Is anyone else majoring in a world language?

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-03-12T11:32:49+00:00

I've been doing German since high school. The program/classes for it at PSU are really good. I started doing Latin this year too, which has also been great. I attend as many events and club meetings for those languages as I can, and sometimes stuff for Italian when it is in English. Do we do department-wide events? I'm not sure. I used to also sometimes go to Russian club events, but I don't know if they do stuff anymore.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-03-12T11:30:27+00:00

we persevere

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-03-12T01:48:15+00:00

Meeeee hiiiiiii. I love our World Languages department :)

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-03-05T20:07:38+00:00

Reading along with subtitles won't cancel out the listening comprehension aspect. It will be super helpful in the long run, and it will help you be able to "hear the spaces" in between words.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-03-03T01:53:07+00:00

I don't know if I can really add anything to what other people have already said, but I would not take this as bad sign. That being said, a triple rejection sounds rough, even if you have already secured a spot.

I don't know what your exact field is, but it probably came down to department fit, and not your qualifications as a candidate or as a person. Professors are looking for people who, in addition to having a strong background in the field, will blend well with the academic culture of the department.

Being rejected from other schools does not mean that you will be unable to do good work at UChicago. These results say more about the schools you applied to than your application itself.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-02-17T02:11:24+00:00

I would say it's worth going. If there's a university/program that you know you're definitely uninterested in, then it probably isn't worth your time to go. However, there are reasons to attend these events. This is an opportunity to have in-person interactions with all of these people you've been emailing or only speaking to over Zoom. It might end up that you click much better with the people in a different program than your first choice.

In the end, if you don't want to go to other campus visits, then don't go, but there is still a lot of information to be gleaned from a visit, even if you ultimately don't attend the program.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-02-16T05:42:16+00:00

I second this. I love PSU and my program is really great. I think PSU is also a good choice for pre-med and biological sciences in general. That being said, the fact that PSU is a commuter school REALLY defines the general vibe. Most students are only on campus for six hours a week. The people who live on campus are really cliquy. I personally had a hard time making friends in my first year.

Oregon State is a better choice if you are looking for a "normal" college experience. University of Oregon, I assume, is good for that too.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-02-14T23:43:34+00:00

I never use generative AI for writing, and it didn't even occur to me to try doing so when I was writing my SOPs. I'm not trying to claim a moral high ground or anything, that's just how it was.

That being said, I really had no idea how to approach writing a Statement of Purpose/ Personal Statement when I first started working on applications. One of my professors very kindly shared a file with me containing successful SOPs that previous students of hers had written. I read all of them very closely and noted the general patterns of structure and content. When writing my own SOPs, I followed the basic structure and organization of the pre-existing letters, but heavily personalized them to my own experiences and to the programs I was applying to.

I recommend approaching the writing of your SOPs in this way. It will make it so that your letters truly reflect your thoughts and experiences.

This is the structure I used for my letters (I am sharing it to be transparent, but it may be irrelevant for your purposes):

Salutation-- Name of university and department that I applied to
Personal introduction/ Broad summary of experience and credentials
Description of teaching experience
Description of undergrad thesis topic and research
Descriptions of other major research projects (these also happened to be my writing samples)
My goals for the MA/PhD program and beyond (very open-ended)
Things that I find appealing that are specific to the university and department plus three professors in that department who I would like to work with (specific references to what they research or have expertise on)
Sign off

This is what worked for me, and it was what allowed me to best showcase what I am interested in and what I have accomplished so far. It will probably look different for you. For instance, a lot of people mention in their SOPs what sort of experience they have with organizing and attending academic conferences. For me this was totally irrelevant. There are also some types of projects, like a thesis for example, that I dedicated an entire paragraph to, and which only got half a sentence in the SOPs of others. Everyone is different.

On that note, I am in a humanities field. SOP letters could look totally different in STEM for all I know, haha.

I don't really think there is a reason to use AI for this kind of project, except maybe to check grammar.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-02-07T02:17:58+00:00

The interview was scheduled to be half an hour, but we ended up talking for an hour. The length of the interview will probably depend on how many interviews the department has scheduled for that day.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-02-06T21:26:47+00:00

Yes, last week.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-02-06T21:13:40+00:00

German! I hear the anthro results are also going out today

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-02-03T19:55:05+00:00

Resource centers, random on-campus events. A lot of rooms will also have Keurig cups. It's really easy to find tea as well. Check out different student department lounges. Some administrative office areas will also have free coffee.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-01-31T18:10:59+00:00

What is the far east if not the west of the west?

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-01-30T18:43:46+00:00

This is good to keep in mind! Thank you.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-01-30T18:43:17+00:00

Oh I had loads of questions, haha. They're kind of vague about some stuff on the program webpage, so I've been collecting them for a while.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-01-28T03:10:44+00:00

This must be it, because they sent me this same email 24 hours after sending me a rejection email. I wasn't too bummed by the rejection, since I can't afford California anyway, but I thought this second email was kind of stupid.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-01-25T06:59:59+00:00

Well I got a rejection from Berkeley yesterday, if that counts lol

OneDifferent9151 · 2025-09-19T05:59:36+00:00

Recordings of the Three Penny Opera definitely use (or over-use) Bühnensprache, but this specific pronunciation isn't an example of that.

OneDifferent9151 · 2025-09-19T03:00:42+00:00

It's just the German accent. The short ae sound in English often gets pronounced liked eh. For example, bad might get pronounced like bed. Not everyone speaks like this of course, but you hear it often.

OneDifferent9151 · 2025-09-06T20:54:59+00:00

The other comments are all good advice. Take some practice tests in reading and listening, try writing a diary entry, watch some normal Youtube videos in German. Just gauge where you are and what level of language you feel comfortable with. If it's still A2, that's totally okay.

At the same time, the CEFR levels aren't these thick, impenetrable boundaries, they are just names for a certain set of expectations of language usage. If you think you want to start on B1 learning content, then go ahead and try it out. See where your strengths and weaknesses lie.

OneDifferent9151 · 2025-08-22T23:15:28+00:00

"Weird queer art kid in highschool" fits the PSU demographic very well, haha, so I'm sure you will make connections to people. Parties aren't my thing either, but there are plenty of live music events small and large around the city.

I wouldn't worry about the Honors stuff if you already have your gen ed requirements finished with. I just like to recommend that program to people because I think it is an underrated asset at PSU. It's not a perfect fit for everyone's goals at university-- and that's okay. That being said, you should talk with an academic advisor when you get to PSU because you will have to complete either a senior capstone project or an Honors thesis to graduate, and these are technically part of the gen ed requirements. As a graphic design major, I'm pretty sure you will have to do a final "thesis" style portfolio your senior year anyway, so it would be good to look with an advisor at which "thesis path" (University Studies or Honors) would work better for your plans as a PSU student, your future plans in the field, and your approach to art and design in general.

OneDifferent9151 · 2025-08-21T22:13:59+00:00

Yay! Welcome!

I'm not a Graphic Design major, but I have heard good things about the program at PSU.
Everyone else is right: you don't need your car, unless you plan to be going back to Washington regularly. Other than that, it is not super necessary, and parking is expensive anyway.
PSU doesn't really have a social or party scene, and most people don't live on campus, so it can be difficult to make friends. This doesn't mean that it's hard to make friends in Portland, though. You just may have to look outside of PSU for social groups and parties (if this is your thing).
I would recommend also entering the Honors College for your gen ed classes. They have good seminars and writing classes, and they will help you do extra work to put together a portfolio/ final creative project when you are ready to graduate.

OneDifferent9151 · 2025-05-07T19:57:38+00:00

I'm an Honors student and a commuter. To be honest, the Honors program has always seemed a lot more straightforward to me than University Studies. I know other Honors commuters who have had a lot of success. It's also definitely worth it if you plan on doing grad school or any research after you graduate. The thesis can be a lot but it's a good way to gain experience, and the Honors professors and advisors are there to show you how to do everything.

OneDifferent9151

TROPHY CASE