savay

Hi @elit I apparently had a previous account that I forgot about and it showed up on the welcome screen maybe two weeks ago. I haven't tried to access it but for being a few years old it only just now showed up. Also @iDance, i know your question is a bit old, but I also read somewhere that it can't be in the header but at the top of the document, so that's what I did. My advisor reviewed my statements recently and didn't tell me to change it. But maybe now it can be either way? I'd check with your advisor to be sure, or ask them about formatting when they review your docs. My campus deadline is today and we have interviews on the 23rd. Has anybody gotten more info about campus interviews? I'm pretty sure they're mostly a formality, to practice interviewing your application and go over any areas that need to be revised or strengthened, but it'd be great if anybody who's done them/knows more about them would share.

I moved from Chicago to a city with a ridiculous housing market. My university's graduate apartment housing was on par with the cost of renting in any of the neighborhoods easily accessible via transit, so to save the hassle of trying to find a place from half-way across the country I signed up for one of those units. I spend at least 60/70% of my stipend on housing, though the grad apartments do include utilities and internet. My university fees cover an unlimited transit pass, which seems to be the norm for most urban campuses, and my university also pays for grad student's healthcare premiums, which BLESS. I almost cry every time I pay my rent - it is double what I paid for similar housing in Chicago, but it is a decent apartment and a 10 minute walk from the library and my office. Those expensive pod style apartments are really common in my city and they depress the s!!!! out of me. I know I'm paying a lot, but I also know that my home atmosphere is really important for my well-being and my ability to get my work done. My university has a really active facebook housing group that I found through the resident life/university housing website. While it's mostly undergrads subletting or looking for roommates, I know some grad students who have found places on it. I would definitely check what your university has about off-campus housing, normally there is some type of message board/group for people looking for roommates. Also check with your department to see if anyone else from your cohort has expressed that they are looking for a roommate. Good luck!

I'm in a lang & lit department in the PNW with multiple tattoos, three of which are easily visible (and one is almost impossible to cover, so I don't bother). I haven't received any comments or concerns about them in grad school, other than "hey that's cool, what does it mean" etc. My cohort isn't particularly an inked or pierced bunched, but I have noticed other grad students in my classes and service work, ranging from MA all the way to PhC, sport visible tattoos and piercings. No one made any comments about mine at our annual field conference and I've never been asked to cover them up, even when meeting donors or folks on the department's advisory board. I don't think they negatively impacted my application season and I don't foresee them causing big issues in the future, though of course I could be wrong there. I'll be teaching more next year and I anticipate that most of my tats will be covered just by virtue of daily dress, but one is always visible. As I've had multiple professors this past year with visible tattoos, I'm not stressing about this too much. Like any change in physical appearance it will probably feel a little weird or uncertain at first, but if you get something you like and that feels good the anxiety about whether your tats will be accepted or not does decrease.

I'll also add my two cents -- on top of the amount of work, trying to complete a certificate in two years is also just a challenging thing schedule wise, on top of your degree requirements. I planned on doing a certificate during my masters and, as I'm at the end of my first year, I am only one course shy (and the minor final requirement of presenting a paper at a colloquium, but nbd...) of meeting the requirements. I should be able to do that next year, right? I thought to myself. Except, the program is only offering three electives next year, all of which I am not super interested in and conflict with my teaching time and required course times. So, probably not going to happen. And also, just because you may not be able to fit in a certificate, doesn't mean you can't take any WGS classes! which you should!

I'm also not comp/rhet, but in my department (and I think the other lang and lit depts at my university are the same) unless you got special funding or aren't a full-time student, everyone teaches a 1/1/1 load (we're on the quarter system). I received a recruitment award which basically meant one quarter as an RA, so I didn't have to start my MA teaching, but most of my cohort did. The TA opportunities in my department are mostly language teaching, so instructor-of-record for a 1-hour, 5 days a week language course. There's a language learning pedagogy course and a workshop specifically for language TAs in my department that are both required fall quarter for the new batch of TAs. You have an advising professor who largely sets the curriculum, text book, etc. and who checks in with you, but you're running the class, making the quizzes, doing the grading, etc. I didn't teach a language this year, so for my other two quarters I was a large-enrollment-TA, assisting a professor with courses around 80 - 90 students. I largely make sure the tech works and help with grading, possibly do guest lectures. The large enrollment TA work is much less intensive than the language teaching, though all Academic Student Employees at my university are capped at 20 hour work weeks (including prep and outside class labor - of course some weeks go over, but the cap is in our contracts - thank you unions!). My university also recently re-classed the salary grade for language teaching, so those positions get paid more, which is very nice, but our departments aren't getting any more money from the university to make up for the wage increase, so we'll have no large enrollment TAs next year, only language. I was a little daunted at the prospect of teaching right out the gate (and am nervous about teaching a language class on my own next year), and like any new thing it's nerve-wracking, but everyone in my cohort seems to have handled it really well. And while I'd love to teach a literature class before I'm out on the job market, having solid language teaching experience at the university level is pretty great experience to have.

My experience has been really positive. I'm living in a grad only apartment building that's managed by a contracting realtor and it's pretty calm. It's definitely not a dorm. The building managers are always around and helpful. And the price was on par with what I was finding elsewhere. There's enough bus routes nearby and only a short walk to the link so I can get around easily enough on public transit. There's a Trader Joe's and a Safeway in walking distance and a QFC (a local grocery chain that's a bit upscale, but not quite Whole Foods) not far away in a larger shopping center. I think each of the grad buildings on campus have different ways of applying for places. I think some use the university's general housing application, but others you contact the building managers directly. I think it's about this time that they get ready to release leases for the next year so it's a good time to reach out if you're interested.

I'm in a similar position (1st year MA student) and had similar questions as I decided which grants to apply to. This is how I thought about it, ymmv: while a PhD candidate may be more competitive for a Fulbright and I will most likely want to spend a year abroad for research during my PhD, I really can't predict the future -- grant availability, program location, research location, etc. could all shift. I might as well apply now, in addition to other grants (I would definitely look to see what other funds are available for the type and location of research you're interested in at your institution and in your field), and see what happens. In any case, having experience in preparing an application will be helpful in the future if I don't get a Fulbright this season, and in preparing other grant applications for this application season. I have no idea if seasoned Fulbright applicants would second this, but as I tried to make sense of my own applications for this year, this was how I rationalized my decision.

I'll be applying for one of the three open research grants to Iceland (in addition to a few other granting bodies). I'm hoping to do a third year of my MA program and to complete my thesis there. I work in contemporary Icelandic literature and translation theory. In the last two years around 35 people have applied for this grant, so I'm not really sure how competitive I'll be -- but it's worth a shot! My home institution is having a few sessions later this month on Fulbright which is nice -- I assume this is probably normal at a lot of larger research institutions. Best of luck to everyone!

Sorry I can't answer all of your questions, I haven't yet been here a year. I lined up my apartment really far in advance, but two other people in my cohort found housing a week or two before our autumn quarter started. One found their place through connections, the other used craigslist, padmapper, etc. Roommates seem to be the cheapest option, but so are those pod-style apartments, where you share a communal kitchen with a floor, etc. There are a lot of these style apartments all over. I live in a university grad apartment because it made finding an apartment from far away easier and my commute is literally a 10 minute walk. A lot of fellow grads I know live in the U District, but other neighborhoods that are popular tend to be north of the cut (prevents you from having to cross bridges to get to campus, which can easily bottleneck during all hours of the day -- traffic is very bad in Seattle). So, I have friends that live in Ballard, Greenlake, Wallingford, Ravenna, etc. Some people also live further north near Maple Leaf/Wedgwood/Northgate -- there are some pretty direct bus lines to campus. Some other people I know live south, in East Lake and Capitol Hill -- they usually take Link to campus. A lot of people bike, but be prepared to bike in the rain. I hope this helps! Happy to answer other questions to the best of my ability.

Ah, this thread is so interesting! My writing sample was a seminar paper/translation portfolio from a poetry translation class I took at the University I worked at for three years between my BA and grad school. I used Anne Carson's (s/o @Pezpoet Autobiography of Red is !!!) essay on silence in translation (which is totally wacky and anyone interested in translation or alternative styles of critical essay should read - here), in addition to some more mainstream translation theory and research studies done on reading visual poetry, to examine and translate the early collage poetry of Herta Müller (which is also really strange and creepy and amazing, and if any Germanics people are stopping by, actual German-speakers should translate!). It was a really fun paper. Looking back on it, it could be more polished and the conclusion could be a bit stronger, but I think my passion for it and interest in the theoretical side to what I was doing came through. I also included the translations that we produced throughout the class from Spanish, Ancient Greek, and Icelandic (which is my main research language). I wasn't applying to a Germanics program, but I was applying with my second primary research interest in translation studies so it seemed appropriate. @eadwacer omg your paper!!! a lot of people in my field do work in medieval studies, and one such friend of mine is presenting at a big conference in my field in May, which I mentioned in passing to one of my advisors (who works in queer theory). After hearing that my friend's paper is on menstrual blood/blood rain and elderly desire in the sagas, my advisor made a comment like "medievalists are all perverts!" -- in a truly loving way. I have to say, most of the people I know doing really interesting stuff in regards to queer theory are medievalists. Rock on with those power bottom analyses. @theburiedgirl815 u just described every phone call I ever have with my best friend. woof.

I also had a positive first quarter! I took a lighter course load and also didn't have to TA, so I managed to stay on top of my work. And I started to feel at home in a new city by the end of the quarter and lucked out with a great department. Felt a bit at sea in the middle of the quarter -- missing friends, familiar places, and my previously ridiculously-busy schedule; and started to arbitrarily stress about not being productive enough, etc. etc. But, it passed over time. My professors and advisor seem really happy with my work, and I have to say it feels really good to be in a place where I fit. I was out of school for three years working in a nondescript office job and while I did alright, it really wasn't for me and didn't exactly boost my self-confidence. I'm in a two-year MA program, so I have been thinking about what exactly I want to do post-everything. I'm getting the sense that if I decide to continue on for my PhD, I may want to join a program/university with a greater emphasis on theory (the University I'm currently at got rid of their graduate theory certificate a few years ago), but I have concerns about leaving my very welcoming department. Trying not to overwhelm myself with having to make that decision right away. Anyway, so far so good, I guess. Though, that didn't prevent me from feeling super nervous for the beginning of this quarter -- oh well. @MastersHoping I began the quarter thinking of my fellow grad students as colleagues and as my degree program as a job -- and I think in a lot of ways it did help. My department is pretty small though, and by the end of the quarter I think we all sort of view one another as relatives -- so far, it doesn't seem like it's created a lot of drama, but I certainly could see how it might.

As I'm not applying this season, I haven't been on these boards as much as before so maybe I've missed this trend, but it seems equally strange on the surface to me as well. I'm experiencing a completely different feeling -- I'm craving more theory. I transitioned from a theory heavy undergrad (concentrated in post-structural ethics...) to an Area Studies Literature program. I chose my current department largely because of the fact that for an Area Studies dept, they tended to orient themselves largely on theoretical lines as opposed to nationality, philology, or history. It's been very lovely so far, but I have had some initial worries that maybe it's not the best fit in the long run (maybe I belong in one of those Comp Lit departments where no one actually reads literature ). My advisor and I have had a lot of discussions regarding my desire for more theoretically oriented coursework and them cautioning me not to let it detract from gaining familiarity in the literature I'm supposed to be becoming an expert in. I have a feeling we will continue to have these conversations for awhile. My department does have a required theory & methods course for grad students, which I'm currently taking and enjoying. It is largely focused on literary theory though, and some of the cultural/area studies students in the course have at times not found it extremely relevant. Sadly, the Comp Lit department at my university recently got rid of their theory certificate program, so I'll continue to scour the course listings of each humanities department each quarter with my fingers crossed. They told me they encouraged grad students in my dept to study broadly... I'm wondering also, if certain fields within Textual Scholarship would be considered a-theoretical? Certainly methodological, but something like stemmatics or other bibliographic or material-centered research. These things certainly can be theoretically informed, but maybe not necessarily? Similarly to @Caien, while my dept is theory-friendly, there are certainly faculty who find it (or perhaps certain types of theory) threatening, and associate it with a falsely inflated sense of rigor, preferring to do more "fact-based scholarship." I had a faculty member remark to me recently that they specifically didn't mention a certain French deconstructionist when they were applying for a position so that they wouldn't risk not getting the job. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ This faculty member and I have bonded over our love of theory and after they gave a guest lecture on postcolonial theory and the limits of epistemic objectivity to my theory and methods course I asked them to be on my committee. For me, personally, I can't imagine doing the scholarship I'm interested in without theory.

I'm going to join in, here is my required-because-true moaning about the election. It. is. taking. its. effing. toll. I just find myself continually exhausted, but then I want to stay up late after finishing my work trying to distract myself, only to further this exhaustion. My campus has been pretty active in trying to offer some sense of action, solidarity, and grieving. But everyone is kind of freaking out. Myself included. And the mood has exacerbated my feelings of loneliness. I'm not going home over the winter holidays, but I've decided I'm going to go visit friends -- it didn't feel super important or necessary before, but well, now it does. A few people in my cohort got together to watch the results, which I am very glad for, and after briefly discussing Thanksgiving yesterday and a general lack of plans for many of us (granted, most of my cohort is not American), I decided for us that we're doing something. I think it's important for us to not be alone or at least, to have opportunities to come together that aren't directly related to research or blowing off steam, but somewhere in the middle. @KingNikolai1 I'm also trying to adjust to the quarter system. How many credits are you taking, it seems like maybe a lot? I've been trying to go easy on myself, but simultaneously take advantage of everything. Your Russian seminar sounds painful, but probably one of those things that you will appreciate having done a few years from now. I'm a little nervous about taking a Danish course next quarter, it's not my main research language and I'm a little rusty, but I will now be grateful that it isn't an intensive literary analysis course. I have a three hour textual theory seminar that is super heavy on really dry obscure readings about things like: typesetting variations in Shakespeare manuscripts, proofreading practices in Montaigne's essays, and chemical methods of cleaning book pages in the late 1800s. I'm not sure what class I thought I was signing up for....

@hmss9245 How exciting! I'm really glad it worked out! I would really prepare any questions you have about the program (from degree requirements, the University, the department, courses you may want to take, teaching expectations, etc.), any concerns you may have (about program requirements, if you can pursue your intended research, advantages/disadvantages to area studies programs, etc.), and discussions about the type of research you're interested in doing. I would keep in mind that Olivia is not the DGS, so she may not know all of the granular specifics of application deadlines, but she knows the department and the University. I had a similar discussion with faculty during my application process and it really is just a conversation for you to ask questions you have and to get a sense of fit, etc. The Campus Visits thread of the Lit/Rhet/Comp section has some really great questions to ask if you think you might be missing something (linked below). I used this mostly for visits, so some of the questions may not be entirely applicable to this stage of the application season -- but they'll get your wheels turning. And don't stress about language -- use what feels comfortable and don't worry about switching back and forth as needed. (For one of my application processes -- not for UW -- I had to do a skype interview in Danish at 8am and I was dreading it, and while I definitely had moments of struggle, it ended up turning out ok.) I hope it goes well!

Yup, Olivia. She's also currently working on a new Ibsen research project. Also, if you feel the UW's program would fit with your research interests, I'd reach out to the program before completely deciding not to apply. The Director of Graduate Studies, Marianne Stecher, is quite helpful in answering specific questions regarding admissions and any concerns you might have about qualifying. I remember before I applied that I was concerned that my primary target language was Icelandic (you know, not a mainland Scandi language or one that the University currently teaches) and that my Danish competency wasn't as strong -- and it turned out ok. They seem to consider applicants holistically as opposed to against a specific checklist of qualifications. @J.Conroy happy to help. Are you applying to Scandi programs as well?

Hey @hmss9245, welcome to gradcafe! I am currently attending University of Washington for my MA (https://scandinavian.washington.edu/) and I am definitely not coming to the field with a BA in Scandi Studies. I got my BA in a classical humanities program, but have spent considerable time in Iceland and have studied Danish for a few years. I found that if you had substantial training in the languages or literatures, or considerable experience in a Nordic country (like pursuing your MA there, for example) that most programs were open for you to apply. In addition to Berkeley and U Wisconsin, there aren't other stand alone programs in the states that I know of. There are some universities that have faculty with expertise in Nordic languages and literature who may be affiliated with other departments...but these vary. I ended up choosing Washington because my interests are primarily contemporary literature and literary theory, and translation studies. Washington has strengths in contemporary Nordic culture and literature (One of our professors actually specializes in Ibsen if you plan to continue on in that sub-field) and has close relationships with many of the other humanities departments at the University, like the Comp Lit department. If you'd like more specific information about my program specifically, etc. you're welcome to send me a message here.

Ah! It's so great to be reading about all of your experiences starting your programs (and live a little vicariously)! I just got back to the states after language programs and a very brief vacation in Scotland and I am ITCHING to have assignments again and to move into my apartment in Seattle. I don't move until the 15th though, so until that time I mooch on my mom's coffee and try to stay productive (i.e. obsessively refresh canvas to see if any of my courses have been posted/creep on who else is in them). I'm sure by the time it starts, like most of you mention, I will be hit with the holy-crap-so-much-work phase, but for now there is only yearning. And yeah, it is super strange to think that this time last year I was a few days past my GRE and polishing SOPs and language recordings. We have all come so far!

I'm taking 11 credits my first quarter. My first is a Scandinavian Studies Method course with my DGS and is a required course. I think it should be good, it's a lot of literary theory I've encountered before, but being discussed in a new context. The second, a Textual Theory and Practice course, is through another department. I was very excited to get in as it's the intro course to a grad certificate I'm hoping to incorporate into my masters. I'm interested in print culture and the theory & practice course, in addition to challenging the very definition of "text," covers the production, circulation, and reception of texts in their material forms. The third course is a 1 credit seminar formed around a conference on Teaching World Literatures, covering questions of context, coverage, translation, and cultural difference. I'm new to the quarter system, so I'm not sure if I'll continue to enjoy it, but so far I'm pretty excited about how many courses I'll be able to take this year. My department's offerings seem pretty exciting and if I can get in to the ones I'd like, I may be able to meet the requirements for the textual studies certificate by the end of this year.

I have moved!! And packed everything! And used ALL OF THE BUBBLE WRAP. And now, I won't see my things until September in Seattle -- but it feels good to have that part done with. I'm back on the east coast and I concur, Allergies are THE WORST. I forget how much mine act up back here, it's awful. @jlt646 whoa, with the kouign amann! I used to make a bunch of croissants from scratch when I was a teenager (also to zen out), but I honestly cannot recall how I ever had the patience for lamination. Do you watch the Great British Bake Off? In the pasty episode of series 5 they have to make kouign amann and it was ROUGH. Due to moving and being at my mother's house we now have way too many eggs and I've been thinking of making some pavlovas with my new found unemployed free time. I'm open to some other egg-heavy suggestions!

While I'm not in another country, I'm a few thousand miles away and similarly am trying to get an apartment set up before I get to Seattle in September. Still waiting to hear back if my background check has been approved... I'll be in Scotland soon as well! and the Faroe Islands - both cloudy, rainy countries. I purchased my first ever rain coat in preparation. Trying to enjoy it as much as possible.

It took me a few years to find doctors that I really liked. And now, I really like them. When I realized that my biggest anxiety about leaving was leaving my healthcare providers that I maybe see once a year, I felt very adult. Like, uncomfortably. And then I realized, this is why people never move.

Yes -- all of the doctor's appointments, practically drowning in them. I'm moving the first week of June so it's a f*cking spastic rush of seeing people and places I love and trust. I'm hoping I still get to enjoy it. I do not have an actual free day with no appointments or people or meetings until the 21st of this month. THE 21ST! and by then I'll be trying to finish packing. (and I still have work until the 27th) I am also a hermit who enjoys people one on one, and has very intense friendships -- but really find people at large to be...a little bit much. I somehow have not started worrying about building new friend groups yet, but I think I'm also really familiar with having friends live very far away. I'm more stressed about finding a new therapist that I like and won't judge me...

While I started my graduate application season with the intention of applying to Comp Lit programs, it became pretty clear that I may be better served and simultaneously increase my chances of acceptance if I applied to Scandinavian Studies departments with strong literature programs. I was really hesitant at first to pigeonhole myself into an area studies discipline, but ultimately the language support I would get and the interdisciplinarity of the programs won me over. That said, there are only around 3 graduate level programs in the States and while Europe would make sense, they don't really offer stipends. I visited my top two schools and decided largely by gut. I accepted University of Washington's offer because the department's faculty are really encouraging of broad engagement across departments, are aligning the programs more across literary currents and not national literatures, they gave me more money , and when I visited it really felt like a good fit. As I'm coming from a broad humanities background, I've been doing a lot of reading within Scandinavian Studies for the last few months by way of preparation -- reading "the classics" of the discipline and broad historical overviews of the region. I'm spending my summer in intensive language programs in Iceland and the Faroe Islands, which I'm really excited about! My Icelandic is quite rusty, and soon I'll be one of the sole speakers in a department, and I worry that this will make me the de facto expert... so best brush up on my declensions! Thank you @amlitbookworm for that insight into the German exam, I will have to take this test at some point throughout my program. The French one as well. I know the German department offers a summer German for Reading course, which I think my program will count as part of the foreign language requirement.

@hippyscientist It's definitely helped with the 'but I want to do everything!' feels, and also made me realize that if I can get the external fellowships for overseas research, I might as well take 3 years to do my MA. And, it's also helped with prioritizing what I want to get done/focus on, and goal setting.

Yes... I am also joining this wagon with you and @Neist. I have a huge spreadsheet from when I started applying with dates and programs, and now it's courses and requirements and reading lists -- as well as all of the grants/fellowships/summer opportunities I plan to apply to and professional societies and conferences and... I'm talking to my adviser in two weeks and hopefully she can validate this...fixation. And offer some guidance.