TakeMyCoffeeBlack
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Posts posted by TakeMyCoffeeBlack
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Damn. I think you are right. My 8th app. It is beginning to get to me.
Breathe, brotha! (or sista?)
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Bingo! I feel like so much of the anxiety about not knowing enough about X simply comes from being around highly specialized individuals with disparate research interests. It's not that you couldn't figure X out, you're just more interested in Y.
Which, surprisingly, I got to demonstrate today when our discussions headed into US/EU relations and China/EU relations (and normative power, economic partnership, etc.). It felt good to be able to contribute substantive information to the debate.
Well folks, I submitted application #9. Now I can't even distract myself from waiting by still having more work to do...
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I'm not exactly representative because I'm stuck across the ocean through visitation season, but...
I would say A>C>B. Although, if it's really a dream school, I'm going to do what I can to get there regardless. However, if I were still in undergrad, missing half of the week's classes could create some headaches - not including work issues.
Actually, I might put A and C together, even. I'd imagine if I went to a visit weekend in February, you'd get a chance to win me over and build up a sense of allegiance to the school before I've wandered over to the others. But that's just me.
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It only gets worse when you get to grad school. You look at the people that got admitted and you're like HOLY CRAP WHO WAS ON THE SEARCH COMMITTEE MY YEAR AND WHY HAVEN'T THEY BEEN FIRED?!?!?!
I'm anticipating this haha. But even right now, I'm taking master's seminars at a top German Uni, and I fluctuate between two thoughts: 1.) Holy crap, these people really know what they're talking about, I feel so inferior and 2.) Well... maybe they know this particular content better than I do, but I'm able to synthesize the information just as well (if not better) than they are.
And I guess that's one of the purposes of grad school, no? I mean, you would be able to offer insight into that. Ideally, the new grad students will have considerable knowledge and past experience, but what's more important (I think?) is that they have what it takes to handle the work and learn everything necessary to become the best researchers they can.
At least that's what I'm hoping. I'm sure I'll go through periods where I'll feel completely incapable (should I be lucky enough to begin a program next year).
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Ok I am going to respond something irrelevant. But I am just so depressed that I had two typos in my last paragraph to UCLA. Missing two apostrophes. The errors look obvious.
If I was gonna say I love Coffee's research, it now reads "I love Coffees research". Two errors like that. UCLA has the methods I want to employ and the substance I want to study. But these two errors look a little too obvious. It is worse than grammar mistakes, or spelling.
Something like that is really minor. Even my best published (now emeritus) professor has frequent typos. Yet, he's published several times with Oxford, gets flown down to the state capital every time there's a constitutional crisis, etc. The point is that it's obvious he knows where the apostrophe should be, and if it's missing every now and then, oh well. His work is still superior to a lot of others.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if UCLA decides that you're a good fit for them and match their ideal candidate profile, they're not going to knock you off the list because of typos.
But that's just my two cents. -
When I wake up : Feeling pretty confident. "I have a kick-ass SoP with research questions that will make the adcoms think. It will help me stick out from the pack. They will realize that I love research and can work independently. I will get in somewhere."
After reading gradcafe and realizing what awesome applicants there are: "I'll be lucky if I get ANY acceptances. I don't have a BA/MA in Math, Statistics, or Economics. I just re-read the SOP I submitted - What was I thinking when I wrote that?!?"
I hear this. I've actually been wondering whether, if something doesn't come through for next year, I should consider doing a Masters in Econ. That's definitely the great dark spot in my app (both in the form of my Q score and past training). But I did alright last year (one acceptance no funding, one wait list, both top forty), and I've come a long way since then (the only thing that isn't changing at least a little is my GRE score)...so hopefully something?
And some of the applicants here (you included!) are just really outstanding. I did some SOP exchanges, and it makes me feel...incompetent at times. I have to keep reminding myself that where I *might* stand out in such a great crowd are my somewhat different, off the beaten path interests (well, more like parallel to the beaten path).
I wish I could just not think about any of this until the end of January. It's just not realistic. Especially with my gf bugging me about figuring out where we're going to live next year (she'll be done with her master's and I'll be back in the States).
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I can't really find any work, I've gone on so many interviews but nothing. Also my degree is in criminal justice so there isn't much a can do with that. I don't necessarily put finding a relationship before grad school, to me they are equal. I look at grad school kind of as a means to get the other, I didn't meet anyone during undergrad, I didn't put myself out there much this is like my second chance. I get to move out and go to school and actually be an adult. The Social Work thing I have thought about for a while, I know I want to go into this field, I don't know anything else I would even want to do. If I worked and lived in the city for a year or 2 and didn't meet someone then I just waste a year or 2 of my life. With grad school I have 2 years I will have a degree if nothing else and then get a better job and hopefully meet someone. Even though like I said I'm going to try really hard to meet someone during grad school so I can get married after.
Why do you think if you didn't put yourself out there and meet someone in undergrad, that you would do it as a graduate student? What has changed about you that will facilitate that?
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put myself in positions that put me around potential dates
Become a waitress somewhere that a lot of single guys hang out?
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I can't see myself ever being fully happy with being single, it's just the worse thing to me. Maybe I just have way too much free time to worry about it and hopefully when I go to school I will be so distracted and hopefully have other friends but right now I just don't see myself being happy and single. Those 2 things don't go together for me. I'm turning 23 in a few weeks and I'm scared because I'm 23 and haven't accomplished anything. I have no relationship for the holidays, it just really sucks and I'm not getting younger which means the dating pool isn't getting bigger. Idk
I mean, you're turning 23, not 53... And even then you could fall in love and have a long, happy relationship. Just an honest two cents (meant well, I promise!): if this is the kind of vibe you give off when flirting or dating (i.e. obsessive), then it probably won't work, unless you end up in an emotionally abusive relationship (e.g. a dominating partner). On the other hand, you'll be 25 with a master's degree if you get into a program this year. An independent woman with the foundations for a solid career? Well, now we're getting somewhere. You just became like 100% more attractive to this guy.
And really just to emphasize: the idea that at 23 the dating pool "isn't getting bigger" is such bologna. The people who are getting married now at 23 have likely been dating their partner for a while - so that pool hasn't shrunk from that - or some reason popped its bald little head into their lives and forced their hands.
I mean, your last sentence about the holidays sounds like something my 14 year old sister would say. Let's be real here - you're still very young.
- LittleDarlings, dat_nerd, nugget and 1 other
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So for the last 5 hours I've had 8 applications submitted (a few for over a week). Why haven't I been accepted anywhere yet?
Oh...I have to wait til February/March/April?
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Haha, I don't think the GRE counts for much in the end, just I wanted a 90th percentile plus on Q for my ego. Also I will "major" in methods so I think a higher score is needed, I presume? In any case, it's time to polish the SOP, the only source of control still left as you aptly pointed out, and then forget about it all for two months (if we can)!
Unless I block gradcafe on my browser, probably not gonna happen..
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Thanks mate, the other scores were not bad, 163 Q and 166 V. Hoped for a 165 Q but I'm going to stop complaining (I find myself becoming increasingly French!) It sucks I can't score a fee waiver, will need to shell out 1000+ USD, but that's the game I guess. Hopefully it will be worth it
Hey, you beat me in both V and Q (by a long shot on Q)! I think your scores will only help you.
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I'm getting a lot of last minute doubts, but the GRE results are officially out and I scored a decent (5.0) score on writing, so that brought my spirits up a bit. I've just made two apps so far (that cost me 250 USD already...) but working on the next bunch for this weekend. It's go time. Good luck everyone! I hope to read a lot of happy news in Feb-March on this forum (and hopefully give some out myself!)
I lucked out with some fee waivers because of my government fellowship - but last year I took on some $600+ in credit card debt to pay for apps... Fortunately it's a bit less than that this year.
Congrats on the 5.0 - I hope your other scores are just as good!
Yup, I ditto the wish for good luck to all!
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I have officially applied to 8/9 schools. Waiting to get a response on an inquiry to graduate admissions at the last before I submit.
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I'm fairly confident that I'm finished with my SOPs now. I may submit them all today and let the terrible, awful waiting game begin.
Your approach to fit sounds great. Sometimes the fit paragraph can seem a bit disconnected from the rest.
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Why not talk about being from India and how that's a unique experience (in comparison to many others entering grad schools - unless you're applying in India?) that will contribute to the department as a whole, and also to your insights and capabilities as a student/researcher/professor?
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Man!!! I always type off my cellphone on this place. You really think im seriously caring about text grammar or proofreadijg which button i pushed on my cellphone? Heck yes i was an english major and i speaks ebonics past tense wut it says omg and all that cal! Who cares? Im not insecure enuf where i feel the need to look over everyhing i type when making a post. I know what I can and cannot do. I know my writing talent level. But more importantly, GRE scores aside, graduate school is a job more than anything, a profession. And the quality of ones character matters a hell of a lot more to admissions commitees than a meaningless math score that has no relevancy to ones study. And you, my friend, have quite the character issue. You have the audacity to come into a place and drop some line saying you cannot add, in a threat where a girl got a 130. You seem like a great guy. Furthermore, i question ur ability to succeed not only in grad school but in life if some meaningless joke such as, fuck math, irritates you so much. Ill say it again, fuck math. And i feel sorry for u.
Out.
Boom.
While I agree, Fiz, that it's a rather pedantic response to the topic, as a former English major you should be especially interested in presenting yourself as an educated participant in the forum. All the information we have about you is what you've posted here, and we are going to infer from that how intelligent you are and how serious we should take your thoughts and advice. Of course, I'm not all that bothered by you messing up a commonly misused idiom, and so this response is more general (and not necessarily to you - because I don't get the idea that you're not intelligent). Just a point worth sharing
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How's everyone feeling about their applications in general? I don't feel defeated yet, but every application I submit is a letter to the grad school gods to grant me mercy.
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I guess this is a little late since the Columbia deadline has already passed, but Dr. Humphreys offers good advice (from his perspective, of course). He doesn't seem to care too much about the "fit" paragraph since that should have been demonstrated throughout the SoP from your research questions. However, this may vary across schools and even within adcoms.
That's more or less what I was hoping. I'm of course applying only to programs with professors actually doing the kind of work I'm interested in, and I can only hope that my research interests/questions indicate that better than any explicit list I provide (although I still do that, to demonstrate that I'm serious about each specific university). I think that's why I struggle with the fit paragraph so much, anyway. Sometimes it can seem repetitive to say, "Dr. Awesomesauce just so happens to be working in the same general area that I'm strongly interested in." I mean, it's no coincidence I'm applying to Dr. Awesomesauce's university.
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Another faculty member listing/"FIT" question:
If your writing sample and SoP clearly places you around the Neo-liberal/Constructivism camp, is it ok to list a Realist as a person of interest? Or is that committing some deadly sin? There are other faculty members that I am listing, but I do think I could benefit from his expertise as well.
x1
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A question-- how many faculty members are you listing in your SOP? I've tried to identify at least three in each program who are a good match, but I'm struggling with one school in particular. There is one Professor who is an excellent match, and I have already confirmed that he is accepting new students. Do I list additional faculty, even if they're not such good matches?
This is a terribly difficult question. There are some schools, for example, that have faculty members working in the various subjects I'm interested in (and I feel silly listing them all), and others - like you say here - where only one really fits the bill. In that case, you might consider identifying the really good match professor and talk about their research, but provide the names of other professors from whom you could really learn/benefit?
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Yes, "level of interest/commitment" to the school is a factor in admissions.
This is true, but if you're the best candidate with the best fit but applying to schools 20 ranks ahead, that doesn't mean they won't admit you. After all, not even they know whether you'll be admitted to Ivy University X.
The two most obvious reasons (which you can find on graduate school websites are):
1.) For the graduate school to determine with whom they cluster
2.) So that they can gather statistical evidence determining how many "also applying to Ivy U XYZ" applicants they need to admit in order to get their target class (this second one is Notre Dame's justification)
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TakeMyCoffeeBlack, your kind and wise adviser makes a great point about the added value a program must bring to a list. (
he would be a great adviser if he would also send you a bottle of wine to drown outtoast the process of applying)And I'm sure he would, were I not an ocean away! He's now retired from the university, but just published with Oxford (twice!) - an old-school academic, for sure. And he makes more than a great point about the added value a program must bring, he also makes a great point about the value of wine.
Which is why I ran out to the store before it closed tonight to grab a bottle (an Austrian Blauer Zweigelt). -
My prof provided a bit of feedback, all suggesting theoretical approaches to the question, "When have I applied to too many?" Namely, could I imagine going there, and is there any combination of the schools I'm already applying to that, if I were accepted into - say - 4, the new one could be a first choice? Reasonable enough!
Oh, and he said this. "Hope that helps. I will lift a glass of wine and toast your endeavors at the Christmas party to which [other adviser] has graciously invited me."
Finding a husband in graduate school.
in The Lobby
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Umm....