1Q84

Hey thanks for the reply! That seems silly to me... why would I have to provide proof of funds before I'm even accepted? Could that possibly mean that they make acceptance offers based on applicant's financial status? Dun dun dun... hmmm... But yes, good idea, I should definitely be aiming those questions at the International Studies department, good call. There's just so many different departments to call ugh...

Polite bump. Any experienced international students want to share their worldly wisdom?

Oh oh, I have another question since I'm apparently very socially inept: Do you give your gifts/thank you letters before they write the letter or after all of your applications are sent and done? I mean if you give them before, it might be (mis)interpreted as greasing the wheels, but if you give it after, then maybe your recommenders may not feel appreciated. Hmm!

Yes, but some schools use it as a (or the) deciding factor when they must choose between two equal candidates for funding, obviously a moot point if you're applying to schools that fully fund all their students, but $1000 in the face of possibly tens of thousands of dollars of funding seems really not so bad... Oh my god. Have I become an ETS apologist?

Agreed with dwdptok. Associating research with personal dysfunction (or anything negative for that matter) is not a good idea, even if you've had a change of heart. There's no point in really bringing that much detail into it, anyway.

Working for 8 months to raise (possibly desperately needed) funds for grad school... then cutting contract short and going straight to California! If all works out... Glad to hear you're doing it... I don't have any tips but good luck!

Try and see if you can work together on the LOR. Drop by during office hours and that way you can check his spelling, see if it makes sense, etc. I remember reading somewhere on these forums that someone else did that at some point and it took hours and lots of agony but finally got it done and it was an amazing letter.

I think it's silly to avoid the use of first person pronouns. It's a freakin' personal statement! It's supposed to be about me (you!) Like you said, it'll just sound stilted and awkward and like you can't write if you try mixing it up too much. Although I did read somewhere that the overuse (or even use altogether) of "I" in emails or correspondence signified subservience and a lack of power. But of course when it comes to grad apps, we already know very clearly what position we all occupy...

Doi! So true... why did I not realise that? From what I can tell, some words like realize are much rarer as realise, even in the UK. Who knows. In my mind, it just defies logic. The "end" of the sentence is after the quotation mark since the quotation mark is part of the sentence, no? And I still think it looks better outside! Ohhh that's interesting to hear. I'll get some pushback about the punctuation then, eh? That's really bothersome as puncutation within quotation marks just looks soooo wrongggg in my eyes. And good to know about the different between ize and ise! I didn't know that even though I majored in Latin...

Urgh... so as an international applicant to US schools, I have to worry about nonsense like this. I tried searching but I didn't come up with many old posts. If anyone has been through this, I'd appreciate some guidance as school websites are (as per usual) not really forthcoming about information and I've found grad secretaries this time of year are less likely to reply because they're so bogged down. 1. I have to provide proof of funds after securing a letter of admission, right? Some of the affidavits I have downloaded seem to imply that I need to submit it as part of my overall application package. 2. Is it right for a school to say that they will sponsor me for an international student tuition waiver after I have accepted the offer to attend? That seems kind of wrong to me as the waiver is not guaranteed... I'm just going to be sponsored by someone in the department and I have the possibility of receiving it. 3. Is it possible to split part of the affidavit between different sources of funds? For example, I'll put down my partner as a means of paying for the huge sum that they estimate for housing and food but all the rest I would say that I have myself. I didn't see any affidavit that allowed for source splitting. Thanks in advance!

Murakami's "Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World" has some very good chilly winter scenes that made me happy I was inside all warm and cozy!

Traditional parroted wisdom was that it's easier to read serif fonts in print (for various reasons, but some suggest that it's merely to what people have been accustomed). Some say that it's easier now to read sans serif digitally. Apparently, the debate still rages: http://www.desktoppublishingforum.com/bb/archive/index.php/t-6656.html Since these adcomms will be sifting through thousands of pages of printed text, I'd suggest just playing it safe and going serif.

99% there they're just verifying my references and credentials....

At the very least, passport should be used at all "very-serious" events needing ID... that should just be a given. I'm a Canadian citizen and I brought my passport to my test... who the hell is gonna argue with a passport?

This made me giggle as that's how I feel about the Elements of Style sometimes....

I would very much advise not using a sans serif font.

While I generally agree with the tenor and sentiments of this thread thus far, I will say that I have had some very kind grad secretaries advise me to not waste my time or money applying with my grades. I appreciated the candour. I have, however, also been "encouraged" to apply to schools like USC that accept maybe 2 students a year into their English PhD program even though I have middling undergrad marks so... I guess it all depends.

Every single source I've read has attributed style guide conventions to "American style punctuation conventions", (or is that "American style punctuation conventions,"?) not the other way around, as you state. The APA website bears this out: Punctuation I'm not hugely concerned about but I do still write realise instead of realize, etc. and I think that can be jarring for some Americans (and even some Canadians!)

Thanks! I figured there'd be a few sticklers out there..... American it is!

On that note, if it's rolling admissions and you submit early, might one get an early offer of acceptance?

So I'm going to be applying exclusively to schools in America but my English is and always has been British (Canadian). Do you think I should perform the painful task of switching all my S's to Z's and taking out all my U's, etc. in my SOP and Writing Sample? I've come across so many Americans that think that "analyse", "colour", and "theatre" are a typo that I don't want to risk someone on the adcomm thinking that I can't spell. Additionally, even stuff like punctuation appearing only within quotation marks is an American tradition with which I don't particularly agree. Opinions? Suck it up and be American since I'm applying to America? Hold onto my "voice" and be fiercely "me"?

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I wasn't aware that people still used phrases like "gentleman and scholar" without bursting into laughter afterwards. Like others have said, I think the chances of you offending someone on the adcomm are much higher than you impressing someone with that line. Personally, I think it's pretty eye-rolly. I also think anyone on the adcomm with a modicum of gender studies knowledge or related experience under their belt would be inclined to vomit after reading that. Mad Men indeed.

Well yeah these gift cards and chocolates and alcohol ideas are news to me... I've never sent gifts to reference writers. I just thought maybe that's what I've been doing wrong all these years....

How much did y'all put on those gift cards out of curiosity....?