Troppman

I sent you a PM, but i'm also posting here because of the thousands of lurkers. Many Canadian institutions are warm to projects such as these and, despite what we are often told, the funding, benefits, time-to-completion, and placements can be fantastic! Best of luck to all.

1) Congrats! 2) I did the application online at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/e-services/mycic.asp. It was really straightforward, and it cost something like $120. 2 weeks later my application was approved, and I printed the approval letter. At the border I showed the officers my approval letter, and they then issued me a physical student visa--stapled into my passport. I recently received an e-mail about union issues and how this might effect visa application wait times, so you might want to go ahead and apply online. I am now living in Canada: getting to know both the country and my program. I stressed hard over the visa, what crossing the border would be like, etc, and It all turned out to be super easy. I even catalogued each and every book I was bringing, estimated their values (over 1000 titles), and arranged this list alphabetically (as the website says to make a list of everything brought). It turns out all they wanted was a hand-written short list approximating quantities and qualities... Total time at the border was under 20 minutes... I hope this helps in some way. To affirm your angst: the guidelines are extremely ambiguous!

Moved to my new country, met with my new dept. chair, met with a few students... A dream come true, really. One of my comps-to-come is a standard list, so I'm casually getting started on some of the less familiar titles. What is most exciting about my new institution is that I expect to learn from my peers: they are all brilliant, and the camaraderie is strong. Also, protip: 30x25" sticky-note-things exist: an excellent resource for mapping out ideas for those of us not yet up on scrivener and whatnot. Best wishes to all! (and for the 2014 applicants reading this thread: I was rejected from most places I applied to, but I was accepted at my hail-mary top choice with awesome funding and amazing scholars. Cool things can/do happen).

Philosphy, philosophy, philosophy. Data comes and goes; the ability to productively negotiate data is imperative.

Pm sent!

I've found it useful to ask for syllabi. "Hey ____, i'm planning on taking your course next fall. Is the syllabus ready? If so, may I please have a copy of it now?" This is applicable for courses offered in the past as well. For example, I'm done with a first reading of the material listed for next year's courses already. I did the same for my MA program. The point isn't for me to be a know-it-all come seminar time (these people exist). Rather, the point is for me to feel comfortable in having the time to do multiple readings and take in as many secondary sources as I can, as early as possible, in order to form term papers that can possibly turn into something more. This might be common sense--sorry if it is!

Politics as usual. Pm sent!

Some basics (for your noted interests) might include: Mourning and Melancholia The Dissolution of the Oedipus Complex On Narcissism Beyond the pleasure principle Three essays on the theory of sexuality (Sorry if you're already familiar with these. If you are already familiar with these, and they are at all of interest, perhaps check-out some Irigaray, Cixous, Fanon) Edit: shoot me a PM if you are interested in modern moves in psychoanalysis regarding queer theory. Best of luck to you :-). 2nd edit: Because i've been thinking about it in terms of syllabi, i'd start with Kristeva's "Women's Time" if that's the sort of route you might also take ('French' 'feminism').

edit: Freud.

Quick: describe any perceived changes in gravity! (grats!)

The affirmative to your question is, of course, sex or what? Same! Atlanta and the bay were fun, but chi-town last year was a blast!

I just want to echo this point.

Be comfortable: the detectability of impostor syndrome is exacerbated when existential angst is mirrored by physical discomfort. Pro tip: I don't mean wear sweat-clothes; for the long run this entails building a wardrobe of professional attire that you don't dread wearing.

There are well funded American studies programs at several Canadian Uni's. Several of these even have fully funded MA programs. Edit: anyway, good luck to all! I hope that a highly self-motivated, well read, and frustrated American student finds solace and possibilities in these posts for next year's cycle.