historygirl

As far as UPenn is concerned - While the email does say that they will contact you if there are items missing...they won't. You have to check up on it using the website. I noticed that one of my transcripts had not made it there by the second week of Jan, and so I called to confirm it hadn't been received. I had it sent overnight, and my app was completed and sent to the dept. According to the grad school, it wasn't too late, as they were just about to send the big stack of completed files at that point. Thank goodness! However, this means that yhinferno, perhaps there was a screw up, and your file may never have been marked as complete. And Louiselab

I study the same thing, particularly ecclesiastical. The Celtic languages will help with actual research, no doubt. The programs, though, will still want to see French and German. Part of this is because the core research has documents in both, and part is because there is quite a bit of important scholarship in those languages. Out of curiosity, where did you apply, and with whom did you want to work? (You can PM me if you don't want that to be public information.)

It really depends on what specifically you want to study. If you're a medievalist, most programs require French, German, and Latin...period. A few allow you to replace one of those (French or German) with another relevant language, but most don't. Also, again, they want to see some proficiency by the time you enter. Not just the "I can pass the department language test" proficiency, but real proficiency. The reason for this is the coursework doesn't allow a lot of time to prepare languages as well. Also, some of those first-year classes require reading knowledge off the bat to even function in the class. Of course, this depends on the program. I would question the quality of a program that doesn't require some proficiency before entrance, though, because I suspect they are less concerned with graduating students in a timely manner or the ultimate success of the students.

I think in the fields that have a serious language requirement, such as classics, medieval, Middle East, and Asia, no one will get into the top programs without good language prep. I'm a medievalist, and I was told that they want to see proficiency in Latin and at least two years for French and German. Yet...every year they get a gazillion applicants with excellent language prep. The ones that don't are usually gone in the first cut, but that still leaves an awful lot. Think of language prep like the GRE and GPA. They can't really help you (because everyone that's truly in the running will have great GRE, GPA, and language prep), but they can hurt you if they are below the norm.

I lived in Hyde Park for quite awhile and, although I didn't live in graduate housing myself, had several friends and neighbors who did. All the UofC properties are well-cared for. They are also pretty cheap for the neighborhood. The co-op mentioned on 53rd St. has closed and reopened as a produce market mid-January. They carry produce, meats, and fish. A cafe is going to open next door. The main co-op on 55th and Lake Park closed as well. Treasure Island is supposed to open at the end of February, but I don't know if that is currently on schedule. That will be in the 55th St. spot, which was the main co-op store. However, assuming you will have a car, I often went to the Dominick's in the South Loop. Dominick's had bid for the 55th St. location as well, and I wish they had won, because it's a better store than Treasure Island in a lot of ways (plus really cheap pizza on Fridays). Oh well. As mentioned, 53rd St. is one of the main streets in Hyde Park, and it has a ton of restaurants and shops. 57th St. is the other street with shops, especially bookstores. Be aware that if you need to get to a Target, the closest one is South Loop - not hard to get to from Hyde Park, but not close enough to walk. Other box stores with cheap household stuff is further away - sometimes much further away. Plan those trips carefully, because it's impossible to take a quick run there. You are only a few blocks from the lake, the beach, and the Point. If you run or bike, you can do either on the bike trail that goes along much of the length of the lake in the city. City festivals in the summer are common, especially in Grant Park (downtown) - about 10-15 minutes from Hyde Park depending on traffic. The Museum of Science and Industry is also within walking distance, and the Oriental Institute on campus is awesome. Safety - lock everything up. Always. Things are stolen regularly in the entire neighborhood. Don't leave anything valuable in your car. I wouldn't walk around alone at night - there often aren't enough people out for it to be safe - but the campus has a safe ride system. Also, the campus police patrol constantly - you can't go two blocks without seeing them - and there are emergency phones everywhere. The campus bus system will take you from your building to campus, and thank goodness for that, because walking a few blocks in a Chicago winter is not fun! I suspect you mean Swift Hall (not Smith Hall, which doesn't exist). It's on the main quad, about 57th and Ellis. The Campus/Kenwood bus hits both there and at 53rd and Woodlawn, so that would likely be the best option for you. Walking between them - it's not close (about 7 blocks), but in warm weather you could do it if you so chose. A lot of people choose to bike, and there are plenty of bike stands. Just lock it up! In the winter, I would not make that walk. Take the bus. Here's the bus map for that route: http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/bus/bus/172.pdf And the other campus transportation maps: http://facilities.uchicago.edu/transppa ... -192.shtml Evening routes are listed as well. I loved Hyde Park and would live there again.

You can easily find out if the program is part of the agreement. Although it is voluntary, it is binding. I guess this is a little late, but you should not contact your other programs to try and rush them. You should instead find out if the program that is rushing you is part of the agreement. The resolution and list of schools is here : http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/CGS ... ov2007.pdf If the program is listed, call them and mention that you thought, per the Council of Graduate Studies, that you had until April 15 to compare offers. Mention you are still waiting on some programs to make decisions. Be polite and inquiring. You will likely get an extension.

For your sanity, please realize that graduate programs do not generally send thick envelopes. Most email, some call, and a few send thin, one-page decisions. Thick envelopes come later - sometimes months later - and often not until you accept the spot. So don't walk away from the mail in disgust if it's all thin letters!

Because posting minimums wouldn't solve the problem. Let's say they post a minimum of 650 V. Then candidates that may get a second look even with a low verbal, such as international candidates or candidates with LORs from known advisors don't apply. Let's say they put it at 600V. They have tons more applications, so they still need to weed out apps. The fact is, the "minimum" changes every year based upon the applications they receive. Also, they don't weed out simply based on GRE, but they do weed out on a combination of GRE and GPA. If you have a high GPA and a low GRE, they may give other parts of you app a second glance. If there are other factors there, such as pubs or great LORs from well-known people, you will probably get a thorough read. If not, it's awfully hard to overcome the number of applicants that have excellent GREs, GPAs, and LORs. This is all according to a prof who used to be at Yale history. IMO (and this is brutally honest), if a person has a mediocre GRE and GPA, they should know better than to apply to Yale, anyway. The competition will be better and tougher at the top places. They don't know you, and they don't have time to get to know you, so they work with what they have. GRE scores, while you may not like them, are an indicator of future success and, more importantly, give context to your GPA. We can't all get into Yale. Life's rough that way.