I'm thinking about getting an M.A. in Chinese studies. How useful a job qualification would it be if I didn't go on to get a Ph.D.? [more inside]
posted by Mummy of a Lady Named Jemutesonekh on Oct 31, 2009 - 6 answers

Help me ask a former professor for a letter of recommendation. Complicating details after the jump. [more inside]
posted by notswedish on Oct 28, 2009 - 10 answers

How can I become less absent minded? [more inside]
posted by emilyd22222 on Oct 16, 2009 - 23 answers

Can I get into a funded Math Master's or PhD program? I'm graduating from a 4-year college with my B.S. this Spring, and I'm in my mid-30's. I have good GPA at this school (about a 3.6, up to about a 3.8 in math courses specifically) and good GRE scores (720 V / 780 Q), but I have dropped a lot of courses (I've worked full time over the years while getting my degree), and back in the mid-90's I flunked out of the first university I went to. [more inside]
posted by tamaraster on Oct 14, 2009 - 12 answers

I'm applying to graduate school and need 3 letters of recommendations. However, I am having trouble deciding the right people to ask. HALP. [more inside]
posted by carpyful on Oct 13, 2009 - 8 answers

How do I deal with the fact that I hate teaching, or, how long do I hate teaching until I give up on grad school? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 24, 2009 - 16 answers

My sister is entering last year of art school this fall but she wants to seek an urban planning graduate degree afterwards. What are good urban planning programs for people with bachelor's degrees in visual arts? [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Jul 1, 2009 - 2 answers

Does anyone know if you can apply to a clinical psychology Phd program before finishing your undergrad, or do you need to have experience before applying? Also what can you do to best guarantee your chances of acceptance?
posted by Genco_Olive_Oil on Apr 27, 2009 - 8 answers

How do I spin my grad school experience into desirable work skills? [more inside]
posted by futureisunwritten on Apr 18, 2009 - 10 answers

I'm in a humanities field and I will likely need to learn multiple languages. As a Master's student, I'm scheduled to take around 3-4 courses each semester, with much of my second year devoted to research and writing a master's dissertation. My question concerns foreign language prep....when is the optimal time to do that? Do I travel abroad this summer and shore up on what I know? Or do I take care of the problem during my first few semesters? What are the pros and cons of traveling abroad vis a vis taking care of the problem domestically (e.g., either at my school or some other program in the states, unaffiliated with my school)? [more inside]
posted by Genco_Olive_Oil on Apr 8, 2009 - 8 answers

Hey all, I'm an incoming master's student with plans to apply to my institution's PhD program after my master's. As the first person in my family to go to college (let alone graduate school), I am quite green in many respects. What I'm really worried about is the professor(s) I want to work with in the future--how do I go about developing a professional relationship with them? I'm afraid of creating a negative impression about myself if I keep badgering them during office hours and blatantly trying to ingratiate myself with them. Also, any advice you could give me would be really helpful--especially with regards to a master's student in the humanities field. What should be my main focus and what common errors should I avoid?
posted by Genco_Olive_Oil on Mar 28, 2009 - 12 answers

Company was paying for grad school, but had to cut back. I can't put off finishing my degree, but I can't afford the out of pocket expenses either. They also cut back on my 401k. I'm considering a lot of options but none of them seem pretty. What should I do? [more inside]
posted by etherealclarity on Mar 13, 2009 - 12 answers

Graduate funding: I got it but don't want to accept it yet because I'm waiting on word from better graduate funding. How do I deal with this? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 6, 2009 - 4 answers

Does it matter if I get my MSW in the same city I intend to be living/working in? [more inside]
posted by Roman Graves on Jan 26, 2009 - 5 answers

Canadian interested in UK graduate schools, but thoroughly confused by the different conventions used across the Atlantic! Please hope me! [more inside]
posted by tickingclock on Dec 29, 2008 - 5 answers

Hi, I only have 1 1/2 years till I'm completely done my undergraduate nutrition degree in Canada. I've already established that I want to pursue a masters, however, the only school I have been checking online is Columbia's Department of Nutrition because it is the only school I can think of which offers a decent program. Is it true? If not, does anyone have any good suggestions (NA, Europe, Asia)? [more inside]
posted by pixxie on Dec 29, 2008 - 11 answers

I'm a lawyer from a top law school with a year of work experience. I want to become an academic clinical psychologist (professor + therapist). After 9 months in a master's program, what will my admissions chances look like? [more inside]
posted by shivohum on Aug 25, 2008 - 4 answers

How does an aspiring graduate student in English traverse the confusion of the graduate school application process? [more inside]
posted by fictionalcara on Jul 22, 2008 - 17 answers

American Studies scholars, please help me compare 2 programs in New England and American Studies and get some general advice. [more inside]
posted by Miko on Jun 23, 2008 - 10 answers

I'm a graduate student. My advisor asked me to do a favor for a researcher and clean his data for him and put it into SPSS from Excel. Upon looking at the data, I realized that it was totally screwed up. What can I do now? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 28, 2008 - 13 answers

I'm a grad student. I like the subject(s) I'm studying, I like research, and I know I'm capable of doing the work... except when I sit down to actually do it, I choke. I know I'm not the only one suffering from both imposter syndrome and perfectionism - how do you manage to get your brain to stop spinning its wheels and get to work? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 31, 2008 - 33 answers

It’s that time - the beginning of the last semester before I graduate from collee. It’s time to find a job or graduate school program and plot out the rest of my life. A renewed interest in charity and decreased interest in psychology, my chosen field of study, have led me to question my planned life course. Open my mind to what I might be able to do with my life. [more inside]
posted by charmston on Jan 7, 2008 - 9 answers

How do I convince a research advisor to take me on as a grad student? [more inside]
posted by you're a kitty! on Dec 11, 2007 - 13 answers

Posting this for my sister. She is in a MSW program at a small private college, and wants to transfer to larger state college. [more inside]
posted by everichon on Nov 8, 2007 - 5 answers

Help me compose the perfect letter of introduction and get over my fear of contacting potential Ph.D. advisors. [more inside]
posted by cortisol on Oct 2, 2007 - 12 answers

I have my eyes on a very specific sort of graduate program at a University that while not top-tier, will be tough to get into. I'm looking to make some contacts in the program: What's the best way to do this? [more inside]
posted by GilloD on May 23, 2007 - 14 answers

Help me figure out the best way to finance graduate school abroad. [more inside]
posted by dead_ on May 10, 2007 - 4 answers

WannabeEditorFilter: I hated my first year of grad school, with its accompanying anxiety attacks, no free time, surly students, and pages of really boring reading. I'm halfway through my Master's and I am dreading going back. [more inside]
posted by fiercecupcake on Feb 12, 2007 - 12 answers

How can I best prepare for interviews with potential advisers for Grad school? [more inside]
posted by one_bean on Oct 31, 2006 - 11 answers

Academic writer's block: tips, strategies, experiences, psychology for dealing with it? [more inside]
posted by RogerB on Sep 27, 2006 - 19 answers

Grad School Foreign Language Requirements: What demonstrates proficiency at the grad school level? Are there media studies, cultural studies, critical film studies, or similar masters programs without them? [more inside]
posted by cowbellemoo on Aug 29, 2006 - 8 answers

GradSchoolAnxietyFilter: I have no research experience. How do I describe my research plan? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 29, 2006 - 8 answers

Okay, so I'm hoping to apply this winter for Ph.D. programs in computational linguistics. (Thanks for the encouraging advice, guys!) The question is, where? [more inside]
posted by nebulawindphone on Jul 18, 2006 - 10 answers

Grad school: Linguistics or Publishing? My sister will be graduating next year with a B.A. in English and an interest in both linguistics and publishing graduate school programs. I don't know these fields very well, so I offered to hit up the AskMe crowd for advice. [more inside]
posted by gramschmidt on Jun 1, 2005 - 15 answers