random_grad

@AliasJane2342 I m Canadian so I used a different loan (from the province). Would your parents be able to give you an interest free loan? The way you describe this program looks pretty good imo. That s exactly what an MA brings: connections, experience, more solid letters of recommendation... It also lets you test whether you really wanna do that and whether you are capable of doing it within the deadlines. Just because some people take longer to complete doesn t mean you will too. If you organize your time well you should be able to finish within the designated time. Besides, that s one of the skills that would make you competitive in comparison to others who took too long. Consider asking if there are need based grants or 2nd year grants.

This would probably be best answered by someone in your field (including your LoR writers). For all it's worth, here is my advice: Despite the fact that the standard advice people will give you will be "don't do a master's if it's not funded", I think the situation is more complicated than that. A master's from a strong program goes a long way and 20K in added debt to 8K does not seem like a lot (IF the new loan has reasonable repayment options). I took out a loan for my MA (the funding I got was not enough) and got into a top school in my field afterwards. I seriously doubt I would have gotten there without that master's. Now, if the master's you're considering is from a not-so-top university or if you can't find a reasonable loan, i.e. if your loan would have you repaying major monthly amounts while doing your phd - that seems like a bad plan because if it is the former, your chance for phd acceptance won't change that much and if it is the latter your phd will be a nightmare and very hard to complete. PS: considering how inconsiderate this school was about letting you know for funding results, if you have a prof making promises, get the contract in writing before it's too late for you to withdraw from program without tuition payment.

To add another voice to what was said above, do not cut off the possibility of getting into a top program by not applying to one just because you think your current GPA is not enough. GPA is just one thing of many and really not the most important thing. I ve spoken to folks who got into top programs this year during campus visits and many said they applied just for the heck of it without really thinking they d get in. If you read this forum you ll the reverse happens just as much with people who got into top school not getting into their safety schools. Cast a broad net, build a narrative around your weak points and focus on the SoP and Weiting sample.

wow, I 've got a lot to learn about the way things work in the U.S. It's hard for me to fathom why anyone would have a dismissive attitude toward Latin - which clearly has lots of value not just for words roots but also for teaching kids rigor and discipline and memorization skills. On the other hand, I can understand that a school would want a kid to learn at least one non-dead language so that the person gets a competitive edge on the job market. Spanish seems like a good choice and an easy transition.

This is a very good point. I've seen it happen that someone is fired for some minor thing while it's really to avoid the burden of major illness and absence. You don't have to and should not reveal the details of your medical issue, but any employer is entitled to get a doctor's note if you miss work. FYI: Please keep in mind that "tired" is just not a good enough reason to justify missing a day of work. Especially if it's without notice! I mean, how hard can it be to shoot a 2-line email and then go to sleep. Not doing so is called no-show/no-call and can be reason for firing someone in the non-academic job world, so it's no surprise that it angers a supervisor. I understand that you are frustrated. But what you cite as inconsistency in telling you that you should not be late is rather a very natural desire of not being the police officer who points it out every time it happens. You say she wants you to be in before her, but that she is not consistent in when she arrives. and yet, you cite a pretty precise moment of the day when she arrives: 10-11. Clearly, the solution is to arrive at 9.30. If you can't do that, you need a valid explanation to give to her (doctor's note), not apologize which from her point of view are empty words. imo the guessing game regarding why she's angry is not gonna lead you anywhere. I've found that it is best to clarify the situation with other people - which does not mean saying all you think about it. Set up a meeting with her, saying you want to change your behaviour. Jot down the list of issues that you think need fixing (lateness etc.). Ask for confirmation, what else you need to work on. Devise specific solutions for each point. Ask whether this would be adequate. Have it all in writing by email, so that if she still fires you for some unclear or new reason, you can potentially bring the issue to the attention of director of the department. Show remorse and honest desire to change. Do not try to justify yourself. Be very diplomatic. And then follow through on your plan to change.

that's a healthy attitude it seems GRE is mostly just a formality

before you fork out moneys to tutors, consider using preps other than Kaplan (McGraw-Hill, Magoosh...). it has been reiterated I don't know how many times on this forum that Kaplan math prep is inadequate.

You can also apply for travel or language grants if your research needs that. E.g. DAAD or FLAS. Ask your financial aid office for options

no jeans, somethings you're comfortable in, business casual. might depend on a school though.

I don't remember the exact number on my first GRE diagnostic test, but it was in the 150s. I increased to the maximum both V and Q, by working super-thoroughly through McGraw and Hill (correcting their own errors) + learning Kaplan words daily + adding a few more math formulas with Magoosh. I had not practiced math for 6 years, but initially had a pretty solid background, so that helped. I also know several other languages, which helped with vocab roots. For me that hardest was the AWA. I spent most of my prep time on that and still didn't get the coveted 6.0. I did a classification of all topics posted on GRE website and made arguments for each group, but I ended up having very different prompts on the exam. This angered me quite a bit actually! I mean, they put online all these repetitions and variations of the same questions, and then ask you something completely different. I find it misleading and a waste of my time. Anyway. What worked for me on AWA is to create a plan in 1-2min and then just type type type as fast as I could. Length seems to impress them.

Looks like you did the right thing in posponing your MA: you now realize that there are lots of options out there which might actually work quite nicely for you. Generally I think that if you have doubts about grad school - don t do it. It s usually very hard, therefore difficult to overcome and enjoy unless you are sure it s to get a dream job. (Anticipating critical word picking: I mean unless you are sure that Professor is your dream job) Imo you should not do master s unless it can bring something to you as a professional writer as well. If you re paying, might as weĺl be something useful, right?

How fast do Kaplan spots fill? I d say start with one and if you feel you need more by mid July, sign up for Kaplan. If Kaplan uses the same math as in their books, imo it s a waste of money - their math is know to be too easy (personally I think GRE can be done without courses at all, at your own pace).

I agree with what TakeruK said. If I may add a few more things as to why I also consider Coursera not even close to a university course: - Coursera courses tend to be large. Super-large. So students end up tutoring each other. This leads to feedback of questionable quality. - Even if a course has multiple choice tests, there is nothing to control that the person at the computer is not using outside help - Pass on a course typically corresponds to a quite low level of engagement from what I've seen, and for the same amount of work you'd probably get a C at a college-level course, so you'd end up wasting your time for nothing. imo these are situations where Coursera is really useful: - a person interested in own development and takes a course for general interest or for a skill (e.g. rhetoric) - a person applying for jobs who wants a certificate with a fancy title to add to resume - a person who has never experienced (U.S.) university - a person who wants to practice foreign language - a person who wants to build their own online course

"EVERY GRAD STUDENT she's ever talked to will have it." This clearly leaves out those who don't have medical issues i.e. those whom this doctor never talked to.

About banks: check with your bank of choice what docs they need. e.g. the bank I want asks for 2 ids (passport and birth certificate or driver's license) (I personally will go to the school first, ask for advice if they have any, then do the rest on the same day hopefully in the same mall or whatever so that I can change the order of things if needed.)

1. Eliminate non paired words. 2. compare completed sentences not words. Read full sentence with each word. Read those which seems equivlent side by side. If it feels right, it is right. that s why it s sentence equivalence not word equivalence.

Anyway I think this is a non-issue. I personally have better things to do than argue over this. Feel free to continue.

what's wrong with the STEM discourse? (BTW, you're asigning a feature which is completely lacking from that discourse with the "keep ahead of whoever is behind us" . rather: we need the best and brightest to advance human knowledge and keep up the good work of past generations of scholars). of course I want the best and brightest in my field! This kid sounds like a gifted person, and I think it's important to have as many gifted people as possible to at least consider studying history. the more the better. Let the best win. as for "convert" - you'd be surprised how often I hear that word from professors. at the very least it made some lol. as long as it gets the point across, I'll keep using it. or please do offer an alternative, as an ESL person I always welcome new English words to my vocab

if you have not scheduled the interview, you should ask that school reissues the form with correction. if there are several corrections to be made, insist that they double-check before sending. call them if you can. my school was somehow unable to do all requested corrections at once. it has been back and forth now with the form, cant' wait for this bureaucratic nightmare to be over.

I don t understand why this question arose in response to my post. Don t you agree that it is good to convert a gifted person to your own field?

10 should be about right. Fit is important but sometimes other factors play into decisions in a given year.

About the "off" section: some people deliberately sabotage their off section so as to be in the 1st percentile rather than be average. Some of my friends did so. I saw a CV like this once of a person in a top program - so it did not hurt them. That person did have a perfect v and awa score though.

seems like a waste of time. drying can be done without a machine, on a drying rack. time=money, no?

It sure would be nice to convert a gifted person

In high school (we are talking about high school, right?) 1 good teacher can be highly influential in terms of choice of career. The student might actually be "in love" with the teacher rather than the subject. It can lead to a dangerous mistake. imo as a teacher you should warn the person and test their convinction, just as Professors scare undergrads away from grad school. You should have his/her best interest in mind, and advise the person to search her feelings and test different possibilities before rushing into a decision.