octopussongs

to TakeruK, I hope you are right. I just picked a glowing employer recc. over a current prof. letter (whom I've known all of 8 weeks) with that idea in mind, better to have 3 solid rather than 3 solid and 1 "meh" (especiallly if any profs. said "meh" about me, it would kill any "OMG she's amazing!" from my employer. I am glad I choose to have three stellar letters above all other variables.

That's true. They are thankfully unrelated to my field of anthropology. General chemistry and bio series freshman year. I'm still thankful in a way I took them bc though they were super challenging I still learned some basic science which made learning bioanth a breeze.

I'm kinda behind compared to all of you but my first deadline is mid-jan. Letter writers have their prompt emails, scheduling my time at the AAA conference, meeting with grad student to help me with my CV and SOP and writing sample (he's either really ambitious or just is a nerd/shut-in) and just working on the essays (what I call the 'meat' of it all) but I will be working on those continually until the deadline, the writing process is never over!

to reply to original post... I just heard back from a prof. that agreed to write me a letter in 2008 as well....after two emails to her she finally emailed back and said she'd def. write one for me but she 'advised me find someone else' bc its been so long. I suppose 4 years is a long time...now im thinking I shouldn't have taken so much time off!

So, I'm hoping some others are wondering about this... My cumm. GPA isn't that great, enough to meet the mins. but you know...but my last two years and my major GPA are competitive. I know every program is diff. but how much influence do you think a good major GPA can have?

I wonder that too, as I only have a BA. I did research for a quarter but under a graduate student in a massive psych. dept. where the supervisor of the graduate student's project as very unapproachable. So I have two prof. letters (one strong but from a diff. department than mine, one good from a prof in my dept.) and one work reference (I've been out of school for 3 years and he has multiple advanced degrees so it's better than nothing). Sadly, this is a consequence of me being shy during undergrad. I am fully aware I may have to take another year and fork over some cash for a class and earn another strong letter to get into grad school but as long as I'm progressing...I dont mind terribly. These letters are really hard to get, especially if you haven't been in school for a while, and honestly, those who have 3 stellar ones deserve a spot over me bc they've obviously been more outgoing and conversational than me, which helps in professional, academic and social lives. I have a feeling shy people won't do well in grad school so the letters are really there for a reason, to show you are mature and can develope relationships, no matter how awkward and uncomfortable they may be.

I like to think anxiety is healthy...but on a biological level I know it isn't. I registered last night to re-take my GREs and I broke down crying, like broke down, and had this whole crisis my husband had to talk me down from. I worry all the time if I'm 'cut-out' for grad school bc this whole process is really really taxing, but we're (eventually) all grad students, studying is what we do best, not applying and jumping these endless hoops! My letter writers have been the biggest stress factor too. I'm still waiting to hear from one who agreed to write me a letter TWO years ago, I know I have to just suck it up and call her, but I hate phone conversations...

To make matters more confusing, one school mentions bringing up disability that made education difficult. So, is it ok to bring up other disabilities but not mental ones? I feel like that is a trick question. Like they want to identify your weaknesses to 'weed out' those who aren't healthy. I realize a disabled grad student is a liability...

One thing to think of, if your transcripts actuall explain what you took. I took a lot of 'special studies' which are just senior level classes that aren't offered regularly, kinda just to represent super recent research going on in the department, but they are ALL under the same course code 'special studies anth. 469' so that doesn't say much! I have to mention these classes because there is no other way for them to know, unless they do the research themselves, and my department from undergrad isn't great about keeping a well navigatable or updated website. I'm also submitted a list of all my classes in my major with grades and professors and breif descriptions. This will be part of 'additional documents' which I've found as a category in all my schools im applying to thus far. If its a paper app, just send it it. Can't hurt. I doubt they'd be pissed for one extra document.

Sorry, that's tough. If I did it for anthro, I would tie it in to what I'm studying but it may be different for something more applied. Damn them for asking such trick questions! Could indeed be an extra essay. I'm perterbed that UCSD asked for another essay within the application itself, aside from the SOP and fellowship essays. What more do they want from us! So now i have to extract some things from my SOP to not sound repetitive.

I've actually read that article. I'm hoping anthropology is a little different. Anthropologists often say it is something we 'are' not something 'we do' or 'we become'. I realize tons of psychologists are probably mentally ill, I didn't want to be a sterotype, which is one of the reasons why I am doing psych. anth vs. just psych. But, I kinda want it to matter, you know? Because without it, I don't know how I would've been drawn to such an obscure field. So without it, I'm just someone who was interested in it, which seems kinda weak. Ug. this is so complex! Too many variables. Should I embellish a fake 'how I found this discipline' hook?

I'm a first generation college student..should I try to convey this to the adcomm in any way? I got some funding for my first year in college bc of being a first gen. but it was a grant not a scholarship (does that matter?), which will be on my CV, do you think this is enough? Does it matter for grad school or has it been too long to not matter? I wonder for those who had supportive parents...did that really give them an advantage? Does the adcomm really care whether I had support going through all this?

I would not worry too much about it. The writing part of the GRE is so basic...sometimes really really good writers don't do stellar just because they put too much work into it. Have you read the examples of perfect scores? They are like middle school level writing. If you are a good writer, and you have many other ways to prove that in an application, I don't think it will be a big deal, unless there is a min. score requirement.

I know I am not the only one thinking of this so I hope to hear back soon! I'm applying for psychological anthropology programs (a pretty narrow specification with only a few schools to choose from so i'm SUPER stressed about not getting into any and having to wait another year), and, as my path of study may suggest, I have personal experience with psychological issues, namely, I have bipolar disorder. I don't want to use this diagnosis as an 'excuse' for my average grades for my first few years of college (im hoping the admissions committee can connect the dots and figure out on their own why I went from straight As to straight Cs one quarter) but I do want to make a strong argument for why I deserve a spot in their program. I'm trying to frame this as a disability (and it is legally but not socially), and more of a minority thing, because boy do I wish there were more bipolars doing great things and making a good name for themselves. What I do want to emphasize is that basically, I wanted to do more, do more research, take more classes, do an honors thesis ect., but I couldn't because maintaining bipolar well enough to go to school and do decent was a part-time job in itself and I did pretty well once I stabilized. This is a minority issue that isn't as commonplace, but I truly think it sould be more so. How can I integrate this into my SOP without sounding like a cry-baby? The biggest problem here is that obviously, bipolar doesn't ever really stabilze. I was stablized and then my grades shot up but then I became over-medicated and my motivation went down, so then I lowered some doses and my motivation and creativity went up but then I couldn't concentrate so I took a bunch of fairly random classes and random internships that dont reflect AT ALL what I want to study. So I can't use the "once I was diagnosed and got healthy, I'm back on track" argument because, in good faith, that would be dishonest. Note: I've asked this question on my 'crazy' forums for people like me but not a lot of people on there are not grad school bound.....so I always think they are just trying to make me feel warm and fuzzy and not giving constructive criticism. Hopefully I'll hear from the chonically mentally ill, or chronically something else, and those unafflicted alike because I could get both on my adcomm.....

One of my letter writers is 'just' a Lecturer but she is active in research, teaches and writes and has for the last 7 years or so at my Uni so it seems sometimes it can just be an 'off' title. I've never had the nerve to ask her why she is a 'Lecturer' instead of a Prof but I kinda want to... Also, I am applying somewhere where I want to work with a Visiting. I contacted him to see if he was leaving soon and he said that if I got in next fall, he would be able to supervise me for my first year and then move me to a more senior faculty member he sees me as having an, ultimately, good fit with, when he leaves.