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jprufrock

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  1. Downvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from saturation in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    This is perhaps the most contradictory statement about so-called 'respect' for English as a field as I've heard.

    Did you know that science, as you know it, was condemned to mostly bullshit and stones until literacy flourished? I am sure you're making a point for others and not necessarily yourself, saying that some 'general population' doesn't recognize the equality of fields, but if your goal is to counter such sentiment then your statement fails. Hard.

    English and the Humanities in general have applications just as varied, pressing and significant as the hard and soft sciences. Just because you know little about such fields and by extension are unable to see their effects, doesn't diminish their importance and prevalence.
  2. Upvote
    jprufrock reacted to nyrrac in Mind if I pull out my tiny violin and rant for just a sec?   
    I know what you mean. An acceptance without funding is the same as a rejection letter. My first acceptance letter is to a top university but the university funding is highly competitive (7% of the applicants get it) and the department only funds ONE grad student a year. I think I would have better luck winning the lottery or finding gold hidden in my back yard

    Keep your hopes up. This is admission season... you might get a better offer with funding!
  3. Upvote
    jprufrock reacted to eklavya in Mind if I pull out my tiny violin and rant for just a sec?   
    ditto happened to me. their dept website was not clear about if i should contact the profs before, or after the application, or if i should contact them at all. it's partially my fault that i wasn't proactive enough, and didn't contact my PoIs. but c'mon. the dept should be very clear about the process too. not like we are oracles or gypsies! - how the hell do we know what the next step is.

    anyway, i contacted a couple profs whose research interested me the most, but they weren't taking any students. dead end. they suggested that i transfer my application to a similar program in the same college, but i said no thank you. i also found out, very late, that i wasn't given funding because the head of the dept and the guy who is in charge of allocating funds for new grad students, are not in good speaking terms. i was like WHAAAAAT!? they are playing with our future man!

    /end soapbox.
  4. Upvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from Sarah S. in posting ethics   
    I enjoy knowing when a school has responded, even if it implies a rejection for me.

    As long as the results board is kept honest and clean, I appreciate all entries.
  5. Upvote
    jprufrock reacted to jprufrock in NYU   
    Same here--way to light a fire.

    But, considering NYU's history via the results board, I somehow doubt this is legitimate unless NYU has drastically changed their process this year. According to the results board postings of the past few years, most news, good or bad, doesn't seem to come until late Feb / early Mar. Although interview requests have been sent out in early to mid Feb.
  6. Downvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from Pamphilia in NYU   
    Same here--way to light a fire.

    But, considering NYU's history via the results board, I somehow doubt this is legitimate unless NYU has drastically changed their process this year. According to the results board postings of the past few years, most news, good or bad, doesn't seem to come until late Feb / early Mar. Although interview requests have been sent out in early to mid Feb.
  7. Upvote
    jprufrock reacted to was1984 in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    The number of lives saved or improved by science and engineering research vastly outnumber the lives taken. That said, liberal arts research is just as important as scientific research. Do we really want to be a society of ignorant techno-whizzes that have no concept of our own identity?
  8. Upvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from ouibeque in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    Again, your overly long and pompous post does nothing but further evidence your ignorance of the humanities and their impact.

    I'd like to spell it out for you, but if you honestly think the fine arts are reduced to reading, writing and communication, then I doubt any rhetoric in the history of the world could convince you otherwise.

    EDIT: And I do not even believe the humanities exceed science--I'm firmly affixed to a middle where both are fundamentally and differently important. Your scientific metrics are simply insufficient and inapplicable to judge the humanities.
  9. Upvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from Saik in Questions to Ask   
    bump for 2011
  10. Upvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from Waffles in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    This is perhaps the most contradictory statement about so-called 'respect' for English as a field as I've heard.

    Did you know that science, as you know it, was condemned to mostly bullshit and stones until literacy flourished? I am sure you're making a point for others and not necessarily yourself, saying that some 'general population' doesn't recognize the equality of fields, but if your goal is to counter such sentiment then your statement fails. Hard.

    English and the Humanities in general have applications just as varied, pressing and significant as the hard and soft sciences. Just because you know little about such fields and by extension are unable to see their effects, doesn't diminish their importance and prevalence.
  11. Upvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from Strangefox in More Money vs. Ranking/Prestige   
    So let's play hypothetical and ask a fundamental question without naming schools etc. This way, the thread will apply to everyone.

    Let's define money as the end result of financial offers after accounting for cost of living, etc. Let's define ranking and prestige as just that--how widely recognized and renowned a potential grad school is in your specific field.

    And for the sake of the thread, let's leave out questions of "fit" or "location" or any other variables that obviously have a significant impact. Just money vs. ranking. Let's also say that "more money" doesn't mean the other school will force you to live an impoverished lifestyle, just a lackluster one. Let's say that you'll be fully funded at both, regardless, and won't have to accrue any debt.

    Which one do you choose and why? <---probably a good idea to state your field, too.

    Do you go with more money because this economy is terrible (though getting better) and even if you graduate, a job might not come easily? Do you go with more money because it will make grad school that much easier, that much more comfortable? Do you go with higher ranking because it might lead to higher wealth in the long term? Is higher wealth in the long term a reality, or will having more money in the present make that more attainable? Will your higher ranking school make you more competitive for a job once you graduate? How much, if at all?

    Cite evidence or relay anecdotes, if possible.

    I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I searched 5 pages back and didn't find a satisfactory thread. Things are economically different here in 2011, as well.
  12. Upvote
    jprufrock reacted to qbtacoma in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    SuperPiePie, I think what we are running up against here is an unspoken assumption on your part about what the study of the humanities serves in the end. I see your point about engineering etc. saving lives, being the main force ending physical suffering in the world. That is a point well made, but let's set that aside for now and see what study of being human has to offer.

    Two examples. When Ann Bannon wrote softcore lesbian pulp fiction in the 1950s, her work was eagerly devoured by women even though the publisher intended the books as porn for straight men. The women who read her books were starving for portrayals of themselves - of women who had deep emotional and sexual connections with other women. Her books were the only contact many women, who were isolated from underground lesbian subcultures (and, for that matter, unexposed to a literary education which would have introduced them to non-normative sexualities that any classics person knows), had. The books were a positive cultural presence for these readers, who knew they were not alone in their feelings, despite the moralizing bad endings. This sense of isolation from peers remains one of the main drivers of queer teen suicide even today with all the unabashedly positive portrayals of all kinds of people available, suggesting how important it is that people see themselves represented.

    When Alice Walker published The Color Purple in 1982, the presence of black women in popular culture was virtually nonexistent. Whoopi Goldberg, the biggest black female presence in popular culture of the 80s, was pushed into the popular spotlight by that film adaptation. Walker's exploration of black womanhood in general, not to mention the trauma of the aftermath of slavery, male abuse of wives, children, and partners, female sexual choices, mixed feelings of empowerment/colonialism inherent to Christian missionary work in Africa, the legacy of abuse and the struggle to rise above it all - these issues are explosive even thirty years later. Walker introduced to the popular consciousness certain discussions of gender, blackness, and the legacy of history which were incredibly unique and valuable - like Bannon (but better!), her work began a conversation which simply did not exist to the vast majority of people. Like Bannon, Walker gave voice to (in this case) black women in general and black lesbians in particular

    When are students exposed to ideas like these? In English classes.

    The study of the humanities can, like you imply, be just about creating art or exploring themes which are of particular interest to only a few. But English, film studies, theatre, history, and other fields all have the task of transmitting and reinterpreting the soul and, dare I say, morality of our day to day lives. YES, absolutely funding vaccine research is important! YES, funding research into making better bridges, better strains of wheat, better energy sources is important! But giving a voice to the voiceless is the reason that I myself research history, and teaching students to be better critical thinkers and writers is why teaching is social justice.

    YES, there is more than a little selfishness to my area of study - no one's life is going to be saved (directly) from my work. (That's what volunteering is for!) YES, some of my work is masturbatory and not particularly useful even for social justice purposes - they are simply interesting topics to me. But then, some computer scientists end up working for Pixar instead of protecting the nation's defense systems from cyber attacks. Some engineers end up working for SpaceX (a private rocket company which will eventually send tourists into space) instead of designing more effective medical imaging equipment. Most chemistry Ph.Ds will end up making drugs for big pharma which manage symptoms instead of treating underlying causes (oops, did a little bias slip out there?).

    I'd still fund the education for those non-life-saving science folks. It's still a net gain for society. But humanities research isn't inherently less valuable than anything these folks do.
  13. Upvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from Waffles in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    Again, your overly long and pompous post does nothing but further evidence your ignorance of the humanities and their impact.

    I'd like to spell it out for you, but if you honestly think the fine arts are reduced to reading, writing and communication, then I doubt any rhetoric in the history of the world could convince you otherwise.

    EDIT: And I do not even believe the humanities exceed science--I'm firmly affixed to a middle where both are fundamentally and differently important. Your scientific metrics are simply insufficient and inapplicable to judge the humanities.
  14. Upvote
    jprufrock reacted to ZeeMore21 in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    I have very serious issues with the said argument that English in nowway helps anyone in this world. I am not sure how many English departments you have been to, or if you have been in one...but there are many different projects and many different stakes out there. I am personally invested in what I study, which is African American literature. And as an African American, I see the work that I am doing as being something that can open the way to policies that could be implemented to make this world a better place for blacks today....but more importantly underrepresented groups in the broadest sense. Of course I know how important engineering and science are, my dad is an engineer and my mom is a nurse and I respect them SO much for the hard work they put into make life easier for everyone. But there are also others things such as racism, political corruption, and economic exploitation...and I think they are equally as serious. And I respect those in English who are trying to raise the standard of living for us all by interrogating the status quo through their pens. How dare anyone who isn't in English and who hasn't thoroughly examined what is going on in the field think its okay to come online and tell someone in English that their work doesn't matter or that they aren't helping people. I have devoted almost 6 years to trying to figure out how I can use my love for literature to change this world, and I am very proud to be entering a PhD this fall to continue that. People invest their lives into their work, and I would be VERY careful how I voice my opinions about a field that I am not in. I am tired of the crap that I hear from those outside of my field. We need to try to work together in this world, or we all fail. How dare you.
  15. Upvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from wreckofthehope in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    Again, your overly long and pompous post does nothing but further evidence your ignorance of the humanities and their impact.

    I'd like to spell it out for you, but if you honestly think the fine arts are reduced to reading, writing and communication, then I doubt any rhetoric in the history of the world could convince you otherwise.

    EDIT: And I do not even believe the humanities exceed science--I'm firmly affixed to a middle where both are fundamentally and differently important. Your scientific metrics are simply insufficient and inapplicable to judge the humanities.
  16. Upvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from psycholinguist in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    This is perhaps the most contradictory statement about so-called 'respect' for English as a field as I've heard.

    Did you know that science, as you know it, was condemned to mostly bullshit and stones until literacy flourished? I am sure you're making a point for others and not necessarily yourself, saying that some 'general population' doesn't recognize the equality of fields, but if your goal is to counter such sentiment then your statement fails. Hard.

    English and the Humanities in general have applications just as varied, pressing and significant as the hard and soft sciences. Just because you know little about such fields and by extension are unable to see their effects, doesn't diminish their importance and prevalence.
  17. Upvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from lyonessrampant in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    This is perhaps the most contradictory statement about so-called 'respect' for English as a field as I've heard.

    Did you know that science, as you know it, was condemned to mostly bullshit and stones until literacy flourished? I am sure you're making a point for others and not necessarily yourself, saying that some 'general population' doesn't recognize the equality of fields, but if your goal is to counter such sentiment then your statement fails. Hard.

    English and the Humanities in general have applications just as varied, pressing and significant as the hard and soft sciences. Just because you know little about such fields and by extension are unable to see their effects, doesn't diminish their importance and prevalence.
  18. Downvote
    jprufrock reacted to SuperPiePie in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    I just wish the humanities people stop would stop crying. Everyone has it rough. It's not like just because I'm an engineer I get automatic grants from everywhere. It's just as competitive. It's tough being an engineer. If you design something incorrectly you can get someone killed. May it be a drug, a building, a medical device, or even a car. The tiniest error of even nanoseconds or microns can cause disaster. So many accidents have occurred because of poor engineering, its terrible, yet engineering is unavoidable in anything so we need better and more engineers to keep up with the demands. It's what people want.

    It's like some of you (not all) act like you are martyrs or something or actually better than us even though you didn't get admitted. I was chatting with a few people in humanities the other day saying they did what they wanted to do because it is what they loved, and I respect that. But when people start demanding respect because they feel underprivileged that just gets ridiculous. I'm sure if an English major and a engineer swapped shoes for a day both would actually realize how tough it is. And like I said, the world is the way it is because that's the way it is, so stop complaining and actually go do something. Maybe if you showed some strengths you would get more funding. If you showed Obama more progress in your field he wouldn't cut your funding first.

    So far in this thread the only for-English argument posed was by one person about being the Cinderella of academia. All of the rest was just personal attacks or crying.So for all the tough ones out there in humanities , mad props. To all the sorry complainers, tough luck.
  19. Downvote
    jprufrock reacted to SuperPiePie in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    I love your personal attacks. If I consider you ignorant and you consider me ignorant, at least I will not do not launch personal attacks. But whatever it doesn't matter, to each is own. If you want to argue against me that is fine, but at least use argument or provide examples. Regardless, as I have said I respect the people and the field just as much as any other. But there are reasons why most people, even many of those highly educated put science and engineering above humanities. I don't know if it's right or wrong, but that is just the way it is. They are not equal as of now and they never have been, either one way or the other.
  20. Upvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from Thanks4Downvoting in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    Again, your overly long and pompous post does nothing but further evidence your ignorance of the humanities and their impact.

    I'd like to spell it out for you, but if you honestly think the fine arts are reduced to reading, writing and communication, then I doubt any rhetoric in the history of the world could convince you otherwise.

    EDIT: And I do not even believe the humanities exceed science--I'm firmly affixed to a middle where both are fundamentally and differently important. Your scientific metrics are simply insufficient and inapplicable to judge the humanities.
  21. Upvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from dogbert in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    Again, your overly long and pompous post does nothing but further evidence your ignorance of the humanities and their impact.

    I'd like to spell it out for you, but if you honestly think the fine arts are reduced to reading, writing and communication, then I doubt any rhetoric in the history of the world could convince you otherwise.

    EDIT: And I do not even believe the humanities exceed science--I'm firmly affixed to a middle where both are fundamentally and differently important. Your scientific metrics are simply insufficient and inapplicable to judge the humanities.
  22. Downvote
    jprufrock reacted to SuperPiePie in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    The problem is usefulness has diminished greatly. Back in the day I agree it was important, but the importance of science and engineering as of today far exceeds that of the fine arts. My significant other and my mother are both artists and one is majoring in comparative literature. They are probably just as smart as I am and work just as hard, BUT the applications of what they are doing I will not admit are greater than the ones I am working on. Literacy is very important, and although in the past it has brought us to where we are, we have plenty of teachers to teach us how to read and write and at least interpret important papers or readings. If you want to do research about a certain writer's style or a certain time period, that's fantastic. But that does not mean that it will somehow make everyone later in the world better off even if you succeed and become famous.

    My argument was speaking about the general public because their respect stems from application of study. I look at the individual and that is why I fully respect the field, but many people just want results and product. If any big revolutions are going to occur NOW (yes the past there were many in literature but also MASSIVE ones in science and engineering like the industrial revolution which pretty much changed the world flat out).

    If you look to the future science and engineering have larger chances of changing out world and helping people who are sick or in need of food and water. That is why most people put money into these fields. Your argument about flourishing in the past is true, but now we have overcome that hump it is time for us to take over. You guys got us out of the stone age, now we will take you to the space age.



    I completely agree, without language we would be screwed over. However, now that we have it it's not like we need millions of English Ph.D. students to help teach people to read and write. We need English teachers to teach elementary school and high school. You can do that without a Ph.D. Like I said we are now in the age of science like it or not, and that is how the world is and represents it self as. So I thank all of you for your contributions in the past. But now that we got enough knowledge to communicate decently, let us take over. You guys got us out of the stone age, now we will take you to the space age. Just because you were the king once does not make you the king now. Just because no one gave a shit about us many centuries ago doesn't make us the paupers now. Things are not equal, and it has always been this way. Just learn to accept it.

    Think of it this way, if 90% of the world's English students decided to be lazy and stop doing their studies, it would be sad but the world would still be alright for awhile. If 90% of scientists and engineers just gave up and stopped working, we would be in some... deep... you know.
    Note: Once again RESPECT the people who work so hard, but money goes where it needs to go, not where respect needs to go.
  23. Upvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from PrettyVacant in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    This is perhaps the most contradictory statement about so-called 'respect' for English as a field as I've heard.

    Did you know that science, as you know it, was condemned to mostly bullshit and stones until literacy flourished? I am sure you're making a point for others and not necessarily yourself, saying that some 'general population' doesn't recognize the equality of fields, but if your goal is to counter such sentiment then your statement fails. Hard.

    English and the Humanities in general have applications just as varied, pressing and significant as the hard and soft sciences. Just because you know little about such fields and by extension are unable to see their effects, doesn't diminish their importance and prevalence.
  24. Upvote
    jprufrock got a reaction from hopelesslypostmodern in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    This is perhaps the most contradictory statement about so-called 'respect' for English as a field as I've heard.

    Did you know that science, as you know it, was condemned to mostly bullshit and stones until literacy flourished? I am sure you're making a point for others and not necessarily yourself, saying that some 'general population' doesn't recognize the equality of fields, but if your goal is to counter such sentiment then your statement fails. Hard.

    English and the Humanities in general have applications just as varied, pressing and significant as the hard and soft sciences. Just because you know little about such fields and by extension are unable to see their effects, doesn't diminish their importance and prevalence.
  25. Downvote
    jprufrock reacted to SuperPiePie in Colleges Rescind Acceptance Offers   
    I have the most respect for people in all fields and think no less of one or the other. However, the "respect' is lower simply because of the applications of English pale in comparison to many other fields which have far larger impacts and address more pressing needs in the world. To most people, this is why English and many other Liberal Arts seem less "important".
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