C&C

It is in no way rude to check such boxes, assuming you are applying for a PhD.  The lifetime earning for a humanities and social sciences PhD do not merit paying for the degree. 
 
Repeat the mantra, "An unfunded history PhD is a preventable mistake."

I briefly introduced myself - name, major, present institution, and what I wish to pursue further. Afterward I discussed his present research, include his books, and how they correspond to my own. Finally in my concluding paragraph, I ask if hes accepting new grad students and if my research would fit in with the department. I've heard you should keep your intro letters relatively short, and never discuss the logistics of your application. As the name suggests, its an introduction.
 
@kdavid, for the University of California, class started less than a week ago. 

I wouldn't contact them so much for admissions, but to confirm that people you want to work with will be available. You don't want to arrive for a MA program only to find that your POI is going on a two-year sabbatical.

I'm on the admissions committee at a middling PhD program, and I can say quite definitively that we don't take extracurriculars into account when weighing applications. In the three years I've been on the committee, I don't think an applicant's extracurriculars have even come up in our discussions, much less affected an admissions decision. My second PhD student is getting ready to defend in a few months, and I have four or five more in the pipeline--and now that I have some experience working with doctoral candidates, a "mechanical studious graduate student" is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for in an applicant. So obviously, it varies.
 
LeventeL, I'm very sorry to hear about your mom. Having gone through the same thing when I was a grad student, I know how difficult it can be. Please consider the possibility of taking a year between undergrad and grad school. It was one of the smartest things I've done, and set me up for a lot more success professionally than if I'd tried to go directly from undergrad. Grad school will still be there in a year's time.

GRE scores for top universities
GRE scores for engineering programs
GRE score percentiles
 
You're still above 90th percentile, so you're competitive. And GRE scores are not the most important part of your application. GRE scores are used primarily for weeding out lower-end students and for fellowship ranking (that I know of). You should be fine, as long as the rest of your application is also strong.

I have free time in grad school - you have to make free time.
 
I have a Mac and I love it.  I was worried about compatibility issues to but it turned out to be a non-issue.  I purchased VMWare for $40 from the Apple store and my university allows us free access to Windows OS, so I have it if I need it, but I rarely use it.
 
For PCs, Lenovo and Asus are good.  Toshiba is also a good brand.
 
Don't get a Sony.  They're flimsily constructed and overpriced.

At the very basic level, I put a generous amount of salt and pepper on the meat (both sides) before it hits the pan.
I noticed that if the veggies I'm using release a lot of water into the pan I'll usually have to re-season the meat towards the end of the cooking process. 
 
Since I'm half-Italian, I use tons of basil and garlic salt as well.
 
I've found that to make the dish flavorful it helps to use one or two ingredients that pack a punch. I LOVE green peppers and they're wonderful at flavoring the meat and other veggies. Sliced potatoes are great because they'll hold onto any seasoning you put on them. Chopped fresh garlic is always good as well. We have a great organic garden here, and I've found that the fresher the food, the more flavor it will add to your finished dish. I never use frozen or canned ingredients! I think those processes can take out a ton of flavor, put in too much salt, and aren't necessarily the cheapest.
 
Sometimes it also helps to cook the meat in veggies separately. You can even just partially cook the meat, then put them on a plate, cook the veggies most of the way, put the meat back into the pan, and finish cooking. 
 
Another way I like to season meat is I'll put steak in a glass pan with a bottle of cheap vinegar based salad dressing on top. (I usually go for Italian dressing.) Tenderize (AKA poke holes in the steak with a fork) and let the steak sit in the fridge for a few hours. (This is a great thing to prepare in the morning and then go to class and forget about it.) When you get back from class/work/whatever put the meat in the oven (still in the dressing) and cook it until it reaches medium rare, medium, well-done, etc. I think this is actually a Paula Deen recipe if that helps you locate it. Anything that she suggests is delicious.
 
In all, I never use pre-made sauces since they're unhealthy (usually) and simple spices with fresh ingredients are all you need to make an amazing dish!
 
As further help here are the ingredients I use the most (not necessarily all at once): 
chicken slices, pork chops, cheap/thin steak, green peppers (almost always), potatoes (scalloped, not from a can), tomatoes, kale, fresh garlic, fresh basil (so easy to grow!), onions, chick peas, whole wheat pasta, salt, pepper, garlic salt, ground basil, anything fresh that I find on sale.
 
I really don't know anything about cooking. I just learned this summer by busting out the pans and giving it a go! Hope this helps!
(Sorry that this post became a monstrosity...)
 EDIT: Sorry also that I have a gif addiction. I really can't help myself.

1. Instant ramen. Use the time it's cooking to chop up onions, jalapenos, oregano, other spices, tofu, red pepper, etc.
 
2. Tomatoes with: olive oil, oregano, basil, and crumbled feta.
 
3. Scrambled eggs with veggies. Throw on some sriracha sauce and a piece of toast.
 
4. Canned/Boxed soups with whatever veggies you have.
 
5. Fruit. Almost always easy to prepare.
 
6. Potatoes. Microwave then top with anything.

I've never had a problem in over a decade of using IBM/Lenovo warranty service.  A 200 dollar warranty service versus having to outsource the problem (with no garauntee that it'll be fixed) - no thanks.   As for your machine being a hunk of junk in a few years - bah.  I think people toss this "obsolete" word around with a bit too much abandon.  "No longer best in class for [insert task]" might be the better phrase to use.  My Thinkpad R61 can still do the marginal stuff my T430s is currently doing.  It just does it a bit slower (depending on what you are using it for).   As for aesthetic issues, no one is ever going to call the Thinkpad series "bold. . ." in design (except for the Carbon).  These are business class laptops however - Lenovo makes a line for individuals who are "design concious. . ."  However, compared to Samsung or Apple - Lenovo isn't going to win any awards from the undegrad set.     If you care about a solid, well built affordable machine - it's really hard to get wrong with the T series.

A word of warning on Lenovo, their build quality has gone downhill rapidly over the last three years. The thinkpads are still ok (still the same ibm line they bought out), but I'd avoid anything else like the plague. Do not waste your money on the extended warrenty, the computers generally come back in worse shape than they leave--spend a minute googling to see what I mean. Carefully read the lenovo forums and elsewhere about any lenovo you are thinking about, many have serious design flaws that are not apparent until after a few months of use (for example overheating and cracking soldering or frying chipsets is a very common problem becuase of poor heat sink design common in Lenovo laptops).
 
Dell latitudes are still alright, but maybe not as good as a thinkpad. Macbooks tend to not wear as fast but are expensive and use out of date hardware that you get to pay a premium for.
 
An alternative is to accept that anything you buy now will be toast or obsolete in 3 years, and buy a $300 webbook or some such, then buy a nice internal or portable hard drive to install the operating system and all your programs on, plus some expanded ram on Amazon for ~$100. The hard drive will last a couple of computers if you are kind to it, and if you boot from it and add your own ram to the laptop the system will be quicker than most high end off the shelf laptops. Sometime university IST/CIS departments will help you with the hardware installs. Check with them regardless, they may be able to get you significant discounts on new computers or parts.

. . .specifically a T430s from the Lenovo Outlet (returns and refurbished models).

Lenovo T or W series.

I purchased a Lenovo recently and I'm in love with it. They seem to always have lots of good deals on their website, so you could always snag a bargain deal with them like I did.

Looks like we're in the same boat! I'm taking mine Aug 21st, and I came across the Manhattan prep too. I still use Magoosh, but I'm turning more towards my books this time instead of the computer. I'm also terrified that I'll get the same score or....do worse! "The horror! The horror!"
 
Best of luck to you!

I am retaking the exam end of August. I have seen an increase in my practice scores. In addition to my old materials (Kaplan), I am using Manhattan and Magoosh. I've given myself more time than previously and Magoosh/Manhattan are by far superior material to Kaplan, so I think that has a lot to do with it. I still have a fear that come test day, I will get the same score....

I'm not sure about the Boulevard's hours. Since I've only been there at night, I'm not sure if they are open during the day. I know some of the diners in Worcester are like that. But, since you aren't planning to go during the day, that shouldn't be a problem. If you're into good bars with good beers on tap, check out Green Street. (That's an actual street, not a bar name.) It used to be really scuzzy and run down - when I first started going there; don't know what that says about me - but it's changed a lot. There's a little bar - on the right hand side of the street if you're coming toward the bridge facing downtown - that has some good stuff on tap. And check out Hotel Vernon in Kelley Square, too. It's also a place that used to be really, really shady, but now is only partially so. It's got an odd mix of characters, from working-class locals to hipsters. And it's got a room shaped like a boat!

A number of posts questioning the importance of the writing sample in the admission process inspired me to write the blog post I've included below. I'd hate to see other applicants make the same mistake that I did...

When I applied to English Ph.D. programs after finishing my Bachelors, what worried me most about the application process was the GRE. I had never done well on standardized tests (my SAT scores were embarrassingly low when compared to my friends’ scores), and I was convinced that my chances of being accepted to a good school hinged almost entirely on my GRE scores. Determined not to let the GRE stand between me and my dream, I dedicated six months to studying for the exam. I learned thousands of new vocabulary words, took hundreds of practice tests, and deconstructed the GRE question type by question type, learning how to master each and every component of the exam.

My hard work paid off in some respects: I ended up with scores in the 99th percentile and proved to myself that I could accomplish anything to which I set my mind. Unfortunately, my high scores provided little solace once the rejection letters started piling up. My high scores meant even less when I found out that my friend “Joe,” who had GRE scores in the 70th percentile and a mediocre 3.2 GPA, ended up getting accepted to Berkeley and received a full fellowship offer from another top-ranked program. Nor, in the end, were my high GRE scores the reason why I was fortunate enough to receive a last-minute phone call from the Graduate Director at the University of Iowa, a school from which I had already received a rejection letter, informing me that a space had opened up for me.

Based on my own experience, that of my friend's, and what I have since learned in my 15+ years in academia, GRE scores are probably the least important component of a candidate’s application. In my own case, I had placed so much importance on my GRE scores, that I failed to recognize the importance of the writing sample in the admission process (at least for humanities and social science programs): I didn’t give my writing sample nearly enough thought. I ended up submitting a seminar paper I had just completed that semester simply because it was the only paper that fit the length requirements, not because this paper best demonstrated my potential to produce original and compelling scholarship. My writing sample no doubt fell far short when compared to the work of the many other applicants with high GRE scores, many of whom had already received Master’s Degrees or presented papers at conferences.

By contrast, despite his low GRE scores and GPA, my friend was accepted to Berkeley and Indiana primarily on the basis of his very strong writing sample, a paper that had won an undergraduate essay contest. After reading this paper, a professor on the AdCom at Indiana working in the same field contacted Joe to express a desire to work with him and offered him a full fellowship. Having a strong advocate on his side, Joe’s low GRE scores and GPA became unimportant — he did not need to convince an entire committee he was a worthy candidate, simply one well-placed person. It worked the same way for him at Berkeley: one of Joe’s recommenders was close friends with the head of the graduate program at Berkeley, and the strong paper, combined with the use of a connection, worked to secure Joe’s acceptance.

As both Joe’s case and my own illustrate, strong advocates mean everything in academia. Though my weak writing sample failed to turn AdCom members into advocates, I was lucky enough that at least one of my recommenders was willing to enlist her connections to advocate for me behind the scenes. To this day, I suspect the only reason I received a post-rejection acceptance to the University of Iowa was because one of my recommenders, who was very well-known in my field and a former Graduate Director at Iowa, made a call on my behalf. Ultimately, this is the way things work in academia — whether you are applying for entry into a grad program or a tenure-track job, you will always need to have advocates willing to make a call and use their connections on your behalf. At the very least, you will always be competing against other candidates with advocates who are doing just that.

While high GRE scores ultimately end up being the least important component of a candidate’s profile, there are two contexts in which GRE scores matter more. Some schools use cut-off GRE scores to determine whether an application will be reviewed and receive full consideration (e.g., applications with GREs below 600 will be rejected without review). In such cases, candidates with lower GRE scores should make contact with Professors of Interest at schools to which they are applying and enlist their advocates’ support very early in the process. In addition, many schools have a few special, more prestigious fellowship positions that provide more money or less teaching responsibilities than the standard package received by most students in an entering class. High GRE scores may be one of the criteria for determining who receives these special fellowships.

Finally, it is worth emphasizing that my experience is based on the application process for Ph.D. programs as opposed to Master’s programs and is most applicable for humanities and social science programs. GRE scores may indeed assume more significance in the admission process to a Master’s program because these programs generally are larger, do not offer funding, and do not presuppose the same experience with and/or a future career path requiring academic research and writing. At many schools, Master’s programs are specifically designed to weed out unworthy Ph.D. candidates.

The simple fact is that the attrition rate in Ph.D. programs is extremely high – some sources place it at 50%, but in many programs and fields it can be higher. I think less than five of the approximately 30 students in my entering class at the University of Iowa actually went on to complete their Ph.Ds. Most applicants to Ph.D. programs have very little clue about what is really involved with getting a Ph.D. and what it means to be an academic. This is as true for applicants with high GRE scores as it is for those with low GRE scores. It is precisely because there is no correlation between high GRE scores and the likelihood that a candidate will actually stick around to complete her Ph.D., that AdComs are willing to overlook low GRE scores when presented with evidence that a candidate possesses the internal drive, intellectual curiosity, and capacity for original thinking critical for both survival and success in academia.

Just found something that might help those who are in the same situation as myself!
 
http://www.insidetheadcom.com/applications/should-you-retake-the-gre-or-gmat/
Did you do well on the GRE or GMAT?
I often ask candidates with weak test scores if they are true representatives of the candidate’s ability and they invariably say no.  When the test was more than three or four months earlier than the conversation, I expect a candidate will have retaken it, scheduled a retest, or have a great reason why that is not feasible. Candidly, most of the time people do not answer this question well.  It is unsatisfying when a candidate had several months to continue preparing for the GMAT or GRE and failed to put the effort into it, especially when they say the first test scores do not accurately represent their ability.
Based on this, and everyone's wonderful advice so far, it looks like I'll be retaking the GRE again as soon as I get back from a week of volunteering. At least that way I'll show that I put up a good fight. The only thing that worries me is that I know I won't have time to retake it once the semester starts so I need to nail it this time. 
Hope this link helps!

Just found something that might help those who are in the same situation as myself!
 
http://www.insidetheadcom.com/applications/should-you-retake-the-gre-or-gmat/
Did you do well on the GRE or GMAT?
I often ask candidates with weak test scores if they are true representatives of the candidate’s ability and they invariably say no.  When the test was more than three or four months earlier than the conversation, I expect a candidate will have retaken it, scheduled a retest, or have a great reason why that is not feasible. Candidly, most of the time people do not answer this question well.  It is unsatisfying when a candidate had several months to continue preparing for the GMAT or GRE and failed to put the effort into it, especially when they say the first test scores do not accurately represent their ability.
Based on this, and everyone's wonderful advice so far, it looks like I'll be retaking the GRE again as soon as I get back from a week of volunteering. At least that way I'll show that I put up a good fight. The only thing that worries me is that I know I won't have time to retake it once the semester starts so I need to nail it this time. 
Hope this link helps!