Cesare

Does anyone have any experience using interfolio? I have a 4th letter of rec and for most schools this is not a problem with their application setup. However, one said they will accept it, but as the application does not allow for a 4th letter, I would have to email it to her. I am not even going to ask my letter writer to email it to me, so I was thinking of using interfolio or just forgetting about the 4th one in general. Is it possible for me to use interfolio to send the letter to individuals?

Just heard back from one of mine after 2 weeks for my third letter of rec. I was so sure that the answer would be no (I did well in his class, but the professor can be difficult/unpredictable) that I went ahead and asked for a letter from someone else who would write a "did well in class letter." He already submitted his letter, so the schools that have a strict 3 letter limit will never see the additional positive one that is in my field. Moral of the story: Be Patient

I took it three times. 1st scores expired, 2nd scores I bombed the math and only scored 1 point higher (based on the score conversion table) than on the old test despite practice tests suggesting 164+. Took a third and final time - Math and Verbal where I want them to be (160s), but then I saw a dramatic drop (4.5) in the AWA (the prompt was stupid/difficult). I refuse to take it a 4th time.

If you haven't really "studied" for the test why would someone ask you for advice? Also, judging by the title of this thread, do you want us to call you the "GRE master?" No offense, you are coming off as someone with a big ego (something that will be crushed in graduate school).

Never mind, I got it to work. I have to block my IP address through hotspot shield to access their application. If I didn't already send my GRE scores, I would have changed my mind about applying there. This is ridiculous. Found out through friends living in the same area that they are unable to access it as well.

do you have the link? I never realized how complicated clicking on links could be. :/ I keep on getting "failed to open page" on any page related to the Duke University Grad school.

I am applying to 3 schools that have their applications set up in that manner. Not out of the ordinary, but not my preferred method.

Anyone else applying to Duke and unable to even reach the application. It has been like this for the past week. http://gradschool.duke.edu/ http://gradschool.duke.edu/admissions/index.php

I apologize for posting so much, but hopefully the questions I ask will help others.... Is it ok to go over the word limit? I have gone through all of the threads (in my field) discussing the statement of purpose and it seems that adcoms are not too strict about this (for example, one applicant gave Georgetown a 1900 word SOP despite the 500 suggested word limit and got in). I realize that one should not go over the word limit if you have nothing interesting to say, but I am just having difficulty including everything in 500 words (as I am sure everyone does)... My current SOP structure is the following and I have approximately 2 pages single spaced: 1. Intro 2. past research 3. different past research project 4. paragraph that links past research to new proposed area of study (well sort of. It explains why I took a slightly different direction in my MA thesis, but how this led to discovery x, which will allow me to return to the type of research I did in the past). 5. new research 6. new research 7. fit paragraph/conclusion *note - I tried demonstrating "fit" throughout the SOP.

There are too many "what ifs" in life. Years from now you may ask yourself "What if I did study a little extra? Could I have scored higher?" Instead of asking what if, just do. I've always suffered from self doubt and I am sure everyone does to some extent, but what I've learned from my own experience is that if you don't have confidence in yourself no one else will. My own self doubt has ruined me more than any skill that I may lack.

I think everyone understands your frustration with the GRE/ETS. When I took my examine the screen froze and skipped 2 questions (for me). No doubt that negatively affected my quant score, but I sucked it up and retook it. I didn't even bother with ETS. It is a large and powerful beaucracy. Not worth it for me to waste my time complaining. The hardest thing to do is to look at oneself for ones failure, but it is the only way to succeed. Learn from this experience and move on.

Stop being a drama queen and study! It is possible to raise GRE scores. The AW section is ridiculous in my opinion (got 5.5 first time and 4.5 the second), but the quant and verbal can be raised. Don't give up. You don't have much time if you want to apply this cycle, so my advice to you is to get all of the Manhattan books and Magoosh and study all day (if possible) and throw in 1-2 practice exams (once you completed some of the books) each week.

I don't think there is a polite way to ask. You should probably avoid it if you ever want to ask these people for a letter again. Plus, they are likely to refuse. Just avoid the awkwardness.

Not necessarily. Waiving your right is the norm. Professors (whether they write something good or bad) often feel more comfortable doing things in anonymity. Unfortunately, this is something you have to get used to in academia.

I am confused. In your initial post it seemed that these 4 professors agreed and then you gave them info to help them write letters, but now you are saying that you are still waiting for them to confirm whether they are sending letters. Which stage are you at? Stages: 1a - ask Prof 1b - Prof replies and agrees 2- Send request through application 3 - wait for them to send letter through application system (and remind them about it the last week of november and again in dec.)

Did you send them a request through your applications?

Currently, I am getting 2 letters (one very well-known - the type of person people name drop without actually knowing, both with tenure) from my field/sub-field and one from a closely related field (however, I spent the least amount of time with him, but I do know he will write a good letter - i.e. nothing damaging, but warm and encouraging letter for graduate studies). For my third letter, should I try getting a letter from a Professor who I took several classes with, but probably doesn't remember me because he is literally the most forgetful person ever?

I've already edited my writing sample, sent my GRE scores, completed the unimportant parts of applications, and completed my SOP. However, I am personalizing the last 3 paragraphs for each school, which is taking a lot of time (working at a pace of 2 schools a week!). Right now I am focusing on the schools that I think I have the best fit with. I have yet to hear back from my third letter writer (making me nervous, but I did just email him on friday), but the other two were fine with it (probably because they've already written letters for me).

My list of 11 schools has increased to 19. I was scolded for having very few ranked below 20, so I added more but there are about 5 schools that I don't think are a good "fit." She still says that my list of schools is very competitive and that my definition of "good" school is narrow. The rankings of schools that I selected range from 1-40, therefore, I think I am applying widely enough.

It seems that you are not interested in American Politics (study of congress and the presidency) that much, but solely IR. There are faculty at almost every school that is interested in American foreign policy. Princeton, OSU, Cornell, UCSD, Georgetown, UNC, etc. It is impossible to say where you are likely to get accepted with funding. Most (not all) students admitted to the top 20 have scores 160+, but it is still worth a shot. Apply widely. IR is one of the most competitive subfields. It is often recommend to apply to around 15 schools. I find this ridiculous, but admissions is partly luck....

No where if you mention IR and American Politics as your interests. You need to focus on one subfield!

You can just fold the paper in such a manner when scanning that they won't see all of that. That is what I am doing. Programs will not care.

Some professors take a long time to respond to emails especially when one isn't a current student. This can be frustrating and nerve wracking, but I would give them a week before sending another email.

Thanks for the advice. If I went somewhere to work on a secondary interest, I know the whole time I am there I would be thinking about my primary interest and I would probably be very irritated/frustrated. I know my interests will shift while in graduate school, but I don't think they will change so drastically that I would want to be in a different program.

Kaplan (or any tutoring service) - waste of money. Just get Magoosh + Manhattan.