rising_star

This shouldn't be a problem. I have two rather weird food allergies that were always accommodated on visits. They almost always ask if you have any dietary requirements when they're planning things. If they don't then you can definitely mention it when corresponding about the arrangements for your visit.

I would try really, really hard to cut your SOP down. More than 2 pages (especially if we're talking single-spaced) is too long for adcom members

If you're willing to get a credential in biology, then you definitely should. Maybe you should get both?

I really don't understand why you would want two master's degrees. For something like a master's in GIS, no one really seems to care (on the job market) where you got the master's. They're far more interested in your GIS skills and abilities than they are in the name of the university on the degree. Given that, why would anyone get two of those? Especially since they are often unfunded unless completed as part of a geography degree... You have yet to provide anyone with a clear explanation of why you want two master's degrees. What purpose will having two master's serve? Will it help you get a job or enter into a career that would otherwise be inaccessible? Highly unlikely. The opportunity cost of doing two is likely quite large once you factor everything in.

There's some folks over in the Literature subforum.

If you're Canadian, you're probably better off (at least financially) staying in Canada for a master's. There's rarely funding for a master's in psychology in the USA, which means accruing a lot of debt before you can even begin the PhD.

I agree with the advice to talk to your supervisor about why s/he thinks you aren't ready for a doctoral program. Definitely frame it as a conversation about what you need to do to be ready for one in their eyes. Will it look weird if you apply without the supervisor's letter? Yes and no. If you have three strong academic references from people that believe you can do well and succeed in a doctoral program, then you submit those and don't second guess yourself. The person at the doctoral program may end up calling your supervisor for information but there's really nothing you can do about that. Good luck!

Even if you don't send it initially, they're likely to ask for it if the application deadline is in January. You'll need to make a strong case in your SOP for why you can do better in another graduate program and have your recommenders do the same.

The rules vary somewhat from one state to the next. I would check with the CA Dept of Education (if CA is where you want to teach). You don't necessarily have to enroll in the master's before being able to teach. There are alternate paths, like TNTP or Teach for America (or in some states alternate certification through community college), that you could pursue after completing your bachelor's. In terms of tests, the Praxis tests are fairly common nationwide these days, but CA may have state-specific tests you'd need to take. If you're really interested in being a teacher, you need to start getting teaching experience ASAP. Volunteer to work with high school students, teach for a summer program if you can, etc. Also, why not major in education so that you'd graduate with a certification if you're really interested in teaching? You could always go back and get a master's either in education or in a content area later. You don't always have to have the master's to be able to start teaching. And, at the high school level, you're going to have to have at least 24 hours in the content area whether you're an education major or not to be eligible for certification. Last, but not least, you should know that HS social studies is not an area with lots of job openings. It's not as in-demand as math, science, ESL, or English, which means finding a job will be harder and you'll likely be competing against experienced teachers for those positions.

More than you'd think, Catria. I actually got an acceptance with only 2 letters in. They admitted me to the department and told me they needed the third letter ASAP because they wanted to nominate me for a university-wide fellowship, which required 3 letters with the application. I got the third letter in (it honestly probably got lost the first time it was sent) probably a month after the official deadline.

I would focus on doing well in your courses and trying to raise your GPA some. While experience is good, you shouldn't let the experience detract from your grades. In terms of programs, my understanding is that quite a few of the funded HESA programs require the GRE. If you find yourself interested in those, use the summer to study for the GRE. There are also lots of techniques for fitting your studying into small time blocks (such as a few 5 minute blocks each day), which adds up if you are consistent and do it for a month or two. You should also take a practice exam or two so you know where to concentrate your studying. Good luck!

I wouldn't give an explanation. You retook the course and got an A+, which more than demonstrates your knowledge of the content of that survey course. The space in your SOP can be better used to discuss other things.

For my master's, it felt real when a POI called me and told me I'd been accepted, nominated for a university-wide fellowship, and that the department would like to fly me in for a visit. For my PhD, it felt real when I started packing up to move there and even more real once I arrived in August.

If we're talking PhD programs, it would help to contact your POI and/or his/her current students to get some of this info. There can be wide variation in the success of different professors at helping their students land good positions. For example, in my department, some professors are known for helping their students get jobs at research-intensive universities (RU/VH or R1) while others are known for helping their students land jobs as researchers at institutes or in the government. These differences are important because they totally affect your career path and the training you receive while in the program. So, check LinkedIn, check people's websites (many advisors list their previous students on their site), google names to try to track down people's current positions, and, of course, ask wherever possible.

I would probably just go to GMU. There's way too many variables on waiting for Georgetown (you might not get in, you might not get a scholarship, you might not get your extension in that location) and you could end up with nowhere to go rather than having two possibilities like you do now.

I have paid from 5-10% of my paycheck in state taxes in the past. Each state is different obviously. Where I live now, I pay federal, state, and city income tax on my paycheck, which means my take-home pay is lower than it would be if I lived in Florida, Tennessee, or Texas (states without a state income tax). It'll leave you with more than $1100/month, trust me. (I would only know because I took home more than that even when I made under $16K/year). You can find take home pay estimators online. It pays to actually use those calculators, rather than just guessing. And, when I made $16K, I did pay state and federal income taxes on that.

Stay where you are. It will be very weird trying to explain why you left School A and then went back.

I think your GPA is fine. What you really need is good experience and a solid SOP to really explain why you want the MPA. If you're interested in mapping, you may be able to find a GIS summer internship somewhere, possibly even for a government agency. You might also want to look into some of the NSF REUs that have a policy focus. A few that come to mind are at UT Austin on crime and punishment and one at University of South Florida combining social sciences and engineering. If you google "NSF REU" you can find a searchable list of the programs. While research experience isn't mandatory, it is definitely helpful. REU programs are great because their stipend is larger than pretty much any summer job you can find. You could also look into SURF (summer undergraduate research fellowship) programs and possibly opportunities available for first gen students specifically as well. Good luck!

You do realize January 3 is two weeks away, right? There's really no reason to be stressed out about this right now. I have things due January 1 that I haven't even started yet (and no, I don't mean grad school applications). That is part of the academic life. It'll be alright.

You should definitely try to do a summer REU or SURF program to give you additional research experience. That will help you learn more about what you're interested in and give you much needed experience that will help make you more competitive. You'll also want to make sure you take as many science courses as possible that support your interests.

I would try to stay under 1200 words if at all possible. In my experience, having to cut 1200 words to 500 words helps you figure out what the most important aspects of your SOP are and which you do away with without making the statement suffer.

More of a personal history statement. It's supposed to be autobiographical and tell them about who you are and your experience. It's not the same as a SOP and shouldn't repeat your academic interests.

TakeruK, brokers in the NYC example you gave are not the same as real estate agents in most places. Brokers' fees are payed by renters. There aren't a lot of brokers (if any) in Ohio. If you (the OP) contacts a real estate agent who handles rentals, you may be able to not only see multiple listings more easily (the agent typically drives you around), you may be able to see units they rent as well as others they know about. The landlord in those cases would be the one who pays the agent, not you. So I wouldn't worry about the broker fee because, at least in Ohio, it's not something you'll encounter (but be on the lookout if you see the word "broker" and ask questions). In my experience renting in smaller areas or college areas outside expensive states like CA, you can and do find real estate agents that work specifically with rentals. Often they have numerous ones listed in the MLS or on Zillow. You can then contact them to arrange a showing and also get information on the other units they have available. A lot of these are real estate agents that actually work for management companies (you often have to be licensed as a real estate agent to do this). Management companies have their pros and cons (some are better than others and you can often find reviews online). Unlike TakeruK, I don't know that renting from a corporation with 100s of units is better than renting from an individual with just a few. I've done both and gotten better maintenance and service out of the individuals than I did out of the corporations. With one corporation, we're talking about a serious mold issue caused by duct work in my ceiling that they refused to resolve for the entire time I lived there (one year lease). It was disgusting and ruined a bunch of my stuff. I spent months and months arguing with them, having them send out people to spray bleach but not address the issue, and more. Finally, a maintenance guy told me they'd never resolve it because it was an expensive fix (replacing the duct work for the upstairs units entirely) and so I should move to another unit if I renewed my lease. I never had anything like that when renting from individuals and I rented from individuals for years before this. Now I rent from a woman that owns a total of 15 units and she's phenomenal about sending out someone for repairs if I need it (we're talking same day or next day depending on my schedule). She also was kind enough to be flexible about the move-in date and receipt of security and first month's rent since she knew I was moving to start a new job and was temporarily cash poor. There's no way a big corporation would've been flexible in that situation.

Why not have her mail you the letter now for you to include in your packet? It really doesn't matter whether your application arrives on the day of the deadline or 2 weeks before unless there's rolling admissions so there's no reason to rush your writer for that. The reason they prefer things all in one packet is so nothing gets lost (and you include a table of contents with those so they know what's inside). So, you're taking a risk the letter might not get attached to the rest of your materials if you mail it separately. That doesn't reflect poorly on your application, it's just the reality of the situation. I would see if you can get it mailed inside a separate sealed envelope to you and then you could forward it on from there.

It really depends on what kind of agreement you and the professor come up with. I always recommend that students write a "syllabus" for the independent study so expectations are clear on both ends. That means providing a list of what you'll read, what deliverables (short papers, long papers, book reviews, etc.) you'll submit and by when, and figuring out how many credit hours to do the independent study for. At my current institution, undergraduates can do independent studies ranging from 1-4 units, so obviously someone doing 4 units should be doing more work than someone doing it for 1 unit. This is where the syllabus/learning contract comes in and plays a huge role.