SimilarlyDifferent

Drew University. I called, they said we'll find out in late March. I don't know when mid March ends and "late" March technically begins.

Right, so Mojingly posted that s/he is embarking on a quest to self teach his/herself linear algebra. This has completely inspired me to do something constructive with my wait time. I've always wanted to learn Japanese but I have never had the opportunity to do so. I want to start. So, I'm wondering... does anyone know any books, websites, software, etc. that they would recommend? Has anyone else ever self-leaned a language in this way? If so, how did you do it, and what tips would you recommend? My limitations are that I can't break the bank (so no Rosetta Stone) and I can't go live in the country for a year Thanks!

1) I will drift back and forth between feelings of inadequacy and relief that I don't have to make a choice about where to go/what to do with my life. 2) I will feel that all of the accomplishments, awards, honors, and hard work I've gone through have not, in fact, paid off. 3) I'll wallow in self pity and finally decide that it isn't so bad, because I did get an acceptance after all. 4) I'll start actively searching for a job and/or internship to help pay my MLIS tuition.

This is such a beautiful sentiment. Very uplifting, but also very true!

Agreed with above. If you know there is a strong possibility that you aren't going, you'll only anger people by accepting then backing out. You really probably don't want to risk making people in your field (that you might bump into again) angry. You might want to find out if you can defer instead.

Yes. Mine will come in 2-4 weeks. At this point, I'm only waiting on one school. I have other applications pending, but I really only care about one. It is hard when you don't know what you are going to be doing with your life in a few months. Will it be a PhD, or a Masters? And for me... will it be History, or MLIS? Oh, and should I be looking for a job yet? I know I have plenty of time and I should be patient, I've been really good up until yesterday.

I'd be willing to look it over. It will give me a good reason to procrastinate!

I don't know how I'm going to cope with waiting until mid-late March. I guess take it one Monday at a time. So far I have been very patient and semi-relaxed, but for some reason, seeing that March is so close I just want to scream, and dance, and call my #1 and tell them to please let me in with funding! I've been on their website so often I feel like a program stalker or something. I just want to fast forward to March 15.

I don't agree that the protests are indicative of a downhill slump, quite the opposite actually. People are standing up for their rights all over the world and that is what I call a giant leap for mankind.

I don't think it is bragging as long as you don't post about every single acceptance or go into extreme detail (like how hard it is to pick from Uber Leet schools 1 and 2). I also wouldn't post about how ginormous the funding package is that they offered you. However, a nice simple update about what program you got into and perhaps a thank you for all of the support and well wishes of friends and family (if applicable) can be both tasteful and quell your desire to shout about your grad school application season victory at the same time.

head bang

I haven't had the feeling exactly, but I suppose it is perfectly natural. When reading a book for undergrad, I first encountered the term "intellectual infatuation" where a professor mentioned something very similar to what you are describing. I have had that sensation before, but it is different from a "crush" in the sense that you don't want a romantic relationship with the person, just an intellectual one. Look at it this way, he is someone you admire and respect with similar interests. He is obviously pretty intelligent to have ended up where he is, so those things must be qualities that you would prefer in a mate. I think you are right to keep it under wraps though because it could end up awkward for the two of you if he doesn't reciprocate (or even if he did, I suppose).

As far as how to tell them, I think that you should either call or email the person that you spoke to regarding the position ASAP. This way, they aren't expecting you to take the job anymore and they can start to look for other candidates for the position. You could very politely mention to them that since you had spoken to them last, you have received a generous offer from a graduate school that you would be foolish to turn down. (This way they know you aren't walking away for a different job, and they know that you didn't know about the acceptance when you agreed verbally about the job). Wish them luck filling the vacant position, etc. Honesty is almost always the best policy.

First off, I think you should visit school 3 and speak with the faculty there just to make sure that you have a correct impression of the program and that you don't change your mind. Sometimes you might feel one way, but after you visit and meet people excited to work with you, you change your mind. There must be some reason why you applied to this program in the first place, right? After you have done this, if your impression of the school is the same and you don't think you would be happy there you have two choices - you attend or you don't. There is nothing stopping you from going for a year, trying out the program and then leaving if it doesn't work out for you there. If you don't even think you can survive a year, then politely turn down the offer and work on getting your application improved for next go round. Contact your POI at schools 1 and 2 and ask what you were lacking and how you can improve. But mostly, don't go to a school where you aren't happy. Your grades, social life, and perhaps even future career will suffer if you are miserable where you are. The point is not just to get a PhD at any school that will accept you, the point is to study something you love with mentors and faculty that you respect.

Mr. Hated/Penn State, Hi. Please don't take this advice the wrong way, this is intended to help you. In general, capslock and bold are both considered either "yelling" or "strong language tone" in a setting like this. In addition, red ink is feared by all students because traditionally, it is a color used by instructors for correcting their students. I might be wrong, but your use of red may seem presumptuous to some which could account for their dislike of it. The combination of those things also make you seem like you want to stand out, or that you are asking for attention, if you will. Third, when you take several posts and reply to them all back to back (as opposed to one reply) and do so without anyone else posting between it seems like trolling or spamming. Keep in mind that I'm not saying that you are doing these things, only that this is how it may seem to others looking at the thread. I think if you switch your font back to regular and you stop responding to so many posts so defensively (back to back) that you will have no trouble regaining your lost reputation points. Cheers, SD P.S. Sorry to go off topic again.

Do you think that the school would accept you, and do you really want to go there given the choice? If it is a second, third choice, or backup school that you aren't sure you want to go to anyway, then don't do it. If it is your dream program, you think you have a shot, and it is worth the price to you then do it.

open wound

I've thought about this and I will probably do it. If I don't get into PhD this round I'll get a masters in Library Science and a masters in History. After all of that, I might consider applying to a different PhD program or two if I still have the desire.

I started out as an English major. I took a composition class where the instructor was younger than me and she insisted that all 5 paragraph essays must have 5 sentences in the first paragraph, 8, 8, 8 in the body and 5 again in the conclusion. She counted off 10 points for each additional or missing sentence. She forbade the use of metaphoric language. You couldn't say "drove me up the wall" because one cannot literally drive up a wall. She drove me up a wall. I knew that I would not be able to handle four years of professors like her so I switched to History. I toyed around with Anthropology also, but I ended up minoring in it rather than changing my major again.

It looks like the school who "wanted" you not only tried selling you on the program, but also treated you with more courtesy and consideration than the other department did. Based on that, it is safe to assume that this school treats its students better in general. There is an old saying that goes, "You can tell more about a person by the way that they treat their inferiors than how they treat their equals." There is no reason that this statement shouldn't apply to grad schools too. So the question then is, how much do you value the way students are treated in the program? To be fair, it could just be the "little things" that one program does better than the other, but do you really want to risk the next few years of your life on that gamble?

I doubt it is likely to matter more than your GPA does. If you think you can still keep a decent GPA without a minor, then it should be fine. That said, if you want to specialize in something specific that has overlap in another subject field, then I'd say it might make you a stronger applicant. For example, if you want to do cultural anthropology and study belief systems, then a religion minor would strengthen your application. A minor also keeps your options open in case you decide that you would rather go to grad school for something other than your major field. (Not that you can't already do this, but it would make more sense to apply to grad programs in religious studies, etc if you minored in it rather than if you just had one or two courses in it)

So here is my dilemma. I am waiting on my #1 choice school to get back to me. I won't hear from them until mid or late March. I'm a bit optimistic about getting in, but the school is very expensive so even if I do get admitted, I can't go unless they offer me a nice funding package. I've been thinking about what I would do if I don't get into my top choice, and I have a couple of options. Option 1: MA in History from my current school. This school is a state school, but not the biggest, best, or most well known in the state. However, the department knows me and likes me and I also like many of them. I know I would get full funding, but the degree is a terminal MA, and the school doesn't offer a PhD program. Option 2: MLIS from state school #1 with a reasonable tuition price for in-state, name recognition, and good reputation. If I take option 1, I can always apply for the MLIS or a PhD program after I get the MA. I can see where the MLIS leads directly to a career, so on one hand it looks slightly more useful. I wouldn't want to end up with only an MA in History because I really have no idea what one does with an MA in History. I don't know, what would you do if you were in my shoes?

I love this.

You are such a nice person for putting so much effort into something designed to cheer up other people. If you take requests, do "Lean on Me" next

I really don't know. I considered School Library Media, but upon seeing all of the requirements and the extra money that would go into education courses, I've pretty much written it off. I'm considering doing a Digital Libraries specialization, or just doing general studies and focusing on the technology heavy aspect of the program. I think that being more tech friendly would give me an edge in the job market, and the skills you learn from it are easily applied to fields other than libraries.