runonsentence

robot_hamster brings up a really good point—SmartAssign on Blackboard is pretty sensitive, and will mark quotes as plagiarized (which means a human has to page through and verify) and also similar paraphrases or common phrases. I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're seeing (you said you're seeing "blatant plagiarism," so maybe you're seeing something worse than this), but one thing that might make you feel better is that it might not be intentional plagiarism. It may be that students don't understand that they're not doing a substantial enough paraphrase. Also, are any of the offenders international students? Plagiarism is a cultural construct specific to Western countries; many Asian cultures, for instance, don't really have a cultural equivalent. Oral traditions are also places where plagiarism is not only okay, but in a way encouraged (e.g., Martin Luther King's speeches are largely remixes of other people's sermons, which actually makes them more powerful).

Drop the course, I think you're over-thinking this. Adcoms don't spend that much time scouring transcripts, and I doubt one dropped course in an outside field against an otherwise strong record of grades would be of any concern. Additionally, while GPAs aren't the most crucial aspect of your application either, I think you run the risk of hurting yourself more by lowering your GPA with a C-level grade than you would by letting a "W" designation show up on your transcript.

Echoed. Definitely don't include high school GPA/rank information. Performance in high school classes isn't an indication of preparation for graduate-level research—which should be the indicator for whether anything goes on a CV. The CV should show your preparation to do scholarly work.

I'd echo the above: perhaps we can give you an idea of which journals are subjectively viewed with higher regard in the field if you give us an idea of what sort of area you're looking in?

Looking back and re-reading this, I'm sorry for being short if I've misunderstood the OP's intentions. I just took "i'm still uncertain of preparing my SOP entirely on my own" to be a very different kind of request from, "I'd like a tutor," or, "I'd like to swap drafts with another student." Especially because the OP mentioned already finding advice on what the SoP should look like and do. Honestly, it sounds like you should just get started—get a draft going and then ask someone to review it and point you in the right direction. Sometimes you just need to get a really bad draft down on paper in order to get going on something that's difficult to write.

Interesting. This is not how my applications worked, so I wonder if it's a field-specific thing. MA deadlines at the programs I applied to coincided with their PhD deadlines, so there wasn't really a rhyme or reason to which ones came first and which ones came last, it simply depended on when that particular program collected applications.

Well there are some competing axioms of advice at work here: you should ask those who know you best, but you should also ask those best qualified to judge if you're prepared to do graduate work (profs, others who have gone through the PhD process themselves). Unless you're going into a field that values professional experience (an MBA program, for example), it's best to minimize the number of professional reference writers (I've heard others say 1 is best) and focus on asking professors. However, for students who have been out of school a long time, this can be tricky. You have to decide what makes the most sense for your own situation, knowing all of these tensions. In general, I'd say to ask as many professors as possible and use professional references once you've exhausted academic reference writers. Thus, I asked the OP if s/he had other options besides this short-letter-writer.

How did you word the request for the recommendation? Did you ask if your professor could write you a strong letter? Or just ask if he would be willing to write for you at all? This may possibly be code for "I can't write you a very strong letter, though it will still be positive." The fact that he mentions it will be short sends up another flag. Other possibility: he's incredibly busy (hence "short"). If you think he can endorse you strongly (you should ask this), then it could help to offer to assist in drafting the letter for him. Bottom line: I'd consider asking someone else if you can think of someone else who knows you as well or better, but if you have few options, I'd clarify with him whether his letter will be strong and offer to help draft it if he'd like, as revising a draft you develop will take less time.

I don't understand how that's different.

I think the advice we can offer will depend on the character of the "looseness" of your discussions. Is the trouble that you're letting students run off on tangents? That you can't get a high enough participation rate? That there's not enough structure to the session? If the trouble is tangents, I'd say that the thing to do is jump in more often and be a bit more directive. If the trouble is participation, start cold calling. (I tell students they're allowed to "pass" if they don't know the answer, and reiterate that it's okay to give the wrong answer.) I find that cold calling not only ups participation because I'm calling on students to supply the answers, but it also encourages my quiet students to start speaking up more in class, of their own volition. If the trouble is structure: I'm in a bit of different situation in that I carry full instruction responsibility for a small class (23 students), but I tend to structure class discussion in various ways. Some days we work together as a class in a very traditional format, but other days we break into groups first before reporting back to class (sometimes all groups work on same activity, other days each group works on a different discussion question to present to class), jigsaw, begin class with a freewrite that feeds into discussion or other write-to-learn activity, discuss with pairs before reporting in.... In short, I work to find ways to structure the class that still rely on student work and effort (and don't have me handing them information). I wonder, too, if perhaps some body language would help the character of your discussions (as you mentioned that your prof asked you to "talk louder"). It is possible to develop a teaching style that is more assertive and directive while at the same time remaining approachable and encouraging student input, so it needn't sacrifice the ethos you're working to cultivate.

I've kept several research blogs over the past few years, and I documented them on my CV. My general research blog I listed under "Projects." Another I kept pertained to a specific area of research in which I had other projects to list ("Assessment Studies"), and so there it went.

@Behavioral Holy stash, Batman! Wicked pen choices, all. Question for all the Sharpie pen users: how bad is the bleed through on the page?

Not unless you can spin such organizations under something more scholarly, like service or professionalization. Adcoms don't really care much about extra-curriculars unless they fall under these categories, and then it's still only a peripheral concern.

In general, my advice on including details in the SoP is to ask yourself whether or not it has an important and/or direct connection to your research interests. If you think that mentioning this background gives the committee a clearer picture of your interests and where they've come from, then include it. That said, I wonder if you need mention that your prof has worked with so-and-so-famous-professor? You haven't worked with the famous professor yourself, after all, and so much of academia is a game of 3rd degree relations. I'd stick to mentioning the profs you did work with and the titles; besides, this may achieve your objective anyway, if these mentors of your mentors are so well-known, naming the publications may be enough for your adcom to pick up on this 3rd degree relation.

long_time_lurker: all I was trying to get at is that OWS gatherings have been, by-and-large, peaceful affairs, and that the largely militarized response of the NYPD every time they march seems rather escalationist and reactionary. I have seen report after report of a calm, peaceful gathering where NYPD are ordered to show up in helmets, if not full riot gear, because...well, I don't know. it happens to be large? they're challenging the status quo of corporate rule?

As does My feelings echo those of fuzzylogician's: it gets to a point where it's weird to continue using titles, especially if they introduce themselves by first name.

This topic might out me as completely neurotic, but for those of you who still take notes and underline on hardcopies, what are your favorite pens and why? I really like Uniball Signo Gel Grip pens (medium point) when I'm writing out notes because of how smoothly they write and how dark the ink is, but they do tend to run through quickly because of the medium point. It's hard to underline with them or write in books, too, because they bleed so much and splotch a bit (they have a gel ink, I believe). I also really like fine and medium Papermate Flexgrip ballpoint pens for underlining and as more of an "everyday" pen. They're my favorite standby of the affordable/cheap pens out there. Curious to know what others use! I'm celebrating a raise in my stipend by buying a supply of nice pens from the store (instead of only relying on the freebies I've snagged from publisher booths at conferences, hah).

So...you're looking for someone to write it for you? If so, you're barking up the wrong tree.

I just heard about it because I'm taking a fem theory course and it was mentioned by some Philosophy PhDs (you can also do the Philosophy PhD/WGSS MA). They're accepting applications for it for the first time either this cycle or next.

I listed selected coursework on my CV, but only because I wanted to show adcoms that despite having earned my MA in literature, I was still coming into a PhD in rhetoric and composition with relevant coursework.

No worries, you're fine

Hi again ZD, As an outsider looking in, this sounds like really controlling behavior on the part of your boyfriend. I know I don't know you or your situation, but it concerns me that your boyfriend would allow his own notions on what is "best" for you, his personal feelings about antidepressants, and his anger stand in the way of you trying to do something about your depression and suicidal thoughts. You should really consider medication again, IMO, again because therapy alone isn't working and because your therapists (who do know you and your mental health better than I) are urging it. Please don't let your boyfriend's feelings on this take precedence over your health. If he truly cares for you, he can/should/MUST learn to be okay with you taking actions to better your mental health.

I'm not sure about other programs out there because I didn't really research this when I was applying, but my own program, Cincinnati, is in the process of unveiling a program that would allow you to earn an MA in women's/gender/sexuality studies and a PhD in English. (In the meantime, we have a certificate in women's studies, and there's a fair amount of crossover in straight-up English seminars as well because many lit professors have dual appointments in both departments.)

This thread may be of related interest, in a way, as it concerns personal background factoring into a SoP as well: I'd say you're not totally off-base, since you want to discuss how it led you to your research interests and informs your work. My advice would be to focus on the "it affects my worldview and how I approach X and Y theories/texts" and not to focus so much on the overcoming-personal-adversity aspect of it.

What's your field? How many years have you invested so far? Can you switch to a different advisor without setting back your time to degree? In all honesty, my first instinct would be to get the hell out and find another advisor. I'm the sort who needs a good working relationship with a mentor in order to be productive. Anyway, I ask you your field because it can sometimes be trickier in different fields of study (e.g., it would probably be easier for me to switch than my partner, because he is in the lab sciences and his stipend comes out of his PI's grant pile, not the department fund like mine does).