Aaron McDevitt

Yup. I keep thinking of the performance art poi.

Oh, and LET US KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!!!

***Including if you get in or not!

I haven't been a TA yet, but being on the other side of asking for letters, I wouldn't want a recommendation letter from someone who doesn't feel like they can say good things about me. Just tell the student and they'll ask someone else, who might be able to write a better letter. Sometimes it's hard for a student to know who will be able to write a good letter for them.

@crazed: You seem convinced that one that does not subscribe to left-wing ideas is ignoring "facts", delusionally ignorant, and needs to move to India (which actually has subsidized health care). Frankly if you change the left-wing ideas to right-wing ideas and keep the "love it or leave it" sentiment that's no different than the bile on the neo-con radio shows. No thanks.

@Zee: Interestingly enough, I had more of your point of view for quite a while (worked on Clinton's '96 campaign, became a Kucinich supporter later) and it was after I worked in Brownsville, Brooklyn - which includes some of the most impoverished census tracts in the US - that I started to change my mind. As such, my views don't come from ignorance of the poor or their plight. I just don't think an entitlement system works for them nor do I think it is fair for us who pay their freight. It's not about villainization or stereotyping. I don't think it's about ignorance of history either, because until the New Deal, the welfare state as we know it in the US just did not exist.

Since you mentioned it: a grad student stipend disqualifies not just a student but even a student supporting a family of 4 him/herself from receiving food stamps in NYS. Even someone working a minimum-wage job can't qualify. So I would reject the idea of these government social programs supporting the "hardworking". It was my experience that most of the support went to those who were entrenched in a culture of entitlement in which literally generations of family members were not gainfully employed, by choice.

I indeed don't think a person has a right to healthcare, nor does he have a right to food. He can work for it, provide for himself and his family, and ask for charity if he must, but I don't think it's a right. Though I don't agree with much of Aaron's arguments I do agree with the analogy that this is tantamount to requiring someone to give someone care or give someone food on demand. What if someone came to your house and demanded free food because it's his right? People say, well we're a rich country and no one should have to pay for healthcare, but a grocery store owner does not have to give away food to those who cannot pay, even though food is something that is fundamentally required for one to survive. We do not have a national system of supermarkets or force people to pay into food insurance programs. (The food analogy is not mine: Dr. Bodreaux from George Mason wrote an article in the Journal making the analogy to public education. The article is called "If Supermarkets Were Like Public Schools", if you're interested.)

I don't know how this is like in the US, but isn't not being old enough to drink the biggest reason to drink? And I mean REALLY drink and get drunk very badly. At least where I come from, people do this, because it's forbidden so it's especially "cool" to be doing it.

And I can't believe that there aren't any grad students who don't like to drink (much) at your school.
Also: Does drinking at these get-togethers always end in being drunk? I think that's really weird... (At least for me, drinking is not the same as getting drunk)

1. obamacare? really?

2. the school in all likelihood won't give you anything back if you opt out of their health insurance. they don't deduct the cost of insurance from your paycheck, they give you the insurance for "free" and tell you it's valued at a few hundred dollars a month. i tried to opt out of my school's insurance, because i already have great coverage, and their insurance runs the cost of over $200/month. gouged. but they told me i wouldn't see that extra $200 because they technically don't charge me for the insurance.

There is much I could say, but am going to have to decline from framing a thoughtful reply in the immediate future...too many looming deadlines.

Here is one thing that sums up my initial reaction to the day's activity on this topic quite well:

The reason I want to bring it up is because I think it shows character when someone can work full time and complete a graduate degree. My work was unrelated to my academic interests and did not adversely affect my grades, but I think it says something when someone works to go to school rather than have their parents foot the bill.

^ Yeah, keep going with the "It's not me, it's them" storyline.

All this studying is making people really uptight. Chillllll outtt. Personally, the OP gives me hope. I have cleared 1 month to study FULL TIME for this test, and I can't even enjoy a study break without my heart rate increasing and finding myself in panic mode. I wish I was kidding. My test is on Dec. 15th! Yet, I can't help but feel like I should have started studying earlier, and that I'm a terrible person for not doing so. The OP just gives us all a different perspective. Am I going to continue studying? Yes. Will my mini panic attacks be less frequent after reading this? I hope so.

While I have never taken the GRE, I find it strange that people study for months in advance as well. I have never studied that much for any exam in my life, and I don't know why I would do so for this particular exam, no matter how important it is. I would expect some preparation from most students, but months worth may be excessive for most people.

About a week before taking the gre, I was browsing this forum for info on the new scale and could not get over how many people spent months studying for this thing. I suppose if you want a perfect score then okay, but really... Anyway I just wanted to let my fellow slackers know that you are not doomed if you aren't practicing an hour a day for 6 months. I studied for ~3 days and came out with V: 650-750 and Q: 670-770. Obviously not the best scores ever, but I'm happy. Now, back to xbox

I have submitted 3 out of 5. Kudos to those who apply to 10-15 programs. I don't have the $ or energy for that. Plus, I am pretty specific about where I want to go and if I can't get in those places, I don't want to go to grad school at all. Anywars, all the transcripts, GRE scores have been sent and any hardcopy info the programs required. I felt pretty confident when I clicked "submit" but now, I am having a lot of anxiety about my apps. One moment I am like, "if they don't want me, their loss!" next moment I am like, "I am not competitive, my scores are too low, my sop sucks..." I wish that these programs had rolling admissions, because waiting until Feb/Mar might give me an ulcer!

All right, for some reason a "b" in parenthesis is getting replaced with smiley faces above...but you get the idea.

They wouldn't necessarily know. Although I personally don't think I could pull of looking like a genuine PhD student if I knew I was going to leave after my MS. Perhaps someone with less of a conscience could do it, but not me.

You have no right to judge unless you yourself have not made a single ethical compromise. We've all lied, cheated, and stolen before. The difference between you and I is the difference between Master and Slave morality.

At Princeton, it costs about $80,000 a year to fund a single graduate student. I can safely say I have never stolen that much.

Some do. I tend to agree with your implied suspicion of such quickly-formed, intense friend/relationships, though.

Strong, real friendships take time. Also, the “character” of the cohort varies widely, depending on the school, program, even by the year. You have years in school to interact with these people, and likely your entire professional career beyond that.

You could probably describe my social life of the last two months as Spartan; my interactions with my cohort center around classes, seminar, who I run into in the office/mailroom/hallways, and an ill-attended weekly happy hour. It doesn’t bother me because 1) I am confident it will happen in time, and 2) I know there are an overwhelming number of other social outlets in the form of academic societies, beer drinking clubs, athletics, etc. etc. in my area. I’ve been real lazy about persuing those thus far, so I must not be truly lonely, right?

The grad student population in my MS was rife with cliques, gossip, bad feelings, and inter-dating. Being “outside” of it (when I first arrived) could be the most alienating feeling in the world; being a part of it was nonstop drama. While I still consider some of those folks my close friends, I very much appreciate the more slow-paced, professional, collegial rapport here.

And I’ll be your friend. At least, virtually.

I think its 95% fashion statement, but then, we convince ourselves its like 20% fashion statement and 80% something thats more reasonable to even make this a reasonable discussion.

for me, backpack all the way. And also for me, its both for functionality and fashion statement that I'm a friggin student that just need to get things done regardless of how I look. I'm never sacrificing functionality and convenience for looks. I have a shoulder bag for my laptop and its a * to carry, I just put my laptop in my backpack... along with my papers and lunch.

I use the websites many other posters have already mentioned.

I'll also throw in a plug for international books. I just got my first one today and it was in great condition, the cd that came with the book was fine, and it was about 150 bucks cheaper than normal.

Looks like you pissed off a bartender...

A lot of bartenders at the major bars/clubs in my city act incredibly entitled and do not provide good service. As a result they don't deserve a tip. If it takes me a really long time to get a drink (unnecessarily long), the tip is gone. If the bartender has attitude, the tip is gone. Getting a tip is not a given. It needs to be somewhat earned.

in grad school people are mature so there is no peer pressure to drink . what is more you can be the designated driver.

Everybody can understand 'Miffy went to the zoo'. There have to be things that are difficult to understand (i.e. which require good reading comprehension), because otherwise everybody will get the same score.

Dress codes are so freaking lame. I mean, not that I think we should all go around wearing pajamas all the time (though now that I think about it...), but what is the big deal? Jeans are functional, practical, and comfortable, so who gives a flaming fart if someone wants to wear them all the time? Hygeine and taking care of your appearance is undoubtably very important, but the concept of "professional attire" makes me want to pull my hair out. Does the style of pants we wear really affect our ability to do a job well? Or learn or communicate effectively? I think one of my primary goals in life is to have the type of job where I can wear whatever I want. The worst part about having a "real job" is having to worry constantly about whether this outfit is "appropriate" or "professional enough"--as if I would somehow become incompetent the minute I put on some Levis.

Anyway, </rant> now. Just wanted to get that off my chest.

Hi,

I'm a rising senior who is hoping to apply to doctoral programs in History this fall. I took the old GRE in July and just got the full score report: 710V (98%), 690Q (68%), and...a whopping 4 (45%) on the analytic writing section. What can I say? I choked...bad. So, I need an honest opinion whether the AWA score is too low for good phd programs in History, or if the other aspects of my application package will be enough to offset this noticeable blemish.

In short,
I am a double major in History (3.95) and English Lit (4.00). My overall GPA is 3.89. I am currently enrolled in two honors programs and will probably receive departmental honors in History. I just recently joined Phi Beta Kappa, although I don't really know if that's worth anything. My extracurriculars are solid, at least in my opinion. As for work experience, I know that I'll be going up against people who have worked for years in reputable companies and organizations, but I have done a couple of internships in law firms and publishing agencies. I am also completing a research assistantship at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute. As for SoPs, rec letters, and writing samples, obviously I'll do the best that I can.

I'm sorry if this kind of posts has been done to death in the past, but after getting my AWA score I'm seriously beginning to doubt whether I'm a viable candidate for first-to-second tier programs. Any thoughts would be appreciated.