t1racyjacks

my parents keep asking why I can't just settle down with my work

I should think that most of us who are applying for a 'humanities phd' are aware of the horrid job market out there. The question is really how much one wants to do this and what other job options we have and like (if any) VS the risk one chooses to take. It is a choice and I don't think there's much use in whining about the way the job market is if we've already made the choice... One can only hope to be lucky.

I didn't read any guidelines and waived mine. Several reasons to waive (quite unrelated to 'academic rules): 1. Why would you want to read what they write? You can't change it. It's better not to know than worry about X or Y detail. Even if they had offered me a look at it through email I wouldn't want to read it!! 2. If you asked profs you trust (I did), it shouldn't be a problem. Just in terms of friendship I think mine would be a bit taken aback if I didn't waive my rights. I trust them and I don't want to see the letter.

lots of chicken counting here, and we don't even know if our eggs will hatch. well, at least, I don't know if mine will. I am just isolating what I want to work on and finding the best fit. Nevermind the schools. We'll see what happens. No point playing Tiresias at this point.

guitar solo

k thanks guys. well, at least there haven't been further cuts! [/excuse the grammar. feverish and relieved]

eh, I have slightly over 1.5 pages -- but it clocks in at 1250 words!? O well, have already submitted. whatever

I got agreement simply by rambling about my research project :S

flashlight holder

does this mean that there'd be more funding for grad students???

I know what will happen. I will either go mad, get depressed or (eventually) take my own life. Today I heard at a teacher's meeting, said by one of my colleagues 'students must be convincted in their beliefs'. wonderful thing for an english major. Then they wanted me to get the kids to play games. As it is I am drinking a lot more than I was already. It's just a slope downhill for every day I don't get in. As Kafka said, 'infinite hope, but not for us'

submitted for Berkeley and Alberta. Waiting for one prof's rec to submit for BU and finishing up for UT Austin. Feel like crap already still worrying about Berkeley, my first choice :'(

I'm in the humanities, but unfortunately I am neither British nor American. From what you say I fear that my chances are even crappier than I think they are -- given that one *assumes* that 'few internationals' would be doing English ('the international' sounds like some sort of dystopian government). I've had too much of the 'O you are not English/American/Australian/Canadian and therefore cannot write grammatically' sort of argument....

study leave

I do not find it very difficult to apply -- but I find it difficult simply keeping my head up. Application is simply application, but it's hard to stay happy when you have virtually no hope. I simply mope all the time, when not reading. Ironically enough one of the ways I distract myself is by working on 'the application' -- at least -- the research bit. I like doing research and if I could I would do a research job without the hassle of getting a phd -- it's just that it's near impossible nowadays -- to do research at the level I want to without a phd. Of course, I'm still going ahead, but it isn't a very pleasant process, emotionally.

I think we should read everything (this is coming from someone who gave Twilight a try -- but failed to finish it). What kind of critics would we be if we didn't judge a text for ourselves? I take recommendations, but I would still read a book that my friends have slammed... just to see what I think of it and to give it a fair chance. After all, you never know... you might like it (for whatever reason). I find one good way to judge is to pick up the book and simply flip through. It'd give you a sense of how the prose is like -- from there it's easier to make the decision.

you need to find out what exactly it is you want to say about their friendship. Find it, then articulate it. Right now you're just vaguely going about -- I assume you are an undergrad, yes? I always tell my students to think carefully about how best to say what they want to say then say it. I would be more careful about your use of the word 'metaphor' if I were you. Also I do not see the point of saying it is a bildungsroman -- ok so what? You need to improve your grammar. IF their friendship tells you something about race relations, THEN you have to say exactly what that something is, THEN voice the significance of it. with regard to essay planning, what I will say is that you have to plan the essay yourself. it is irresponsible to ask others to plan it for you. That is your responsibility as a student. We all have different writing styles. You do need a beginning, a middle and an end. But as to how it is organized, the method of articulation and even reader distance... things differ greatly from critic to critic.

Agh! I'm freaking out and it's only June. Applying to fall 2013. Tried in 2010, wasn't accepted, decided to wait one year. Now I am *determined* to do a phd topic that I really want to do. Only I am not sure who else wants to. I'm afraid the stuff I have determined to do is very weird. Um, I want to work on the philosophy of literature, specifically with regard to the relation between cognition and affect. Many people working on affect are not really in english (they're in philosophy). I don't really want to take a strictly scientific point of view to it for various theoretical reasons, so anyone overly focused on cog sci is out. I've looked at English programs and thus far I've only found FOUR with people whom I can work with :S My choices run as follows: 1. UC Berkeley 2. BU 3. UT Austin 4. JHU I really really really very badly want to get into Berkeley though. The reason for this is that I really want to work with a professor there -- like I cannot emphasize how much. Any ideas for increasing my chances? The prof was nice enough to read my SOP draft 1 and he says to send him the next draft. He liked the writing sample but asked me to read Wittgenstein (which I am doing, only right now I'm suffering from both insomnia and panic and can't read OR sleep and it's 3.47am here). The thing is, I'm an international student with an MA. I'm from NUS -- I don't know how this would affect my chances of getting into such a prestigious grad program. But I really want to get in. Will try devious schemes. Don't know -- would publication help? I could try getting something published. The prof at Berkeley has more confidence than me and says he would "be surprised if didn't get in" but since he's not on ad com I do not know if he has power. Also Berkeley has errr, an SOP guide which I've completely ignored. I find such templates annoying, restrictive and useless. Is this a very bad decision? No one I've sent the SOP to seems to care that I've ignored the template (I've footnoted that I've seen the template in my SOP, and didn't like it precisely because it was against the philosophy of lit, and my work etc). Do not know if I have to take the GRE. Think I'm in the 73rd percentile for lit or so, and the 95th for english (my math is crap though, like 45 or something). My friends suggest retaking it for a better score, but I *hate* such things and really don't wanna take it again... however if that is what it takes... sorry for rambling but am in a mess now

ditto. I have given up really.

I am, but I am in SE Asia, so I think my rejection letter just got lost in the mail...

surely they can't send out acceptances without having looked through the whole lot? I mean, surely they look through everything and then decide which are acceptances, upper level waitlists, etc. In which case a sizable number of people would still be rejected -- they should let us know

d'you think I should call them guys? because they're the last uni for me. I just got a job offer -- it's good for one year. If I don't have a chance of getting in I will definitely take the job offer... I need to know the decision quick, preferably before I sign the contract.

same here. I don't have much hope really. Sigh.

I know, but that only pissed me off more because everyone's emails began clogging up my mailbox. And yes, it was an accident -- but even without, they could at least address you properly.