Today12345

Olive_via First, I'm really sorry that you're having a hard time with grad school applications. Your post saddened me and I don't even know you. I'm a current PhD candidate and was on the admissions committee of my program this year so I think I have some general words of wisdom. It might also be useful to note that I applied to 10-12 programs and got admitted to only 1 of them even though I was generally competitive for most of them. While I applied to only the top 15 schools, graduate school is competitive regardless of the tier of school. I wonder if (1) you are applying to too few programs in (2) a particular geographical area. I noticed that all the programs you listed are mostly in NY or in the Northeast. It is possible that those programs are much more competitive because more people live in those places. If you do choose to apply again, I would suggest applying to more schools all across the country inasmuch as they are good fits for you. In the meantime, I know that there is not much I can say that can comfort you right now; it is difficult. However, I believe that every disappointment is indeed a blessing in disguise - perhaps those programs are wrong for you. Take this year to reflect on what you can do differently and apply again. I wish you luck!

Until the list is finalized, things may still move around. You never know.

Thank you. Were you an alternate? I wonder when they'll inform alternates about their final decision.

The deadline to accept was April 19.

Congratulations on being named an alternate! There is such a list; it's almost like a waitlist. Hopefully, some people decline the offer so that you can be selected. I know someone that received a fellowship after getting off an alternate list.

I'm in Sociology.

I received the award; this was my third try. I applied before starting grad school, during my first few months of grad school, and then at the beginning of my second year. A number of things changed. First, I changed my research focus. This was not because of the fellowship, but it may have helped, because this time around, I had a more focused research area grounded in theory as opposed to practice from my prior employment. Second, the third time around, I had done some preliminary work on my research proposal. It is possible that they want to see that the study can actually be conducted so that they reward folks that can show that they have begun work on it. I had access to a proposal by someone that received the Ford a few years ago and he had also already conducted some research on his topic. Hope this helps and I do encourage you to reapply. Do not be discouraged.

Double Shot, did you get Honorable Mention?

I was on a plane on my way back to the US from vacation overseas. As soon as we landed, I turned on my phone and there it was among 30+ new messages in my mailbox. It was a great moment.

Why don't you send both scores? Schools would generally take the highest score in each section. That way, you'd end up with 165V 160Q.

You could also skip it - I don't think it would hurt either way though.

Certain schools ask you to list these kinds of classes in addition to providing them with your transcript, which obviously includes those classes. You should list as many classes as permissible in the spaces provided. It's time consuming, but I'm guessing that they would like to see the classes listed on each application and not have to go through each applicant's transcript to find them.

You don't have to take my advise, but I respectfully disagree with the people that said that you should not apply to certain schools based on your GRE alone. If you have other things going for you (publications, presentations, outstanding GPA, strong SOP and LOR), then apply. Programs do look at applicants holistically and sociology programs would be more concerned about your verbal score, which isn't too bad. In this process, people are going to tell you want they think you should do. Think carefully before taking suggestions. Good luck!

I applied too - and waiting.

The supplemental data form becomes available after you have submitted your application. It's sort of like a second form that your submit.

Why don't you talk to your professors about what you can do to improve? They will likely be the best individuals that would know why you receive B's on your written work. If they tell you that your writing needs work, then utilize your school's writing center if there is one. If there isn't a writing center, ask a trusted friend who is a good writer for tips on how to improve your writing.

I would say that you need to be very honest with yourself: what is your primary reason for wanting to go to grad school? If it is to meet the right man, you must be ready to face the reality of the possibility of not meeting him. If you don't meet him, would you be gravely disappointed to the point where it affects your performance in grad school? If you are okay with the possibility of not meeting anyone, but open to the idea of meeting someone, then I would say go for it. However, if you are more concerned about meeting someone, I would advice not to go to grad school mainly for that reason. From experience, I can tell you that few people meet their future partners in grad school (I don't have statistical information for this, but I believe it's a rarity - I'm sure that depends on the school and program as well).

I'm no authority on this issue by any standard (I'm also applying this season), but I'd say you can submit whenever you feel ready. I would rather not have applications hanging over my head so I've submitted 92% of my applications and it's only November 1st.

I second what scholarlypartier said. One of my recommenders this year is a professor from college - I graduated from college in 2008, so that was 5 years ago. I kept in touch with her throughout the years and kept her somewhat updated about my professional life. Don't be bashful even about sending holiday cards to the professors every year - they will appreciate it and it would keep you on their radar. Good luck.

I would suggest retaking the test but sticking with ETS's material especially if you are struggling with reading comp. The first time I took the test, I studied with MGRE and Magoosh, and although they were helpful, I thought the questions on the test was significantly different from what I was used to, and my result reflected that. My verbal score was abysmal and quite frankly shameful. I studied for about a month using almost exclusively ETS's bigbook and received a 161 (87th percentile). I don't know if you have time to purchase the big book at this point - it's also very pricy. If not, you might be able to find downloadable version online. Even though the big book features the old GRE, if reading comp is your problem, this book will surely help. However, you have to be ready to think about why you got the answer right or wrong for every single question. This would allow you to notice a pattern in the way ETS phrases questions and right or wrong answers. Good luck.

I would very much suggest MGRE's Reading Comprehension and Essays book. The AW is really not about what you write but how you write. Because it is very formulaic, you only need to learn the structure that ETS looking for. Although I am generally a strong writer, I wasn't familiar with the GRE AW writing "rules." I used this book and ETS's materials and scored a 5.5, so you can improve (believe me). Good luck.

Latte, I would suggest that you give it a few more days and then send another e-mail reminder. It is the beginning of the semester and many professors are very busy at this time. If you do not hear back by the beginning of October, I think that you can contact the professor's assistant (if he or she has one) and politely explain that you would appreciate his or her help with reaching the professor. Usually assistants are very helpful - It has worked for me in the past - good luck.