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funchaku

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Everything posted by funchaku

  1. I work in child language development, and we often need to create child-friendly visual stimuli. I'm curious as to what sort of strategies people use to design visual stimuli. Do you draw them by hand/find resources online/use programs like Flash/Photoshop, etc.?
  2. You've gotten some very good responses, but I just wanted to put in my two cents. Of course fit is important, but perhaps taken too liberally to mean "alignment of interest". Your interest in, e.g., ergativity might match perfectly with Professor X, who is the ergativity expert in the field, but that's neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for acceptance (at least at first blush, the institution I'm at currently might not look like the best fit for my larger interests). I think demonstrating in your application your ability to conduct independent research is arguably the most important. Notice that this cuts across several sub-components of your application. Evidence for this capacity should be given not just in your SOP, but also in your letters and in your writing sample. Some of the things you mention here are not so important, e.g., GREs. Many of the schools I applied to didn't even look at the GREs. And at most 1 person in my current cohort has had any publications at the time of applying, and I think that's fairly standard, at least in Linguistics programs. My main advice to you for the next application cycle--partly because it is the one you have the most control over (you can only do so much improve LORs)--is to work on your writing sample. It's the strongest piece of evidence that an adcom has that you can do good, graduate-level work. Good luck!
  3. I took a quick look at SOPs on the site you posted, CawingKro, and my advice would be to steer clear of that general style of SOP writing. Think of it less as a personal statement and more along the lines of a cover letter for a Research Assistant position. I'm not sure how helpful this will be, but mine was about 2 pages and structured as follows: I started with a very brief paragraph outlining my specific goals in pursuing a Linguistics PhD and the big questions I'm interested in. I then spent several paragraphs describing my research experience in different labs, etc., and how they informed my current interests. A significant section afterwards was dedicated to describing what I would want to do over the course of my graduate studies, i.e., future research plans. I think this might be one of the most important sections- although no one really expects you to stick to the research plans you outlined in your SOP, it gives the adcom a sense of whether you can cogently articulate a course of study, whether you have a feel for asking the right sort of questions, etc. Finally, I spent a couple of paragraphs outlining why this specific school was a good fit and which professors at the institution I'd want to work with. The SOP was one of the hardest parts of the application for me, and it ended up going through several major revisions. Good luck!
  4. This is still very early in the application season, and I would recommend that whichever paper you choose, you take the time to edit/expand on it. In fact, you have time to write a whole new one if you don't think either option is sufficient (this is what I ended up doing). My inclination is towards paper B, though I would certainly recommend you add to it. Of course you want to be able to demonstrate your ability to plow through and succinctly summarize relevant literature, but you also want to show that you can offer some of your own solutions to problems you outline.
  5. I don't think the Baggett fellowship is a post-bacc program in the typical sense. For instance, I'm not sure if you actually take classes. I think it's really more of a salaried RAship, and a highly competitive one--they have about 1 or 2 fellows each year.
  6. I can't really speak to the schools' job placement rate, but you might be able to get a gauge of that from the department website? As for the funding issue, I want to say it will be difficult, but feasible for two people to live off just university funding. If I were to guess, I would say living costs will be around the same for UMass and Cornell, but a lot higher for Chicago. That's something you might want to take into consideration as well. I know these are really hard decisions-- all best!
  7. I dont know much about cornell's program or Ithaca but heres what i know about UMass. Joe Pater at UMass is very good at the kind of thing you are interested in, and I know at least a few students who are doing similar things. There's also Kristine Yu who is a phonetician. But you probably knew this kind of stuff already. 19000 is plenty to live comfortably in Northampton (20 mins from Amherst, where most grad students live) for one person. Is your spouse planning on working as well? In terms of the weather, both Ithaca and Amherst can get very cold in the winter. UMass is a 2 hour drive to Boston and a 3 hr drive to NYC if that sort of accessibility makes a difference. Are you planning on visiting the two schools? That might be what will ultimately help you decide.
  8. Thanks everyone! This makes me feel a lot better/lot less guilty
  9. Thanks, Phonolog, this was really helpful, I think I am leaning towards going! Btw, is this really true? I thought there was just a standard package the school gives the accepted students, unless you have outside funding of some sort..
  10. I have been accepted to a few of my top choices, which I am really shocked about, but I am now left with a new problem. I have loved corresponding with everyone at the different schools, and it feels like a heavy, overwhelming decision to choose one and close doors on the others. I wanted to make life easier for myself and everyone else, and withdrew my application from consideration at the schools I have yet to hear from. But a while back, I committed to attend the interview weekend at JHU. It originally conflicted with another open house, but the faculty at both universities went to a lot of trouble to arrange a schedule that would work. JHU is not really on my radar anymore, and I feel like I would be wasting their time and money if I still go. But I can't help but feel guilty, and am at a loss as to the appropriate protocol. Help?
  11. Hahaha no thank god! It was around 1PM EST. Thanks Phonolog for the UMass info. They are so consistently delayed, it's frustrating.
  12. UMass adcom is officially "reading files," whatever that means, but I'm not sure if we will hear anytime soon since their admissions weekend is not till April! No clue about MIT, though from looking at stats from previous years, I would think we will hear back relatively soon. I don't think there is an international bias, but I know most schools try to regularly accept at least a few international students. And for good reason I think, as their experience--language-related and otherwise--often contributes a great deal to the department. I seriously doubt your Canadian citizenship is the reason McGill wants you! UCSC has a phenomenal program and if you've already received an acceptance from there, you must be a very competitive applicant!
  13. I had received nothing from Penn either for some time after my phone interview and after people had heard back. So I emailed my POI, who forwarded my email to the grad chair. I received an email briefly after, informing me that I was on "a short list of candidates," which I didn't take to be particularly different from wait list. Honestly, I would email at this point-- wait list better than a rejection!
  14. MissTrace, if you don't hear anything by the end of the week, perhaps you could send your POI an email? No email does not necessarily have to mean rejection. I heard from them on Friday, and I believe they are organizing an open house within the next two weeks.
  15. Hey meowmew, nothing of the confirmation sort on my end, either. You have to check the website to make sure your LORs have been received, as they seem to send no confirmations about LOR-receipt either.
  16. If you are interested in doing experimental work, there are typically people in Psychology departments doing language-related work. You might have an easier time finding paid RAships/Lab Manager positions in Psychology than Linguistics, in part because Psych tends to be larger department than Linguistics. I am not sure if this will be relevant to you since you are not in the US, but also try hercjobs.org. Good luck!
  17. Thanks morphoguy for the info, and congrats!! I had a phone interview w UMD last week and they are having an open house march 7-8. JHU is having their interview weekend on those two days.
  18. Thanks Des Grieux, and congratulations to you as well!! Hope the interviews go great! On a different note, has anyone heard from UPenn? I've been going crazy since the 2 accepted postings showed up on the results page.
  19. Ugh, the wait is definitely the hardest part . They mentioned an open house for accepted students March 11-12. I hope you hear back soon! Good luck!
  20. First acceptance today, UCLA ! So relieved that I have one under my belt and can rest a little easier now. I noticed a couple of UPenn acceptances on the results page. I interviewed with them about a week ago, but haven't heard anything yet. I'm guessing that's a no? :-\ Anyone know anything?
  21. Congratsss!!! Do you mind PM-ing me your POI? Thanks in advance
  22. Hi mylime. So yes, you have pretty much been accepted--CONGRATS!! It is very unlikely that the Dean rejects any of the recommendations by the department, unless, for example, they do a background check and find that you have a ridiculous criminal record or something. As for the visiting weekend, for the most part, it's their chance to woo you. But don't go completely unprepared, either-- from what I've heard, they do reserve the right to rescind admissions if they just don't see you as a fit at all. Barring these rare circumstances, YES YOU'RE IN! :-D
  23. Whoever has heard from Harvard Developmental Psych, could you PM me your POI? Congrats on the interview!
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