Moving to Madison

I'm wearing this today:
(in long sleeve though I rolled them up).


I haven't written here in ages, but decisions have been made and my future is lined up. I am moving to Madison, Wisconsin to attend the University of Wisconsin at Madison. It's free. I almost went to Carnegie Mellon, but it wasn't worth to $50k to attend.

I'm going to San Francisco at the end of July (quitting my job in the middle of July).

It's pretty exciting and I am vacillating between being incredible scared and incredibly excited. Right now, I am just feeling a little sick to my stomach which could be either joy or fear.

This isn't school-related:

Well it is. I am planning (hoping) to visit one of the schools I am applying to. One of the most prestigious ones. I was imagining what they would ask me during my interview. And books came up because my life would be perfect if people interviewing me would just talk about literature.

Favorites:
Fiction book: The Corrections (Jonathan Franzen)
Non-fiction book: Teachers Have it Easy (Dave Eggers) and Arc of Justice (Kevin Boyle)
Play: Waiting for Godot (Samuel Beckett)
Short story: Araby (James Joyce)
Poem: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (T.S. Eliot)

Okay, so one of those was an Oprah Bookclub book, but suck it up. It is still a good book.

Big Time Update

I changed my final recommender. I ran into someone from my last job and I asked him and he was very willing to write a letter for me. Only one school requests two academic and one professional and it is the one I am most likely to get in to. I might ask for one from another professor just to be sure, but if he says he rather not, then I won't be concerned.

I feel bad that one of my recommenders has been bumped. She was neither academic nor professional really, but she's a nice person and I really like her. I think I am going to ask her to write a letter to every school that lets you submit four letters. I almost have packets put together for each one telling them what I need and when, my SOP, my resume, and what each school says they are looking for in a rec letter (if they give guidance).

Basically, everything is complete. I need to upload some documents and I want to fiddle with some of my essay, but I am pretty much ready to send everything in and pay my fees.

I am pretty excited.

Moving Forward

Sent an email to a professor at #5.

Next week I am going to try to schedule a meeting with my potential final recommender. I hope all goes well, but who knows if he'll even really remember me.

I have like seven drafts of my statement of purpose. They all say basically the same thing in varying degrees of earnestness. All my applications are started except two. One opens Monday and one the following Monday. I think once they're all open and worked on, I will be able to focus on my SOP and what I really want from it.

I feel like I should be nervous but I'm not yet. I'm sure I will be when I push that submit button.

Graduate Schools Update

I am dropping #4 and adding another Northeast school in its place. The school rank is much higher and I figure if I am going to do this, I should do it right.

I took some time off work and really focused on the necessary writing. I wrote the analytical essay for #1 (in California) and got my boyfriend and a friend to read through it. I am sending it to someone else today for an opinion and then I will hold for a week, reread, and then submit to the student readers the school offers.

I am working on the four-page policy memo for the newest addition (new #4). It is a little short right now, but I am just adding ideas as I find them and find time to write.

My general statement of purpose is basically done. I just need to tailor it to the schools. My resume is looking good. My Personal History Essay for #1 is decent. I don't know how long it needs to be or anything, so I just wrote and then stopped when I reached the present.

My big problem is that my writing style, while technically correct is very bland. I have a decent vocabulary but it isn't extraordinary. I don't know what to do to pep up my writing some and make it really impressive.

Recommendation letters and online applications

As of today, I have arranged meetings and recommendation letters from everyone I plan to ask (two academic, one non-academic which is ideal). I also began the online applications for every school that has them available (#2, #3, and #6). The other two won't be available until September. I hope to have my applications done and sent by November 1.

I am determined to work on my SOP this week. I want a solid draft by mid-August so when I go requesting letters in September, I have something decent to show them. I have already worked on my resume, but I feel like it is lacking.

Here it is with personal information removed:

Education

University , - December 2006
Bachelors of Arts in English, magna cum laude
Minor: Mass Communications

Relevant Coursework

US government, international relations, microeconomics, macroeconomics, precalculus and trigonometry, survey of calculus, elementary statistics, technical writing

Relevant Experience

Research secretary and grant coordinator, ****************, *********, ** 2008-present
• Conducted database search for articles, reviewed academic literature
• Edited, formatted, and submitted manuscripts to leading pharmacy journals
• Reviewed, edited and submitted grant applications/proposals, renewals, and revisions to the National Institutes of Health
• Plan, organize and execute department seminar series – coordinating travel, lodging, and payment for visiting speakers, as well as promoting each session within the university

Peer Leader and Peer Leader Mentor, ***********, *******, ** 2004 and 2006
• Taught introductory class for new students alongside ** staff members
• Organized large community service project
• Led lecture of the important of community involvement
• Mentored other peer leaders during my second term of service

America Reads Tutor, **************, ********** 2005-2006
• Worked with minority and other underserved students in ****** County elementary schools, middle schools, and community centers to help them improve reading ability and comprehension
• Collaborated with other tutors to create a dynamic teaching environment utilizing the limited space provided
• Tailored program to meet school and community center needs while still meeting the goals and requirement of the America Reads program

Skills
Apple OSX, Microsoft Word, graphic presentations (PowerPoint), Excel. Dreamweaver. Adobe Suite (Designer, Acrobat, Photoshop). Strong analytical skills. Experience with scientific research and methodology.

Relevant Honors

Dean’s List 2004-2006
President’s Honor Roll – 2006
*********Scholarship for Academic Excellence – 2006
Magna Cum Laude honors including senior thesis – 2006
******* Member (Classics honor society)
***** Institute for Leadership Development – 2006

Recommendation Letters and Contacts

I had a great 24 hours. The professor I was working with here referred me to a couple people at the schools I want to apply to. I also mentioned to him that I am planning to apply to the Maryland school so maybe he'll know someone there too.

I downloaded articles from the people he mentioned and put in requests for their books. I hope to contact them in mid-August. I will also contact people I found on my own, since his contacts did not cover everywhere I want to apply.

I also contacted my potential recommenders today which was really awkward as they all have English degrees and I am looking for something entirely different, but I played it as best I could (asking for any help they could give) and one got back to me right away saying he doesn't know much about policy but would gladly write me a recommendation which is fantastic. I could not have hoped for a better or easier response. I was told that teachers know what you want when you contact them like that, but it is nice to have that taken care of. I still am waiting to hear from another professor and I hope I hear soon. I will have to contact a professor who doesn't know me and just beg for a recommendation if this guy doesn't come through. I am not above that though. My first two letters will be good. If I have one "she took my class, got an A" letter, I should still be okay overall.

I really need to get working on my statement of purpose though. It really needs to shine in light of my awful analytical writing score. I plan to have everyone I can find read it before I turn it in.

I am thinking about dropping my safety school off the list. What is the point if I have a shot to get into a better school in the future? I am sad I wasted a free GRE score report on them, but it was a $20 mistake. Better then wasting a bunch of time and money on completing the application.

Updates

I add another mid-Atlantic school to my list, #6 Maryland. I also received my official GRE score report that confirmed my score (I had myself convinced I was wrong about it) and I got my writing score which was really disappointing. I got a 4.5 (or the 58 percentile). My verbal score was in the 96th percentile and my quantitative in the 79th. It doesn't seem right, but hopefully, I can offset it with my statement of purpose.

We'll see. I'm going to start contact professors at the institutions soon.

Contact from Professor

The professor at my current school that went to school #2 emailed me back and was very positive. I emailed him more details and I am excited about him getting back to me. I didn't think it would go this smoothly. I honestly thought it would be very awkward (the only awkward moment was me noticing I used a homophone of a word instead of the correct one, but he overlooked it!).

What I said basically, is:
Dr. His Name

I was looking through the public policy website here and noticed your name. I am planning to apply to [your alma mater] and I was wondering if you could sit down with me to discuss the school.

I saw on the faculty biography page that you are interested in [stuff] and I am too. Have you seen [tv show relating to stuff]? It is excellent.

Worked very well. And he offered to put me in contact with people at every school I am applying to (if he knows someone). So I emailed him back more information, honed in on my interests, and am waiting on another response. All in all, a success!

I also emailed a former supervisor, caught her up on my plans, and asked if she will write me a recommendation letter. I am planning to use her as a 4th letter. All the schools require three, but I will send four in case someone flakes. At some schools, it could hurt me because you need two academic references and neither that I asked so far is academic, but I would at least like to get three letters there, you know? Maybe they won't notice they are not academic since they all work for my university.

Also, I can just see 10 months from now posting that I got in nowhere. VERY POSSIBLE. But if so, I will tell you why so you can avoid my mistakes.

Graduate School

I am in the process of applying for graduate school (specifically a master's in public policy) for the Fall of 2009. I will be using this here blog to keep track of what I have to do, when I have to do it, and how it went. It is July 14 and I am submitting all my applications by the earliest deadline which is December 1. That is 140 days from now.

Stats:
UG GPA: 3.69
Major GPA: 3.91
Upper Division: 3.89
GRE: 690V/730Q, 4.5 AW
Recommenders: No one you've ever heard of.
Resume: Pretty awesome, but also kind of lacking
SOP: It will kick ass
Other: We'll see what comes up.
Costs: INSANE! So far $140 on the GRE.
Schools to which I am applying: I am keeping it a secret but #1 is in California, #2 is in Pennsylvania, #3 is in Wisconsin, #4 is in Oregon, and #5 is in Massachusetts, and #6 is in Maryland.

So far I have identified people I would like to work with at schools #1, #2, and #5. I am planning to rework my resume today (I have been applying for jobs, so it needs to be tailored for schools). I am meeting with one potential recommender for lunch (we're friends). I am contacting a professor at my school who went to school #2 who I hope will be willing to sit down with me and tell me all about policy programs and the school. I have a rough draft of my statement of purpose (SOP). I also work with someone that went to school #2 so I am going to chat her up some.

Applications don't become available until September so I am kind of spinning my wheels, but I am trying to get done what I can.

Hesitating Only Hurts

This could be a really emo post about how I missed out on the love of my life, by hesitating, but really, I am just saddened that Nordstrom sold out of - or I can't find it anyway - that sweater I liked. Luckily, UO has a very similar one (that costs a little more), so I won't have to go without. But guess what! Today is deals day part deux. $30 and under:

Urban Outfitters
There are a lot of tunics on sale, but since I am not really sure how to wear them, I didn't pick one. I think they are the things that girls wear with tights and look stupid in, so going with that assumption, we are skipping tunics. I was going to go with the wrap dress since I watched Weeds last night and saw MLP sexily peel off a wrap dress and I want everyone to try that sometime, but they only had small and extra small, so I went with someone that has more variety (of size and color).
Lux Tank Dress - $24.99



Old Navy
I went to Old Navy the other day and got the cutest shirt for $5 (!), but a lot of the stuff was ugly, so I am on a quest to find you something cute and cheap so you don't have to waste your time. Okay. I know everyone loves the new sweater collection, but I think it is ugly. But I did manage to find two, matching, cute items for less than $30. It will be chilly at night soon and imagine how cute you'll look sipping your hot chocolate.
Top - $14.50
Bottoms - $14.50

Nordstrom
I loved so much stuff on here that picking one thing became really difficult, but I picked the cutest with the widest availability (as usual). This dress is so cute, so cheap, and can certainly be transitioned into the coming months. Tights and sweaters are all you need to make the cutest summer clothes fall and winter ready. Seriously.
Frenchi Knit Babydoll Dress - $13.90


Anthropologie
Now watch me solve your problems. Cute. Cheap. You can buy 2! I really could have probably made this like $25 and under. Maybe I will find something awesome for $29.99 before we finish. But seriously, tights. I have 3 pair (black, blue, gray) and I plan to grab another pair or two (brown and something else). I am desperate to wear my tights. Every day I think about it, but it takes forever to get cold in Florida.
Color Palette Tights - $11


Bus Stop Shop
I am still madly in love with this place. I think since Nordstrom doesn't have my sweater, I'm just going to buy myself the dress and sweater from here. They are, of course, too much for this list, but I did find something I love (and that there are a lot of sizes left in). I love Nick & Mo clothing.
Long Sleeve Barb Henley - $25


Stars and Infinite Darkness
You must get yourself a cute wallet with a bike on it. You must. I don't even ride a bike and I know bikes are cute as all get out.
randL: The O.G. - $26


American Eagle
I hate that AE, like Abercrombie, puts their logo on everything. There are a lot of cute hoodies and such that say "AE" on them and thus make me not want them. I do like some stuff from these (I buy almost all my jeans there) and I think these shoes are kind of cute, but I'd probably look at them in person before buying.
AE Slingback Flat - $14.95

Active Endeavors
Man, I know this place is like hyper-fashionable (OMG Cory Kennedy links to it), but most of it is relatively unattractive and really expensive. I keep looking because I am in love with some of those dresses and I swear when they are less than $100, I will buy one. Some of the coats are cute too. But for today, I am breaking my rule and showing you a cute, basic, reasonably priced shirt, but it is only available in large.
2nd Skin 3/4 Skin Scoop - $22

A few notes: Nordstrom always does $5 flat shipping, but this week Urban Outfitters is going $6 flat rate so take advantage if there is something you have been wanting to buy (for example sexy as hell black lace flats or the cutest fucking wall hanging in the world).

How would it be if I did a weekly round-up of sales at select stores? Not like every sale item, but whatever special there is (free shipping, $10 off $75, etc)? I think it would be awesome just for my own use, but I worry that this will become solely a fashion blog and I love music and movies and books too!

As always, which I often forget to mention, all the pictures belong to the sites I link to.

Deals of the Weekend - $20 and under

I am stuck inside watching football with my boyfriend so I am shopping online and finding some kickass deals:

JCrew
Final sale item. No returns. No exchanges so pick the size wisely. You can always give them to someone you love as a gift. I absolutely love these. You cannot beat the price and they are long enough to not look really youthful or skanky. It is on its way to being too cold for these, but they are timeless so you can wear them next year!
5" Chino Shorts - $14.99


Bus Stop Shop
Only medium size left. I know, I know. It isn't tank top time, but really you need to think about layering. Layers look so nice especially compared to a bulky jacket. And the length and design of this will look great under all the cute stuff you will buy in the coming months. Also, it is just really cute.
Minx Tank - $19


Stars and Infinite Darkness Thanks for nothing. Stars and Infinite Darkness gave me quick the task finding somehting under $20. There was another tee but it was ugly, plus I liked this one. I think it is a nice, comfortable and affordable shirt and everyone needs some of those. Plus, it is classy. There is Spanish on it! Nothing is classier than Spanish, except maybe French.
"Gracias Por Nada" T-shirt - $20


American Eagle
Multiple colors. This, again, will look so cute layered. Plus, I really like lace. And if you pair it with some of the cute lace panties from the Gap Body collection, you can seduce the man (or woman) of your dreams because you will look sexy and innocent in that outfit. Seriously.
Lacy Tank - $14.95


Active Endeavors
Only Medium left. Down from $48. Listen, it was hard to find anything that was reasonably priced on that website. I thought this seemed like a good price for a tank in general, not just from this place. And since it was originally $48, it should be one high quality tank.
Generra Rib Tank - $14


Urban Outfitters
Multiple sizes and colors and it just a cute looking dress. I think it is just adorable. The red is definitely my favorite. It would look so cute with some tights and one of the cute, nicely cut jackets that are so popular right now.
Lux Tieback Strappy Dress - $19.99


Anthropologie
Sizes 8-14 available. I know it is after Labor Day and white is a no-no, but I have been actively ignoring that rule my entire life. Plus, this is an adorable skirt, it is from Anthropologie AND it is a cut that will be flatterint to almost anyone.
Daylily Skirt - $19.95


Nordstrom
I figured I should include some shoes and these are so cute. I know they are really summer-y and next year the shoe styles might not be the same, but of man, the polka dots and the bow just drove me crazy. They are so freaking cute. I say grab them, wear them for the next month (or more if you live in Florida) and then hide them in the closet and hope they are cool next year. If not, they were less than $20.
Volatile "Hotspot" Espadrille - $19.90

I hate when sites do $20 and under and then everything is close to $20, but I realized it is hard to find stuff lower. And like I would see tanks for $9, but then I would see something away better for $19 and I would pick that thing that was the better deal. Rumor has it that markdown day is Wednesday so Wednesday I will post another list (probably $30 and under) and then Friday (pay day!) I will do $50 and under.

I would also like to throw out there that Rack Room Shoes is doing buy one get one 50% off and since I am not a Jimmy Choo kind of girl, I took advantage and got knee high boots (brown) for $40 and then with the deal, I got cute red flats for $10. I am pretty happy. Plus, if I ruin them I won't be sad.

I've been shopping

This morning, in my mind, I spend $300 on clothes. Luckily, I have not yet done it in real life. What I want:

Nordstrom: I feel like I could find shoes I like more for less money. I love the skirt and top though, but there is only one color of skirt left and only two sizes so shouldn't it be one sale? I am going to check in over the next few days and hope there is a price drop.

Bus Stop Shop: I love both these items. I found this site kind of randomly, but I like it. The cardigan is $74 which I am finding is within the price range of cardigans that I would want. It seems expensive, but I don't think it is. The dress on the other hand is just adorable and under $50 and on sale. I don't know what to do. I don't have any money and I can't really justify the expense. I spent $250 at Anthropologie like a month ago.

Books! Books!

So far this week, I have finished 3 books. They were all very good, but very different.

I finally finished Saboteurs: The Nazi Raid on America by Michael Dobbs. I heard about the book from an episode of This American Life and the book combined two of my greatest interests: Nazi and the death penalty. The book started off kind of weak and honestly, if I hadn't already heard the story on TAL, I probably would have quit reading it, but I am so glad I didn't. The book turned out so well. The amount of research Dobbs must have done for this book absolutely blew my mind. The end, even though I knew what was coming, still made me really sad.

The second I finished that book I started The Whore's Child and Other Stories by Richard Russo. The first story in the book, The Whore's Child, made me enormously sad. This on top of the ending of the Nazi book were just too much and put me in quite the mood for the rest of the day. The story was fantastic and the best in the collection, but all the stories were good and you can really see how his novels incorporated the short stories.

Just about an hour ago, I finished Manic Magee by Jerry Spinelli. It is a Newberry award winning book, but I had never read it before. I absolutely loved it sometimes and other times I didn't like it at all. His writing style was amazing and engaging and varied and I really appreciated that from young adult literature, but sometimes I felt almost manipulated and the story felt too contrived. Those moments were few and far between and since the book is less than 200 pages it wasn't so bad. The ending was perfect. Probably one of the best book endings I have ever read. I honestly don't know if this book would have meant as much to be had I read it when I was at that reading level.
I am starting No One Belongs Here More than You by Miranda July and I have been anxiously awaiting this book for what seems like forever.

Follow Up #2

The people protesting the UPD in support of Andrew Meyer were annoying but relatively innocuous. I thought they were being stupid, but to each his own. Until this morning. The Alligator led with this story. This angered me so much that I would be willing to inflict physical harm on the people that did it. That officer was hit by a drunk driver while protected students celebrating a national championship victory. And no one will claim that the UPD (and GPD) didn't do a great job during those celebration. There were very few arrest and mainly they spent their time making sure drunk people didn't get themselves killed by falling off things. The UPD (and GPD) really shined during all three of those celebrations. When Officer Dahlem was killed, the entire university felt terrible. Defacing his memorial was sick and disgusting.

**GPD added since Officer Dahlem was a GPD officer, not a UPD officer thus making the graffiti even crueler.

Follow Up

This event has led me to write a letter, something I never do:
I am a UF alum and current staff member. When I originally saw the video of what happened to Mr. Meyer, I was aghast. Looking further into the incident, I felt that mistakes were made on both sides. Meyer shouldn't have resisted arrest and the officer shouldn't have used the Taser on him. After spending the day learning more and more about the incident and listening to people's outlandish reactions, I have come to believe that the UPD was, while not entirely correct, trying to handle the situation appropriately. I do not think the entire department should have to endure anger and harassment from the community because of the overreaction of one officer. I am very liberal and a strong supporter of free speech, but I don't see this as even a remotely political issue and I am sorry to see this devolve into such a debate. If someone is flailing while running at a sitting US Senator, then he should be removed and possibly detained. I would just like to say that I hope the charges are not dropped against Meyer as he clearly broke the law and his action was premeditated.

The Darjeeling Limited trailer

I am very much looking forward to this movie.

News News

A student was Tased by University Police officers at a John Kerry event last night. The video is all over the place. People at my job (the admissions office) are getting calls and being yelled at over this incident.

The video of course is too short to show the whole story which includes that he was told previously not to cause a disturbance or he would be asked to leave. He was told no more questions then allowed one question. Not only did he ask more than one question, but he didn't ask in a calm respectful manner. He tried to start problems and he was escorted out. Then he resisted arrest.
In my opinion, I don't think he should have been Tased, but he isn't some innocent guy. He has been in trouble before. He was warned. He was clearly trying to make a scene. I don't think the cops were right, but everyone is jumping on his side and even protesting to get the officers in trouble and Tasers banned from campus (which clearly isn't thought through. What do they want then? Billy clubs and mace?).
Something Awful has a thread about it which is where I first heard (last night). I think it is good to read because it gives you a number of viewpoints and more of the story.
It is some crazy shit and I hope it blows over because I am sick of looking like a fascist for not immediately jumping on the side of the student. I feel really fucking bad for him. I felt physically ill when I heard him cry out. I really did. But I try not to let momentary emotions cloud my judgment. Bad things happen when you do that. The officer overreacted, but overreacting in response does not make it equal.
My favorite post from the SA thread:
" Name which right of his was being violated at this private function that he was trespassing.

Excuse me but I think you're forgetting about the "right to resist arrest if you don't agree with the reason you are being arrested." I think that's either the 3rd or 4th amendment. One of the low ones."
Edit:
His blog: http://www.theandrewmeyer.com/

I'm Still Not Caught Up

This is just the cutest thing in the world.

Since everyone else is doing it

It is the six year anniversary of Sept. 11th. I have a lot of political opinions about the whole situation (from the US response to New York's handling of ground zero), but that isn't for here. A lot of great fictions has come out of the events and since I love books, it is what is being addressed today.
The Zero by Jess Walters. I already talked about this book because it is so good and so engrossing that thinking about anything else while you are reading it is impossible. It is entirely disjointed. Reading the book makes you feel like I imagine you would have felt had you been at the World Trade Center that day. It is unclear who is a hero and who is a coward, who is lying and who is trustworthy, what is going on and why. The book is just amazing and deeply effective.
Falling Man by Don Delillo. To be fair, I haven't read this book, but I plan to and it is going to be fantastic. Not only is Delillo incredibly talented, but he has an astounding grasp of the human condition.
I was going to post the image of the Falling Man, but I can't bring myself to, as I still find the picture overwhelming and I don't think it is fair to surprise people with it.
And to end on a cheery note:
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Sept. 11th
Sept. 11th who?
You said you'd never forget!

Have a good Patriot Day. Be nice to people.

[image from Amazon.com]