Jump to content

qbtacoma

Members
  • Posts

    543
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    12

Everything posted by qbtacoma

  1. Yes, I read at least two book reviews carefully as well as the intro and conclusion if I know the book is going to be skim-only. When skimming, I often choose to read the first sentence of each paragraph (rather than first and last) because I find it works better as a predictor of whether the paragraph is analysis I should read in-depth; if it is, then I'll read the last sentence of the paragraph to double-check.
  2. I like Earth shoes myself.
  3. Yes, they are taking so long! We were supposed to hear last week. It doesn't matter for me since I've made my choice and withdrew my application (even if I got accepted I think I would fit better at UBC), but still.
  4. As I was reading I was thinking that you should just go to School X until I saw that you had kids. Yeah, it is much better to accept a better financial offer when they are involved, because there really is no way you could count on, say, occasional tutoring gigs off Craigslist to make up the difference. That said, someone (newms?) posted a link on one of the relationship threads about the two-body problem, and I think your kids are basically equivalent to a partner with a job (though they are really your extra-curricular "job"). So you could present your case to School X and say, honestly, "I have to be able to provide for my kids, and I'd take this offer if it was just me." See what they say - you've got nothing to lose, and it sounds like they really want you! So ask first before you accept School Y (or even one of the others). And congratulations!
  5. sour apples
  6. I did reply all for my acceptance note and then I felt awkward when the cc'd people emailed me personally to congratulate me but I hadn't hailed them as well. It's a minor thing though.
  7. Psh. What they don't tell you about those things is that they tend to smell very quickly.
  8. Remember that many, many strong candidates are turned away. Your professors saw potential in you and told you so, but there's no guarantee of anything in life. It isn't their fault that tight budgets, behind-the-scenes politics, and departmental goals drove admissions decisions away from you. Perhaps it is better that you have been rejected now and have a mere few months delay before pursuing a career, as opposed to spending years and years of your life to wind up without a job. Blessing in disguise? Also, I wouldn't worry about employers reacting badly to you as a result of this. Life happens. Just say it matter of factly. ETA: Other people have made the same points above, but I wanted to ask: Do you really think your professors are cackling and rubbing their hands together, saying "Ooh, she fell for it?" I get the impression you do.
  9. Ah, yes, I see what you are saying, and I agree!
  10. I don't necessarily think a long time frame is evidence of inefficiency or unprofessional behavior on the part of the programs. Indeed, think of all the time it takes to read letters, SOPs, writing samples, and supplementary materials. Now multiply that by anywhere between 50-450 applications. Now realize that almost all of these applications have been read by several adcomm members, and many have been read by all of them. Now include the amount of time they go through to argue about who to admit and prioritizing the waitlist. Now include the time they put in to hashing out financial offers. Also, they ALL have other jobs. Two months sounds fairly reasonable to me. Keep in mind also that the Grad Cafe members are self-selected among applicants as 1) most anxious, and 2) most driven. Thus it is not surprising that some of them are hearing back in January, because those folks happen to have very impressive hit-it-out-of-the-ballpark profiles (a side benefit to being both driven and anxious - worrying leads to great revisions). Most of us, however, are good, but about the same amount of good as the competition. It is reasonable that it takes some time to evaluate us. However, I understand that anger is one of the emotions that comes out of anxious waiting. If the application process is really corrupt in some way, then, sure, anger is a logical response. But these programs are investing money and years into students, so it isn't too much to expect them to be measured about it.
  11. long face
  12. Yeah, but...this is probably the last chance most of us will ever have to pick where we live. We're going to go where the jobs are, not where we want to be, and there are so few jobs. So while I wouldn't (necessarily) pick one place over another because of the location, I would keep that in mind.
  13. It is quite common for prospective students to use their better-funded offers to negotiate with their top choices for extra money. I couldn't say how successful the efforts are - I suspect successes have to do with whether other people have declined and thus funds are freed.
  14. echoey chamber
  15. I think this could work pretty well, especially if you avoid putting it as a hook. I'm thinking something along the lines of "As revealed in raps by So-and-so, '
  16. lower upper
  17. One of the great things about the U.S. educational system is that you almost always have another chance. You probably started out with a goal of work as an artist or in a field other than academia, and so creating a lot of your art (writing, in this case) was fine for that goal. Now, however, you need a better record. I'd think about enrolling in some community college courses, or intensive summer courses at a university (does your undergrad offer them?) in anything you think will be relevant to your future work - logic and philosophy, language, math, whatever. Then rock the socks off those courses. Alternatively, if you don't get in this year, keep doing what you are doing (but also take traditional classes on the side). Make it so that your professional accomplishments overshadow your undergraduate grades. You might have to work for a few more years, but many people come back to academia after working for a while. You know what your weaknesses are, and you are doing what you need to do to address them. Address them in your SOP, if you can, not in a "poor me" kind of way but in a "this is why this happened, but I'm not making excuses for myself and I'll show you how I'm already doing better" kind of way. If you don't get in this year, study for the GRE next time. I definitely think you have a chance. Your undergrad degree will not doom you. Good luck!
  18. As the Political Science adcomm folks posted a while back in that subforum, one thing that really makes a candidate stand out is how well they know what the adcomms are looking for. If it is a choice between someone who is brilliant and accomplished and who doesn't quite know how to sell themselves in the SOP, and someone who is brilliant and accomplished and who does know, that makes a big difference. So you definitely need to ask lots and lots of people in your field, hopefully people who serve on admissions committees, to read over SOPS and personal statements. Keeping a foot in academic work if you take a year or a decade off is a good choice - try to publish the undergrad thesis, ask former professors to supervise research projects, or look for opportunities in the general community for work that could be tied back to research interests. For example, I did an archival project in an academic library last summer, and a friend of mine is doing an internship organizing oral histories from a particular town. Local governments regularly need interns (or local NGOs need volunteers) to do things like aid in invasive species control or after school educational programs. Meaningful volunteer projects can be important to show your commitment to your interests.
  19. Betty Boop
  20. You forgot this line: We hope that you are successful on some other internet forum.
  21. Yes, I'd wait to decline these other schools just in case you find that you are Steve Martin in that one movie where his daughter is getting married and he has to deal with everything going wrong about it, except in this case the daughter's wedding is your future in grad school. I mean, you're probably not Steve Martin. But just in case.
  22. sand worms
  23. Congratulations, history_PhD, and to everyone who has had good news in the past few weeks!
  24. Yup, waiting for Washington.
  25. quick flowing
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use