repentwalpurgis

Well, yes... schools do mail out unofficial transcripts.

Um, I'd like to thank the one university I took a mere 6 credits at for being the one place that's f'd up sending out my transcripts.

Is there a Shakespeare or Milton scholar around that would be willing to glance at a writing sample? Having a similar problem where the promised proofread from a professor never quite happened. I had another prof look at it, but I'd like someone who doesn't know me to take a look, too.

So, I largely felt the same way as you throughout the negotiation of reference letters, but as Takeruk says, you must remember how busy these letter-writers are. I have never received a single response from one of my letter writers - other than planning a meeting with him to talk about the letter. And I realized that is just the way this person operates - so I develop my efforts to contact him appropriately. In a fit of anxiety, I drove out to my alma mater to speak with him after he never responded to an email containing my SOP and writing sample. He immediately said, "do you want to see how many emails I receive?" They can't respond to every single one - it's up to you to trust them and understand how they choose to communicate. I thought that I'd be anxious as hell come this week, but I simply try to remind myself that they understand the process (it might seem like they don't sometimes, but they sure do) and they'll get to the letters when they can. I don't know your location, but Thanksgiving is probably taking up some time, too.

Georgetown wants an 8-10 page writing sample and I want to scream.

Yeah... I am going to try to look at it for the last time today or tomorrow. I wrote an entirely new paper over the summer using some ideas I developed in two different classes, and that alone was a real trying process - at the very least, I'm pretty proud of forcing myself to write an almost entirely new paper. I want to plan for myself some kind of distraction plan - you know, get a lot of other goals settled so that even if I don't get in, I'll still feel accomplished. Yoga every day, saving money, you name it...namaste~

Who else is freaking out? Who else can't possibly look at that writing sample again without wanting to puke? I mean, I know this is hard work, and a lot of hard work that I should expect, but the anxiety.... how do you refresh your brain?

Thanks, Takeruk. You are always here to make a stressed applicant feel better! Decided to not send the first score.

I mentioned this in some other thread, but aside from people, I looked a lot at resources - journals, research groups, libraries, various associations with Some Other Great Library in Another State...methodology if that really vibed with me...I'm not saying they expect all or any of this, but it illustrated fit for me personally 'cos it got me real excited about the school, so.

Yeah, some of the "paperwork" I am filling out for a school that details my courses and whatnot is laden with typos.

Yeah, I agree, and I think I should add to my post as I don't think it is solely being an "anomaly" that makes for this statement, while I do feel that is in some extent what's going on in that Berkeley example. Anomaly was a poor word choice. ...and I'll add here that I would give a much more constructive response if I wasn't in the midst of submitting 10 graduate applications right now. ;} Hope ere'body's surviving.

I personally hate that example of a personal history. It's so damn flowery and pretty, and I honestly think that the person who decided to use it as example was perhaps the sole individual to fall in love with it. I don't mean that the writing is bad, it's certainly organized and at times quite clear, but I think that this example should be taken with a grain of salt. Ultimately, when you look beyond the grandiloquence of it, I think they are simply saying "I am unique because of my specific culture, that is quite different from the culture and time period that I study." This should be of an inspiration to all of us: certainly we can all say something that expresses whichever anomaly that we are. /semi-rant I'm writing something similar, though - a "diversity statement" for the University of Minnesota. Anyway, when I emailed them, they said those are primarily used to determine whether an applicant is eligible for some kind of diversity-based fellowship.

Um, I just got so excited about champagne's post that I totally forgot to ask an important question. OK. Did worse on the GRE AW this round - 4.5 instead of the initial 5 - didn't send "both scores" because my quantitative reasoning the first time was abdominal (yeah, a mistake to not consider the better score from the second time). What do I do - send that first score, too? a 93rd percentile just feels so much better than a 78, but oh my godddd I do NOT want to pay for anything else at this point.

Word. Yeah, I understand this all too well - finally received a significant amount of feedback from a former prof on my statement of purpose. Since this person is moving across the world right now, their feedback was not necessarily rushed but more focused upon what really needed to be changed (and they mentioned that they specifically did not comment on the good parts - this might be the case for you, too). The hurried, panicked part of me generally thinks that I'm "almost done" with my statement - that I've worked on it since August, spent countless hours conceiving the material, hounding the rhetoric, wanting to throw it out and cry (and in some cases, totally doing that). But when I received that email - and a "it's really coming along" (*gulp* - not near done!) - I knew that it wasn't close to being finished, and the logical side of me just wanted to work towards that satisfying upload. I don't remember what quote I've read before about "abandoning" writing rather than "finishing," but I think that's what I'll be doing once I am "finished"...only once I'm really ready to let this little statement walk out into the world on its own. This is one of the few assignments I've ever imposed on myself where I won't be turning it in just to finally feel satisfied with the amount of work I put into it. I'll be turning it in 'cos I know I'll be ready to do so, and that I exceeded my expectations. Also - if anyone wants to swap a writing sample, SOP, or personal statement for feedback - please PM me!

Is it above average, though? It's just frustrating that I got a much higher percentile the first time, ya know?

Ugh. There isn't much to say here - nailed a 5 the first time taking the GRE. Just received the score back today - it's a 4.5! Of course, when sending out my four free scores, I chose to ONLY send the latest because my verbal and quantitative were better, and ultimately, the first quant score is just really bad... What do I do now? Should I pay to have the first scores sent, since my AW is better?

I've been back and forth about 5 times in the past month from my old campus and home to meet with old profs: on the way there, I felt convinced they were going to tell me I'm not fit for grad school, call my proposals for research amateur crap, et cetera. After each fantastic meeting I wanted to marry each and every one of them (here's a pretty clear cut outline of the general extremes in my emotional makeup). Professors really can pull through at times, and they want to help us.

Good luck Katia! I edited this whole post after whining and moaning about the GRE and who wantsa hear about THAT anymore................I need a confidence booster, but whatever. It's crunch time! (anybody else feeling positively insane???) GOOD LUCK TO EVERYBODY!!!

That's good! Seriously hoping for the same sympathy from the proctor. Otherwise, this is going to be a nasty experience. Sucks, though - how much better this test would go with my beloved green tea..... Thank you!!! Feeling it already....probably why I just got sick!

Retaking the GRE this Thursday, and on Friday, I came down with....bronchitis. Hacking my head off. Since ya can't bring in ANYTHING to the testing room, I am seriously considering wearing a shirt made...of towel material...for my nose. Good grief.

Most professors will more-or-less assume that you are applying to more than one school - and of course, you clarify that with them. It's not too difficult to ask - once you get your foot in the door and secure some writers you'll feel better.

I wonder what this means.

I think my next step is printing out hard copies of my materials, and making a trek out to his office hours this week. Then I won't feel on the verge of a heart attack any more!

oh dang, sorry to take over your thread, Loric.

Good idea. I DID, however, send the initial email with materials...and that follow up. Is it insane and bad on my part to try to contact them twice by email, then by phone......three times in a week? OIFJASDFJSDLKFJ;SDLFJKSDF. I feel like I should wait until next week, but it's also crunch time to make sure my letter writers have everything they need to finish it up in three weeks or so... (November 30th) I'm just worried - do professors often just drop students they were backing? I honestly wouldn't even care if they were eventually late in submitting these letters, not submitting at all is far worse.