monkeyface

absolutely go for it. i don't have a specific anecdote for you, but i'm about to enter an MA program that has told me they send many students with a "similar background" to mine (2.8 UGPA) to top-10 PhD programs in my field. you've got, what, 1 year, 2, of 4.0ness at the grad level? AND you ended your UGPA on an upswing? i wouldn't let this deter to you from applying where you want to. and not to add to the generic advice you're dreading, but your LOR's are everything, so make sure they mention they don't know who that person was who got bad grades.

So glad I posted this, you guys have given me great perspectives and fantastic advice already. Thanks!! Both schools have big name profs in my field but I wasn't assigned to either of them as an advisee. I definitely have app weaknesses that the MA could help me overcome (sub-3.0 GPA, nothing but W's for foreign language), and since I was accepted to a top-30 program this round (no funding), it does give me hope for better results next time w/solid MA performance. The cost of living at the MA school is less than the PhD one, and I wouldn't have to move 3,000 miles and would be near family. Yep, the MA program is in the lead right now...crazy!

I'm in need of some objective advice as I choose between my two best offers. Both are excellent fits, both are offering me TAships, but one is MA (they rejected me for the PhD) and the other PhD. Thing is, the MA school is offering me $9,000/yr more, is in an ideal location for me, and is a higher ranked program (we're talking top-50 vs. top-70 here, nothing too fancy). I was all set to go to the PhD school until this MA offer came in the mail and was a little too sweet to ignore. I do want a PhD and I do want it yesterday, but the MA school does have a good track record of placing students in top PhD programs. What are you guys' initial reactions?

ok, this may sound ridiculous, but what about clothing? as a TA, will i be expected to look semi-sharp? i went to a small undergrad-only school so i'm clueless here...

CONGRATS, and thanks for the info! man, i'm in CA, where the heck is my rejection letter?

I got the emailed acceptance from CUNY (sans funding info) but no phone call to gauge my interest or offer a fellowship. Is this a Wisconsin kind of scenario?

HA!! Hooray for humor, I never realized how much of my time on this forum is spent with a tensely furrowed brow until I laughed just now. Felt good.

i can only speak for myself of course, but i feel your pain. i'm experiencing the exact same apprehensions as you, wondering if my ideas are trite and then freaking out that there are only a few weeks left to conduct the research that might help them become more sophisticated. i was also encouraged to pursue grad studies by professors, so in spite of my insecurities i'm going to go for it anyway. if it doesn't work out this year, i've at least learned a lot about the process and will have more time to do all that Reading and Writing and Thinking that might take my ideas to the necessary level by next year's round. i'm also applying to a spoonful of interesting master's programs as well. i don't know if you're a recent grad like me, but i've read that adcom's don't expect as fully developed research projects from undergrad applicant's for PhD's as they might from master's students. so overall i'd just encourage you not to give up. just lay out as clear a design of your research goals as you're able b/c you never know if someone is going to really love your idea buds and want to help you develop them more fully.

congrats!! those scores have got to feel good! they will definitely garner some positive attention for your app

if I have no relevant work experience to my intended program, do i fill out the employment section in my apps? i ask b/c at least one of them says to fill out the section if you are choosing not to submit an optional CV (which i'm not, again no relevant info to boast of), but then the word "pertinent" is thrown in there. so will it look silly of me to put my clerical experience in there, or is it standard to include any/all jobs, especially since i have time off between schooling that my admin work would account for?

this statement reads to me like a nice personal essay for UNDERgrad admissions (minus the math degree mention). what i get from this statement is that you're going to grad school to find yourself, b/c you haven't found it yet, with no clear end in mind, and a lot of superficial reasons for picking structural engineering (my screensaver is a picture of a flower, but this doesn't make me a good candidate for botany programs, no matter how much i wonder how it's so pretty). i think you've gotten a lot of stellar advice so far, in this thread and the first one, that i urge you to consider more seriously. to ME, the first paragraph is not funny; in fact i feel you come off as lazy and naive and would toss the essay aside immediately. try to come up with academically-based reasons that you are a good match for a structural eng. program. how did you come across all these different specific topics that interest you? were they inspired by classes you took? books you read? the parts about these interests, btw, are the strongest points, but i do think there are too many. if you want to keep them all in, try to show how they connect with one another more so your essay shows a clear purpose. which brings me to my last point: remember the prompt is asking you for an OBJECTIVE, first and foremost. there are too many potential jobs listed and too many potential research interests listed for any focused objective to be determined, and that's the exact kind of giant red flag adcom's will take notice of and cast aside.