abitstartled
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Posts posted by abitstartled
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Hi everyone!
I'm currently a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in South Korea at an amazing co-ed high school. I was wondering if there are any teachers out there (from anywhere in the world!) who would be interested in setting up a pen-pal exchange with my ESOL 10th and 11th grade students. This can be via email or snail-mail -- anything is cool with me.
Let me know (either through PM or posting here) if you're interested!
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Congrats, South Korea ETAs! I'm a current second-year ETA; message me if you want the low-down.
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Sure thing. I'm an Asian Americanist with interests at the nexus of gender, religious studies and transnationalism. Methodologically, I'm interested in ethnography and critical theory.
Also, to clarify about the "waves" -- according to a friend in the program, they've likely sent out all their initial acceptances, but other acceptances might trickle in depending on how many people decline.
Edit to say -- just heard back from my friend, and he told me that he thinks that acceptance is unlikely if you didn't hear back. However, keep in mind that this is hearsay... it's hard to say for sure. Regardless, best of luck to everyone who's still waiting.
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Yes, the acceptance was for ethnic studies! And tingdeh, I think they do acceptances in waves.
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Macmc, I'm struggling through Harvard too...trying to figure out why they care about how many math classes I took....
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Hey! Is anyone applying to American Studies at GW? They state a 750 word limit for their statement of purpose, but mine is closer to a 1000 words...
Think it will be a big deal?
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I would! I'm applying to American Studies too!
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Hey, glad to see that this thread is still alive. I am applying this season (and turning in some apps in a few days!) and am super nervous/excited. Am planning to do research on concepts of the body in modernity and cosmetic surgery in East Asia. Yes, my SOP was a pain; I had to rewrite it four times before my advising professor would o.k. it. She told me to write it according to the guidelines posted on the berkeley website (http://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/state_purpose.shtml), which helped a LOT.
GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!
Woah! Your research topic sounds really interesting -- I'm currently living in South Korea and have definitely seen the impact of cosmetic surgery on the way the body is conceptualized.
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From talking to an advisor who served on an English adcomm at my undergrad university, a GRE cut-off score is often imposed by the graduate admissions office. (This seems to be fairly common, especially at state schools.) Is applying next year not an option? That would give you time to study for the GRE. Furthermore, it might be worthwhile to work and save up money for relocation costs, etc., especially if you're still in college / a recent graduate.
- kairos and repentwalpurgis
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I was thinking about applying for PhD programs through religion departments as well. The problem is that most religion PhDs require a master's, of which I have one, but none of my professors/potential references can be bothered to return my e-mails (and I was a good student, too, with a nice disposition).
Yeesh, that's frustrating. I'm sorry to hear that.
Do you have a time period that you're interested in?
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UCLA has a strong program in historical/comparative sociology. UC Santa Cruz and UC San Diego are also good options if you're interested in comparing social systems.
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Are you looking specifically at English programs, or are you also interested in religious studies programs or programs with an interdisciplinary bent? I'm also interested in literature and religion, and I've been told that Harvard, Duke and Princeton are particularly strong in that field. (With your interests in gender/sexuality, I'd imagine Duke would be of particular interest.) UVA also has some great faculty members working in religion and literature, although I admit I'm a little biased because I did my undergrad there.
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Sorry to change the topic a bit, but I was wondering if anyone would be interested in doing a SoP swap. I'm applying to mostly American Studies programs.
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I went the creative route, partly because UCLA asked me to do the same thing, so I already had something written. I'm still not sure if it's exactly what they're looking for, but I'm already nearing my limit of obsessing over this application season.
Thanks for your input. My draft is pretty matter of fact and dry, but I think I'm going to at least try and rework a "hook" at the beginning.
Oh! And -- is anyone interested in doing a SoP swap?
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I'd love to swap personal history statements as well!
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For those of you applying to Michigan -- how did you approach the statement of purpose / personal statement? I basically only focused on my academic interests in the statement of purpose, but I'm totally stuck how to approach the personal statement. Do they want something creative, along the lines of an undergrad college application essay? Or should it just be a straight-up explanation of my background?
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II'm surprised that anyone would say you would be ignored or dismissed for expressing interest in entering academic publishing -- especially these days, when more and more schools are advertising that their graduate degrees have relevance outside of the immediate academy.
On a side note, when you are looking at schools, it might be worthwhile to choose places with strong academic presses that offer internships or other RA positions. I worked part-time at an academic press for 3 years as an undergrad, and from my (admittedly limited) perspective, it seemed that networking was really key for getting editorial positions.
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Bfat -- thank you. That's really helpful. Bennett, I'll definitely be messaging you with some questions! ^^ Thanks!
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I'm still having a hard time narrowing down my research interests into "elevator pitch" size, but I'm interested in the ways that religious or spiritual identity work to manage or shape other "given" identities such as race or gender.
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Hey gruby!
I'm applying to a lot of interdisciplinary/theory programs as well! NYU has a program in Media, Communication and Culture. Carnegie Mellon might be a good place to look, too.
Are your interests mostly in film/visual media?
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Hello! I'm a Fall '14 applicant that's applying to English programs, but with interdisciplinary interests in race and religion. Was wondering if anyone had any insight on the difference between the Duke English and the Duke Literature programs -- I'm a bit confused, as both seem to allow interdisciplinary dissertation topics.
Thanks!
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It's great to hear from others who are applying to AMST programs! I'm still deciding on my list, but I think it'll include Yale, NYU, Brown, Michigan, Berkeley (Ethnic Studies or Rhetoric), Stanford (MTL) and GWU.
What are everyone's research interests?
Another "Critique my SOP"
in Statement of Purpose, Personal History, Diversity
Posted
Cleven's advice might work for other programs, but you do not need elaborate hooks for PhD program applications. Please don't get personal. The statement of purpose is about explaining your research interests and goals, not interrogating your personal history.
I would be more concerned about clumsy writing. I don't know what "political current discourse politics" means, and I would watch out for unnecessary words and awkward phrasing. For example,
Specifically, the question I am interested in for my senior honors thesis examines whether or not Roe v. Wade made abortion any more practically accessible for women.
Could be
Specifically, my thesis examines if Roe v. Wade made abortion any more practically available for women.