runonsentence
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Posts posted by runonsentence
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I want to know this formula, too!
I don't like skimming parts because if you skim them - how will you know if there wasn't anything super important in them that you missed because of skimming! It seems a vicious circle!
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.
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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.
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Come on! you are in college, I got better answers at high school website! I want to know what the best applicant looks like. (I really LOL-ed)
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:
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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.
Thanks so much, that really helped a lot! You've made a lot of really good points, so I've got plenty to think about. If I want to get my graduate degrees from the same school, is it possible to apply for an MA and then just continue on there after you finish that and get your PhD from the same program? I'm so lost, so I have a ton of questions!
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?
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I use OO, because my new computer cost enough without buying MS Office and because I don't like the changes they made to the organization of the menus.
The menus, ribbons, etc. really are awful. Microsoft needs to start consulting some writing specialists when they design those!
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You could also invest in a french press and save money on buying filters, plus only make a cup or two at a time.
AND french press is TEN TIMES yummier than filter coffee.
::Homer Simpson voice:: Mmmm....french press....
- mandarin.orange and ProTrans
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My department maintains a public calendar with things like talks, events, conferences, deadlines for abstract submissions, etc. It's updated by several professors and students and I find it very useful for keeping track of what is going on in the general area of my university and in my field. A tech-savvy friend of mine also set up an RSS feed that updates users about upcoming conferences/deadlines. Our field is small enough that there is a website with updates about all of the conferences that could be relevant to linguists in general. Maybe there are resources like that out there in your department/field that you are not aware of? Even in the absence of shared resources, I find that creating a calendar entry for the deadline that includes a URL of the call for papers is very useful. Also, I sometimes use good old fashioned pen and paper lists. Those have the advantage that you can cross out completed tasks like finished abstracts and papers, which I find very satisfying..
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.
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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.
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Microsoft Office for Mac (2011). Only $10 from my campus bookstore, so I went with it.
I like the new publisher layout features.
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That's a good suggestion. Part of me doesn't like spending 2 dollars a ride... Too used to driving.
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.
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Please don't take offense, as that is the last thing I am trying to do as a newcomer. However being a half-hour away isn't really even thought of as a commute for many, many people in this country (Boston to DC, LA, SF, Atlanta) so it's certainly doable for someone who spends many or non-traditional hours on campus to not live a stone's throw away. Many people who own businesses or work in professions such as real estate do this all the time. Also I never said anyone was immature - my point is that if one is married, has a kid, and/or is used to a standard of living from having worked after earning one's Bachelor's or Master's, he/she is unlikely to want to deal with having a share (or even an apartment as opposed to a house), living in an area surrounded by bars/social life, a high crime area, etc. just to live closer to campus. Most people don't live within walking distance to their jobs (including those with onerous or non-traditional hours) so it stands to reason that it is not absolutely necessary for a student to, either.
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.)
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It seems to me that the people on this and similar posts who recommend living walking distance to campus are people who never got out of that undergrad "college-life" mode of living on/near a campus, or people from small or college towns where housing is cheap and traffic doesn't exist (e.g. Albany).
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.
- hejduk and blackshirt
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I've been pricing used cars too, and have found that finding something with low miles (like less than 50k,) a recent model year of a make/model with a good reputation for reliability, and good gas mileage is really hard to find a good deal on. The gas prices now have driven up the prices of used compacts/subcompacts that get good mileage, and they're not depreciating the way they used to. Since there's nothing like new car reliability, I've just decided to buy new instead.
I just read a story on Yahoo, though, that predicted prices to drop from this fall through the winter, so I'm not going to buy anything for a while.
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.
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Also, I thought a service might offer an expert eye that has reviewed hundreds of SOPs and understands what it takes to get into a top program.
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.
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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.
- stackoverflow and ZeeMore21
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+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.
- Two Espressos, 1Q84, dimanche0829 and 1 other
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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?
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Hm, could you tell me more about credit history? I know how important it is - but how is it created? I mean, if I move from one bank to another or if I use several credit cards with several banks, does my credit history sum up somehow?
I am an international student, so I have no credit history yet (this August I will come to the US for the first time in my life).
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
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I will warn you, publishing is one of the most stressful things to do ever. There's deadlines and abstracts and your editor may hate every verb you type. I would honestly not expect to have something published before application deadlines, and if you are one of the most fortunate few who do get published, then expect some heartache - especially if it is your first time with no guidance. You may want to ask your adviser for help on this, since - in some way - you are an extension of your department and you do want your writing to come out perfect - if you publish something that isn't up to par (not to say that a journal will accept your final sub-par submission) and it has the potential to embarrass your department, then you may face a small backlash out of it. However, most professors will be more impressed that you are trying. There are a lot of new journals - especially online access journals that need submissions on a variety of topics. They aren't as impressive as a peer-reviewed journal, but honestly, it's better than nothing. Graduate programs aren't going to expect you to have publications, and if you do, then they don't expect it to be a major publication; however, if you do have something published then definitely makes you stand out (especially if it's good).
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.
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Has anyone taken any time to figure out Septa yet? Their website is a pain, but I hear there is some program like hotbus or something (an app for iphones) that helps out alot?
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.
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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.
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I've seen a number of debates about the importance of institutional name-recognition for PhD admissions around the forum. While it certainly doesn't hurt to have done your BA or MA somewhere super prestigious, I personally don't think that an MA from a solid program that doesn't happen to be in the top 15 would hurt your PhD applications. The most important components of your application will be your writing sample, SoP, and LoR (loosely in that order, though the first two may be more of a tie).
IMO, this is even more true in rhet/comp, a field I'd loosely characterize as egalitarian by nature. After all, many of the ivies and top-ranked English programs in the country don't even have PhDs in rhet/comp, and most of the strongest rhet/comp programs are at large state instituions in the Heartland.
But above all, let me stress this: if you come out of this application season with a choice of acceptances and some of them have funding, DEFINITELY take the funding. It's better to be funded somewhere less known than paying out the nose to be at Purdue or U-T Austin.
If I may ask, what are the other schools you have been in contact with that seem likely to offer you funding?
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My general advice, which largely echoes the advice from lyonessrampant:
Be forward-looking. You're writing about what you hope to do at X school, what kind of career you're pursuing, and how X school will help you to achieve that career objective. Do touch on experiences you've had and skills you've developed, but couch them in terms of how they have shaped (or will shape) you into a successful student at X school.
Think also in terms of your audience and its expectations. An adcomm will read strong applicants from many students, but of those strong applications they will admit the students who have a SoP who answers the question, "So, why X school? Why must this student come to this school to achieve these goals?" So your number-one priority is to demonstrate fit with the department, its research interests and priorities, and even its culture.
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I definitely agree that your workshop both your creative and critical work as much as possible (since you're going for a PhD, the critical work is important too, though probably not AS important as your poetry).
In addition to running your writing by friends/old classmates: Are there any faculty from your MA program you'd feel comfortable running your writing by? Because it's summer, it'd be a good time to ask for this kind of favor. I did this with my critical sample and was really glad I did.
Good luck!
Have you seen this? Essay service scams.
in The Lobby
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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.