shockwave

I would say it was definitely a good idea. Whenever they ask for something you want to be as attentive as possible and provide exactly what they want. Be it in academia or elsewhere.

I have some free time and some spare change and am debating whether or not to visit my field site for a short trip. Give the holiday travel costs, it is looking like it will cost about $1,500-$2,000 out of pocket and I am not really sure how much I am going to actually get done. I am planning to spend all of summer 2014 at my field site and will be heading into the field the 2015-2016 academic year. I am just wondering if anyone had any input on this. I feel like I would be wasting my time if I didn't go, but I think going might be too rushed and economically not a great idea. And while I know I will definitely get some good data out of it, I am not sure if it will add a major contribution to me being there for 3 months next summer. Any thoughts? Or any ideas on how I should spend my winter break instead? Beside from reading and writing as much as I possibly can?

Some of my former classmates and I were discussing the possibility of finding a job on the European job market. I was wondering what the prospects were for a U.S. graduate to obtain a job at a European institution and what criteria needed to be met in order to obtain such a job? I would assume language ability would be important, publications in European conferences, and some networking and contacts within European universities would be a good place to start. My personal interest in possibility working in Europe stems both from my personal interest in the region and the fact that I study migration issues and Europe would be an excellent place to pursue such research. Thanks everyone.

Hi all, I submitted a paper to an article about a month ago. I had heard that this particular journal had a relatively fast response time. I was wondering if/when I should contact to journal to see the status of the article and check the status. I feel it may come off too pushy and eager and just wanted everyone's thoughts. Thanks

Well if they just come out and say "I was bad, people thought I sucked, and now I want to enter a PhD program" that isn't going to sound good. The OP needs to passionately and intellectually express their interest and explain what they have going for them. Perhaps high GRE scores, GPA, TA experience, something like that. When I first received low GRE scores I emailed some professors I'd contacted before and who i wanted to gain admissions into their programs and was frank. I said "my GRE scores are low BUT...." and they gave me an honest reply. I also said "my language experience is this...." and they replied. I didn't mean for the OP to email begging for admissions. Simply say "I am interested in studying with you, I am considering applying" if the prof is interested and replies then the OP can say happy to hear and go into details. If they aren't begging them for admissions I wouldn't say they are burning any bridges since I don't think the OP is going to be applying in the near future

Well the thing is, these aren't really "undergraduate" concepts. These are deeply theoretical ideas that are targeted for persons in this specific field, not for people who are just aiming to learn something about it and get that deeper level of understanding down. If addition is an undergraduate concept, and decimals are grad level, we are learning the Pythagorean theorem.

I would absolutely recommend you contact some people you want to work with at potential schools. Explain your situation, send out dozens, if not hundreds of emails of people you want to work with in some caliber and get their feedback. Maybe you will be surprised that some of them or incredibly supportive of your work ad give you some excellent advice.

Also, have you emailed any professors at programs you wish to attend? Explain to them your situation and I am sure some of them will be supportive. I can't possibly imagine anyone being admitted to a PhD program without some degree of contact with some of the professors beforehand. Definitely contact some of them to get their opinions too!

Interesting thread, I am very sorry to hear of your very negative experiences. I for one would not push him for an LoR. I would actually go to your second reader for their advice. You can go to tell them your situation honestly (if you trust them) and get their feedback on what your future should entail. IF you are truly motivated to become a PhD student, then I think they will recommend that you build up your CV. Perhaps another MA program attached to a PhD program at a prestigious university? A year off working, presenting at conferences, and preparing for the next application cycle? I am really not sure. I would speak with a faculty member you absolutely trust. I also think there is a problem somewhere else. Several people here have mentioned that their advisors had told them they were too "ambitious" or that they were getting in for too much, saw someone else say that they were told they didn't know how to write an introduction. This is concerning (but not surprising) because it seems to speak to a declining quality of education academy entirely. If a person can't write something like an introduction they probably shouldn't be in a PhD program. This shows that their undergraduate and/or MA program have failed to address the basics of academic writing. I remember when my classmate and I were meeting with our advisor and he suggested that my classmate 'learn how to write' from me. I was shocked that as a second year graduate student my classmate wasn't able to write a quality paper - he was my senior! It is possible that it this time you don't possess some of the skills needed to get in and if you do get into a program, there is no guarantee you will be a solid candidate for a job when you are done. I remember when I was applying and speaking with faculty about not getting in anywhere they provided me with a number of alternatives of things I could do to better myself for reapply the following year. Also, ask what you have done wrong and have the explicitly explain how you can learn from it. What you could have done better. What you need to work on. Are you approaching your topic too subjectively? I suspect a great many graduate students approach a topic with an agenda rather than going into a project open minded and when this happens, the results and quality of the writing suck. Do you have a sound understanding of the theories you are referencing? Are these literatures important and relevant? These are thins I would ask. Most importantly, don't give up (if this is really your dream)! Don't be discouraged and just keep at it.

Hey, I am in a class where some of the readings are way to difficult for me to really understand. The readings are very theoretically grounded and this is in a particular area that although I have a deep interest in, I have an extremely limited knowledge of the theoretical practices of it. Therefore, when I read these papers on these abstract ideas referring to historical concepts relative to this area, I don't get much out of it. I am kind of disappointed because I had really hoped to get a better understanding out of this class but I find myself just reading words on paper. Can anyone relate? Any suggestions?

Parking question. I am living about ten minutes from campus by bus, but I would prefer to drive if possible. However, I see that the passes are about $250 - $350 and the commuter lots seem almost comically far from the campus. I was wondering if it even worth it to park in one of these lots or should I just park in the city lot down the street. I will only be on campus probably 2-3 days out of the week and it might be just as expensive and a lot more convenient.

I will also be attending and would definitely like to meet some like minded and interesting people! Also I am somewhat informed about the city and the area (I spent almost over a week exploring and looking for housing) so I can definitely help out people in that position as well.

Thank you for the input everyone. I've actually been rented two Thinkpads from my school and while they have been decent they have been heavy, filled with sppyware, and one actually crashed on me - though I was lucky enough to back up my data. I think I will be steering away from a Thinkpad unless I find an awesome deal. I like the suggestions of the samsung and the toshiba, mainly because those are things I usually wouldn't think of. Has anyone tried the chromebook? The laptop that is like $300?

I am need to give my current school issued laptop back at the end of the semester, meaning I will have to do what I have been putting off for a few years now, which is buy a new laptop. I am probably one of the least computer-knowledgable people one could find and am looking for advice. I mainly need this for research purposes. Documents, files, writing, etc. I don't play games on it or anything, occassionally will watch a movie if I am on a long trip or something. I am not looking to spend very much at this time and would really prefer something light weight. Ideally I'd have liked a macbook but I think I can get something cheaper (such as chromebook, or a small hp laptop, etc.). I was wondering if anyone could give me some recommendations, advice, things to avoid, etc. because I really have no clue what I am looking for. Thanks everyone.

Is Iowa City safe to walk around in at night?