123student

Am I misreading tutorspoint's post, or is it a foul joke?

I'm definitely ready to get started again, too, and am remedying this edginess by plunging as much as possible into my projected studies. I'll take some intensive language courses this summer at a nearby U, and keep covering all that reading I just couldn't get to as an undergrad. Visiting my school last week has ramped up my eagerness, but also focused my intended studies: I've asked future profs. for suggested reading, and have started dreaming up independent study courses for those terms when I can't find courses pertinent to my areas. These are the days!

That's a very unpleasant situation to be in, but fortunately a temporary one. Don't quit as long as you love your work. This may be stating the obvious, but I wonder to what extent your marital situation has cast a pall over your academic situation. If your husband manipulated you into choosing your current program, you might reasonably say that your current program isn't the most exciting option for you. If it isn't, then this may be showing to those around you, who in turn are working with/reacting to the degree of interest they see in you. Negative cycles, like positive ones, tend to perpetuate themselves, but if one can get a handle on the negative momentum, then one can turn it in a positive direction. If you feel like this in your current program, and if your husband was part of your choice of this program, then getting out from under his influence as soon as you can could bring great results, especially with your relationships with your faculty & colleagues, by giving you more space & energy to build better relationships with them, and thus a more rewarding program. An MA in your current program could be worth much more than just transfer credits from it, so finishing where you are in the time you have might be the wisest choice. What would make this program exciting for you, and how could you achieve those things? Drawing up a plan for this, and then presenting your advisors with a set of clear goals, would both give you a clear roadmap and show your advisors your commitment & motivation, which could improve relations with your faculty & colleagues as well as your perspective. With this semester about halfway over, you have several weeks to accomplish academic goals, and then the summer months to organize personal ones (your divorce & move). Then in the fall, a new academic year begins on track with your goals, both the short-term ones that would complete your current program, as well as the longer-term goals (languages & other background) that would set you up for a good PhD program. Lasik bill: $450

I signed it earlier; others have posted the link too, which looks like a good start.

Eigen, We pay a substantial amount of fees and other miscellaneous expenses which non graduate students don't pay, such as books and conference fees. Our work is also double that of the regular work world: we study, research, write, conference, network, as well as perform our job duties. Add to this burdensome employment the fact that in many situations we "pay to work" when you consider the non-optional fees paid from our meager stipends. When was the last time you looked at your tax rate? Rates above 15% are for single filers making about $35k/year. Is your stipend that large? If so, heres what you have to look forward to next year: http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneybuilder/2011/09/30/2012-federal-income-tax-brackets-irs-tax-rates/ Factoring in all expenses, our net income is much lower than that of those who aren't in grad school, and with no special benefits. We do the work because it thrills us, not because we're more special than non grad students. But add a demanding job to our demanding studies, and I think most will agree that we deserve a break.

le-ciel, below are two excellent resources I used together and raised my Eng. lit. score and knowledge of this area a good bit. Others have posted them on this forum. There is also a Princeton Review book that serves more as a primer which contains a practice test. I took the subj. in Eng. lit. last October and would give you this advice: 1) train yourself to work fast & accurately on the exam: there are 240-something questions on the test and a limited time in which to read and answer them. 2) study systematically over time; don't cram in the 2 weeks before the test. Give yourself 2 months at least. 3) study broadly, then deeply: survey and master all the major periods & authors, then deepen your knowledge of each. 4) study the basic forms & mechanics of literature: what's a curtal sonnet? what's a Petrarchan sonnet? a Shakespearean sonnet? a Spenserian stanza? a villanelle? a sestina? what's tetrameter, pentamenter, hexameter, etc.? what's a quatrain? a sestet? an octave? what's a heroic couplet? what are some major works in heroic couplets? what's rhyme royal? some major works in rhyme royal? other rhyme schemes? who invented these/is most associated with these? It's as important for English majors to know the parts of English lit. as it is for science majors to know the Periodic Table of Elements. 5) study lit. theory. Terry Eagleton's Literary Theory is a good place to start with the major movements, critics, and works, but also read the major works themselves. I remember the test having several direct quotes from critics with specific questions. The study guides below should help with the rest. Vade Mecum: http://www.duke.edu/~tmw15/ Hapax Legomena: http://lasr.cs.ucla.edu/alison/hapaxlegomena/index.html

I once signed a lease the day of move-in from another state, with the Uhaul full of furniture waiting outside. (I knew the area from having lived in the city a few years before.) I can't remember what I had paid ahead of time, such as deposits/first month rent, but I think that in general apts. want to lease their places and will work with tenants, especially in college towns. But as new_to_kin implies, it's probably the best idea to scope out the area and consider all options. Once you're admitted and have decided on the school, you could even email current grad students for their advice. If you go to visiting weekend, allot time to check out the neighborhoods.

If he/she has already done applications this season and is concerned about getting into none of his/her target schools, then this person should stay connected to the academic environment as much as possible by reading as much as they can--both contemporary and historical issues--attending lectures and conferences, sitting in on classes, and other such things to make their next season's applications sound as informed and professionally academic as possible. If he/she is beginning to put together applications for next season, the best strategy would be to consider a range of schools, from "dreams" to "safeties," so that he/she goes to grad school somewhere. If this person doesn't get into their ideal PhD program, then they will retain the option of earning an MA at a good school, then applying to better PhD programs from there.

imapret, ETS has a concordance table on the GRE section of its website under "scores." Just hunt a little and you'll find the official conversion.

I stick to ethical perspectives on this one, and say you should either own up about your 2 previous withdrawals to the program that admitted you, telling them everything and seeing what they tell you back, or decline admission altogether. You basically lied to them by presenting yourself as someone you are not 100%; this is true even if you are now an awesome student perfectly suited to their program. Trying to rationalize it or shift the blame onto someone else or onto some system--such as the National Student Clearinghouse or the adcomm's possible failure to check you out any more than they felt they needed to in the spirit of good faith in which many human affairs operate--is just a cop-out to sugar-coat the situation. All this may sound harsh, but what you did is bump out a qualified, honest candidate for whom this program is also a DREAM program and is also the ONLY one he/she applied to this year. For you to accept the offer of admission under the false pretext you presented disgraces the academic integrity that all the rest of us bust our tails for.

I would think that since you're only applying there's not much unethical in it. To accept an offer and then bail at the last minute would be terrible, as you would have bumped a more determined candidate out of his/her rightful spot. Schools design waitlists for scenarios like this, and while no one likes the waitlist, it is better than a flat rejection. Also, schools admit more applicants than they expect to enroll, knowing that the best applicants have more than one offer on their plates. Keep in mind though that grad school is notoriously difficult, and that those who go into it half-heartedly frequently drop out with little to show for their time.

Schools have been known to make mistakes in admitting students by accident, i.e., sending the acceptance letter to the wrong applicant, so the emotional roller coaster works both ways. Forgive yourself!

I don't have experience nor have I heard similar stories, but I think you can relax as long as you have honest intentions. Is there any statement in the acceptance letter to the effect that paying a deposit is a binding agreement to attend the school? If not, you might be off the (legal) hook; if so, you might have a problem if you attend elsewhere. But I really think they understand that people make mistakes, and that you're off the ethical hook as well as long as you operated under honest motives, and if you explain these when/if it comes time to. The worst you may face is the loss of your deposit, though if people at both schools know each other, then this could stick to your reputation if you "double-dip." Good luck.

Your sensei sounds like he could provide a valuable and interesting angle to your application, but I think another academic reference would benefit you more whatever field you're intending to enter. That said, many schools say they will consider 4 or more letters, and you might include one from your sensei for those that do. But I remember the caveat from most schools I looked into: "Letters from non-academic referees are generally less helpful than those from academic referees." Kind of a drag, because so much of a person's character is a factor in his/her success in school and life, and academic perspectives are only one angle.

I agree with MediaMom that your best choice might be to focus on the definite offers you already have, if any. Unfortunately, UMass doesn't seem to have given you your # in line--are you fourth or twelfth? Also, I love your pun, though it may just be a typo; "wailing list" is a perfect description: