blakeblake

Address the health issues in your letter of intent. Keep it brief--I had health problems that contributed to low grades, the problem is solved, I'm sure that I can do better now. Do anything that you can to demonstrate your interest in social work. Volunteer. Take social work classes, even if only at a community college. If you can't attend a university in your area, enroll in a program online. The ad comms will want to see that you can get back into the game after so many years.

It's easy to say bad things about the GRE. It sucks to put in time and effort studying when you have homework to do, a job to finish, articles to write, etc. I feel your pain. But in the end, either you take the GRE or you apply only to schools that don't require GRE scores. As far as preparing for the GRE on the cheap is concerned, I would give you the following tips: 1. Buy used GRE study materials at Amazon, a local used book store, or other source. I've never been a Kaplan fan, but The Princeton Review is decent. 2. Take practice tests, especially the ones offered as software on the GRE website (with free registration). 3. You may well do worse on the practice tests than you do on the actual GRE, so don't get discouraged if your scores are a little lower than you'd like. 4. Just take the GRE. After you have done it once, the mystery will be over. Many people do better with a retake. 5. If you must get extra help to study, look into GRE prep programs offered by your school (which will be cheaper than Kaplan/ Princeton Review) or a tutor.

I've rarely seen anyone give a professor a gift (though taking muffins or pastries to your thesis/dissertation defense is traditional). It is generally acceptable to give a professor small gifts like a plant or food, but steer clear of anything expensive or with potentially romantic connotations (flowers, candy). If you really want to thank a professor, try sending him/her a nice thank you card that explains why you liked the class so much or drop by the prof's office hours and explain in person.

Maybe the rejection will matter and maybe it won't. Surely the people in your potential future department don't remember the names of everyone who they reject for their journal, so you might be stressing out over nothing. I think the only thing that you can do at this point is to stop worrying about it, apply to your desired program, brag about your unique attributes (your computer science background and how it will benefit your research), and see what happens.

I don't think that a program would reject you offhand for a lot of transfers, but it can look a bit flaky, so as cyberwulf said, you'll have to have a good explanation for the moves to give in your personal statement. That being said--lots of transfers, especially after sophomore year, can make it difficult for you to form solid, longstanding relationships with potential recommenders. It is beneficial to have taken more than one class with recommenders or at least to have worked with them in a research or extracurricular capacity, which becomes less likely the more that you move. If you must transfer again, work hard at cultivating relationships with potential recommenders at your new school and keep contact with potential recommenders at your old schools.

Go over the program's website with a fine-tooth comb. Most programs that do not require an item or credential that is fairly standard in your field of study will make note of the fact that they *do not* require the item. If there is no mention of a writing sample in the list of items required for application and there is no mention of a sample on the application itself, then you are probably safe, but write the program's graduate secretary to be sure.

Try checking your alma mater's website. Most schools allow current and former students to order transcripts online and pay with a credit card and/or Paypal. These services will allow you to have our 'scripts send directly from your alma mater to the university where you are applying. Bearcat is right. Most schools will want your alma mater to send your transcripts directly so you do not have the opportunity to tamper with the grades.

It's not at all unusual for schools to use nonstandard methods of numbering courses. The adcoms have seen it before. In fact, the profs will assume that anyone who is applying for their grad program (and paying for the privilege) has almost certainly taken the classes that she needs to earn her diploma within the next semester's time. Anyone who is not convinced that you have taken the necessary classes will check your transcript key.

It depends on your responsibilities. If you only grade for classes of 20-30 students and give an occasional lecture, then school, TAing, and a part-time job (preferably less than 20 hours) are do-able. If you are the sole grader for large classes or if you hold full responsibility for 6 hours of classes, then I would not recommend trying to take on a part-time job (unless you do so only during the summer). As someone who has held full responsibility for 3 hours and later 6 hours while earning my MA, I can tell you that TAing for 6 hours under these circumstances makes life *very* difficult. TA salaries are small because living on not enough to live on is a way of life for grad students. For the most part, you are expected to give up a decent salary for the sake of your passion. If you have looked into the cost of living in the town where your school is located and you realize that it is literally impossible to live in that town on a TA's salary, you have two options. If you are willing to take out student loans, then you can borrow a few thousand dollars per semester. If you can't live off of your TA's salary and you are not willing to take out loans, then you should not accept an offer to attend this school.

If the really scary thing for you is the job market, have you tried looking into government jobs? I've had cause to look lately (www.usajobs.gov) and there are a lot of engineering positions. The pay isn't as good as corporate pay would be, but a lot of the jobs are entry level, there's good job security in government work, and as a veteran, you have a significant advantage in the hiring process.

Definitely get the job. It will help you take your mind off the acceptance/rejection merry-go-round and let you earn some cash before starting school. Also, remember that even very qualified candidates don't always get into a school during their first round of applications. Getting a job will give you something to do for the next 1.5 years in case that happens to you and you need to reapply. It may be inconvenient to your boss if you have to quit the job after a few months to go to grad school, but any rational boss should understand why you would do it, and remember: if you get into grad school, you won't need this hypothetical boss' recommendation, so don't worry too much. Of course, you should still be nice. If you have to quit in a few months, give a month or month-and-a-half's notice, offer to help search for and train your replacement if applicable, and be an all-around good guy/gal.