Concordia

I would think so, as it gives you something to discuss. Otherwise, you're just standing there and asking to be told that you're fabulous.

If you got along well with prospective advisors, probably no harm in reaching out to see about next cycle. Apart from the new luster on your statistics/CV, do you have an interesting project you want to be working on?

You'd first want to rebuild the contents of a math major. Night schools of all sorts can help you put some of those components together, which you can use to gauge your interest and ability before applying for a degree. Are you no longer aiming at biology?

Only two? Not only would cycling (1) encourage healthy outdoor exercise, they reasoned, it would also (2) hasten long-overdue dress reform. To feminists, (3) the bicycle affirmed nothing less than the dignity and equality of women.

An MA will help you repair your transcript, if needed, and will give a one-year look into academia without going whole-hog into a PhD. Those are both good, but each has a cost. If you don't have the time and money to pay that cost, or have no need of the advantages, don't bother.

Most English PhDs, AFAIK, are quite different from the North American format. They're only 3 years, pure research-- more or less-- and you don't get to/have to work as a TA for a stipend. That changes the relationship you will have with your supervisor, for better or worse. One down side, of course, is that there aren't a lot of stipends even at Oxbridge-- where endowments are more likely to fund international students than elsewhere. Getting a scholarship as an overseas student is really hard, whereas it's usually part of the deal over here. Since the PhD doesn't include any coursework, programs generally insist on a master's beforehand, which adds a year. That might be a decent way to test the waters. It won't hurt your chances back in Canada even if you decide not to go on in the UK, and it will give a nice slice of memories either way.

No idea about the folkways of your field, but you don't normally find people publicizing their masters' grades unless they got some kind of honors or prize-- or if they're applying for more grad school. Can you firm up your faculty relationships for any references needed? Did the rest of the program go OK?

https://www.quora.com/profile/Rishabh-Jain-149

Imperial is one of the very top universities in the U.K., and there are plenty of people who don't get any MA before going on to PhD programs. Shouldn't be a problem-- just do well and get a good recommendation. If you go to Quora.com, one of the more active contributors on science grad schools did his master's at Imperial before moving to MIT. See what advice he can give about making good use of your time there.

Many universities have a "special student" status for non-degree course-takers.

I'm not a lawyer, and there may be particular things that are good or bad in your state's courts, but if you backed off when she said to, you ought to be OK, since the records of the text/email/Facebook conversations show no actual threat.

Having left Cambridge with one degree, I will be heading to Oxford this fall. So, obviously, Cambridge now has the edge. You heard it here first. Actually, the "well-known" part will probably vary depending on where you are and what circles you travel in. Oxford has a bit more visibility to the man on the street in the US, perhaps because of Rhodes Scholarships, or maybe going back further. In The Great Gatsby, for example, the gangster Meyer Wolfsheim was terribly impressed that Gatsby had been to "Oggsford College." He might not have been so blown over if it had been Cambridge-- it's hard to say. (Fitzgerald might have developed his own point of view while attending Princeton.) On the other hand, there is a very famous poem by Xu Zhimo written in Chinese about Cambridge. Add to that Cambridge's visibility in the sciences and its overall fabulousness as a tourist destination, and you might find it better known in Asia. That will also, I'm sure, vary by country and region.

If they're like this now, just wait until your check clears. Especially if your classmates are self-selected to enjoy this stuff. Looking on the bright side, you might just have an inexperienced (or psychotic) admissions person. Is there an on-campus session you can go to where you can see if everyone else in their office is this wacky?

And re-confirm everything at School B before withdrawing from School A! Just in case you're using the wrong drugs.

In any case, I can't imagine that this essay will be in a place that anyone would see it. Maybe in a Turnitin database to catch someone else's plagiarism, but that's it. It's not like you've faked a degree and put it on a job application or your web page. BTW, not to step too far into someone else's competence, but if you're still seeing someone about depression & anxiety, you might bring this situation up with them. There's no way it should have to be eating at you this way.

Yes.

Make contact with a supervisor, making sure you put your best foot forward. That worked marvels in the places I applied, although I was careful to listen to their advice, and had a few solid credentials by the time I was ready.

Back when I did GMATs, I found a test center that was 40 minutes away. To reduce stress, I checked into a nearby motel the night before, after making sure I knew where the necessary parking lot would be the next morning. Just to hint at how long ago that was, it was the evening that OJ Simpson's Bronco was featured on every major channel as state police escorted it down the freeway. I did have the sense to turn it off after 5 minutes.

Oxbridge will say they expect a certain minimum performance in undergrad, but US grades don't translate so cleanly, and a good master's result can give them beer goggles when they look at the transcripts. Just make sure you have a compelling proposal, since you'll be starting on your dissertation right away. I don't know about IR, but for history, you will need to sell it hard in less than 1,000 words. They won't ask for GREs, although high scores will appear on your CV and might reassure them. Start looking over your thesis or other good papers for writing sample(s). If you know anyone you'd want to study with, they can also go to bat for you. One thing you'll find is that there is so much filtering out before the applications are submitted that the nominal acceptance rates are much higher than in the US. The big barrier will be funding, for which international applicants have to walk on water in front of the right people at the correct time of day.

From a different field, but almost 30 years after undergrad in that major (and over 15 years post-MBA). I got over the hump by asking for recommendations from night-school profs. Those classes were also helpful because they gave me a chance to generate a good writing sample. Sounds like you might not need a ton of those, but even one might patch up any holes in your file. Not that you want to get too casual about it, but an MA program is probably going to be a shade less picky about your referees than PhDs. They may be seeing fewer conventional candidates, and in any case the cost of screwing up by taking you is lower, since you'll be gone sooner. Presumably your undergrad advisor will have some wisdom on that, if he's not too far out of the grad-school loop.

Slowing down for the summer is an option-- would taking a term or year off be another? Just working behind a cash register for a year and letting your brain rest while you work this all out might be a useful way to re-charge. Not a recommendation, as I don't know you or your program, but don't rule it out, either.

I'm an introvert who likes food and doesn't mind a bit of good conversation and good wine. So while I would imagine I'll be going out and talking with classmates, it's not going to be done in loud places with tons of people I don't know-- at least, not once I get my feet on the ground. Whether that is the right solution, I have no idea. One thing to keep in mind is that your colleagues will be older than the average undergrad, and many of them have been the really nerdly types when they did go to college. So I wouldn't worry that you're going to be bullied into converting Brandeis to the Greek system and partying until sunrise on Monday morning.

There was a memoir by a symphony conductor who was once complimented by a famous lady for how he spoke in public. His explanation: it wasn't his profession, so he felt no pressure. (He was also very smart, articulate, and a bit arrogant, which didn't hurt.) Perhaps, apart from practicing the "skills" that are freaking you out so much, you need to lower the pressure on yourself. E.g., if your real work is in the lab, or writing reports, this is a chance to talk about something interesting with God knows who shows up. Or some other formula that won't make this thing seem like such a big deal. After all, you just have to get through it, not win a medal.

There might be coaching specific to this kind of exam. If not in your area, perhaps the drama department. ("Breathe in and out, give yourself two seconds to remember what text the question comes from, while calmly saying 'that's an excellent question'...") Also, while I don't like to send people down this road unnecessarily, if you have a particular kind of anxiety like stage fright, something like beta-blockers (or a good placebo) might be an option.

I'm not totally sure what the degree prepares for. On the other hand, while some question the value of Americorps to their chosen schools, there's no question the program would give you some valuable experience, in addition to sending a signal that you're very much in demand. Also, just getting away from being a student for a while may increase your motivation to study. Either way, if you do decide to try the degree again in two years, you'll bring a lot more to the party.