4 Tips: Getting into Grad School

(originally posted 02/09 at wordpress)


by mae stephenson

I'm the kind of student who knew what I wanted to go to graduate school for long before I had decided on an undergraduate major. Maybe I've just always had lofty goals-- it's not common for my peers to be thinking of graduate school as certainly as I do. By my peers, I mean us lucky women who come from working class families with not a single college degree in our immediate family and get to pay for our education on our own. But with graduation coming up for me (crosses fingers, knocks on wood, and all that other stuff) at the end of summer, it's past time for me start setting goals on actually working toward getting into graduate school. So I recently sat down with one of my greatest mentors, who happens to be pursuing a doctoral degree, to have a talk about an action plan. Always one to try to share and not hoard knowledge, I've decided to write about what we came up with. Beware, some aspects of this plan might be pretty specific to my personal educational history and future goals, but I have a feeling at least some of it could be of benefit to the general graduate-degree-seeking public. Here goes:

First: Forge relationships with a variety of letter-of-recommendation-writing folks including faculty, staff (think student affairs, academic advisers, etc), community leaders, and mentors you've had for long periods of time.

"Crazy Cunt!" or, "My Experiences in the Service Industry."

(originally posted 04/08 at wordpress)



by mae stephenson

So, I've made a disturbing observation over the past few weeks. Several women I respect and consider to be strong, smart women have mentioned playing "the dumb girl" to get things done. I admit, I've even mentioned it myself. From getting the proper tools to put furniture together to solving conflicts with customers at a restaurant, smart women all over our precious Portland and beyond are submitting to patriarchal stereotypes to accomplish things. As a woman in the service industry, I understand how difficult it can be to get people to take you seriously. Too many times in my line of work and in daily life, I've seen women stand up for themselves and be dismissed as "crazy" or charged with being on her period instead of being listened to as, perhaps, some of their male counterparts might be.

The Moody Hues of Winter

(originally posted 02/08 at wordpress)

by Blythe Pavlik

A few years ago I experienced my first winter with Seasonal Affective Disorder, often referred to as SAD. As November gave way to December, my mood became heavy and I was drawn to hibernate. The winter progressed and subsequently depressive feelings increased. I was withdrawn, highly emotional, and allowed negative internal dialog to deplete my sense of empowerment and wellbeing. In so many ways I was a helpless, blubbering mass of sorrow. According to Christine Louise Hohlbaum’s article, Women Suffer from SAD the Most, "75% of SAD sufferers are women!"

Dear Bird and Bitsy: Late Night Harrassment

(originally posted 7/07 at wordpress)

We will be bringing you a regular column from our expert advice columnists Bird & Bitsy. If you have a question, please email (birdonawire@shesheet.com or bitsy@shesheet.com) or mail us and we will respond right here on the site! Of course, we cannot be responsible for your actions and anything that you might do as a result of reading our columns is at your own risk, so please do what is right for you and don't sue us! Be sensible! On with the show:

Bird & Bitsy,
I was out at a bar the other night celebrating a friend's birthday. There was a small group of people at the table behind us, they were all obviously very drunk. One guy in particular kept referring to how much he liked my friend and I. My entire table continued to ignore him and his other inappropriate comments. He then proceeded to