drunkenduck

Some programs start reviewing applications as soon as they are complete, and some don't even look at applications until after the deadline. So if your apps are ready, it certainly doesn't hurt to submit them early, and it might give you a slight advantage.

Hi Cat, thanks for responding! I wasn't sure if an average quant score would be seen as neutral or as a negative. You make a good point about my SOP being enough to demonstrate my writing skills. I think I will skip sending it, at the very least it will save me 27 bucks. I'm applying for the Houston campus, so maybe we'll end up kind-of-neighbors.

I've been trying to get an answer to a similar question, without luck. In your case, if you're applying for sociology, I would say that you should submit them. The verbal score is very good and that's much more important in sociology than quant skills.

Can anybody tell me if my GRE scores are competitive or not?

I'd appreciate any input on my quandary. UT Houston School of Public Health has made the GRE optional this season, and I'm not sure if my scores will help or hurt my application for the PhD in Behavioral Sciences program. Here's a bit about me: Undergrad GPA: 3.3 Grad GPA: 4.0 No pubs yet but I have experience working on multiple research projects, including a couple that I hope to publish in the next year. I'm also a foster parent who is interested in maternal and child health. GRE verbal: 92nd percentile, quant: 51st percentile, writing: 4.5 (80th percentile). On the website, they say a combined score of 308 and a writing score of 4 is required. I know my quant score is kind of dragging me down. Is it better to submit my scores or not? Thanks in advance!

If I were you, I would talk to POIs, program coordinators, and/or department heads and see what the funding situation actually is at those schools and for the professors you want to work with. The reason I say this is because I have spoken to multiple schools who say that their funding is not being affected by Covid at all, and I have also spoken to a couple of professors who say that they would take me on if they had more funding, but they don't. So I think those conversations will be the best indicator of whether you should use your financial statement for that program or not. Also, I'm not sure what the rules are for sharing your fellowship information with programs, but perhaps you could give the remaining programs unofficial paperwork demonstrating your financial aid?

Personally, I worked 3/4ths time and went to grad school full time so that I would have no loans, and it was a good choice for me.

Have you emailed the two professors and asked if they are accepting students for fall of 2021? That should be your first step.

If it's not on your transcript, grad schools will never know about it unless you tell them. There's no need to bring it up at all. If your undergrad school wanted future schools/employers to know about it, they wouldn't delete it from your record. So, just don't use that professor as a reference, be more careful in the future, and you'll be good.

Many, if not most, PhD programs will provide funding to accepted students in the form of research or teaching assistantships and tuition remission. If you don't receive funding from either the school or your country, you could ask to defer your admission for a year (some schools will do this, some won't), and see if you get funding from your country the next year. Or, you could reject your offer and apply later. I'm not sure if it will affect your changes of receiving another offer. If you maintain a good relationship with the PI and program coordinator and they understand your situation, it might be fine. Whatever you do, don't accept the offer and then rescind your acceptance. I'd recommend that you apply to programs that offer full funding themselves.

I still have my scores from a few year ago, and they're pretty decent, so I'm submitting them.

If you don't accept that professor's offer for this spring, I would NOT expect it to be waiting for you when you're done with Princeton. I'm also not sure why you're trying to amass so many graduate degrees. It seems like you might need to decide what you actually want to do with your career. Just a thought!

Dear Professor ________, My name is ________ and last year we spoke about how my research interests of ____ could apply to your research on ______. In the past year, I have gained more experience in ______ while working on __________ .I am still very interested in working with you and am considering reapplying to your program. Are you accepting graduate applicants for the fall of 2021? I look forward to hearing from you. Best regards, Manana (I'm not sure how well that applies to a history program, but it's a start, anyway.)

Usually, applicants accepted to top 10 schools have perfect GPAs and amazing work/research/volunteer experience. If you think your experiences make up for your GPA, go for it. Otherwise, either apply to slightly lower-ranked schools, or take a year or two to get your experiences up to par.

The most prestigious journals would be peer-reviewed ones with recognizable names (e.g. the journals your class readings are published in). However, a less-prestigious journal is definitely better than nothing, and for an undergraduate it would still be a definite boost to your application. It's good that you are thinking about getting published already, I wish I had done that when I was in undergrad! Keep it up.

Personally, I was accused of academic dishonesty in undergrad, it was ruled a simple misunderstanding, and is not on my record. So, I would wait to see what actually becomes of it before making the decision to stop applying to grad school or discussing it with your potential letter writer.

This isn't saying anything new, but there are lots of potential reasons for not replying, some good, some bad, some neutral. I would still apply, but I would make sure to list multiple professors I would like to work with. You can also follow-up closer to the application due date. Personally, I just received a reply from a POI a full month after initially emailing them.

Honestly, given your low GPA, not great test scores, and lack of research experience, I would recommend you take a year or two to get job/research/volunteer experience that indicates your commitment and aptitude. Keep in mind that just because you meet the minimum requirements for a program, doesn't mean that they would accept you. There will be many applicants with better grades and test scores and more experience, so I think you should beef up your resume and try at a later time. That's just my two cents. Good luck!

Not going to lie, version 26 seems excessive. I expect that at this point you're not really improving things, just fiddling. I'd recommend getting a couple of outside opinions (if you haven't already), making the changes they suggest, and then putting it away. Then do one final read through before it's time to submit. That's just my two cents though.

You definitely would need to disclose that on your application, because it would be considered lying by omission not to and could result in rescinded offers. However, to be frank, unless you have a very, VERY good reason, starting a master's program and failing to complete it will be a huge red flag on your application. It makes it seem like you don't know what you want and don't follow through. My recommendation would be to finish your current program and then apply for PhD programs in the US, if you really want to study in the US.

You've graduated from undergrad, so whether you started working or started grad school, you would be in a new, more mature stage of life. Embrace it, it's exciting. You don't want to be one of those people desperately grasping onto their youth and immaturity long past its due. And just because you're getting older doesn't mean you can never have fun or make friends.

I empathize with your struggles. Times are difficult and confusing right now. But I think you need to hear some tough love... If you are struggling this much with your master's program, you will not struggle any less with a PhD program. Plus, starting a master's program and not completing it is PhD application suicide. Admission committees will see that as indication that you can't handle their program. In graduate school, you are expected to be mostly self-sufficient, with mentorship from your advisor. If you need extra help from your professors, it's your job to go to office hours. If you need a study group, set one up. If you can't understand a concept, look up youtube tutorials from professors at other schools. If you're not sure how to get the help you need, ask your advisor. Encouragement from professors is nice but your motivation should be coming from somewhere inside. Again, I'm not trying to be harsh, but it seems like you need a mindset adjustment more than you need a new program. I hope that helps a little, and good luck!

I've lived in Toledo most of my life. To answer the question about coffee, I'd try Rustbelt, which is downtown, or one town over in Perrysburg, check out Flying Joe. You can find reaaaally cheap housing downtown, but it's not very safe and it wont be pretty. If you have the money and value safety, I'd look for a rental in Sylvania, which is a pretty safe suburb of Toledo. I don't know much about the housing options immediately around the UT campus but I'm sure there's plenty to choose from there. For dining, the restaurant Tekela has half-price on all alcohol and appetizers every day during happy hour. I'd also highly recommend the Indian Jewel and Rumors, both are very cheap and very delicious. Domo, Tougen and Kengo are the best sushi places here, Tougen being the least expensive of the three. There's also Food Truck Thursday downtown. Monroe street and downtown are happening places for weekend nights. Bier Stube, Bar 145 and Reset are my go-to bars. If you like craft beer, check out Black Frog Brewery and The Casual Pint. I would also take advantage of our many wonderful metroparks! There's Wildwood, Secor, and Oak openings is about thirty minutes away, plus many more and they're all free. The zoo is pretty nice and residents of Lucas County get in free on Monday mornings. The Toledo Art Museum has free admission, too. There's Westgate Shopping Center and Fallen Timbers if you're a mall kind of person. Hmm what else can I say... Echoing Sobeobe, Toledo is kind of dingy and there's a real poverty problem in some areas, but if you know where to look, there are some pretty good things to do/ places to go, too. I would definitely not try to get by without a car here. Let me know if you have questions about anything I haven't covered. -C

Hey Everyone, I'm writing my SOP and I can't avoid mentioning my boyfriend when I'm discussing an experience (otherwise it will sound like I'm taking full credit for something I didn't do alone). I feel like referring to him as my boyfriend sound juvenile, but I know some people take issue with non-LGBT people using the term "partner" and I don't want to risk offending. "Significant other" sounds too robotic. Any thoughts or alternatives? I'm considering pretending he's my fiancé just to avoid the question altogether. -C

Thank you for sharing your experience, that was very helpful!