What do you mean, "organized post"?
Jun. 13th, 2006 11:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bending_sickleTidbits:
I've rented Momo from Goethe with the sinking suspicion that there are no subtitles.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
evadne_noel has finished her Bizenghast fanfic.
Finally realized why JPhoenix seemed so familiar in the press-room clip for the Golden Globe. He's acting just like Firefly's Simon Tam when flirting* with Kaylee!
Allow me to pimp a collection of some great scenes in Firefly.
The life of me:
Am currently shocked to find myself reading a Russian-mafia-cop-thriller novel (The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson). Love the word zamochit which is, apparently, a symbolic kind of murder wherein the killer breaks every bone in the victim's body to symbolize utter domination. I try not to think about the meaning when I say it, though, 'cause man, has the book got some creepy passages. Its writing causes me to scoff sometimes, begging for less repetition and a softer use of the exclamation point, but all in all it's turning out alright.
Today on the bus home, after going to check my French exam results (not out yet), I saw two nuns get on. They crossed themselves seconds after. Should that be a comfort to me?
Which reminds me, the bank sent gran a postcard promoting some trip to Egypt, and they ended saying they wished her the blessings of Horus, Amon, Osiris and Anubis.
Now, I don't know about you, but personally I wouldn't want my presence to be brought to the attention of the gods of the dead.
Sent mom the link for the grad school in Maine, and she points out that it's on the corner of No and Where and that that might not be the best place to spend a large number of years.
Am now re-reading wikipedia's descriptions of post-grad general info and am sinking into "daunted" mode.
Notice that brother's advice was missing a certain, here-italized, detail:
"The master's component of a doctorate program often requires one or two years, and some students, because doctoral programs are better-funded, apply for doctoral programs while only intending to attain a master's degree. This is generally not accepted and, if a student's advisor learns of the student's plans, can result in early termination."
And then there's:
"In total, the typical doctoral degree takes between 4 and 8 years from entering the program to completion..."
Holy-shit-emphasis mine.
But this is nice:
"Foreign graduate students outnumber American-born students in some US departments, primarily in the natural sciences, and engineering."
Yet this is disturbing:
"In rare cases, graduate students can lose funding and be de facto terminated from the program. Depending on the structure of the department, this can sometimes even happen at the whim of an advisor. This can be devastating, and there have been instances of suicide, or murder of professors or advisors by graduate students who have lost funding and are unable to complete their degrees."
And this is downright evil:
"Universities are more reluctant to hire full-time faculty, relying increasingly on part-time teachers who earn less money, have no tenure or job security, and are not eligible for benefits."
Of note:
"Technically, at many institutions being formally accepted as a candidate for the Ph.D. automatically entitles the student to a Master of Arts degree, but very few students actually bother submitting the paperwork to apply for the MA degree after passing prelims."
Also evil:
"Comprehensive examinations are typically based on a reading list agreed upon by the student and his or her committee [comprising] dozens or hundreds of books and other works.
The student must make him- or herself thoroughly familiar with the works on the reading list; in the examination [...] the student may usually not consult any texts [and] must refer to the works […] by author and title."
* Trying to, at least.
I've rented Momo from Goethe with the sinking suspicion that there are no subtitles.
evadne_noel has finished her Bizenghast fanfic.Finally realized why JPhoenix seemed so familiar in the press-room clip for the Golden Globe. He's acting just like Firefly's Simon Tam when flirting* with Kaylee!
Allow me to pimp a collection of some great scenes in Firefly.
The life of me:
Am currently shocked to find myself reading a Russian-mafia-cop-thriller novel (The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson). Love the word zamochit which is, apparently, a symbolic kind of murder wherein the killer breaks every bone in the victim's body to symbolize utter domination. I try not to think about the meaning when I say it, though, 'cause man, has the book got some creepy passages. Its writing causes me to scoff sometimes, begging for less repetition and a softer use of the exclamation point, but all in all it's turning out alright.
Today on the bus home, after going to check my French exam results (not out yet), I saw two nuns get on. They crossed themselves seconds after. Should that be a comfort to me?
Which reminds me, the bank sent gran a postcard promoting some trip to Egypt, and they ended saying they wished her the blessings of Horus, Amon, Osiris and Anubis.
Now, I don't know about you, but personally I wouldn't want my presence to be brought to the attention of the gods of the dead.
Sent mom the link for the grad school in Maine, and she points out that it's on the corner of No and Where and that that might not be the best place to spend a large number of years.
Am now re-reading wikipedia's descriptions of post-grad general info and am sinking into "daunted" mode.
Notice that brother's advice was missing a certain, here-italized, detail:
"The master's component of a doctorate program often requires one or two years, and some students, because doctoral programs are better-funded, apply for doctoral programs while only intending to attain a master's degree. This is generally not accepted and, if a student's advisor learns of the student's plans, can result in early termination."
And then there's:
"In total, the typical doctoral degree takes between 4 and 8 years from entering the program to completion..."
Holy-shit-emphasis mine.
But this is nice:
"Foreign graduate students outnumber American-born students in some US departments, primarily in the natural sciences, and engineering."
Yet this is disturbing:
"In rare cases, graduate students can lose funding and be de facto terminated from the program. Depending on the structure of the department, this can sometimes even happen at the whim of an advisor. This can be devastating, and there have been instances of suicide, or murder of professors or advisors by graduate students who have lost funding and are unable to complete their degrees."
And this is downright evil:
"Universities are more reluctant to hire full-time faculty, relying increasingly on part-time teachers who earn less money, have no tenure or job security, and are not eligible for benefits."
Of note:
"Technically, at many institutions being formally accepted as a candidate for the Ph.D. automatically entitles the student to a Master of Arts degree, but very few students actually bother submitting the paperwork to apply for the MA degree after passing prelims."
Also evil:
"Comprehensive examinations are typically based on a reading list agreed upon by the student and his or her committee [comprising] dozens or hundreds of books and other works.
The student must make him- or herself thoroughly familiar with the works on the reading list; in the examination [...] the student may usually not consult any texts [and] must refer to the works […] by author and title."
* Trying to, at least.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-14 08:14 am (UTC)man, now i totally want to watch a movie with that as the plot.
b) the last one is definitely evil, but as far as i can tell totally true. i remember a few of my history profs saying how much they stressed over it. ick. and a friend of dominique's is a bio master's student applying for phd, i think, and they could quiz her on ANYTHING taught at the uni level INCLUDING courses she never took.
c) but honestly, i think you could do these things. i mean, i'm SURE it can't be as intense as all that once you're in the program, because they'd help you deal and give you support/resources and you'd be increasing your level of study to the point where all of that WOULD be doable.
remember how we thought first year was crazy? but didn't it all seem way more mundane in fourth year?
i'd be freaking out too if i were looking at programs in depth right now, but just remember that THOUSANDS of people go into these programs and pass and don't murder ANYBODY. ;)
<3
~ kit-kat
no subject
Date: 2006-06-14 09:53 am (UTC)About not freaking out and not killing anyone...
*surrepticiously puts down hatchet*
Somewhat miffed that the only program I've liked so far isn't a good choice as to place. Do I *really* want to like in the middle of nowehere in Maine? Having to do acrobats to go to the city? (Does Maine have a big city? I don't know.)
no subject
Date: 2006-06-14 07:01 pm (UTC)it's probably gorgeous though. seems cold in the winter, but you're used to that. :P
all joking aside though... if you love the program, i think that would trump the location. because really, how often did we go out in montreal? honestly? we could have been in orono most of the time. i love montreal, and i DID choose it over a school in the middle of nowhere (Mount Allison, in NB), though, so i don't know. i am glad i didn't go to MtA...
damn, i wish there was an easy answer. have you contacted them for info or anything?
xxx
kathleen
no subject
Date: 2006-06-14 07:35 pm (UTC)I'm trying to get myself to check out the list of postgrads I've got saved, because an option of one is really no option. Gah.
Remember, I might end up there for ten years. !!!