Conferences

[toasterazzi]

Just found out yesterday that I also got a paper accepted for the MPCAACA conference in October. Anybody else going to that one?

[crazyhappy]

Just found out yesterday that I also got a paper accepted for the MPCAACA conference in October. Anybody else going to that one?

Congrats! No, I didn't apply to that one, but I am waiting to hear from SAMLA. 

[literary_tourist]

Just found out yesterday that I also got a paper accepted for the MPCAACA conference in October. Anybody else going to that one?

 I am

[nhswrestle]

Just found out yesterday that I also got a paper accepted for the MPCAACA conference in October. Anybody else going to that one?

 

 

 I am

 

I'll be there! What areas are you presenting in?

[literary_tourist]

I'm in the Video Games area

[toasterazzi]

 I am

 

We're gonna have to be conference buddies at this rate lol

 

 

I'll be there! What areas are you presenting in?

 

Television

[literary_tourist]

We're gonna have to be conference buddies at this rate lol

 

 

 

Television

 LOL! Yeah!

 

I'll be in the Crime Narratives area at PAMLA.

[toasterazzi]

 LOL! Yeah!

 

I'll be in the Crime Narratives area at PAMLA.

 

Haha nice. That one rejected me . I got accepted to Comparative Media: Social Mobility, Media, and the Development of Networked Social Spheres though.

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

Hi, if your paper is accepted to a conference, but you couldn't actually present it, would you still include it in your CV? How? Thanks guys, and best of luck to all those who'll be presenting

[Roquentin]

Hi, if your paper is accepted to a conference, but you couldn't actually present it, would you still include it in your CV?

 

 

No

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

Alright, thanks.

[1Q84]

I have a general question: if I'm starting my program this fall, then I'm guessing I'd wait until next year to try and attend these conferences?

 

I noticed the one that proflorax posted will be occurring in Oct 2013 but the proposals were due yesterday A month into the program is probably a little to rushed to be going to conferences, right?

[toasterazzi]

I don't know if there's a right way to go about it. I didn't even know about these conferences at all until I was almost done with my undergrad program, but from what I've seen online, some people do attend as undergraduates. I went to a conference for English educators in my last year of undergrad, but I didn't present or anything like that.

 

Now that I've finished my first year of my Master's program and I've done a bit of research, I think I'm ready to at least try my hand at presenting. Plus, I'm applying to PhD programs this fall, so I wanted to get some experience under my belt.

[Laokoon]

I went to SEASECS twice as an undergrad., and I found it an incredibly rewarding experience each time. For me, the best part was seeing the same folks both years and starting to form friendships.

I think something to keep in mind - especially for regional / college level conferences - is the importance and fun of meeting others in your field. At the national level, I suppose your eye is more on the market (though, this is not to say this isn't the case at the regional level, of course).

That said, please PM me if you have any specific questions/concerns, and ill do my best to help.

ETA: I presented both times.

Edited June 17, 2013 by Laokoon

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

Don't you guys feel overwhelmed by all the stuff that should be done before we start applying? I have this feeling that I want to go to each conference that I hear about then I find that I don't have enough time for everything. I sometimes wonder if I should go to any conference at all before application cycle begins. 

[crazyhappy]

Don't you guys feel overwhelmed by all the stuff that should be done before we start applying? I have this feeling that I want to go to each conference that I hear about then I find that I don't have enough time for everything. I sometimes wonder if I should go to any conference at all before application cycle begins. 

 

I am really overwhelmed by it all--proposals, conferences, studying for gre lit and gre, my sop, researching schools, and especially reading articles and books by all of my POIs!  It doesn't help that the baby (5 months old) of my 5 kids prefers that I focus on him nonstop  .  Oh well, half the fun I guess!  I just see it as one of a series of incredible challenges to overcome in order to do what I love (and keep my fingers crossed that I will eventually be able to get a job at the end of this ).

[ProfLorax]

Don't you guys feel overwhelmed by all the stuff that should be done before we start applying? I have this feeling that I want to go to each conference that I hear about then I find that I don't have enough time for everything. I sometimes wonder if I should go to any conference at all before application cycle begins. 

If you feel your energy being torn between conferences and PhD applications, forget the conferences and focus on applications for now. Presenting at a conference isn't mandatory or even necessary for grad school applications. Yes, the experience helps, I'm sure, but you don't want to sacrifice the most important aspects of your application (SoP, writing sample) just to enhance your CV. Remember: once you are in a program, you'll have a community of peers and faculty to guide you and help you produce and share your best work. 

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

If you feel your energy being torn between conferences and PhD applications, forget the conferences and focus on applications for now. Presenting at a conference isn't mandatory or even necessary for grad school applications. Yes, the experience helps, I'm sure, but you don't want to sacrifice the most important aspects of your application (SoP, writing sample) just to enhance your CV. Remember: once you are in a program, you'll have a community of peers and faculty to guide you and help you produce and share your best work. 

Thank you so much proflorax for your advice. I really feel so stressed nowadays and I feel that my concern with enhancing my CV is really taking all the time, and I'm afraid that I run out of time and I end up submitting a terrible writing sample and SOP. I appreciate your advice

[literary_tourist]

I think of my conference papers as part of my applications, because I wil be using those papers as my writing samples. In many ways, the conferences will help get me feedback from the people I know from my department and outside my current circle. It will also push me to finish them faster.

Edited June 18, 2013 by literary_tourist

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

The problem is that I'm writing a paper which most likely won't fit as a writing sample. That's why I'm not encouraged to finish it. Every time I start working on it, I keep telling myself that I should be doing something else right now. I hate to realize so late that I had enough time to write a good piece and I couldn't use that time wisely. 

[crazyhappy]

I am only doing conferences for pieces that I have already written.  I figure then I don't have a huge added work load, and I get valuable feedback which will help me become better at this whole experience.

 

edited to add...RoseEgypt, writing a new piece sounds super stressful. Hope it goes smoothly and quickly for you

Edited June 18, 2013 by crazyhappy

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

I am only doing conferences for pieces that I have already written.  I figure then I don't have a huge added work load, and I get valuable feedback which will help me become better at this whole experience.

 

edited to add...RoseEgypt, writing a new piece sounds super stressful. Hope it goes smoothly and quickly for you

Thank you so much. It is stressful indeed. I'll see if I can get it done. If not, then maybe better for me to start focusing on other aspects of my applications.

[nhswrestle]

I have a general question: if I'm starting my program this fall, then I'm guessing I'd wait until next year to try and attend these conferences?

 

I noticed the Tufts one that proflorax posted will be occurring in Oct 2013 but the proposals were due yesterday A month into the program is probably a little to rushed to be going to conferences, right?

 

Definetely not. However, if you're presenting I would have your paper written before you start your program  so you don't have to sacrifice time for your course work.

[crazyhappy]

anyone else going to be at the SAMLA conference?

[kayrabbit]

So I submitted my first conference proposal a couple weeks ago and received an acceptance letter today. Because I have read and received some contrasting opinions on the value of conferences, I find myself wondering how to evaluate a conference acceptance. Conferences, it would seem, have little to lose by accepting proposals as it gains them both attendance and membership dues (I've noticed that most of the conferences require presenters be members of their particular society).

 

Thus, should I evaluate the value of a conference experience before accepting? Are there certain factors that make one conference more valuable than another? Like I said, this is my first proposal, so I'm not sure how conferences compare to each other or whether the experience itself is inherently valuable regardless of which conference one attends. At this conference, I have been accepted to present in a Scholars Seminar for "emerging scholars." This makes sense given that I am unpublished and entering a graduate program in the fall, but it also made me wonder whether this is a valuable experience for my learning and my CV or just a workshop that I'll have to pay for (comparable to the classic offer to have your poem published in a collection — if you buy the book). Any thoughts?