Grunty DaGnome

Many US programs don't care or don't require the GRE subject test, either, Columbia and Duke, for example. I think there are several threads on these boards discussing other schools that don't care.

Not type A; type Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

A list is unnecessary. For this, they have created the Grad Cafe results board, which we will all be checking 10 times daily, starting in January

I think anything above a 600 you should send in.

Hmmm. Brown shows all my recommendations have been received. I entered all of this info around early October, though, and resent them Thanksgiving weekend.

I hate them all. Cuny's was also super dodgy.

Tell me about it. I wonder if my lower back will ever stop hurting.

Lame.

GREs are now graded on a 170 point scale, so I'm calling troll on the 1500 posting.

The best professor I've had in the MA program hasn't published much of anything since the mid 1990s. There are other, more well-known "rockstar" types on the faculty, [not as well known as Butler, but well known in their respective niches] and they won't really discuss anything with you, not your proposed paper, not the class reading, not even their own work assigned for class. Instead, they give you a line about how a "scholar" needs to learn to work independently --- but leave out that their spouses are in the same or related fields as their groundbreaking work. Yes, they probably never collaborated with anyone to work out their more complicated ideas. Did it all on their own.

The trick to paraphrasing Hegel, is to summarize the kernal of thought that interests you together with the opposing idea that he eventually gets around to several paragraphs later.

Don't blame Hegel or Heidegger, blame their translators...or read them in German. And, yes, Hegel is impossible to quote, because he doesn't intend his thoughts to be examined in isolation. It's sort of the basis of his entire world view.

If you attend UBC, is it possible to live close enough to the border that you can actually work in Vancouver, WA, but live in Vancouver, BC?

Your news actually made my night! I think an improvement that big really demonstrates tenacity! Also, its a reminder that gres don't define you. Its just one score out of many.

Good luck, lolo!

Oh, that's a relief! I thought magic 8ball answers were final and unappealable.

Send it next day priority mail with receipt.

Probably the biggest drawback to studying in Canada and then trying to return to the United States is that you'll be used to undergraduate students who are motivated, responsible and prepared.

Madam Sosostris, famous clairvoyant, had a bad cold, nevertheless Is known to be the wisest woman in Europe With a wicked pack of cards.

Ok, I'm posting my score from the above test, since that's what we do best around here: Q: will I get in to brown? A: sources say no. Q: will I get in to columbia? A: maybe Q: will I get in to NYU? A: yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All hail the magic 8-ball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dracula is a good read and so is Frankenstein, once we're on the topic. Purely for enjoyment, I'm planning on reading a mark twain anthology over the break, once application hell is behind me.

Has anyone else glanced over the current PhD candidate's specialty areas at the Universities where you're applying? I chose faculties that had professors teaching in my area of specialization, but for those who list their current PhD candiates, there are few or none who are interested in my area. Is this a legitimate way to predict my "fit" to a department? Or is this one more way for me to convince myself I have a chance and make those fantasies or the admit phone call seem even more plausible before the inevitable disappointment in the spring? All of you already in a PhD program who still glance at these boards, your comments are especially welcome!

Obviously, you have to go where you can get funding, but speaking as primarily and English major who has ventured out into Russian Language and cultural studies in Boston, you should really take a look at how old the professors in a department are. Boston and New York in particular benefitted from a huge Soviet brain drain in the 80s, and so many refuseniks became east coast professors. That was wonderful for the sciences and perhaps even for the history/poli-sci/literature departments of the time. Unfortunately, many professors you'll meet even at renouned institittutions like Harvard will freely admit that they have not returned to Russia, or perhaps only returned once or twice, since the fall of communism. I have friends in International Relations majors in Northeastern U and they say the same; that professor's expertise is stuck in the Cold War era. So if you're studying Russian Imperialist History, this won't be much of a problem, but if you are enthusiastic and adventurous, or worse yet, ACTUALLY Russian, but young enough to only remember the country post-communism, you are not going to recognize the classroom version of "Russia" which old, stubborn professors who feel the loss of their prestige as an "expert" about a country that was formerly inaccessable to westerners and is now fully accessible, but which they have not bothered to visit in decades. I would advise you check out the faculty for anyone with a degree or joint degree from a Russian/Ukrainian or even German University post 1990s in order to ensure the department is open to new ideas and not stuck in really, really, really old narratives about Russia and Russian history.

I am also a non-traditional or returning student. It's really tough to get back in the swing of school, eh? Once you have, I think it's important to stay involved. Even if you don't want to get a degree in Oklahoma, perhaps you can look into to taking classes that are non-terminal for a degree program. This might mean paying a little money, but I'm guessing the State school is somewhat affordable. I did this quite a bit in Boston; took a class here and there at UMASS or Harvard's Extension school, which is an affordable evening school Harvard opens to the community. When it came time to get serious and apply for competative programs, I think it only helped to show that I had been engaged in organized studies for several years while I chose a final direction. As far as my personal growth is concerned, sampling courses with the occasional "audit" or non-credit class when I was very busy at work did help me explore my subject without any pressure, strengthened my background in related areas and helped me to decide what might be a good specialty for me and what wasn't.

I am finishing an M.A. in English and applying to PhD programs after getting my BA in 1999. I confronted this same dilemma when I decided to return. In my case, M.A.s usually don't come with funding, so that made working a necessity. I currently live in Boston, which is almost as expensive as NYC, maybe more expensive than certain borroughs, like Brooklyn. In my case, I had a pretty decent paying job which it made no sense to leave for an MA in English, which everyone knows is no guarantee for any type of future in academia. But now that I may be faced with the choice of PhD programs that are reputable but not in the state that I'm licensed to practice, I decided it would be worth it to leave if the area were inexpensive enough. Places like Rhode Island, Virginia, North Carolina, even Chicago have programs that are just as good or better, than NYC schools and the cost of living in those cities is a fraction of NYC. I realize I didn't answer your question about part-time programs in NYC, but relocating might be something to think about if your job is not your dream job and not a super high-paying one either. I have friends in the sciences who have left Boston for North Carolina after their fellowship or whatever ended and they were all amazed that for less than the price of the crappy one bedroom they and their wife shared they could get a 3 bdrm house with laundry included. They were sad to leave the city in some respects, of course, but the benefits of cheap living while they studied seemed to make sense.