hj2012

"Next up on the History Channel, we bring you an hour-long special on POI sightings..." Thanks for the input!

In a similar vein...if you contacted professors, but never heard back from them, would it be wise to list them under "contacted faculty"?

I think you need to review how to write academically. Take a look here, and make sure you're avoiding contractions, colloquial vocabulary, and run-on expressions like "etc." http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/academic/2e.html In terms of content, all the mumbo jumbo in the last 2 sentences of the first paragraph should be removed. At best, it sounds like unwarranted flattery toward Harvard. At worst, it sounds like you're insulting the quality of your undergraduate institution. Just be clear and direct, for example, "I desire to attend Harvard University's Computer Science M.E. program because blah blah blah." Also, I would make it more clear why you want to study at Harvard. (Also, the name of the school is Harvard University, NOT University of Harvard...) From your statement, it seems that the only thing that attracts you is prestige. What about Harvard makes it the ideal institution for you? Why is it a good fit for your interests? And...that's another thing that I don't get from your statement. What exactly are your research interests and future plans? And take out that entire paragraph about the GRE. You sound whiny and entitled. The statement of purpose is not the place to make excuses about your low GRE score.

Yes, definitely keep us updated. And...now that you mention it, since it was from the graduate school itself, not the department, maybe it is based on a certain combination of GPA-GRE? You might also try posting over in the Literature forum -- they might have more people who've experienced something similar before.

Sure thing! Hey, I'm currently living in South Korea, too! (Although I am American.) I do some part-time work for a 학원 that helps Korean students apply for graduate school, post-docs, etc abroad, and from looking at our bank of previous applicants, it seems that the distinguishing factor for success isn't necessarily GRE scores, but kick-ass recommendation letters, REALLY strong research background and a well-written statement of purpose. Especially if you did undergrad in Korea, make sure your letter writers understand what American grad schools are looking for. Sometimes the letters we see are really, really awful. Also, the schools you mentioned are super competitive! Make sure you're applying to a good range outside of just the top programs.

No problem. While your story might seem obvious to you, it's difficult to say how other people might view your first semester and subsequent break. They might even find it strange that you don't address a nontraditional undergraduate path, especially if the application contains space for you to do so. If you have the opportunity to briefly and tastefully frame what happened, I would take it. Additionally, if you have close relationships with your recommendation letter writers, I've heard that it's often advantageous for them to explain any extenuating circumstances.

I'd say that your academic journey would belong in a Personal History statement. I'd personally leave it out of a SoP.

Honestly, I'm just an applicant like yourself, so I don't really know, but...that sounds like it can only be good! When I was researching schools, I did notice that some departments stated in their FAQs that they nominated outstanding applicants for university-wide recruitment fellowships. I know I'd be really excited if I were you. Congratulations!

Hey there! I wouldn't worry too much about the AW score, considering the strength of your quant and verbal scores. Your prior research experience, recommendation letters, statement of purpose, etc. will all count much more in the application process.

Do you have any international experience? What is your language proficiency? If your ultimate goal is to become an FSO, you might consider jobs abroad. I'm currently teaching English in East Asia, and many of my friends have used their time here to gain language skills in a critical language while also volunteering / amassing relevant experience.

It also seems that Pinkster applied to a Masters in Social Work at Pitt, not a Masters in History....so that might be causing your confusion.

I also submitted a diversity statement to Minnesota. But since I already had to write one for Berkeley and Michigan, it wasn't a huge deal. In the end, I figured that the opportunity to give the adcomm more information about me (assuming that it will reflect positively on my application) can only help.

Woah! I didn't even realize that there was an active American Studies thread! I've been mostly hanging out in the Literature forum... I submitted to programs in both English and American Studies, but I'm in a similar position to beekay -- about halfway through my list. I applied to nine -- four down, and five to go!

Ah!!! Take deep breaths! Honestly, I've heard over and over again that English programs don't care much about the quantitative scores, especially if your other scores are above average. Keep your head up!

I'm not entirely certain, but I found this paper on "Kisses of Death" in the application process. It's for psychology applicants, but I reckon that many of the "kisses" are true across disciplines. http://psychology.unl.edu/psichi/Graduate_School_Application_Kisses_of_Death.pdf

This resonates with how my adviser described the vetting process at my undergraduate institution as well. The writing sample is really only seriously considered after the applicant has been cleared of the first round.

Yeah, I also imagined the writing sample to be a very important part of the application. Although maybe what Fitz meant was that it's not paid very close attention during the first "weed out" round?

I received emails like this from UC Irvine, as well as a number of other schools. I think it's just an automated email through the graduate school (as opposed to the actual department) based on a certain threshold of GRE score. In any case, I wouldn't read too much into it. It certainly indicates that you scored very well on the GRE (congratulations!). However, the only time I saw those emails as useful was when they were accompanied by a fee waiver.

you're completely right. Apologies - I ended up submitting all of my apps due in December at once a couple weeks ago, and mixed up the actual due dates in my head.

Err, I realize that this is a bit late, since the Michigan deadline has already passed. But when I emailed the department about submitting an abstract along with my thesis excerpt, I was advised not to. However, I imagine this isn't consistent across departments...

Hey Rocio! I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but Ph.D. statement of purposes should focus on your past academic/research experiences, and what you want to study in the future. This reads more like a personal history statement (which would discuss your journey toward academic study). Take a look at this SoP example. Though it's from a history ph.d. applicant, it should give you an idea of what admissions committees are looking for. http://ls.berkeley.edu/files/statement_of_purpose.pdf

I echo what katethekitcat said about faculty members. It might also be a useful exercise to divide the schools into three categories: dream, reach, fit/safety (although there really isn't such a thing as a "safety" school for Ph.D. programs.) That might help you see which schools are extraneous. Lastly, try asking this question in the History forum -- you may get a better response from people who know more about your field than I do.

Okay, that was my impulse, too. Thanks for the confirmation.

Here's one for a Berkeley history Ph.D. program: http://ls.berkeley.edu/files/statement_of_purpose.pdf This blog post has 3 examples of successful statements for philosophy programs: http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.kr/2012/05/applying-to-phd-programs-in-philosophy.html Hope this helps!