look for some specific angle that really hasn't been touched very much. Look at the current state of scholarship, the monographs, the journal articles and even the theses that have already been done. This will help you (1) find a narrower topic, (2) develop a statement that shows you've really given thought and research into your topic, and/or (3) even if you come up with something close, you'll be able to describe how you would be engaging the prior scholarship. I'm sorry to be blunt, but the two options you put out there are things that half the people with 12 credits of higher ed could brainstorm to kill time while waiting in line for a latte. Your #2 alone is so broad someone could practically do an undergrad minor in it, and barely scratch the surface. my ideas to narrow down your two ideas: 1) find a particular niche, like perhaps finding manifestations in popular music of the McCarthy era that show cultural impact. Or in popular magazines like Life, Reader's Digest or the Saturday Evening Post. 2) pick a specific nation/correlation to study as an example of what you want to do. pinpointing and describing a key event/turning point will help you focus as well. further advice: form your topic, even to yourself, while completely avoiding words like "impacts" or "effects;" they can lead you down the past to vaguery. Stylistically and conceptually, It is better to be concrete. You'll come across as having a more solid project; "effects" and "impacts" can seem wishy-washy, like "gee, I hope I'll find something remotely in the ballpark of what I'm looking for." Better to start too specific; you can always build on context or comparables. If you start too vague, not only do you run the risk of only skimming the surface of your topic, but it suggests to the program you're applying to that you haven't conceptualized a feasible project, Anyway, that's my two cents. Hope it helps. good luck!

definitely change. contact the dept chair immediately. Or,if she is the dept chair, the graduate dean.

There are plenty of local and regional banks. Very few nation-wide ones, actually. My own experience is that larger banks tend not to be worth the hassle - they generally don't care about small customers, and are more likely to sock you with fees. I'd suggest you specify a particular city and state. You might get better answers.

sounds good so far. nothing wrong with keeping aims high. good choices of schools. There are issues with British universities, though, as I understand it - you pay your own way, and given the lack of courses/comps etc, PhDs aren't always taken as equals to North American degrees; they tend to be all thesis. If you're definitely going toward grad school and professorship, it isn't too early to really gear yourself that way. Approach a prof to work with, and inquire about doing reading courses, conference presentations (even undergrad conferences. gotta start somewhere) and even take a stab at getting published. Even though some of these might not be possible right away, it is not too soon to start working toward these. with grades and work experience, you're already on your way to being a strong candidate; test scores will probably not be a barrier to you. Ypu're likely going to meet the bar; look for ways to exceed it.

My condolences. I hope life delivers you unforeseen fortunes in some other fashion.

Hey! I still have to finish my thesis, defend, and do gobs of paperwork before Sept! So I'm glad it's nowhere near.