Fall 2015 Applicants

[Dr. Old Bill]

I can vouch for that! I've been poking my nose around these forums for a few weeks, and was only able to validate my account today... so this is my first post. Hello! *waves*

 

Welcome! And I'm so sorry to hear you were stuck in that validation glut. Being in limbo for three days was killing me (which probably tells you how much I've been leaning on Grad Cafe these days), and I can't imagine waiting for weeks just to get the luxury of posting!

 

I'm fairly new to all of this, to be honest - I'm in my late 20's, and transferred from a community college to my current (quite good? I think? I'm not exactly sure how the R1 R2 thing works) undergraduate institution in fall 2013, promptly fell in love with my "Anglo-Saxon England" introductory course, and have since been lucky enough to receive an incredible amount of support, both monetarily and emotionally, from the faculty and research programs in my department. I'd really love to stay here for grad school - my mentor is basically my favorite person on earth, and spot-on in terms of the research I want to do - but it's not generally encouraged, so of course I'm applying elsewhere as well.

 

That experience mirrors my own quite a bit. I, too, am what they call a "non-traditional" student, which is undergrad code for "old," and also transferred from a community college to a good undergraduate school. So we're definitely in the same boat in that regard! I agree, however, that it's generally looked upon in a far more favorable light if you get your Ph.D. from a different institution than your B.A. In theory, it demonstrates a wider variety of learning options and different approaches etc. It also shows the ability to adapt and thrive in a different location. It's probably overstated, and thought of as being more significant than it actually is, but c'est la vie.

 

As I said, I'm new to all of this, so I'm basically flying by the seat of my pants in terms of applications! I recently took the GRE and got 170 V, 153 Q, which is... well, acceptable but not ideal. I'm going to focus now on really strengthening the rest of my application, and then will test again in October if I feel I'll be able to improve my Q score.

 

Okay, stop. Stop right there. Just...stop. You got a 170 score on the verbal. Very few people -- English majors or otherwise -- get a 170 score on the verbal. It's 99th percentile. Probably 99.9 or more (if I could find a way to put the little bar over the 9s after the decimal, I would). You literally cannot do better than that. Your quantitative, as the folks above said, doesn't really matter much, except for funding issues at a few (and it's really not all that many) schools. Usually state schools. SUNY Buffalo, for example, wants a combined score of 313, but I've come across at least one thread on Grad Cafe that mentioned that someone had under 313 combined but still got into SUNY Buffalo and received full funding. So even that  can be finessed. But it's all a moot point, because literally NO ONE will consider a combined 323 to be in any way a low score. Personally, I've got a combined 310 and I'm still sleeping well at night, because I frankly suck at math, and better yet, very few English departments care. Honestly, there are many past threads here that talk about how little the Q score matters except for in those few programs where it is considered for funding reasons alone.

 

You would definitely be wasting your time and money retaking the GRE general. I don't think that's even opinion at this point -- it's more like a fact, with the scores you have. And one final point on that front if you're still on the fence is that if you wind up taking it again and get, say a 164 on the verbal and a 158 on the quantitative, you can't partition the scores out so that adcomms will see the V170 and the Q158. But again, it truly doesn't matter. The application is taken as a complete package, and many adcomms just view GRE scores as a checklist item, unless you've got one that is uncommonly low. And believe me, that is most certainly NOT the case for you!

 

And once again...welcome to the forum!

[queennight]

As I said, I'm new to all of this, so I'm basically flying by the seat of my pants in terms of applications! I recently took the GRE and got 170 V, 153 Q, which is... well, acceptable but not ideal. I'm going to focus now on really strengthening the rest of my application, and then will test again in October if I feel I'll be able to improve my Q score.

 

You are being completely and utterly silly (or should I say ... facetious ... - Thank you, once again, ETS, for the pretentious vocabulary boost), a 170V is perfect and no doubt you are as well. No need to re-write. (Unless, of course, you are super-powered and know for certain that you will score a 170V on the re-write as well.) Your quantitative score is still more than decent, especially considering that most english majors are all lackluster math students to start with. Welcome!!!

[hreaðemus]

First, thank you all for the warm welcome!!

 

You are being completely and utterly silly (or should I say ... facetious ... - Thank you, once again, ETS, for the pretentious vocabulary boost), a 170V is perfect and no doubt you are as well. 

 

Okay, stop. Stop right there. Just...stop. You got a 170 score on the verbal. Very few people -- English majors or otherwise -- get a 170 score on the verbal. It's 99th percentile. Probably 99.9 or more (if I could find a way to put the little bar over the 9s after the decimal, I would). You literally cannot do better than that. 

 

Gosh, well... I guess I do tend to be a perfectionist, but I didn't realize I was so far off base on this one! I AM at a state school currently, you see, and my mentor (who sits on the admissions committee) said I should try to do well on the quant section for funding purposes... since I basically think she's the best thing since sliced bread, I didn't want to let her down, but I guess you're all right... most of the places I'm applying to will be satisfied by both a cumulative 323 and a 170 verbal, regardless. It's good to know that not all programs make funding decisions in the same way.  

 

Unræd, I AM taking (sitting for? is that more correct?) the GRE subject test in English Lit - I signed up for the October 25th date, which I know is a bit foolhardy, but I really need the extra preparatory time. I've been busy with research and studying for the General GRE all summer, and I'm only now beginning to focus on subject test material. But! Hopefully in two months I'll be ready. When is your test date - or have you tested already?

[unræd]

Unræd, I AM taking (sitting for? is that more correct?) the GRE subject test in English Lit - I signed up for the October 25th date, which I know is a bit foolhardy, but I really need the extra preparatory time. I've been busy with research and studying for the General GRE all summer, and I'm only now beginning to focus on subject test material. But! Hopefully in two months I'll be ready. When is your test date - or have you tested already?

 

No, I'll be taking the subject test on the 27th September, and the general ones the weekend after. Several of us are going to have a little online drinking/commiseration party afterwards, I've decided! Who's in?

 

(And no, I think "sitting" is only really more correct if you're a bit of a pompous blowhard. Which I can be, so it's all good. )

[littlepigeon]

No, I'll be taking the subject test on the 27th September, and the general ones the weekend after. Several of us are going to have a little online drinking/commiseration party afterwards, I've decided! Who's in?

 

(And no, I think "sitting" is only really more correct if you're a bit of a pompous blowhard. Which I can be, so it's all good. )

 

Um YES let's do this! I'm taking the Subject test on the 27th as well, and will seriously be more than ready for a GC commiseration party afterwards.

[jhefflol]

Hi everyone! I might as well introduce myself. I'm Jessica. I'm going in to my second and final year of my MA at CSU Long Beach. I'll be applying to PhD programs for fall 2015. I focus on transatlantic gender theory in the 17th-18th centuries.

What I thought I wanted to do changed drastically when I came up with my dissertation that includes American lit when I considered myself strictly an Early Modernist. So instead of applying to schools in England, I decided to apply for programs in America exclusively. Also my SO was given a promotion which means he cannot move across country with me as we previously planned. I am now applying to more programs in the Southern California area while still giving myself the option of schools on the east coast.

[littlepigeon]

Welcome, Jessica! I'm Amy, a (hopeful) medievalist, so I similarly considered applying to schools abroad. Ultimately, the lack of further coursework at the schools I looked at in England deterred me from adding them to my list. I have to say, your SO sounds pretty dedicated!

[jhefflol]

Also I'm curious, for those who have contacted students at programs of interest, what exactly are you asking them? I might be naive, but I don't exactly understand how current grad students can be of any help.

[jhefflol]

Hi Amy! I'm currently on the mobile version so I can't quote and whatnot:/ but I agree: the way programs were structured in England pretty much turned me off. And they're so expensive! I might still apply to Oxford as a reach program since one of my favorite scholars is an instructor at one of the colleges there. But the chances of me getting into Oxford to begin with, and then being admitted to her college are basically nonexistent. And from what I understand, it's basically impossible to get funding for Oxford unless you're lucky enough to be a Fullbright which is another story completely....ugh. And student visas? Don't even get me started!

[Dr. Old Bill]

Also I'm curious, for those who have contacted students at programs of interest, what exactly are you asking them? I might be naive, but I don't exactly understand how current grad students can be of any help.

 

Not naive. I started a thread a month or so ago about contacting current grad students. Basically, I asked questions like program environment (i.e., competitive, cooperative etc.), quality of certain professors, their "fit" for given fields of interest, and various things like that. Basically, every program is different, even though most program information pages are roughly the same. Current graduate students can shed light on some of the intangibles, and making contacts before you get admitted can potentially help you after you get admitted. If I wind up getting admitted to the programs for which I contacted grad students, you can bet that the first people I'll contact will be those same students. And if I'm in a situation where I have more than one admission offer, having those contacts could wind up swaying me one way or another.

 

All of this is a roundabout way of saying that it may not help your application, but it might help your decision about a certain program, and can potentially create some good advanced contacts without having any risk at all.

 

 

 

By the way, I should also mention that the SO aspect can be tough. I've actually followed my wife on a few moves (immigrated from Canada to be with her in D.C., then moved to Norfolk when she got a better job there, then once again when she shifted back to D.C.), but she has been 100% supportive of my schooling, and has told me that she'll do her best to go wherever I go this time, so long as she can find a job in her field. As a result, there's a chance that we'll have to be apart some of the time, but that's nothing new for us -- we were apart for most of the early part of our relationship, but we always knew it was strong enough to get through the separations. And the same will be true this time as well. So you and your SO can definitely make the distance work, if need be!

Edited August 12, 2014 by Wyatt's Torch

[bhr]

When I looked at programs I reached out to current and recent students to get their impressions of the program, and specifically asked about things like funding and fit.

 

Some questions I asked:

1. Can you live on the standard stipend?

2. If not, is there work available outside of the stipend in the department or writing center?

3. Is that work frowned up? How about outside work? (I was told that most schools do not want you to adjunct elsewhere until you are abd)

4. What's the environment for student involvement? (Do we get committee assignments, hiring panels? How often? Do our votes/voices count?)

5. Is there traveling funding?

6. Any rumors about Prof X leaving/retiring soon? (Students often hear these things, and it's a huge deal if you are going for one or two specific POIs)

7. What's the social environment like? (I've heard of programs where the grad students are pitted against each other until it becomes toxic)

8. What's the job search support like?

9. What's the publication support like?

10. What's the conference presentation support like? (This was big. I got my foot in the door to presenting by being on panels with my advisor as an UG. Now I'm applying with experience)

11. Is there a departmental trivia team or fantasy football league (not a deciding factor, but I asked because it tells me something about the group)

12. How receptive is the department to a specific demographic (in my case, older, non-traditional student, but you should ask for yourself. Some programs accept blind, but bias shows up once you are there. Does the program prefer 22 year old BAs? 30 year old MAs?)

[jhefflol]

Thanks for all of the feedback! I guess since I'm finishing up my MA and have gotten here without/despite any "help" from those who are supposed to help has made me a bit of a bootstrapper. I'd rather figure it out myself than get misguided information. I guess reaching out to a few students wouldn't hurt though.

[Poiple]

I thought i'd introduce myself. I'm Mel and also applying for the 2015 cycle. It's all very daunting, isn't it? My principal concern is finding a specialisation. My Masters work was almost exclusively queer, and I'd definitely like to continue on the queer path in grad school but I'm not sure if queer is a good enough specialisation. How did everyone else go about honing in on theirs for their SoP?

 

Hi Amy! I'm currently on the mobile version so I can't quote and whatnot:/ but I agree: the way programs were structured in England pretty much turned me off. And they're so expensive! I might still apply to Oxford as a reach program since one of my favorite scholars is an instructor at one of the colleges there. But the chances of me getting into Oxford to begin with, and then being admitted to her college are basically nonexistent. And from what I understand, it's basically impossible to get funding for Oxford unless you're lucky enough to be a Fullbright which is another story completely....ugh. And student visas? Don't even get me started!

 

 

 

I attended Oxford for my M.St and definitely think you should apply. I know several people doing their PhD there currently and they love it. I know it seems like a reach, but I thought that and got in so it is do-able. You're correct that the funding situation sucks, but this can be alleviated by choosing the right college (different colleges have differing amounts of money).

[Dr. Old Bill]

I thought i'd introduce myself. I'm Mel and also applying for the 2015 cycle. It's all very daunting, isn't it? My principal concern is finding a specialisation. My Masters work was almost exclusively queer, and I'd definitely like to continue on the queer path in grad school but I'm not sure if queer is a good enough specialisation. How did everyone else go about honing in on theirs for their SoP?

 

Hi Mel!

 

As with most of my posts, take this with a grain of salt (given that I'm still in the same application boat rather than the already-accepted yacht), but it seems that queer studies are gaining popularity at graduate level. In researching programs for my own proposed specialization, I've noticed a lot of professors who have queer studies / queer theory / gender studies etc. as either part of (or all of) their research focuses. If your Master's work was in that field, what you may want to do is think hard about some of the best individual courses you've taken, and consider whether you want to cover the same information in greater depth. Or, for that matter, if there was just part of a course that intrigued you more than the rest, try to imagine what it would be like to spend a few years on that same topic. That's one way you can go about determining a good specialization. It's basically what I did when I honed in on transhistorical prosody / history of the lyric as it pertains to the evolution of the sonnet. I had taken a great undergraduate seminar on Shakespeare's sonnets, and have long been a sonneteer myself, and so when my wife casually mentioned to me "Hey, why don't you think about a sonnet approach?" I realized that that would make the most sense for me, since I have practical experience as well as an interest in the topic. I haven't gotten in to any programs yet, so perhaps it will wind up being a bad proposed specialization...but I don't think that will be the case (i.e., if I don't get in, my specialization probably won't be the reason for most programs).

 

Another, somewhat simpler way about it, is to go through the process of researching various professors at assorted programs (which you'll have to do anyhow), and find out what they're working on, and tailor your proposed specialization to their own. For instance, if you notice that a particular professor is keenly interested in the master-mistress relationship between Shakespeare and the "Young Man" in sonnets 18-126 (it's still amazing to me how few people realize that his most famous sonnets were written to a man...), then you could discuss an interest subliterary Renaissance romances and "open closet" literature (I'm not sure if I just coined that, but it sounds cool). This might sound slightly political, and I suppose it is, but it's very important to remember that the proposed specialization in your SOP is primarily a tool for getting in to a grad school. Once admitted, you can work on whatever, within reason. In most cases, you'll probably wind up working on something fairly close to what you've proposed, since that's usually the guiding focus of your program / institution research in the first place, but grad school is far less structured than undergrad. I'm far more of a generalist than a specialist, having interest in at least three distinct kinds of literature, not to mention literary periods, but specialization is a means to an end at the application point, even though it might ultimately become an end unto itself once you get in.

[unræd]

I thought i'd introduce myself. I'm Mel and also applying for the 2015 cycle. It's all very daunting, isn't it? My principal concern is finding a specialisation. My Masters work was almost exclusively queer, and I'd definitely like to continue on the queer path in grad school but I'm not sure if queer is a good enough specialisation. How did everyone else go about honing in on theirs for their SoP?

 

Wyatt's Torch's advice is good as always, but I thought I'd share my (again, not admitted, only applicant) experience of how I narrowed things down. It was a hard process for me--I'm the sort of person who likes everything! I knew the time period whose lit I wanted to work with, but beyond that, I (as I told my advisors) would be perfectly happy studying anything within it. What helped me was, as Wyatt's Torch recommends, looking at my past work--I quite literally put all my medieval papers on the desk in front of me and looked for commonalities, for the threads that tied them all together, and used that as the basis for my SOP.

 

I'd also second Wyatt's comments about work oriented toward queer/gender theory, and not just because it's what I'm applying to programs to do! I was a bit worried the field might of played itself out, but all my profs have said that no, it's very much a growth area. Whether you need a narrower focus within that (mine's tied to a very specific historical period) is a different question, though. 

[unræd]

t's still amazing to me how few people realize that his most famous sonnets were written to a man...

 

I know. There's something delightfully--well, "queer" is, I suppose, exactly the word--queer about the fact that the poems most often trotted out at weddings are poems of intense homoerotic cathexis. 

[Dr. Old Bill]

I know. There's something delightfully--well, "queer" is, I suppose, exactly the word--queer about the fact that the poems most often trotted out at weddings are poems of intense homoerotic cathexis. 

 

Absolutely! "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day" is quoted so often that it's almost become cliche at this point, yet probably 90% of the people who utter it have no idea that it was Shakespeare's first declaration of love / adoration to a young man. Up until only fifty years or so ago, critics refused to acknowledge the now-obvious homosexuality of the first 126 sonnets, referring to Shakespeare's love interest as "the friend" and going to great lengths to explain away the overt sexuality of the desired (though possibly not consummated) relationship. Joseph Pequigney has a fantastic book entitled Such Is My Love that deals primarily with the homoerotic nature of Shakespeare's sonnets, and is well worth reading for anyone with an interest in queer studies in the early modern era. Even though most of my research has been on the form / structure / prosody of the Sonnets, I still found a way to cite it in papers for that sonnet course as well as in my WS. It's just that good.

Edited August 12, 2014 by Wyatt's Torch

[littlepigeon]

Wyatt's Torch's advice is good as always, but I thought I'd share my (again, not admitted, only applicant) experience of how I narrowed things down. It was a hard process for me--I'm the sort of person who likes everything! I knew the time period whose lit I wanted to work with, but beyond that, I (as I told my advisors) would be perfectly happy studying anything within it. What helped me was, as Wyatt's Torch recommends, looking at my past work--I quite literally put all my medieval papers on the desk in front of me and looked for commonalities, for the threads that tied them all together, and used that as the basis for my SOP.

 

I'd also second Wyatt's comments about work oriented toward queer/gender theory, and not just because it's what I'm applying to programs to do! I was a bit worried the field might of played itself out, but all my profs have said that no, it's very much a growth area. Whether you need a narrower focus within that (mine's tied to a very specific historical period) is a different question, though. 

 

This is precisely what I did when I was trying to narrow down my specialization in medieval literature to a specific theme or style of lit. As it turns out, almost all of my MA term papers (as well as my MA thesis, and undergrad thesis) have something to do with death, and many with grief/sorrow/consolation/etc., so I'm going to include those rather abstract concepts in my SOP to give the adcomms an idea of the sort of lit in which I'm most interested. Beyond that, I certainly haven't read everything there is to read from 1000-1500, so I'm going to mention a few broader categories I'm interested in studying further (hagiography, religious lit, and animal studies, to name a few), and probably some authors I've already read whose texts particularly appealed to me. Like Wyatt's Torch said, grad school is way less rigid, structurally speaking, than undergrad studies tend to be; that being said, if I were you, Poiple, I'd try to pick maybe a period or two on which you might like to focus your critical/theoretical work. That would at least give adcomms a glimpse of where you would best fit in in their departments. And you'd likely do well to pick a POI or two from each program to which you're applying, as well, since if your personal specialization is a bit on the vague side, naming specific people whose research you find especially intriguing will give a good idea of what you yourself are interested in studying.

 

I'll add the usual disclaimer here about my advice being that of a yet-unadmitted applicant. I did apply to thirteen MA programs pretty successfully two seasons ago, though, so I do have some idea as to what approaches seem to work well...

[Dr. Old Bill]

Some excellent advice here. We may be a smaller Grad Cafe contingent than in years past, but gosh darn it we're smart.

[Poiple]

Thank you for the advice guys This process gets so daunting, doesn't it? I'm so grateful to have found the grad cafe, so much good information here!

 

I'd like to pay it back by uploading all the literature tests I have (5 in total, 3 of which I have as .pdfs) but I can't find the link to upload, anyone any ideas?

[jhefflol]

So after months of deliberation, I dropped a class for the fall semester. The class was an undergrad history class on Tudor-Stewart England that I was taking for funsies but then I realized that I have to take 2 GREs, edit my writing sample, write my SOPs, stay on my recommenders' cases about the letters, fill out all of the applications, and I'm taking two second year grad level classes in which I fully expect to get As. I'm trying to focus more time on submitting papers for conferences and publication this semester too. There might also be a chance that I'll be working 40+ hours during the semester. Oh, and then there's sleep. And I'm supposed to be running my first full marathon in October (ha ha!). My boyfriend and friends might like some attention too...

Is anyone else freaking out like me? Holy crap, there's so much to do. Let me hear about your crazy schedules! It feels better to let it out!

[hreaðemus]

So after months of deliberation, I dropped a class for the fall semester. The class was an undergrad history class on Tudor-Stewart England that I was taking for funsies but then I realized that I have to take 2 GREs, edit my writing sample, write my SOPs, stay on my recommenders' cases about the letters, fill out all of the applications, and I'm taking two second year grad level classes in which I fully expect to get As. I'm trying to focus more time on submitting papers for conferences and publication this semester too. There might also be a chance that I'll be working 40+ hours during the semester. Oh, and then there's sleep. And I'm supposed to be running my first full marathon in October (ha ha!). My boyfriend and friends might like some attention too...

Is anyone else freaking out like me? Holy crap, there's so much to do. Let me hear about your crazy schedules! It feels better to let it out!

 

*raises hand* Fellow freaker-outer right here! I mentioned this in the medievalist thread already, but I am taking 20 units this coming semester - honors thesis, a grad seminar on Chaucer, Old English, and an 8-unit Latin course - and attempting to retain my 4.0 while also filling out grad apps, writing SOPs, etc, taking the GRE subject test in English (on Oct 25th), submitting scholarship applications (the Marshall is due Sept 2, AUGH), editing a paper I'm trying to polish and submit for publication with one of my professors, and composing an abstract for a professional conference at the recommendation of my mentor. Oh, and sleeping, which I suck at generally.

 

I am TERRIFIED. You are so not alone.

[Dr. Old Bill]

So after months of deliberation, I dropped a class for the fall semester. The class was an undergrad history class on Tudor-Stewart England that I was taking for funsies but then I realized that I have to take 2 GREs, edit my writing sample, write my SOPs, stay on my recommenders' cases about the letters, fill out all of the applications, and I'm taking two second year grad level classes in which I fully expect to get As. I'm trying to focus more time on submitting papers for conferences and publication this semester too. There might also be a chance that I'll be working 40+ hours during the semester. Oh, and then there's sleep. And I'm supposed to be running my first full marathon in October (ha ha!). My boyfriend and friends might like some attention too...

 

JUST out of pure, unadulterated curiosity, does your institution allow you to take a course pass/fail? If so, that might be an option for your "funsies" course. I haven't taken a course pass/fail yet personally, but I'm planning on doing so in my spring semester, since I'll need to take one non-major course anyhow.

 

 

 

Is anyone else freaking out like me? Holy crap, there's so much to do. Let me hear about your crazy schedules! It feels better to let it out!

 

Well, I'm not really freaking out, but I'm going to have a heavy autumn. As mentioned in another thread, I'm taking five courses (sixteen credit hours), all packed on to Tuesdays and Thursdays because I live 100 miles from campus and have to commute. This means that I get up between 4:30 and 5:00 AM, leave the house by 6:00, get to campus around 7:30 (I build in some buffer time in case of accidents on the road etc.), and then have four straight classes from 8:00 AM until 1:50 PM (ten minutes in between each class) before I've built in a lunch break...then I end the day with a course on Literary Theory. All of my courses this semester are English courses, at least...though it means a hell of a lot of reading and writing, of course. They're all in the same building this semester too, which saves me from the walk-jog I had to do a few times to avoid being late for cross-campus classes last year. On top of that, there's all the grad school application stuff, plus my job as a moderator for a major poetry workshop (which doesn't take up a lot of time, but is still something that needs to be checked on frequently each day). On top of that I'll still have my usual three or four fantasy hockey leagues (I'm Canadian. I love hockey. So sue me. ) and obviously time to hang out with my wife in the evenings and on weekends. So it's a little hectic, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. My only concern is that I've got a very high GPA, and don't want to see it take a hit for dumb reasons...though I can't possibly imagine it taking enough of a hit to seriously impact my application, so there's that.

 

Besides all of the above, I'm certain of one thing: I'll be on Grad Cafe a hell of a lot.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Wyatt's Torch

[queennight]

Thank you for the advice guys This process gets so daunting, doesn't it? I'm so grateful to have found the grad cafe, so much good information here!

 

I'd like to pay it back by uploading all the literature tests I have (5 in total, 3 of which I have as .pdfs) but I can't find the link to upload, anyone any ideas?

This is so insanely kind. I have no idea how to do it, though!

 

In terms of crazy schedule - LET ME JOIN YOU ALL HERE IN FREAKING OUT. I'm starting my MA program (which is a condensed 1-year of pure coursework mayhem anyways) in September, as well as dedicating the first bit of the semester to being a frosh leader/mentor. On top of that I've got applications to Ph.D.s and law school, and I still haven't gotten the nerve to ask any of my professors yet (here's to procrastination ...). I've got my GRE English Lit in late October and I still haven't decided fully where I want to apply, especially after learning I have a bit more lee-way in terms of funding dollars ... guys. It's going to be crazy.

[jhefflol]

Hahaha we all have so much on our plates! It's simultaneously inspiring and gut wrenching, if you know what I mean.

Queennight, don't worry I haven't asked any of my professors anything serious as far as recommending or advising. The thought of being rejected by a potential recommender makes me want to throw up. The department in my school is rather large so there has been only 2 professors who have instructed more than one of my classes in the 3 years I have been at this school. One of them happens to be my advisor too. Ugh.