runonsentence

Yes, there is. The OP should definitely look into this; freight shipping with Greyhound is pretty rock-bottom in terms of prices.

Well, not that it'll probably help you to feel much better, but you're lucky to have such a high fellowship. You're also lucky to have paychecks coming in during the summer, whereas a lot of other grads are usually scrambling for summer grants/teaching/part-time jobs (a scramble I know all too well...). I know how much it sucks to see savings dwindle. Unfortunately, them's the breaks in grad school. Just try to keep telling yourself that this will probably be one of the most expensive periods you'll have to endure for awhile (or during the duration of your degree?). I was lucky enough to have a small pad of savings to draw on for moving expenses, and I worked up til the very last minute (literally, until 2 days before I was supposed to drive out of town), which wasn't my brightest idea. A lot of others I know took out small loans for the start-up period.

Lol, you're right. Ammended to: "Mmmm...french press coffee...."

We've had students use these services before at my institution. Luckily, because of all the preliminary drafting/prewriting activities we require and the amount of writing we see from each student, there are ways to spot this in a writing classroom. Just go to Craigslist. You'll see how common it is.

It's definitely tricky, and sometimes I skim over something that others want to talk about in detail. But the reality is that we just can't (and shouldn't) read everything, especially for exams. (Exams at my program are a bit barbaric: we have reading lists with between 120 and 180 texts on them.) So, part of learning to read in graduate school is learning to figure out what's central to understanding what the author is trying to say (reading rhetorically!). Something like theregalrenegade's worksheet, or at least thinking in those terms like Emelye, seems like one way to get at that.

Great question, Strangefox! Or at least, I really enjoy talking about reading and writing practices. Some of my colleagues have recently done some incredible presentations (working toward publication, currently) on grad student literacy. The number one takeaway from their research, for me: everyone worries that s/he is "doing it wrong" or gets self-conscious about her/his reading or writing practices. I also read slowly. I want to make sure I understand what I'm reading, and I take the time to annotate as I go. I underline/mark important passages, but I also rely heavily on marginalia: I write "gist" statements, questions, observations, or potential connections to other readings I've done. It's really important, for me, and it also means that I can re-read an article or book more quickly if I need to again. (I'm really hoping this strategy pays off when I get to exams!) BUT, having said that, I also recognize that one can't read everything. I try to recognize that it's okay to skim less important sections of a long work, and work to speed up my reading speed in places where lingering isn't so important.

Now I'm confused as to whether or not this is a joke? At any rate, you've already got your answer: there is no best applicant. Getting into graduate school is more about fit than stats. Please see this thread:

I agree with everything fuzzylogician said. My MA actually helped draw me toward my new subfield in English, and I know now, looking back, that I was NOT ready for a PhD when I first started applying to graduate school. I'm really glad I did an MA. This depends; some programs are set up so that the ideal applicant is a bachelor's degree holder who's looking to complete a PhD with a master's degree "on the way." In my field, however, such programs (e.g., Ohio State, Penn State and UNC Chapel-Hill, though the last is phasing this out) are more competitive. It's also possible at some programs to complete a terminal MA and reapply for the PhD (which is what I did, though I was also applying elsewhere and weighing other options); you'll find a range of opinions on whether or not this is a good idea. I ended up doing it and it was the right decision for me, but it also has its cons. What field are you in?

The menus, ribbons, etc. really are awful. Microsoft needs to start consulting some writing specialists when they design those!

AND french press is TEN TIMES yummier than filter coffee. ::Homer Simpson voice:: Mmmm....french press....

Belated thanks for the ideas, fuzzylogician. I'm on a professional listserv in my field that sends out a lot of calls, but I haven't tried looking around to see if we have a similar resource (calendar). Perhaps we do. But even so, it'd be nice to have my own space where I can selectively add calls I see myself actually responding to. I might give a Google calendar (devoted to CFPs and the like) a try.

Sorry to hear the test was so frustrating for you, truckbasket. One reason I second recommendations for websites like the vade mecum and hapax legoma (sp?) are that the study information comes from crowdsourcing, not the ETS. Actual English grad applicants who have taken the exam write these sites, and other applicants share corrections/updates/comments to help the webmanager improve them. So yes, my advice to those still studying would be to put a lot more stock by some of the websites fellow gradcafe'rs are suggesting, and less by some of the prep books out on the market.

Microsoft Office for Mac (2011). Only $10 from my campus bookstore, so I went with it. I like the new publisher layout features.

Tokens are a bit cheaper than paying cash to ride. You can buy them in el stations, or from any street news vendor who has the SEPTA logo on his cart.

Thanks for clarifying, long_time_lurker. Sorry for raising my hackles in my last post. I suppose my own point is that the standard of living that is possible within a walking distance of campus (here I consider anything within a 1.5 mile distance "walkable") will vary from city to city, and that living within walking distance doesn't necessarily mean having to revert to a college-like standard of living. My own campus does have an area like you describe that the undergrad live in: it's party central, has the highest number of assaults/robberies in the area, and is a stone's throw from campus. But many faculty members, grad students, and local families live in the neighborhood I live in, which is a bit farther from campus but still walkable. It's a vibrant, well-served area with a small strip of local businesses and restaurants/bars/cafes, and has massive, old houses with tons of character sandwiched in between small apartment buildings. But at any rate, yes, I agree that most of my colleagues with families are more likely to live further away from campus, and you're certainly right that a half-hour commute isn't bad in terms of what many do every day. (I used to commute almost two hours each way when I was working full-time in Philadelphia, between driving to the train station and training/walking to my downtown office.)

That's kind of ridiculous. Several posters who live close to campus have given very compelling reasons why they do so. Many grad students don't own a car. Some of us come from program cultures where living a commute away somewhat isolates you from the community. Some of us are in fields where we need to go back-and-forth to campus often, or at odd hours. Others have also given compelling reasons why they do commute, and that's fine. But to characterize those who don't as, essentially, immature is silly and rather offensive.

I can speak to this as well. When I was looking for a car back in 2007/8, I had decided to only look at compact Toyotas, Hondas, and Subarus because my family's had such good experiences with these cars and because they're rated so highly for reliability on Consumer Reports. However, the price for late-model used cars with 3k miles or more on them was not much cheaper than just buying new, so that's eventually what I just did. I bought my car in February (not many people are keen to walk around a parking lot in Jan/Feb, so prices were a bit cheaper). I also used online quotes from several dealerships to haggle a good price on my car, saved myself about $2k. Although it's been a pill to pay a car payment while in grad school, I'm really glad I did it. I'm starting my third year of school but only have 26k miles (partly racked up from drives home, partly from my commute when I was still working full time). My car will still be in good shape by the time I graduate, so I won't have to deal with trying to find myself a car once I'm fresh out of school.

FWIW (and speaking as a currnet writing center tutor), I'm 99% positive you'll get infinitely better feedback from a writing center tutor or from a professor from undergrad. Especially because professors (and many PhDs in writing centers) have successfully gone through the process themselves, whereas I suspect that those behind SoP review services haven't. But good luck, whatever you choose to do.

In fact, they may as well revoke my admission, as I paid my professors in banana bread and my friends in beer to read my SoP this past winter.

+1 for the vade mecum. Remember that you only need the "fun facts at a cocktail party" level of knowledge of anything you've read in order to take the exam. You may actually be better off shacking up with some Bloom Masterplots than the Norton anthology.* *You will never hear me say this in any other context.

They ban review services? Or writing services? Obviously I can see why a writing service would be banned. I don't understand, though, how a review service would be: how is it any different, ethically, than having a colleague, professor, or friend/family member read over it?

You create a credit history by using credit of any kind: borrowing, repaying, etc. The simplest way to build a credit history is to open a credit card (though I know that credit cards are not always "simple" to get for non-citizens!), but loans go on there too. Even accounts you have set up with utility providers also help to build your credit (as long as they are under your own name, not a landlord's), as it's proof of you regularly paying a bill each month. Whenever you open a credit card, take out a loan, etc., this activity gets reported a credit bureau, which keeps track of your credit history. So yes, it does sort of "sum up" everything you do that involves credit. If you're looking for more information, these links might also be helpful: http://financialplan.about.com/od/creditdebtmanagement/a/nocredit.htm http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre03.shtm

Publishing itself might be difficult to achieve before applications, but it might be a doable goal for you to just get something out for review. It can look good to list this on a CV; it looks good for you to have a project or two in the works.

Sorry if this isn't what you were asking, but here's a basic/general overview of SEPTA, speaking as a former Philadelphian. SEPTA is comprised of regional rail service (trains that travel from/through Center City to outlying suburbs), tons of bus service (both in Center City and in some of the closest outlying areas), and two light rail systems (the "els," which are sometimes below ground).The Broad Street el runs North/South along (you guessed it) Broad Street. The Market/Frankfurt line runs East/West, from Old City up through University City and into Frankfurt. Both els connect to the three Center City train stations.There are three train stations downtown: Market Street, Suburban Station, and 30th Street Station.SEPTA also can connect to PATCO, which is New Jersey's high-speed rail line. (PATCO is the only thing that's better about Jersey. ) The train and bus schedules are a bit tricky to figure out at first on the website. The first challenge, of course, is figuring out which line you need--look at the map they have on the website to figure that out first. But yeah, the buses are confusing for everyone.

I'd recommend, though, that you post a request for reviews and offer to PM it to people. You may or may not want your SoP draft rockin' out in cyberspace.