geographyrocks

Thank goodness I'm not the only one! lol

To be fair to the program, it's not a scam. My particular field seems to be divided in half on how they admit students. Some programs admit directly to the PhD program and others don't. I think it has to do with the interdisciplinary aspect of Geography. It can be a social science or a physical science. There's no guarantee that you've completed the required prereqs for programs. As for the guaranteed entry and additional classes, that is something I will DEFINITELY ask about. I didn't even think about that. I responded to the professor who emailed me. I'm going to wait until they actually make an offer before I ask all of my questions. Wouldn't it be funny if they came back with a no after all of this? Funny in a sad way... lol

So, I've noticed more than a couple of people posting on the results board that they were overqualified for a program. This has ALWAYS been coupled with a rejection. At first, I thought it was just a bitter response. Since then, I've seen people post as if the program told them that they were overqualified. And after the shear number of seeing people claim they were overqualified for a program, I began to wonder: Is that ever true? What do you think? Do you think anyone is ever rejected because they are overqualified or do you think that people will go to any lengths to preserve their giant egos?

Like TakeruK said, I would definitely ask. Maybe they haven't divied out the TA/RAs yet. Sometimes you have to apply to the TA/RA positions. The only real way to know is to ask.

Is the full scholarship simply full tuition?

I don't know if I should admit this, but I couldn't figure out what POI meant for the longest time. Thank goodness 'acronym savvy' isn't a requirement for grad school!

Do you have any examples of leadership at all? For instance, in my Scientific Writing class, I became the unofficial leader for the 3 papers we had to write. I was in charge of creating deadlines, assigning work, etc. Were you the group leader on any projects? Another idea is to look at the qualities a leader typically has and talk about those qualities in yourself. Are you organized? Good at budgeting time?

Thanks! I guess I'm just afraid of looking like a jerk, but maybe I'm humanizing these programs way too much. I really am interested to see what kind of funding they would offer and what professors want to work with me even though I doubt it will even hold a candle to the offer from UNM. I sent a reply, and I guess I will see what they offer. He did say that the comittee met yesterday (On a Sunday???) to discuss all applicants so anyone who applied should be hearing from them soon.

Thanks! I wonder if I should email the graduate advisor or send my questions to the professor who sent me the email. Or maybe I should just reply with a yes, please consider me and then email the graduate advisor with my questions. *sigh* This stuff is just too confusing!

I'm gonna say that most people lose motivation after they have been accepted to grad school. You know that a new chapter in your life will start soon, and undergrad seems almost meaningless. Of course, you aren't officially accepted yet. I believe they have to have your final transcripts before they can officially accept you because you have to prove that you earned a Bachelors. So if you fail your classes, your grad school might have a few questions. I don't know that anyone has been rejected, but why tempt fate? Suck it up like the rest of us do and try to muddle through the best you can WITHOUT failing classes.

Heh...too many UCBs running around!

DU wants to consider me for the MA because they don't directly admit students to PhD. Can I ask them to consider me for a MA and then decline later without looking like a jerk? Should I ask questions about funding for MA and transferring to a PhD before asking to be considered for the MA or should I ask to be considered and then ask later? I'm so confused!

I've applied to several PhD programs. I've been accepted directly to the PhD program with funding at one school. Now, however, I have recieved an email from a professor at my 2nd choice school that states they do not do direct admits to their PhD program, but several faculty members are interested in working with me in their MA program. I am still interested, but I also need to know if I would have to complete the full MA program or if I could be switched to the PhD track after successfully completing 2 semesters (or something to that nature) and also what funding would be available for MA students. (I'm not going if it isn't fully funded!) My problem is as follows: I'm already accepted with funding so should I even bother with a MA when my goal is a PhD? Do I say that I still want to be considered for a MA when I'm likely to decline? aka Would asking to still be considered and then declining later make me look like a jerk? If I do express interest, how do I delicately word the questions that I have about the program or can I just put them out there as is? Why am I still interested if I have these concerns? Well, it is a very prestigious school in a great city that generally places graduates in great jobs. The other program I'm accepted to is just as great, but I'm not sure on their job placement after graduation. Thanks in advance for any and all help!

Same here. Also, my current school doesn't even bother teaching anything related to geology. The program was dissolved I want to say 10 years ago or so.

If by UCB, you mean UC-Boulder then chin up. That department is extremely hard to get into. They only offer funding for the 1st year (according to their website). And when I visited, the staff wasn't the most friendly. I know UC Boulder carries a lot of prestige, but I just wasn't impressed by their atmosphere (although the campus is lovely!).

I see all of those acceptances on the results page, but no one is speaking up on here. For anyone who is interested: CU Boulder's online portal is still down.

I think it's pretty common that students have visitation day conflicts I've heard of several others asking for and getting a different day. So definitely ask them if the day could possibly be changed.

Maybe they're waiting for grants to come in. I would definitely email the graduate admission person and ask what it means exactly. Also find out where you are on the list. I'm sure they expect waitlisted people to call and ask questions.

I'd say MIT and Columbia are probaby out of reach. They generally send out acceptances early (according to the results search) and EVERYONE wants to go there so you're competing against 500 people instead of 120 for 5-10 spots. Did you contact any professors before applying? That could make the difference between acceptance and rejections sometimes.

All I know about CU Boulder is that someone was accepted into the Environmental Studies Masters program earlier today and the online portal is down. Besides that, they've been pretty quiet. Judging from past results and threads, CU is anywhere from mid-Feb to mid-March.

Don't take it again unless you know you can get a better score. If you need to study more, but you don't have the time, you're basically just out another $200 and you have a score that shows no improvement. ***WARNING: the following advice should be taken as hearsay and not as any official knowledge*** I have heard that admission committees frown when students take the GRE several times but don't improve. Again, I don't know how true that is, but it is worth considering as well. ***End Warning*** Anywho, are you set on these prestigious schools because they are simply deemed prestigious or because there are people or departments that you actually want to work with?

From what I've seen, it seems to be more beneficially to choose professors who know you the best and who can speak about your talents. I hear it is beneficially to choose professors who graduated from the program you're applying to, BUT you want to make sure that 1) they know you well enough to write about your strengths and 2) the school they graduated from likes them and/or they still have connections with the department. As for prestige, the argument goes back and forth on whether that's helpful or not. But 1 and 2 still apply.

It looks like someone was accepted into the Scripps Earth Science program today with full funding. I don't know who, but CONGRATULATIONS!

The program I was accepted to requires 2 semesters of Calculus, 2 semesters of chemistry, and 2 semesters of physics. I was told by my POI that I would absolutely not get admitted without 2 semesters of Calculus, but I'm short 1 of those and I was still admitted. So...don't lose hope. I was in the same position you are. I just happened to hear back early on my 1st choice school, thankfully!

If you do mention it, be sure to keep it extremely brief. If obsessively reading every article about graduate school has taught me one thing, it's that you should keep the negative in your SOP to a minimum.