Nofia

thats absolutely exactly what you should focus on, so they know you'll be a good fit with them...man 500 words is super short!

I think an admissions committee would still be quite impressed with that honestly!

The score on the writing portion of the test doesnt reflect how "good" a writer you are, it assesses how well you met the parameters of their grading rubric. You have to write specifically for the test. I don't think rescoring will help honestly; the grading rubric they use isnt as subjective as you might think (the test is graded by both a human reader and an "e-reader" which suggests their rubric is pretty standardized). I would read through sample 6's to get a sense of what they're looking for, compare that to sample 4's and 5's to see how they're different and where your essay stacked up, and then retake it if you're concerned that the score will hinder your chances.

haha, I'm mostly being facetious...the first year of the program at my school is sort of like a 'boot camp' in a way; all of the people in my field take one big colloquium together and they really pile on the work to make sure you're cut out for the program (those of us entering without the MA complete that degree the first year as well, but those with MAs still have to do all the other coursework we have to do, they just don't have to write a thesis). I'm not sure how it compares to other schools or programs since they're all different, so I can't really say. if you're already doing grad-level work I'm sure you'll be fine. oh, and I study 20th century US political and diplomatic history.

if you thought the application process was bad, just wait til you start your first year ;-) But yes, I am currently in a program, and it looks to me like you'll be a competetive candidate, as long as you prove to the ad com that you are a good fit for the department. best of luck!

honestly sounds like you're in good shape, just make sure the schools you applied to are a good fit for your research interests, that you make that fit abundantly clear in your personal statement, and hope for the best. in some ways its a crapshoot, but you are very qualified and should be feeling confident in yourself and your accomplishments.

career counseling is generally an in-person thing, and wouldn't be something you'd get from a prospective school. You might go back to the school where you earned your BA to see if they have career counseling services, and then make an appointment to speak with someone there. If you aren't sure the music business is for you yet, then jumping into a grad program (especially an expensive one like NYU) probably isn't the way to find out. Why not try an internship first if you can find one? then at least you'll know if you have a real interest/talent for it before you invest time and money in a degree. You may actually find you don't need a graduate degree for that field so much as you need work experience.

hm, I wonder if instead of trying to memorize a huge list of words you may or may not see on the actual test, it might not be better to memorize word roots instead and then try to deduce the meaning of the words from there? I'm not sure what the best approach would be for you of course, but I know that helped me. (the words they throw at you on there can be a little crazy; I have a good vocab and read constantly but there were words I'd never seen--I think the reason I did well is that I approached the questions logically rather than attempting to memorize words [i never bothered to study for the verbal part actually], which, given your strength in science/math might do well for you too: what do the roots in the word mean, does it bear any resemblance to words in other languages I know, which answer options are clearly wrong and can be crossed off? The more ways you can find to eliminate answer choices the better you'll be--better to guess from 2 choices than 5 naturally). A few sessions with a private tutor might not be bad either. I used to teach SAT prep and I firmly believe that one-on-one tutoring to target very specific issues can be effective, especially if there is a time issue.

totally agree with rising_star...the first year is meant to be something of a boot camp experience. I'm willing to bet your cohort has plenty of their own moments of feeling inadequate as well. While most of my fellow first years and I did have life/work experience before coming to grad school, I dont think the people who came straight from undergrad are offering less in any way because they haven't been cubicle rats like the rest of us ;-). Just hang in there, and at least stick out to the end of the year to decide what you think. Even if you just finish the MA and decide to go into the job market, then come back to do the PhD later, you'll probably be happier to have had something to show for you efforts, not to mention all that application anxiety. we're almost through the first semester after all! grad school is tough and a unique experience that time in the working world doesnt really prepare you for. And believe me, its a lot easier to start grad school before you've gotten used to a fat paycheck and weekends off.

definitely cut it down to as close to 1000 words as possible, you really do need to follow instructions as closely as possible on these things. I wouldnt worry if it were maybe 1025 or something, but an extra 300 words is way way too much. go through and make sure you aren't using too many adverbs and other fluffy filler words. brevity is the soul of wit and suchlike haha. have you had any of your professors/advisors read it over? they might be able to help you figure out what can be cut.

totally agree with Rising Star. I had the same experience when I submitted scores last year (though in my case, it was probably the university's fault--they said they never received scores, but I had sent them quite early and all of the other schools had received them). I called the school, got nowhere, called ETS, and then had to bite the bullet and pay their exorbitant fees to have the scores re-sent. Annoying, but then the whole application process is a little annoying I suppose. This is the most logical approach, and maybe you'll luck out and the school did misplace them (or didnt check the digital record ETS sends)

I might call actually, rather than email. Assuming that he is still interested in helping you out, he's likely not emailed back because he has gotten busy and this has slipped his mind. A polite call to say hello, see how hes doing, update him on where you are in the application process would be a good way to gauge how receptive he'll actually be to writing your LOR...tone of voice, etc should tell you much more about his willingness/interest than you'll ever get in an email. I would in the meantime seek out some other potential profs to write a letter for you as well though. If his lack of response is an indication of him being overly busy, he might end up being quite late in sending letters in, which will only cause you distress as deadlines approach. And on the off chance that he doesnt actually want to write the LORs it will be better to find out now. Speaking of which, he should know well enough that applying to 6 schools is a sound decision...applying to fewer would be foolishly overconfident, so don't let him talk you out of it because he doesnt want to send out recommendations to 6 schools!

oh please, ignore Ferrero, hes a troll and his post was at best nothing more than a failed attempt at sarcasm. Personally, I would never explain grades in my statement of purpose. The statement of purpose should be a very clear and concise essay about why you're pursuing graduate study in your chosen field. If you absolutely feel the need to address it, mention it only by discussing how engineering was not a good fit for you and then explain why your new area of study is--that will hopefully obliquely address the F without calling undue attention to it by pointing it out to the ad com.

No, I don't think so. If they're one of the best in the field it will be obvious why you're citing them. The important thing is to submit the best work you have and if this chapter is it, then go for it.

ah, I was just going on what my advisor told me last summer, though minnesotan may have phrased it better--you want to make sure theyre planning to take advisees

you should definitely at least email them to ask if they'll even be teaching next year--no point in applying if none of the professors who you might want to work with/who might want to work with you are planning to go on leave, go to a different university, or retire.

If it were me, I'd say plan 3. Dont underestimate the amount of time you'll need to get a good application together, writing a solid SOP, a good writing sample, preparing for GREs, etc. and getting three good LORs from professors. Also, working for 4-5 months is much less impressive or useful than working for a year (or more)...and unless you go into the job with your employer knowing you plan to leave, they'll be mighty annoyed that they bothered training and employing someone for so short a period of time (unless its an internship or something, that's obviously different). I imagine if you're planning to go into a job in your field now, when you finish with your masters you're not going to want to have burned any bridges in the field. A year goes by quick, and the wait ultimately won't hold you back--it might be helpful even, since you'll have some practical experience, a sense of assurance that you are on the right path and a little time out of school.

thank you Minnesotan for recommending the Gregory Semenza book (Graduate Study for the 21st Century). I doubt that I would have come across it on my own, and I can tell already it is going to be the sort of book I keep close at hand for the next 5+ years. This is exactly the practical advice I think we can all use as we start in on our graduate work, and I found that it affirmed my desire to return to grad school and hopefully become a professor. thank you :0) I was going to make this a pm, but then it occurred to me that really everyone should go read this book!

contacting profs can also be a good idea because once you know more about them you can tweak your SOP as needed. One of the prospective advisors I emailed (at the school I'm now planning to attend) actually offered really helpful suggestions for my SOP (I had sent this along with my emails)!

oops i read it quickly and didn't realize you were looking for subject tests, i thought you were just looking for regular gre test dates! sorry!

The test center generally schedules them since you take them at a test center on their computers--it's not like the SAT where you go on a specific day and get crowded in a huge room with hundreds of other nervous test takers. if you go through the registration process on the ETS website you should be able to find a test center near you and then you can set up your test date. I know when I did it I just sort of picked a day that worked for me and went and took the test. you know your score for everything but the writing section immediately after completing it too, which is such a great feeling!

i have a small hp pavillion laptop that i love...i use a mac at work and hate it honestly. unless you're going to grad school for design, a pc will fulfill your basic needs.

My fingers are crossed for you!

This is exactly what I'm worried about. I have an amazing job and my only fear is going to be walking away...particularly when i know that, even if im lucky enough in 5-7 years to land a tenure track job, my starting salary will be less than what i make now. i'm fearing leaving a really amazing job and the opportunity cost of doing so...but then again, I fear not following what I believe to be my ultimate career path (historian/professor) much more. I keep reassuring myself by noting that there are always other doors to open.

I worked full-time while getting my first masters (going to school full time), and it was doable. You need to have good time management skills and you need to be willing to give up a fair amount of socializing, but if its worth it to you, you'll do it and be fine. that said, I don't know how it would be in a PhD program. I'm going back in the fall to start a PhD in a field related to my first masters, but not in that field (so no skipping coursework or anything--itll still be the full 5-7+ years), and the first year in this new program is apparently very rigorous (you get the ma after the first year), so I dont think I'll be working this time around. I think it depends on the program and you're willingness to make some sacrifices.