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ThePoorHangedFool

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  1. Downvote
    ThePoorHangedFool got a reaction from JeremiahParadise in Just for Fun!   
    Joseph Andrews and Shamela were much more enjoyable for me, I have to admit. Also, all those who love Tristram Shandy that haven't read A Sentimental Journey would probably find it worthwhile to read. It's only about 100 pages, and is an interesting work in part because of its slim nature (at least, that specific quality makes it a somewhat unique counterpart to Humphry Clinker, Joseph Andrews, and the other major works from that period that total around 400 pages each).

    I too have a fondness for Restoration-era literature, particularly that of Pope (and especially The Rape of the Lock, An Essay on Man, and An Essay on Criticism). Swift has a few poems that I also enjoy quite a bit (my cat's name derives from the several written about and/or for "Stella," or Esther Johnson, for what that's worth). I still hope to get my hands on a decent copy of Pope's edition of Shakespeare someday, though my last online searches weren't very fruitful...
  2. Downvote
    ThePoorHangedFool got a reaction from JeremiahParadise in Just for Fun!   
    I'm reading various sections from the second edition of Feminisms, which is in part because of its relevance to my current research and writing. I am now awaiting a very recently-released novel called The Family Fang, which is the work of a friend of mine and which has so far received abundant praise from every reviewer I've come across (the NYT evidently adored it, if that says anything in particular to anyone that frequents the book reviews printed in the Times).

    Next on my list is Harold Bloom's new book on the King James Bible, about which I welcome any opinions from people that have already read it or know anything relevant about it.
  3. Downvote
    ThePoorHangedFool got a reaction from Kitkat in Revised GRE Scores... Are these okay?   
    I don't think you need to ask whether a range of 750-800 is "good." The highest anyone can score on the either the Verbal or Quant. sections is 800, which you know, so don't ask questions like this. Regardless of whether you intended to initially (and despite whatever disclaimers of modesty you include), you end up just fishing for compliments in most users' eyes. And no one likes that. Just a tip; take it or leave it, really.

    In regards to the Quantitative range, that one is worth asking about simply because there's an extra 50-point breadth that extends the possibilities of your exact score. A 650 would be more than fine if you're looking at English programs. I heard of someone who got into an Ivy Ph.D. program with something like a 250 on the Quant. section, and I think most people would agree with me when I say that they're primarily concerned with the Verbal and AW components. Even if you score a 550, that would almost never be *the* reason you got turned down from a program (though there are always snarky new ways they can justify rejecting applicants, so don't quote me on that statement).

    If it puts any of this into context for you, or perspective, rather--I took the old GRE last October after studying for half an hour in my car outside the testing center. Literally. I was busy and had already decided I wasn't going to apply to programs till this fall, but it was too late to get a refund so I just took the test for practice. My scores with only a half hour's worth of flipping through an ETS guidebook were Q: 580, V: 660, and AW: 5.5. I am absolutely brainless when it comes to all things math, and I honestly guessed randomly on 90% of the questions and happened to do so pretty well that day. My verbal was so low almost entirely because of the antonyms questions, which aren't on the revised GRE, as you're aware, so hopefully it will be like the rest of the Verbal section, which was easy, simply sans antonyms.

    I've never personally heard of anyone that got a full 6 on the writing. I don't anticipate getting any higher than my last score of 5.5, which I'm pretty sure might have been a typo, or else what I considered to be the two foulest essays I've ever written (aside from my grammar, which I checked about four times before hitting 'complete' or whatever) are actually great examples for how to please the graduate assistants that grade the GRE AW parts.


    Hope some or any of this is useful for you.
  4. Upvote
    ThePoorHangedFool got a reaction from bluejay16 in SoP - Specificity of Interest(s)   
    The general consensus, among the several professors I've now consulted about this matter, is that for M.A. programs, an applicant's SoP shouldn't delve too deeply into the specific area of research he or she hopes to pursue if admitted. I mean, it makes sense, I suppose, to think about it in terms of what kinds of applicants adcoms are really hoping to find. If an applicant with a B.A. is applying to M.A. programs, the basic motivation is often to define exactly what will subsequently become the concentration of his or her research once in a Ph.D. program. If an applicant describes in too thorough detail what he or she wants to study during the one or two years most M.A. programs take to complete, there's a chance that adcoms might sense over-confidence or, and probably more likely, that they'll understand such a specific research focus as an implication of that applicant's hyper-narrow interest in English Literature generally.

    The advice I've received is essentially that if you've already been through an M.A. program and are now applying for Ph.D. tracks, it is definitely smart to be pretty specific and explanatory in what it is you hope to research if admitted. If, alternatively, you're an applicant with just a B.A.--applying either to M.A. or Ph.D. programs--it is typically a better idea to include *the* most fundamental descriptors to highlight what you're currently hoping to pursue. M.A. adcoms don't expect, and moreover don't want, a concentration so defined that the faculty of the programs themselves don't see a way for them to become the place for you to embark on that research (for a number of reasons). If you're applying straight to Ph.D. programs, the adcoms there certainly expect a more direct understanding of what exactly it is that you want to study; however, do leave room for the adcoms and faculty members to see ways for them actually to be able to work with you in reshaping and/or expanding, consolidating, etc., your idea.
  5. Upvote
    ThePoorHangedFool reacted to Two Espressos in Just for Fun!   
    Update: I'm now reading a wonderful collection of Vonnegut novels, including Cat's Cradle, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater; Slaughterhouse-Five, and Breakfast of Champions. I've actually never read Vonnegut before, so I'm very excited.

    Here's to hoping I can read all four works before the fall semester begins!
  6. Upvote
    ThePoorHangedFool got a reaction from Rachel B in Revised GRE Scores... Are these okay?   
    I don't think you need to ask whether a range of 750-800 is "good." The highest anyone can score on the either the Verbal or Quant. sections is 800, which you know, so don't ask questions like this. Regardless of whether you intended to initially (and despite whatever disclaimers of modesty you include), you end up just fishing for compliments in most users' eyes. And no one likes that. Just a tip; take it or leave it, really.

    In regards to the Quantitative range, that one is worth asking about simply because there's an extra 50-point breadth that extends the possibilities of your exact score. A 650 would be more than fine if you're looking at English programs. I heard of someone who got into an Ivy Ph.D. program with something like a 250 on the Quant. section, and I think most people would agree with me when I say that they're primarily concerned with the Verbal and AW components. Even if you score a 550, that would almost never be *the* reason you got turned down from a program (though there are always snarky new ways they can justify rejecting applicants, so don't quote me on that statement).

    If it puts any of this into context for you, or perspective, rather--I took the old GRE last October after studying for half an hour in my car outside the testing center. Literally. I was busy and had already decided I wasn't going to apply to programs till this fall, but it was too late to get a refund so I just took the test for practice. My scores with only a half hour's worth of flipping through an ETS guidebook were Q: 580, V: 660, and AW: 5.5. I am absolutely brainless when it comes to all things math, and I honestly guessed randomly on 90% of the questions and happened to do so pretty well that day. My verbal was so low almost entirely because of the antonyms questions, which aren't on the revised GRE, as you're aware, so hopefully it will be like the rest of the Verbal section, which was easy, simply sans antonyms.

    I've never personally heard of anyone that got a full 6 on the writing. I don't anticipate getting any higher than my last score of 5.5, which I'm pretty sure might have been a typo, or else what I considered to be the two foulest essays I've ever written (aside from my grammar, which I checked about four times before hitting 'complete' or whatever) are actually great examples for how to please the graduate assistants that grade the GRE AW parts.


    Hope some or any of this is useful for you.
  7. Upvote
    ThePoorHangedFool reacted to ThePoorHangedFool in Assorted Questions   
    One last bit of advice that could be useful is perhaps to think about applying to M.A. programs at any of the schools in which you're interested that seem to place some sort of emphasis on undergraduate research. I doubt any will use the terms "thesis" or "honors thesis," but it's possible to read closely into something a school includes on its website that attempts to list things in which undergraduates (or applicants with just a B.A.) hoping to apply there should have already gained even without earning a master's degree yet and getting real graduate work experience.

    My institution has only very recently begun to make real efforts toward strengthening its undergraduate research opportunities, but interestingly is already a school at which it is very easy both to pursue independent research and to find a faculty member who wants to mentor you during the research process (it would be more difficult to find a professor that didn't want to help). Interested students that actively attempt to set up their projects never have problems designing an appropriate independent study for a semester research paper/project, but the current problem is that little to no publicity exists that offers even the basic idea of an independent research study to students, which is the initial matter to be improved. Some students don't ever try to pursue undergraduate research simply because they aren't aware that they can. I'm helping my thesis advisor start to build a web page that will outline in detail every possible relevant issue/question/answer that goes along with undergraduate research ("What is JSTOR?" "What's the difference between APA and MLA?" "How and when do I use footnotes?" "Who are the major theorists that I need to look up if I'm interested in Marxist theory?", etc.).


    I digress...for no reason...le sigh. Insomnia dissolves the barrier between the thoughts worthwhile to share after thinking them and the thoughts not interesting to anyone but one's self and better kept unspoken. My thoughts are all consequently acknowledged as uninteresting to everyone else but me, yet still vomited out uncontrollably into my computer for a reason I have yet to discern.

    Anyway, bdon19, my essential point was lost somewhere in the fluff and haze I managed to stuff into this post. It basically is just the suggestion to try your best and figure out if any of the programs for which you're now planning to apply as a hopeful Ph.D. candidate make any subtle remark in their guidelines/advice/FAQ, etc., or silently establish an implication that its admitted applicants will be those with a very substantial background in research. If there are any like this (I would guess there'd be at least one), apply to that school's M.A. program instead.



    One thing applicants for Ph.D. programs have to keep in mind is that the adcom is only going to admit people about whom there are literally NO doubts or hesitations, obviously primarily among the faculty. These schools can't afford to admit applicants that can't prove their preparedness for a multiple-year research endeavor (i.e., the dissertation). This is one reason getting a master's can really be beneficial in some cases; it is a pretty self-explanatory signifier that an applicant has been exposed to the work expected of Ph.D. candidates. Applicants only holding a B.A. and looking to enter Ph.D. programs have to try extra extra EXTRA hard to prove their capability to the adcoms and faculty.

    Thus, I would assume that an applicant's ability to claim the completion of an undergraduate thesis is something that 1) means very different things for B.A.-holders coming from different schools. Some English departments, like yours, bdon19, demand 150 pages, while others give a range of 60-80 for a research project that at the end of the day will sound the same as the first school's project. Both are technically honors theses, both were completed as an undergraduate, both could even be focusing on the same period or area or theory or whatever. The adcoms at all graduate programs will not be reading the full version of either honors thesis, however; they'll read excerpts from each that total around the same number of pages.

    BUT the applicant whose SoP or other application component describes the research it took to write 150 pages successfully will eventually be differentiated from the one whose 70-page honors thesis logistically just doesn't sit on the same plane as the longer project.

    That all being said, bdon19, it sounds like your capstone project will involve some type of research itself...(?) So, despite that it's a shorter undertaking than an honors thesis would have been for you, the adcoms won't know that when they hear about the work you did do. Thus, if the capstone does entail significant research, talk about it in a way that doesn't reduce it to work that is just "similar" to the work done for a thesis. From your description offered to them, adcoms should consider your capstone project's research aspect as having required the same amount of mental effort and hours to complete as an honors thesis would (just don't use your school's criteria for an HT when explaining all of this, I suppose I'm saying).

    If your capstone project won't lead to this idea being realistically useful, you'll definitely want to determine which programs offer M.A. funding and apply to those at the very least in addition to the Ph.D. programs to which you're planning on submitting applications. If it looks as though you aren't going to be able to claim any prominent undergraduate research work done at all, I would be wary of applying to Ph.D. programs. That "lack" in your application doesn't at all indicate your lesser capabilities or insufficient preparedness for an M.A. program, if not one for Ph.D. candidates as well; however, it does make the applicants that do describe undergraduate research in their applications, in addition to the applicants with their master's degrees, of course, appear to be more likely to succeed in their graduate studies (at least on paper).


    This is probably inordinately confusing, for which I apologize; obviously I'm hoping for responses pointing out anything I've explained poorly or even stated fundamentally incorrectly. I only want to straighten out the inevitably tangled and thorny branches of this briar patch of a post....
  8. Downvote
    ThePoorHangedFool got a reaction from Phil Sparrow in Assorted Questions   
    One last bit of advice that could be useful is perhaps to think about applying to M.A. programs at any of the schools in which you're interested that seem to place some sort of emphasis on undergraduate research. I doubt any will use the terms "thesis" or "honors thesis," but it's possible to read closely into something a school includes on its website that attempts to list things in which undergraduates (or applicants with just a B.A.) hoping to apply there should have already gained even without earning a master's degree yet and getting real graduate work experience.

    My institution has only very recently begun to make real efforts toward strengthening its undergraduate research opportunities, but interestingly is already a school at which it is very easy both to pursue independent research and to find a faculty member who wants to mentor you during the research process (it would be more difficult to find a professor that didn't want to help). Interested students that actively attempt to set up their projects never have problems designing an appropriate independent study for a semester research paper/project, but the current problem is that little to no publicity exists that offers even the basic idea of an independent research study to students, which is the initial matter to be improved. Some students don't ever try to pursue undergraduate research simply because they aren't aware that they can. I'm helping my thesis advisor start to build a web page that will outline in detail every possible relevant issue/question/answer that goes along with undergraduate research ("What is JSTOR?" "What's the difference between APA and MLA?" "How and when do I use footnotes?" "Who are the major theorists that I need to look up if I'm interested in Marxist theory?", etc.).


    I digress...for no reason...le sigh. Insomnia dissolves the barrier between the thoughts worthwhile to share after thinking them and the thoughts not interesting to anyone but one's self and better kept unspoken. My thoughts are all consequently acknowledged as uninteresting to everyone else but me, yet still vomited out uncontrollably into my computer for a reason I have yet to discern.

    Anyway, bdon19, my essential point was lost somewhere in the fluff and haze I managed to stuff into this post. It basically is just the suggestion to try your best and figure out if any of the programs for which you're now planning to apply as a hopeful Ph.D. candidate make any subtle remark in their guidelines/advice/FAQ, etc., or silently establish an implication that its admitted applicants will be those with a very substantial background in research. If there are any like this (I would guess there'd be at least one), apply to that school's M.A. program instead.



    One thing applicants for Ph.D. programs have to keep in mind is that the adcom is only going to admit people about whom there are literally NO doubts or hesitations, obviously primarily among the faculty. These schools can't afford to admit applicants that can't prove their preparedness for a multiple-year research endeavor (i.e., the dissertation). This is one reason getting a master's can really be beneficial in some cases; it is a pretty self-explanatory signifier that an applicant has been exposed to the work expected of Ph.D. candidates. Applicants only holding a B.A. and looking to enter Ph.D. programs have to try extra extra EXTRA hard to prove their capability to the adcoms and faculty.

    Thus, I would assume that an applicant's ability to claim the completion of an undergraduate thesis is something that 1) means very different things for B.A.-holders coming from different schools. Some English departments, like yours, bdon19, demand 150 pages, while others give a range of 60-80 for a research project that at the end of the day will sound the same as the first school's project. Both are technically honors theses, both were completed as an undergraduate, both could even be focusing on the same period or area or theory or whatever. The adcoms at all graduate programs will not be reading the full version of either honors thesis, however; they'll read excerpts from each that total around the same number of pages.

    BUT the applicant whose SoP or other application component describes the research it took to write 150 pages successfully will eventually be differentiated from the one whose 70-page honors thesis logistically just doesn't sit on the same plane as the longer project.

    That all being said, bdon19, it sounds like your capstone project will involve some type of research itself...(?) So, despite that it's a shorter undertaking than an honors thesis would have been for you, the adcoms won't know that when they hear about the work you did do. Thus, if the capstone does entail significant research, talk about it in a way that doesn't reduce it to work that is just "similar" to the work done for a thesis. From your description offered to them, adcoms should consider your capstone project's research aspect as having required the same amount of mental effort and hours to complete as an honors thesis would (just don't use your school's criteria for an HT when explaining all of this, I suppose I'm saying).

    If your capstone project won't lead to this idea being realistically useful, you'll definitely want to determine which programs offer M.A. funding and apply to those at the very least in addition to the Ph.D. programs to which you're planning on submitting applications. If it looks as though you aren't going to be able to claim any prominent undergraduate research work done at all, I would be wary of applying to Ph.D. programs. That "lack" in your application doesn't at all indicate your lesser capabilities or insufficient preparedness for an M.A. program, if not one for Ph.D. candidates as well; however, it does make the applicants that do describe undergraduate research in their applications, in addition to the applicants with their master's degrees, of course, appear to be more likely to succeed in their graduate studies (at least on paper).


    This is probably inordinately confusing, for which I apologize; obviously I'm hoping for responses pointing out anything I've explained poorly or even stated fundamentally incorrectly. I only want to straighten out the inevitably tangled and thorny branches of this briar patch of a post....
  9. Downvote
    ThePoorHangedFool reacted to ktel in Revised GRE did anyone see something like this?   
    Language is constantly evolving, and there are many words used today that were non-existent in the past.

    I find the fact that you were appalled by her using "funnest" in a casual conversation with you to be arrogant and condescending. She obviously was not expecting to be judged so harshly. I am sure any formal writing or presentations that she does would be excellent, despite her 'appalling' use of a single word in a single conversation you had with her. Perhaps you are jealous of her funding or her situation. Your post certainly seems as if that is the case.

    Personally I find it "appalling" when people break out a calculator to count money or do other daily math tasks. Just because math is not the focus of your studies doesn't mean you shouldn't have a certain level of knowledge in the subject. Especially when you have learned it in the past.
  10. Upvote
    ThePoorHangedFool reacted to sollee in Revised GRE did anyone see something like this?   
    I am loathe to get involved in what reads to me as a very mean-spirited disagreement, but as a student of English I suppose it's possible you haven't had to take any Linguistics courses (although I hope that's not true) and are able to ignore the fact that the English language has been in a constant state of flux since its development. For centuries, "proper" speakers have been bemoaning the corruption of various words, the creation of new words that they considered unnecessary (in this context, we already have the phrase "more fun" so you don't see a purpose of or need for "funnest"), and the general "decline" of spoken (and written) English. There are several great books out there about this ongoing issue, PM me if you're at all interested in reading some of them, and I think you'll find it's less stressful to hear words misused when viewed from centuries worth of context.
  11. Upvote
    ThePoorHangedFool reacted to runonsentence in Choosing whether to apply for M.A. or Ph.D. programs   
    About UNC: UNC used to award MAs "along the way," preferring not to admit students with MAs so they could train them from the ground up. (This was their practice when I applied, BA in hand, for the 2009 app season.) As of last application season (when I applied again, MA in progress!) they announced the end of the MA>PhD route. They probably still admit some BAs, but I think that they're now weighted more-in-favor of MAs. I get the impression that funding played a part in that decision, but it's an inference made through outside observation.

    About OSU: I've only applied to OSU for rhet comp —so I've no idea what it's like on the lit side—but I know that it's incredibly competitive for rhet comp. I had it on my list of "reach" schools last season. It's a great program with good support and tons of faculty. For rhet comp (and possibly also for the rest of their English programs) it's much easier to get into the PhD program if you apply to the MA out of undergrad. It's not formal "MA-along-the-way," but applicants from the MA program are at an advantage if they decide to stay on for the PhD—which a fair number of their MA students choose to do.

    I don't know much about Temple, apart from the fact that Eli Goldbenblatt directs comp there (though I grew up north of Philly and can tell you about the area). UT-Austin is insanely competitive for rhet comp, but I know nothing about the lit program.

    About MA vs. PhD: I faced similar uncertainties as an applicant three years ago—am I competitive enough or ready for a PhD?—and decided to both apply to PhDs that were BA-friendly and MA programs. I ended up only getting admitted to my MA program, and going to my MA program it turned out to be the best thing I could have done at the time. It helped me quell the doubts as to whether or not I truly wanted (or was ready for) a PhD, helped me find my subfield, and gave me the experience I needed to be a more competitive applicant. But in the interest of full disclosure, I was funded, so that made my decision easier.

    So my advice is to try for some PhD programs, but throw a couple of terminal MAs in there, too; if nothing else, your MA schools can be your "safety" schools, where you'll have a better chance of being admitted.

    EDIT/P.S.: If you play your cards right, also note that an MA need not slow down your progress to degree. Though I took two years to do my master's, the exposure I got to ideas and even some of the reading I did has given me a leg-up on my PhD and made it more likely that I'll actually finish in 4 years. Something else to chew on.
  12. Upvote
    ThePoorHangedFool reacted to ThePoorHangedFool in Choosing whether to apply for M.A. or Ph.D. programs   
    Hi everyone,

    I know there is already a forum with a discussion basically the same as this one, but it hasn't had any recent posts lately and what was posted previously doesn't fully answer my question. This issue is one I'm currently facing, and I figured starting the topic over as more users begin to frequent the site, thereby resulting in more perspectives offered throughout the forums, could be as worthwhile a move for others as it hopefully will be for me.

    With a very deliberate intention to pursue my Ph.D., a drive which several professors with whom I've spoken so far say negates the need for a Master's degree by itself, I am still very unsure about a few of the programs to which I'm planning on applying. Obviously, several schools only offer doctorate-level programs, and my question is answered for me in their regard. The same goes for the schools offering M.A.s during the first year or two of study to all Ph.D. candidates that don't already have theirs upon entering the programs.

    Schools seem to define the common reason behind getting one's M.A. as "testing the graduate waters if one is uncertain whether he or she can handle a Ph.D. program." Are Ph.D. programs less likely to accept me than are terminal M.A. programs simply due to my lack of graduate-level experience combined with the connected task of explaining why I'm still equally as capable of Ph.D. work as applicants with their M.A.? I know I'm capable, and my LoR writers know I'm capable as well. I know that websites for many Ph.D. programs claim to admit applicants each year that have M.A.s and that don't. I have no easy way of trusting thate, and neither can I be sure that schools have any reason to believe that I'm prepared for their doctorate programs and am able to succeed in them despite not having those two (or less) years of extra M.A. experience.

    Funding (or the lack thereof) isn't a major issue for me; I'd prefer not to accumulate debt from a one- or two-year Master's program when essentially all Ph.D. candidates are fully funded. However, I'd manage if I only had the option to attend a non-funded M.A. program.

    Also, I'm currently most drawn to the schools that offer both degrees on the same track (for obvious reasons); any input on OSU, UT-Austin, or Temple is therefore welcomed (and/or other schools with a similar dual-degree option).

    Help?
  13. Downvote
    ThePoorHangedFool reacted to runonsentence in Revised GRE did anyone see something like this?   
    I mean this in the kindest way possible, so don't think I'm ragging on you: but I'd check this kind of attitude before entering graduate school, partly because your posts, I have to agree, are reading in a rather elitist way. And particularly because I know you want to go into English, and I think you might find that in many circles (perhaps not in the most conservative ones), you're going to find a rejection of prescriptive grammar. The NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) released a position statement on students' right to their own languages back in the 70s: http://www.ncte.org/...CC/NewSRTOL.pdf

    I'm going to take this opportunity to jump onto a critical soapbox: Languages are picked up through osmosis by those around us, and speakers from differing social, economic, and cultural groups in the U.S. all tend to learn different ways of speaking. The problem with the idea of a hegemonic "standard" American English is that (a) it doesn't exist and ( it marginalizes other vernaculars and dialects (a particularly robust example being Black English; see also Smitherin's Talkin and Testifyin). These "other" vernaculars and dialects are usually those of periphery groups, and they're usually only seen as wrong because they don't conform to the myth of the One, True Grammar.

    Think of it this way: if you heard everyone around you using "funnest" in conversation all your life (I know I hear plenty of people use it), you'd come to see it as an accepted part of speech. Further, say those around you understand what you mean when you use it, and you intuit a set of "rules" for using it (it denotes something is "the most fun"): you even realize that there are occasions when you can use it (chatting with friends) and occasions when it seems to be looked down upon (writing a paper). Why is this more "wrong" than operating within the rules of "correct" grammar? Deployed within the correct kinds of rhetorical situations, it isn't wrong at all. Just different.
  14. Upvote
    ThePoorHangedFool reacted to ThePoorHangedFool in Revised GRE did anyone see something like this?   
    Perhaps dividing fractions is as foreign a concept to me as not splitting infinitives is to you. And what kind of moron doesn't "really understand what a fraction is"? Wouldn't that imply some grander, fundamental lack of basic understanding, maybe even bordering on a mild level of sheer mental deficiency?

    On a totally related note, I was somewhat appalled to meet a girl this summer who is now starting her senior year at MIT. A civil engineering major (with, though entirely irrelevant, a tendency to detail each one of the scholarships she's currently being given so that she can graduate without debt from MIT without paying a dime aside from her travel fees), she happily used the non-word "funnest" during our first conversation and didn't bat an eye.

    I'm completely wrong, ktel. If MIT accepts engineering majors that somehow STILL use nonexistent words in their everyday speech without even realizing their errors, you're golden no matter what you score on the GRE's Verbal and AW sections.


    Split infinitives are harmless next to "funnest."
  15. Downvote
    ThePoorHangedFool got a reaction from runonsentence in Revised GRE did anyone see something like this?   
    Perhaps dividing fractions is as foreign a concept to me as not splitting infinitives is to you. And what kind of moron doesn't "really understand what a fraction is"? Wouldn't that imply some grander, fundamental lack of basic understanding, maybe even bordering on a mild level of sheer mental deficiency?

    On a totally related note, I was somewhat appalled to meet a girl this summer who is now starting her senior year at MIT. A civil engineering major (with, though entirely irrelevant, a tendency to detail each one of the scholarships she's currently being given so that she can graduate without debt from MIT without paying a dime aside from her travel fees), she happily used the non-word "funnest" during our first conversation and didn't bat an eye.

    I'm completely wrong, ktel. If MIT accepts engineering majors that somehow STILL use nonexistent words in their everyday speech without even realizing their errors, you're golden no matter what you score on the GRE's Verbal and AW sections.


    Split infinitives are harmless next to "funnest."
  16. Upvote
    ThePoorHangedFool reacted to ZeeMore21 in The sad truth   
    Very interesting question! I would only attend the lower-tiered institution if there were a handful of professors that seemed like a good fit...I don't think I would attend an institution because of one professor. Going to a program for one professor could be risky...you may attend the program and find out that you and the professor don't get along personality wise, or that the professor isn't really reliable (i.e travels frequently, isn't consistent when it comes to communication). It may even be a possibility that the professor of interest is set to retire soon after you arrive or is on the way to another institution. There are so many factors that makes attending an institution for the sake of working with one professor a very huge risk. Given this risk, I would probably go with the higher-ranked institution...there might not be a professor who does exactly what you do, but you will find a professor who is still well qualified to provide you with basic advice on how to go about your research.
  17. Upvote
    ThePoorHangedFool reacted to Sigaba in I need an honest opinion   
    MOO, your interests may best be served by re-examining your priorities. The blemish may not be your test scores or your GPA but your attitude towards the study history.
    Why do you want to attend a "first or second tier" graduate program? Is your desire based upon research on the specializations of those top departments and how you might contribute? Or are you just saying that, because you consider yourself a top student, you should go to a top program and the steps you've taken thus far about punching your ticket?

    You provide a lot of numbers as indicators of what you've done but you've not offered much information about what you know about history, or your interests, or how you see yourself making solid contributions in a graduate program. Keep in mind that numbers alone--especially one's undergraduate GPA--do not gain one entry into graduate history programs. You have peers on this BB who may not have numbers equal to you but they clearly demonstrate that they bring qualities to the table that make them more credible candidates for admission.

    @Aaron McDevitt. In the short time between now and the time you begin your work at Stanford, you might do well to spend time contemplating your profound insecurity. Your overwhelming need to be the cynosure is not equaled by your ability to sustain the attention you obviously crave. My $0.02.
  18. Upvote
    ThePoorHangedFool reacted to ThePoorHangedFool in 2012 App Season Progress   
    I had assumed from your remark about how you write LoRs for your students that you were the one with the most advice on the subject. Nobody is arguing; I was just precluding a potential squabble over nothing, which these forums can sometimes provoke unintentionally and usually through user miscommunication.

    Like this. My mistake for misunderstanding your position.
  19. Downvote
    ThePoorHangedFool reacted to Timshel in 2012 App Season Progress   
    I'm not sure who is arguing......I was just asking for advice because I have no idea what I'm doing.
  20. Upvote
    ThePoorHangedFool reacted to ThePoorHangedFool in 2012 App Season Progress   
    I think this is probably one of those issues that will inherently result in varying opinions based on how both individual applicants and LoR writers approach the idea of "tailoring" recommendations. A number of legitimate discrepancies factor into the level of personalization one LoR writer feels is worthwhile and/or necessary, and they seem obvious enough that I don't feel the need to detail each one right now. In my opinion, an LoR doesn't magically become more useful for a program's adcom just because it's more tailored to their own school and program. One that might technically be situated on the more "generic" end of this LoR spectrum could easily manage to convey a certain applicant's strengths or high potential to succeed at a school better than another applicant's LoR which, though written with the same school in mind and thus including pertinent details toward that regard, might fail to provide a necessary sense of confidence and enthusiasm that the LoR writer is presumed to have for the applicant to some extent.

    Anyway, that musing is probably a huge blob of stating the obvious, but I didn't want to see this discussion turn into an argument when there are so many reasons why there's not going to be a universal "right answer" concerning the matter.
  21. Downvote
    ThePoorHangedFool got a reaction from John_Duble_E in 2012 App Season Progress   
    I think this is probably one of those issues that will inherently result in varying opinions based on how both individual applicants and LoR writers approach the idea of "tailoring" recommendations. A number of legitimate discrepancies factor into the level of personalization one LoR writer feels is worthwhile and/or necessary, and they seem obvious enough that I don't feel the need to detail each one right now. In my opinion, an LoR doesn't magically become more useful for a program's adcom just because it's more tailored to their own school and program. One that might technically be situated on the more "generic" end of this LoR spectrum could easily manage to convey a certain applicant's strengths or high potential to succeed at a school better than another applicant's LoR which, though written with the same school in mind and thus including pertinent details toward that regard, might fail to provide a necessary sense of confidence and enthusiasm that the LoR writer is presumed to have for the applicant to some extent.

    Anyway, that musing is probably a huge blob of stating the obvious, but I didn't want to see this discussion turn into an argument when there are so many reasons why there's not going to be a universal "right answer" concerning the matter.
  22. Downvote
    ThePoorHangedFool got a reaction from John_Duble_E in 2012 App Season Progress   
    I had assumed from your remark about how you write LoRs for your students that you were the one with the most advice on the subject. Nobody is arguing; I was just precluding a potential squabble over nothing, which these forums can sometimes provoke unintentionally and usually through user miscommunication.

    Like this. My mistake for misunderstanding your position.
  23. Downvote
    ThePoorHangedFool got a reaction from John_Duble_E in Schools That Don't Require Subject Test   
    Seriously, guys... I legitimately can't remember the last time I corrected someone's grammar (which I've been doing since elementary school, to give some perspective) and he or she didn't subtly begrudge me indefinitely for doing so (I'm pretty sure that over time I lost more than a few friends that way, but evidently most of them have a kid and/or are married, so...can't say I'm overly regretful).

    Alternatively, this could very well be the first time anyone has taken my admittedly annoying red-pen remarks in a way not immediately described most accurately as "livid."

    My heart overfloweth... This is why the people who have no interest in the realms of higher education or academia are the same people who were annoyed by my attempts to help them sound less uneducated...

    : )
  24. Upvote
    ThePoorHangedFool got a reaction from Two Espressos in A Question about Theory/Criticism   
    Truth. I can vouch for this; my thesis advisor chairs the Medieval Studies Department at my undergrad university, in addition to being one of the most amazing professors in the English department (and, at 33-ish, one of the youngest). Medieval literature is difficult at first, but is great because not only does it heavily incorporate both religious, liturgical, historical, and geographical information by necessity as part of the very essence of understanding motivation behind the literature, but you effectively get to learn new languages (Old and Middle English, at the very least).

    AWESOME.

    You may now commence berating me for what can best be described as pure dorkdom.
  25. Upvote
    ThePoorHangedFool reacted to Sigaba in SOP mistakes: what to avoid   
    A concern that I had writing my initial SOP was that the focus of my undergraduate coursework would not be immediately evident on my transcript. On a lark, I figured out the percentage of courses I'd taken related to the Cold War and wrote a brief comment about it. The purpose of this comment was to get the attention of specific faculty members without naming them.

    Later, I had to write another SOP as a requirement to keep a fellowship. The graduate advisor did me a huge favor by confirming what I guessed when I handed it in to him--it stunk. I knew what was wrong with it without him saying (but he said it anyways--too much angst). The second version was much more upbeat.

    In the second version, I positioned myself on a trajectory that began with the exact moment I was sitting in a lecture and I decided I wanted to specialize in American diplomatic and military history. The essay briefly traced the arc through the rest of my undergraduate career, and elaborated on the work I'd done my first year of graduate school, and where I saw it going for the next twenty plus.

    This projection included comments about the types of monographs I intended to write. These comments were off beat in time and tempo. They went from the very general to the specific in a way that suggested I somehow knew where the cutting edge of scholarship would be in ten to fifteen years. The projection also discussed the types of courses I would like to teach as a professor. The essay ended with the hope that, one day, I could provide similar inspiration to an undergraduate sitting in a lecture hall.

    IMO, the projections of my future work as a professor resonated because I did not tip my hand. At the time, I was much more interested in teaching than in doing research. Instead, I presented myself as an aspiring academic who would enthusiastically do both.

    An additional comment. When I think back to writing SOPs, what I remember more than what I wrote (or what I did not write but should have) is how much fun the experiences were. The fun came from two sources. The first source was my ability to distancing myself from the notion that I am competing against others and to realize that in these kinds of situations, I am competing against my own potential as a human being and as an academic. Second, was the realization that I wasn't writing for a group readers who had a lot of power over my future and that I needed to impress them. Instead, I understood that I was writing for an audience that included potential peers and that I needed to earn their respect. If I wrote a SOP worthy of their respect, every thing else would take care of itself.

    One last comment. When it comes to writing SOPs and similar documents, I am a notorious procrastinator. In retrospect, I do not recommend this method. It is one thing to wait until the next to last moment to write that five page review essay on a book you've not yet touched. It is quite another to roll the dice on documents that will figure prominently in the trajectory of your life. YMMV.

    HTH.
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