gradgirl

Less than a month until Doomsday (April 15), eh guys? I'm not sure whether this is a good or bad thing. Sigh. I hope I'm going to be receiving a looooooot more information between now and then. Good information, that is.

I agree with the above poster. I usually start off the semester dressing up a bit just because I feel like I look less young and more authoritative that way. I try to look professional, but I despise removing my femininity for the sake of professionalism so I will wear fitted dress shirts and dress pants and things of that nature rather than unflattering baggier ones. Skirts on occasion but make sure they're sensibly knee length or so. I also dress up if I know I'm going to be having interactions with other faculty if it's in a context where I'm supposed to be perceived as an instructor and not as a grad student. However, the dressing up usually doesn't last long because I feel like it affects my teaching. When I'm dressed up, I don't feel like "me" and I notice myself behaving formally, feeling awkward and doing silly things, etc. After I feel that I've gained some respect from the class I usually start wearing jeans and a sweater or jeans and a semi-casual shirt (not t-shirts or anything--usually collared shirts with a shirt underneath, or something of that nature). But, that's just because I feel more like "me" that way and I think I'm a better teacher when I'm comfortable. I also like being approachable, and I feel that dressed "down" I have more positive connections with my students. I wouldn't try on purpose to wear unflattering clothes, but that's just me. I don't want to have to feel insecure and/or worry that my students are secretly making fun of me for something I wear, because if I lose confidence I also lose teaching ability. Yes, I know that's vain and superficial. One thing: Careful wearing heels; I've stumbled before because I was too focused on what i was saying and on moving around the room. Of course I just made light of it and laughed at myself and it was ok, but I felt kind of silly. Then again I've also walked into a pole before in class, so maybe it's just me and not the shoes I think though a lot depends on how you want the 'vibe' of your classroom to be. Do you want it to be casual, chatty, and comfortable? Or more formal? You can set the precedent by how you dress. I love my class and some of the discussions we have, and I like incorporating humor and having fun, and I think that's another reason I tend toward the casual. I also have my students call me by my first name, while many other TA's go by Mr. or Ms. But I haven't had any problems with my authority being questioned before in any significant way, and I want to present myself as a fellow writer, not some high and mighty person handing down information from above. It's all about your comfort level.

Also... I got rejected from Pitt today. 5 to go...still waiting on : Penn State, Temple, Delaware, Upenn, and Marquette. And funding from Syracuse. Sadly, I'm pretty sure Delaware and Upenn are done deals...I don't know about Temple, and I don't care about Marquette (they were my safety school, but now I'm pretty sure I'd rather take a year off than go there). Penn State's where it's at. Sigh.

Hmm.. I didn't know about it so I hadn't been planning on it. I'm only about 3 hours from Columbus right now, but I don't have a vehicle. I might just wait until (if) I get in, and try to see if I can make arrangements to visit after that on a non-open-house day. I will probably email the guy at OSU and see if I've moved up the list at all toward the end of the month. Right now OSU is kind of in the middle of my list of choices of places I'd like to go, but they're going to be moving up the list quickly once the rejections start flowing in. I've heard from so few programs at this point, and I feel like all these places are having open houses and stuff and I haven't been invited to any. It's kind of intimidating. I heard Penn State is having one the weekend of the 17th, for MA students at least, and I don't know if that means I didn't get into their PhD program since they didn't invite me or if they just don't invite PhD candidates to the same open house. I wish schools would just mail their damn rejection letters already...my patience is really starting to wear thin. Meeting faculty would be a little scary, especially if you're still on the wait list. Are they going to know you're still on the wait list? If you already know who you want to meet, if I were you i might read up a little on them if you haven't already. If you go in there knowing stuff about them it will probably help with the intimidation factor...and just keep in mind, if you get in there you're going to have to NOT be intimidated in order to successfully work with these people and gain the most from your experience without it being really awful. It's a good chance to find out how approachable (or not) the faculty is. But, easy for me to say since I wasn't planning on going

Yeah, I don't know. I'm wanting to do something nice for my thesis chair at the end of the semester too. I was thinking of baking him cookies or something, some kind of homemade baked goods... but then I started thinking... what if he's diabetic? what if he doesn't eat sweets? then what? It's hard to come up with ideas for stuff like this.

Someone over on applyingtograd posted a list of questions here : http://community.livejournal.com/applyi ... 58401.html

Waitlisted at ND now. The letter didn't seem to extend much hope as far as moving up the list and getting admitted, but it was just a form letter. Said they admitted 10 out of 250 applicants.

I live in a small town in Indiana on a stipend of about $8000. Granted, I don't have a car. But I've been able to save enough money month to month that I was able to buy a laptop and have a very small savings account. I tend toward rather expensive groceries, too, since I'm vegan. If you're frugal, it's pretty easy to live cheap in Indiana.

Big congrats on Delaware! I haven't heard anything, so they're probably a no-go for me.

I've officially determined that my mailman sometimes decides not to do his job on Saturdays, and apparently no one is sent to fill in for him. Before this was mildly annoying, because I'd have the occasional Saturday letter to mail and it would never get picked up. Now during the grad school wait it's contributing still further to my insanity. Last Saturday when he actually came, I got an acceptance letter...so I'd been holding out hope for this Saturday. (Flawed logic, but--you know.) But alas, no mail delivered here. This means two whole loooong days with no mail delivery. Isn't this illegal or something? What happened to the whole "rain, sleet, or shine" thing? How did I end up with fricking Newman from Seinfeld as my mailman? Considering the fact that I probably paid the post office over $100 for overnighting various grad school application related documents, (long story, but $14.40 per letter--what a ripoff), these people owe me. I ought to own free shares in US Postal Service stock or something by now, if there were such a thing. I demand service!

Is anyone familiar with the Syracuse area? How big of a city is it? Is Syracuse University downtown, or more isolated from the city? And, are people friendly there? I've never been to New York at all before, and I guess I'm just trying to get a general sense of what the area is like to help me make my decisions.

You can probably comfortably go to the beach about May through October....maybe a few days in April if you're brave. It does take the water awhile to warm up (sometimes until late June or so). There are a few weeks in the summer when you most definitely will NOT want to go, though.....there's a week or so (in late June, I think) when a ton of fish (alewives) end up dead on the shore and the smell is awful. The beaches clean them up and it's only a problem for a week or two, but you definitely don't want to go during that time..heh. Also in late August there can be lots of biting flies for a couple of weeks. But considering how nice the beaches there can be the REST of the summer aside from those few weeks, we just kind of deal with it. It's not a huge issue. As for the religious stuff...I may as well just say, I went to Notre Dame's sister school so we were basically included in every aspect of the Notre Dame community. My school was just across the street from Notre Dame, and it was Catholic as well. I'm not Catholic. My experience of both my school and Notre Dame was fine in that respect... I didn't feel pressured at all and I was never singled out for being non-Catholic. I went to a couple of masses just to see what it was like, but it was never forced on me...in fact, the religious studies courses I had to take as a part of my degree actually asked us to question Catholic beliefs as well as to learn about other major religions and the history of religious belief. I know you won't have to take those courses as a graduate student, but I think it speaks well for the school that they can be religiously affiliated and still teach their students to question their faith in significant ways. You will run into some close-minded practices that you might not at other schools...for instance, on campus they have parietals which are strictly enforced. (ie. men have to be out of the women's dorms at a certain time at night, and vice versa). I think there's also some kind of contract they make undergrads sign saying they wont have premarital sex and engage in other "morally questionable" behaviors. But, as a graduate student, I'm not sure how much all of this would affect you especially if you live off-campus. South Bend itself is for the most part rather close-minded and Republican, but students on the Notre Dame campus are a mix of some strict religious types and a lot of liberal students who actively fight for Notre Dame as a whole to "update" its thinking. The biggest campaign I remember while was there was this whole thing where students were passing out T-shirts that said "Gay? Fine by me." Practically 3/4 of the campus was wearing them and it "shocked" the other 1/4 who reacted to it, and the school newspaper was dominated by stories and columns about it for months. I found, too, that the school administration will latch onto something small and turn it into something HUGE... for instance there was a group of students at my school who wanted to perform the Vagina Monologues and the school said it wasn't in keeping with their campus image or goals or whatever, and students were forbidden from performing it. However, an underground production STILL went on, drew a crowd of something like 500-600 students, and created a HUGE problem with administration. I tend to think a lot of these kinds of conflicts over "moral" things stem not from the Catholicism on campus but from the fact that many older, more traditionally-minded alumnae donate huge sums of money to the schools and threaten to stop providing funding if the schools don't uphold certain "moral" standards...they don't want their money supporting things they don't agree with. Or, this is what we were told somehow, anyways. This being said, my brother, while Republican, is a self-declared atheist...and he absolutely LOVES Notre Dame. Granted, he doesn't engage in any kinds of actively atheist behaviors aside from going on huge rants about evolution from time to time, but I wouldn't worry. I think you might get a good laugh now and then about all of the fuss made over really ridiculously insignificant and unshocking issues, but I doubt you'd ever feel singled out or not a part of the community for religious or political reasons. Also, having gone to school at their sister school vs. going to a large public state school now...I definitely miss it there.

Check out the website of the university you're going to go to--particularly the housing & residence life section. My current roommate and I met through a roommate search service that the University sponsors, and while I thought maybe that was something unique to my school, I've been able to find similar services on the websites of other schools I've been considering. Some of them are quite good and let you post a pretty extensive profile. My roommate and I have lived together almost 2 years now and we get along very well. If this fails, look up the campus newspaper online and see if there are any non-university sponsored websites that lots of students use. Oftentimes there will be other outside sites that will have roommate searches for your particular school as well. As a last resort, you could always ask some graduate students in your new program for help. Oh, also... you could google for roommate sites that surround a specific interest or habit you have. I know there's a site called veggieroommate.com for vegetarians/vegans who want to find roommates, etc. I haven't used these kinds of sites before but for some reason I'd feel a little more comfortable using something like that than roommates.com... maybe just because I'd already know I'd have at least something in common with them. They probably attract a narrower crowd, though. I'm going to be in your shoes very soon looking for a roomie somewhere new too... let me know if you come across anything especially promising!

Last night, I had to physically disconnect my computer from the internet in order to get any work done. I have the willpower of a sick jellyfish right now, and no work ethic to boot. I can't stop checking message boards and email. This week has been my spring break, and I stayed in town planning to write a bunch of my thesis and catch up on my grading, and instead I've managed to diddle away the whole week with grad school anxiety. Even when I finally got an admit letter, they still haven't let me know about funding yet so I STILL have no peace of mind. I've also been really tired all week because whenever I sleep I have nightmares about getting rejected, or getting in somewhere that turns out to be awful for me, or getting an acceptance letter to my dream school after I've already agreed to go somewhere else. I'm scared of a) having no options, or having options and making the wrong decision. How is it possible that it's almost the third week in March and I've still only heard from 2 of my 9 schools; one with a wait-list and the other with an acceptance but no word on funding? If next week passes and I've still had no news, I guess I'm going to have to start assuming that the remaining 7 are going to be rejections. I'm feeling really worthless...I mean, I just had 6 days off and all I have to show for it is a pile of sources I dug up, about 7 pages of notes, and a couple of outlines. This has to be a CHAPTER by Monday. None of my usual tricks to get myself writing are working...coffee isn't, reading isn't, music and candles aren't, talking about my thesis with other people isn't. I have the ideas for this chapter, I just need to WRITE IT. If I think about it logically, ANY acceptances will be meaningless and useless unless I get my act together and finish what needs finishing this semester. And, I'm so eager for a sense of accomplishment and having all of this work done. You'd think THAT ALONE would motivate me, but I'm paralyzed by fear. A very large part of me just wants to crawl into bed and curl up and not deal with any more of the not knowing and waiting...but anytime I actually allow myself to do this, I fall still further behind on work. Any advice on kicking the anxiety-induced circle of procrastination I'm now finding myself in? How are you all coping with work during a time when the future is so indeterminate? :cry:

While I'm sure it's probably much easier/more common to find vegetarian cuisine in a place such as LA, I wouldn't worry about it at all in the Notre Dame area. Sure, there are your usual midwest-meat-and-potatoes kinds of places, and lots of unhealthy food, and you WILL be in the minority as a vegetarian, but I've been vegetarian for 9 years (vegan for 1.5) and I've never had problems in the area. We have a chain of stores called Meijer (Wal-Mart's midwestern competitor) and they carry quite a wide selection of vegan products. The other major grocery stores in the area, Martin's and Kroger, both do pretty well too. My favorite, however, is a store called Harmony Market... they have multiple brands of practically everything vegan you could ever imagine--even premade vegan deli sandwiches if you're in a hurry. They also carry organic produce. If you want bulk grains and spices and other specialty products, there's also a small store nearby called Garden Patch. In terms of restaurants, there's a wide selection of ethnic cuisine--one of my favorites is a place called Elia's right by campus (Mediterranean food). There are also several Indian restaurants, a Thai place, and lots of locally owned Italian and Mexican places. Most importantly, though, is the fact that the area is growing so rapidly. When I visited my family over Christmas, I couldn't believe how many new stores and restaurants had opened since I'd been there last, only 6 months before. With all of the stuff that's been being built and opened, the options are bound to only get better. As for campus life: never have I seen such campus loyalty and unity among students. It really does feel like a community there. The undergrad dorms are almost fraternity/sorority-like and there are always a lot of events--often free for students--going on on campus. Notre Dame brings in some really good concerts (I saw about 5-6 concerts there while I was a student--most of which were almost free), as well as great guest speakers, TV show tapings (I attended a taping of Hardball at one point), and theater productions (lots of Shakespeare). Their art museum is also pretty nice. And, as you mentioned, football--the games are always a good time...and if you need to miss a game to do work, you can be almost guaranteed that no one will be around to interrupt you on game weekends...hehe. I did experience some frustrations with the football, mostly the traffic (South Bend really can't accommodate a huge influx of people) and also some campus and city stuff will shut down on game weekends, so be prepared for that. It can be a major inconvenience if you forget or don't plan ahead. Off-campus life is pretty limited. There's a pretty clear divide between the ND community and the South Bend community; I'm not sure if I'd call it animosity, exactly, but many ND students have a pretty negative attitude about the "townies." There are some college bars, about 2 dance clubs, but nothing spectacular. I believe there are some sports leagues (my ex played in a couple of softball leagues and I think he's doing basketball now) but these things aren't heavily advertised and I wouldn't know who to point you toward to find out about them. The lack of off-campus life is probably the thing I found most frustrating as an undergraduate; there was a continual feeling that if you weren't going to go to a dorm party or house party, there was really nothing else to do at night--whether you wanted to drink or not. I wasn't a huge drinker myself, so there wasn't always a lot to do. I guess all of this is to say, don't expect Notre Dame/South Bend to feel like a city, really. There's not the same bustle, and beyond the student body you may not meet a whole lot of other people in the community unless you actively try to seek these relationships and are careful not to seem 'braggy' about your ND degree. This, however, was just my experience and what I observed going on with others I knew. Good news: in the warmer weather you'll just be about 30-40 minutes from Lake Michigan (the beaches on the Michigan side) and maybe a bit further from Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. (I prefer the beaches in Michigan--the lake is actually quite beautiful and can feel almost oceanic depending on where you go.) If you could get together a few people, it's a blast playing beach volleyball there Also, there is a commuter train between the South Bend airport and downtown Chicago. It only costs about $10.40 each way--it's about a 2 hour trip or so because the train makes lots of stops, but it's well worth it if you don't have a car. It's nice just having the option there if you do feel like you want to escape for awhile and spend some time in a city. Okay--I hope this helps! Let me know if you want any more specifics.

Hey Paddy, Someone over on who_got_in was admitted to Delaware's PhD program today (via email). Did you hear anything yourself? I didn't. Sadness. Just thought I'd let you know in case you hadn't seen this info.

I grew up in the South Bend area, did my undergraduate work in the area, and my brother goes to ND now. I'd be more than happy to give anyone info about Notre Dame or northern Indiana in general. ND's campus is sort of isolated from South Bend, and they are taking steps to isolate themselves still further by closing a main road that previously went through campus. Downtown South Bend is only about 3 miles from ND. There's a decent strip of shopping/restaurants/etc near campus, and in the past few years it's been growing steadily in terms of stuff to do. If you are vegan/vegetarian/health conscious, there are a few great privately owned health food stores in the area as well, and ... *drum roll*...some really awesome coffeehouses! The cost of housing will vary depending upon how far from campus you live, but I'm sure that's pretty normal with most college areas. If you need help finding housing or want more info on the area than you might get from ND's website, check out http://www.ndtoday.com, a popular site among students. To register you may need an ND email address, but I think some parts of the site are available without registration. The campus is beautiful... and while ND can be a little brusque during the admissions process, they really take care of their students once you're in.

Oops, that was me. I always get logged out and don't notice.

Crap, I thought I had until March 10 to file the Fafsa and still be considered priority...what did I miss? How did I screw this up?? I just filed it Sunday The only reason I even waited THAT long was because I was planning to not take out loans (no funding = not going to enroll). I know I got this deadline information somewhere. Damn damn damn.

I am also still waiting on WUSTL and UPenn. WUSTL's deadline was in January, so I'm betting that's why we've heard nothing from them as of yet. As for NYU, I believe they called admits this past Sunday; I didn't apply there, but I gathered this info from people over on the who_got_in LJ message board. I'm pretty anxious to hear back from U of Penn....I think everyone is. They've already let a round of admits in, according to internet gossip. Meanwhile, I'm also having fits waiting to hear a decision from Penn State and to hear funding decisions from Syracuse. We shall see, I guess. Best of luck. What's your area?

I've heard of it. I almost applied to that program my first time around two years ago because I was looking for something with a bit of a broader interdisciplinary focus (as an undergrad i had an english and art double major and a philosophy minor and I wasn't wanting to "give any of them up" to go into a straight English or philosophy program). However, I missed the deadline (it was pretty early like Dec 1 or something). My philosophy prof told me it was the next up and coming thing, so to speak, and that it was intensely competitive to get into and a highly-coveted degree to have. I really like the program from what I've heard about it. No info for you about applying this year... but best of luck, if you get in I'm sure you'll love it like crazy. I'll have my fingers crossed for ya.

I don't know, I think it happens here sometimes too. Before I was given my own class as a TA, I had to 'team-teach' a class with an established faculty member for a semester. This guy would never write recommendations for his students--he always told them to write their own, and he'd read it and sign it. I think it was related to being too busy, having too high of a paperwork load, and possibly (gasp) being lazy. I mean, if you think about it, as a professor you probably get a lot of students wanting LORs, and telling them to write their own liberates you of those demands on your time. Also, in some cases the guy wouldn't know and/or would barely remember who the student asking for an LOR was, so he'd rationalize having them write their own by concluding that they know themselves better than he knows them. On a related note, I've had to write a couple of LORs for my students already. I felt weird about it since I'm not even done with my MA yet, and I checked with my department chair about the propriety of me writing them, and she basically said if I wasn't qualified to judge student abilities I wouldn't be in charge of a class...but I think the bigger problem is that even if I write a fiercely good LOR for someone, how much credibility is an adcom going to give a letter from a TA? Both times I just signed my name with the department and univeristy name, making no mention of my actual status, but I sat down and talked to my students about it.

And, thus draws to a close yet another day of business hours right about.........now. Sigh. :cry:

Just got wait-listed at Ohio State... number 4 on the list. I double posted on the survey because I'm an idiot and I pressed enter to switch fields--one of the ones that says Accepted just before me is my error. Please disregard, I can't figure out a way to edit it/remove it. Sorry everyone

....and, I totally misspelled your name, meridionale... sorry... it's 8am, I'm still half asleep