Calamari2013

Oh no!

thanks I've already mailed a few schools but no response, I guess I will have to call them.

Once you've clicked on "finish the test", I think you will be asked whether you want to view your scores or cancel them. If you choose "view", you cannot cancel the actual scores anymore. You will then be asked to choose your schools to send your reports to. However, dont worry, there is also a button "SKIP" so that you will end up viewing scores but not really reporting them anywhere unless you choose to. Of course, if you are sure you want to send your scores out, that's your chance to take advantage of the 4 free school choices. After the test day, you can choose what scores you want to send out (I have just checked it on my ETS account and the GRE Select setting works!). now you can relax and give your best shot in the exam good luck

Sorry to hear about your experience. I can imagine how it hurts. But there is no point dwelling on it now, Do you have anyone else who could provide a decent reference for you?

Has anyone had to get a certified translation of undergrad transcripts? I have just contacted a translation company who asked me to double-check whether the translation needs to be certified AND notarised. From what I've read on some sites, it appears that a simple certification by the translator will do. But I am not sure. Would you suggest me checking this with each of the schools I am applying to?

Thanks for that! At the time I enrolled in Japanese Studies I had no idea that 5 years down the road I would become interested in economic development. You are right, Japan would not be a focus of my research/study in grad school, however, in sociology I did attend a class in market sociology and another in development studies (less economics, more women's rights and child labour from a social angle). I did very well in those and so I believe I could successfully incorporate these into my SOP. Phew, I feel slightly relieved now! )

I am currently selecting my recommenders and as most universities require 3 letters of recommendations, I am in a dilemma. At my school during undergrad it's not at all too common to engage in dialogue with professors. It's rather the PhD students (or tutors) who are teaching the seminars that will mark your essays and get to know you well. My situation: One professor knows me very well and he is keen to write a recommendation. The second professor does not know me too well but can write some (I assume) basic recommendation even though I had very high grades in her class. The problem is she is on research leave out of the country and it's very difficult to get hold of her. Besides, a basic recommendation will not do for me. Now I have two people who were my tutors in the second year of my BSc and they are keen to write enthusiastic recommendations. Both are now lecturers in economics - one at my old university, the other one at some different university. I also have an employer willing to write a recommendation based on my work done for them, however, I am hesitating because I know that employer letters are not given too much weight. My questions: 1) Should I still chase the "absent" professor and try to get a recommendation from her even though it's just a basic one? Is the fact of being a professor so important? 2) Should I rather select the two tutors that know me very well and are willing to put in lots of effort to produce great references? Does it matter that they were tutors at the time I was studying? Sorry for the long post, but I feel confused. Please help ..

thanks to all of you for your suggestions. They are extremely helpful. some of my SOPs are more relaxed regarding the word limit and here I will attempt to build a bridge between my degrees, probably depict my first degree as a stepping stone to where I am today. As far as those 500-word SOPs are concerned, most likely I will have to leave such info out and focus instead on my passion for what I am planning to accomplish in my grad school.

Addressing a career change in an essay of 500 words is challenging for me as I would like to give priority to the more relevant aspects of my background. I am yet to decide on the best approach to this.

Thanks sunpenguin, In fact my worry is that the adcomms will start questioning my commitment once they see the transcripts of my other degree. Just to be more clear, I first studied Japanese Studies and Sociology and even though I liked Sociology, I got to the point where I realised Japanese Studies was not for me. I did graduate though (with a very good GPA, ironically) but a couple of years later, I decided I wanted to study development economics which I did. This is what I also want to pursue further now. However, there is no way I can incorporate any information about my previous degree into my SOP and thus I fear it wont look too good to completely ignore my previous education. Not sure it makes any sense?

I was thinking of attaching an essay I wrote for one of my economics classes and that was marked 1st class. Of course, there is no guarantee that it will be perceived positively. I am in two minds, really...i guess I will contact the instructor who graded this work and ask him for an opinion what do you guys think?

thanks! thought so but wanted to confirm...

If someone has two bachelor's degrees but one is not only completely useless for the application but it can be potentially confusing regarding academic interests and research, do you think I could leave this degree out altogether and focus on the "relevant" degree instead?

My program says that I can upload a writing sample if I want to, but this is officially not required. What should I do? I've read somewhere that attaching writing samples can be tricky in the application process anf often it's safer to leave that out. Any thoughts? I'm applying for a masters degree in economics. Thanks

Hi I've finished writing my SOP and looking for people that want to review my draft. I'd appreciate some very critical eyes happy to provide the same service in return. anyone? please PM me. btw, I'm applying for a master's degree in economics with a focus on econ development.

I'm having a similar problem, I'm done with a first draft but would love some fresh eyes to look at it. In return I'll go through yours. I'm applying for a master's degree in economics... Anyone in the same boat? Thanks