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[geonerd]

now i'm kind of anxious that it will just get thrown out before even making it to the department. (oops).

If you write your applications as you have written your post, without proper grammar and capitalization, then yes, your application will be summarily dismissed. If you want admissions officers and potential research advisors to take you seriously then learn to communicate professionally in your writing.

[hollow_man]

Ick.

[ideagirl]

I am doing a mfa (and yeah i have decent gpa). i'm not changing fields,

An MFA.
What does "decent" GPA (not "gpa") mean?
And... how are you "not changing fields," when you're going from an MFA to a PhD program? Yeah, there are a few--really a tiny number--of PhD programs in MFA fields such as creative writing, but they're quite rare. Are you doing one of those? If not, you are changing fields. (Unless you're talking about doing a PhD in your undergrad major.)

As of my undergrad....if you went there you would agree with me).

Maybe so, maybe not. Like I said, I went somewhere very similar, but I blame my GPA on my own innumerable decisions to goof off. Yes, the system was inflexible, but no one forced me to go there. The same is true of you.

My question is really whether experiences can take more weight in the admission process when "hardwares" are less than spectacular, or, whether phd is only for straight A students with 750+ verbal scores.

False dilemma. PhD's are not only for those students. However, your application probably will not even be looked at--I mean your experience, etc. will not be taken into account--unless at least one of your numbers is excellent, or at least two (out of BA/MA/GRE) are very good. You won't make the first cut, otherwise.

Therefore, if your MA GPA isn't A- or A, YOU MUST improve your GRE scores. See previous post for advice on that.

I'm well aware of my weaknesses and would love to change them if i'm able to...

See previous post re improving your GRE score... and seriously, do consider private tutoring. It was a fantastic investment for me. I did Kaplan, but I would assume the other major tutoring services are probably equally good.

[ideagirl]

i have my personal reason not to capitalize the first letter of any words. a few literary figures did so.

Feel free to do that in your literature. However, you can't do it in an academic paper, and you can't do it here. Why? Because there are venues in which other people make rules, and if you want to enter those venues and/or seek the help of those other people, you follow their rules. Refusing to capitalize in an academic setting is like coming to America and refusing to speak English, or visiting your country and refusing to speak the native language there. "I shouldn't have to speak a certain language just to get a job and an education and function in my everyday life!" Oh well--you do have to. And you should also have to capitalize, because not capitalizing makes your posts more difficult to read for us.

No one's going to judge you for refusing to capitalize in your diary, your personal letters, your literary works, etc. Those places are YOUR territory. However, when you enter common territory--territory where other people live and work--you come under common rules. Protesting about capitalization, or generally protesting about any other innocuous social rule ("I shouldn't have to say please and thank you" or whatever), just sounds juvenile, because there are so many INTERESTING things to get involved in in this world that obsessing over pointless things like that just seems... pointless.

Does this feel like "judgment" to you? I'm sorry if it does--think of it instead as "feedback." This is feedback, a reflection to you of how you are coming across to me. The same goes for the other posts you dismissed as judgmental or critical. They are all just feedback on how you are coming across. Every person you encounter is going to have an opinion about you, just as you have about us. And it can be very useful information to have.

[john_proctor]

I wish, at times like this, we could dispense with the facade of anonymity.

I would love to invite you to apply at my program; you could give me all your identifying data and I would ram-through your application materials.

For the next two years, I would have you enroll in my classes, but wouldn't dare insist on your attendance.

We'd have long talks (mostly about my work).  We would discuss the other "Philistines" in the field (and department).  I would encourage you to be yourself in their courses (sure, you'd alienate the weak minded, but then you could always come home to me).  We'd talk about how exams and papers were meaningless.

I would take forever grading your work (if at all).  I would assure you not to worry; grades, after all, are for lesser minds than ours.  A meaningless hoop.

Along the way, I would see that you were assigned to be my TA/RA.  Lord knows, I'd not ever let you get close to one of my manuscripts (besides, that's yeoman's work anyway.  Beneath you).  I would see that we turned in grades sufficient to keep you in the program (though not extravagant.  1. again, grades are meaningless; 2. we don't want you getting lumped in with those sorts of students, do we?

Oh, I would, indeed, recognize your particular (alternative) brilliance.

Uniquely.

Indeed, I'd have you lecture for my least favorite classes and proctor exams when I was away (at conferences where I would suck from the teat of bourgeois largess.  The money more rightly should be spent on my own posh hotel and lovely dinners with justtheright wine.  Those rubes would just spend it on something trivial).   You could help me as we forge my receipts and other reimbursement documents (oh, the times we would share as we laughed about how we were "sticking it to" those corpulent, corporate schills).

I would have you do other (more intimate) tasks (you are, of course, my favorite).  I would ask you to dog sit for me when I'm away (in your apartment, of course.  We couldn't have you at my house.  Those other naves would become jealous).  You could fill out the ILL paperwork for me in your devil-may-care-about-caps way; fetch us both coffee for our long, philosophical chats.  I'm sure you'll agree: substantive and physical labor are bracing ways to build intellectual toughness (Plato practically said as much).  You could shift my books for me.  Perhaps wash the car now and again.

In the end, I would reward your particular brilliance by NOT recommending you for anything further (such a pure mind would only be spoiled by those programs or jobs).

Ah, yes.  We would have happy alternative times.

[dr_evil]

Refusing to capitalize in an academic setting is like coming to America and refusing to speak English,

And just because this happens all the time in certain locations doesn't mean it should.  Quite often, those who don't speak the language have trouble finding good jobs.  Proper grammar is the language of academics, and while some errors can be forgiven in a less formal setting such as this, refusal to follow them at all will not. 

Before you can break the rules artistically, you must prove that you know them and can properly use them.  Otherwise it's not artistic or "alternative," it's lazy.  Capitalize and use proper grammar or the ghost of LarryC will haunt you forever.

[popcorn_pimp]

So, if I am following y'all, you think that this whole academy thing should have these "rules" imposed by hierarchical professors, even if they stifle my creativity and force me to function within such strict parameters that I would be better of wearing a corset?

What if I don't want to play by your rules? I just want to play.

Throwing sand is a question of creative liberation and a plague on all Philistines who claim otherwise.

[hollow_man]

Oh dear. I assign the OP and popcorn_snowflake to read Eliot's Tradition and the Individual Talent.

If you two ever do make it in academia, you will only start up boring journals that no one reads except for a handful of your "alternative" friends.

[sciencephd]

All I care about is my reputation.

[ideagirl]

So, if I am following y'all, you think that this whole academy thing should have these "rules" imposed by hierarchical professors, even if they stifle my creativity and force me to function within such strict parameters that I would be better of wearing a corset?

Rules such as "use proper spelling and capitalization" do not stifle your creativity. If your creativity cannot find anything better to exercise itself upon than standard English rules for spelling and capitalization, then--let me put this bluntly--your creativity has little or nothing of worth to offer to the human race.

And I'm not saying, at all, that I believe your creativity has little or nothing to offer. What I'm saying is, your creativity has better things to do than waste everyone's time with pointless rebellions against spelling and punctuation. Find something worthwhile to do with your creativity.

Even e.e. cummings used standard capitalization IN EVERYDAY LIFE; for example, here is some of his correspondence: http://www.qbbooks.com/pictures/40599_3.jpg
(That's from here: http://www.qbbooks.com/details.php?record=40599&URLPAIR=)
He saved his nonstandard caps FOR HIS POEMS, where they actually served a purpose. Even he--Mr. Non-standard Capitalization himself--didn't waste his and everyone else's time screwing with capitalization rules on regular everyday documents... like correspondence, academic papers and so on.

What if I don't want to play by your rules? I just want to play.

You only have three options:
(1) Play with other people by the existing rules;
(2) Play by yourself; or
(3) Convince some other people to jettison certain rules they have, and/or to adopt the rules you want, and play with those people.

There is no "fourth option" by which you can force other people to play with you even though you refuse to play by the rules that those other people have chosen to play under.

Throwing sand is a question of creative liberation and a plague on all Philistines who claim otherwise.

:-)
Ok, now I get it--you were being facetious.

[popcorn_pimp]

Throwing sand is a question of creative liberation and a plague on all Philistines who claim otherwise.

:-)
Ok, now I get it--you were being facetious.

Even I can't decide if I should make this my tag line or just sit back and enjoy the show!

[jackalope]

i have my personal reason not to capitalize the first letter of any words. a few literary figures did so. and i can't see why this is related to academic excellency (it's pretty obvious i did it on purpose, and no i don't do that in application letters).

Writing without capitalization and with non-standard grammar is harder to read. You shift the burden of communication away from yourself and to your readers. It is a childish, inconsiderate move that brands you as a self-centered, lazy bonehead.

Sorry, what was the question again?

[conjugate]

i have my personal reason not to capitalize the first letter of any words. a few literary figures did so. and i can't see why this is related to academic excellency (it's pretty obvious i did it on purpose, and no i don't do that in application letters).

Okay, BBGee, let's see if this will make the point:  Yo Posts Are Whack.  Replace "YouTube Comment" with "CHE Fora post" to get the full effect.

That's my favorite video.  Watch and learn.

[concordancia]

i have my personal reason not to capitalize the first letter of any words. a few literary figures did so. and i can't see why this is related to academic excellency (it's pretty obvious i did it on purpose, and no i don't do that in application letters).

Okay, BBGee, let's see if this will make the point:  Yo Posts Are Whack.  Replace "YouTube Comment" with "CHE Fora post" to get the full effect.

That's my favorite video.  Watch and learn.

Must. Not. Post. Link. On. CMS.

[psyche74]

i have my personal reason not to capitalize the first letter of any words. a few literary figures did so. and i can't see why this is related to academic excellency (it's pretty obvious i did it on purpose, and no i don't do that in application letters).

Okay, BBGee, let's see if this will make the point:  Yo Posts Are Whack.  Replace "YouTube Comment" with "CHE Fora post" to get the full effect.

That's my favorite video.  Watch and learn.

Oh, that was good.