steven.a14

I'm in the humanities, and based on personal experience this cycle, I'm getting the sense that some schools simply don't inform applicants that they've been rejected. It's completely screwed up given the amount of time and energy we put into tailoring our applications to each school, not to mention the fee we have to pay. I usually end up telling myself that I wouldn't have wanted to be part of a program that shows so little common courtesy to some applicants anyway.

¿Alguien tuvo noticias de Georgetown?

A mí también me llegó ese mail. Me pareció algo muy general, como que se lo había mandado a todos los postulantes. De hecho empieza "Dear Applicant"...si fuera sólo para los finalistas, creo que sería un poco más personalizado.

Having studied abroad a semester in undergrad added an additional layer of difficulty to all of my applications, because nobody really seemed to know exactly what kind of documentation was required or sufficient. One university even required a notarized translation of my transcript from that university (which I did myself) and with the notary's signature across the back of the sealed envelope containing said translation. (The notary even said to me, "Oh, I've never had anybody ask for that before...") Oh, and somehow they expected me to do the translation without breaking the seal on the original envelope that the transcript came in to actually see what I was translating. Fortunately I had to order another one anyways that I COULD open...

I'm also an MA applicant this season, and I chose not to e-mail any POIs. I think that it is far more important for PhD applicants who will be working on a more one-on-one basis with an advisor to do this, whereas MA students (at least in my field) are exposed to a fairly broad range of topics and professors. Now, if you have any doubts about a university's program or how it fits with your interests that you think a professor could answer, then by all means go for it. But this long after you submitted your application, just writing to touch base may be perceived as disorganization on your part. As a side note, and this may or may not be the case for you, I noticed that at least two of my programs had added NEW information to their department websites only a couple of weeks before applications were due (one changed the required length of the writing sample, and another significantly changed the description of the program). Perhaps this suggestion about contacting POIs wasn't there the first time you looked? Either way, I wouldn't worry about it...

Yo me postulé en Arizona, Texas-Austin, Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Indiana, Ohio State, Georgetown y Massachusetts-Amherst. Hasta ahora sólo tuve noticias de Illinois, que me dio admisión y un TAship. Cabe aclarar que soy uno de los pocos (o al menos eso parece) que quiere estudiar Lingüística y no Literatura, y por eso elegí estas universidades. Me postulé para el MA/PhD en todas.

I applied to seven universities, and only one of them did not require a writing sample -- and they specifically said that it was not required on their website. However, I wrote to the department and asked them if I could submit one if I thought it would bolster my application, and they said that I was "more than welcome" to do so. This was to Indiana University's Hispanic Linguistics program, in case anyone else has a specific doubt about that school and program.

When you waive your right to see the letter, you're doing just that -- forfeiting your legally-guaranteed right to view all of your application materials. That doesn't mean that you're not allowed to see it, only that you're OK with not seeing it. There's nothing wrong with your recommender showing you the letter. Now, if you're under the impression that your recommender is not aware of how this system works for whatever reason, then yeah, for the sake of being on the safe side ethically, it might be a good idea to inform him/her and then ask if that person would still like to share the letter with you. This would dispel his/her misunderstanding that there is an obligation to show you the letter, if that is the case. Either way, I don't see how adcomms would find out that you got to read your letter. For more information and a discussion on this part of the application process, see this thread:

I can't speak to those schools specifically, but I know that some universities consider a scanned copy of a transcript to be sufficient for application purposes. If you are accepted and decide to attend, you of course have to provide an official hard copy. Your best bet is to check with each school's graduate admissions office or the specific department to which you are applying.

It depends on the university. In my case, I did a semester in a non-English-speaking country indirectly through my home university. I've received responses ranging from "we don't need anything for semester-long study abroad programs as long as they're on your home university's transcript" to "please send the transcript with a notarized translation (if not in English) in an envelope signed across the seal by the notary". In most cases, a scanned copy of the transcript is sufficient (which you can request, for a fee, from the organization through which you did the study abroad program, like ISA for example). Note that if they accept you and you decide to attend, you'll have to present an official copy. It all depends on the university's requirements and what information is included on your home transcript. The best idea would be to contact each university's graduate admissions office individually. I've received generally quick responses from all of them.

Thanks to both of you for the reassurance. I think the worst thing about this entire process is that there are some things that are completely out of your control and you have to depend on other people for. I'll try getting in touch with her by phone and hopefully clear things up. Good luck during this application season everyone!

Hi, guys. Long time lurker, first time poster here. I'm in a bit of a pickle with one of my recommenders. When I originally e-mailed her in late September, she said she would be happy to write my letter. I've sent her three e-mails since then that included updates on my application season and my CV/SOP/coursework that I did with her. In the last two e-mails I've requested that she confirm that she's received everything and that she's still willing to write one of my letters. I haven't received a response in the past couple of weeks and it's got me a little worried. Maybe I'm reading too much into her lack of responses so far, but in the event that I need to replace her, what is the best way of going about this? I have another professor in mind already, but it wouldn't be much more than a "this student got an A in my class" kind of letter, assuming she even agrees to write it. My first deadline is mid-December with the others scattered throughout December, January and early February. Should I try to completely hide the fact that she's a replacement for the other recommender and risk her thinking that I'm just NOW asking for a letter, or is it OK to hint at the fact that things didn't work out with someone else and I'm coming to her as a backup? I'm worried that she could get offended either way I phrase my e-mail to her. The fact that Thanksgiving and the end of the semester are fast approaching doesn't exactly help, either. I'm in a foreign country right now, so a visit during office hours isn't an option, although I could call via Skype. Does anyone have any experience with having to scramble (somewhat) last-minute to replace a recommender? Any feedback is welcome, although I hope it doesn't come to this!