repatriate

This article is a terrible example of the clear writing the author so wishes we would all create. It's full of strange digressions (such as the salaries of bankers), and the author is using the GRE as a vehicle for a broader complaint about academic writing styles that really has nothing to do with what the GRE should test.

Whether or not we ought to write accessibly (we ought), the GRE should test the ability to read the scholarly literature that is available. In the world we live in, scholarly literature is dense and convoluted in style. In most graduate classes, instructors will expect you not only to read and understand this literature without help but also to lead discussions on that same material. Why should the entrance exam test your ability to comprehend a totally different kind of prose than you will encounter in graduate school?

Don't bring it up!! Seriously. It will not lead to anything good. There are plenty of people that, for lots of reasons, don't come into the lab on Saturday nights or on Sundays. If you do feel the need to say that you can't work then, then don't bother saying why. Just because you have a long distance SO does not mean that your personal life should then be brought up to your advisor.

mechengr2000, the protocol varies greatly. Some TA/RA contracts expressly forbid outside employment while others do not. If you do get a job, you'll want to get one with some flexibility so that you aren't overwhelmed when a bunch of research needs to get done before a conference or when it's late in the semester and you're working on final papers/projects.

I agree. We ought to write accessible text. That is a separate issue from what texts the GRE should sample from. The GRE should sample from the kind of texts you will read in graduate school. Unfortunately, many scholars do write like this. You will need to be able to read such writing in graduate school, regardless of whether or not it ought to exist.

This article is a terrible example of the clear writing the author so wishes we would all create. It's full of strange digressions (such as the salaries of bankers), and the author is using the GRE as a vehicle for a broader complaint about academic writing styles that really has nothing to do with what the GRE should test.

Whether or not we ought to write accessibly (we ought), the GRE should test the ability to read the scholarly literature that is available. In the world we live in, scholarly literature is dense and convoluted in style. In most graduate classes, instructors will expect you not only to read and understand this literature without help but also to lead discussions on that same material. Why should the entrance exam test your ability to comprehend a totally different kind of prose than you will encounter in graduate school?

On a slightly different note:

Before my first semester started, I gave myself some time to get my living space well in order. Especially since I had moved across the country to start my program, I had a lot of work to do in terms of acquiring furniture, organizing all my belongings, etc. It was totally time well spent. My living space isn't large, but it's well-organized, functional, and beautiful; it's an optimal environment for getting work done and for relaxing at the end of the day. If you have the time and even a little money to invest in organizing/decorating your living space before school starts in the fall, I strongly encourage you to go for it.

I asked one of the ABD's in my department what she did to survive her first year. She said "I bought a good, comfortable reading chair and a very large bottle of vodka, and made good use of both."

This is a great thread. I'll add a few things:

1) Gregory Semenza's book "Graduate Study for the Twenty-First Century" is excellent for humanities folk. It has motivated me in many ways to make the most of my time during the MA. Read it!!

2) Don't blather on with personal stories during class discussion. Keep your comments focused on the course material and avoid derailing the whole conversation just so you can chat about your ancestor who was in the Civil War or your visit to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, or whatever. Yes, now and then a personal story is appropriate, but keep it short. Avoid becoming "that person" who only wants to talk about him/herself.

3) Participate in department events, like end-of-semester dinners, important guest lectures, and so on. You don't have to attend every single thing, but be a presence so that others know you care about the department and are taking advantage of the resources offered.

4) School is now your job, so you should treat it like one. Do not miss class without an excellent reason, do not turn in assignments late, do not whine about the grades you are given. (I've seen other first-years making these types of faux pas... they tend to be here straight out of undergrad.)

5) Advice above re: sleep is great, even if I haven't taken it myself. You might barely function with four hours of sleep each night, but give your brain a chance to rest with a good 8 hours so you can work at full mental capacity!

There is a big difference between literary criticism and creative writing, so why did Franco get the two mixed up? If he wanted to be in a creative writing program, he should have figured that out before going to Yale literary criticism. But if he wants to be in a literary criticism program, he shouldn't also apply to a creative writing program. He's only been in the Yale program for two semesters but he already knows he doesn't want to be there?

It's not just the fault of James Franco, however. Look at all of the graduate departments that are enabling him. Yale accepted him although he was perhaps uninterested in literary criticism or not up to the standards of the department. He's leaving for some reason. University of Houston accepted him even though he flamed out of Yale's program and obviously has problems completing programs.

What about all of the UCLA professors who enabled him by writing him letters of recommendation? I bet his famous film directors wrote him letters of rec. Yet they also didn't bother to really figure out if he was heading towards literary criticism or creative writing. They are all enabling him just like they enable famous people like Charlie Sheen.

In addition, are his GRE scores very high? Are his grades any good? I wonder if he's any good as a candidate besides having a lot of famous people writing letters of recommendation for him.

I used to really admire James Franco, but now I think he's being incredibly selfish. His enrollment in all these programs makes a mockery of everyone else and it makes a mockery of the educational system. What it means is that we have a very famous, very charming man who is taking advantage of that to satisfy what I am sure is genuine intellectual curiosity and desire for personal betterment. However, what that also means is that he is taking away spots in programs one of us "normals" might have taken. And there's a lot more riding on getting into a graduate program for the average applicant than there is for James Franco.

Not only that, he is trivializing the programs and the graduate education in general by overloading himself on classes and programs. There is no way any human being can complete a semester in excess of 43 hours - unless there is something I'm missing here and James Franco is truly some kind of savant, it just isn't possible. But instead, what most of us see is this guy who is able to achieve, in unrealistic quantities, what we are struggling with at the normal level. For him to take up so much space in all these programs and classes while making it seem so effortless is incredibly insulting if he is not making decent grades (that he earned) across the board.

I understand the desire to want to continue one's education - obviously, all of us here do - but at some point he needs to take the initiative to educate himself, rather than pursuing so many degrees in so many programs. Again, I do think he seems like a nice guy, and he is certainly incredibly talented, but at the end of the day, he's screwing us. I realize he brings a lot of funding into the department, but the fact still remains that he is taking away spots from people who deserve them and he is diminishing the graduate school struggle for the people who have to be admitted and graduate on our merit alone, rather than fame. He's always going to get in to wherever he applies, but if he is being childish if he continues applying and matriculating. Somewhere past your thirtieth graduate degree, the diplomas just stop carrying the same meaning.

My department has not been as politicky as some, but here's some general advice for the first year (and beyond, really):

Try not to say bad things about people. Anyone. Even if it seems like the person you're talking to won't care or won't know the person under discussion It's much better to avoid those tricky, facepalming faux pas moments than attempt to fix them once the words have escaped your mouth. Also, people may love gossip but they don't always feel the greatest when they realize that you might be spilling dirt on them at some point.

Listen more than you speak.

Without going so far as complete suck-uppage, try to find something admirable in everyone, or at least something on which they deserve a compliment on any given day. Fostering an atmosphere of respect and courtesy, even if it's just a bubble in your immediate area, will win you more friends than enemies. Even in a toxic department, you need to keep your doors open for allies or at least neutral parties.

Ask around, feel it out, but find out the power structure of deans and heads and whatever other administrative/advisory people are in charge of things in your department. Know who is responsible for helping you with your problems, and who is going to really help or sympathize with them-- those are not always the same people, but I certainly hope that you luck out and the system is both functional and accessible to you in times of need and frustration.

Respect the people with more experience than you, but don't kowtow to them. They may have been there for longer than you, but everyone is both good and bad something. You're a new colleague, nothing more or less.

Don't apologize for everything, or people will start wondering what you're doing wrong.

1. I wish I would have fully grasped how busy I would become. It is so much more work than undergrad.

2. In that vein, I wish I would have done more prep work, gotten more freezer meals cooked and frozen before school started.

3. I got excellent advice from a friend: Set a time limit and don't go over it. Let's say it is 40 hours or 50 hours or whatever. When you reach it, STOP! Even if you haven't finished the reading. There are times when you have no choice and will have to break it, but try your best to stick to it.

4. Find a place you love and when it gets too much, go there and stay there until you have gained perspective. It could be the ocean, the forest, or our back yard.

5. EXERCISE! I have stayed sane by walking to school most days and taking walks with my husband at night. It gives us a chance to reconnect and let's me look away from the screen.

6. Learn to focus and cut out distractions. I installed Rescue Robot and it lets me know how long I have spent on each site and how productive I am. It is a free app and you can put it on multiple computers. I find it wonderful because so much of my time is spent on the computer or at home reading, so it is very easy to get sucked down rabbit holes. I have canceled my social media accounts as well, to cut down on mindless surfing.

7. Try to move to your new place early if you can. Having a couple weeks to settle, unpack, and get your bearings before you are hit with school is wonderful.

8. You will no longer be the smartest person in your class. Get over it. Also, don't be intimidated by other students. Remember they have had different training and preparation. One of the hardest things as a first year was to be thrown in a class with students who already have their master's and are studying for their qualifying exams. The only way I survived was that one of my classmates pointed it out to me and said to keep reminding myself of it.

9. One of my biggest breakthroughs this year has been learning to take criticism without automatically assuming it means I am stupid. Important lesson!

10. Have fun and remember you are in an incredibly privileged position. I think 5% of Americans have an advanced degree.

i agree

I want that five minutes of my life back.

No, realistically, it will be much more than $60K. If the schook is $32K per year and you only have a $6K scholarship, you're looking at $26K per year or $52K for a two-year program. But you haven't factored in living expenses. If you borrow $25K per year for two years to live on, then you're looking at $102K, plus interest. Even if you scrape by on $20K per year, that's still $92K overall.

How will you pay off $92,000? Will your salary look anything like that with a master's in urban planning? I'm guessing no.

If you don't know how you'll pay it off, don't take it on. It's really that simple.

If you are one of the only one in your dept. entering as a first year grad student with NSF fellowship, you should not defer. Way more impressive to start off your first year as a fellow. You can always teach after the fellowship is over.

Please keep the insincere comments to yourself. Such a comment from someone who just won an award doesn't really make those who didn't feel that great...

Try ignoring the guy that's obviously trolling.

what kind of crappy server can't accomodate 500 or so users

My principle has always been: "Email is a passive form of communication". Email is wonderful because it's a recorded form of communication, and when you're incredibly busy or you want some time to think about your answer, you can sit on it. If it's an urgent matter, I answer it right away, otherwise, it can take a few hours up to 2 days for a reply. I do laboratory benchwork, and it's not practical for me to stop a critical experiment just to answer an email. To be efficient, I try to do go through my inbox first thing in the morning, after lunch, or at the end of the day.

I don't think your time frame is "rude". It also depends on how anxious you are about replying to it. If you are, just go for it.

I usually reply within a few minutes to a few hours (depends if I'm at my desk or in my lab), and it almost never takes me longer than 12 hours (I check in the morning, and again when I'm done with work in the evening).

I don't find it takes me that long to compose most e-mails.... I have a couple that I've sat on for half a day or so to think of, but that's mostly the first time I'm writing a new professor somewhere to make a connection.

Last year awardee dropping by.
I was about to go on the fastlane website to submit my annual report. Then I found out this year announcement is coming out soon.
Last year, I actually didn't know it will be posted after the maintenance and slept peacefully the night before. I am still not sure why, but I checked email using my iphone in the morning while I was still in bed. I was really surprised by the email and honestly thought I was dreaming. Still can remember that moment...

Anyway! Good luck to everyone!

n00b, read any of the past 8 pages

FYI: Fastlane says the following:

04/04/11 - GRFP/FastLane will be unavailable from 11:00PM ET Monday, April 4th - 5:00AM ET Tuesday, April 5th for scheduled maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Reason for hope?

This is incorrect. There is a general agreement among the schools that are signatories of the CGS resolution that you can change your mind after you accept an offer (but prior to April 15th), but it is in no way binding. Should a school choose to deviate from this resolution, there is nothing official to stop them- they just might not be able to continue as signatories of the resolution. Make sure you check with the school before you try this.

Technically, once you accept an offer you have a legally binding contract to attend the school, and I have heard stories of schools that will sue for the costs of attendance, especially as many administrations won't allow funds to be reallocated to someone else after an offer has been officially accepted.

On the other implicit points in the original post: It's not courteous to accept an offer just to give yourself more time. If you don't attend the first institution after having formally accepted their offer, there's a large chance you deprive them of that funding altogether for a student for that year. An acceptance is a legally binding contract, not something you should just sign "until a better offer comes along". It's not polite to either the university or the students on the waitlist at that institution to treat it as such.