2 questions about writing sample etiquette

[Girskl]

1. Does it make sense to send writing sample that crushes paper or position of one the faculty you appy to?

2. You wrote your writing sample, it's all done. Right before you are sending it you find out that your main argument appears in paper that you haven't seen before but was published last year, what do you do?

 

[GCool]

1. Make sense? Sure. Seem uncouth or immature? Probably moreso that it seems impressive or motivating-to-take-you-on.

2. I'd need context before weighing in on that.

[Hopephily]

1) If it is the best paper you have, then yes. 

 

2) Is there anything different about your argument? If so, then you might add a footnote about how following the writing of your work you encountered this paper and then explain how your view differs from theirs (hopefully, how it is even better). 

[overoverover]

1. No professor cares as long as it's charitable. Be careful to avoid misrepresentation.

2. Nobody expects the sample to be completely up to date on the literature. Don't worry about it.

[Girskl]

1. Make sense? Sure. Seem uncouth or immature? Probably moreso that it seems impressive or motivating-to-take-you-on.

2. I'd need context before weighing in on that.

Thank you for replying, I'm not sure how or what would provide more context.

[Girskl]

1. No professor cares as long as it's charitable. Be careful to avoid misrepresentation.

2. Nobody expects the sample to be completely up to date on the literature. Don't worry about it.

Cool, thank you!

[Girskl]

1) If it is the best paper you have, then yes. 

 

2) Is there anything different about your argument? If so, then you might add a footnote about how following the writing of your work you encountered this paper and then explain how your view differs from theirs (hopefully, how it is even better). 

2. Not sure that would be possible. I'll have to think about it. Thank you for replying!

[Page228]

I'm not sure that "no professor cares." Some will care. Others will not. Maybe he'll read it and he has a chip on his shoulder. Maybe he doesn't. Maybe your paper will be read by somebody who hates that guy and he'll love it. Who knows? (But then, you could write a paper on anything and face similar problems, so...)

Edited December 1, 2014 by FellowSufferer

[overoverover]

I'm not sure that "no professor cares." Some will care. Others will not. Maybe he'll read it and he has a chip on his shoulder. Maybe he doesn't. Maybe your paper will be read by somebody who hates that guy and he'll love it. Who knows? (But then, you could write a paper on anything and face similar problems, so...)

 

Obviously it was a bit hyperbolic. Any decent professor won't care, so long as it's charitable (about 1/3 of my sample is a detailed criticism of a competing view, and I think that it shows that I actually took the time to understand the nuances of the position), because that's what it's all about.

 

There is, of course, the risk that Professor X holding position A will know the view so well that she'll be able to tell if you've woefully misunderstood A, and that could hurt you (but there's a good solution to that: write a paper that doesn't misrepresent the view!).

 

But really, at this point of the game, there's no point in worrying about this.