Katzenmusik

Exactly, cpaige; thank you! I have to admit I felt a pang over the comment you quoted, even though that particular mistake was NOT one I made. This is essentially the "Most Embarrassing Application Moments" thread, intended for catharsis and amusement during a stressful process. Let's keep it supportive!

As I have likely just spent $1,000+ dollars to get my dream smashed, I am loving this thread! * I am applying for MA and PHD programs in a field I did not study at all as an undergraduate. * Most programs require writing samples that demonstrate the ability to carry out original historical research, which of course I have never done. I realized this belatedly & considered trying to write my own research paper over the summer/fall. However I got so busy with the applications themselves that I ended up sending a writing sample from my undergrad field instead. * My GPA is mediocre. * Most of the grad school offices are not even passing my application along to the department yet. I took two undergrad courses in the field this fall, the transcript came out around the end of December, and now it is literally taking forever for it to be processed by National Student Clearinghouse and then the grad school offices themselves (yes, I should have rush-ordered ALL of them instead of just a few--but I didn't expect the transcripts to literally take the maximum number of business days to be mailed). I feel really frustrated as I took these courses to strengthen my application--wouldn't it be ironic if these transcripts are what hold me back?? * I misspelled the word "pursue" as "peruse" in one of my SOPs. As in, "I would be thrilled to peruse graduate study at Ivy League University." Noticed that RIGHT after I clicked the submit button. Sigh!!

Let's see... I was a member of an all-accordion orchestra for two years! Fun times. I LOVE urban exploration--as in, exploring abandoned buildings such as mental hospitals and defunct factories or transit systems. This hobby is actually what led me to get interested in the field I'm now hoping to pursue (history of the urban built environment/historic preservation). I have fantasies of supporting myself by growing crops in the yard and working in Antarctica for a few months each year.

I must say, I truly appreciate those universities which publish detailed information on their web sites about what exactly they are looking for in an applicant: the number of credits that should have been taken, the GPA/GRE cut-offs for master's & PhD programs, the process of selection, and how funding decisions are made. This helps us target our packets to the right programs. The universities which make this information available evidently care more about saving the applicants' time and money than they do about boosting their selectivity ratings. I find it interesting that many of the most elite schools do not publish this information, or in fact actively dissuade people from thinking that there MIGHT be a GPA or GRE cut-off ("A good GPA will not guarantee entrance, nor will a poor GPA earn automatic rejection..."). In my experience, the programs that do publish this tend to be on the lower end of the prestige ladder. At first I thought it was ironic that say, Princeton might take a low-GPA applicant while a non-elite school would automatically reject him or her. But on some level, it really is all a numbers game, isn't it?

Interesting topic. I'm applying to graduate schools across the country (mostly MA programs, some PhD), but I chose only schools in locations my partner of seven years said he could imagine living in, plus several good programs within an hour or so of our current city. If/when I'm accepted, we'll go visit them together. He will consider moving with me. If the place doesn't feel right, or he honestly doesn't think he can be happy there, we won't go. I will not break up with him if he refuses to move with me. We're really happy together, and I could not imagine leaving him for an academic program. I've seen the world of academia pull peoples' personal lives apart, and I don't really want that to happen to me. (I will be looking for jobs outside the academy when the program ends.) Meanwhile he is avoiding applying to his own grad programs, or accepting a great job offer he just received in another city, until he knows where my future stands.