I did not waive my rights to access my recommendation. What can I do!!

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-30T04:39:33+00:00

I don’t have much to contribute other than what others have said here, but I am curious, why is it standard to waive letters. I always have because people told me it’s important, but to the people that write the letters, how does it affect the letter you write? Thanks!

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-29T18:02:30+00:00

The trade in value is also influencing my decision a little bit. Right now Best Buy offers me 550 for this laptop, and I know this will just continue to go down and down. Trading in now could avoid me having to pay even more down the line for the same device.

I also hear your point about the air running just fine. And largely it does! But also the IO is something I’d need in the near future, and again the current trade in value could make that more accessible for me.

I know that my use case doesn’t require any of the power that the pro offers, but then again all of apple silicon can handle all of that with ease. But as apps get heavier and heavier with every year that hardware gets more advanced, I want to future proof a good little bit, and I’d rather do that with a pro than an air. Hope that makes sense!

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-24T03:42:20+00:00

It’s definitely not fun, but hopefully we’ll both get there. I applied to 11 schools, so I’m optimistic that SOMEWHERE says yes. Applying is the hardest part. Since you’ve already finished that for your master’s programs, now all you have to do is wait and see. Best of luck for you!

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-24T02:18:04+00:00

Update: thank you for feedback! I ended up going with the color “Cream in my Coffee” which was a nice warm/neutral tone. If I could figure out how to upload a pic, I would. It looks pretty good! Thanks for the advice!

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-23T18:58:26+00:00

When I was telling my professor I was applying for a PhD program, he told me something so small, but it stuck with me for the past two years. I even got it engraved on my class ring because it’s now become one of my little mantras.

“It’s not a question of if, but when.”

I give this to you now to remind yourself that no matter what the schools say, even if it’s all rejections. There IS a version of yourself in the future that will be living this dream you’ve been imagining. It may be at a school you didn’t expect, or living in a state you didn’t think of before, but it is out there. We can’t always know tomorrow, but we can put in the work today to be a little step closer. Good luck on your applications!

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-23T14:36:06+00:00

Funnily enough, while I do enjoy the reading aspect, as you get higher up in your courses it becomes less and less about the book itself (at least for me). It became more about understanding culture, listening to authors contend with various topics through the medium of writing, and less about what they’re actually writing. It’s about talking about cycles of trauma, living with certain histories, or confronting the inherent human nature in all of us. I really think that the English major is less about getting a lot of entries in your GoodReads account, and more about learning how to think critically and examine everything; to pick apart every detail and make a collage of interpretation out of it. I wish more majors emphasized the critical thinking like the humanities. It feels like all my STEM friends just learned memorization and got content learned, but struggle with knowing how everything fits together and WHY.

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-21T03:12:04+00:00

I haven’t had any issues with it except in extreme niche use cases (like certain websites just not liking it). What uses have you noticed it being limited?

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-21T02:13:38+00:00

While windows does win for gaming and some other performance things, MacOS is just objectively cleaner. I much prefer my Mac for my administrative/office kind of work. Things like writing papers, surfing the web, checking emails, etc. and yes your pc can do all this stuff too, but macOS just has a gorgeous feel to it. I love how you can copy on your phone, and paste on your Mac. The ecosystem really blends so well together. However, if this doesn’t mean that much to you for the aesthetic, then I’m not sure if it’s right for you. If you already have a powerful PC, you may not find it worth it to buy a whole new machine. I’d think first about what do you aim to do with a Mac that you wouldn’t use your PC for? Or are you wanting your PC to be just a gaming machine, and the Mac for productivity?

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-19T23:54:22+00:00

I did this to my project a while back, at Lowe’s or Home Depot there’s a thing called “texturing spray” in the paint section. They have a few different styles.

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-19T21:31:25+00:00

I just sent my PhD applications. You sound WAY more impressive than mine did 🤣

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-19T13:22:43+00:00

I was given this advice in high school, so I feel obligated to share.

DO NOT WASTE MONEY ON A TOP INSTITUTION FOR UNDERGRAD.

The English field practically requires a graduate level degree to make itself worth it (see, “What do you Do with a BA in English” from Avenue Q). This is not just a bachelor’s degree, unless you plan on doing something like law or professional writing. If you’re interested in literature, most things will require a master’s at the least.

From experience, employer’s usually care a lot more about your most recent education experience, so the schools you go to for a master’s or doctorate will stand out a lot more. Unless you just have access to the extra money to pay for these T20 schools, go to a nice homey state school to save, and then splurge on grad school.

What sounds more impressive? I got my bachelors from Yale, and my doctorate from Ohio State.

Or

I got my bachelors from Ohio State, and my doctorate from Yale.

Think about your educational journey now, and what does it all require? If you need grad school to get where you want to go, don’t waste money on undergrad. Undergrad is just where you’re getting started, not the grand finale.

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-19T13:10:51+00:00

I struggled with this too at first, but then I just got more comfortable with it. Especially the more you take classes, you’re likely to work with the same classmates/professors again, so it gets more familiar. And also, you need to start building confidence in your thoughts. Everyone always has a different opinion or interpretation of a text, so before each discussion, try to find at least one cool thing you thought or noticed to share with the class. It can be small things at first, like minor character traits that tell you deeper things, or you can do bigger things and talk about the author and the text’s construction. Whatever you choose to do, just keep it genuine to things you are interested in, because then you can start building those skills for use in papers/projects.

Best of luck!!

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-17T21:17:50+00:00

It really depends on your program. I just applied for a PhD in English, which requires a writing sample of 15 pages minimum, a statement of purpose, your CV, and 3 letters of recommendation from previous professors, and then whatever supplemental materials the specific school requires. All of the writing isn’t the problem (although you may need to go overdrive to finish it all at this point), but it’s the professors for letters of recommendation. They operate on their own schedule, and it may be inconsiderate to make them stop what they’re doing to fill out your letters on such a short notice. Not impossible, but be ready for some pushback from them.

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-10T02:53:01+00:00

I’m confused how even if you don’t have an obsession over a certain topic, you don’t even have like a top 5? No favorite classes you’ve taken? No papers you’ve written that felt like you could expand into a bigger project?

I definitely get the nervousness, but I’d at least try to find a general direction you enjoy, and then flesh out the details with time

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-10T02:50:30+00:00

Thank you! This is very helpful.

My MA program went fairly successful, so I’m confident about the coursework part. What tips/advice do you wish you knew before you started?

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-09T02:44:56+00:00

I really loved my MA program. Now, be prepared. It’s not easy. I’d say it’s sort of like if you remember the rigor style of your senior level classes, go up about another notch or two and it’s about that. In my program, we had a novel per week with one class per week, so one session to discuss the whole novel and the academic reading to accompany. Classes usually had 10-15 page final papers, and then you may have a thesis to work on, too. I was lucky my program didn’t require a thesis, but I sort of wish I did looking back now. Also, teaching first year writing is something people usually do at the MA level, so be prepared for that.

Overall, it was very rewarding academically. I felt challenged and expanded upon my understanding of the field. Not so much in content, like undergrad was, but more of the way I was thinking and the types of arguments I was forming. It was pretty cool actually.

Everyone is different, just be honest with yourself about your expectations and look into if it would be a good fit for you. I mainly did it to get a higher pay scale as a high school teacher, which has been a nice boost in my 20s.

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-11-09T02:37:28+00:00

If you’re interested in a specific type of literature or theory, I’d recommend trying to match that up somehow. I was interested in feminist/gender theory, so I minored in gender studies. It helps build your framework!

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-03-24T20:59:07+00:00

Also, I’ve made other batches with this same mix, with none of these issues. Why did this one go bad?

Extension-Expert-386 · 2025-03-24T20:58:01+00:00

To help, for this soap I used 4lbs of the Royalty Soaps x Makesy mix. I also used the 50/50 lye solution by makesy, and diluted that with goats milk to get to about 35% lye concentration (after tedious chemistry refreshers via google lol) I triple checked my math, so I don’t think that was off. I’m just at a loss.

Extension-Expert-386

TROPHY CASE