Andean Pat

I'm really sorry to read this! I second both responses: your health comes first. Do not quit counselling, remember it is a process and it needs time. You need to think about several things and you need someone to guide you in doing that and not lose it. From what you've said, you have to answer big questions and make big decisions, like what do you want? Do you want to stay? Then switch advisors. do you want to leave? Then, what type of work do you want? You have gone through these questions because you applied to grad school and you wrote a SOP. So go back to that and re read it. Do you still want it? Grad school is not about abuses and horrible life. Life is about being happy and doing what you love. It turns my stomach when I read in these forums that people and miserable and "well, this is what I signed up for". NO!!!! You did not signed up for being mistreated. If a professor does not want to teach you, then bye bye, pick another one. You cannot sustain this mental situation for five years. No one can, and no one should. All my strength from here, hope you get better and you can solve these problems, honestly! Mwaaaa

I remember I had a little notepad to write down questions and then choose when to ask. I don't remember all of them but I do recall asking what happens next, which is enlightening. My interview was VERY intellectual, they asked about how I thought the work of X had influence my work, or how I understood Y since I mentioned it several times in my writing sample. After being asked those kinds of questions, I was exhausted! What I can say is the following: do not ask questions you can find in the website, in the handbook, or which another grad student can answer. I cannot stress this enough. All the best for everyone!!! AP

I am an international student and missed the weekends. Although schools paid for pretty much everything (though it was not enough for my air ticket), I could not skip work. They are called "weekends" but they generally take up Thursday and Friday two. Being far away, meant I had to arrive on Wednesday to the States. These weekends are an opportunity for you to make a better informed decision, but you are already in . From my experience, I've made the decision without the weekends and I am happy with it. As an alternative, I got in touch with grad students. Two of them were doing research in my country so I went out with them and asked everything, and they also told me things I had never thought of asking.

Hey everyone! Hope you had a good break! I feel you!! My workload is heavier but I think it will be fun. I take one workshop, for which I have to produce rather than only read, a regular seminar, an independent study (lots of reading), and a language class (which I already almost hate, sigh). I am really glad to be back, it is still hard to wake up in the morning, but I am happy that I have something to do in this cold! Are you applying for summer grants?

To everyone worried about interviews: I had several pre-admission phone/skype interviews and only one "real" admission interview via skype with three professors. At the time of the interview, my mother was having an emergency surgery. At exactly the same time. I succeeded, and got an offer for that school. If I could survive that stress, anyone can do it!!!! In short: all the best to you! Be yourselves, and everything will just flow.

What do you mean 'difference'? Probably they offer a skype interview because you are far away from them. Difference in question? I don't think so. I've had pre- and post-submission interviews and I can say that post-submission are definitely more formal than the pre- ones. Consider them as part of the application process. Be prepared to answer questions about your interests that you haven't said in the SoP and have some good questions ready.

First of all good luck to you!! You shouldn't be nervous because the part that depended on you is over. What follows is beyond your control so it is simply not worth to waste time and energy thinking about it. You will be anxious, and you will check your e-mail A MILLION times, believe me. So, if I can give you some "tips", here they are: * Most departments will be on winter break and will not resume work until January, probably around the 7th. Until then, your application hasn't even been seen by your POI. So, like them, just relax and enjoy the holidays. * My two-month wait was hectic in many ways, but something that kept me "on track" was doing sports and reading for fun. If you don't like either of these, you can try holding on to a hobby or keeping yourself as busy as possible. * Another "trick" is to avoid talking about applications unless someone asks you. I didn't do this but I know people that apply this to things they don't want to be anxious about. Now that I read them, they are not very smart tips, but maybe you find them useful in some way. About the 75 pages... Yeah, I don't think they will read the whole bunch. But I really don't know. I thought POIs read some pages only until the other day when my advisor made a reference to my writing sample. WTF? You've read it like a year ago! So, who knows? All the best!!! AP

I had this problem when I taught in High Schools. They probably don't mean to be rude. I would call their attention to way they address you in a polite manner, and teach them how to do it or at least explain them what you expect when being contacted by e-mail. There is no harm in making expectations clear.

Good luck! If anything, keep yourself entertained. The waiting is terrible. I was on holidays through feb 20th, more or less, so it was a loooooooong wait. Where did you apply? (if you don't want to say, it's OK )

Like the OP I am not funded in the summer so I understand your concern. By no means is this too early to ask. Actually, I am applying for funding to do field research and the deadlines are between January and April. So, yeah, I basically have a plan of what to do, I am only missing the money!

Well--- I thought this thread needed some update. For the football fans out there (real football, the one you play with your feet) Who has watched the draw yesterday? (it was my "break" from work...). Wanna make some predictions?

Congrats!

I complete agree that is personal, unique, and like a fingerprint. However, I understand your concern because I had the same one. I needed to actually see a SOP in order to mentally understand what to write in mine. A grad student shared this resource with me. It is a SOP from someone admitted to Berkeley commented by a professor so that you understand why it is a good SOP (and, hence, how you can make yours equally successful). Hope it helps! AP