DaisyAdair

I was reading a timeline on applying to grad school and found this statement "February & March: Try to relax while you wait it out. This will probably be the most relaxing time you'll have for the next several years, so enjoy it." (http://www.princetonreview.com/grad/application-timeline.aspx)

I don't know if I should laugh or be afraid - very, very afraid.

I am still impatiently waiting on one school and not relaxing at all. I had a dream last night that I was waitlisted and that did not comfort me much.

I honestly think Jan 2 as a deadline is horrible. All the school admins are on break up to and including Jan 2. What if you have problems or questions? I really think it is mean to have a Jan 2 deadline. Or maybe I am just grumpy tonight.

Is it horrible that my first thought was that I hope that student gets into the same program as I do. That would actually be entertaining to watch - in a demented, weird way.

Oh, I am so sorry to hear that! Don't give up - If you don't try, you won't know, right? That is my theory. No matter what, in six years, I will be six years older. If I don't try, I will be six years older without a PhD. If I try I *could* be six years older with a PhD. May as well try.

My LOR writers have done well so far, but the one school I am really interested in has a Jan 15 deadline and I am waiting on two letters. I know there is plenty of time, but I wish they would just submit them so I don't have to stress about it.

Is it horrible that my first thought was that I hope that student gets into the same program as I do. That would actually be entertaining to watch - in a demented, weird way.

I honestly think Jan 2 as a deadline is horrible. All the school admins are on break up to and including Jan 2. What if you have problems or questions? I really think it is mean to have a Jan 2 deadline. Or maybe I am just grumpy tonight.

I would follow MLA format (or whatever your program uses). I know that when I am grading papers, I quickly notice when a student has changed the font and/or margins, even if it is a minor change. If I am looking at a stack of papers that are all 12-point TNR with 1" margins, those with something different really do stick out.

I would be afraid that submitting something that doesn't follow the academic standards could be a quick reason for not accepting your application.

I had lunch with the a group of people including the DGS earlier this semester, and this question came up. His answer was that they don't get too worried if an undergrad has something like that on his/her record. If it happens once, they assume the student was adjusting to college life. If it happened a couple of times but was a while ago (time has passed between the probation and the graduate application), they really don't worry about it. As long as it is in the past and more current records show it is not likely to happen again, they look at the rest of your application.

It is if it is recent, I would be concerned, but if it was your first year, I wouldn't stress about it. I would, however, answer yes. I would not feel comfortable answering no, especially since it is on your transcript.

I am looking at programs in Rhetoric and Comp. Where can I find school rankings?

~palla

Things I do:

Knitting something (scarves are good: hard to mess up and very repetitive).
Checking google reader.
Reading the same paragraph over and over.
Midnight baking, resulting in post-midnight noms.
Eating all the edible things in my house.
Calling people to complain about PhD applications.
Drinking wine.
Watching funny YouTube videos (more time than I would like to admit)