KTLady

UIC sent good news last Thursday. You should be hearing soon!

Do you know if this includes the history of med/sci program?

Better luck tomorrow!

Yes, much too quiet! I'm getting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from hitting "refresh" so often. Here's to a "louder" Tuesday (from celebration noises! I hope!)

Congrats to the Berkeley admit. I'm just gonna sit here and pout for a while...

Thanks so much! So glad it's over. No, I wasn't alone. There were two other (highly impressive!) prospective students my day. Apparently there are 4 or 5 interview days throughout Jan/Feb and between 3-5 students each day. Not sure if it's a great fit for me, but I got some great interview practice at the very least! Good luck, all!

Well, I quickly mentioned my school (a non-prestigious state school but has a great "justification" for my attending... not that I need one, but my other major is very rare and draaaaastically shaped my academic career). I gave a brief overview of my interests/research and then launched into what inspired this whole crazy obsession. I'm not suggesting you follow this... I don't think there's a formula or a "right" way to answer. Whatever you're thinking of saying is likely the best way to introduce yourself. I practiced a few times so I wouldn't sit there saying "ummmm" for thirty awkward seconds (been there, done that!) But an ability to express your interests enthusiastically and concisely is never a bad thing! Also, I wouldn't worry about repeating things in your SOP/CV. It'll be a good reminder, and IMO it's far more interesting to hear people talk about their experiences than simply glancing at a list.

You're very welcome. I'm definitely suffering from impostor syndrome and found it helpful!

Congrats! I just finished an entire day of interviews (SEVEN!) at a prospective school. I reviewed questions from various websites I found by googling "grad school interview tips", but the whole strengths/weaknesses-career goals-extracurricular activities-most influential book-stuff never came up. I'd practice: "So tell me about yourself." "Why did you apply to ____? How are you a 'good fit'?" "How did you become interested in ______?" "How does your interest in ____ provoke questions about the larger topic of _____?" AND definitely: "Do you have any questions?" <---you'll hear this a million times! Prepare a substantial list. One of my 15-minute "interviews" was just an open Q&A, so be ready to do some interrogating yourself Of course, I had seven 15-minute interviews and rarely made it through all of the questions above with each prof before our time was up; you might have a longer interview and want to prep for other "fluffy" questions. But I'd definitely recommend running through these ones so you can answer confidently and concisely under all the pressure you'll inevitably feel. Finally, I'd bring a water bottle, an extra copy of your CV, a list of questions, a nice padfolio, printouts of the dept website info (to quickly match names with faces, make sure you're not asking questions covered on the website, etc.), and a campus map. Strike a power pose (http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are.html) and you'll be set! Best of luck, and congrats on making it this far

congrats, annieca! good news is refreshing for us all

PhD

Don't fret! I'm History and Sociology of Science, and I had to submit a week early (Dec 6) because I had a conference in Berlin on the actual deadline. I'm lucky they happened to review my app before leaving for winter break.

Shocked to hear back so soon (for an interview). Anyone else planning to attend a Monday visit in Jan or Feb? Let the nail biting begin!

Hi all, I can't seem to paste my SoP into the text box on UCLA's application (or any text, for that matter). Is everyone else sitting there retyping it, or is there a clever way around this? I'd much prefer simply attaching a .doc or pdf! Thanks for any advice : )

ok, gotcha. I didn't say the OP's argument was misplaced, but the heated discussion born out of the mere assumption over Sigiba's post. Sigiba was told he/she should remove the post, and that request was as provocative and controversial, I think, as Sigiba's original statement. I actually applaud the OP's goals and posts and don't disagree with his original post. I'm actually responding to the arguments that, again, are based on assumptions and misunderstandings.