#graduate school
I just got accepted to be the GTA (Graduate Teaching Assistant) for my English MA and I am scared. But happy. But nervous. Yet elated. Send help and advice
You there! You! Are you a soon-to-be college graduate with a penchant for academia? Does your chosen field require an advanced degree? Are you swerving away from your undergrad major and entering into a new field? Do you sometimes think about going to graduate school, but the idea of researching and applying to universities all over again is so stifling that you’ve decided to crawl under a rock with only TikTok downloaded on your phone?
Hold on, crawl back out before your phone runs out of battery. Maybe I can help.
If y’all are interested, I can do a series on grad school/law school/professional degrees, but for now let’s start with the application timeline. Some of y’all will want to apply straight out of undergrad while others might take a year (or a few) off before you go back to school. In any case, below is the suggested timeline for graduate school applications, according to the folks at ProFellow.
Right now (my suggestion): If you’re interested in grad school or post-undergrad internships (often called “fellowships,” as I am doing one right now), sign up to get ProFellow emails here. ProFellow is a website that gives you the inside scoop on all sorts of grad school info, about what different grad programs are for, how to get in and how to get funding.*
Feb - May: Carefully research fully funded graduate programs, external fellowships, and funding options for programs that are not fully funded (What’s a “fully funded” graduate program, you wonder? Read more here.) Narrow down your list of programs and read up on the application requirements. Make contacts with faculty if you are applying to doctoral programs.
June - August: Set aside 3-6 hours per week to prepare your written applications and request recommendation letters. Also set aside time to study and prepare for required tests like the GRE (if applicable).
September: Take any required tests. Finalize your applications with the feedback of mentors and colleagues that you trust. Request recommendation letters.
October - November: Re-take tests if necessary. Send recommendation letter reminders. Carefully spell- and grammar-check your applications. Submit EARLY.
December:Relax!
Do you want to see more advice on graduate school? Are you not ready for all this and want advice on something else? Let me know!
*ProFellow isn’t sponsoring me, I just get their emails. FYI ProFellow has a lot of free resources, but if you join their mailing list, you’re also going to get emails about their master class, which is a bit steep on price. I don’t really plan on doing that, so I can’t speak to whether it’s worth it.
Reintroduced speedwork on grass today. Sore-O-Meter is off the charts!
TryingToGetBy!OOTD
I’m just a simple grad student trying their best just to get through the day, praying to the science gods that things will go as planned. (Spoiler: they don’t).
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2020 Graduates!!
We all know people on both sides of the debate: Should parents let their kids sleep in their bed? Should pet owners let their cat, dog or chinchilla cuddle with them while they slumber? While the jury is still out on what’s best in those situations, what about graduate students who similarly let what’s most important to them pile into their beds? Sleeping with books, often multiple books at one time, is a widespread but much-ignored issue for which imperial research is lacking. Until we have hard data that shows that, yes, falling asleep nuzzled next to de Certeau will in fact improve your time to degree, or that the medieval dream visions inspired by snoozing alongside Chaucer actually outline into a viable prospectus, I recommend the book bassinet ($9.99, Target). All of your comprehensive exam texts and embarrassing self-help books are still within arm’s reach should you need them (or vice versa), but the compartmentalizing message of this arrangement establishes a firm - and chic - boundary between you and the world’s greater corpus of primary and secondary literature. Fits snugly under most nightstands to minimize tripping on your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night following a coffee binge. Any basket-type container will do, really; just make sure that the sides are high enough so that the books won’t be able to crawl out. Pleasant dreams.
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Anyone have success or experience with negotiating for increased scholarship funding and financial aid especially for a master’s program? Any tips or advice are very appreciated!
It took me a while to get here, but I’m here.
Over the last few years, I took a hiatus from Tumblr, many toxic people in my life, and even school. Academia was harming me because I lost my direction and drive. I felt worthless and began failing even my easier classes. As such, I made a life-changing, heart-wrenching decision to take a semester off (though at the time I thought it might turn into me dropping out permanently). In the semester I took off, I was handed an incredible work opportunity, I got my physical and mental health back under control (because I had the luxury of newfound free time), and I re-discovered my drive. Now, I’m happier and healthier than I’ve ever been, and I’m about to begin graduate school!
If every instinct is telling you that something you’re doing is hurting you, consider listening and maybe even take a break from the source of the hurt if possible. Doing so just might free up space for you to grow new, stronger roots and thrive in more ways than you can imagine.
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Well sh!t, I guess Tumblr still exists.
Life update: After a series of personal crises and years of being MIA from here, I actually now have my B.S. in Discrete Mathematics (as of December 2019) and am about to start grad school in Business / Data Analytics. So I might just actually start using this again… and perhaps even consistently for once. Only time will tell!
So, uh… sorry for the absence! We’ll see if this sticks.
Some pictures from being back on campus–this semester is going by so quickly
I’m faced with existential dread about the idea of graduating at the end of it–though I have to figure out my credits and make sure I’m cleared to graduate first, and get though all my classes and senior thesis (my advisor gave me a books worth of articles at our meeting this week). But I’m 0 for 3 on my grad school applications which means I have to figure out what to do next year and the anxiety of it is not helping me focus on anything.
I just wanted to share that this ADHD girl has passed her a levels with ok grades! (I would’ve told you them, but I just don’t know how to convert our German a level grades to 4.0 gpa) I’m so happy!!
Dropping out of my PhD program to write fanfic I am ~very~ confident in this decision.
![Return of the Quee[r/n]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/422babef297c161bc89a973234dea328/ceff954b82fb7181-4e/s30x30u_c1/b41d322dfc9c2128319eba562b3b4b1299b539f8.jpg){kind=small}
Reading for prelims - 12 days to go.
I think I printed out more than I actually got to read. There are three stacks of papers with scribbles down the margins and sticky notes all over my wall. Down the rabbit hope I go…..pls send coffee.
things i need to do this week, off the top of my head:
send E. the details re. our abstract for the conference on Mondaymeeting with supervisors on Tuesday at 10am, so prepare how to present your data.public engagement training 8.30-15.30 on Wednesdayxray at L. building at 10.45 and VACCINATION at 12.14 on ThursdaySEND EMAIL TO TESOL GROUP FOR HOSTING MEETING & SET UP MEETINGsend the abstract to the conference on endangered languages by Fridayattend talk: tlang by chinese/english bilinguals in diverse contexts on Friday, 14.30-16.00- SEND L.E. DOCUMENTS OFF on Friday
- APPLY TO HELD SUMMER SCHOOL!! DEADLINE JUNE 1ST
further notes:
- a&a will send me previous PhD students’ theses as examples
- meet A. in June in Glasgow?
- end of June: deadline for first draft
- look into Lippi-Green and ask A for those two sources
- post on Plansız Şeyler to advertise TESOL multiling edu chat
- email A. again for a few other backup conferences for the findings chapter, the ones you found last night. try to also look for ones that will publish proceedings!
ideally:
- write 750 words for the findings 1 chapter after supervisory meeting by Sunday. this might be affected by the sheer amount of things you need to do + vaccination side effects, so don’t stress too much!
- translate 500 words for the project
PROOFREADING DUE BY END OF MONTH- STOP APPLYING TO JOBS
GRAD SCHOOL HERE I COME!!!!!
I got into the MBA program at my top school! I’m so excited to start next spring! #gohogs
Accomplishing next to nothing, the grad student is still exhausted.
Receiving his vaccination, the grad student shudders at the thought of having flimsier excuses to avoid social interaction.
Breathing a sigh of relief about the state of democracy, the grad student gains the mental bandwidth to fully contemplate the state of his dissertation.
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Videoconferencing from his apartment with his advisor, the grad student feels like the victim of a home invasion.
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Staying safe in his apartment, the grad student seizes the opportunity to socially distance himself from pants.
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Garnering applause on the last day of class, the grad student suspects the undergrads are simply happy about never having to deal with him again.
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Chugging another caffeinated drink to meet an urgent deadline, the grad student rushes towards having a dead heart.
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