linden

bubotuberpus: Oh, don't be embarrassed... Besides all the forums you mentioned, some of us (I'm sure I am not the only one) are also checking out http://www.admissionsboards.com/ (for the advice the consultants there give other candidates) and TestMagicForums (http://www.urch.com/forums/). My friends make fun of me for constantly being on these forums. But, many of us don't have friends or acquaintances who are applying to grad school. Thus, these forums have been a valuable way to get advice from and commiserate with individuals who are going through the same process. Anyone have any other grad school forums to share? Linden

Tritonetelephone: Most of the applications I have filled out ask if I have applied to X university before and whether I was accepted. So, it seems like they will be able to easily tell if you applied the previous year and what the outcome was. But, who knows? Nevertheless, if I were on an adcom, I would be impressed if I came across an applicant who had been previously waitlisted and who took concrete steps to bolster her/his application. I feel it would give you a leg up on other applicants who are considered to be as qualified as you. (For example, let's say you end up in a pool of 25 applicants who are all considered to be equally as good.I feel that the fact that you took action--especially if you implemented the suggestions the school gave you for improving your application--would make you stand out.) And, the only way to be certain that the adcom knows that you worked hard to address the "deficiencies" in your profile is to point out that you were waitlisted. But, my advice could be completely wrong. You might want to see what advice you can get from people who might know a little bit more about how adcoms view these things. Try posting your question to these forums. http://www.admissionsboards.com/ http://chronicle.com/forums/ Good luck! Linden

What should I do ? While reviewing some of the documents I sent out with an application, I realized that I made a major mistake. Should I call or email the school's admissions representative and explain? Or, should I let it drop? Thanks for taking the time to read this an offer me your suggestions. Linden

Dirkduck: I think you're okay. I have never been asked to fill out the customs forms for packages that contained documents or returns. Good luck! Linden

username: The only answer anyone can offer to your question is, that it is impossible to assess your chances. I still think that for programs like MPP there is a certain luck factor. After all, most applicants are like you, RyeGuy, or me. There is nothing in our applications that would kill our chances for admission, but there is nothing that immediately makes us stand out from the crowd. But, at least the anguish will be over in sixty days. We will all find out soon if the investment of time and money for KSG paid off or not. If you get in, that's great. If not, you can talk to the admissions coordinator and find out how to make your application stronger in the future. You might want to look at another thread on this board. ("Here's a way for someone to pass the time" in Waiting It Out. We have a discussion going on about chances and how schools pare down the number of applicants.) Good luck! Linden

I don't think that schools keep the admissions process or criteria a secret just for the money. (Although, those application fees can pay at least for the salary of a program or admissions coordinator. For example, 1100 applicants at $65 per applicant: $71,500.) More importantly, by keeping applicants' hopes alive--and getting a large number of applications--they also inflate the program's prestige. After all, the more applications you receive for a certain number of spots, the more selective you can say you are. And, if the programs don't even look at most applications, they are getting the benefits of a large applicant pool (more money and more prestige) without the cost (having to read of all our boring SOPs).

Here's a tool I found for predicting your chances of getting into grad school. I don't know if it's funny or if it's pathetic that someone is taking advantage of our anxieties in this manner. http://www.renaissanceastrology.com/wil ... chool.html Hilarious!

Ha, ha, t_ruth, I see you have discovered my other life on the Chronicles forum. I thought those answers were interesting. I've always kinda suspected that most programs had to use some system to pare down applicants. There is simply no way that they are reading all of our files. In any case, that formula was certainly interesting; it, unfortunately, shows that the GRE-GPA cutoff matrices (or formulas) are not an urban legend. I come in with a 754, but I went to a large, state school. So, I wonder how much my numbers are really worth. Linden

Oh, I don't want to jinx myself by saying where I got in. I've been dying to post my acceptance on the board, but as superstitious as I am, I am convinced that if I post my info that I won't get in anywhere else. I was actually quite thrilled with the acceptance I received; I think it would be a better fit for me than most of the other public policy programs to which I am applying. I am leaning towards attending this university, but I would like to see where else I get in. To satisfy my ego, I guess. But, I won't hear from any other schools until mid February. And, I know what you mean about the shame of getting in nowhere. I agonized over that possibility. Yet, the minute I got my first acceptance, that worry was supplanted by the fear that I would only get into my safety schools. And, now I am convinced that is the worse fate. I know it's, irrational. But fortunately for my friends and family this craziness will end in two months. Linden

t_ruth: That was me a month ago, saying that once I had cinched that first acceptance, all my anxiety would vanish. Ha! Right. That first yes only made me hungrier for more. Good luck! Linden

This website allows you to search for different programs at a variety of universities: https://www.petersons.com/gradchannel/c ... sponsor=13 More importantly, for some of the programs to which I applied, it also lists the percentage of students accepted. (Look under the Students/Outcomes or Admissions info.) Hopefully info for your programs will be available too.

rising_star: Oh, no. Please don't poke more holes in my crazy theory. Actually, I am basing this fantasy on the fact that my first acceptance (and I hope that first is the right adjective) started off with Congratulations! Next year, I plan to lurk on this board just to read and laugh at all the crazy, anxious applicants! Linden

Mims3382: I think it is possible to get into top-ranked programs without having a 4.0, perfect GRE scores, or coming from a prestigious undergrad institution. When my spirits sag, I often look at the student profile for a respected program to which I am applying at Georgetown. https://gushare.georgetown.edu/PublicPo ... rofile.pdf. I am struck by the wide variety of institutions represented in the incoming class. Also, the average scores (GPA and GRE) are certainly not near-perfect. Catalyst, when you do get in, please come back and share the good news!

There is another glimmer of hope. Schools, especially state schools, know that budget cuts are looming. And, everyone knows that before a budget cut you try to spend every last penny in your budget so that you can justify your need to avoid the fiscal guillotine next time around. Any schools that have not been hit yet with cuts will try to spend everything they can and also get as many students in as they can while they can.

Well, sad to know the my percentiles can continue to fluctuate downward. (On the other hand, presumably if a bunch of people bomb the test soon, I will be relatively smarter.) But, it's good to hear this is not an anomaly I would to try to work out with ETS.

kdilks: Nooooooooooooooo! Bastards! Talk about leading candidates on until the very last minute. In addition, this example has crumbled a carefully-constructed (sure) theory. Thanks for sharing. Linden

I have decided that I won't read any decision letters/emails that do not begin with the letter "C," as in the first letter of the word congratulations. (Anything that does not begin with a C will be handed off to a friend for a complete scan, just in case the offer of admission is buried in paragraph 3.) On the other hand, I would read my rejections letter if the adcoms wrote short, witty, personalized notes on the margins of rejection letters. Such as, "Dear Applicant: Your GPA makes us wonder if you're stupid or just did not care" or "Dear Applicant: The average armadillo scored higher on the GRE than you did." At least I would know I got my money's worth and that they read my application. Linden 63 days until March 13, 2009

Don't worry t_ruth. You may be on the sidelines of the dance right now. But (taking your analogy just a bit further) that gorgeous exchange student (the one who dresses all in black and has a motorcycle) will soon barge in through the doors of the dance hall. And, he will ask you to dance.

So, this is part kvetch/part serious question. I took the GRE early last year, and I sent out the scores to all the schools to which I applied. I received a score report after I sent my scores to the programs, and it informed me that I was in the nth percentile for quantitative. I was not overjoyed with that percentile, but c'est la vie. Several weeks ago, one of the schools to which I applied notified me they were missing my GRE scores. So, I forked over another $20 of my hard-earned money to the robber barons over at ETS. (ETS, if you are reading this, I know it does not cost you $20 to send out my scores!) When I received confirmation of my scores being sent again, I found out that I had dropped to the nth-1 percentile in quantitative. I know, I know. nth to nth-1. What's the big deal? Well, in this moment fraught with insecurity and dread, that one-percentile point dropped has fractured my ego. (Here ends the kvetch.) Here comes the question part. Are my percentiles going to keep fluctuating? Will I mysteriously drop to nth-10 percentile (gulp!) by the time admissions committees get around to reading my application? Linden Who wants it desperately to be March

Catalyst: Hello. I am not a school administrator, but I have to say that if I had to select between you and a native English speaker (provided that your SOP and other materials show clearly why you are pursuing this degree and that all other things are equal) I would go with you. You might not be in the 99th percentile in verbal and you might not have a 4.0 GPA. Nevertheless your stats leave no doubt that you are a well-qualified student--a 95th percentile is nothing to scoff at--and, more importantly, you bring in a different perspective. I would imagine you would be an interesting choice for many departments, especially in a field like English, which, by default, will attract a small number of well-qualified, non-native English-speaking foreign students. I am not saying you have this in the bag. After all, who knows what really happens at the time of making admissions decisions? But, I think you have reason to feel confident, especially given the conversations you recount here. Finally, as seahistory says, it's always a good idea to apply to one or two safety schools, even if you are an exceptional candidate. Good luck! Linden

Astaroth: I hear you. One of my schools also "never received" the GRE, never mind all the other schools received it. I was also told by the school not to worry. I suspect they are a bit relieved they never got my GREs because without the scores, they have an easy excuse to get rid of my application. ("One down, only 1,099 to read!") Good luck getting your GRE scores to your programs. Linden

Trintonetelephone: I think, but I could be wrong, that titles should only be capitalized when they come right before the name. (e.g. "Research Assistant Tritonetelephone was the best student ever", but "Tritonetelephone, a research assistant, was the best student ever.") http://www.grammarbookonline.com/blog/u ... ob-titles/ But, of course, the danger (and what makes me nervous) is that the SOP will be read by someone who thinks that all titles should be capitalized regardless of placement. Good luck! Linden

lauras: In my moments of greatest despair, I think that the only reason that any school would read all the applications is to make fun of us, the applicants. (I can envision all the professors passing around the most hopeless applications. "Ha, ha. Look at this one. She really thought she had a chance." I find myself thinking more and more these days that instead of applying to grad school, I should go work at a few grad school admission offices, figure out how admissions really work, and then write a tell-all book. It might not be as gratifying as the career I envision, but after seeing all the activity on these boards, I know it sure would be lucrative. Good luck. Linden

lauras: Thanks for posting this. I think it gives many of us some hope. (Or, in my case, keeps this agonizing dream alive until mid-March.) I sincerely hope that schools are taking a good look at everything I sent. But, I often wonder how schools can really read everything in an applicant's package before making a decision. For example, one of the programs to which I applied required three essays and a resume. I think my entire package was about 15 pages long. When you consider this school has about 1,100 applicants, I wonder how can they really read all the applications without using a GRE-GPA matrix or some other quantitative cutoff tool. I don't like to think that my application is already in a recycling bin somewhere. But, if you take the program to which I applied as an example (and assume that staff are working eight hours a day on applications and spend two minutes reading each page), this means the program will devote nearly 75 staff-working days just to weed out applications. (If, for example, four full-time staff members are doing the first cut, that means they would devote a full month to doing nothing else.) Seems unlikely they are really giving all of us full consideration. Linden

Oh, I am the master of irrational thoughts right now! Among the most irrational: (1) the dean of my top-choice program is so taken with my SOP, that she/he calls me over the holiday break to discuss my fascinating life story; (2) the school that already admitted me made a mistake, and professors will be angry to see me there in the fall taking up a space that was meant for another student; (3) admissions officials at my top-choice mistakenly copy me on some emails agreeing that I am the most wonderful candidate ever; and (4) my SOP and other application materials end up posted on the websites of the programs to which I applied as examples of what not to write on an application! Has you life also been overtaken by these crazy application-related thoughts? Happy New Year! Linden