Minnesotan

It would be folly to not list a couple of professors with whom you'd like to work, when writing your SoP. Even worse would be listing professors who are all going on sabbatical for the year. =) Definitely at least politely introduce yourself, and ask if they are taking on new advisees for the coming year.

If you can keep the conversation going (intelligently), then that's another story. If you know a lot about the professor's work and his or her research interests, you might be able to really impress them.

Wisconsin pays slave wages for English grad students, too. Not only that, but they don't even fund the majority of their students for the first year. I imagine, with the mass migration of good professors and the horrible living conditions for grad students, that Wisconsin is a school on its way down the educational ladder.

I censored the link because it has been posted 20+ times on this site today by the same user. This is not a free advertising site. Since someone responded, I left the post up, rather than deleting it. The original thread will also remain up, but further advertising on preexisting threads will be deleted.

Unfortunately GRE and GPA don't mean as much as some people give them credit for. Sure, you could get cut off in the initial rounds with poor scores, but a good GRE or GPA won't get you in automatically. The only sure-thing in this area is that some universities use GRE scores as the sole criterion for dispursing merit-based awards.

But you scored an 800 on the important part (for you), which you might not duplicate the second time around. I think it would be an even bigger red flag to see a decrease in the important category on a retest. Besides, I seriously doubt grad programs in math give a flying f___ about verbal. However, don't take my word for it -- the best way to figure this out is to ask the programs themselves. Most PDs and PAs are good about letting you know which things are most important to them.

First off, don't waste your time in a program you don't want to attend. Grad studies are difficult enough for the people who truly love where they are and what they're doing. Secondly, why not finish the MA you've committed to, and then apply to new schools for your PhD? The MA is only 1-2 years, and I'm betting it would look a little fishy to hop from grad school to grad school, without completing a degree first. Finally, is the only reason you don't like the school you accepted their USNews ranking? This seems a bit silly to me. Not only are there many ranking systems out there, but rankings are almost completely subjective, based on people's perceptions of quality, rather than actual quality. Why not investigate your options and compile your own rankings based on what matters to you?

I would ask for written release, but only after you receive a financial offer from the second school.

If you're going to reapply, definitely contact again the professors who you were having conversations with before you applied, and ask them how you could improve your application. Try to (intelligently) spin that into a discussion of your professional goals, and express some interest in what they're working on. People love talking about themselves, especially people who are paid to talk. Moreover, if you keep them talking (without being a pest or resorting to small talk), you will be able to 1) receive ongoing advice during the application process and 2) possibly convince some people to fight for you when it' decision time. At worst, you'll generate some positive name recognition.

I went with 25% safety schools, although I realize now that my so-called safeties were all big-budget R1 institutions who I had no business calling safe. Luckily it all worked out for me, but I could have screwed myself over, had it not. There's no reason to take chances - make sure you like everywhere you apply, but also make sure you have a good variety of schools to choose from. If applying to more than ten schools, why not have three backups, in case you're either shooting too high, or the market gets even tighter? As for retaking the GRE, do Math programs even care about the verbal?

If they're driving, they can live in the burbs on the cheap. You would miss out on a lot of the culture, but nice apartments in the heart of any city aren't cheap. I mildly disagree with the statement about St. Paul. As a grad student, I would appreciate St. Paul a lot more than Minneapolis - less crime, cleaner, available parking, more intellectual pursuits, and the Wild play there. When I was younger, perhaps I would have enjoyed living in the Seven Corners area, but these days I like to know my stereo will still be in my vehicle when I wake up.

Well, right. It's really just a form of academic prostitution, in that you're selling yourself to a big name rather than actually getting to know the department with whom you'll be fraternizing (or sororizing, if that be the case) for meager pay and treatment as a second-class citizen. If we're fortunate, we have pimps in the form of labor unions, but they really only have power over us, since 5k grad students would never agree to strike, for various political and philosophical reasons - most of which are rooted in laziness or fear. Luckily they don't beat us if we get fresh, but the universities certainly do a good job of "turning us out," as the job market demonstrates. When it comes down to it, people can do what they want. Just have a look at a department's placement rate before touting its "prestige factor." You'll note that a lot of the big name programs are consistently outshined by departments ten places down the list. This could be a trend worth noting.

That's too bad. I was rooting for ya. In fact, I was almost as uneasy about the applications of some of the regulars around here as I was about my own. You get invested in the success of the people you go through the application process with, and even moreso the folks who seek your advice. Anyway, good luck in the coming cycle. You are probably starting to think about schools already, and investigating websites for information to help guide your SoP writing. I know I was already plugging away by August the last time around. Either way, if you need my advice, for whatever it's worth, I'll be around. Graduate applications may seem somewhat arbitrary, but there are tricks one picks up after haunting the grad communities for a few years. I, like the other moderators and regular posters around here, am here to help.

If they're bragging about getting into a grad program at an Ivy, they are often demonstrating ignorance more than intelligence. Most of the top 20 schools in my sub-field are public land grant universities or other state universities. Ivies are not that desirable, unless you want to impress strangers -- who aren't in the know -- with your degree from Brown. Judging from the comments made around here (re: school rankings, prestige) for the last few years, my area of study is not unique in this. I've said it a million times when people post, asking for advice: fit is the most important criterion for choosing a grad program. ***Edit: I thought I should note that there are quite a few regular posters and/or moderators here who have turned down Ivy league schools for state schools. The same goes for turning down top-ranked schools to go to lesser-ranked schools because the program felt like a better fit. I honestly think the difference between a top 10 and a top 30 school is negligible, knowing full well that aspects other than prestige are what made me choose my schools. (I did my MA at a different institution.) The best an English degree from Berkeley or Yale will get you is an interview, and there are a hundred other ways to get your file into the interview pile. Moreover, once you get that call, your degree has nothing to do with whether you score a campus visit or not.

Reporting bias is the culprit, often.

That was Anese, not me, who said that.

No. It means I am not liable for people doing what I may or may not have done. =)

As I tell my students over and over (to little avail), use office hours! Stop in and ask questions. That's what the hours are there for. Let your professors know you are a dedicated student, and that you take every opportunity to learn. This will make you stand out as an undergrad. Hell, some of them might even remember your name after a while!

On the contrary, the interest rate on your loans is bound to be much lower (or subsidized by the gov), so it makes good financial sense to pay off credit card debt with student loan monies.* Then, if you need the extra funds later, you can charge your expenses -- all that interest you saved in the interim will be quite beneficial on a student's budget. Basically, by keeping your credit cards maxed out, all you're doing is handing money over to the bank for no reason. Nobody is going to investigate where the loan money went once they hand you the check, and it is easily justifiable when you consider the same amount of money will be going to the same places; it's just that you won't be paying interest on your debts in the meantime. I know I paid off my cards right away when I got my loans, then charged my books and school expenses over the course of the year. Don't go into debt until you need to, and don't stay in debt if you don't have to. *Remarks in this post are provided for entertainment purposes only. The author assumes no liability for the actions of other forum users. =)

Oops! TESOL is the certification for teaching English as a second language. TOEFL is the test I meant.

Are there competitive assistantships available to students in your program, or are they all reserved for those with guaranteed funding? Can you TA/RA in other departments that do have competitive positions? These are questions to direct to your PA or advisor, and could be very important.

It might also depend on the program. If algebra is essential to your discipline, then you might be better served taking those courses and getting the honors degree. If, on the other hand, topology is more appropriate for your field, then go with that.

I wouldn't hold your breath. From the sounds of it, unless someone who confirmed a spot pulls a no-show, you're likely not in. The chances of two people (>10%) from your class doing that is probably very low. Best to explore other options while hoping things eventually work out.

http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings They have rankings for various language programs listed in the Arts and Humanities section. The rankings are fully customizable.

Here is the American Historical Association's list of (U.S.) doctoral programs in the History of Science, Medicine, and/or Technology. http://www.historians.org/projects/cge/ ... cience.htm This should narrow your search parameters a bit. Thence I would start visiting the sites for each school to see if they offer a terminal Master's degree. Here is a link to a site listing all of the History programs in Canada by province, degree level, and field. It's not organized that well, but it should save you a lot of time if you intended to search individual schools one at a time. http://www.canadian-universities.net/Un ... story.html