GinaMae08 Posted January 30, 2008 Posted January 30, 2008 Hello all, I am currently suffering stage I meltdown because a friend of mine got an interview to Emory's Religious Studies Department. I know...I know I'm horrible because I applied to the African American Lit PhD program and have heard NADA... :evil: ...Does anybody know how Emory's English PhD works? A side appetizer, what about the Ford Fellowship Competition? Thanks a bunch! ~Gina
Minnesotan Posted January 31, 2008 Posted January 31, 2008 Is that one of those "No white guys allowed in the treehouse!" fellowships? It's hard to keep up.
dubitocogito Posted January 31, 2008 Posted January 31, 2008 Is that one of those "No white guys allowed in the treehouse!" fellowships? It's hard to keep up. What?
SocGal08 Posted January 31, 2008 Posted January 31, 2008 Is that one of those "No white guys allowed in the treehouse!" fellowships? It's hard to keep up. Is that comment really necessary? I would normally bite my tongue, but you made a similar comment in reference to diversity essays in another discussion, and I really don't appreciate it. I was really excited when I found this board last month because people are so positive and supportive. When I was applying to undergrad, some of the boards I read were full of vitriolic racial comments. While most of that was from racist trolls, I also think it reflected some of the strong emotions and frustrations that people feel going through the admissions process. It's stressful to put all of your accomplishments before some admissions committee that will seemingly decide your fate (to put it dramatically!). I get all of that. That said, the comments about diversity essays just being whining contests and this other comment are out of line. I'm a minority, I'm poor, and I'm a first generation college student. While I have faced many obstacles in getting my degree, so have others, and my point here is not to argue for or against affirmative action. Applying for college (or a job) is about showing who you are and what you have to offer. My background and life experiences are a major part of that. The point of the diversity essay is to elaborate on that, not to whine. Throughout the admissions process, I've never been made to feel like I'm just a number or the [optional] box I check in the racial category. I'm sorry to go all cornball after school special on you, I just think it's really simplistic when people reduce the notion of diversity to just being about whining or beating up on the white guy.
dubitocogito Posted January 31, 2008 Posted January 31, 2008 Yeah, I have to say I find this little comment very offensive. And surprising, as I thought the poster was a decently bright person. Maybe it was a bad attempt at humor. That happens. For the record, I'm at Harvard now and white men seem to be getting into the treehouse just fine. That includes me. So, you'll have to find another excuse.
GinaMae08 Posted January 31, 2008 Author Posted January 31, 2008 Umm... I didn't mean to cause such a stir. But to catch those who are interested up...I got waitlisted. *ugh*
Minnesotan Posted January 31, 2008 Posted January 31, 2008 Honestly, I was just asking if the fellowship was a minority/gender-based fellowship, or not. I'm not really sure how the question could be offensive in any way. Am I not allowed to talk about white guys being excluded from things? Or can I not make jokes about it? I'm not sure what touchy-feely button I pressed, but I'd be happy to un-press it, if it gets people off my already over-crowded back! I guess I don't really care either way - I just hadn't applied to the Ford Fellowship, so I assumed I was excluded based on race or gender. It's a pretty safe assumption. That's all I meant; nothing offensive or deserving of a long rant in response.
SocGal08 Posted February 1, 2008 Posted February 1, 2008 As I mentioned in my post, I wasn't just responding to that comment, but also the one you made about diversity essays. I would hardly call my post a rant, quite to the contrary, I wanted to explain in as measured a way as possible why I think diversity is about more than whining or beating up on the white guy. It's obvious that you resent these programs and I just wanted to throw in my two cents.
checker Posted February 1, 2008 Posted February 1, 2008 GinaMae I dont think they start letting people know about the Ford until april.....I know... Also, I have to say that I also found the treehouse comment offensive. Even more offensive was the weak attempt at an apology. But I thoroughly enjoyed both of SocGal's responses because I too had been excited to find a college forum that was not overrun by racist trolls. Back to GinaMae, good luck on getting off the waitlist!
nailbitingnmiserable Posted February 1, 2008 Posted February 1, 2008 I am sorry to be reading all these back and forth comments about racism. I thought the purpose of these boards was to find others to commiserate with, not make enemies of. We are probably all just a bit over-stressed and making ourselves crazy, and I would ask that people try not to be so offensive or offended by these frustrations. Oh, and as far as diversity issues and scholarships go, I honestly believe there are opportunities available for almost anyone these days -- including white males -- you just have to find them. I am a white female, with an MA in anthropology, so I looked mainly at things like language scholarships (I am studying Hindi) and social science research/writing programs (where I would be creating some piece of publishable work at the end of my first year). I'm also Jewish, so I looked a little at Jewish based funding. Stuff is out there.
bgk Posted February 1, 2008 Posted February 1, 2008 I thought the purpose of these boards was to find others to commiserate with, not make enemies of. Indeed it is. And on that note, I'll lock this thread. :-)
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