runonsentence

This is a big question, but I'll take a stab at it. In a word: yes. From what I understand from my tutors at my undergrad study abroad program in Oxford, if you want to teach in the U.S., you'd best help your career by getting your PhD in the states, where teaching assistantships are more common. (By a different logic, you should really only consider attending a PhD program later on down the road if you're able to get some kind of funding for it, whether it be a TAship, RAship, or fellowship. Paying for a PhD would be extremely unadvisable, especially if you're not going into a high-paying industry with a strong job market.) If you're looking to better understand academia and what the job market is like, you might consider perusing a publication like The Chronicle of Higher Education or Inside Higher Ed. Granted, I don't know how much of the information in those periodicals applies to European universities, but those sites will give you an idea of what's currently going on in the academy, what the job market looks like, and have lots of advice columns and blogs. Yes, you will need to network, and you'll need to better understand what it takes to get to the job market and make it in academia. When you start your master's degree, I suggest you work on presenting a paper at (at least) one conference, or at least attending one, in your first year. Also, attend any events/seminars on professionalization at your university (or sometimes conferences host these sorts of sessions as well). Basically, get used to "plugging into" your field and the academy in general. I develop lists of professionalization goals for myself, and the list is always growing. Hopefully this gives you a few ideas for getting started.

Microcenter is the shit. Related advice from a less-intense computer geek: with the most recent Macbooks/MBPs, it is really easy to upgrade the hardrive yourself. If you upgrade your own hardrive instead of asking Apple to do it, you will save the $150-200 markup by just buying your own HD from Microcenter. (It doesn't have to have the Apple logo on it to work well.) I bought a MBP last February, and plan to upgrade my HD capacity in about 2 years, instead of asking Apple to upgrade for me.

My DGS advised all of us master's students not to name-drop because you have no idea of the politics at play at the schools where you're applying. (In his words: "Suppose you’ve found faculty you would liketo work with: what if they’re not around anymore, or one of them got drunk andfell into my Christmas tree? It’s so easy to get the tone wrong. You are onsafer ground, if you want, to indicate that you know what is the strength orfocus of a program. (“I am applying to your program because I want to do thecreative dissertation but also work with the Institute on Riverboat Gambling….)") Having had this slightly back-fire on me during my master's round of applications, I'm inclined to agree with him. I think it's much safer to talk about the kind of research being done that interests you, or to take lyonessrampant's tack.

I think that some of the advice I've been given re: Skype interviews for candidates on the job market can apply here. A lot is common sense, but FWIW: Find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted by your dog/noisy four-year-old/drunk roommate/etc.Don't forget to dress as you would for an in-person meeting. You don't need to look formal, but don't do the Skype meeting in your pajamas. (Or, at least, your top half should look presentable. )And just as you'll want to dress presentably, you'll want whatever's in the background to be presentable and professional as well. Consider positioning yourself in front of a blank wall.Know that Skype makes things like this potentially more awkward (not to freak you out!). Use visual or verbal cues to help make things less awkward—it can sometimes be hard to tell on Skype when one person is finished speaking, so end sentences with gestures, things like, "...and so, that's what I'm interested in researching," or questions that very clearly indicate you're finished speaking.Whether you were meeting in-person or on Skype, I'd definitely also recommend that you prepare a list of questions you want to ask, in addition to an outline of some talking points about yourself/your research Good luck!

I agree with the suggestions to put your research interests (and possibly an objective statement as well) at the top. Mine simply read, "Pursuing PhD programs in Rhetoric and Composition with research interests in....." I also agree with grouping your research projects along with your publication. On my CV I listed them by title, followed by a colon and a short (one-sentence) description of the project. I think that the other publishing experience could be listed under a heading called something like, "Relevant Professional Experience." I have such a section at the end of my CV, which lists all my industry experience, my experience writing and editing for my undergrad's student newspaper, etc. (Basically, anything not directly related to teaching but still somewhat pertinent to the field.)

Funding through TAships and the like is based on merit, not financial need, so I don't see why your university would ever need to know how you're paying for things (or why they'd care). So if you would like to take out the loan for the extra cushion, do it; if you think you're going to be fine without it, then don't.

Do you have any kind of cushion (money in savings)? If not, a loan could be a good idea so that you have rainy day money—especially if you've got a student loan offer with low interest. If your car were to die in a month, for example, and you didn't have a money cushion to get you through repairs, you might get stuck taking out a last-minute loan from a bank or private lender at a less favorable rate.

Here's another thought: while I know that graduate student budgets are tight, it sounds like it might be worth the money for you to hire a realator.

This.

I don't see why it should matter where the writing sample comes from, as long as you're submitting your most developed and sophisticated work. Look at what your programs say they're looking for the writing sample to demonstrate. (When I did applications the first time around for my lit M.A., for instance, programs wanted me to demonstrate my capacity for literary criticism specifically, as well as my more general abilities to develop a critical argument, etc.) As long as your sample demonstrates the kinds of skills the committee is looking for, it shouldn't matter where it's come from.

Before you begin writing a Statement of Purpose (or as part of that process)—and before you start worrying about your application packet—you need to develop a really clear idea of the kind of research you want to do. Then you'll want to start looking for schools that fit what you want to study (and how you want to study it). So my advice would be to make developing a clear scholarly identity for yourself your first priority. If you're not already, read read read in your discipline. Identify scholars that are meaningful to you, or paths of inquiry you'd like to go in.

In my department, it's rare (actually, impossible) to be do grad coursework over the summer, so I've never had to take summer classes. Most funded students in my department are on TAships; there's not too much summer teaching around (or if you manage to snag a class, it's only 3 weeks long), so summers are pretty much a break from stipend-paying duties whether you like it or not. Even when I've been on RAships, though, my advisor didn't care if I took trips home over the summer, so long as I was still reading and meeting with her every couple of weeks. Most grads in my department (in addition to a part-time job, for some) use summers to get a jump on professionalization and for finding extra time to read for exams, dissertate, etc.

I agree!—and in fact, when I applied, a couple POI suggested I speak with their grad students so I would know what it's like to dissertate with them, etc.

It's definitely not time for narrowing yet, so you're still in a good place. Hopefully you'll get more suggestions! Also, wasn't quite sure if I understood what you were saying: but Ohio State and Penn State are definitely either high Tier II or Tier I schools as well. They were on my reach list last time around, though it could be somewhat less competitive in their lit programs, perhaps.

Usually schools/departments have some kind of TA orientation before the start of the year, but it can't hurt to try to get a hold of curriculum materials, etc. Don't spend your own money on student textbooks, though; you'll get free copies, as an instructor.

I don't want to beat a dead horse, but I was going to make a similar comment about the description of rhet/comp. Writing centers is a small sub-field within the discipline, and it'd be difficult to characterize "the kind of work" done in rhet/comp tracks and departments: some schools are heavily focused on rhetorical theory, while others focus more on pedagogical practice. And rhetorical theory encompasses a huge range of focuses and conceptions in and of itself. Some schools focus on classical and epistemological rhetorics, while others think more socially (perhaps focusing on ethnography or discourse communities) and would more broadly define rhetoric as "making meaning." At any rate, I don't mean to harp on this, as i realize you're not strongly considering it for your own scholarship. Just wanted to clear the record.

I unfortunately don't have any specific schools to recommend you add to your list, but I do have a bit of unsolicted advice!&nbsp;&nbsp;I recommend, as you continue adding to your list, that you ensure your schools represent a wider range of tiers/competitiveness (UT-Austin, for instance, is one of the most competitive rhet theory schools in the country).&nbsp;Of course, this would be far more helpful if I had suggestions for you. <div><br></div><div>Assistant profs: hard to say. One of my mentors here is really knowledgable, already well-known in his subfield (heard his name thrown around like candy at a recent conference), and is doing a crazy amount of research. But it's also possible you could end up with someone who seems really "green." &nbsp;Best advice is to try to visit schools when/if possible. (This strategy may be best once acceptances come in, next spring.)&nbsp;</div>

Not sure whether this will be comforting (hope it is!), but the expectations for the "level" of your writing will partly depend on what degree you're applying for. That is, adcoms will have different expectations in mind for applicants for MA programs than they will for applicants for PhD programs. Either way, given that you haven't done graduate-level work yet, it is possible they'll focus on "promise." (This would be all the more true if it's a program that regularly accepts B.A. students.)

truckbasket's advice is great. I'd second the advice to keep an open mind about cultural studies (and rhetorical studies, too) for now, based on your interests in discourse.

The advice about finding an advisor who is also a good mentor is really important, IMO. My partner, while he's doing fine, has run into a lot of frustration and set-backs because his PI was a bit too hands-off in the beginning stages of his project. Some people do fine without much guidance, but I know I'm also the kind who needs supportive mentoring in doing my research. I'd also second fuzzylogician's advice about personalities that work well together.

From my experience mailing things to the UK (I studied abroad and have some friends who still live there), you're more likely to run into variations in delivery time because of the Royal Post than the USPS. That is, when you send something over via USPS, they hand it over to Britain's postal system. Usually they handle things quickly, but I've occasionally had quirks where things took longer than expected. I've generally not had any problems, and often had things delivered more quickly than expected. But if you want to be safe, sending something priority or express (not overnight) is still affordable but a bit more reliable.

From conversations with the adcom at my current school and advice circulating on this board, I've learned it's more likely that adcoms whittle it down by the first few lines of your SOP. My GRE scores were actually just below the required minimum at the schools I was accepted to.

I've occasionally read over breaks in preparation for a term that looked particularly busy (I had to overload one term my first year), but I don't think you're a slacker for wanting to, you know, enjoy your last few months of no homework. Personally, I'd be reticent to read more than one or two week's worth of material, because you're going to forget much of what you've read by the time you get to the fall semester. I'm not sure what your classes are formatted like in your field, but mine are all three-hour seminars largely based on student discussion. If I'd read all the texts over the summer, I'd end up having to re-read them in preparation for each week's discussion anyway.

I just went onto uc.edu and saw that the daily rate at Stratford Garage (which is just about next to Deaconess) is increasing from $5/day to $7/day next year. I wonder if Deaconess will increase, as well? (Both have risen in price more or less together in the past...I remember when Deaconess was a lovely $3/day.)

I have to say I'm not terribly surprised. The exam, IMO, has absolutely no bearing on the kind of thinking graduate school works to cultivate. The idea that my capacity to do scholarly work in writing studies could be predicted based on the number of vocabulary words I can memorize is laughable. Two of my schools last application round didn't want to see GRE scores at all; i wish more schools would move in this direction. I wonder if anyone has numbers on the statistical reliability of GRE exam results?