Tinieblas.

Thanks! I did apply to UCLA and the program and faculty look wonderful. Fingers crossed... Thanks for the advice! I actually applied to their English department, which offers concentrations in ethnic studies.

I haven't submitted my SOP etc. and on the status check page it says "incomplete."

That's true, MathCat. I noticed one program that specifically said that LOR had to be submitted by the deadline. However, for the ones that don't specify, I'm inclined to think that there's a grace period. There's a discussion about it here: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/48759-lor-writer-missed-a-deadline-will-a-school-still-look-at-my-application/ I'm still in the process of applying, though. I wonder if anyone that has been accepted with late LOR could shed more light...?

I'm having a similar problem. I contacted my late recommender and she told me that the deadline is just for my part of the application; they allow a little more time for the LOR to arrive. So, as long as you have been in touch with your recommenders and they plan on submitting soon, I wouldn't worry about it.

Thanks, Emma! I have been able to upload a CV to all of them thus far. Best of luck.

The other day I came across an app that asked me to report both my cumulative GPA and my GPA for the last 2 years of undergrad. So, I guess at least some programs wouldn't hold those initial low grades against you if you've made a substantial improvement since then...?

Phew! Managed to get my writing sample down to 12 pages. My font freak-out is over.

Thanks, Emma. I'm in the same boat as you, scrambling up until the last minute as well ; ) I'll report back if I find any app websites that don't allow CVs. Good luck!

Garamond is the font I have on my resume, and I'm really happy with the way that it looks. I'm trying to edit my writing sample from 19 pages down to 12 for one program (arggg), and I'm considering changing the font from TNR to Garamond. Did it work out okay for you in the end? Or would you say it's not advisable?

Hi, guys. Has anyone come across an application website where it is impossible to submit a resume? I'm looking to economize on my SOP, so I'm thinking of cutting out my explanation of my writing internship, which I also detail on my resume. Should I count on being able to do this? Thanks in advance.

The "intermediary" is the main critical text that I'm using so I was wondering if I should mention that these references were first cited by Professor Y. I know it sounds weird. I do have a few end notes already, so I could just add a couple more. I'm guessing that's not necessary. Chicago style does seem like less of a hassle. Thanks for your input : )

Thanks, telkanuru. Would you do that in an introduction to an in-text citation or as a note? I was thinking of doing it in my end notes so that it would sound less awkward. Do you think it would be strange to put an end note that said: 1. Cited in Professor Y, p 99 (or something like that)? The MLA guide that I saw online said to go directly to the original source, but made no mention of this.

Thanks, Piglet! This is basically what I gathered from MLA style guides online, but I wasn't sure.

Hi all, For my writing sample for apps, I'm working on a scholarly analysis of a novel using theory (from a book written by Professor Y). In my paper, I've included some of the quotes from other sources that Professor Y cites, and rather than using "Qtd. in " I went directly to the other sources and included those in my works cited. My question: should I include end notes that explain that Professor Y's text led me to read these other articles? I haven't found anything on the internet that suggests that I need to, but I'd prefer to over-cite rather than under-cite. Could anyone shed some light? Thanks in advance.

It's this one. I wouldn't use it as your first resource but I used it when I ran out of reading comprehension questions. http://www.amazon.com/GRE-Practicing-Take-General-Test/dp/0446396001/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446585446&sr=8-1&keywords=ets+big+book

I took the test in April. Compared to the practice tests that I took, I found that the real test involved a greater amount of reading comprehension, which slowed me down quite a bit. Also, the test seemed very theory/criticism heavy. I don't remember there being an excessive amount of Old English. I used the Princeton book, Vade Mecum, Hapax Legomena and the old ETS book and was scoring really well on practice tests, but on the real thing I scored significantly lower. I think I got tripped up by questions about some of theorists that I had only studied superficially, and I definitely wasn't expecting all of the reading comprehension.

Thanks everyone for your feedback and advice : ) It's been immensely helpful to hear all of your opinions and I'll keep them in mind when I'm making my plans.

Thanks WT. One of my advisers helped me with it, and she works in my field and knows a lot about graduate admissions. My paper does deal with contemporary scholarship, and since I've finished a (painful) rewrite I think it's good to go. Though, you're right that it would be wise to have another professor have a look at it, so perhaps I'll ask one of my other recommenders for feedback. Thanks!

This is sound advice, Telkanuru. I'm lucky in that I have a fairly common area of interest (19th-20th c. American and Ethnic Lit) and there are several schools with strong programs. I've been careful to research faculty, course offerings, funding, job placement, etc. at these schools and if I honestly feel that I can't see myself being happy there, I won't apply. I know that some of the schools I'm applying to might be a bit out of my reach. Yet, I feel like I'll kick myself later if I don't give it a try. I feel really confident about my writing sample, so hopefully I'll get lucky and it will catch someone's eye. Fingers crossed!

Thanks, guys. I feel like I'd rather apply to too many than too few...My gpa is only a 3.5 so even though other parts of my app are strong I know it'll be harder for me at higher ranked schools. I asked one of my recommenders about my list and she actually suggested that I apply to a few more!

Wow, that's great : ) Four of my schools are on that list. Thanks for the tip.

Thanks! I haven't seen anything on the websites from my schools that waive the application fee for applying early, but I'll have another look. At any rate, I'm not sure if I'll be ready to send everything in before November...yikes!

Thank you, Wyatt's Terps! I am really trying to look at schools with strong programs in my area ask myself, "Would I be happy studying at this university for 5+ years?" So far I can say yes to all of them, so...

I studied sporadically for about 3 months, and intensively for the last two weeks of that. I did a quick math review in the first month and then mostly focused on vocabulary building and reading comprehension. I took 10 practice tests in all--the 6 Manhattan Prep ones, 2 Powerprep and the 2 paper-based ones in the GRE Official Guide. I also paid for the "Score it Now" on the ETS website. Manhattan Prep 4 Q-158 V-164 Manhattan Prep 5 Q-154 V-161 Manhattan Prep 6 Q-160 V-165 Powerprep 1 Q-160 V-168 Score it Now: 5 Official Scores: Q-158, V-170, AWA-5 I was really surprised at the verbal score...I had never gotten a perfect score on a practice test and one reading section in particular seemed quite hard. I would say that Manhattan Tests do seem to be a little harder, but I sometimes scored higher on the Manhattan Q than on the real thing. Also, the Score it Now seems to be pretty accurate, as I got the same score on the actual test. I used: ETS Official Guide (Only did the practice tests and verbal sections) ETS Verbal Workbook Gruber's (Good Math Review) Manhattan Prep 7 and 8 Manhattan Prep's 5lb Book (Only the Verbal Sections) Manhattan Prep and Magoosh Flashcards A handful of readings from ETS's Big Book.

Hello, all. I'm trying to make a shortlist of schools that I'll apply to, but I'm starting to feel overwhelmed. Right now I have 15 programs on my list--2 MA and 13 PhD. I want to cast a wide net and I really would be happy to be accepted to any of these programs. I've been out of undergrad for 6 years now, so I want to start working toward the PhD asap. I'm just terrified of getting completely shut out and having to wait another year to get started. And, although it is a crazy amount of money, I'm willing to bite the bullet if it really is going to be a one-time investment. So, is it nuts to apply to 15 schools? How many did you all apply for? Thanks in advance.