Bearcat1

I asked one POI I am applying to work with where they require both and he said the PH is mostly to find ways to fund you if you come from "a background for which there may be external funding." I'm not sure what that means aside from race, which most apps ask elsewhere, so I'm not sure if that's actually the case or not. One of my LOR writers said it may be used to argue for one person over another if two apps are equal in every other sense. I'm not sure how that would play out, though. Based on the fact that EVERYONE requires a SOP and only some schools ask for a PH, I'm thinking (hoping?) the SOP is the most important.

Don't contact your POI, instead see if you can contact either the graduate division or the department secretary and have them make the change to your application on their end. Sometimes they are able/willing to make changes for you once your application has been submitted. You POI won't have access to any of that, so letting them know may impress them, but if they don't pass it along and/or aren't on the adcom, it won't do you much good. And your still ahead of the deadline, so hopefully they will help you out.

Sorry for the bad advice! I guess that's just for humanities.

If you work on them for a few weeks, I think so.

I'm not in your field so I can't really speak to your chances, but (most) Canadian schools don't require the GRE, if that's helpful.

Unless that personal information related directly to the class (being late or missing an assignment, etc.) I agree with ktel that it's probably best not to share personal information with professors. At least not until you have established a rapport with them, which, with her, you haven't. And being a heartless bitch isn't doing something wrong in terms of her job. Some people are just like that, but it's still not something you can really complain about.

But the status page is pretty nice, no? And at least you don't have to page through the ENTIRE app to get to the section where you left off, like Michigan and Brown.

Try something like, "I am interested in X. I would like to explore Y as it relates to X. Questions that arise from X and Y are 123, which also warrant further investigation." I don't think you need to explicitly state that you are interested in each idea. If you start with a whole section on your interests, it will be implied that anything you bring up or question you state is something you would be interested in. And if each of those things are at least mildly related, maybe say, "For my doctoral work, I am interested in BIGGER IDEA." Then go on to break that down into the components that actually interest you. That "bigger idea" part could also be the way to tie in the professor(s) you want to work with, if you use their fields. I hope that helps a little!

Look into the prices you could get for renting your house, and maybe even find a realtor who deal with rental properties. They should meet with you and discuss costs for free. If that's a possibility, the 4-6 months notice you'll have should be plenty.

I completely understand your frustration with her, and wanting to do something about it, but I think it may be a lost cause. I'm so sorry, though. The term is almost over and then you can avoid her like the plague.

I don't know what I would do in your situation, but I would caution you that if you bring this to the chair, it could result in some kind of face-to-face sit down with this professor and you and the chair. You don't have a grade yet, and the things you list, although irritating and degrading and hurtful, aren't anything she is going to be "in trouble" for, per se. Also, all of that stuff so far is her word against yours, and if she just says she isn't rude to you, then the chair is going to think you are overly sensitive. If you get lower than an A- and you truly believe it's unjustified, then I would reevaluate and maybe speak to someone. But at this point she hasn't actually done anything that can be fixed. And you don't want the chair telling her she has to be nice to you, because that isn't going to make her like you. At all. I think maybe just chalk it up to a bad experience and move on. And hate her once the class is over and and never take a course with her again.

Ha! I was thinking as I read this thread that you should keep your Canadian spelling because the words look so much fancier. Fancy is so much better than lonely.

I've been told never to repeat information in your app, so I'd say no. Also, a CV doesn't traditionally have references, so again, I think no. They will have their letters, and if they want to contact those people, they'll be easy enough to look up. (Although I think it's pretty unusual that any of your writers would be contacted about you, unless your POI already knows them.)

This is true (about the funding) and I agree that I wouldn't go without it. It's a ridiculously expensive city. Another thing to keep in mind is getting out of Santa Barbara. If you have no car, getting anywhere (home for visits, conferences, etc.) might prove cost prohibitive. There is an airport there, but it's small and pricey.

Also being a white middle class female, I wrote about previous (crappy) work experience motivated me to pursue a degree in something I was passionate about so that I could get a job I enjoyed. As far as the socioeconomic stuff, I only talked about not appreciating my education until paying for it myself, which alluded to horrible grades my first year at a university (where I went on my parents' dime).

Most universities have offices and staff specifically to assist with finding outside funding. It's definitely something to ask about when you are making your decisions on where to go. Depending on the university, those offices may be very science-centric, but some aren't. And you can also ask your particular POI what kinds of funding their students have been awarded in the past, which is often a good indication of that professor's connections and willingness (and/or ability) to assist with such things.

I did that for all of my applications, and I haven't had any problems. I spoke to one DGS who said they sit in a file and each week she goes through them and matches them to submitted applications. All of mine have showed up (through the application or status website) since I submitted the apps, and I sent some of the transcripts 6 weeks before submitting the apps. I think if you've at least opened the app (so there's a record of you somewhere), you're good to go.

(This is from a humanities perspective, so take that into account.) I don't think it will seem rude, but you may seem unprepared/disorganized. I'm assuming that's not the case if your apps are on track to be completed next week, but maybe don't risk it? If your SOPs state why you want to work with those people, then it will be clear that you did your homework, even if you didn't contact them. I've read some mixed reviews in various forums regarding contacting POIs versus not, so I think there are a number of applicants who don't choose to go that route. Based on absolutely nothing but my own gut feelings, my advice is to not contact them this late because your apps can make up for it, and contacting them will flag you as a last minute person.

The $22,000 will be fine, it's the $16,900 years that will be tough. You'll have to put some of the $22,000 aside to cover those years, probably. And there are lots of cheap bars near campus (in Isla Vista) so you'll have plenty of money for beer. (Don't live in Isla Vista though. You'll want to talk to the other students in your program about where they live, and make sure you steer clear of areas full of partying undergrads.)

I applied to two programs where the requests weren't sent until I submitted (read: paid for) my application and the rest my LOR writers have submitted their letters after I submitted the app. You will still be able to login to that portion of the app and make changes and/or send reminders and keep track of who has submitted and who hasn't.

I know someone who was accepted into the art history department with a Central Fellowship, which I believe comes from the graduate division, rather than the department. It was $22,000 for the first and third years, with a TAship of $16,900 the second and fourth years. So...if you have no car payment (or better yet, no car) and live with roommates (no in their grad housing) I think it's just enough to live.

Kaplan makes flashcards (I think they are ~$12 on Amazon) for the verbal section and I used them the second time and raised my score almost 200 points. I highly recommend them!

I've visited two places, and as far as formal/informal, take your queues from the people you meet with. I've met with both types at one school, and I was as formal as they were with me. I took a list of questions about them, the program, resources, etc., and sometimes I pulled it out and read from it (which seemed to impress the more formal people) and sometimes I just tried to ask all my questions as part of the informal conversation. I would at least prepare a list so you don't get home and kick yourself for forgetting something you really wanted to ask. Other than that, I think you sound prepared! Good luck!

Another option would be to get the letter in his native language and translate it yourself. Send the translation directly to the DGS for the department and explain the situation. I would think they would trust the translation from you, since they could easily verify it. The only problem would be that the writer would have to give you a copy as well as sending it, but if they would work with you on it then you'd see it anyway. If that doesn't work, I don't think a letter from someone who is obviously ESL will hurt your chances. With international students it seems like this would be very common, and someone else's grammar isn't going to reflect poorly on you. Your grammar has to be great in your own writing, but the LORs are not about the writing, but about the sentiment.

I absolutely agree with this. I'm not "casting a wide net" in hopes of getting in anywhere. Everywhere I applied is a good fit and I would attend if accepted (with funding). I concur with your comparison to the job market, and if one is applying to a bunch of schools in hopes of landing somewhere, anywhere, then that's not a good strategy and will appear desperate. Whatever your field, you should research best fits, both programs and faculty, and only apply to schools where it actually makes sense. Ending up with full funding at a top program and then having to fit your interests to whatever's going on there will make for a miserable situation and, I would guess, not great work, so being at a top program will end up being pointless.