fancypants09

I'm getting so antsy waiting! At this point, I just want to know. And the admission blog posts aren't helping to reduce the anxiety...

Congrats on your acceptances! When did you hear back from Fletcher? It's the last school that I'm waiting for.

I am, for sure! My GAMS page shows that all of my materials have been received, so I'm just sitting on my hands pretty much.

Oh yes it was. It's been a good 2-3 weeks but I'm still not 100% happy with what I submitted. If I'm rejected I'll definitely be kicking myself and thinking back to this essay...

I thought it was waiting for my LORs to submit their materials, since that was the only part that was outside my control. But then life did what it does best: Took a surprising turn. Not too happy about one of the supplemental essays I wrote for one of my schools. I think I was just so invested in the main personal statement that I didn't give the supplemental essay the attention that it deserved. Then today, I found out that I needed to submit a transcript from a summer study abroad I did about 8 years ago. Luckily I was able to have my study abroad program send it to the school, but I'm nervous b/c the transcript will be late. It's already 4 days past the official deadline, and the transcript will take about a week to get here from today at the earliest. I'm just hoping that it'll get to the AdComm just as the dust is settling from the 1/15 deadline.

Totally in the same boat, carpecc, except that I didn't realize that I needed my study abroad transcript from about 8 years ago until today (4 days after the deadline) when I logged into my application tracking system for the grad school for the first time. My undergrad transcript shows that I attended the study abroad and received credit at my home institution for it, and I assumed that this would be sufficient. Now I'm genuinely worried My study abroad program told me it will take at least a week for express mail to reach the States, and I can't get a hold of anyone at the grad admissions office--everything is going straight to voicemail. I will be bummed if this transcript for a 10-week language program keeps me out of this school, seriously...

Joining the bandwagon here. School 1: Sent all of my required materials days before the deadline. The application tracking page states that my file is complete, but not all of the components are marked as received yet. They're not answering phones or emails "due to the work overload." School 2: Just learned that this school wants a transcript from a study abroad I did almost 8 years ago, for 10 weeks. I received credit for my undergrad for it, and the study abroad shows up on my undergrad transcript (but not the grades from the study abroad though--my undergrad has a policy of not transferring the grades). I thought my undergrad transcript would be sufficient evidence of my study abroad, but it looks like I might have to request this transcript. Cost is enormous: I have to wire USD $30 for express mail (plus anywhere between $50-$70 in wiring fees) to the study abroad program and wait 1 week for the mail to get to School 2. And I thought the most difficult part of my apps were going to be the LORs. HA!

Thanks thombo! Just received my GAMS info today. Hope that you've received yours as well!

Submitted my Fletcher app two days ago! I thought I'd be worry-free by now, but am beset by new questions and concerns. The first: For those of you admitted already, how long did it take for you to receive the GAMS email info from Fletcher? I've received two general confirmations for submitting my app, from the Tufts Grad. & Prof. Schools account on Embark, but nothing from Fletcher yet. All my LORs have moved to "received" status, and I submitted my app before the 15th, so my thoughts were that I'd receive the GAMS rather soon after I submitted my app, but I'm still waiting. Called the admissions office and they said I should receive it if all of my LORs were in. I'm sure it'll come eventually, but any thoughts from EN admits or those admitted last year would really help!

No need! Submitted the app just now

Hi everyone, I'm almost done with my applications! I'd like to ask for your help before uploading my supplemental essay. I just wrote this last night/this morning (I scratched an essay I had previously written at the last minute) so I haven't had anyone else read over it. I'd really appreciate a fresh pair of eyes on it before I upload it for good. Let me know and I'll PM my essay to you. I'll love your forever for helping out!

I came in at 499 for a 500 word essay just now...priceless

Agreed. It gives the schools factual data for stating in future admissions brochures that admitted students also applied to other competitive programs.

I think it's purely a matter of personal preference. I prefer a laptop because I can type faster on it and my hands hurt less (than from writing out notes by hand).

Hello all, I'm in the process of writing/editing my last essay! While it's the shortest that I've had to write (500 words), it's the most difficult since I am writing it on failures/challenges that I have faced in my life. How do I go about this tactfully? I tried to treat it as if I were answering it for a job interview--coming up with a somewhat "soft" failure/challenge that could be used to showcase a "hidden" strength instead. However, I was told that this approach was a no-go. I'd appreciate any and all suggestions, and please let me know if it would help for me to provide more details about what I've written.

What online application system are you using? And when did the status change occur? I know that on Embark recommenders can only make changes to their submitted letters by contacting Embark support, and if the change occurred recently (i.e., after the deadline), I wouldn't worry too much about it. You might want to contact your recommender and ask what's up, if it's really bothering you, and/or contact the admissions office and ask if they have received the LOR from that recommender.

Positive thoughts, gazelle! I've heard from friends who are completing their MAs in IR that getting in isn't strictly about the numbers; most AdComms do spend quite a bit of time with your SOP and recommendation letters.

Not yelly here, but thought I'd jump in the convo to see if I could help. Bawirsaq, did you take the computer version or the written version of the test? If you took the computer version, you receive your unofficial scores at the end of the testing session. Also, I took mine on December 18th and received my copy of the official score report on Monday. Hope this helps in assessing your timing!

Agreed with rockchalk--don't deny yourself of the opportunity. Let the school decide!

I do know that this particular recommender is a Mac aficionado, so this could be it. I'll be sure to let him know when I send my reminder out at the end of the week!

Late in joining the bandwagon here, but I'm only applying to 2 schools. I looked at a few other programs but felt that they weren't good fits for me.

One of my recommenders thought that he had successfully submitted his letter via Embark last month. However, I never received a confirmation email from the Embark system, and my online application tells me that he has not yet submitted the letter. My recommender has been understanding and has let me know that he'll try re-submitting before the deadline, which is next Friday. I'm curious as to whether anyone else has had recommenders who have had trouble with Embark as well. What did you do to resolve the situation? I've contacted Embark via their online helpdesk (convenient that they don't have a phone number or anything) on Monday, but I haven't heard back. I'm new to the whole internet application process, so I'd really appreciate your input!

I don't know if this is common, but this is also a requirement for one of the schools that I am applying to in Europe. I emailed the AdComm there and they said that I could substitute certification/verification letters from my schools for the originals of my diplomas. Certification/verification letters can be obtained from registrars of the schools you attended, and they basically provide information on your enrollment and degree(s) earned. And in most cases, registrars issue certifications for free (or at least at a lower price than transcripts). You might want to contact the AdComm at Purdue and see if they will accept certifications instead of original diplomas.

I think different schools have different policies, so you might want to check the application instructions and/or call the Admissions Office.

I think the weekend/holiday deadlines would be a bigger deal if you had the option to submit your application online. Otherwise, overnighting it sounds fine!