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Also a great idea, Maleficent!! If they allow you to add notes, you also can put "out of the country from xx/2014 - xx/2014. Please email" or something.

I had a few problems relating to this, too. 1. I just graduated in December, but I needed to send my transcripts before I graduated. My transcripts updated before the deadline, but likely wouldn't make it on time, so I extended the offer to email or submit my unofficial transcripts so that they could see my updated grades and GPA. The graduate coordinator of one program was very kind and told me to email it to her, personally. The second program gladly assisted me and updated my application. The third program sent me a curt response saying my original transcripts were fine. 2. I also have an odd "F" on my transcripts. Fortunately, it was a non-credit class at my first college. I had to leave high school for medical reasons, so I had to get my GED, which they offered at my first college. I tested out of the classes, so they told me not to take them. Of course, an F shows up on my non-credit transcript. They told me it won't affect me negatively, but I was still upset to see an "F" on any sort of transcript of mine! 3. I checked a graduate program's website over and over and over to make sure that they did NOT require a CV. I got an email not long after the deadline asking for a CV. I just apologized and emailed it to them. 4. I have four W grades on my transcript because I had to drop some classes for medical reasons (I'm much better now!!!). I just hope they don't think uncommitted. Luckily, I explained that well on my SOP and my LORs should vouch for me, too. I definitely understand the frustrations arising in this thread!!!!

Oooh I forgot about the condolence present method!! That is a wonderful idea!!

I'm not sure, but I'm wondering the same thing about UMD. I saw they were also giving out notifications around this time last year. As for your other question, I think it might be appropriate to contact admissions to ask about what you should do ... I think that is definitely an acceptable reason to contact them! But that is my opinion. Anyone else care to weigh in?

Agreed. I know it's supposed to be reassuring, but it's still VERY tough to hear. Perhaps because it echoes the notion of "Don't let it get to you." Don't let it get to me? How? This is my passion and dream; if it is destroyed this year, you bet I'll be processing some very strong emotions for a while before I brush off and move forward. It's so important to feel every emotion; there is so much emphasis on staying positive ALL the time, and it can be physically and emotionally damaging to keep that up all the time. So yes, while I know their intentions are good and that these folks love me so much, it does make me feel pressure to keep up a positive visage when I might be falling apart inside. That being said, I've not been accepted or rejected anywhere yet!

I managed to keep it to two pages because I put "Available upon request" under my "References" section (They are getting LORs with my References information anyway). I didn't have a "papers under review" section because I've only done an undergraduate honors thesis (that I HOPE to get published, but it's 75 pages and I just finished it in December), so I simply put that into my "Achievements" section.

Oh my goodness, alphacat, I am just super excited that you got to attend Brandeis as an undergrad!!! I asked my thesis advisor the best school for medical sociology, and she instantly said "Brandeis," as if saying "Brandeis" is a reflex when hearing the term "medical sociology." You are in a GREAT place. And Wendy Cadge is there!! *swoon* Her intersectional work on religion and medicine makes my heart race!!! It's so well done!! Look at that great line-up you've got for schools!! You have so many great programs on your list! Location was the main restraint that weeded out a lot of great places (personal family reasons are keeping me here). My thesis advisor weeded out three others, and two others that were fairly nearby were not a good fit (HUGE emphasis on demography, which I enjoy, but not as much as medical sociology, gender, or religion. Plus, my quant GRE scores are only in the 50th percentile). ANYWAY, I'm rambling now! It's so great to meet you and hear about your great experience at Brandeis and your experience in applying to grad school! I am glad to be in the same boat as you and all the others in this thread! We've got a great crew! Please do let me know how you do, and best of luck to you!!!

First I would cry a lot =( Then, I would study for the GRE again and retake it. The only "low-ish" score is my quantitative score, though. Then, I would find out what conferences I could attend in the meantime. Finally, I'd look for some kind of job in my field.

I don't know about you, but I've always been that way with various things. I remember checking my undergrad class listings every day during the summer to make sure my Fall semester classroom assignments hadn't changed. I refused to show up at the wrong classroom on the first day e_e So, we can frame this as being "diligent" rather than "obsessive ..." or both!

Applying for grad school in sociology, but I was a double major in sociology and philosophy in undergrad =) I hope you don't mind if I post! This is one of my favorite topics, and it's been so interesting reading all of your responses! So, I must say Popper, Wittgenstein, and Kierkegaard. I've gotta add, currently, Alphonso Lingis as well. From what I've read from him and from meeting him, I absolutely love him.

Hey there. I did not apply to UT-Austin, but I found the following on the Results Search page from another user who was applying to the sociology program and was rejected: You can definitely contact the Graduate Program Coordinator as well to corroborate or confirm this statement. Hopefully, the person who posted their result will show up in this thread.

@Socioholic, I'm sorry to hear about your rejection, but I'm glad you've experienced the catharsis of actually KNOWING the status of an application! Plus, it sounds like you have a plan B! Also, your username is fantastic!!! Describes our lives, here!!!

Thank you very much, NewGrad123. You were right to warn me; I am hopeless without a speech in front of me, whereas most others I know are most comfortable giving a presentation "off the cuff." However, I know the pain of being bored to death by a speech, so I practice my speaking to the point where I do not sound robotic and rarely have to glance down at my paper, so that's good! I also sound professional, yet like I'm telling a friend a story ("conversational" might be the applicable word here?) according to people who have heard me present in classes. I am VERY excited for this opportunity! Sorry if I strayed off the original forum topic here. I'm not sure how stringent this forum is about staying strictly on topic, but you all have been very warm and welcoming thus far =) =) OH, here's a fun dream I had about being accepted. I dreamed I got accepted to University of Delaware with funding of ... $100,000. Being a seasoned lucid dreamer, I instantly realized it was a dream and woke up haha.

... when I get really excited by the idea of attending a grad school program with wonderful faculty, research areas that line up perfectly with mine, and is well-ranked ... ... only to find that it has been closed within the last year *sigh* ALSO ... when I re-read my writing sample (thesis) to find minor grammatical errors/typos after four sets of eyes have read the whole thing. Just goes to show that no one is perfect and that no piece of writing is ever complete!

Thank you very much, Cylon6!!!!!! Best of luck to you as well!! Congratulations on your acceptance to UVa!! I am presenting, too!!!!! I'm very nervous because these are my first two conferences!

I have been in a relationship with my boyfriend for over a year and a half now. He's now going for his masters degree in Emergency Management at the school we both went to for undergrad. He didn't need to take the GRE, only applied to that one school, and they basically love him so much that they wanted to create a new GA position just for him. They weren't able to do that, but they found a job for him on campus! I am pretty sure his parents are able to cover his tuition expenses. I think what is making this transition as smooth as possible is that he was so relaxed throughout the entire application process, and that he's set now for grad school. I, on the other hand, invested over $1,000 in the GRE, applied to three different schools, and am not financially able to pay for grad school if I don't have funding. He is incredibly supportive and is able to console me and help me through my anxiety spikes. Wherever I go, we won't be too far away from each other. If I get in to Lehigh, his parents offered to provide me free lodging at their house and transportation to campus (I don't drive) since it is only 20 minutes away. I think the combination of his calm, supportive demeanor, his parents kindness, and the close distance of the schools I've applied for have really made the grad school search's strain on our relationship minimal to none.(NOTE: I didn't apply to nearby schools just to stay close to him, distance-wise. I applied because my family situation is very tenuous, and I need to be home in a moment's notice if they need me.)

If they do, we are all in the same boat. I have a feeling, instead of being surprised, they would just nod knowingly and say "Ah, yes, there's another freaked-out grad school applicant."

The usual: - checking email multiple times a day, yearning to hear the little "*pop*" notification sound for my Gmail ... - making sure to run to the mailbox (as if it will disappear if I walk) every day at 2pm to check for letters - watching tons of TV to pass the time (Parks and Recreation, anyone?) - working (great distraction!) - Cuddling with my dogs - Going to the gym ("what? It's only been an hour? Come ON, Gmail!!!")

Hello everyone, It has been so much fun reading your posts, knowing I am not in this alone!! It is so great to be here =) I started off as a high school dropout; I had to leave high school for medical reasons. I received my GED just months after my peers graduated. I fell in love with sociology when I took 101 as a biology major. Understandably, one of my favorite areas of sociology is medical sociology. My other interests include sociology of religion, gender, and reproduction. I completed my undergraduate education this past December 2013 with a combined GPA of 3.94 from both colleges (3.88 at community college, 3.97 at the four-year college). I completed an undergraduate honors thesis to earn departmental honors in sociology. As for GRE scores, I received a 164 (93rd percentile) in Verbal, a 152 (49th percentile) in Quantitative, and a 4 (53rd percentile) in Analytical Writing. I know the quantitative score is a bit low, but I can't be too hard on myself, though, (I'll leave that to the admissions boards) considering my practice tests started me out in the 20th percentile. I am blessed that none of the schools required a page limit for the writing sample portion of the application. I just submitted my thesis as my writing sample. I am also lucky to have had some stellar letters of recommendation from my thesis committee who can vouch for my quantitative abilities that the GRE score does not reflect. Here are the schools I've applied to: - Lehigh University, PA - University of Delaware - University of Maryland You may be asking: "Medical Sociology? Where's Brandeis in that list?!?" Brandeis is my dream school!! However, it is imperative I stay as close to home as possible at this time, for personal family reasons. Looking forward to getting to know all of you PS - if any of you will be there, I will be attending the Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) winter meeting in Nashville next week, and I will also be attending the Eastern Sociological Society (ESS) winter meeting in Baltimore from February 20-23.

"Worst case scenario, you can just retake the GRE and apply next year! GRE scores are very important!" (after $1,000+ investment in the GRE) Conversely, "Your scores are fine! GRE scores are garbage; some schools really don't care about them." "Only three schools? Is location really that important to you?" "Just don't think about hearing back from schools ... you'll be fine!!" OR, my friends who ARE applying to grad school "I just can't think about it or else it will occupy all of my time." My response to them: "HOW do you NOT think about it??"