hopeful80

Does anyone have experience with a sub-3.0 GPA AND an average GRE? I'm talking mid to lower 150s :/ .... ack. I try not to get too down on myself but I'm feeling very in confident these days ..

Like others have been repeating, I would call or email to make sure. At this rate you can't take any chances with your application, and some schools really won't even bother to tell you otherwise.

Skiby - that is TERRIBLE. How dare they ... that seriously had me fuming. Especially the fact that he led you on ... and then off of a cliff! I'm sorry best of luck this time around.

You are NOT the only one. Trust me. Some schools have been very sweet with the application process, but others have been downright miserable. I feel like grad schools know they hold "the power", so they can afford to have rude secretaries who ignore you or dangle your decision in front of you like torture. I agree - paying almost 100 dollars to apply (I have spent over 1000 on this whole procedure) I would expect more understanding, promptness, and politeness. But nope, they know you want them more than they want you (well, I would think) so they can treat you however they'd like. You're just another name and number. It's like dating someone you like a lot more than they like you. They string you along like a puppy, ignore your texts, and don't even have the courtesy to end it - they just disappear ...

Errr am I the outlier? I haven't heard back from any of them yet! However my programs are slightly odd ... the first "wave" of applications was due February 1, and decisions are supposed to go out in March to early april. The second "wave" has deadlines due all the way in August! But of course I've submitted earlier, I'm not sure when those acceptances will go out. Eep.

Just wanted to give you guys a little update! Looks like my app is complete - the lady said if it wasn't, they would be calling me to remind me. "No news is good news" - her words exactly. GL with everyone's process! If you're unsure I would definitely recommend calling

My whole f*cking fridge. But really, I've been a human vacuum as of late. Doritos, chocolate, beef jerky galore.

I'm 23, graduated in May 2012. Applying for a Masters, will be 24 when I start and 26 when I graduate. ... hmm.

The worst part is the application portal does not include the transcript aspect - it shows everything else though, so the online portions are complete. The admissions advisor hasn't emailed me back yet ... this is actually the second time she's ignored me. She used to be really good at responding to my emails but stopped around deadline time. Should I call? If so, when (as soon as possible?)

OK I just emailed the lady! Geez I can't believe they wouldn't even tell you if you're stuff's not all in! I definitely put down the right address, but it was staggered because the stupid lines wouldn't allow you to type in more than a few characters at a time, so it ended up looking like this (I had to do this online): ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF GRADUATE PROGRAMS DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY PITTSBURGH PA 15213 Instead of: ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF GRADUATE PROGRAMS DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY PITTSBURGH PA 15213 Ergh ... I sent this back in December too! I'll keep ya'll posted, thanks for sharing your stories!!

I hope this is in the right forum ... I applied to my dream school on Feb 1 and had to transfer over some documents - my GRE scores, transcript, etc. However, the way my undergraduate school formatted filling the address out was kind of funny, and I'm not 100% sure if it ended up going through. My undergrad said of course they sent it out on time, but I'm hesitant to call my school to see if all of my application materials are in - especially since in about 2-3 weeks I find out of I got in or not! I'm obviously being paranoid, but I would seriously kick myself in the head a thousand times if I found out the application had been incomplete this whole time. My GRE scores, online app, and recommendations were all submitted on time (I can see in the online portion), but my transcript had to be sent in manually so I'm not sure ... they never told me it was incomplete otherwise, so I was assuming everything was OK. Then of course nerves kicked in and I began to worry randomly. So with that all said, is it possible that a school will not tell you if you have an incomplete application? Should I email/call to ask? I don't want to bug them, I think the ad comm is making their decisions at this point, but I'm just anxious, that's all ...

So I took a break from gradcafe but I'm back! I find out of I get into my dream college in 2-3 weeks needless to say I've been having sleepness nights and stomach pains, it's SO STRESSFUL, and I don't want to be devastated if I don't get in, but at the same time I'm preparing myself for the worst. Is it possible for a college to not even let you know if you are rejected? Sigh ... that would be the horrible. Especially after all that money I paid.

Sorry to hear this it's never pleasant. Don't give up hope though, you still have many more to hear back from.

I'll probably need two, friend. Thanks very much though Haha, just imagine what a gradcafe waiting-for-an-acceptance letter party would be like ... nerves, an open bar, manic rants and raves and who knows what else.

Lawd, me too. I know it's probably not healthy for me to be checking results search (brings out the worst, doesn't it?) but at this point I can't help it haha. My programs are not very popular so I don't think I'll get as much useful information from it as opposed to, say, science or engineering applicants. But ah well. You know what? I wish people could leave their contact info on there so we could harass them directly to see what their overall packages were like! I always feel a huge ughh come over me when I see someone has been accepted/rejected but I can't see their stats lol. I'll probably be posting my everything because if I DO get in somewhere with my wacko scores, I want to give people hope that they can too. We're not judging ya, just curious PS - jmarti, Moscato for me please!

This is truly a unique situation and I'm glad the admissions committee understood. I too have a feeling that if you call and explain your situations (with proof to back your assertions up) most of the time schools will be very sympathetic. It doesn't hurt to give it a try, especially if deadlines are looming or have passed.

I just wanted to report back, everyone! My recommenders, literally, at the very last HOURS came through. I was pulling my hair out with anxiety because the day of nothing was in yet ... but after checking in the evening, I got emails saying that my last two finally submitted them (they waited til the of but at least it's in!) I would say in this case, DO NOT GIVE UP ON "PESTERING" PEOPLE. I know you're probably knotted up with stress because of other people's irresponsibility, but there is honestly nothing you can do about it. Once the deadline gets down to the wire (say, the week of) Don't be afraid to email people every day or every other day, hound them down in their offices, etc. Don't ever be hostile, screw that smile onto your face. If you're polite people will never have any excuse to get mad at you. "Gently" remind, and don't demand. Stress the urgency in a very calm way. Focus on what you can control. And even if they're miserable and submit late or right at the cusp, still show your appreciation. Don't forget to send thank you notes (this is not the time to burn bridges.) Best of luck to you all!

Erm, hi? Joining the rock bottom confidence club :/ I have a low-ish GPA and mediocre GRE scores but I'm hoping to blow brains up with exploding rainbows, aka heavily hope that my writing samples will be enough to kick my butt through the door. S-I-G-H. I will find out if I got into my first round of programs (for professional writing!) in March. My stomach is in KNOTS.

I may as well drink the Kool-aid too I just submitted my 2 of my applications yesterday! One was to my dream school, and it's been ONE day but from the gradcafe results search they got back to students in early March last year, my stomach's flipping already. I have to get my mind off of it, seriously and stop checking my email every 10 minutes. And I'm hoping I won't be too crushed if i just get ignored or flat out rejected We'll see though ... I'll keep ya'll posted ...

Ooh, my connections don't stretch that far bama and I'm not too familiar with anyone in the literary/writing/communications world. The best I could do with work experience would be in the realm of marketing, and the best I could do with professors would be ones with no relevance to my field. I'm doing a complete 180 with grad school, here. Thanks for your advice too!

This makes me feel so much better and gives me some hope! Thank you It at least puts my mind at ease that I can send in those back ups like there's no tomorrow.

I plan on doing so after my GRE passes. It's not cute anymore. What kind of has been holding me back is every time I send a friendly reminder, one of my recommenders in particular acts super annoyed and like it's the hugest pain. I'm never rude and I've never thrown a fit. The last time I got a hold of him (it's seriously so difficult), I stressed the deadline to him and said if it wasn't in by then, ALL of my applications would be dropped and I would be automatically rejected. Then when I thanked him for giving me a rec, he said, "Thank me when I do it." That was just purely unsettling to me. ... but at this point I think I really have to stop holding back. He's not being easy with cooperating but I'm still going to see what I can do to coax it out of him. He knows very well what he's doing and - I think - how much it's bothering me. I just have to play this game a little bit longer.

Honestly, I cringed when I read this. The sheer fact that some people have the GALL to be so mother effing irresponsible is entirely beyond me. Especially if they gave you their word. It's disgusting. These people really don't give a crap and don't realize the implications if they fail to deliver something they PROMISED TO DO. Let's put this into perspective: If you don't follow through, *I* get rejected. EVERYWHERE. BECAUSE OF YOU. If you can't do it or know you won't have the time, DON'T. SAY. YOU. CAN. This kind of story just really riles me up. I feel the exact same way and was really angry when I read your post. I hope things work out for you. It would be so unfair for you to not get into schools of your choice because OTHER PEOPLE screwed it up for you. I am so sorry this happened to you. I would be going just as insane. I swear, schools need to have some sort of hearing out for people who have to unfortunately deal with the ulcer-inducing horror of flaky recommenders.

Hi Midnight, I decided not to write the addendum after all (I alluded to it in my personal statement ... which I have already turned into one school and cannot change ... but didn't give a lengthy explanation/sob story) and I did include my major GPA next to my CV! Thanks for your advice (you too ankurshah, best of luck to you.) I think that with admissions committees, it's impossible to know what they're looking for at the end of the day. Someone told me that GREs are the least important aspect, but I can't be too sure or take that risk. I can only do and hope for the best ...

Hey guys, thank you for all of your responses ... I see that I'm not alone in this, and Ohn, I cannot BELIEVE that happened to you. Seriously, WHAT? That's just pure rotten and completely unprofessional. I'm really sorry. I can definitely feel your pain, though in a little bit of a different way. I suppose I'll ask now - Since beginning this graduate school process, the quality of my recommendations has seriously gone down, to be honest. I started off with one senior professor (my favorite in college, the only one I spoke to really), a former boss who could speak very highly of my writing capabilities, and another former boss from an internship in 2011 who was a marketing director. To me, this seemed like the perfect combination. Then everything went awry. One day out of nowhere last minute, my professor emailed me and backed out of writing a recommendation for personal reasons. I understood her dilemma and it was hard to get angry at her, but it was admittedly extremely unprofessional of her. The biggest problem I am having now is with my former boss who could speak to my writing abilities - I gave him ALL the materials he needed and plenty of time. I also helped him heavily with this process. He even told me he was finished when I managed to catch hold of him one day, but is seriously delaying turning it in for some reason. All he has to do is literally copy/paste it and he can't find 5 minutes out of his day to do that. He has had 2.5 months to do this now. It's already the 16th and I've stressed the importance of the Feb 1. deadline ... but won't be surprised if he misses the deadline entirely. I get the feeling he's becoming hostile and resentful towards talking to me, even though I space out my time following up with him by weeks (... why did you agree to do this in the first place then?) He is the one I am most furious with and ... to put in HeadCold's words ... without question is the very definition of "disturbing unprofessionalism." That's two out of three gone due to unreliability. I had to find other resources. I asked another professor, but she said she couldn't write me a very thorough one because she didn't know me very well. So I went to another boss I interned with in 2010, and he submitted one but forgot about the rest - then started ignoring my emails. Everything started to turn into a mess. I was asking 5 different people for 10 different schools and had to kept asking because people kept dropping like flies. Thankfully my marketing boss came through but I still needed one more. This is when I started REALLY scraping. I asked a previous director/mentor for a leadership camp I attended and maintained a relationship with for several years. He works for a school as associate director of student affairs. He's delaying a little bit, but he's a good guy and I trust he'll get it in by Feb 1. Fearing that my writing boss wouldn't come through (Why do I keep clinging on? Because he is arguably my most important one in that I'm applying to professional writing programs ...) I had to ask my extreme backup, a mentor who I worked casually for on-and-off growing up - a finance director at a major non-profit organization. So now my line up is (if the other one doesn't come through) - one marketing director, one associate director of student affairs, one finance director. None of which have anything to do with writing. No professors. If anyone has any insight, do you seriously think this will harm my chances of getting in? My professor really did put me at a huge disadvantage, and I can't ask very many other ones because frankly, they really didn't know me. I'm just beginning to get worried my application is weakening every day. I barely have a 3.0 GPA (3.6 for my major), lower GRE scores (but high AWA) ... and now, scattered recommendations. I wish schools knew that not everyone applying to grad school was a star pupil in college or an expert at maintaining relationships with influential people. And I wish they had an inkling of an idea of how unfortunate it is when people give students their word in giving recommendations, then repeatedly screw them over. I have only so many resources to exhaust. It's already down to the wire for me. I pray to God my writing samples and essays will be the tipping point in acceptance.