jujubea

Thanks Autumn - it's a strange situation, strange school, and strange paper, so the couple folks I've asked have been at a loss. Compounding it a bit is that I've been away from the school for almost 4 years.

Lol! YES!

If it doesn't matter that you don't have the LOR in time for the interview, I would still get a backup LOR writer lined up If it DOES matter that you don't have the LOR in time for the interview, I would get a backup LOR writer to start writing!

Are there any opportunities for scholarships or waivers to the 345 Euro fee?

I did neither: I got right to it, with punchy expressions, that were not cheesy or even terribly thought-provoking. I worded that opening sentence to the part where I highlighted my undergrad with some creative, punchy language. It was not verbose, it was not pedantic, it was not abstract, it got to the point, but with some creativity. It was my second paragraph, technically, but it was my first "real" paragraph. The opening paragraph was a succinct: "I am applying for XX program at XX school in the XX emphasis and this is my statement, which includes...." in so many words.

You might have had better luck with this in the international students section. Sorry I'm no help either!

Some of the places I'm applying, and had considered applying to, openly asked me about where else I'm applying, in part because they have friends, and former colleagues, students, and advisers at other schools' similar programs. They told me to say "hi" to the other places and people if I did visit or meet them. They were quite open about it when I "asked back" ... why? They said they like to know where the good students apply, and why (so, Takeru's point #1 above).

I had a hook in a draft of my SOP. When I sent it for review by someone whose opinion I basically had to trust - they crossed it out and said I should open clearly and succinctly with "I am applying to the XX program at XX university in the XX emphasis." That person then also went on to take out any colorful language I had (such as "love" "excited" "passionate" etc.). Last year when I almost applied, I had a separate SOP reviewed by an actual adcom member, at a totally different school, who basically gave the same feedback. Just get to the point. Which program, which school, which emphasis, now tell me why. Which is all just to say, to each his/her own. Everyone seems to have different preferences. But I don't think your SOP will get trashed because it doesn't open with a hook, whereas if it fails to ever mention the above points, it could. I think it's a pretty great opening overall - agree about adding more detail in the place mentioned previously - also though I'm not sure your Wikipedia remark really adds any value, and I'd axe it. It risks indicating (whether accurately or not) some immaturity through what could be deemed the inappropriate use of humor (this is not MY opinion upon reading it, I happen to like such sparks of levity, but just based on what I've heard others mention on this forum, also after reading the "kiss of death" article floating around here somewhere). There is something almost underwhelming when you say the end product was like the Magic School Bus - it made me go "wait a minute, I thought s/he said high school..." That said - I don't think it's a bad example, but perhaps there is a way you can set it up beforehand so that it doesn't come across as so out of place. Sorry if that's vague. And no dis to the MSB. Great thing is, it's clear to a total outsider. Which means it will also be clear to the adcom Very important!

I would try to highlight some deeper aspect of the projects/awards/experiences that are already listed on your CV, so as not to waste precious space. For instance, one thing I did was talk specifically about the research methods I used for one of the research projects I listed on the CV. Another thing I did was explain a unique facet of my undergraduate experience & institution which would not be readily apparent upon reading "Bachelor of Arts, Hoozawhatsits University, Year, GPA". This was especially important because I went to a no-name school, which actually has some serious propers owed to it (IMHO).

They're often used for funding consideration, from what I've read up in my own programs. As for tips, also from what I've read, don't whine about your past, but do indicate any particular hardships you overcame (and likely continue to overcome as a minority in the U.S.). For some people, it's overcoming racism or other forms of discrimination; for some people it's overcoming having no money to buy food, and so working two jobs; for some people, it's persevering and achieving college success despite growing up in a community, family, or other environment which did not support you or even actively discouraged you. Other hardships might be having or being a single parent, parents divorcing (although this seems silly to me - isn't it something like 50% of our generation's parents got divorces?), close family members or friends passing away at a critical age in your development, kicking cancer's a** .... really, it's your life, so you know what unique (or non-unique) crud you've had to pull yourself through to get where you are now. Things I've read to generally stay away from are mental health issues; demeaning your undergraduate institution, its resources, or its faculty (even if they were/are crappy); anything that hints at your immaturity or instability; aggrandizing your plans/impact on the world. This is all from reading these forums here, and from reading the links found through these forums Good luck, youngcharlie!

...word. P.s. I have no intention of thread-jacking, but I posted this question in a (relevant) area of the forum that's a little bit dead: If anyone has any insights, I'd be much obliged!

Dang... the benefits of applying to top-tier schools! The earliest it sounds like I'll hear from anyone is the beginning of February, and even then possibly only informally. Wish I had a wider geographic reach ... :/

I have never needed to show proof of my Native American (not Canadian Aboriginal) ancestry in my applications for anything in the U.S. (colleges, grants, government jobs)... which is good because I don't have proof beyond (awesome) oral histories. The question on U.S. applications usually shows up as "What race do you identify yourself as" or "Do you identify as any of the following" - they really seem to place an emphasis on what you consider yourself to be. This is interesting because I have half white half mixed-Asian family members who do not identify as Caucasian, they identify as Filipino only, even though they are less than half, and have a whole lot of other stuff mixed in. I'm the other way: I check every box in my background, which leaves very few unchecked. I wish they would offer the "Mixed" or "Multiple" box more frequently though, because that's how I self-identify. Regardless though, I have seen other applications and applicants who have had to hold a nationally-recognized card which indicates their Native American ancestry in order for it to be considered. So, I think it really depends on which programs. For me this means I'm prepared to forego any extra consideration since I don't have a governmentally-recognized tribal affiliation (it only matters to me that I know who I am... and in our case, our ancestry was purposefully buried for the "shame" it used to carry).

If the content of your essays is great, I wouldn't worry too much - although I completely sympathize, and would probably be going nuts over it if I noticed the same thing. Nothing you can do about it now though, better just to conserve your energy for the celebrations of when you're admitted Did you also submit a writing sample for the application? That'd be another chance for them to see your writing skills. Or if you've been emailing with any professors at length.

Are you talking about applying to be a full-time teacher at a university, at the same time as applying for admission to the university as a student? Which do you want to do? Do you want to teach full-time or do you want to further your studies? I am not sure how experience being a TA as an undergrad is viewed, however, it is likely this experience would be helpful to your application to apply to be a TA while attending as a master's student. Is that something you're interested in? Is that something that is available at the program(s) you're looking into?

How far off are your topics and interests? I have some pretty divergent undergrad research experience, but there is some overlap, and what I did was emphasize the relevant skills I built during undergrad, for use during grad. For instance, I learned to code and analyze interview transcripts, and even though the topic and content and results and application of the interview data has NOTHING to do with what I want to study in grad school, the skillset of knowing how to code and analyze verbal data is still useful for this other field. In short, I emphasized my research experience skills rather than my research experience topics.

It's funny you mention Germany. Because that's one of the countries that gives free college education, even to non-citizens (or so I hear).

Well... that way I guess at least you get some kind of action in the meantime, rather than a solid, cold, silent ...dreary ... long .... wait until the spring

Yay for nerds! Yeah, I backed into (was cornered into?) doing some quantitative analysis several years ago and loved it. Having the qual background and strength I think added a certain depth when I interpreted it for my supervisors. What are you looking at focusing on for the PhD?

I'd like to be mixed methods! I have the brain for it, and the beginnings of a foundation for it. It all depends on where I end up attending...

Oh good I'm not the only one who went a little nuts with tailoring the information packets.... Dang, woman, with 10 schools! You're a monster!

I have a grad-level paper that my professor let me write as the final paper for his class, even though it barely tangentially had anything to do with the department. I was told it's a great paper (in terms of the concepts in it), and I am considering rewriting it for publication, but I have no idea what pubs are out there that cover this type of topic! Neither do the folks in the department, because it's just not relevant (in any case, I've been out of the department for years now). The paper is about a political activist in China from the early 1900's who had a hand in the uprisings of the same period, and basically I extrapolate from his writings, speeches, and historical accounts, what his (unstated) theory could be said to be, regarding political stability and instability. The paper discusses or otherwise incorporates elements from Mahayana Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism, and Darwinism as well. Any thoughts from the pros on where I might look into publishing?

What proflorax said. So sorry you're going through this :/

Open and direct communication is intuitively (to me) the most effective way to alleviate stress caused by differences/disagreements/incompatibility between two collaborating parties... It seems like a shame that direct and open communication is so potentially "threatening" to enough people that we have to warn someone to not be open or direct in order to avoid conflict.

Yeah, JLRC, Boulder is like that. Forced me to get my app in about 20 days early. My LOR writers already had the heads up though, so I could've waited if I wanted to risk it...! hermes and wannabe - I think the only tailoring my LOR writers did was to change the names the letters were addressed to, and the name of the schools. I put together a packet of information that would allow them to tailor it if they wanted to, but, even with only 3 schools on my list, I am sure they had/have much more important things to do.