Tuesday, December 06, 2005

We're Off to See the Wizard

I seem to be moving back to my high school days. 1st was my high school reunion last week; tomorrow I fly to the East Coast to visit schools with my mom (couldn't drag M away from work, but wanted someone to accompany me). Wish me luck as I mumble my way through interviews and try not to sound like an idiot (". . . yes, I like masculinity, I mean, I study it. . . how masculine do you think you are - on a scale of 1 - 10?").

In other news, I have fired a professor from my recommenders list. Not only did he misremember the schools I was applying to as Oxford and Cambridge, he seems to think I am a dolt. Somehow, this doesn't bother me because I know that he is the dolt. He warned me against applying to "big names" simply because I might be enamored with them. When I replied that 1) I was not applying to Cambridge or Oxford and 2) did he not have confidence in my scholarly abilities? he backpedaled and said U.S. schools take a long time. When I replied again and said I had carefully researched schools he wrote back saying he was particularly concerned about the U. of C. and did I know how long it took there and I should look into it.

Obviously he did not read my c.v. and does not recall I am an alum of U. of C. and he also does not take me at my word that I know what I am doing. So, I fired him.

But maybe I'll act like Rory in Gilmore Girls: "Oh my god! I am standing on Yale campus!" "This is Yale's library!" "I can't believe I'm in a Yale professor's office!" "Prof. Martin - what does it feel like to be a Yale professor? Does it make you feel even more manly?"

9 comments:

guanilo said...

I have steadfastly refused to watch Gilmore Girls whenever VW has it on, but that's more or less how I felt when I was at Yale. It was basically one long day of "Oh my God!" It made me look really suave for my interviews.

Do you have a backup recommender? I wish I had had the luxury of being able to fire a recommender. That's totally punk rock.

I am also dying to know who it is.

hap said...

HURRY UP AND GET HERE! Yeay!

Incidentally, I think I have the reverse of ME's story. One of my recommenders for law school asked me for a brief synopsis of what I wanted to get out of law school, why I was going, etc. I pretty much made it sound like a long shot, that I didn't know what else to do, etc. He countered with, "Well, you can still go to grad school in Astrophysics..."

But here I am, suffering through law school. Although the things I say when I'm standing on my campus are more along the lines of, "Our building is so ugly." And, "Why are there so many undergrads?"

guanilo said...

Our building, fortunately, aren't (that) ugly. But indeed, why are there so many undergrads?

guanilo said...

Buildings, that is.

hap said...

It's part of the education. It's like running a gauntlet and they're obstacles and booby traps. Stay the course...

janjan said...

He is the supposedly more progressive professor in the NT dept, the one who wrote on the ever spiralling nature of hermeneutics... i.e. if you were to think of the most absent minded fuddy duddy in the dept. who would you pick?

I had a back up recommender who came thru, but am now dealing with yet another absent-minded professor (in ST this time, you know, the basketball coach from Marquette). I am ready to tear my hair out.

guanilo said...

Aha. That totally fits Don't you love how it's the profs from the big name universities (like Aberdeen) that urge you not to be seduced by big names?

Worrying about recommenders remembering to get things in on time was definitely one of the biggest nerve-shredders of my application process. The balance of trusting them and importuning (subject line: "Hi! Just wondering if you sent that recommendation! Have a nice day!") was difficult to find.

Melvin Ming said...

When I grow up, I hope to be a non-absentminded professor. Who says I have to screw over students with my disorganization and eccentricity in order to be esteemed as scholarly!?!

hap said...

who says you have to grow up?