Safferz

This is anecdotal evidence, but I met two students in that program during my campus visits earlier this year. One at Yale, and another at Columbia and Harvard. That said, I also met undergraduates from lower tier institutions and schools I've never heard of, so it's not your program is what gets you into a PhD program, but your research accomplishments and promise. You don't need a designer MA for that, but like any masters program it can certainly help you refine your research interests, show an adcomm that you're capable of graduate level work and give you more time to get publications and conferences under your belt (all things that make you competitive for top PhD programs).

And this is just what I needed to make the decision to get the new iPad I think I'll also get one of those keyboard cases to take notes in class, it seems so much easier than taking a laptop everywhere!

I just got my I-20 form today, after accepting my offer and returning the forms back in March.

I didn't even know the thread existed. So I will now

Knowing myself, I'm sure grad school will only intensify the stress and panic I experience writing so close to deadline Anyone else planning to read a bunch of self-help books (on graduate study, academic productivity, etc) over the summer? I just picked up Semenza's Graduate Study for the 21st Century, which I've heard is quite good.

My financial aid offer says the following: International students are subject to US income tax law. A US Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) should be obtained as soon as possible. The law requires that 14% of the amount of a fellowship award that exceeds the cost of tuition and required fees (stipend) be withheld for tax payment purposes. The appropriate amount will be withheld from each stipend check. Students who claim exemption from all or part of this requirement based on a tax treaty between their home countries and the US should inform the Office of Student Receivables by filing Form W8BEN, available in the fall or online at www.irs.gov. This form is valid for three years and is renewable. Here is more information on claiming exemption or a reduced withholding rate, and a page I came across for Canadian workers -- there certainly is a Canada-US tax treaty, but I can't find any info for Canadian students specifically and what the reduction/exemption would look like if we file the W8BEN.

I'm also with TD Bank, and this option makes the most sense to me since there's a TD branch right next to my new campus. I'll probably go in to my local branch later this summer and look into opening a US account based at the branch in Cambridge.

IIRC it's US tax law, so applies across the board regardless of what school you're going to. I remember reading that it may be different if your country has a specific tax treaty with the US, so I should probably look into whether Canadians are different. I hate having to figure this stuff out!

I thought all international students have 14% withheld from their stipends?

I think you'll have to tell us more about the discussions taking place in your classes and why you find them problematic. But your last question leads me to believe you're not really interested in engaging with critical pedagogy at all, and fail to see how the act of writing itself is tied to questions of power and privilege.

I also don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with finding research and writing to be a labourious and often unpleasant task.

Yay AFB!! What language will you be studying?

My timeline looked something like this: June - took a summer class and (under)studied for the GRE July - wrote the GRE for the first time (my score sucked) August - studied for the GRE (again), read over my writing sample and made some edits September - took the GRE (scores still mediocre, but 89th percentile seemed good enough for verbal so I moved on and ceremoniously burned my books/flashcards), finalized the list of schools I planned to apply to and opened accounts on all the application websites October - asked professors for LORs early in the month and promised to send them a draft of my SOP, which was the pressure I needed to actually write said draft, ordered and mailed transcripts, decided after some feedback from profs that my SOP was good and left it at that first draft, emailed a few POIs (I was ignored by maybe half of them), sent all additional GRE reports November - cut down my writing sample to the page limits of the various applications (25, 20) and edited a second paper for the schools that wanted a 10pg sample, wrote the 'fit paragraph' of my SOP for all the schools, submitted applications that were complete at this stage, sent reminders to profs to submit LORs December - submitted remaining applications by either Dec.1st or Dec.15th deadlines, wrote Yale's book review the day it was due, sent panicked reminders to profs to submit LORs January - frantically tried to reach prof who didn't submit LORs for several applications, managed to get her cell and text her in Uganda where she went to a neighbouring town with electricity to upload the rest I highly recommend starting everything early if you value your sanity, especially if you're taking a full courseload in the fall like I was. I'm *still* exhausted by the application season and I'm paying for it now as I try and wrap up my last semester here. GradCafe also stressed me out somewhat because everyone seemed so on top of things application related - whether it was having a SOP drafted over the summer (I wrote mine mid-October), making extensive revisions to their writing samples (I didn't change a sentence, but read over it a few times and cut out entire paragraphs to fit page requirements), or meeting or having pleasant convos with their POIs on the phone or by email (I was rejected by a school where I *met* my POI, and accepted at many schools that ignored my email entirely). Work at your own pace, and do what *you* have to do with your materials to ensure you submit the strongest application possible. Give your referees notice well in advance of your deadlines, and have a draft SOP ready for them to look at early on as well (for a strong LOR as well as for feedback on your SOP).

I was talking to the director of my minor program last week, and he was shocked to learn that my PhD will be funded and that funding is the norm, rather than some special scholarship for a handful of students. I don't want to think about how many senior undergrads he may have discouraged with such info (and it wasn't the only thing he was wrong about), when they come to him for advice on graduate school.

Oseirus, I don't think hbeels was intentionally discriminating against you or other speakers of Gibberish. The fact that BCEmory08 isn't listed under 'Italian' in hbeels post leads me to believe she copied and pasted the list from an earlier post that didn't include the last few additions. That said, you have my support and solidarity!

I've been wondering about this too. I bought all of my books in undergrad, but I don't think I can afford to do that in grad school with the amount of books we're expected to read per class. But there also aren't enough copies in the library for everyone to borrow either... (and I've never been a fan of short term reserve because I prefer reading at home and the books are often signed out by someone else when I go in ) Maybe I'll just have to figure out how to purchase most of my books cheaply. I'll need a lot of them for orals second year, anyway.

I had a 4 AW. I think your time and energy is better spent on producing an engaging, well-written writing sample and statement of purpose, because ultimately those are the parts of your application that get you admitted, not your GRE score (although a really low score can certainly keep you out).

Me too, but not because I'm poor. I just think I'm borderline computer illiterate and won't be able to figure out how to use all of these complicated programs But it's not the most efficient method, so I'm planning to make the transition to technology soon! *bookmarks thread*

You can complete your applications early, but consider holding off on actually submitting them until later in the fall. You never know what can change with the program or POI, and what you'll decide you'd like to tweak or add after not looking your materials after a few weeks. I also agree that it's way too early to contact professors -- keep in mind that it's one of the busiest times in the academic year, and many professors will be away for the summer as well.

I'm also curious about the 'Nationwide + Canada' plan, but I think Skype is enough for me to make calls to family and friends. I don't expect to be in Canada more than once or twice a year, so I also don't need a plan that allows me to make calls within Canada like more frequent travellers may want. When I break my Rogers contract (wish me luck ), I'll probably go with Verizon for a new iPhone and the 2GB data plan. 450 anytime minutes and 1000 texts is enough for me, I think.

It looks like they have one centralized online application, with hard copy materials mailed in based on the requirements of the iSchool and History department. You'll have to check the websites for each program to find out what they need you to mail in, since the two programs may have different application requirements. Placement rates are usually found on the program website, but if the information isn't available online, you can always ask.

Harvard Law School has a useful guide on their website here. Most of the grad students I met during my visit live off-campus in Somerville.

I updated my profile when I accepted the offer.

I'm hoping to find a studio through Harvard housing. I was considering the GSAS residence halls, but I'm not sure I could handle living in a dorm!

Congrats oseirus!!