Loric

Because insular experience at the formative stages of a professional career often leads to poor outcomes. Diversity of thought is seen as an asset by most.

True, but f anything you need do need to do some minimal "explaining" if you include it. Even if it just shows leadership skills, organization, ability to meet deadlines, etc.. Those are bullet points you'll want. If it serves absolutely no purpose (really, it should - and you need to find how to express that) then leave it off.

Well, as an outsider my first question was "What the heck is astrobiology?" and then second "What do zoology and English have to do with it?" I'm not saying you're out because of that, at all (I myself am going from one field to another in my grad school attempt - but more closely aligned). Rather, you need to explain very concisely and argue convincingly as to "Why" anyone should take you seriously if you want a real chance. Programs do take chances on people -if so compelled.- It's your job to be compelling.

It's a shortcut for a "Find" function used in many applications - nearly all word processing programs and most Windows based programs that deal heavily with text (your web browser probably uses it). Not sure why you'd want to "find" a word while doing the GRE, but maybe the OP knows they often misspell a certain word when typing. I have a bad habit of typing out "jsut" for example.

Well the links route through some 3rd party website, so it'd type in the address for ETS and look it up and not click the links if anything.

Well, a note - I write for a living and the second iteration made a lot more sense than the first. Keep that in mind when writing out things for your app.

What's an MSW..?

I think it depends on what you consider cerebral versus commercial. Long story short: It just needs to be good. Submit what you think is your best work and best represents you. If you wrote out some brilliant slam poetry while flinging cookies at nuns as part of a performance art piece you did while high, and never intend to do anything of the sort again, don't submit that. Two tight paragraphs about kittens that your grandma would love and you plan a sequel for in order to appease the other grandma? Submit that. Show them where it's all going and what to expect. Last thing anyone wants is to expect the kitten writer and then get hit in the head with a cookie while being forced to wear a nun costume. You wont be happy, they wont be happy, and it wont end well. I'm honestly not even sure what "writing at the intersection of sexuality and religion as a sort of counter-theology to some more vitriolic theologies put out by more conservative religious institutions" means, but if you have work that showcase that - that's what you need to submit. Showcase that, the work leading up to that, influcencing that - something that puts that in context.

Been mulling over this more recently, as people actually know (rec writers) have pulled similar antics despite being entirely willing/wanting to write a rec. Conclusion: People don't respond to email. They just don't. If they can not respond and there's no consequence, by golly they wont respond. This is not in any way a reflection of you, their opinion of you, etc.. So you've got nothing to lose by writing a follow up.

I think you can more easily group volunteer work and interests, hobbies, etc.. You don't have to include "work" work if it has nothing to do with your career/area of study. That was the McD's example. For example, I want to go into a design program. I include my theatrical productions and a day job doing a design related task - experience, related experience. Crappy call center job doing HR? Not on there, because it's not relevent.

Admissions guy responded "No second letter yet." Dangit, I was hoping to avoid having to push. Bleh.

Advice that got me through.. XYZ (Field itself) Experience: 2013 2012. 2001.. Whatever, reverse chronology.. New header: "Related Experience" Any job type stuff that was remotely pertinent, excluding stuff no one cares about (McD's).

Well, my hook aims toward everyone every day. My group of prereaders - who are now sick of me after the umteenth revision - all agree they like it. None of them seems sure if it's a "proper" SOP, though it answers the prompt Q's, but they know they like it. It's different. I'm a little different. So i think it'll all work out. One of those "Well, to heck with them if they don't appreciate me.." deals. Eh, edit: Moreso "Well if they didn't like that, theyd not like my other work, so the school is a poor fit." But "to heck" was more fun to type out.

It's fine, no worries Unique situation. So waiting a week is kosher? I guess i dont have much of a choice. Just not sure what to say in the next email.

But it does happen and no one likes their job all the time either - no one is always fullfilled and no one is always happy doing their job. Everyone has their "yes, no, no, no, yes, ugh.. no.." days. It's not insulting to say so.

Why would they be insulted..?

Honestly - just go, unannounced, wander around a bit.. ask questions of random people.. peek into classes. Try to buy lunch. Try to park. Makre sure you don't hate the school and everything about it. Wish I'd done that with my first grad school. OMG I hate those people.

Is vocab really obscure..? It's not like they expect you to know old english (FF is pronounced as an S, no?) I did fine on my GRE, particularly the lit/vocab/english/whatever it's called portion. I think it's just a matter of exposure. Read lots. It's not about study - I got a perfect score on my ACT verbal back in the day and i never studied. I know, it is hard if it's not your interest but words.. be words.. They be importants. (Right now someone is dying knowing I got a perfect score and yet scratched that abomination of a sentence out - those are the moments I live for.)

Phone call time! "Hey so and so, I wanted to touch base with you. I was talking to my admissions advisor and they said my file wasn't complete because I was missing a letter of rec - so I wanted to check with you and make sure everything went ok, and if not, see what we need to do to get it sent/resent. KTHXBAI!!!" Pretty much. That'll solve your issues.

I honestly went back and reread the reply email to make sure i didn't imagine the "happy to" part of the response. Ya know, maybe my brain was reading what it wants, not what's printed. It's there. There's no solid deadline (rolling, no cap on students - if you're in, you're in.. but that doesnt mean you're being funded), but the school asks you submit a minimum of 30 days prior to the semester you want to attend. That seems awfully short doesn't it? Especially since they say the review can take 2 full weeks. Finish app, wait two weeks, get accept, show up in two weeks for class. Yeesh. "Hello, U-Haul? I need a truck, stat!" That said, I already asked for (and was granted) my app pushed back to the next semester (they're on quarters) because of unexpected snafus in getting my transcripts sent. This is my attempt to at least not have to try that "2-weeks then show up" theory out. They also said you can push it back twice before having to start over. I'm keenly aware this whole process is very weird and out of the norm. If we're going by the 30 day thing my "do or die" deadline was originally November, now it's February. I had no intention of being so close to the deadline when i started this process a few months ago. I was like "Hmm, this program matches my interests and I do want a career in the field rather than my boring day job.. I think I'll apply.." When i was in undergrad i had a whole class that was essentially "How to get into grad school.". My department took the upper level students and made us do a "lab" course in our final year. It was "go to this conference, how's your presentation of this? you're showing THAT in your portfolio? Let everyone critque your resume! It's week XYZ, you should be sending inquiry letters for ABC..." etc.. My homework was research schools, writing to them, contacting people, etc.. So winging it now is such a culture shock.

I was unsure who i was going to ask for a letter or reccomendation because i've been out of school for a few years. I turned to my program director because i've actually worked directly under him. I sent a ridiculously long winded email because i didn't think it'd even get read. I googled a bit and realized the email address I had from working under him probably was outdated (the school changed the email format for faculty, that's how long i've been out) and I resent the email to the new address with a note at the top explaining the email thing if he got a duplicate. He replied back in a few minutes to that email being like "I'd be happy to. I'll get to it this week or next." Sweet. I didn't reply. I mean, he's a very busy man and he'll get to it. In my long winded thing i mentioned how it's rolling admission without a firm deadline. That was the 7th.. on the 28th I sent a follow up email being like "Just checking in, let me know if there's anything else you need from me." Ya know, the polite version of "Where my letter at?!?!" No reply, no letter ticked off on my checklist in the admissions system. Oh, and I'm stressing because I can see all the bits off my application as my assigned admissions advisor checks them off. I don't see his letter in there yet.. but my advisor is umm.. slow..? at times..? For example I sent him emails about both my first letter of rec (the rec BCC'd me) and my GRE scores after i knew he had them and was like "Hey.. don't see this on my admissions profile, just wanted to make sure you got it! Thanks." A few hours later he'd update it and then send me an email being like "Yup! Got it!" So.. in theory admissions guy could also be sitting on the letter, not that it's not written. If anything typing out this post has made me aware that I'm doing a decent job of masking my neurosis. But really, at what point do I get pushy or something? i guess i dont want to be pushy - I just want it done. What do I do? I'm starting to think all parties are getting sick of getting emails from me.

I would call/email and ask what they're looking for. No one ever wants to (i dont' either!) but it's really the best option. Anything we say here is going to be a guess.

Well, think of it this way... How many people are admitted to the area you're going into each year. What's the selectivity for that department? As in, how many people apply and don't get in relative to those who apply and do get in? Number of people admitted.. number of people who apply and don't get admitted per admission.. That's how many of these things the adcom will be reading. If there's a firm deadline and process, they very well may be doing a whole batch all at once. The school i'm applying to creates little portfolios for each person and once everything is submitted they send that package to each person on the comittee and the read through it all at once (I wrote a book, i was warned not to send too many pages as an excerpt because of this specific scenario). And it can be like the GRE essay portion - different people assigning scores to your various application parts. Weighted whatever way the school chooses. Many do it that way to avoid a single person making the final decision on a candidate. 3 yes, 2 no, you're in - 2 yes, 3 no, you're out. At some point at some schools (particularly the names we all keep seeing on these forums) are going to have people who work in admissions going "Yes. No. Yes. No. No. No. No. Yes. No. Yes." vetting your basic folio before it's sent anywhere - especially if a department has a huge number of applications. I've come at this from the other end, being in an industry that really has very few applicants per school aside from the big big name schools. In my world, for my first grad degree attempt, it was "talk to faculty, get asked to apply." And that's when you learn that there are people in admissions, who have nothing to do with the department itself, will be vetting you on basics to see if you meet the core requirements that the school wants and if they will vote yes/no to get you in, despite the faculty, chair, dept head, etc.. all already asking you to go there. I thankfully wasn't downvoted by anyone, but I learned about the process because I asked out of curiosity one day while on the phone with the right person. There is probably a person in the admissions department assigned to your department/major/area/whatever on top of a bunch of other things. They vet all the applications for that area - even if they know nothing about the subject at hand. Often they do - and that's why they have that area assigned to them but people call out sick, take vacation, whatever. A random person who knows nothing about the boring technical aspects of what you want to research is looking at your SOP and going "Yes.. no.. yes.. no.. no.. no.." very likely at some point. So I think if anything i think the idea of a "hook" is a reminder to most people not to be boring, not to assume the reader knows jack diddly about you, what you want to do, and how you want to accomplish it - and has veto power over your life. I'd rather people try hooks and get the concept of "be interesting" in their head when writing, rather than cranking out a longwinded restatement of their resume that is as interesting as watching paint dry.

It depends on the story. Something you find interesting could be boring or awful to other people, and something you never thought about might be the most compelling thing about you. Float the story in your statement for a few friends and essentially anyone you can get to read it. Ask people, after they've read it and given other feedback, if they feel the story is appropriate and adds to the whole.

Skimmed.. but here's my basic feedback: Simplify your sentences. They're way too wordy with too many clauses, prepositional statements, etc.. Break them up into small sentences as need if the information is REALLY important. Also simply your arguments. Intersections "and interactions" is already one thing too many in a sentence that's leading to an "and" statement that needs to be there. Try not to use "and" more than once in any given sentence. Also, pick a single style for lists and stick to it. "XYZ based group ABC" and don't change. The flower, the cookie, auxillary items wherewithin you find joy, and the thimble. See which one doesn't quite fit? People like things to fit neatly into their expectations - throwing them for a loop mid-sentence just annoys them.