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milou

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Everything posted by milou

  1. I don't know anyone in my new city, either, except a couple of current grad students (according to Facebook, at least) from my very distant past. People whom it would be more or less awkward to encounter in the library, but the probability seems good that I'll have to undergo that awkwardness at one point or other in the next 5-6 years of my program. It's been a lonely few days, but for now I'm just trying to focus on getting furniture, Internet, kitchen supplies, etc. I find that, no matter how thorough the lists I make, I always forget something and wind up back at the same box store at least five times. Haha. I still haven't really gotten over the feeling of being torn between the new place and the city from which I just moved. I am *hoping* that, once school starts, I'll be too focused on other things to miss it (the people, that is) too much, and I'll get into a groove where I can visit my old home on weekends and appreciate the change of scenery. Also, I feel everyone on the financial side of things. My rent, plus utilities, is a little over $900/mo (again with not knowing anyone, finding a roommate was not the easiest situation), and I've done the math and been assured that my stipend will cover it, but things will still be tight-ish. I'm coming from a big urban area where rents are generally pretty high, but I'd always lived with people, so I've never paid quite that much. Just have to ignore those voices for now and focus on getting started, I guess. Anyway, my thoughts and sympathy to anyone who is feeling a little lonely right now!
  2. Oof, I'm moving tomorrow. Excited, nervous, and sad all at the same time, as I'm leaving behind a great city, sig. other, and good friends. As much as I've read about grad school, from the "just don't go" articles, to the more practical "here's what you should do if you choose this path" advice, there are still lots of unknowns. Anyone else feeling a slight rush of mixed emotions right now? Also, I'll have a bit of down time in my new location before orientation, as I'm sure many other people will. Moving stuff aside, any ideas about what you're going to do with this time?
  3. Really glad somebody posted this; read it a few days ago, and it keeps coming up in conversation. That line about needing a PhD to be a janitor in 20 years, while on some level clearly facetious, particularly resonated with me after recent experiences (mine and those of friends) on the job market. Academic credentials inflation is going to shape the course of higher education in the next few years in interesting ways, and obviously in ways that are highly field-dependent. I have very capable friends without jobs at the moment who are toying with the idea of going back to school for a Masters (primarily MAs, MPPs, and MFAs), but they are having to ask themselves some tough questions like: "Do I really want to go five or six figures in debt for a slightly better chance at a 30k entry level job?" It's pretty crazy that certain jobs that could be filled 20 years ago by a reasonably dedicated high school graduate are now given to candidates with at least one advanced degree.
  4. I guess I'm in sort of a similar situation. My boyfriend and I absolutely want to stay together - we've been living together for the last two years. I'm moving to a city about 1h45min by train from where he'll be living. Of course the relationship will be different from what it was before - every single evening won't be spent together like before, we'll be busier, and we'll have to be more organized with our time together. I guess I'm just wondering if other people (current grads and others) think that it will be do-able? It's not *such* a long train ride, and if we're organized enough, we should be able to see each other on weekends.
  5. Yeah, honestly, people who write this about their college experience probably aren't going to enjoy graduate school that much: Did we learn anything? Absolutely not. But I still remember it as some of the most fun I have ever had in my life. (http://spinnergal.blogspot.com/2011/04/life-lessons.html) Everybody has different expectations, but I really don't think grad school is for the type of person who doesn't believe they learned anything in undergrad. Just sayin'.
  6. Me three. I'm happy to see these posts, because I also avoid posting results, even though I know this site is good for that kind of information - especially since most schools don't give any precise timelines for decisions. That said, it can also be bad for your mental health. Last week was a pretty good example for me - I checked the results for my (relatively small) program, and found two acceptances from a school to which I had applied. They were e-mail acceptances, and I figured there would be no need for the school to send out e-mails to such a small number of applicants over several days, so I just assumed I didn't get in. I wasn't heartbroken, per se, but I was pretty bummed that night, and not looking forward to the rejection. Then the next day at work, I received the acceptance e-mail - BAM. Totally unexpected. Maybe it was my fault for making the reverse assumption so early, but checking this site (and last year's acceptance patterns) certainly didn't make me feel great for that period of time. I guess the best thing is to take the results with a grain of salt, and just use the section to get a ballpark time frame for decisions from your schools, as waddle said. No need to pore over them.
  7. May I just say that I love this thread and all the quirky people on it While we're on French names, mine is the name of the little white dog in the Belgian cartoon "Tin-Tin." He is pretty much the best cartoon pet ever. (Really! He even saves Tin-Tin's life by getting drunk. I forgot the details...read it too long ago. ) Best of luck to all and happy procrastination.
  8. ME TOO! And I feel like a crazy person when I do it.
  9. Also, as lhfields suggested, keep in mind that the pre-professional/finance types which give some of the Ivies a bad rap are not going to be applying to PhD programs. (Not to say all finance/law types are like this by any means, but the majority of the old money/Northeastern/elite douchey types do tend to go into these fields as I've witnessed at my own undergrad (Ivy) institution. Their families are often firmly established in these fields, they have the connections, and the Ivy degree is just another feather in their cap). As has been discussed in other forums, those going into PhDs with eyes open realize the difficulty of the job market and are NOT in it for the money. This is not to say that we are not ambitious, but with the type of work that is expected (6-7 years of fairly grueling research and a heavy teaching load), and the fact that we PhD candidates simply cannot expect nearly the returns that one could from a finance job, it simply requires a specific type of person (read: nerdy and perhaps awkward, but interesting to talk to...hopefully!) to tackle this degree. Sorry for the run-ons, but you get the point. Anyway, I think that, even at the more elite schools, the atmosphere of PhDs in science and the humanities is certainly different from that of undergrad programs. (There are always those who think they are god's gift to academia simply because they are at any Ivy, but the low pay + hard work + prepping for a difficult job market from which they are not exempt will probably set them straight about that. )
  10. Geez, that's a tough situation, and honestly seems a bit unfair to me. While I do understand the school's perspective (limited funding available, very few spots), it seems to me like, if other schools take the chance of admitting students that may not accept their offers, this school should be no different. Clearly, the PA with whom he spoke at the other school is admitting you without doing this. And isn't this exactly what waitlists are for? But anyway, I realize that you are in a difficult situation and have to handle it somehow with minimal feather-ruffling. If I were you, I'd just be honest: this school is one of your top choices, but we're talking about the next 6-7 years of your life, and you need time to visit a few places, figure out funding, and be absolutely sure. I would mention somehow that you feel like you are in a difficult position, because you don't want to lose a place at a school that may potentially be perfect for you, but you also don't want to rule out other options prematurely. Best of luck to you!
  11. I'm with you on the soul-destroying bit. It's easy to become inert and unmotivated if the only place you're expected to be every day is a place/job you don't particularly care about, yet one that leaves you with no energy to work on other things when you get home. At least bar-tending's good for $$$.
  12. Hmm...I sent them an e-mail earlier, and it appears to have been fixed. Good luck getting everything in on time! Also, am I crazy, or is the "Additional Information" part the only place to upload a writing sample on Stanford's application? (Yes, I did read the instructions and this is what they seem to indicate, but it seems very unclear when every other school's application contains a clearly marked "writing sample" upload). Also, because there appears to be room for only one document, I ended up submitting BOTH writing samples for my program, plus my CV, in one big ole document.
  13. Yup, Stanford's is my worst, too. (Ironic, considering the location, no?) Is anyone else having problems uploading supplemental materials to Stanford's app? I keep getting an error message each time I try, which means I can't complete the application. I'm curious if it's just me...
  14. I wouldn't contact the professors in the department about this - just e-mail the grad department office. That's what I did when I forgot to upload a couple of extra things required by two programs, and the person at the grad office just told me to attach it to an e-mail and they'd add it to my file.
  15. Yeah, I agree with the other posters. If it makes you feel any better, none of my schools (with the exception of Chicago) has updated the status of my supplemental materials on their site. You paid your application fee - if they are missing one or two things, they are not going to automatically disqualify you, and they understand that it's not your fault if things get lost in the mail or in their mountain of application papers. I'd say that, if you're still nervous about it, just call one school - the one you think would be most likely to be able to confirm it for you over the phone. If that school has received everything, there is a decent chance that the others have, too.
  16. Surprisingly, my job *is* somewhat related to my field of interest (similar languages/skills requirements), so I sort of tried to play that up in the application. But the job isn't super prestigious, so I had to beef it up a bit and stress the relevant parts in my SOP. If your job/UG isn't related at all, maybe the best thing to do would be to treat your grad school interests separately in your statement (in other words, explain first how you developed this new academic direction), and then talk about how your UG major and professional experience contribute to making you a more unique and well-rounded candidate, say that you would contribute diversity to their program in this way, etc. That's probably what I'd do.
  17. I'm a new member here, but I've been lurking around for a few months now, so I figured I'd come out of my hole and say hello. Curious to know if anyone else has a boring and energy-consuming job that has contributed to making the grad school application process a bit more painful? I'm currently in a crappy job to pay the rent while living in an expensive city, which I sort of expected to have as a recent graduate/humanities major in the worst recession since the Depression. One positive side to the job has been that, since nobody seems to even notice I am there most of the time, I have been able to get a decent amount of work done on my SOP. I started a couple of months ago, and have basically completed the final draft, which was almost entirely composed between taking phone calls and smiling awkwardly at people when they come through the door (the only things I am paid to do as far as I can tell). How's everyone else balancing work/applications? (Assuming this thread doesn't already exist.)
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