jadoo1989

I have an interesting problem. Generally, I know the consensus is not to include extraneous information that can be found elsewhere in your application. However, I am applying to a program in which they state a huge preference for people who took certain courses. It's a Latin American/Caribbean Studies program and I majored in Spanish. My transcript is generally readable, but my university has a practice where the name of the course is either obscure looking on the transcript or omitted entirely. For instance, I took a history special topics class that had the title "Cuba: From Emancipation to Revolution". This class is probably THE most relevant class I have taken to deal with the subject matter. How does it show up on my transcript? "HIST: Selected Topics". This occurs in 2-3 other places on the transcript as well. Basically, would it be okay to include a sheet either as part of or separate from my curriculum vitae listing the full, proper names of the courses that I took in Spanish and the ones that I took in history which have to do with the region? I guess I could put it in my SOP, but there's a strict SOP limit and words are precious.

Thanks for the information and encouragement! It's just, the process is already looking arduous and the odds look insurmountable.

So, does being a gangster weigh positively or negatively? I'd say research fit, funding, location.

I can see your reasoning, but probably wouldn't be a great way to start your professional career, especially in Canada where the academic circles are smaller.

I am planning on going for a masters in Spanish or Latin American studies. My research interests are contemporary Latin American film and contemporary Latin American literature. I will be applying for Fall 2014 entry and application deadlines are in February, 2014. I suppose finding a supervisor isn't as important in the humanitie as it is in STEM, where budgets and projects matter a whole lot more. However, all of my schools ask for a statement of purpose/interest in which I identify my research interests and I'm thinking it would be good to show that I know what I want to do in the department and who I want to do it with. At what point should I get the ball rolling on that?

I am planning on going for a masters in Spanish or Latin American studies. My research interests are contemporary Latin American film and contemporary Latin American literature. I will be applying for Fall 2014 entry and application deadlines are in February, 2014. I suppose finding a supervisor isn't as important in the humanitie as it is in STEM, where budgets and projects matter a whole lot more. However, all of my schools ask for a statement of purpose/interest in which I identify my research interests and I'm thinking it would be good to show that I know what I want to do in the department and who I want to do it with. At what point should I get the ball rolling on that?

I am an American interested in studying programs in Spanish/Latin American Studies/Hispanic Studies in Canada. My main issue is that my GPA is right at 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. However, many schools say they place great emphasis on the last-two-years' GPA, in which case it is a somewhat respectable 3.7. I've emailed my programs of interest with my stats and they all have said that I should apply regardless of the cumulative GPA being only at 3.0. In addition to the upward trend, I lived for six months in Mexico. During this time I took an intensive 420 hour Spanish course and worked full time as an ESL instructor. I am fully fluent in Spanish and have a certificate of Advanced-Mid Spanish on the ACTFL guidelines, so I do think that helps. My LORs are also solid as one of them comes from the head of the department of foreign languages at my university and the other is from a senior professor in Spanish at the same university. My main concern is still the cumulative GPA. Even though many programs sounded enthusiastic about receiving my application, I'm not sure if it's something that they just say to encourage people to apply so they can bank on the hefty application fee for international students. Can anyone with similar experiences chime in?