Ablukhov

Slavic programs must have some of the latest due dates in the world of academia, but we're almost there renwod! Almost there! Good luck!

I was literally just staring at my SoP and trying to write a closing before I saw your post. Last year I just ended sort of vaguely talking about who I wanted to work with, like you mentioned. While I'm positive that wasn't the reason for my lack of success, this year I'm thinking that it would be a much more satisfying essay if it had an actual ending. I don't think I can offer any advice on what your ending should be, but I think a conclusion is better than no conclusion.

2 out of 7 in! And I'm taking a few days before tackling the rest. Eidda, I'm also applying to PhD programs, and I really wanted to apply to Indiana! But for me (for my husband really) it doesn't work to be far from the big east/west coast cities. You're applying to Berkeley though? I have a friend in the program and he loves it.

Ugg...sorry to hear that renwod. The same happened to me with U Toronto. On the bright side I'm now $100 bucks richer.

Welcome cml471! How's everyone's application process going?

Yes! Fortunately (and unfortunately) my dream programs are also the ones with the latest apps.. so that pretty much means I'm going to obsessively rewrite until the beginning of January...ugg..

Congrats renwod! My first app goes out tomorrow, and it's going to be a long night... Where are you applying? (If you don't mind)

Hi ofe1818, I can't answer your questions about CUNY but I live in NYC (brooklyn specifically) and can pass on this advice: travel times in the NYC are entirely dependent on whether or not you are near the subway line that you need. It looks like there's a G stop near CUNY law so you could possibly have a commute of around 30 mins if you lived off the G in say Greenpoint brooklyn- alternately it could take hours if you don't have an easy connection. There are buses but I'm not a huge fan. My advice is to look at the subway map and plot your apartment search around the train lines that you'll be using. As to cost of living...well, rent is really expensive as I'm sure you know...but food and public transport are relatively cheap. You can significantly reduce your rent by sharing a two bedroom and a lot of the universities have boards to help students pair up with roommates. Oh, and a lot of students choose Astoria Queens for the cheapest rents- its a nice neighborhood, a bit quiet compared to Brooklyn though. Hope this helps. If you want more specific info down the line about neighborhoods or anything else you can PM me.

You people with 10+ applications are inspiring. I'm doing 8 and I haven't even submitted my first one yet. 8 is all I can stomach.

Lately, I'll just be standing there thinking about whatever... not even anything application related.... and my husband will start comforting me. My face must be permanently fixed in an expression of insane anxiety.

Oh no, I'm going to be working right there with you. I'm at the point where I'll consider it an incredible victory if I manage to submit with a few hours to spare.

Now I'm just staring blankly at my writing sample thinking that a coconut ice pop would really be nice...

Well, if they're on the same shelf as coconut pops then they must be good!

Really? Where do those come from? They sound amazing.

I'm waiting to hear back about Middlebury scholarships too- so with any luck maybe I'll see you there... I'm also going to apply to Bryn Mawr and SWEESL as back ups because it's easier to get funding for those programs. If you haven't heard of them, you might want to take a look...And since you're working on language acquisition, any tips you have on improving fluency are more than welcome Anyway, interests: I'm working the influence of religious philosophy on Russian lit. of the 19th and 20th centuries- mostly the symbolists though

Last year, I was just getting into Breaking Bad around the time that it was becoming apparent 2012 wasn't going to be my year. NOT a good idea. I'm going to curate my extracurricular activities more carefully this year.

Hey kaseyleigh! Linguistics is such a fascinating topic. I've taken a few classes in semantics and philosophy of language, although I really don't know much about the linguistics as a discipline within specific language departments. Do you have an area of interest? What languages do you speak?

You should absolutely try, but also don't be discouraged if it doesn't work out the first time around. If it doesn't, just keep doing what you're doing- working hard at your language goals, etc.- and this will go a long way toward demonstrating your dedication when you apply again the next year.

I'm thirty and don't think it's a problem at all. One thing you might want to consider though- and I don't know how sociology works so this might not actually be relevant- is that support from professors (recommendations, help with writing samples, etc.) is a huge part of the application process and your connections are likely to weaken after so many years. Age probably doesn't matter, but time away from academia might.

Hey vikingturtle - I don't know about Boren but I know you can definitely apply to FLAS as a law student. You'll just need to prove in your essay that Mandarin is necessary for your future profession goals, i.e. you want to work with Mandarin speaking clients in some capacity. Good luck!

Thanks! Good luck to you too, and have fun in Bangledesh!

Cool! What's your area, renwod?

My advisor has me editing my writing sample to make it easier to skim through, because he assures me that that is what the adcoms will be doing - and this is for Slavic programs that receive far fewer apps than English programs- so the little stuff probably doesn't even register. (Does this mean I'll be able to take my own advice when the time comes? Probably not- I'll find some 'the' or 'an' to fixate on)

My husband wanted to take me on a short trip to somewhere warm and beachy for my b-day this year (in Feb.)- a very nice thought on his part- but when he told me I reacted like he was plotting against me. After all, I need to be by my phone and computer every minute of everyday from Jan to Feb, or who knows what will happen... ay761, you are probably the saner of us to just go for it. I believe you can (and should) alert the programs you applied to about your availability. One week until my first app. is due. This is my second year applying and I am already alternating between a modicum of confidence and deep sympathy with Jude the Obscure - should be a fun next couple of months

You should learn Russian! It's a hard language, but worth it (to answer your question: I'm not Russian). I'm sure there are lots of online courses but I can't vouch for the quality of any of them. Your best bet is to audit an undergraduate course once you're in a PhD program.