Sigaba

Gellert-- I like this idea. To tease it out a bit, one could even include some additional information-- just to make sure there's no confusion between two Jane Doe's that went to the same flagship state school.

Yeah, there's no better way to get off to a good start with a POI than with a little deception. Or-- How about calling the POI's department and asking members of the administrative staff? How about calling the DGS and asking what she knows about the POI's plans? How about finding out the names of some of the POI's graduate students who are ABDs and giving them a call?

If she's one of those types who cannot get enough attention and has a demonstrated habit of doing what it takes to get it, you might have cause to worry--especially if she's also a lousy writer.

crunchy-- Think of ways you can get the information you want while also following the instructions provided by the POI.

crunchygum-- If you go the USPS/FedEx/UPS route, do what you can to get the mail codes for the specific departments to which you're applying. As an example, to the outside world, an institution's mailing address could be: Department of History 1234 Main Street Happyland University Anytown, CA 95005 When the actual address could be Department of History MC 0123 Happyland University Anytown, CA 95005-0123 Also, be certain to make a note of any tracking numbers but avoid driving yourself nutso by checking for updates every ten seconds. (Not that I've ever done anything like that. .)

Maria-- Here's a source that you may find very helpful <<LINK>>.

If you have stated your undergraduate major, your GPA, your GRE scores, your location (current or previous), and other schools to which you've applied, you've provided pieces of information that can be used in conjunction with your name to find you here (if not also elsewhere). From there, a researcher can google your username and be off and running. More creative searches could be performed based upon your writing sample and SoP. As the saying goes, "Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get me." Ultimately, the level of PERSEC that one practices on line and IRL are judgement calls.

^ Yeah, keep going with the "It's not me, it's them" storyline.

Blue-- Is that you doing the spamming or do you have an app for that?

Loimographia and others-- I understand that many of you are elbows deep in your writing samples and that this up close perspective makes it difficult to figure out what to keep and what to cut. My recommendation is that you take two steps back and consult works that you've read that somehow manage to simplify complex arguments without simplification. In addition to suggestions I've offered previously (and therefore won't bore you with again), I recommend finding published lectures by established scholars in your areas of interest. These lectures often break down a life's work and/or a major work in progress into more accessible pieces. Additionally, if you have a favorable relationship with a professor who has published recently a book and you've read that work, ask her if she's done conference presentations centering around the book. She may hand off to you a twenty page paper that provides a blue print of her book. Then, this paper could serve as a blue print on how to trim down larger pieces into a writing sample. Throughout, keep in mind that this type of task is a preview of the work you'll be tasked to perform when you get into graduate school. So please do not try to look at the task as an isolated hoop you've got to jump through but as project that can help you think and write like a historian. HTH.

The answers to your earlier musings are evident in this thread. Your point is interesting, given many of your previous posts in other threads.

Given the fact that this BB has a robust search feature and the fact that fredngeorge has but eight posts, some of the questions being asked could be easily answered with a little initiative. My $0.02.

LizzieB-- IMO, the first thing you need to do is to stop freaking out. As a fellow perfectionist, I understand fully the impulse to freak out, and to freak out some more. But as a person who has been through a number of misadventures (through no fault of own, of course ), I know that freaking out does not help. Before turning to specific recommendations, I offer the following general comments. I recommend that you use this experience to fine tune your game plan for giving important presentations. IMO, one should always anticipate that equipment is not going to arrive and/or malfunction. Therefore, multiple back up plans should be in place to handle such contingencies. As far as transportation goes, cars break down and rentals can be hard to find at the last moment, but what about public transportation options or taking a taxi cab? Or dragooning a friend into giving you a ride? What about a time table for travel to venues that allows for the catastrophic? Even when one has plans B, C, D, and E, the poop can still hit the fan. You might benefit from a better understanding of how you can mitigate such circumstances. For example, as a perfectionist, you may dread saying anything that sounds like you're making an excuse. However, if you know your audience, you might understand that they're going to cut you some slack. Now, on to specifics. In retrospect, can you point to any events prior to this week that challenge your view that you "usually get along great" with this professor? I ask because the professor's call to Enterprise sounds like an action one would take if there weren't a lot of trust and that your relationship with her is much shakier than you realize. This exercise may lead to an insight that will help you address the professor's concerns, if not to understand those issues. (Bluntly, the fact that she made this call really makes me wonder What's the rest of the story?) To your knowledge, is the professor under pressure of her own (is she burdened with a lot of coursework, is she preparing a manuscript for publication, is she up for tenure review)? If such is the case, you may be in a situation where you can either try to help her or, better yet, understand that her umbrage is about her situation, to embrace the suck, and to talk things out with her later. Also consider the utility of going to her office hours, hat in hand, and saying something along the lines of "I fucked up." If the professor wants to chew you out, accept the chewing without hesitation, comment, or excuse. If, after the chewing ends, there's an opportunity for a "teachable moment," take it. If she chews you up and throws you out of her office, then you've got some more game planning to do. If she doesn't chew you out and wants to talk, do your best to avoid saying things that sound like you're making excuses. Instead, take ownership of what happened, demonstrate that you know how you'd deal with similar events in the future, and turn the conversation to affirming that you've been on track and that you'll stay on track. No matter what turn the conversation takes, I emphasize the importance of not making excuses or arguing with her. The only exception would be if she says something outrageously beyond the pale. HTH.

FL-- I respectfully disagree with you on this point. Binge drinking among collegians is an ongoing issue. While it may not be fair to conclude that a photo of an applicant drinking means the applicant is a binge drinker, such evidence could still be used to make that argument. My $0.02.

Bennet-- Give some thought to how you might answer questions such as "Why don't you know if you're going to apply?" and "Why did you not ask sooner?" In regards to the latter, you provided a partial answer in the OP, but if a potential LoR writer were to press a bit, what would you say?

Runonsentence-- FWIW, I agree.

Yes, and yes. (Bluntly, it is alarming how many of you have so much personal information about yourselves on the internet.) Also, keep in mind how your friends, frienemies, and enemies may have tagged photos of you and made comments about you. Scrub your photo stream at Flickr and every other social network site to which you belong. Then, google your favorite username, see what you find, see what is cached (a category of data people forget), and see what you can delete. Even if you think the content is unoffensive, blow it away. You simply do not know how others will interpret anything. So take no chances.

phetish-- As a T.A., I would tell undergraduates to develop a brief list of talking points related to the course materials and then go to a professor's office and have a relaxed conversation. When I could, I would give the professor a "head's up" so he'd know who was coming, why, and what I knew of the student's strengths and shortcomings. The purpose of this first meeting was to build an undergraduate's confidence and to start building rapport with the professor as soon as possible. From there, I would pester the undergraduate to keep visiting the professor. I would also give that student's assignments an additional once over so he or she could work on writing skills. Meanwhile, I would bombard that student with additional optional reading opportunities that were related to the student's interests within the class. If a student gravitated towards an area outside the subject of the class, I'd direct that student's attention to professors who might make a better fit. If time permitted and the rapport was good, I'd offer to take a look at a student's writing sample and/or LoR. (I basically insisted on a two day window.) For me, the big picture was about (1) getting students to have more self confidence so they could take themselves and their work as students more seriously, (2) getting them to understand that sustained academic excellence requires a student to take an active role in his or her education, and (3) getting them to understand that I was there to support them in achieving the goals they defined.

With one exception, I've asked for all of my academic references in person and received an affirmative reply then and there. The one time I asked via a telephone call (as the professor was off campus that day), my "inner panic monkey" went just slightly bat shit crazy. (When I heard back from the PoI, he gave me a friendly but firm chewing out. )

Maybe a catch phrase on par with the University of Puget Sound's "How does Puget Sound?" IMO, there's a great deal to be said for a program that is looking to move up in "the rankings" and has a good plan to achieve that goal. Find a way to communicate to potential applicants that they can get in on the ground floor (so to speak) of being an important part of the process. Also, if your program offers a high level of collegiality, point that out. Finally, as you're a small program, it may be worth while to do some "counter programming." That is, put something out there that will deter the types of graduate students you do not want. My $0.02.

IMO, there are too many variables to provide a hard and fast rule that addresses your question. For example, if an applicant's area of specialization falls across disciplines, she may well profit from having a letter of recommendation from an English or a Philosophy professor. The question you need to answer for yourself is: Are you getting LoRs from those who best know you, your work, and your potential to do well as a graduate student, and beyond?

I would go with the person who best knows you and the quality of your work. As you already have two academic references and the professor emeritus doesn't remember you, then you should go with the professional who does. Going forward, do your best to develop good rapport with as many professors as possible.

IME, graduate students have participated in significant on-campus protests.