rogue

I mentioned a conference that I recently attended in my SOP. I'm switching disciplines and wanted to show that I'm serious about immersion in the new field and aware of what's currently going on. A prof who reviewed my SOP for me thought it was a good idea. YMMV.

I did my undergrad in communications and then got an MBA. Now I'm mainly applying to sociology programs (+1 comm and 1 gender studies). I think (I hope, anyway) that I justified the switch sufficiently in my SOPs. And quite a few of the programs I'm applying to explicitly state that applicants do not need to have a background in soc. I hope that's not just lip service.

I work in administration at a college and also teach there at night. It's good prep work for going back to school, though I have so much more freedom to design my courses now than I will as a TA (example: while I officially teach English, I have, in the last two weeks, lectured on topics as diverse as the first amendment, genetics, and Marxism). I pretty much love my job, but I'm convinced I'll love grad school and, later, full-time professorship, even more. Yay.

So, I took the GRE back in May, and I sent scores at that time to four of my ten schools. A couple of weeks ago, I sent scores to the other six schools. ETS sent me a confirmation in the mail, and when I looked at it, I realized my percentiles had changed. I guess that's a function of more people having taken the test since I did? Anyway, my quant went down one point, and AW went up two points. The problem is, I already submitted some of my applications, all of which asked me to self-report scores and percentiles. Is this a big enough deal that I should send some sort of explanatory email (or make a call?) to the DGS at the schools that will see a mismatch? Grrr... like I need one more thing to worry about right now!

I submitted two samples for one of my apps. One was a research paper with original research, a long bibliography and a ton of citations. It was my scholarly sample. The other one didn't really qualify as scholarly, but it was published in an anthology and included some original ethnography. I also included a short note explaining why I submitted two pieces (and I mentioned in the note that someone on the ad com suggested I send both). All my other apps are just getting the research paper, with the published essay simply noted on my CV. If you can't get away with sending in both (say, a school specifically prohibits multiple samples), I'd send whichever is your strongest work (it sounds like the first one), and mention the other in your publications section on your CV, and maybe in your SOP if you have room.

On one app, I put their job title ("professor" or "CEO" or whatever), then realized after I submitted it that the application was putting it in front of their names ("CEO John Doe"). D'oh. I hope I only did it on that one.

Ugh. I feel your pain. My third LOR writer is totally dragging his feet. He's not a professor either, so I don't think he understands the urgency. We have a great working relationship, which I'm afraid of ruining by being a pain in the ass, but I need those damn letters! Edited to add: the worst part is, he's had the stuff to write them since AUGUST!!!

For those of you without GPAs and other stuff that show how you rank against other applicants, I'd think it would be especially important to make contact with professors at your programs of interest. Maybe try to get a conversation going about common research interests, then mention your profile.

I'm completely changing my field of study, so all my LORs are from profs in other fields. Despite what some people may say, I don't think it really matters that much, as long as they can attest to my ability to do graduate-level work.

I can't imagine it works this way for Ph.D. programs, but I am relatively certain that I talked my way into my master's program. I applied after the deadline, hadn't taken all the necessary prerequisites (I promised to take them in summer school), and took the very last paper-and-pencil GMAT ever, at the 11th hour, so my scores were totally late. I called the DGS at least once a week to say hi, inquire about the status of my application, and generally be a charming pain in the ass. Though I was told I was admitted based on the strength of my essay and LORs, I think they finally let me in just to shut me up. Not asking for funding probably helped my case too.

Nope. I sent emails to my LOR writers through the Berkeley app without having uploaded either of my essays, which I'm still working on. To answer the original question of this thread, I've submitted 3/10 apps--at least the online part--but still need to send the packages of supporting documents. Just a note to everyone who has to mail stuff: don't forget the post offices get insane around the holidays, so if you're waiting until December to mail your apps, expect long lines. Ugh.

I'm relatively certain only the writing part counts toward the page limit. As for using tricks, I wouldn't mess with font size, spacing or margins too much. Changing from 12 pt to 11 pt isn't too bad, but using 9 or 10 pt might be. Similarly, changing spacing by a couple tenths probably wouldn't be a big deal, and tiny changes to margins shouldn't matter either. I just wouldn't make it obvious that you're desperately squeezing stuff in. (Many schools I'm applying to firmly specify 12 pt double spaced, so I'm hesitant to play with my sample too much.)

I was just about to ask this same question. I'm leaning toward printing mine on regular paper, just like all the other hard copy materials I have to submit.

I am absolutely doing that, and driving myself and everyone around me crazy in the process. Somehow there's comfort in knowing I'm not the only one. I couldn't have said it better. Ugh.

Everything I've heard is contrary to this. Yes, GRE and grades might be the first things they look at, but that is just to make the initial cut. According to every professor and DGS I've talked to, ad comms are more interested in SOPs, LORs and writing samples. The GRE is certainly NOT the best indicator of success in a grad program--not by a long shot.

I worry about this, too--I'll be over 40 when I graduate. But f*ck it, this is what I want to do, so I'm taking that chance. I'll still have at least 20 years to work, probably more like 30. That's a damn long time.

Awesome.

Congratulations!

Interesting that they specifically mention sexual orientation; I wonder if many people respond in that vein. I'm outing myself in my SOPs, but then I'm studying gender and sexuality, and it seems appropriate since my own personal experience is part of what led me to the field. Anyone else mentioning this in their SOPs or personal statements?

Me too!

I feel the same way. With the exception of a few schools that wanted either the LORs or transcripts sent directly, I'm collecting and compiling all my stuff so I can send (and track) it myself.

Coyabean, you might want to be careful what you're putting out there about this "underachiever" professor. (I'm not quoting your post in detail here in case you want to edit it to remove specifics.) You never know who's reading things on the internet, and if you still have to make it through his class, it might not be good to post identifying information on a public forum. Per the posts on KieBelle's "random thoughts" topic, it's pretty easy to figure out who people are and who they're talking about. Just some food for thought...

Not all my recommenders are at the schools where they taught me. I had to track them down through the magic of the interwebs. Even though the department is no longer there, surely most of your profs (the ones who are alive and not retired) have found another gig somewhere. I bet you could find an anthropologist or two to write for you. Good luck.

Ha. I wish all schools would use exclamation points for all the things they're really serious about. And maybe question marks for the things they don't really care about.

Apply, then worry about where to go once you see where you got in. If the lower ranked school has people doing research you're more interested in, and those people are willing to work with you, you might fare better than at the other schools in the end. It's possible that you'll end up publishing more, making more contacts, etc. You never know. Sure, rank is important, but it's not everything.