anaZep

elephant trunk

white dwarfs

seven up

information technology

Mobile, Alabama

paper plane

house music

doll house

hahahah waaahh! cry cry i'm definitely in this camp. i'm applying for my masters, but i get the same look and response from everyone when I tell them where i'm applying: :blank stare: followed by unrecognizable expression which I translate as pity, and "wow, so you don't have any safeties on your list!" I ended up doing a search to find possible safeties, but most of the deadlines have passed or are quickly approaching. So yea, I'm definitely losing my damn mind right now.

While I obsessively creep these forums and go through the incessant cycle of excitement and hope followed by depression and despair, would it be OK to take a few minutes to email professors I interacted with during the app cycle, to let them know I submitted my apps and I'm really excited about their program, etc, etc.? Or will they actually be away with their families and enjoying their holiday and probably not even remember having met me?

Definitely agree with the previous poster. The 100 words is enough for a paragraph. Describe what you see yourself achieving in your career after studying at the specific program. Use the 400 words to explain how you will get there: interesting courses you plan to take, professors you want to work with, research you will pursue, etc. etc. The 400-word essay can and probably should tie into the shorter essay and help paint a cohesive picture of why program X is a good fit for you, and vice versa.

I wrote my SOP's like actual essays, and i think essays typically have intros, bodies (arguments, main ideas -- some sort of flow of content) and conclusions. so yes, i'd definitely include a conclusion, tying back to something stated in the opening paragraph. doesn't have to be earth shattering; it can be simple, but genuine, positive, and logical.

I ran into a similar problem (maybe, in a way?) when I mistakenly carefully crafted a 500-word essay instead of a 500 character statement (whoops!). i called the admissions office in a panic and they said to submit it anyway, though they wouldn't guarantee that anyone would read it. i made sure to verify that it wouldn't count against me; i wasn't trying to suck up, but after spending two+ months on the essay, i didn't want to just throw it away either. because of extenuating circumstances which i included in the essay, the person i spoke with said it was OK to include it. i know it was somewhat careless of me not to notice the specific instructions. in my defense, i had been working on the application since the previous summer, and hadn't looked at the school's admissions FAQ's since then; it was between that time and now that they updated their website to clearly specify that it should be a short statement rather than an essay. my guess is that i'm not the first person to have made the mistake. anyway, the lesson learned is to follow instructions as best as possible, but if in doubt, it doesn't hurt to call the admissions office and ask.