runonsentence

If you have a question about LoRs (or any other application packet type question), you should first direct your question to the grad secretary, not the DGS.

If s/he doesn't know the answer or feels unsure about the answer, then s/he will direct you to the DGS.

Last, I'd do this over the phone instead of as an email. It's a good time of year to call because it's not the first week of classes and it's not right up against application deadlines. Every secretary I've spoken with over the phone was super nice and helpful. And it'll save you time over fretting about the right tone or right way to open up the correspondence.

I did this too, with an independent study as an undergrad. The most important thing, IMO, is to pick a title that will be self-explanatory on a transcript (that is, it will give a clear picture of what you did in the course). Also, take a look at a copy of your transcript if you can: how many characters does it allow for course titles? It may be best to pick something short so that it doesn't get cut off.

I don't think you should call it a survey, either. For one thing, that sounds really, really broad, and for another I'm not sure if it's accurate? (As the course is primarily made up of contemporary theory, it sounds like.)

You mentioned that the content would be designed around your interests. What kinds of interests are going to determine what you add/subtract from what your professor usually teaches?

FWIW, I've never actually heard anyone say a publication was a bad thing, either. In fact I was very strongly encouraged to publish an essay as a second-year MA student.

First, do not freak out. You are going to make it through this experience. Any graduate student worth his or her salt can do three things consistently--sleep in any position, no matter how uncomfortable the surroundings; turn any topic into a viable research project; and find ways to stay fed.

I recommend that you develop a matrix of different housing options. Program into this matrix the cost of breaking your lease. See if you can develop an option where there's still a net savings.

If breaking your lease is simply something you cannot do, keep the following in mind for next time. One can get a lot more bang for the buck by renting a room in an apartment/house than by living alone. The key will be to make sure you and any prospective housemate vet each other carefully. If you're in a seminary, you will have no trouble finding a good place to stay--it is a renter's market.

If your school is reasonably close to mass transit, consider getting rid of your car. To calculate the amount you'd save from not having a car, multiply the number of months you drive in a month by $0.56. (This value excludes the savings one can get by negotiating a lease without parking privileges.) You may qualify for a student rate metro pass. If you're in the L.A. area, you'll find that the LAMTA is reliable enough for your needs during the week (if not during the weekends).

To the extent possible, skim off some of the money you're getting now and put it aside for the lean times ahead.

Give thought to offering your services as a tutor on craigslist. If you travel this route, make sure that your rate is competitive and that all of the tutoring sessions take place in a public space.

Give thought for asking your friends and relatives for gift cards for the coming holidays, ideally for gift cards from area super markets. At worst, ask for Starbucks gift cards. (Nothing imparts a sense of omnipotence like a Starbucks card with $100.)

In regards to you not receiving your stipend during the summer months, double check to see if you can get your tuition covered for summer school courses. If so, max out the number of classes you can take. Spend as much time in the stacks as you can stand. Keeping busy intellectually will help dull the edge of hunger. And of fear. If you play ball, the summer is a great time to work on your midrange game. (I suggest you do this indoors. It will be better on your knees and the time will pass more quickly.)

If you don't have membership to COSTCO, find someone who does. In the months leading up to the summer, stockpile inexpensive food stuffs. Before you do so, I recommend that you get a good sense of what kinds of inexpensive foods you can handle physically and psychologically. (If you're going to be eating the same basic foods over and again, you want to make sure it isn't something that enhances depression or tears up your stomach. In regards to the former, I recommend Nescafe, Splenda, and evaporated milk. In regards to the latter, I recommend that you avoid the cheap ramen noodles and go with varieties that are more expensive--your stomach will thank you.)

In regards to the logistics of the summer move, ask around. Someone will know someone who has a truck. Someone else will know someone who has a place to store stuff. Everyone will need help moving. (And if you're good at the basics of shrink wrap, you'll find yourself in demand.) You put these people together and pool resources, you will find a way.

Remember at all times to keep your sense of perspective and your sense of humor. Acknowledge that you face a serious challenge but don't be overwhelmed. You will make it through.. Keep in mind that you are intelligent, that you are resourceful, and that there are people around you who will help. Use your intellect and your resourcefulness to develop and to implement solutions. This may include finding a dozen ways to make PB&Js. It may also include finding a nice groove where you're so involved with your studying that the lean days of the summer fly quickly. It may also involve reading the autobiographies/memoirs of senior scholars and other luminaries in your field. When you read about what they went through during similar phases in their lives, you'll smile to yourself and know you're just continuing the tradition.

HTH.

FWIW, it's possible that the OP is referring to a different kind of situation—I taught mostly freshman during my MA, and several asked me for letters for local scholarships and the like, not grad school.


OP, my advice mirrors others' here: simply let the student know that it will be difficult for you to write a strong one at this point because of X, Y, and Z. (For example, "Well, I'm willing to, but at this point I can't say that I knew you very well because my attendance roster shows you were absent for half of our class meetings so far, and if you'll remember the feedback I gave you on your last essay draft, I feel like I haven't been seeing your best work so far.")

If you want to be kinder about it, you can tell the student what kind of performance it would take for you to consider the student having turned a new leaf ("I'll feel better able to write a strong letter if your next essay draft were really strong and your attendance improved"). Maybe that will have the dual benefit of allowing you to write the letter and also turn around the student's class performance.

FWIW, it's possible that the OP is referring to a different kind of situation—I taught mostly freshman during my MA, and several asked me for letters for local scholarships and the like, not grad school.


OP, my advice mirrors others' here: simply let the student know that it will be difficult for you to write a strong one at this point because of X, Y, and Z. (For example, "Well, I'm willing to, but at this point I can't say that I knew you very well because my attendance roster shows you were absent for half of our class meetings so far, and if you'll remember the feedback I gave you on your last essay draft, I feel like I haven't been seeing your best work so far.")

If you want to be kinder about it, you can tell the student what kind of performance it would take for you to consider the student having turned a new leaf ("I'll feel better able to write a strong letter if your next essay draft were really strong and your attendance improved"). Maybe that will have the dual benefit of allowing you to write the letter and also turn around the student's class performance.

Addressing your first concern that, from your research on top 50 schools, Asian female professors typically are more interested in feminist studies tells me that you need to look at professors that aren't Asian females to see who in those programs reflects your area of study. While I can see the draw to study under an Asian female given your heritage, you are probably going to have to step outside of your comfort zone and look at other professors. I'm 100% sure that in the top 50 programs there are professors that work in your area of interest. I'm concerned that you limited your research based on the ethnicity and gender of professors.

The second concern of being the only female on a panel (or in the room) at a conference and asked to give an opinion from the Asian perspective do not necessarily line up to one another. Being the only female in the room at a conference is odd, but it could happen given the circumstance. It does not reflect that women do not study the humanities...at all. For the panel to ask you to approach something from an Asian perspective was the panel asking for your view because you are from another culture, and panels more often than not do not have scholars from abroad. It is a great way to gain perspective that we (Americans) may not immediately jump to because we are trained differently/have different cultural and historical aspects we consider. I do not see, however, how this impacts finding a professor that is a fit for you.

You will 100% have to deal with feminism if you wish to pursue a career in literature. No one is saying you have to be a feminist scholar, but you will have to understand the concepts, importance, and impact of feminism (let alone other schools of theory) in order to advance in this atmosphere. Pardon me for being blunt, but I find it ignorant to think you can obtain an advanced degree and not do a single thing related to "female studies" as you put it. If you do not want to study anything relating to female studies then you may want to consider a different field.

Also, no school will ever tell you what you want to study. You tell them. Then they review your qualifications and see if you will be a fit for the department and if there will be a need for that area of study in the department as well. You may want to do more research on what graduate level English programs require, and understand the importance of all areas....especially "female related subjects".

Depending on seating, inappropriate laptop usage can be extremely distracting to other students as well. Plus, "they paid for the class" isn't really appealing to me: education isn't a product like a shirt which can be treated however. It is a contract between the student and the professor/university in which both are responsible for the amount of learning attained, in different ways. It's like ignoring your doctor's recommendations and saying "well, I paid for the appointment." Do that long enough and your doctor will "fire" you.

FWIW, it's possible that the OP is referring to a different kind of situation—I taught mostly freshman during my MA, and several asked me for letters for local scholarships and the like, not grad school.


OP, my advice mirrors others' here: simply let the student know that it will be difficult for you to write a strong one at this point because of X, Y, and Z. (For example, "Well, I'm willing to, but at this point I can't say that I knew you very well because my attendance roster shows you were absent for half of our class meetings so far, and if you'll remember the feedback I gave you on your last essay draft, I feel like I haven't been seeing your best work so far.")

If you want to be kinder about it, you can tell the student what kind of performance it would take for you to consider the student having turned a new leaf ("I'll feel better able to write a strong letter if your next essay draft were really strong and your attendance improved"). Maybe that will have the dual benefit of allowing you to write the letter and also turn around the student's class performance.

FWIW, it's possible that the OP is referring to a different kind of situation—I taught mostly freshman during my MA, and several asked me for letters for local scholarships and the like, not grad school.


OP, my advice mirrors others' here: simply let the student know that it will be difficult for you to write a strong one at this point because of X, Y, and Z. (For example, "Well, I'm willing to, but at this point I can't say that I knew you very well because my attendance roster shows you were absent for half of our class meetings so far, and if you'll remember the feedback I gave you on your last essay draft, I feel like I haven't been seeing your best work so far.")

If you want to be kinder about it, you can tell the student what kind of performance it would take for you to consider the student having turned a new leaf ("I'll feel better able to write a strong letter if your next essay draft were really strong and your attendance improved"). Maybe that will have the dual benefit of allowing you to write the letter and also turn around the student's class performance.

I suspect that there may be some cultural differences and ill-formed perceptions informing the OPs assumptions.

Simply put, h.s., you'll have a very difficult time finding any US school that forces you to approach your work from any angle that doesn't interest you such as "scientific/ feminist/ethnological approaches" while confining your interests in existentialism and religion. Grad lit programs allow for a great deal of autonomy, and very few restrictions aside from gaining certain overviews within the field. It's sounds like the apsa (?) convention was either an anomaly or your perception of what happened created this odd (and frankly, way out) assumption.

I'd wager that 99.9% of US schools would provide the faculty and experience in some capacity for a student to work in either existentialism/religion or scientific/ feminist/ethnological (these are bizarre categorical clumpings, BTW)-- that choice would be yours. But I'm baffled as to how you're having difficulty locating professors that work with the authors you listed!

Take a look at some secondary work on those writers/subjects and find out where their authors are located. If nothing else, that will open up the network of academics for you to research and discover who you'd be interested in working with as opposed to a particular school. It'd be wise to approach your search not from which school to attend, but what scholars you admire.

But as harpyemma stated, if you think you're going to be able to work in this field without somehow addressing gender concerns, you should probably do a little more research about what a graduate degree in literature entails. No one would demand that you specialize in, say, feminist philosophy, but it's something you can't simply ignore. I mean, if you're into existentialist work, then how on earth are you going to be able to write about a thinker as important to that field as, say, Simone de Beauvoir without addressing gender?

Good luck on your searches!

Kelkyann--

I recommend that you identify the professors in your department who are excellent teachers and that you ask them for guidance on how to improve those skills you think are deficient.

Also, if your program requires you to do coursework outside of your department, consider the value of doing that coursework in your institution's school of education.

Second, consider the value of handing out a student evaluation form to your students at the end of each class. This practice may provide useful feedback that allows you to make on the fly adjustments and to avoid fixing stuff that isn't broken. (Shoot me a PM with an email address if you want a template.)

Third, if you do take Sparky's guidance and go to a graduate student support group, I strongly recommend you pay careful attention to the motivation of the group's members. If your focus is on becoming an outstanding teacher, associating with those who have different goals may not be the most efficient use of your time.

HTH.

Different schools are looking for different things. Many (even most all?) successful applicants tailor their SoP to the schools that they are applying. Now, "tailoring" can mean a few things...it can mean swapping out a certain paragraph, or it can mean a radically different structure and focus. But in all, this means that there is no one ideal model for the SoP: a successful, ideal SoP will look different from program to program.

Your best bet is to tailor your document to your audience as much as possible—show that school why you're a good fit with their program culture, their faculty's research, and the strengths of their program. And yes yes yes, if they outline specific expectations, it would be foolhardy not to address them!

As for some general structural advice: if the school doesn't mention a length requirement, it's best to stick with a 1.5-1.75 page document (single spaced).

I don't think you should avoid saying anything about not drinking—stepping around it would probably make it more awkward. A simple, confident, "I don't drink, but I'd love to hang out with all of you at happy hour" would never come off as strange.

Thanks! Now, no one let my advisor see.

I've never allowed laptops, save for the last two or so weeks of class when we're workshopping. (I teach composition.) The entire class suffers if participation is crippled.

Also, I've made printing the readings out in hardcopy optional in the past, but don't anymore. Experience has taught me (and the directors of comp have confirmed the same) that they simply won't read as carefully on the screen as they will if I ask them to print and annotate.

Sets my alarms off pretty quickly. Saying "wrong to enjoy them," "humanities are bad," and "even if you don't enjoy them," were oversimplifications and sardonic, I thought. And that's just from the little part you quoted.

Unless you're being sarcastic, in which case...I give up. That would take too much energy.

Thanks! Now, no one let my advisor see.

the same thing happened to me when i moved 3000 miles for undergrad. the instant i connected my computer to the campus's network, it was loaded with viruses that shut it down almost immediately. there was a bit of a crisis back home that i could do nothing about, and i had no way of getting in touch with people (i didn't have a cell phone either) unless i went to the library. after a few fits of crying, mostly out of frustration, things were better on all fronts in a week or two. my best advice is to let yourself feel whatever you're feeling (abandoned, guilty, whatever) and then, once you've felt it, let it go. throw a fit, sob, punch an inanimate object, then breathe deeply and move on. there really isn't much else you can do at the moment and that isn't your fault.

as for general feelings of being overwhelmed, every new student experiences it. even returning to classes after the summer off, you'll feel overwhelmed getting back into your old work flow. it happens to all of us. everyone has different time/energy management strategies, but i've found that slowing every other part of my life down (such as catching the bus that leaves 20-30 minutes earlier than i need, taking leisurely walks on my way to the coffee shop to start work, browsing the record store for an hour before heading home, taking a break to clean up my work surfaces) has helped me move through my books/writing a lot faster and with less stress. i used to plan my time down to the hour thinking i was maximizing my efficiency, but instead i just felt rushed all the time. giving myself more time to get from A to B and do the little things throughout the day has made a huge difference in how busy i feel, even though i'm still getting as much done as i used to.

Thanks! Now, no one let my advisor see.

Conferences are really valuable experiences. That said, I've always had funding to go.

If you don't have funding right now, can you find some closer (or cheaper) conferences to start out with? Student conferences often have low (or free) registration fees.

I'm the only American in my new grad program, with the rest of my cohort being students that have recently relocated to the US. I feel like it's tough to approach the other students, and that it's tough to speak with them because I'm American. How can I be more approachable and friendly?

I'm going to be with these people for 4+ years, so I want to make sure that we at least get along. I absolutely love other cultures, but sometimes feel like I'm tough to approach as they're all international students. They have a shared experience as they're all experiencing a new country and culture, while I'm just experiencing a new program. Hard to create bonds with people, so how do I try and find common bonds?

Anyone have advice on how to come off as more approachable/friendly? I don't wanna be the typical loud/obnoxious American!!

Standard advice for those going into academia (especially the humanities) is not to pay for a degree if you have a funding opportunity. You're not really doing any of those things, BUT, choosing the school with funding, even if it's not as good, would give you more career flexibility (what if you hate law school?). $0.02

Assuming you have your acceptance in hand for the 2012-13 AY, I doubt you'd have library access set up earlier than the summer of 2012, if not autumn.

Other things to try: see if your current university offers alumni library access (my alma mater does). Also look into community access at public institutions and community colleges; many such schools offer limited community access to library resources and databases.

Do not feed the troll.