mirandaw

I would definitely do grad school still. Going on year 2 of being ridiculously underemployed? No thank you.

Pennsylvania.

How you dress depends on a large number of factors, only some of which are mentioned here. For me, dress also has to do with class access, gender identity and presentation, and ability. As a person who has grown up without money, I understand that reliable, well made clothes that look presentable can be fairly difficult to come by, especially if expendable cash is unheard of. Of course it's important to dress to the standards of your program, but not everyone will dress how you expect them to all the time. I agree with one of the posters somewhere on the first few pages: make sure you have a variety of pieces that work for a variety of situations.

As for leggings/pants, I wear leggings all the time. I've been a hobby sewist most of my life (related to the poor folk thing, probably), so I sew my own leggings. I don't, however, wear them as pants. I wear a lot of pieces with movement because I don't like feeling constrained in my clothes (leggings and knit tube skirts [looking at my outfit right now, I'm wearing entirely knit fabrics. I feel like an American Apparel advertisement], or woven skirts with a high waist paired with a cardigan looks well put together but provides a lot of room). Of course, I'm also allergic to caffeine, so I don't have the coffee addiction of most students and therefore do stretches a few times per day to energize.

The reputation of detroit being "as bad as it sounds" is founded largely on institutional racism and classism. I agree with StephanieJ. Detroit gets a bad rap. It's just as bad as any other major city, but it has felt the effects of an industrialized economy backsliding harder than most others. There are a lot of poor and street involved people in the city, and people equate these things with "bad." I've never felt particularly unsafe in Detroit, but every person has their own level of street awareness.

Campuses and the areas surrounding them tend to be little bubbles of student life and not always reflective of the city at large, as well.

Yes, this.







And may I warn any menfolk out there that the so-called "girls" in your program will no doubt prefer not to be infantilized, either. Girls = female children. Female graduate students = adults, not children. Please show the women of your program (and your world) some respect. And if the men out there who use this kind of language "don't mean it that way"--too bad. It still comes off as (and simply is) disrespectful and condescending,

There's a world of difference between saying "Both genders should dress professionally for what is, in essence, a job" and "Girls should wear makeup, but not too much, because I like how it looks."

Connections to business make the comment even more suspect, because continuing to comment on what one "likes" in women will eventually end up in harassment investigations for a hostile work environment. Backpedaling doesn't change the original objectification and gender-based norm enforcement, concealed as "professionalism".

Because women attend grad school for your visual entertainment?

I never said that xenophobia doesn't exist. I think I made it pretty clear that I was speaking contextually with regards to the specific cultural environment at York and how it relates to their admissions processes. Also, equality (or indeed, equity) does not mean that every single person should be treated the exact same way. That's a pretty uninformed, simplistic way of viewing things. And FYI, my Master's thesis investigated the role of inclusive education practices as they pertain to international students in Canadian universities. So no, I don't need to read about "toleration theories" (which isn't even the correct terminology that is used to describe what you're trying to elucidate).

Anyway, once again I seem to have found myself becoming irritated with a whole lot of ignorance in this thread, so I'm going to call it quits there, and take my leave! Now back to your regularly scheduled programming...

Haha - comical. I was hoping some serious discussion was happening here...

Just a thought - but perhaps they accept 'older' students because they have some relavent experience and *dare I say* are likely more mature (read: unlikely to go on some crazy rant blaming their rejection on anything and everything besides the state/relavence/desirability of their own qualifications...).

You're right...if only they had met you in person. Sigh.

You will be fine.

Not to beat the issue to death, but you actually kind of did... "I see you're from Singapore..." or some such comment implies that they should have no trouble being admitted because of their assumed racialized identity.

Not to beat the issue to death, but you actually kind of did... "I see you're from Singapore..." or some such comment implies that they should have no trouble being admitted because of their assumed racialized identity.

I don't think I've ever responded to someone's post in the way that I'm about to, but I really can't stay quiet this time.

I'm truly sorry you've had some rejections, but your post reeks of stereotyping, and prejudice, and bitterness on so many levels. If you keep getting rejected, I'd suggest you take a look at the weaknesses of your own applications instead of looking to blame everyone and everything else around you.

I'm gonna treat myself to a nice night at home, completed with a blazing fire furnished by GRE vocabulary cards and crappy first statement drafts, some beer, and like 30 rounds of Mario Kart on my N64.

A new pair of Doc Martens And I did get my first acceptance so I will be buying those puppies tomorrow!

I nice leather messenger bag that is big enough to carry my books, notebooks, water bottle, lunch, etc. all of which inevitably have jammed in my backpack, which is old and doesn't make me feel very professional on teaching days.

Possibly the next season of Star Trek: TNG.

Or maybe just a lot of chocolate.

We should all get action figures if we get admitted and then engage in a full on action-hero BATTLE. I call dibs on Sigmund Freud! XD

Should the day come that I receive an acceptance, I will be taking my close friends with me to my favorite tea shop and supplying everyone (including myself) with tea and cupcakes! I can't afford a huge dinner, but cupcakes and tea are just as good (if not better)!