adaptations

I agree with the previous poster. You can/should submit transcripts before you complete this semester, which means this semester's grades will not be included. I think it is relatively common to send an updated transcript after the semester is complete. I don't want to make too big of an assumption, but I get the sense you might be considering devoting more time to applications (or something else) and less time to your classes. I know in the short term this might seem like a good trade-off, but you should probably do whatever it takes to keep a stellar academic record going (or as good as possible). If for any reason you don't get accepted this application cycle, or even on future applications for grants and such, your undergrad GPA and transcripts will matter, and your senior year typically carries a lot of weight. Good luck staying afloat, in what I'm sure is a very busy semester!

You're welcome... also, I just learned that "b )" (without the space) turns into a stylish little emoticon - that was not my intention in the first post, lol.

I had a number of phone conversations with professors during the admissions process when I last applied. Those were conversations that occurred after they had reviewed applications, but before decisions (Jan/Feb). Professors called me to talk about my interests and how seriously I was considering their program. I would consider any call to be kind of similar to that situation. It's important for you to learn about their program, and for you to make a good impression. I always found it was helpful to have a few key questions I wanted to talk about. I also made sure I knew a moderate amount about the specific professor's work. To be honest, all the professors were very friendly, and it was relatively low pressure. So do some homework and know what you want to talk about, but don't stress over it.

I'm going through the same process right now, as my fiancé and I are both applying. We are not mentioning our engagement or anything in our application, except when applications ask questions like "Is your partner/spouse also applying to a program at the university." I don't think this is something you emphasize until after one of you has been admitted. Best of luck.

All schools have different requirements, as the original poster noted. I would have the official hard copies sent directly from schools when that is requested, but you can also have an official transcript sent directly to you, which you can then scan and upload as needed. I know it's confusing with all the different requirements, but just try to follow each schools requests and don't over-think it.

I second fuzzylogician's comments.

In courses this big, I don't think it is a bad idea to drop in during office hours, mention that you are enjoying the class and that you are considering graduate work in the field. You can always ask about ways of pursuing your specific interests while still an undergrad (hence the directed research projects). Just letting the professor know you are interested in continuing as a grad student will help put you on the radar, and you can go from there.

I'm not a history guy, but I can't help thinking that if you want to be consider at the top schools, you're going to have to bring your verbal score up. Given your strong GPA, it would be a shame for the GRE to be your Achilles heal of your application. I'd work your like crazy and retake - you still have time this application cycle.

A few pieces of advice: First - do NOT round a 3.31 to a 3.4. Doing this essentially means you are a) trying to mislead them or aren't good at rounding. Neither option is good - just be honest. Second, I would not include an additional cover letter or note regarding your GPA. It just doesn't seem necessary. At most, you could include your cumulative or aggregate GPA with all of your courses, in addition to your official GPA on your CV. However, you should always remember that the admissions committee will have your transcripts and they will be able to see all of your grades, so I don't really see a need to draw extra attention to it. I hope this helps.

It seems like you've thought this through and came up with a good solution. Also - Poli Sci, Pub Policy, and Sociology have have the potential to overlap, so I wouldn't worry too much about the field of the recommender in this case. Good luck!

I think you just have to prioritize and figure out what works for you. I knew plenty of grad students that made time to date, go out on the town and actually enjoy life. Of course "enjoying life" is a very relative term, so you just have to make the most of the time you have.

Although this can be valuable, especially in the sciences where you need a specific advisor or want to work in a specific lab, I wouldn't worry about it too much in English. Although you can gain interesting insights into programs, the reality is that you have no idea who will be on the admissions committee this year, so there is a good chance whomever you email will not be involved in the decision process. Second, having worked for some very busy professors, I sympathized with them every fall when their email boxes filled up with potential students wanting to contact them with very generic questions that would best be answered by an administrator. Maybe I'm missing something here, but I think your application should speak for itself (again - I am not referring to hard sciences or places where you want to work in a specific lab)

Having applied while in a master's program, I know how you feel. The application process definitely takes time away from everything else, but it can also be good motivation. I used the early sections of my thesis as my writing sample, which meant I had a draft of most of my thesis finished by mid November, so I was actually ahead of schedule. At the time I was also an RA, applying to programs, and working on my thesis. It is a lot of work, but it certainly can be done.

Last time I applied, I applied to 16 schools and none of my recommenders had a problem with it. This time I am applying to 15. Yes, these are high numbers, but I also know of plenty of students who applied to 18-22 programs. As everyone noted, you should talk with your professors to make sure they are ok with it, and do everything you can to make the process easier for them.

Just an FYI - I am pretty sure that when you report GRE scores ETS sends a score report with all your scores from the past five years. Thus, there is no need to contact schools and ask them to look at specific aspects of your scores. Regardless of what you request, they will receive all the scores and will do what they do with them.

Unfortunately I cannot be too much of a help with your request. I can't speak to how the programs evaluate work experience, but I have heard that MPP programs focus much more on work experience that pure IR programs. You may also consider Chicago's Committee on International Relations, which has some great scholars (Dali Yang for China). Given your credentials, I am sure you would be a strong candidate for CIR. (I went to CIR, which is why I know more about it that the other programs) Best of luck.

Let me preface my comments by saying I know nothing about the specifics of fine arts degrees/applications. That said, I'm happy to offer my two cents since nobody else has stepped up. Although I understand your connection to high school teachers (they are often easier to get to know that college professors), I would be worried about them writing LORs for a master's. Assuming that you focused on artistic courses in college or professionally, I would draw from those areas for LORs because they are more current and represent a higher level of analysis that would be more relevant to an MFA program (at least that is my guess). Now - on to your actual question. I would tend to learn toward one solid letter of recommendation instead of a joint letter. If the person doesn't feel comfortable writing an LOR I wouldn't recommend trying to get them to - it just doesn't seem like an ideal situation. Best of luck!

Agree with other comments, but also follow your routine. If you've been taking practice tests, treat this like just another practice test and prepare in a similar fashion.

At most I would mention it in one sentence, but you probably don't even need to do that. I assume you will submit your transcript to any schools you apply to, and the admissions committees will easily be able to see the upward trend for themselves.

I am not exactly sure how best to go about this, but I definitely think it would be a smoother process, and you would be more likely to get into another program if you have faculty at your current institution in the loop and writing at least some of your LORs. If you really don't have good faculty mentors for your specific research interests, your current professors should also recognize this and be willing/able to assist you in transferring to program better suited to your interests. That said, they must have felt they could provide good mentoring, or else they wouldn't have admitted you. So I would definitely tread softly. You should probably discuss this with a professor you feel comfortable with. Also if you don't tell anyone at your institution, I would not be surprised if one of the schools you were applying to contacted your current school during the review process. This, of course, would not be a good way for your current institution to find out about your desire to leave. I will be curious if anyone who has actually done this can weigh in, but those are my thoughts.

My initial suggestion is to check out the actual NRC methodologies so you can gain a better understanding of what the data do and do not tell. You can get the full data and reports under the "free download options" at http://www.nap.edu/rdp/ Second, although a trend of the department as a whole is important, I would be more concerned with the specific subfield you are focusing on (specifically in time to degree). I would also prepare yourself for a longer than average time to degree, given that the field work for comparative politics typically increases the time it takes candidates to complete their research. This point may be worth considering, because if Chicago happens to be good at what you do, they may have a longer time to degree because they focus on this area(I don't actually know if this is true or not, but that's the type of question I would be asking myself.)

To FrenchMess: First, I wouldn't stress too much about the value of your existing work experience, and here's why: 1) you aren't going to change it, so no need stressing over it (although it is beneficial to be pragmatic about it) 2) the comments arguing over the relative value of different work experience is really splitting hairs(I hope this isn't just an American colloquialism). There are many types of valuable work experience and yours certainly falls into that category. The key is tying it all together in your SOP, so you explain how your previous experience strengthens your future potential. It is also important, as I previously noted, to clearly articulate what you want to do and how it fits with the degree you are seeking. I think this is a point you can improve upon, based upon what I've read here. Although I understand where you are coming from, an MPP does not obviously translate to a communications/public relations position. Thus, it will be important for you to outline how the skills you gain in your MPP will be directly applied to what you want to do. Since there are many communications people who never even consider an MPP, you will need to go a step further than some applicants to make the connections between your goals and the degree very explicit. I hope this is helpful to you. (And as a side note, I would take all comments with a grain of salt. For the most part, all the posters are trying to be helpful, but we all approach things a little differently, so you have to weed through the good and the bad for yourself... and that includes my post)

Based on the information you provided, I think you have a good chance of getting in. I would be careful in your SOP to focus on your future goals and how the MPP facilitates/develops those goals, as opposed to focusing too much on how your past communications experience is relevant to the MPP. I guess, I am just reminding you to strike a balance between the two. Best of luck,

I think I've commented on this before and will echo my earlier advice. If you don't have anything specific or relevant to ask the professor, then I wouldn't contact them (it is a waste of both your time). If there are specific things that the professor will be able to answer that the admissions person couldn't, then go for it (regardless of sub-field).

I second Penlope Higgins comments. I don't think you can go wrong with either, and only you know how well each professor will highlight your talent and potential.