toasterazzi

Thanks for all the advice, you guys! I'll take it all into consideration and see what I can do. I have a feeling I'll probably just wind up applying to places that don't require it. I really just don't think I can muster up the energy needed to devote to it (even if I don't study that much). We'll see...

I found the Princeton Review's Cracking the GRE Literature Subject Test very helpful.  It breaks down stuff you should know backwards and forwards, stuff you should be able to reference, and things you should review if you have the time.  As a 19th/20th Century Americanist, I found it immensely helpful to get in tune with the Brit Lit that comprised the majority of the test.  Obviously, no book can perfectly prepare you for something like this, but there were at least twenty questions on the test I was able to nail because I studied it.
 
With that said, if you have other things going on (finishing up classes, writing your thesis), this should be the absolute last thing you worry about.  The subject test is unquestionably the absolute least important aspect of your overall application and should be treated as such.  Do some studying for it when you have the time, take it, get it over with, and then move on with your life.

They finally updated: http://www.ets.org/gre/subject/register/centers_dates/. I think I'm gonna shoot for the September date...*sigh*...

I think that much can be said about the risks of a public web presence. But what about the benefits? As academics, our jobs aren't just to research, but to put our research out to the public. The primary way of doing this is through traditional publication, but for smaller projects or when building up to a publication, blogging can be a tool to hash out ideas with other scholars (see ProfHacker's post by Anastasia Salter about using Tumblr for research). I can't help but wonder if hiring committees in the future (and possibly present) are looking for professors who have a strong web presence, who are writing and researching in the public's eye. Also, Twitter is becoming the chief tool for conference navigation and discussion. This past year, I had several tweets retweeted at a major conference; not only did that build my ego, but it also put my name out there in association with a professional organization.
 
I'm not saying that everybody should go and sign up for a Tumblr account right now. But if you are tempted to start a blog, I do believe that having a strong, positive, and productive web presence could actually help you in the future job search. While I agree that having a crummy web presence is the worst, I would say that having no web presence follows closely behind. So, as long as you follow the cardinal rule of civilized Internet discourse (don't be a dick), having a blog and/or Twitter account associated with your real name could actually help you connect with fellow scholars, get your ideas out there, and build a positive reputation around your name and your work. 
 
Lastly, the don't be a dick rule applies even when posting anonymously. As Roquentin points out, it's easy to figure out the identity of a poster with just a few key details. 

I started a blog a few weeks ago: http://harvardlonghorn.wordpress.com I've only done a few posts thus far but haven't decided how anonymous I plan on staying. However, I'm pretty mindful of the things I'm posting as well so I would be okay if classmates figured out who I was. 

Here's a few suggestions that you might like:
 
http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/
http://emilyjanuary.wordpress.com/
http://101books.net/2013/05/14/why-i-disagree-with-critics-of-the-new-gatsby-film/
 
http://persephonewrites.wordpress.com/
http://helpfromcyranette.wordpress.com/
 

I wish. I emailed them a month or so ago to try to find out, and they said they wouldn't have a new schedule until after the scores for the last test came out or something like that.

I actually just submitted a proposal yesterday to the MIdwest PCA/ACA for a paper I wrote about Boy Meets World .

Thanks, Phil Sparrow! I had UNC and Northwestern on my list last year, too. So at least I wasn't totally off! I'll definitely look into Columbia and Rutgers.
 
UNC would be great for another reason: Any other basketball fans here?

I'll be presenting too!

Take hope, future academicians! There's always being a cat lady.
 

Excellent! GradCafe shenanigans will have to ensue 

I will also be presenting!

None of us oldies are inexperienced and naive about the way the world works.  In fact, those 'disadvantages' of beginning a PhD program 'late in life' (ha!) are merely just another set of disadvantages that have plagued most of us oldies all our lives.  I wasn't able to begin college right after high school.  I grew up poor and attended a high school that didn't even encourage its students to pursue higher education.  My family didn't either, and I immediately went to work.  If I'd been asked to define what a scholarship meant at that time, I wouldn't have been able to.  None of that was part of my world.
 
In my early twenties, I began to long for something more and seriously considered the idea of community college.  However, I didn't work up the courage to attend until my mid-twenties.  Over the next decade, I attended steadily but could usually only take two classes a semester due to my work schedules.  In my early thirties, I began a well-paying career around the same time I transferred to a university to finish my upper-division work.  Despite the money I made, my college career began taking precedence; I loved it more than my job.  When I finished, I missed it so much that I began pursuing my MA.  It's the most satisfying accomplishment of my life, and--yes--my passion.
 
Interestingly, despite my PhD admission committee's knowledge of my age, they awarded me a prestigious fellowship.  I may be the oldest member of my cohort...but I have the best funding package.  I take this as a vote of confidence in my abilities (and recognition that I won't be succumbing to dementia anytime soon) despite the ageism that admittedly exists all around us.  And maybe life experiences and the accompanying maturity counts for something.
 
All I know is that I look damn good for my age (I'm routinely told I look at least ten years younger; this has been the case throughout my life), and my expertise just keeps growing.  I feel like I'm doing pretty good for someone who wasn't even supposed to get into college in the first place, and that's satisfying in every way.

Congrats! San Diego, here we come!

I definitely can see how the "follow your dreams" mantras can sound naive. But at the same time, I don't see myself in any other career path. So, I'm a few years older, am I really supposed to abandon my passions because it might make it a little harder for me to get tenure? Or because I might never get tenure and always make a little less money? I mean, if I wanted to make money, I certainly wouldn't be going to graduate school in the humanities. I think that we all get that this profession is a rough road...I just don't see how age is going to be another factor that's supposed to deter someone if this is really, truly what they want to do with their lives.

If this career path is so daunting, one would think that having the "pixie dust" follow your dreams attitude would be necessary--you better be passionate about something if you're willing to put so many years into it with no guarantees of your dream job. 

They'll be able to count backwards to determine age if you began your undergrad when you were 18, that is... It's not vitriol (and sorry if it seemed snarky--I sat for the spirit suck that is the qualifying exam yesterday) but a serious question: assuming you entered the academic world later in life, how on earth would they know your age?

So much speculation. The youngsters among us will have a tough time. The older folks will, too. Maybe it'll be a strike against me that I'm slightly older, but even if I weren't older I'd be worried. I think we're all pretty prepared for what we're getting into here. Plus those magic beans that I put under my pillow every night have failed to change my DOB like the gypsy said they would, so I'm low on options here.

So I love Buzzfeed. It's like the best, most ridiculous waste of time ever. Apparently, in all their infinite silliness, they decided to combine the Forbes rankings for top schools with the DateMySchool rankings for sexiest schools to develop a list of the smartest, sexiest schools. Please note that there is most likely very little basis for this, but I still found it amusing:
 
The Sexiest, Smartest Colleges in the Country
 
For those that don't want to go to the link and look at the pretty picture, the list went like this: 
 
10. Carnegie Mellon
9. UVa
8. Harvard
7. Boston U. 
6. Boston College
5. Columbia
4. UPenn
3. Princeton
2. Darthmouth
1. Brown
 
I know there's people here going to these schools. Maybe the single Fall 2013 folks have something to look forward to hehe.

So I love Buzzfeed. It's like the best, most ridiculous waste of time ever. Apparently, in all their infinite silliness, they decided to combine the Forbes rankings for top schools with the DateMySchool rankings for sexiest schools to develop a list of the smartest, sexiest schools. Please note that there is most likely very little basis for this, but I still found it amusing:
 
The Sexiest, Smartest Colleges in the Country
 
For those that don't want to go to the link and look at the pretty picture, the list went like this: 
 
10. Carnegie Mellon
9. UVa
8. Harvard
7. Boston U. 
6. Boston College
5. Columbia
4. UPenn
3. Princeton
2. Darthmouth
1. Brown
 
I know there's people here going to these schools. Maybe the single Fall 2013 folks have something to look forward to hehe.

I'm not sure why, but this post kind of rubs me the wrong way. Maybe because I'm already feeling anxiety about being "too old" (I just turned 30), and I feel like this attitude is what I'm most anxious about encountering--a kind of patronizing "good for you!" masking potential underlying criticism. Well shucks, gee, it sure would be an advantage if I was younger, but there's this thing where time only moves in one direction...
 
The truth is that it just took me longer to get here. It took me 6 years to finish undergrad because of financial difficulties, I lived and worked abroad for a while after that, then got a regular job, then realized I wanted to go back into academia, so spent the last 3 years working full time, starting a family, and earning my MA. Voila, I'm 30. It's not as though you can't live your life before you get tenure, so if that doesn't happen until I'm 45 (or, let's be honest, ever), so what? I just don't understand the "racing toward tenure so I can start my real life" idea, which views it as a beginning, rather than a milestone or an eventual goal. Obviously it's an important goal/step in an academic career, but I'm not sure that being a few years older affects the granting of tenure, and something like 50% won't end up getting it anyway, so I think it's important to be open to other possibilities.
 
I'm sorry, I really don't mean to be snippy--I think I'm just grumpy about turning 30. But I don't exactly wear dentures and hobble around on a walker in my slippers. 30 is young. 40 is young. People change careers all the time, and from the people I've spoken to in grad programs, a 10 or 15 year age difference means nothing at all. It's not like I've decided to become a gymnast at 30--I think I've got a few good years before senility will rob me of my literature-teaching abilities.

I moved to the town where I'm getting my MA about a month before school started. I had enough money saved from my previous job to cover the first two months of rent, moving fees and not much else. But I found out my campus bookstore was hiring for the back to school rush, so I applied and got hired. And they actually let me start working in July instead of the week before school started since I was already in town. They also let me come back during winter break, and I just started up again this week and will probably work through the summer as long as there's enough hours available. It's a pretty nice job .

I'm 35.  I walked in December at my M.A. graduation 9 months pregnant with my 5th child.  It's crazy, but fun.  Also, I feel like I am so invested in this---I know the value of every spare second, and I can organize my time well (I understand what it means to be busy with 5 kids under 8, phd apps, conferences ... ).
I think it actually helps!

Ahhhh!! Remember the other day when I said I submitted proposals to a conference for the first time? Well, I woke up this morning to an acceptance email from PAMLA. Huzzah!

Ahhhh!! Remember the other day when I said I submitted proposals to a conference for the first time? Well, I woke up this morning to an acceptance email from PAMLA. Huzzah!

Ahhhh!! Remember the other day when I said I submitted proposals to a conference for the first time? Well, I woke up this morning to an acceptance email from PAMLA. Huzzah!