Its been a month or so since my last post and how I long for lazy summer days. Since my last post, I have finished my summer Shakespeare course (Merchant of Venice, King Lear, Measure for Measure, Henry VIII, and Much Ado for those of you keeping score), and make the trek up to my folk's house in American Fork. A few things about that first:
For the first time ever, I opened my eyes to that gorgeous drive. From the low desert of Phoenix to the forest environs of Flag to the high desert and strange reds, oranges and grays of Cameron and the gaping mouth of ole Grandy herself. Page, Glen Canyon, Kanab, Mount Carmel, oh my! I would imagine that living couched between Glen Canyon, Zion’s park and only hours away from the Grand Canyon would be every cliff junkie’s dream. I love how as you drive up the 89, between Mount Carmel and the 70 turn off, a creek (pronounced in my home town of Logan, UT as “crick”) accompanies you running north for miles and miles, not to mention the grassy mountain meadows and groves. Anyway—I am glad I finally noticed that.
My parents' house was lovely. It was so nice to relax and enjoy their company. Dad took us to see Nacho Libre--a highlight to be sure. "Choncho--when you are a man...sometimes you wear stretchy pants. It's for fun."
Tina and I did something different this trip. We listened to a book on CD. Chaim Potok’s The Chosen to be precise. It was a nice experience, an enjoyable novel and a great way to pass the time. Even better—I can count it as one of my Young Adult Fiction novels in this upcoming semester’s class. I also finished Richard Russo’s Empire Falls—-a great East of Eden-esque family epic. I really enjoyed it. I love books about regular people with regular problems. It takes a talented writer to make those regular things seem important and significant—-a lot like the way that we view our own lives: the significance is in the regularity. Anyway, I recommend it, oh thou thousands of my readership. Russo is the kind of author that inspires young wannabes like me to start writing that novel that they say everybody thinks that they have in them. I actually have what I think is a pretty good idea. Just like everybody else.
Another book I have finally been able to put a significant dent in because of the marvelous invention and never tiring vocal chords of the magnificent audiobook is Herman Melville’s Moby Dick (careful not to forget the ‘r’ in Herman, lest the old coot become He-man, which is actually not a bad nickname for someone with such magnanimous prose-power—“By the Power of Great-White-Skull!”). If you have never read, or never gotten past the first chapter of Ahab’s Monomaniacal Adventure here is a brief synopsis of what to expect: one chapter of excellent, steady moving plot between four chapters of another book titled Everything You Ever Cared To Know About Whaling’s Guide For Suckers Who Thought They Were Reading Moby Dick, One of America’s Treasures. It’s some heavy stuff--seriously, if you want to learn how to decapitate a sperm whale, Melville's your man. But—again, give me an hour in the car and I can knock off a good five chapters! Ahoy me hardies!
In other news, I am back to the grind of the grad school pursuit. I have narrowed my search to 10 or 12 schools and am feeling pretty good about my choices. The kicker becomes this whole GRE thing. I have good grades: a 4.0 over the last two years at ASU of my English and ed. studies, I think that I have a fairly decent writing sample and the ability to write decent personal statements—but that dang GRE! Why must it reveal my averageness when I have done so much to cover it up!? I bit the bullet and have been taking a $400 dollar prep course. As soon as I can actually talk myself out of my deranged osmosis-will-suffice study habits, I may actually make some good use of the money spent there.
Also of summer importance: the Rentals and Ozma—-two of the greatest summer bands of my youth have reunited and are touring the country together playing such favorites as Eponine (yeah, I know that is an ’03 clip, but such editing and sound quality!) and I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams (I know, not good editing OR sound quality—but that’s Rachel Haden and she is singing one of my favorite songs of all time with the heart and soul of Weezer, one Matt Sharp [parenthesis within a parenthesis—-yeah! See my "What Happened to Weezer" article--this blog's first post]). Ozma reminds me of being married with no kids which meant still being a kid which was fun but seems so long ago. For me they are the perfect punk-pop band--different from Weezer becasue when I first met them they were just kids. Plus, who wouldn't love a band who write songs about Back to the Future, Zelda, Natalie Portman and cover the Tetris theme? The Rentals remind me of being 18 and being a kid but feeling like an adult—-like I knew everything. Matt Sharp was always the funnest thing about seeing Weezer play. Both are great bands: if they come to your town you should go so you can tell me about it because they are coming here on a Sunday!
Showing posts with label GRE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GRE. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Saturday, March 18, 2006
For all intensive purposes...
Spring break is winding down here at Stone central, and I didn't get as much done as I had hoped. I did get the annoyingly long and busy-workish "Teachers and the Law" final done, which doesn't seem like a big deal now, but would have been a bugger to have to deal with on top of my other school work.
At this point, it becomes a game of deciding what layers of my many responsibilities and preparations get shuffled through and brought to the surface for some attention. I did get a chance, today, to sit down and study a bit about the GRE Literature test. The Princeton Review has a pretty decent and easily read prep book that I have been perusing through (check that html link action!). I have pretty much decided that I will also be taking a general GRE exam test prep class (which will mean that the total amount spent on the GRE after the 3 previous times, the 2 upcoming and the prep class will hover around $1000). I will be talking to Dr. Perry about these things soon, but already think I know what he is going to say: retake it and do well.
One funny thing: While watching 24 episodes this week, one of the characters clearly said "For all intents and purposes..." It blew my mind. I immediately asked Tina if I was the only one that had been saying "for all intensive purposes" my whole life not knowing that it was incorrect. She, of course, didn't make that mistake. I discovered after some internetting that mine is a very common mistake. Much like "supposebly" and a million other ways that we mess the language up by speaking it, for all intensive purposes injured me...injured bad.
Just for fun, if any of the few of you that read this can think of any other mistakes like this, feel free to comment.
At this point, it becomes a game of deciding what layers of my many responsibilities and preparations get shuffled through and brought to the surface for some attention. I did get a chance, today, to sit down and study a bit about the GRE Literature test. The Princeton Review has a pretty decent and easily read prep book that I have been perusing through (check that html link action!). I have pretty much decided that I will also be taking a general GRE exam test prep class (which will mean that the total amount spent on the GRE after the 3 previous times, the 2 upcoming and the prep class will hover around $1000). I will be talking to Dr. Perry about these things soon, but already think I know what he is going to say: retake it and do well.
One funny thing: While watching 24 episodes this week, one of the characters clearly said "For all intents and purposes..." It blew my mind. I immediately asked Tina if I was the only one that had been saying "for all intensive purposes" my whole life not knowing that it was incorrect. She, of course, didn't make that mistake. I discovered after some internetting that mine is a very common mistake. Much like "supposebly" and a million other ways that we mess the language up by speaking it, for all intensive purposes injured me...injured bad.
Just for fun, if any of the few of you that read this can think of any other mistakes like this, feel free to comment.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Blueprints
I am in the process of rethinking this blog space. I just don't have enough time to be a critic I guess. I think that the far more interesting topic (at least for me) is whether or not a man of my intellectual deficiency can hope to get into a good English PhD program. That is my goal, and while I recognize up front that it is a lofty one, something drives me toward it. So off I go.
The question becomes whether or not this is a Kamikaze mission. It may be. There are definitely no guarantees, but this is where I stand as far as I can guesstimate:
1. The GRE- I am going to have to take this test for what will be the fourth time. Pretty sad, but the truth of the matter is that I need about a hundred more points on this bad boy to be in a competitive place.
My Score: 550 (Verbal)
Needed: 650.
Plus there is the whole issue of the English Literature subject test. Also known as the hardest test on the planet, even among current English doctoral candidates.
2. The letter of intent/personal statement- This little 2 page piece is the one chance that the multitudes of stuffy professorial types have of getting to know you. My last attempt bordered on the “exactly what not to write in a letter of intent” variety, now that I know a little about it. This piece, if done right, will not be easy and will be very time consuming. It becomes my task to personalize 10+ letters in a way that will make me seem like the best candidate for the particulars of that university. In other words, in principle, my letters to UC Irvine and the University of Washington will need to be very different. I need not only to show their board that their school is the perfect fit for me, but also that I am the perfect fit for them—that I will add something significant to their institution in my 6-7 years on campus. All that, and help them get to know me. Sheesh.
3. The single most important document that you will send (so the experts say) is your writing sample. I took Milton and Rhetoric this semester almost with the pure intent of both using the paper that I write for both of these classes as my sample, and getting these tenured professors to write me letters (which actually deserves the #4 here, but I will just mention it parenthetically instead). I am confident that these papers (after undergoing numerous rewrites in the writing center) will be the strongest piece of my application and will hopefully outshine my dismal GRE scores.
4. Finally, I am hoping that this double major thing that I am doing will also make me stand out. When I finish, I will be certified to teach English in High School and will have X number of hours experience in the English classroom to my name. I also have my past experience of teaching ancient texts from my seminary days, plus I have my current experience in the writing center, to boot. This has to mean something in the eyes of the graduate committee that will read my application.
And, if all else fails I will still have a job to start in the Fall of ’07 (hopefully).
So that is it. That is my plan of action. Currently, I am investigating my many school options. My plan is to go through at least the top 50 and see if I can’t find the best fits. We would be SO excited to go to a California school, and all of the UCs are great. I would also (Tina, not as much) to go east. Brown, Duke, Purdue, University of Chicago, all have great programs that might be a little too green for my pasture. But I’m not counting any out yet!
The question becomes whether or not this is a Kamikaze mission. It may be. There are definitely no guarantees, but this is where I stand as far as I can guesstimate:
1. The GRE- I am going to have to take this test for what will be the fourth time. Pretty sad, but the truth of the matter is that I need about a hundred more points on this bad boy to be in a competitive place.
My Score: 550 (Verbal)
Needed: 650.
Plus there is the whole issue of the English Literature subject test. Also known as the hardest test on the planet, even among current English doctoral candidates.
2. The letter of intent/personal statement- This little 2 page piece is the one chance that the multitudes of stuffy professorial types have of getting to know you. My last attempt bordered on the “exactly what not to write in a letter of intent” variety, now that I know a little about it. This piece, if done right, will not be easy and will be very time consuming. It becomes my task to personalize 10+ letters in a way that will make me seem like the best candidate for the particulars of that university. In other words, in principle, my letters to UC Irvine and the University of Washington will need to be very different. I need not only to show their board that their school is the perfect fit for me, but also that I am the perfect fit for them—that I will add something significant to their institution in my 6-7 years on campus. All that, and help them get to know me. Sheesh.
3. The single most important document that you will send (so the experts say) is your writing sample. I took Milton and Rhetoric this semester almost with the pure intent of both using the paper that I write for both of these classes as my sample, and getting these tenured professors to write me letters (which actually deserves the #4 here, but I will just mention it parenthetically instead). I am confident that these papers (after undergoing numerous rewrites in the writing center) will be the strongest piece of my application and will hopefully outshine my dismal GRE scores.
4. Finally, I am hoping that this double major thing that I am doing will also make me stand out. When I finish, I will be certified to teach English in High School and will have X number of hours experience in the English classroom to my name. I also have my past experience of teaching ancient texts from my seminary days, plus I have my current experience in the writing center, to boot. This has to mean something in the eyes of the graduate committee that will read my application.
And, if all else fails I will still have a job to start in the Fall of ’07 (hopefully).
So that is it. That is my plan of action. Currently, I am investigating my many school options. My plan is to go through at least the top 50 and see if I can’t find the best fits. We would be SO excited to go to a California school, and all of the UCs are great. I would also (Tina, not as much) to go east. Brown, Duke, Purdue, University of Chicago, all have great programs that might be a little too green for my pasture. But I’m not counting any out yet!
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