
Rae X. Yan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of British Literature, 1830-1900
University of Florida
Advising and Mentoring
REGULAR OFFICE HOURS
Fall 2021: Tuesdays from 2:00pm - 4:00pm & by email appointment
Spring 2022: on research leave, for meetings please email for appointment appointment
If you cannot meet during regular office hours, please email me to set up an appointment to meet outside regular office hours. In your email, provide a list of 3 to 4 alternative dates and times within a 2-week window that would work for you.
GRADUATE STUDENT MENTORING
Please email and set up an appointment on an individual basis for graduate mentoring in Victorian studies, literature and science studies, and game studies.
UNDERGRADUATE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
I provide letters of recommendations for internships, fellowships, jobs, and graduate school applications to students who have taken at least 1 upper-division (3000- or 4000-level) course with me for which they have performed well.
Guidelines
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Request letters of recommendation to me in person or via email at least 6 weeks in advance
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If you need letters of recommendation for graduate or professional schools, you must meet with me during office hours much earlier. I would also suggest that you begin having conversations with faculty about attending graduate school at least a semester before you begin your application process.
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Remind me of basic information regarding the course(s) you took with me
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course # and title
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semester/year
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grades on assignments
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course grade overall
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Provide:
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1 or 2 samples of your best writing from the course(s) with my comments
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your resume, CV, and/or statements of purpose as applicable
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a brief (2 sentences) explanation of your goals and interests pertinent to the application(s)
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a list of places you plan to apply and basic information
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places, due dates, means of submission
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stamped and addressed envelope(s) in advance if physical copies of letter(s) required
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1 week before the application deadline, email me a reminder to submit your letter(s)
ADVISING HONORS THESES and CLAS, EMERGING, or UNIVERSITY SCHOLAR PROJECTS
Due to limitations on my time and workload, I am only able to commit to advising 2 undergraduate students interested in producing either an honors thesis, CLAS Scholars Program project, Emerging Scholars Program project, or University Scholars Program project per semester on a first-come-first-served basis following an in-person meeting.
I have 2 primary restrictions for students who wish to ask me to advise a research project, such as an honors thesis or one of the scholar program projects:
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the student must have taken at least 1 upper-division 4000-level class with me before the time of the project, for which they received a grade of A- or higher
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the student requesting to conduct an honors thesis or a research scholar project must be planning a career for which writing and research is required
If you meet these restrictions and would like to pursue an undergraduate honors thesis or scholar program project, please email me to meet in person to discuss your plans for your academic path, ideas for your project, and timelines for work at least 3 to 4 weeks before the deadline to submit or apply for these opportunities.
I treat honors thesis and scholar research program projects as opportunities for undergraduate students to both (1) learn more about conducting research in the humanities and also (2) produce a strong, long-form piece of writing (between 20-35 pages) to use as a writing sample for graduate school applications and/or publication.
During the first or second meetings, I help undergraduate advisees or mentees fill out a research contract to keep both advisor/mentor and advisee/mentee on the same page about the project topic, deliverables, expectations, and general due dates. A blank model of such a document can be downloaded here, if you would like to review the contract in advance of the meeting.