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Everything posted by roguesenna
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If I don't get accepted anywhere, I think I'll...
roguesenna replied to Domino's topic in Waiting it Out
Just FYI, peace corps/americorps/teach for america can be just as difficult to get into as grad school. be prepared. -
starry night
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How Are You Coping With The Torture Of Waiting???
roguesenna replied to PsycD's topic in Waiting it Out
I would love to do that but I have to work a full-time job to support myself unfortunately. best I can do is try to better myself in my spare time. conferences and lengthy papers are pretty much out of the question. -
I'm just crossing my fingers that the same things that worked out well for me to get into my MFA program (my writing, my strong rec letters) will pay off again. My GPA for grad school was almost an entire point higher than my undergrad GPA (which i hope shows growth and not that my undergrad GPA was so shitty) and my VR and AW scores on the GRE were in the 97% so... oy. But my top choice only accepts 3 students a year. Also trying to assume I won't get in and be pleasantly surprised rather than the opposite. Not sure that one is going to work so well...
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never ever ever. aside from the lack of faith it shows in you as a student and investment of their time, can you imagine the difficulty of living that way for six years, the debt you'd have when you left and the resentment that would build up as you imagine how much funding your cohorts have? It's bad enough in the private sector ( I currently work in HR so I know how much everyone at my company is paid). the resentment I'd have doing that at school for six years is not worth it.
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book nook
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If I don't get accepted anywhere, I think I'll...
roguesenna replied to Domino's topic in Waiting it Out
1. I'll probably study and try to improve my GRE QR score. pretty happy with my VR and AW scores so I'll just be trying not to fuck those up. 2. Try to find a job in my field, or find a job that allows me the flexibility to do some volunteering or interning in my field. 3. Continue my work with the NY Ren Faire (hopefully doing some directing this year!) 4. Try to revive a relationship with a really strong (and sort-of-famous!) professional contact who would make a great reference. 5. Reapply and broaden the search to a few more schools than I applied to this year. -
Rejected People should be notified first
roguesenna replied to GroundTurth's topic in Waiting it Out
or maybe they don't really think about us after rejecting and sending out letters is kind of an afterthought. in fact, I'm pretty sure it's that because I work at HR in a company and turn down letters are super low priority after EVERYTHING else that needs to get done. -
everything Loric said. accept the 7th interview. try not to worry. if it becomes an issue, tell them the truth and ask if you can make alternate accomodations. if not, see if you can skype in. if not, try to make the 8th. do whatever you can, but commit first to the school that's committing to you by getting in contact with you early.
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Do grad schools accomodate identity crises?
roguesenna replied to Lemur_catta9's topic in Applications
I was actually having a crisis similar to this one over the last few days (is this really the department I should be in? maybe I should be in this *other* department that I might like better). After talking with my significant other I came to the realization that I was doing the right thing and that if I got in, I was going to go. Which isn't to say you shouldn't take time off, but also don't let one bad experience ruin the whole field for you. Go back and reread your Statement of Purpose and see if everything you wrote in there still resonates with you now that you know the things you do from your field experience. Try to imagine how you could make things better and more enjoyable without doing a career 180. Think about what your life will be like if you switch fields. There will always be aspects of every field that you don't like, what about the other field will bother you? Which irritating aspects are going to be more tolerable? Really consider whether changing field is going to make you happy or whether it's going to set you on a path of hopping from one field to another trying to find a perfect fit when really you should be searching for a good fit and trying to make it better. Yes, grad school will always be there, and yes, it's good to have introspection. That said, as a mid-20s PhD applicant, I'm eager to get going with my career. I feel like every year I spend not doing it is akin to wasted time (not literally, of course, but at this point I'll be in my early thirties when I graduate and I still want to have a family and all that so you can see how I'm getting antsy). Anyway, if you're like me you still have some time to consider things while you wait to hear back. As the esteemed emperor said "search your feelings" and don't make any hasty decisions until you have to. -
In the U.S. most transcripts (and in general, most documents) are printed on 8.5inx11in paper. That said, I don't think you should alter the size of your official transcript unless they specifically ask you too. I'd recommend trying to get in touch with the school that you are applying to and asking them how they prefer the document. If you shrink it and they can't read the document they will probably ask you to resubmit anyway and if the document looks in any way "unofficial," once again they will probably ask you to resubmit. I also like fuzzy's suggestion to include both versions, that way all your bases are covered.
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How Are You Coping With The Torture Of Waiting???
roguesenna replied to PsycD's topic in Waiting it Out
you should use that as motivation to do well in those classes. I am racking my brain thinking "okay, I'm probably going to get rejected from everything. what can I do to make myself a better candidate for next year?" I'm having trouble answering that but your answer is to finish what you're doing and do really well at it! -
crazy train
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no stress
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Sh*t people say when you are applying to grad school
roguesenna replied to Clou12's topic in Waiting it Out
My number one is Columbia. But I know I won't get in, so I can say. -
final exam
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social studies
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express lane
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scientific techniques
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banana hammock :3
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Actually, that is unacceptable. Something like this happened to me when I took the SATs and they threw out all the scores and let everyone retake the test for free. You should call the company that administered the test and see if they will let you retake it for free ASAP. I would also call the admissions office at the school and see if you can talk to someone about it. They might be able to be lenient. Either way, you should try to get a refund for the test or a voucher to take it again in case you want to use the scores for another round of applications or something. If you can't get the company to issue you a refund or a voucher for a new test, I would call ETS and see if you can't get them to do something about it. One alarm is maybe forgiveable, but to have them testing their emergency system during the test -- the company should have canceled the date. That said, kudos for how well you did in spite of all the ridiculous distractions. I feel for you.
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tug boat
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In my MFA program everyone had to maintain a B average for candidacy and financial aid, regardless of any previous standing. that's just how it was. Honestly, if you can't maintain a B average in Grad School, you might not be going for the right reasons. No offense to you cwes7675, you may be really enjoying your school, but I really don't recommend this approach. I had a 2.8 out undergrad, so I can sympathize with this thread, but I don't think it's wise to go for breadth over depth on apps. Reasons: 1. You end up spending a buttload of money (especially if you have to pay to send GRE score reports too). 2. You can't spend as much time researching each of your programs and thus risk ending up at a school that you might hate (and you'll be there for five or six years!) 3. You can't dedicate as much effort to each individual application as you could if you reduced it to just a few. IMHO, the best strategy to compensate for a low GPA is to work really hard making everything else in your app better. Study fiercely for the GREs and take it multiple times to increase your score. Get exquisite letters of recommendation. Work your SOP until it shines (get help if you have to). Study the schools and study the process. Make sure the schools can see from your app that you are willing to work as hard as you need to in order to excel. For me, personally, I had a 2.8 out of undergrad and when I applied to my MFA I think what really got me in was my SOP (I'm a very strong writer, I had a unique vision, and I was one of the few people in my cohort that came from a theatre background instead of a film background -- something my department chair enjoyed). I think my portfolio was also strong. Third was probably my rec letters. It also helped that my program was fairly new to my school even though the school itself is fairly well known in the arts community.
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show boat
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scholar artist