ToomuchLes

When would be an appropriate time to schedule these things? I recently talked to my POI on the phone, and we held a very stimulating conversation, that I personally found to be a good sign and quite entertaining. I would very much like to meet him in person, by means of a coffee or lunch; however Fall quarter has been quite demanding, and so, I doubt I'll be able to schedule anything this year. From what I heard, professors, especially ones on the adcom, arent allowed to meet with prospective grad students while they review applications. Therefore, between what months do people, normally, meet with their POI? Preferably, Id like to meet him before my acceptance (or rejection =X) into the program.

Unfortunately, theres nothing you can do. Most people studying for months, and barely break 160. In short, the GRE is no walk in the park. You can go through Kaplans GRE flashcards, but I dont know if you'll be able to do 500 in one day. I hate telling people to applying the next application season, but it seems you have no other choice =P On my magoosh practice tests, I score between V164-167 and I've been studying since August, vigorously. I'm curious though, how do you know your AW score?

In some questions you need to substitute a word from a large paragraph by finding a synonym - hence why I asked about control+f

Title says it all.

What I did, and it has proven to be successful as far, was find a professor who was on or currently is on the adcom at my school, and briefly ask him/her to look over it. I didnt know this professor, so I emailed him first, and upon acceptance, I visited his Office Hours. As long as you dont wish to attend the same undergrad school for graduate studies, you should be fine =P

I concur lol. Even in everyday speech, I cant help myself.

I've read innumerable blogs, texts, threads, whatever that discuss various difficulties on the GRE. One thread, that I most recently read, mentioned how the test taker received a high 150, even though he spent months studying for it. A followed replied stated that he might have received a more difficult test, and then he proceeded to discuss how not all GRE tests are equal. Im under the impression that in order to achieve a high score, you need to do well on the first part of the test, so the computer can determine a low-ball score. Then in the second part, depending on how well you did, you'll receive harder questions. In all honesty, Im not exactly sure how the GRE works, so if someone can explain it to me, I'd greatly appreciate it.

If you can, try to attend a convention in the new year. I have a similar problem, in which I lack any publication; however I signed up for the PAT Biennial Convention in Jan 2-5, and I will present the same paper Im using for my sample (Ive been working on it since March X.X). As long as the convention/publication is within 6 months, you can put it on the CV. Thats what three grad school coordinators told me. Even if you dont publish, you can put 'pending' followed by the date.

I had a similar problem. I sent my intro letter to my POI on Sept 22nd and he did not reply. Afterward, I sent a secondary email mentioning that I was still interested in working with him, and I would like to get in touch with him asap, followed by a copy of my original email at the bottom. Two days later he replied apologizing for losing my first email in the mass confusion of the first week of Fall quarter.

I agree with TexasGuy on your GRE scores. GPA isnt bad, but concurrently not stellar. However I know the adcoms will favor with your classes. Research experience, regardless of publication is important, therefore you're good there as well You should focus primarily on your written statements - SOP, Personal Statement/Achievement, and Sample, if they require it. Btw, Im currently attending UC Davis ^.^

- Opened and filled out basic information. - GRE will be taken Nov 9th - Transcripts sent - I already have 3 LOR; however I will formally ask them, once I have my GRE score - Sample is nearly done - Finished drafting my SOP. I will hopefully complete it by the first week of November - CV is complete Deadlines are December 5th, 16th and Jan 5th.

I have a similar problem. The institutions Im applying to require 20-25 pages. My writing sample is 27 pages long; however my references account for 3 pages, plus I have two charts and a scanned image. I dont want to resize my images cause Im worried the adcoms wont be able to read it, when they print it out.

Thanks TakeruK! Your points make absolutely perfect sense, especially the part regarding research based LORs vs classwork LOR. Unfortunately I am not writing a senior thesis, however I will be presenting a paper at the Phi Alpha Theta (Honors History Society) Biennial Convention in January. I've already asked several graduate coordinators, and admission officers if I can include it in the CV, and they said yes. Furthermore, I am unable to participate in programs such as McNair since I am not an American citizen, so its difficult to engage in research based programs. My only "research" related activities include a conference I presented at in May 2013, and the one in January 2014. Personally I feel this part of my application, I am not competitive. Therefore, hopefully, my LORs will make up for it, since they were seminars and we were assigned single research papers, based on primarily sources, that were due at the end of the quarter.

I would also like to add to this question : What if there's no word limit? What would be an appropriate length of a SOP and Personal Statement?

@surefire, Sorry for not being clear, and contextualizing my questions. Heres the long version =) I am a community college transfer student, majoring in History. Currently I am in my undergrad senior year, and as I stated above, I have 3 secured LOR. Unfortunately, out of those three, only one professor is teaching my area of interest (the one whom Ive taken multiple classes with). I would like to research how specific tariffs, instigated by the Northern states, decimated the S. Carolina's economy from 1790-1840. In short, I'd like to do early to mid 19th century American economic history. Excuses aside, I am sure many transfer students would agree with me, that it is extremely difficult to collect three LORs in a single academic year, much less from their area of interest. You're probably thinking that I should take a year off, so I may collect improved LOR in my remaining undergrad quarters. Personally I dont see a point in doing so. I have already finished a majority of my application, plus Im considered competitive enough to apply, and lastly, I already know what I'd like to study. Now you're thinking I should gain some real world experience, one outside of academia. Without going into a long tangent on my background, I can honestly give a nonpartisan answer that my story is an unusual one – being born in a decaying Communist country, living in a refugee camp, and immigrating to the US with a single mother. Anyways, pathos aside, I now understand, after reading countless websites and surfing these forums, that an applicants LOR, sample, and SoP are the three most important factors, and so, Im concerned on the origins of my LOR. I know a positive LOR from a professor teaching Euro history would not necessarily hurt my application; however I have a theory that adcoms look at the author of the LOR. For example, a LOR from my Latin, or Intro to Physics professor would be considered a neutral letter, especially if my Professor of Interest (POI) is on the adcom. I feel that if the applicant's POI reads a LOR from a distinguished professor, one they can easily recognize their name, and pertains to applicants area of interest, it will increase the chances of acceptance. With these concerns in mind, I look upon my superfluous LORs, the two not pertaining to my area of interest, as detrimental effects to my application. The institutions that I am applying to demand three LOR; however they allow a maximum of four to be included within your online application. I figure a letter from my current professor, who teaches upper division Colonial American history, would improve my application. Furthermore he is very distinguished in his field. This is my first time taking a course with him. We meet 3 times a week, submit weekly document evaluations on primary sources, and although his class is classified as a lecture, it feels very much like a seminar, since we engage in debates. At the end of the quarter, we are the submit a research paper. My goal is to complete it by mid Nov, and on the same day I ask him for a LOR, turn in my research paper. That way he'll gain an insight on how I write and analyze primary documents. I understand that quality is more important than quantity, however I do believe 4 LOR would be better, in my case. What do you think?

I would highly recommend you create your own paper then. I've written several research length papers however none were related to my area of interested. Therefore I created my own ... well, Im still in the process of finishing it =P

Lots of negative posts here ..

@surefire, Does it matter WHO writes you a LOR - in terms of disciplinary? My area of interest is in Antebellum US History. I received a LOR from a professor who teaches African American history/Civil War (I took multiple classes with him), another from a professor who teaches Progressive America, and lastly from a professor who's specialty is in Modern Euro History. Im pursuing another professor who teaches Colonial History, but since this quarter just started, and I need to ask him for a LOR in mid Nov, Im not sure how positive it will be, nor if he'll be willing to write me one. I would like to briefly mention that the Civil War professor, and the Progressive America professor are distinguished, and well known. Not sure if that counts for anything.

Bullet Cat, I would definitely suggest Magoosh! For $99 dollars you get 6 months of access to their site (not relevant to you I know), there are hundreds of short videos on how to solve problems, 1000 flashcards (you can do them on your computer, smartphone, tablet whatever), and theres a daily month long program for you.

Guys read this : http://honors.tamu.edu/downloads/Personal%20Statement%20Invitation%20to%20Frustration.pdf MajorityMinority posted this a few months ago, but WOW! I can honestly say this will help me clear up my SOP. Read it! Digest it! Use it!

I recommend Magoosh! Theres a good month plan that'll work for you

As a transfer student, its quite hard to form relationship with many professors in a single academic year. Currently, I have 2 LOR that will fully explain my background, research, and writing abilities, as well as my strive to pursue graduate studies. Nonetheless, I still need one more LOR. Here is my dilemma : Im taking two seminar classes, that meet once a week for 4 hrs to discuss our weekly readings, and writings. From what I've noticed, Im starting to gain favor with both professors, however since class started in late Sept, I've only interacted with them 4-5 times. I would very like to ask both of them to write me a LOR however Im unsure when I should ask. My first application is due Dec 5th, and my last on the 16th. When would be a good time to approach them for a LOR? I was thinking the week of Nov 11th. On that same week, I shall also turn in my completed research paper which is due end of the quarter in mid Dec. Comments?

In Spring, 2013, I took a Latin American history seminar on the birth, and expansion of drugs. The entire seminar was composed of discussing weekly readings, debates and one final research paper due at the end of the quarter. Overall, I am very proud with my end product; however I feel this is not my best work. Conclusively I received a 94% on the paper, and a 97% in the seminar. Since one of the most important parts of your application package is the writing sample, I'd greatly appreciate if veteran scholars, historians, and writers read over my research paper, and tell me what you think. I will NOT be submitting this paper as my sample; however I am curious, since Im always doubting myself, whether my writing style can be considered graduate level. I won't say what my professors think about my writings since it might taint your opinion, but so far, Ive never heard a negative comment. Please say you're interested in reading it and I'll PM it to you. Much appreciated!

Mkay, I understand now. I appreciate the comments from the both of you

However as a History applicant, why would the Q even matter? I'll probably never use math in grad school. Furthermore, I wouldnt see why they'd lie to me =P