fencergirl

Just to sympathize, I had a major wrinkle submitting my last application today - I thought the deadline was midnight but it was noon and I missed the deadline by two hours by the time I realized! Also couldn't submit payment due to issues with their payment system so I'm feeling pretty stressed at the moment and frustrated with myself. But mistakes happen, we just have to hope the university can be a little understanding!

Oh thank you! Hope lives on! I think I need to stop checking the results page for a while haha. I was pretty calm when I thought I wouldn't be hearing anything for a few more weeks yet, which is probably still the case.

Well on the results page someone posted an interview with Columbia and one with Northwestern... Wondering if not hearing anything yet more or less means a rejection? Would be pretty bummed if it turned out that way, Northwestern was my top choice. Part of me hopes I'll be contacted imminently but I know those programs are super-competitive so I'm not holding out too much hope.

papereverwhere, I also graduated in 2014 and feel the same way about my writing sample! I was (and am) proud of it but I do feel there's room for improvement. Also I feel guilty about about even the idea of asking for recc letters all over again (I applied to 9 schools and am currently applying to a fellowship).

Many of the programs I applied to I don't expect to get into (though I still believe I have some small chance obviously ) but a couple programs are M.A. or not so highly ranked (but good fit) programs, so I am optimistic that I will get in somewhere. At that point I have to consider the financial feasibility of my options though. And I have considered the chance that I don't get in anywhere at all. I'm honestly not sure I have it in me to do the application process all over again.... but I could maybe live at home, take some classes locally while working part time and try again. Plan B is to get a "real" job. Would love to work at a museum or perhaps governmental agency. Or I could apply to graduate school here in Japan which I could apply for in May, or for a better job here in Japan but I don't think I really want to do that. So I have options but I'd rather not have to use them haha.

I wasn't that nervous about hearing back but now that other people are hearing back already (not for my programs so far though) it makes me a little anxious!

UCLA also requires a physical, mailed official transcript. I would get that in the mail as soon as possible and let them know you have sent it.

If you haven't heard back from them after a few days, I would go ahead and call the admissions office. It's possible/likely that they have received the scored but not matched them to your application yet or they have matched them but haven't updated the computer yet. Also if you have a hyphen or space in your last name (I do) that can sometimes confuse the system. I'm trying not to check my email much more than usual. I think it'll likely be a couple more weeks before I start hearing results, but who knows?

Yes, I also applied to Columbia. My application status page says "It can take time to process materials. We appreciate your patience and ask that you wait four (4) weeks following the application deadline for materials that were sent separately, such as test scores, transcripts, and recommendations, to appear as having been received." So if you sent the scores and it hasn't been 4 weeks yet I wouldn't worry. If it has been 4 weeks, email them to find out. I submitted my application on the due date and my GRE scores were not matched for about a week (but I had sent them more than a year ago, when I took the GRE). USC's master program contacted me this week to ask if I had sent my transcript - (I had, about 3 weeks ago prior). They emailed back that they have a 3 week "processing time" on their end for transcripts, but allowed me to send a PDF version until the official one was processed. So if you did send the materials I wouldn't worry too much, but if it's been several weeks maybe try contacting them.

Yes, there are always outside scholarships/fellowships etc! I'm looking at some to apply for now but some had their deadlines already last fall. I'm also applying to Oxford for an Msc program where I'm likely to get very little funding if any... A lot of scholarships are for either UK/EU students only or for "research" (i.e. doctorate) programs only. if I get a funded Ph.D. offer I think I will most likely accept that instead but I would really really like to go to Oxford! An interview, even informal, is great news I think! Congratulations. That definitely means they are at least interested. Best of luck, hopefully we'll be reporting back successful results in a few short weeks/months!

I'm feeling pretty relaxed after turning in 8/9 applications. Still have one left - (Oxford!) I am nervous about hearing back though and about interviews, but that still feels far away. U of T also generally requires a Master's first, which I don't have, which is one of the reasons I didn't end up applying. The professor I emailed about my chances of getting accepted without an M.A. didn't get back to me. StrumundDang, hope your applications are going well! My issue with the funding at U of T is they only guarantee $15,000 a year (T.A.-ship included http://www.eas.utoronto.ca/information-for-students/graduate-funding-scholarships/). That is not nearly enough to live on in a city like Toronto and almost guarantees that you'd need to take on additional loans (unless you luck out with some extremely generous outside scholarship perhaps?). Compare this to grad programs like Northwestern, which offers a stipend of $29,000 for first years and Columbia which offers $26,286 (for History Ph.Ds.) Of course we are all going to grad school to pursue our academic passions and not money but I don't want to be in debt and living below the poverty line either. Graduate student TAs went on strike at U of T because of these issues. (opinion piece about it here:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/strike-averted-for-university-of-toronto-teaching-assistants/article23223061/). Anyway, if you are strongly interested in the program, you can still apply and see what funding you are offered or what you are able to get from other sources. Best of luck!

If you are really interested in these programs, I think you should definitely take the time to be more specific. Seems to me like it could reflect badly if your SOP is seen as generic for a school you actually went to, and therefore should have plenty to say about.

My writing sample (as published in an anthology) is 26 pages, but the first two pages are a cover/intro and the last 5 pages are an appendix with images and a reference list. Can I use this for schools that ask for a 20 page writing sample or will I be dinged automatically for not following the rules? I'd like to use it as is if at all possible as the word versions I have are missing a fair bit of edits I made and the version for the paper is a PDF so can't be easily edited. Is there a general rule for this, or is it case by case?

To me it seems like it's okay if your interests are not an exact match as long as they have the knowledge and willingness to advise on your specific interests. That professor might have been hinting you'd be a better fit at other schools, or perhaps that was just general application advise! Hard to know. I find it best not to overanalyze what professors write in emails though - it'll only make you crazy! I've got 3 applications in but still have 6 more to go (3 this month and 3 in January). A few are really reach programs which I have no expectation of getting into, and a few I think (hope) I have a really good chance at! We'll see how it all works out. I do want to have all the applications pretty much good to go before I go on winter vacation though! At this point it's mainly tailoring my statements of purpose and editing my writing sample to the different specific lengths. I'm impressed you are all done, withoutdoing! Nice job, that must feel great

Hey, I understand your feelings completely! I am weaker in Quantitative and of course ended up having an extra Quant section at the end that I didn't do well on. I can't be sure that it was the last one that counted but my Quant score was not great (156). I agree that it's not fair to include an extra section because it is only for the test makers benefit, and not ours, and we are already paying a ton of money to take the test! Why should they get free labor (at our expense) too? I decided not to retake it since Quant isn't that applicable to my field (History). I think 160/160 is a good score though. I wouldn't worry about it too much. I think 160 verbal for a non-native speaker is pretty remarkable actually. And since your field has both mathematical and verbal elements, I think a balanced score is a good thing! If the rest of your application is strong, I can't imagine it hurting you much if at all.

^That's not necessarily true. My unofficial score was the same as yours - 154 Q and 167 V, but my official score was 155 Q and 166 V. (I'm not sure that makes much difference though).

Yup, turned in my first two apps with December 1st deadlines (Northwestern and UCLA... a girl can dream) but none of my letters are in yet! I pestered them a couple days ago and they said they are on top of it so just have to trust them!

Set a timer and just try to write without stopping for 25-30 minutes. Don't over-edit, just write first!

Okay, that's what I suspected but I wanted to check. I'll forewarn my professors to expect a bombardment of their inbox. I offered to send the emails in 2 chunks (December due dates and January due dates) but haven't really gotten a reply either way...

The application for UCSC did ask me questions about California residency. I am from California but have spent the past 2 years in Japan so I don't qualify for the physical presence either. But they did ask if I have a valid California license (I do), where I have voter registration (CA), and some other questions. There were also some exceptions listed to the physical presence test and one of them was if you had attended at least 3 years of high school in CA, which I had. So I'm not sure if I'll be considered a CA resident or not, but just wanted to let you know there may be other ways to prove your CA residency.

Hello. I'm applying to 9 schools and am trying to make things easy on my recommenders, but I'm not sure the best way to do this. I'd like to send one email with links to the pages to upload my recommendation for all the schools. But I'm not sure I'm able to access this link directly - the forms want me to put the recommender's info in first, then the school's server sends them the email . Meaning they will end up with 9 emails from 9 different schools. Is there any way around this? Would appreciate any suggestions! I don't want to annoy my recommenders!

I hope the GRE went well! I'm satisfied with my score but apparently after the final adjustments my verbal score went down by one point and my quantitative up by one point. Random. Haha. My list has changed a bit since I posted it! I'm leaning away from U of T for lack of funding. I've added Vanderbilt and UCSC for History Ph.D. programs and USC for their East Asian Masters program. I'd love to stay on the West Coast as that's where my family is, but ultimately I'll go to the place with the best research fit and funding that I get into. Northwestern is high for those reasons, but it's ultra-competitive. Boston College is also high on my list and not quite as competitive. Still, I've been living away from my family in Japan for two years so it would be great to be closer to home... Like you said, we'll see where the chips lie after admissions and rejections come through! I did finish up a draft of my SOP that I am actually happy with and sent it to my letter writers. Some schools require/recommend a diversity statement as well so I'm starting that. And I have to somehow edit my writing sample down to 10 pages for UCLA! (Wouldn't it be great if they all asked for the same things?) I didn't contact anyone at a couple schools I'm interested in (including UCLA!) but now I feel like it's too late and kind of awkward. I'll still apply though and reach out if I need more info after finding out if I'm admitted or not I guess.

I have to write one for UCSC. These are their instructions: "The Personal History Statement is required of all applicants.This statement will be used in conjunction with your application for graduate admission and financial support. Please note that the Personal History Statement should not duplicate the Statement of Purpose. UC Santa Cruz is interested in a diverse and inclusive graduate student population. In an essay, discuss how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Please include any educational, familial, cultural, economic, or social experiences, challenges, or opportunities relevant to your academic journey; how you might contribute to social or cultural diversity within your chosen field; and/or how you might serve underrepresented segments of society with your degree. Recommended length is a concise 1-3 pages, single-spaced." I'm bit confused on how much to emphasize my "minority" status (I'm female and Mexican-American/hispanic) since I don't feel it's particularly affected my academic journey. Of course I want to include it if it'll help me but I don't want to be disingenuous about it either. I'm not sure what to write about other than that either. My time abroad? Volunteer work?

I'm always a little suspicious when the OPs first and only post is one unequivocally praising some paid service... I'd take it with a grain of salt for sure.

Thanks! Online guides to CVs usually say not to include it but a couple grad students/professors have mentioned that it's nice to give show some non-academic interests. I guess I'm leaning slightly towards not including it on my CV and perhap maybe mentioning it in just a sentence or two in my SOP? I don't know. Yes the emails never end, do they? But it's been very helpful and I've been humbled by how receptive the POIs and grad students I've emailed have been. I even have a Skype "talk" coming up with one of them (of course that's pretty nerve-wracking in it's own way!) Where's everyone along in their applications? I'm really trying to finish my SOP for my first school this week, but it's tough! Doesn't help that I haven't done academic writing in a couple of years now I guess.