Summertime, and the living's easy

[Ulixes]

How has your summer been? I'm speaking specifically to those who were going for the 2014 season, but anyone can reply; my interest is primarily in how everyone is feeling as grad. school approaches.

 

Personally, I'm incredibly excited; my wife and I are moving to Milwaukee, and then going on something of a tour around Michigan. We have a wedding to attend, and then family to see. We'll be driving around the northern outline of the Mitten, visiting her mom in Traverse City, and then heading through the UP to Wisconsin, and then down to Milwaukee.

 

Insofar as grad. school preparation has been, I ended up doing things a bit differently than I expected. I thought I'd be reading 2-3 books a week relevent to what I'd be studying during the semester. What actually happened was that I took all of June off in order to get really specific about how I replenish emotionally. It went well, and I feel better prepared for the business of grad. school knowing how, on the weekends and during the week, to hold onto my peace.

 

What about you guys? Did preparation go well? If you're not in grad. school, then how are your summers going--are you preparing for the GRE, taking it, or working on your writing sample?

[Munashi]

My SO and I made the cross-country move ~2 weeks ago (last day at work was Friday June 20th, left the old apartment on Sat June 21, arrived Thursday the 26th).  I've been working in my lab part-time since July 1, and it's going pretty well so far.  I'm still in the stage where I'm just getting acclimated to things, but I'd say the summer has been productive so far.. to say the least.

 

I'm enjoying it, though!  The relocation has been great and my advisor and I seem to be meshing well so far.  We'll see what the next few weeks/the fall semester will bring.

 

EDIT: Aaaaaand I just now noticed this was posted specifically in the Philosophy forum.  Apologies for the invasion.

Edited July 7, 2014 by Munashi

[jjb919]

I am going to be applying to programs this fall. At the moment I am preparing for the GRE, which I will take in September. I have a pretty solid writing sample; it is a more concise and much improved version of my MA thesis that I have been working on for about a year now. It is currently being reviewed by a journal and while I wait I am focusing on other things. Other than that I am just reading widely, trying to fill some gaps that I never got the chance to cover while in school (pragmatism, Nietzsche, Foucault, more German Idealism).

[smg]

Im working 45+ hrs a week and figuring out where to apply.  I have a GRE study guide coming in the mail.  Everytime a place looks great online they sound awful when I get the real scoop.  Reality is harsh. 

[Billy Goehring]

Im working 45+ hrs a week and figuring out where to apply.  I have a GRE study guide coming in the mail.  Everytime a place looks great online they sound awful when I get the real scoop.  Reality is harsh. 

 

Just be thankful you're doing your homework! A lot of applicants never both to get the "real scoop." 

[jjb919]

Im working 45+ hrs a week and figuring out where to apply.  I have a GRE study guide coming in the mail.  Everytime a place looks great online they sound awful when I get the real scoop.  Reality is harsh. 

 

Yeah, reality is a bitch. I know I've talked to you about one of your prospective schools, but several of the others you listed in your first post are, from what information I could glean thus far, really great.  I'll be applying to them myself.

 

Every department is going to have its pitfalls; you just need to set certain priorities and not budge on those. Unfortunately some schools will not live up to those standards and will be winnowed. In my opinion, the number one priority is funding; only enroll in schools that will fully fund you for the duration of your studies. The second priority in my mind is locating professor(s) who have research interests closely matching yours, and could therefore serve as a strong advisor and mentor. Preferably more than one, so that your existence at the school isn't dependent on just him or her. Preferably a tenured professor, but also not one that is too senior and either on the way out or who will be too far removed from the profession to be of much help come job hunting season.

 

The third priority, I think, is placement, but I say this with a big grain of salt. You have to ask yourself what kind of job you really want.  If you are find going off the academic track, then maybe placement record isn't that important in the end. If you are set on the ivory tower, then what kind of academic job are you looking for, and where?  Do you want to work at a teaching institution or a research institution? If the former, then some schools that might seem to have "poorer" placement records might not seem that bad after all.  If the latter, you may want to set your sights on getting into the 'big gun' schools, and even then chances aren't excellent. Do you want to work at a SLAC that focuses on undergraduate education? Elite SLACs, on the other hand, regularly higher from the big name schools. Are you comfortable with the idea of teaching at a community college? Answers to all of these questions will have an influence on how seriously you take placement records.

 

After that, what else is important to you? Are you looking for a high level of collegiality and contact with your graduate cohort? Do you prize regular and close interaction with your advisors? Are you looking for a department that is a hub of activity that hosts lots of talks, conferences, and workshops? These can be helpful guides to figuring out which schools are the best fit for you.

 

And as Billy said, you're doing your homework and that is great. Puts you ahead of the curve and in a much better position to make the best choice come April.

[MattDest]

Ulixes, I found myself with elaborate summer plans to read/write/submit but it also turned out quite differently from what I expected. I haven't done much in the way of preparing. We bought a house in Tucson and now it's an issue of coordinating shipping our cars/stuff and flying with cats. Absolutely miserable. I've mostly taken a break from doing anything studious. In the next few weeks I'll probably go back into the grind, but it's been nice to have a bit of a vacation from it. It seems like I'll be able to better immerse myself in the work when fall comes. 

[dgswaim]

I for one have really enjoyed my summer so far. My wife and I moved to Baton Rouge at the beginning of May, and have found that we really enjoy our townhouse and the general pace of living offered by Baton Rouge. Good music, good food, a pretty good craft beer culture and so on. I've been getting quite a lot of reading done, both in philosophy and biological sciences. Plus, I'm about to head to Seattle for about a week. All-in-all, it's been an enjoyable summer. 

[bar_scene_gambler]

I have also slacked a lot on summer reading. My girlfriend and I moved to Avondale Estates (a suburb of Atlanta) and I've just been relaxing mostly. I read a few books, but not what I wanted to read. I'm probably going to propose in the next few weeks, so we'll see how that goes. 

[smg]

The third priority, I think, is placement, but I say this with a big grain of salt. You have to ask yourself what kind of job you really want.  If you are find going off the academic track, then maybe placement record isn't that important in the end. If you are set on the ivory tower, then what kind of academic job are you looking for, and where?  Do you want to work at a teaching institution or a research institution? If the former, then some schools that might seem to have "poorer" placement records might not seem that bad after all.  If the latter, you may want to set your sights on getting into the 'big gun' schools, and even then chances aren't excellent. Do you want to work at a SLAC that focuses on undergraduate education? Elite SLACs, on the other hand, regularly higher from the big name schools. Are you comfortable with the idea of teaching at a community college? Answers to all of these questions will have an influence on how seriously you take placement records.

 

 

Jobs...shit.  Hopefully a social implosion will take care of that.  I'm preying for Mad Max meets Marx. 

[MattDest]

I have also slacked a lot on summer reading. My girlfriend and I moved to Avondale Estates (a suburb of Atlanta) and I've just been relaxing mostly. I read a few books, but not what I wanted to read. I'm probably going to propose in the next few weeks, so we'll see how that goes. 

 

I never knew whether it was more fitting to say congrats or best of luck, but those are the two phrases which come to mind! 

[alopachuca]

Im working 45+ hrs a week and figuring out where to apply.  I have a GRE study guide coming in the mail.  Everytime a place looks great online they sound awful when I get the real scoop.  Reality is harsh. 

 

For my own curiosity, what about those places seemed awful once you got the real scoop?

[Nastasya_Filippovna]

I have also slacked a lot on summer reading. My girlfriend and I moved to Avondale Estates (a suburb of Atlanta) and I've just been relaxing mostly. I read a few books, but not what I wanted to read. I'm probably going to propose in the next few weeks, so we'll see how that goes. 

you know I have confidence that once I've retaken my GRE I'll definitely get back into a reading groove (right now I've been studying about 10 hours a day for it because I'm determined to get my scores up from the previous round), but I've found that I have been drawn into this lurid habit of turning to TLC shows to unwind for a bit after study sessions- this has never happened before! I'm guessing it's because I haven't watched TV in years, and now that I've graduated I'm like, "so what is this square device in front of me? I guess I'll turn it on and find out!" I'm so embarrassed and I guess this is my guilty confession!

But my God, BEST WISHES ON YOUR PROPOSAL!!!!! Maybe I'll see your future fiance on Say Yes to the Dress during one of my TLC binges!

Edited July 11, 2014 by Nastasya_Filippovna

[smg]

For my own curiosity, what about those places seemed awful once you got the real scoop?

 

The particular program I was thinking about treats their grad students like pack animals over burdening them with teaching undergrad courses.  It is not a dept I've mentioned on gradcafe. 

[Ulixes]

It's good to hear that others are slacking off, too!

[Weltgeist]

it's been a romp through the Wissenschaft der Logik and Wallace Stevens and then getting married and now tearing my hair out over housing. something near pure joy.

[SamStone]

The summer has been great...and I just made it to Milwaukee this week!

Before the move I mostly spent time reading and relaxing during my final weeks in LA. The drive across the country was fun, but it took longer than I expected—the trailer had a little more weight that I was expecting and on some of the big hilly areas we could only get the truck up to 35 mph. 

 

My wife and I have been slowly getting settled into our apartment here and getting to know the neighborhood; it seems really great so far (walking distance to cafe, bookstore, restaurants, etc.) but we'll see how different it feels once its covered in a few feet of snow. hah.

I also went over to UW-M and saw the department, and met a couple of the people who were there.

 

Overall things are looking good now that the move is done...