polisciftw

Are you saying that the departments didn't offer to pay for your visit?!

Yes, every department worth its salt will offer you money to visit. Remember, the visiting students day is the only day of your graduate career where the department will be trying to impress you, not vice-versa. Smaller departments who mainly attract from their local areas might only offer you money based on the milage it takes you to drive their campus, however.

I know a couple of people in my department who were in your boat. It seems pretty common for departments to set a maximum cap as to what they'll cover in reasonable travel expenses, and unfortunately that excludes some people from further afield. I actually feel as though I totally botched the getting-to-know-the-departments element of the admissions process. I'd say that the best thing to do in your case would be to ask the department for the email addresses of their students. But I'd also caution you to take everything that is said with a grain of salt; there isn't any "upside" for students to tell a prospective student about any of the major issues in the department. Another thing to do is to look at the placement record of the department. No matter how stellar the package you're offered, it's a department's placement that'll get your bread buttered for the next 30 years. Also look at professors' CVs; do they show a track record of collaboration with students? This kind of data will help you get behind the spin.

Actually, "writing with an accent" is the phrasing our Writing Center staff use when they discuss non-native English writing, and the Oregon State University's Writing Center training video uses the phrase as well: http://oregonstate.edu/media/vsmbw

You can also always try couchsurfing.org — it's how I found my accommodation for MPSA this year!

The assignments actually include a graded draft for everyone, but that means that at some point, any potential language issues will need to be quantified.

Hello Hive Mind, This semester, I am TAing a course in my field that is supposed to introduce undergraduates to social science writing conventions. I am trying to develop a rubric for grading the students' writing now before the semester really gets under way so that I don't grade any assignment personally. Since this is a writing-intensive course, grammar and syntax will be an important part of the grade ... Or should it be? I am really of two minds about how to grade students who "write with an accent." Any advice? Prior experience?

You could look at UCSC, where they have a few people still kicking around in that tradition. HOWEVER, I have also heard that they do not want to take any theory students for the next few cycles, so it might not work out there.

Hello all, I am currently in a PhD program where professors do not seem to co-author papers with students. I have no idea why, but I've never heard people mention it as an option. That being said, I have a project that I think will interest a professor I've RAed for. Any advice on how to pitch a coauthorship to him? Or should I just let the idea drop? Thanks!