have2thinkboutit

While it's true that it's usually possible to pay for only the time you're abroad the insurance company might not pay for you if you cannot prove that you've completed your journey. That's what my provider told me when I needed health insurance for a month last winter. That seems to be the standard for travel insurance. I'd recommend going with one of Takeruk's options. And being able to visit your friends and family for thanksgiving doesn't sound like a bad trade off to me

When it comes to the gre it's not so much a matter of wanting to do it but rather having to do it. I think you will have to check with the universities you're planning to apply to. In their application guidelines they will tell you if the gre is required or not. In my experience it is required for most American post graduate degrees and your application would not be considered without it. But I'm sure there are exceptions to this rule.

I'm so sorry to hear about your troubles! It sounds like you have had an awful year both personally and professionally and I don't think you have to feel bad about feeling bad. If you know what I mean. But, of course, it is essential to get better and make sure that you'll be back on your feet sooner rather than later. To me it seems that the department you're at is at the centre of your self-doubt and panic and it may be a good idea to get away from that place. I'm not suggesting that everyone there has bad intentions but it seems as though it is not the environment in which you are able to prosper. And from what you are saying you are more than capable to excel at your work! Have you considered taking some time off so you can apply for new positions/postdocs/funding? I'm sure you'll be able to use the time well by also working on further publications. It may be an odd and imperfect suggestion but I think that your wellbeing is extremely important and panic attacks are not something to take lightly. Perhaps, removing yourself from that situation will give you the time and distance to reflect on the next necessary steps. I hope you'll be better soon!

Your GPA in your masters was better and you said you're about to do another masters where you you will surely be just as good or even better. So there will likely be a strong upwards trend and universities you'll apply to will see that as a positive thing. So don't be ashamed but work with your strength and focus on what you're doing well. As a side note - you loose nothing by applying.. Sure, it's a lot of work, time and effort but NOT applying definitely decreases your chances of attending. To about zero

This may be too late already but if not I'll be happy to proofread the draft for you

Yes! Good luck to all of us! I'm confident we'll all get it

I received a message yesterday that the issues have been resolved so everthing should be back to normal. Hopefully you'll be notified and able to pick up your visa within the next couple of days.

Hamburg is a pretty amazing city! Big enough to be diverse but small enough to get around easily. For housing I'd recommend looking for a flat share. The university might have a website to help you with that. Alternatively, there are usually ads on campus - but that would require you to Gethere already. Generally, it's not as easy to find your own place as it may be in other countries because things often move a bit slower. Unless you're able to take over somebody else's lease that is! But there are usually plenty of people looking for flatmates especially in autumn. And you could also check out student housing, just for the first semester. As for doing stuff - anything is possible! You'll have lots of student organisations organising get togethers and events. Sports, music, cultural events - there will be plenty of interesting groups to choose from! And you'll probably meet people to go out with very soon. And the city has a lot going on so you definitely will never be bored! When are you moving?

... By reading journal articles, book chapters, relevant magazines, blogs, by watching documentaries or other relevant shows as well as by talking to people. Basically, you immerse yourself in the general topic in order to find out about gaps in the literature by critically reading, observing and listening

The official statement was that it takes 5 to 7 working days if there are no further documents required. I don't know if it depends on the location as well but where I am a person I know who's working for the embassy told me I should be able to pick it up within 3 days even. There are no guarantees, obviously... Do you think the price will change drastically if you wait until after the interview? I have a few days more than you do but have decided to wait for now. Shinigamiasuka, I am really sorry to hear that! Do you need to provide more information? I take it you'll reapply?

It's a world-wide issue. I was supposed to have my interview last week but had to reschedule to a date at the end of July due to what TakeruK explained already. It's been going on for over a week now and I was hoping the issue would be resolved over the weekend but no such luck... I understand your anxiety. I'm a bit nervous as well, though there is still some time left before I'm supposed to fly out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all of this will be dealt with soon and won't cause any of us too much trouble! I feel for those travelers out there who were supposed to go right now...

I'm not sure what particular information on are looking for. The UK and US have two different systems of applying. 1. Read about programmes at different universities to see which ones are suitable for you (research interests, fit, funding...) 2. Read the application guidelines at the universities you want to apply to 3. Work on applications and ask for help if you have SPECSPECIFIC questions

Oh! Sorry for the wrong information. The last time I had to do it it was valid longer. Or perhaps the organization didn't care...

Toefl or GRE scores are valid for 5 years. So you'll be fine. Check on the ETS website to be 100% certain. As for retaking the test - only you know what your scores are and if you'll need to do it again in order to meet the requirements for your different schools. Just check because these can differ!

I have not completed a PhD in Europe but my undergrad as well Masters education has all been completed there. Here is what I do know. 1. You said you just finished you undergrad in maths. In Europe it is a LOT less common to go from BA/BSc straight into a PhD program. You may want to look into different Masters programs in your field just in case. I do know that going straight to a PhD is possible if you finished your Bachelors with a research project but doing a Masters first is really a lot more common. 2. Because the majority of PhD students in Europe has already completed a Masters, their PhD usually takes about 3 to 4 years full time. That's why funding organizations guarantee a maximum of 3 or 3.5 years of funding. As far as I know, they will not extend beyond that time which means you would have to look for other funding opportunities and re-apply. 3. Regardless of whether it's your university or your professor - funding varies and can be for one year or for the whole time of your PhD (limited to 3 years, of course) but that really depends on the school or on the type of funding your professor secured. 4. The way that PhDs are funded varies A LOT from one European country to the next! For instance, the UK is a bit more similar to the US (but there is still important differences!) whereas Germany or Sweden often have PhD students like employees where they will do a "job search" for a particular project and you get an employment contract for the duration of the project which will become your thesis. You would really need to check for the typical ways in all of these countries because of this variety, Check out www.findaphd.com - it's mostly about the UK but they also advertize other projects and you may see something that you like.

Perfect! Thanks so much for your response, rising star! Especially, since this is exactly what I wanted to hear! Looking forward to school even more now

I'm curious about this. During my undergrad as well as my MA, both of which I completed in the UK, all assessment was essay based. Basically, I never had final exams but was required to write papers (usually 2 per module) and do presentations (1 per module ). Overall it was very research based. Is that similar to how classes are done in the US? I gotta admit that I'm slightly uncomfortable when thinking about exams as the last time I had those was in high school about 15 years ago...

Exactly what serenade was saying. The only thing I wanna add - keep it short! As short as possible really, so that it can be read within less than a minute.

I used parts of my MA dissertation from 2011. I didn't have to do too much with it as there have been very few changes to the situation I was discussing (fortunate for me, very unfortunate for the people concerned...) and just made sure content, structure, grammar, spelling and style are sound. It must have been decent as I'll be going to my number 1 choice. So I wouldn't worry about dated material - 3 years seem to be very reasonable.

Thanks!!! I do feel super-uber-luckily blessed to have been accepted right away.And I really really hope you'll be successful next time around! One more thought: the fact that you feel like you so many things you are interested in makes me think that working on a proposal would be very beneficial for you! Have you thought about mindmapping your different ideas to, then, see which of them connect (perhaps in not-so-straightforward and, thus, rather innovative ways)? As I've said before, you don't want to be too narrow but you also don't want to be all over the place or appear vague about your research ideas. If you have some academics (or any of your friends who are happy to listen, really) you could just chat with them to get feedback on your thoughts - sometimes others can see patterns and connections where our minds are too lost in details.

I see what you mean and I agree that it's important to pay attention to as many details as possible! As for you question about the thesis proposal - I'm not sure if you need one (different people seem to have different experience with that) but I can tell you that it helped me a lot! It is a requirement for most PhD applications outside the US and to me it made sense as writing a research proposal (even if it's just 2 pages long) made me think about particular aspects of my area that interest me. It made me read a lot about my topic in order to figure out the theoretical context of my area and also got me to look at possible methods to be used. I don't know what field you are in but within anthropology it seems important to have a good understanding of your field site and the people you would like to work with. Writing the proposal (which I later used as the foundation for my SoP) really helped me figure out which departments I could work with because we could really collaborate with each other. And I think it was the key to my success in getting a couple of offers (I'll be attending my top choice! Yeay!) because I am quite clear about what I want my PhD to be about and where I am headed in the future - actually, this seems to be a crucial factor! Make sure you show why the PhD is important for you beyond grad school - what are you aspirations and how can the school you're applying to help you achieve this. As for me - I was rather specific in my proposal but I have read on this forum that it may not be advisable to be too narrow as this might limit your prospects. So what I did was show that this is what I am hoping to do but that I am well aware that things will change and be readjusted as I learn more about my area. But one of the professors actually contacted me and said he really appreciated the detail in proposal because it made him confident that I knew what I was talking about. Okay, I'm rambling now, but I just wanted to share a bit more of my perspective with you. Obviously, I cannot say whether my SoP was the main reason for the offers I received but I actually think it was. I really hope it work out for you next time around!

I understand! But just to add this - quite a few people are going from undergrad straight into grad school so they will be finishing around the same time as you. I don't think that not getting your grade in time will have an impact on your application - you may simply have a conditional offer that will be confirmed once the school is able to provide you with a letter of completion. Not unusual I think

I agree with what has been said already. I would also recommend staying at your current school. They seem to be able to provide you with not only financial but also professional support and that will help you a lot! Having a great working relationship with your professors will enable you to get strong LoRs and being familiar with the school's way of doing things might also make you more efficient and allow you to concentrate more on tasks such as publishing. I also don't think that the name of your school will "worsen" your application. You managed to get into one of your top choice programs with "just" the BA - now imagine what the MA will do for you! You said that some of the faculty are very well regarded in the field - what you can learn from them (and those LoRs) will probably be a lot more important than simply the name of the school. And really... you just don't want to have that much debt, especially if you know that you will be doing a PhD later on.. for all the reasons misskira mentioned...

Sounds like a good plan to me! Visiting school A should give you a good indication of whether you'll be comfortable there. And if it is within your budget (well, loan budget) it seems like a great choice! I would, however, also go and pay a visit to school C and your cousin - but bear in mind that you wouldn't be obliged to stay with your cousin but could simply be with her for a month while looking for a room. I suppose that the studies being part time you would not be eligible for student housing? If you are, it might be a good idea to check for that. But if your heart is really set on school A after the visit and it is financially feasible - do it! Haha! Good luck with the visit! Enjoy yourself

I understand that the application fee can be very off-putting and I also agree that factors other than fit are essential in figuring out where to apply - but I think that academic fit should still be the priority. As for me, it really helped me narrow down my schools to a very small number. Of course, there were a couple more schools I considered, but it was not the fee that put me off, but simply the fact that each application is completely tailored to the institution to fit. And I was very successful like that. I guess what I am trying to say is that it is obviously important to calculate how much this process will cost you (and it does cost! My top choice offers no application fee waiver for foreign applicants and it's more than $100), but I doubt that applying to more and more school simply because they are cheaper or seem to have a higher acceptance rate necessarily increases your chances of getting accepted. Simply because at the end your application will still have to show how well your proposed project fits within the school's theoretical, methodological and practical stance.