Maleficent999

I keep realizing that if I am actually accepted to a program, I then have to successfully go to grad school. It's really weird. I, like you, am doubting my abilities. It would really suck to do all this work to get in and then not be able to hack it. But I've always been a "dive in head first" type of person so I have to at least try. That is the only thing bringing me peace. I'll never know until I try. I'm sure you'll do great as well. I don't know a lot about the applied sciences but if you're here that at least means you're committed so you're already off on the right foot.

Yeah, I'm planning to have all my apps in by Christmas so I can kind of just sit back and wait (yeah right, we all know I'm going to be flipping out until I have an admit). One of the schools said they'll send out the first waive of acceptances in late January. Looking at the results, seems like a lot of the schools I'm applying to sent out a few admits in the last week of January.

I have applied to 6/8 schools so far. I've received emails from 2 of them saying that they received my applications and explaining what I should expect over the next few months. I haven't heard anything as far as admissions. I really appreciated the 2 emails though. It made me feel really good to know that they were on top of things and wanted to keep everyone informed.

alien planet

Personally, I've been MIA because I've gotten to the point where I realized I really can't do much more than I already have. Only 2 applications left and I don't want to freak myself out and overanalyze everything. I want to just wait and see what happens without getting too in my head about it.

I saw this on your Facebook Did you notice "college professor" is higher though? So does that mean I'm going to have an even BETTER career if I'm a sociologist AND a college professor?

I am applying to nearly 10 schools. I feel the same way as you do. BUT I've been sending the requests in waves (as most schools I'm applying to don't allow interfolio) and so far I don't have any complaints. I do plan on sending them each a gift after application season though.

Agreed. And let's be real, most of us aren't going to be attending programs unless we get funding. I don't know about you but I can't afford to just pay for grad school out of pocket. At least in sociology, they usually won't admit a student without the ability to fund them so it shouldn't really be a surprise that some of us can't pay for the app fee either. I'd be very surprised if having a fee waiver negatively impacted my applications. Figuring out how to pay for everything is a dance EVERYONE, including faculty, has to deal with at every level of graduate studies and in any research field.

I'm in the same boat as you, Yolo. UCSD and UCSB require this scary "personal history statement." I'm not sure if I'm really one to be giving advice but I can tell you what I am doing. I just sat down and pretty much told the story of how I got to where I am. It was just one long stream of consciousness about the struggles I've encountered and how they've shaped me. I've been editing it from there. I think what they're looking for is more information about what sets you apart from everyone else. Sure you're smart, experienced, etc. But what about your story will make you a good addition to your cohort? I think a LOT of academic institutions are under the impression that diversity is the key to learning (I think this is somewhat true but I'm wary of schools who won't let more than one person from a specific background into their program) so you want to show that you can bring something special to the table.

I had a similar experience. I followed the fee waiver instructions for UCSC and they waived it very quickly without any questions. However, I did the same for UT Austin and they were pretty much a pain in the behind. Their website didn't say anything about an income cut-off or how they decide who gets a fee waiver. I sent in everything they asked and after several back and forth emails they said I don't meet the poverty requirements in Texas (like 11k a year income pre-taxes) so they denied it. Would've been nice if they put that on their instructions so I didn't waste my time or theirs. Seems like it really depends on the school but there isn't any harm in trying.

Well, I took the GRE on 10/19 and the scores were finalized and submitted to my schools by 10/30...so approximately 11 days. If you don't have any deadlines in the first part of December then you might still be fine. However, I have 2 apps due 12/1 and 3 due 12/15 so an early December test date wouldn't have worked for me. I do know a lot of schools whose deadlines are in January. You'd probably be fine for those types of deadlines. It just depends on where you're applying.

THIS. I think we should all try to keep this in mind. I know I am particularly struggling with the crippling self-doubt and what-ifs, but life will go on and we can find ways to be happy with whatever happens.

I've been told that UW is a very quantitative-focused school so qualitative research might be a little bit more difficult. I'm not sure how UCLA compares though.

I am sending happy vibes your way.

-All application accounts have been opened and basic information filled out -All GRE scores have been sent -All transcripts have been sent -All letter of recommendation requests have been sent and 2/3 have submitted their letters -I have the 3rd draft of my SOP - still need to finalize it and perzonalize it for each school -Writing sample is chosen and edited, just need to shrink it down for a few schools -CV is completed just need to personalize it a bit for each school I still need to write up a personal history statement for 3 of the schools I'm applying for. My first deadline is 12/1. I'm going to try to have everything submitted by Thanksgiving. Only one of my schools won't send letter of rec requests until after the app is submitted but their deadline isn't until January.

I'm not sure I'm listing grades on my CV, just the course name and number. I figure they can look at my transcripts for my grades since they're pretty straightforward. Am I supposed to list grades?

Agreed. I was really worried about standing out and being unique but I had my "ah-ha!" moment today when I realized that my specific line of research in undergrad was unique and what I want to pursue is probably not very common. Even if I end up changing routes once I'm there, this part of my SOP will hopefully be what sets me apart. Once I explain my interests, most people are like, "YEAH THAT IS SO COOL!" so I'm hoping that the adcomm will do the same.

My official scores were exactly the same as the scores I saw at the end of the test.

As a new program, did you find that they had less funding than other programs?

P.S. I need to actually start mine (WHOOPS) but I am up for a trade as well.

I have been stating the full name the first time I write it, and then abbreviating it every time after that like we would do with authors in a paper. "John Stuart Mill says..." and then, "Mill goes on to say..."

Exactly. If it doesn't ask for your "personal history" then I wouldn't give it. It's really hard to tell how much of a person's backstory a school will want to know. Maybe they'll ask if they invite you for an interview. Maybe they won't. But I think its best to err on the side of caution and give them EXACTLY what they ask for. If it's an SOP then they want it to be pretty concise.

Government jobs.

Are you required to have a personal history statement AND a statement of purpose? If so, I am using the SOP to focus solely on my academic accomplishments and goals. I am using the personal history statement to explain where I'm coming from and that's where I would include things like a sexual assault.