RSgirl

Dear all, I, International student, got accepted to two programs: one at the University of Texas at Austin and the other at Washington University in St. Louis. WashU offered me 50% more funding per year, and has guaranteed funding for 6 years, while UTA offers me 4. at UTA I have to teach all years, at WashU I don't have to teach in my first and last year. However, I am currently already doing fieldwork for the professor I would work with at UTA and it is the best thing I have done in my life. I am happier here than I have ever been at any other field site and see very good prospects for further research here. I think I have pretty much found my own little niche as a researchers here. So, my question to you all is: what things are most important to take in mind before making a decision. Do you think a trong funding package is more important, or doing the research you truly love? Thanks!!

Hi guys, I just sent in a manuscript to a journal that is currently under review. I have written all text, but I have obviously had a lot of feedback from the co-authors and professors as I am not a native speaker. Can I still use something like this as a writing sample, or will it not be 'mine' enough as I have co-authors on the manuscript? Thanks in advance for your opinions!

Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated! I'll make a copy of the webpage and turn it into a PDF. That should do then.

Hi guys! I have a quick questions. I've done a TOEFL a while ago, and received a score report at home. However, I've received nothing at home after my GRE test, and in one of my applications they ask me to upload a file with my score reports. Huh? Should I have received a report at home like I did for the TOEFL? Thanks!

Is there no way you could legally change your name in your country of origin before going to the states (although I understand you'd prefer to keep your own name)? It takes a lot of paperwork, but might be easier then having to go through all the hassle once arriving in the USA.

I really don't see which part of this could ever work against you. You have a good GRE score (in my opinion...) and a lot of working experience. Possibly even a paper published? That would help too. The only thing you need to do to finish it off is write a killer SoP!

Oh, you will só enjoy Oxford. I have lived and studied there for a year and it was simply spectacular! I've never lived in a more beautiful or fun place than Oxford. And those libraries... The Radford, the round one in the little plaza. Go check it out!!! Oh, and obviously, go punting and see if you can jump bridges while doing so.

Hmm, interesting topic. The SoP examples I have seen online never cited anything, but I do agree it would make sense to put in some references to important papers. It shows dedication and knowledge of your field(s) of interest. I'm just not sure I see the point of footnotes. If you already have a bibliography, why still add footnotes?

Hi all! Even though my English isn't bad, I'm not feeling quite sure I'm nailing the SoP. I have written letters of motivation before, but as you all know, this is something quite different. Would anybody be willing to take look at my current draft and give some feedback on it? It would be very, very welcome! Thank you in advance! S.