pohks

https://grediagnostic.ets.org The questions obviously are not displayed, but you can see the type of question (e.g. in the case of the quantitative part mathematical content area, question type and setting (pure math/real-life) and whether you got the question right or wrong.

Have you guys submitted all your applications already?

(Sorry, I deleted my previous post.) I'm interested in human-environmental interactions, and I minored in GIS, so I guess I'm a little bit all over the place. My research interests are more well-defined, though. I had my first interview yesterday. It was for my home university, and I felt that it didn't go too well. I got the results today, and I was waitlisted (1st place on the waitlist). I'm not getting in, though (or I would but without funding), as they only chose 3, and I'm pretty sure that nobody will decline the offer, as the funding is generous. I was pleasantly surprised that I made it to the interview, as there were almost 80 applicants and they interviewed six; however, I can't help feeling a little bit bummed that I didn't make it, although I would probably have chosen any US university over this one (not because it's bad but because a US degree is more valuable when pursuing a career in the academia).

I received the same invitation and application fee waiver from Brandeis, too, although my field is different. The email said that the invitation was sent based on my TOEFL scores (?!) and intended field of study. Honestly, I doubt that the invitation increases the chances to get admitted; they probably send out the invitations to increase the number of applicants.

I'm applying to Illinois UC, Ohio State, Maryland BC, U of Arizona, Ohio University and possibly Rutgers. All PhD except Ohio University, which is MS. I also applied to a PhD program in my own country. Are you American or international applicants? I'm from Europe, from a country that doesn't normally send that many students to the US, which is why I'm a bit worried about grade conversions, etc.

I'm not the best person to answer your question, as I'm not a geographer myself (yet ). However, I would quite confidently second what Paolaplease wrote - your background in anthropology sounds very adequate, and the GIS certificate definitely doesn't hurt. I'm actually in a similar situation with you, as I aspire to transition into geography; however, my background is in interdisciplinary ecology. When I first started to research PhD programs, I was looking into the programs in my own field before realising that professors in geography were doing research that much more closely matched my research interests (human-environment interactions in the context of environmental change, and climate change adaptation). When I started contacting POIs, I was frank about my background and asked whether they thought that I could pursue a PhD in geography. All of them said that they considered my background suitable and just encouraged me to use some 'geography language' in my SoP and to discuss why I was interested in applying to a geography program. Obviously, I haven't been admitted to any program yet, so there is no way to tell if my background really is compatible enough. However, what I was trying to say is that, as paolaplease mentioned, people transition into geography from various disciplines, which are way further from geography than yours. So go for it and good luck!

This applied to my test, too. After the AW section, I had a verbal section, and there were 3 verbal and 2 quantitative sections in my test (I would have preferred the other way around lol).

Thanks very much for your reply. Luckily they do accept physical letters, although they strongly prefer online recommendations. The webpage explicitly states, though, that under no circumstances should the recommendation letters be sent both via mail and through the online system. I already wrote to the LoR writer and asked him to confirm that he, in fact, had sent a physical letter, and that he had sent that only. He's traveling - of course - but as soon as he responds, I'll contact the program. I told the professor 3 or 4 times to submit the letter electronically, but I understand that professors don't have time to read instructions..

Hi, This might be a silly question, but I am entering the 'nervous wreck' stage and can't seem to think straight anymore. I was wondering if I should let the program know that one of my letters of recommendations will be arriving by snail mail, although I indicated in my application that all my LoR writers would submit their letters via the online system. I was relieved when all my letter writers told me that they had submitted their recommendations - well before the deadline. However, the status of one of the letters remains "incomplete" (although it momentarily changed into "complete" last week; I start to think that was a failure in the application platform). I thus started to reread the emails I received from my letter writers, and I noticed that one of the professors told me that he had sent the letter and the recommendation format (the online system did not require the latter), but that they might not be picked up until the next day, thus implying that he had sent the documents via snail mail. Realizing this made me freak out completely, as the program indicates that its preferred method of receiving LoRs is the online system. Moreover, as I am an international applicant and my professor is from Europe, too, I am afraid that the letter won't arrive before the deadline. Sorry for rambling. Do you think that it would be a good idea to write to the program office and explain what happened so that they would know that the LoR will (hopefully) arrive in snail mail?

I basically told a little bit about myself, my background (which is not in geography) and my research interests. I tried to demonstrate that I was familiar with their research and had read their papers and then talked a little about how my research interests coincided with theirs. There were a couple of POIs whose research I found extremely interesting, and I have to admit that in these cases, my emails were longer than they should have been. I also asked if they were planning to take on new grad students next fall.

Hi, Thanks for your reply! I've already contacted some POIs, too, and the responses I have received have generally been encouraging. I was just wondering if it is the norm to write to POIs of geography programs before applying (in some fields this is considered inappropriate). I ended up contacting the POI in the program I mentioned in my first post, and received a really nice and thorough reply from him. This definitely increased my interest in the program and working with him. Wow, these are such stressful times. I'm pretty sure that by the end of December, I'll be a nervous wreck.

I used email, too. I sent them a list with deadlines and a short introduction to the programs, as well as my SoP (only one of them) to familiarize them with my current research interests, my CV, and the forms that some programs require.

I haven't heard of the rule, either. I actually have a meeting with a POI scheduled for January, 3 weeks after the application deadline of the school in question. Maybe you could ask the POI if he could meet you sometime in the beginning of next year; if the "not being allowed to talk to applicants" rule applies, he'll tell you so.

Hi, What is your experience regarding emailing potential advisors before applying to PhD programs in geography? I am aware that some programs require you to identify and contact a faculty member prior to applying; however, there are other programs that urge against it, and some programs do not specify whether a POI should be contacted or not. I have already contacted a couple of potential advisors in different programs. Nevertheless, there is one program that I am very interested in, and now I'm debating whether or not to email the professor I'd like to work with. I don't know what the professor in question thinks of prospective students who email him before applying, and I certainly don't want to come off annoying. If I don't contact him, though, are my chances to get accepted significantly worse? I'd be grateful for any insight you may have. I'm an international applicant transitioning into geography, which is why I am not well-aware of the email-or-not-to-email practice in the field.