Hey guys, I'm working on my SOP and I sent it to a friend to look over. She wrote back that I should take out a part about research I did in college because it's not related to the field I'm applying for (the research was with fruit flies, i'm applying for microbiology). I don't really like it in there either, but the prof I did the research with is one of my LOR writers, so I figured I had to make it sound relevant for the letter to seem relevant. Should I leave it in? He's already written the letter, so he won't see the SOP.

"Plenty of colleges have a presence in Second Life. Pennsylvania State University is taking that a step further. Academic advisers at the university’s online campus are now required to be available for meetings with students in the virtual world every week..."

More here: http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Second-Life-Duty-Now-Required/8770/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

And here: http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/advising-in-second-life.shtml

Good thing? Bad thing? Inevitable thing?

Might be a bit early to be asking this, but... what sort of questions might one expect in a veterinary school interview? And if I'd already answered them in my personal essay (like the obvious "so why do you want to be a vet?" or "what started your interest in veterinary medicine?") should I try to come up with something new?

_{I got an interview request from UGlasgow the other day scheduled in February (!), and am already starting to feel anxious about interviewing because it's not my forte at all...}

Ok. I posted my personal statement a couple of days ago and it wasn't so great. So I re-wrote it. I'm 3 years graduated from college and have been working since graduation. I'm looking to go to grad school to help me change careers. I'm applying for a M.S. in Computer Science at a local state school. The school I'm applying to requires a personal statement a maximum of one page. Here it is:

When I graduated from MYSCHOOL in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in computer science, I sought employment as a programmer. However, the pitfalls of the economy meant that none of the companies who were interested in me were hiring, and I took a job at an insurance company as a claims adjuster. It is a decent enough job, and a program I wrote is being used by a department of over a hundred people, nearly doubling their productivity. But truthfully, the insurance business is not where I want to spend my life. This is not who I am.

When I was a student at MYSCHOOL, I explored many different facets of computer science. In addition to computer security, discrete math, genetic algorithms, and cognitive science, I discovered cryptography and its applications in the securing of commercial information. I was fascinated by the freedom it afforded me to solve a given problem in different ways, from the elegance of the RSA algorithm, to sheer brute force. I know, however, that this is only an introduction to a vast and complex field; there is so much more to not just learn, but to discover through research. This is why I am applying to the graduate program in computer science at SCHOOL.

SCHOOL appeals to me for a variety of reasons, not least of which are its focus on the importance of research, and its faculty with similar interests to my own. I am intrigued by PROFESSOR work in braid group cryptography, and by the projects being developed by PROFESSOR research group. I look forward to learning more about, and eventually working on, the Axiom project at RESEARCH CENTER. For these reasons, I am eager to continue my education at SCHOOL; I am sure that we will both benefit from our association.


They ask for a "personal statement about your educational or career objectives....that should be of the kind and quality that expresses why you have chosen to pursue a graduate degree."

Also, again, there is a limit of one page. It states specifically that the statement should "not be over one page." I'm not sure exactly what "one page" means, I'm assuming a Word doc, double spaced, standard 12 pt font.

Does it still sound informal?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/sport1/hi/cricket/8357931.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/8357931.stm

Pakistan ease past injury-hit New Zealand by 49 runs in the first of two Twenty20 games in Dubai.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8357561.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8357561.stm

Japan is US President Barack Obama's first destination on an eight-day tour of Asia aimed at boosting economic growth.

i didn't intend for this to happen, but i wound up with a pseudo-DJ gig for tonight. pseudo as in my DJing is providing ambience before and in-between live bands, it's not the focus of the evening.

now to commence with pulling a few set lists out of my behind!!! WCBN has prepared me well for this kind of thing.

i am excited!!

hey guys -- i graduated in may (sadface), and my letter of recommendation writing process is coming to a close. i was wondering what the protocol is with "thank yous" -- do i send them now, or after i find out if i got into the schools i applied to? if i was a particular pain in the ass, what's an appropriate gift card amount, etc.?

thanks!

Hi all,

I am looking for some advice for my SoP. It is currently in its first draft and definitely needs some revision. Please be as harsh as you like in your critique. I am thick-skinned and it's the only way that the SoP is going to improve. I would be more than happy to give some advice to anyone else out there who needs it. Thanks, b.

bcwdebate.livejournal.com/

For those interested, there's a petition going to save the Classics program at Michigan State University. Cancelling the program is one of those administrative decisions that just doesn't make any sense: no savings will accrue, since faculty are tenured (yay, tenure), but course offerings will be cut. Your voice could help talk these guys back from the edge of the cliff.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/tell-a-friend/5899800

[cross-posted a couple places; sorry for any potential annoyance]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8357660.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8357660.stm

Japan marks 20 years since emperor crowned

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8357491.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8357491.stm

Australia's government approves the extradition to Hungary of 88-year-old alleged Nazi war criminal Charles Zentai.

I have a question... : )

I was just wondering if it is better to have a NP or a W on one's transcript?

Medical reasons are behind the class the fail... which would make it not really a fail... just a took on too much too soon type of deal... tang center doctor already recommended a reduction in course load... but I was just which option looks less terrible on a transcript if I'm looking towards grad school.

Thanks you.

ゆきゆきて、神軍 Yuki Yukite Shingun [The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On], 1987. Dir. HARA Kazuo, starring OKUZAKI Kenzo.

Stunning - and shocking - documentary from one of Japan's "outlaw" directors (and with stuff like this, I can see why). One of those documentaries where you can feel the director, but the subject matter is so interesting (and so shocking) you don't notice.

Okuzaki is, at the outset of the documentary, a 62 year old veteran of the Japanese Imperial Army who is on a mission - explain the odd death of two low ranking privates of his unit after the end of the war. Okuzaki is a troublemaker - he was arrested for shooting pinballs at the Showa Emperor (Hirohito) at a New Year's greeting shindig, and after the filming of the documentary, sentenced to 12 years of hard labor of firing at the son of the captain he holds responsible for the death.

He's angry, and on a mission - and firmly believes the blame for the war lays at the feet of Hirohito, but in lieu of being able to go after him, Okuzaki is at least going to make a very small, very private story more public.

Anyways, definitely worth a viewing - it's startling at times, and a very rich documentary over all.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8357207.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8357207.stm

New suspicions are raised about the 2004 apparent shooting of former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8357093.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8357093.stm

Cambodia and Thailand each expel a top embassy diplomat, in a row over former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8356637.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8356637.stm

A prominent Chinese dissident says he has been stuck at Tokyo airport for nine days because China will not let him in.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8356182.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8356182.stm

Japanese Emperor Akihito says the country should learn lessons from the wartime reign of his father, Hirohito.

http://www.danwei.org/front_page_of_the_day/snow_peace_capital.php

Beijing saw its third snowfall in twelve days this morning.

Because the snow reached other areas of the country as early as yesterday afternoon, the city's morning newspapers could only feature photos of heavy accumulation elsewhere, leaving the capital's snowfall for the evening editions.

Today's Beijing Evening News ran a front-page photo of a snow-covered bridge in Shichahai neatly framed by a railing.

Snow tends to add to the city's charm, blanketing the eaves of traditional-style buildings and muffling the sounds of traffic, even as it increases gridlock and causes headaches for residents.

After Tuesday's snowfall, Huang Jiwei, a writer who keeps a blog on literature and popular slang, offered up a gallery of photos of the snow-covered city. He prefaced it a quote from the poet Yin Lichuan, "When it snows, the northern capital becomes northern peace," a line that plays on the capital's current and former names: Beijing (北京) vs. Beiping (北平).

Tags: Beijing Evening News, snow

This article is from Danwei.org.

tweet facebook bookmark HaoHao digg

Mainland accessible mirror on Danwei.TV