BioBum

Not at this point. My application has already been submitted and I assume it is currently under review by the committee. I was hoping to hear from people that may have insight into the review process and/or from someone that may have been in my predicament. I will also add that my advisor, if I am to be accepted, already has a project he wants me to work on. And is his words, he "wants to work with me".

GRE: $185 x 2 - $370 Test rescheduling: $50 x 2 - $100 Test prep: $ 400 App fees: $70 Total: $ 940 Hadn't calculated it before. Applying to grad school is expensive! And all of this to apply to ONE university.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - NRES - specifically Ornithology. Still no decision. I applied over a month ago. Sigh.

I applied to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign December 22nd, 2013 for admittance as a Master's student in their Natural Resources (NRES) department. I will be attending the perspective graduate student weekend, but have no idea if I will be admitted. UIUC only counts the final 60 credit hours in calculating your GPA. I am just short of the 3.0 minimum they require, 2.9/4.0. However, the university will accept students on a conditional basis. I took the GRE twice. 1st time: 149 Q (37th percentile; ouch) 156 V (73rd percentile) 4.0 Analytical (54th percentile) 2nd time: 153 Q (53rd percentile) 157 V (78th percentile) 4.5 Analytical (81st percentile) I was told by my potential advisor that the GRE scores would not be an issue as he thought my second set of scores would be good enough. Two weeks later I received an email from the department stating that I didn't meet the GPA or GRE requirements as they had been changed as of January 1st, 2014, excellent timing, eh? The website specifically states "Although there is no minimum score for admission, successful applicants usually score above the 70th percentile". Previous version of the website specify an average percentile for Q/V/A. With the 2nd round scores this is not a problem. However, for this year they decided each section must meet the 70th percentile. The GPA issue was known and expected. My potential advisor wrote a letter of support, but that was supposed to be the only hitch. Additionally, I have been an employee of the university since May 2013 working for three of researchers in the department. I am told that this helps my chances. My potential advisor does not seem concerned. I am, to put it plainly, freaking out. Words of wisdom for those that have been in my position before? Or anyone that has advice, really.