anese

troll.

haha No it won't be a big deal, most professors are accustomed to these sorts of things when dealing with the grad admission race

also--don't ever be late on a payment. A lot of credit cards have fine print where if you miss one payment or are late they hike your interest rate up so high you'll be indebted up to your ears. Be very careful about your payments and keep hard copies of EVERYTHING.

If you really feel the need, a sentence or two is fine. I had an F on my transcript. I even had a few Ds. Trust me when I say that I did not spend even a paragraph discussing it. I focused on crafting a kick-ass SoP that focused on all of my strengths, not my weaknesses. I'm just saying in the end, leave them with a positive and honest picture of you as a dedicated scholar.

To the OP--honestly I wouldn't bring it up. Not unless I were asked specifically. Focus on your achievements and talent. If you do feel the need to mention it, it should only be a fleeting sentence that immediately segues into your excellent performance in the poli sci courses. There are ways to be honest without diminishing yourself. Honestly, I would think an applicant was irresponsible if they tried to "pass the buck" on a grade--especially a failure. In order for this to have happened, it had to be more than just a professor's incompetence...and if it WAS the professor's incompetence, then why wasn't the grade appealed? Who would the OP have to vouch for their credibility? You are putting your word, as a student, up against that of a (possibly tenured) professor! A person who has not only completed a doctorate, but has earned the right to teach at your previous institution! The very charge, while valid, could call into question your credibility, your maturity, and your ability to go on and do better in another graduate program. Please, by all means, encourage the OP to paint a big target sign on their backs! Listen, it isn't that I don't think that terrible, malicious professors are not out there...but let us be honest with ourselves. Academia can be a scary, judgmental place, and by its very institutional nature caters to the hierarchy. In order to get in, you have to do your absolute best to sell yourself as someone that they want to work with. This means making yourself out to be the best candidate that you can, someone who isn't going to disrupt the system--challenge it perhaps, with your dedication and your grit, but not turn on your future professors and blame them for your shortcomings. Like it or not, if you start writing in your SOP that you aren't going to take any crap, they aren't going to be thinking "wow I respect this guy" they are going to be thinking "what kind of baggage does this person have that they couldn't LEAVE IT BEHIND...and start over again in our program?" You want to be concerned with selling yourself, and that means moving on from the past and not turn what was an incredibly ugly situation (regardless of whether the professor was at fault or not) into a dark cloud hanging over your future potential. In short, do not mention it. And if asked, do not address the previous professor's character...simply say that you had a hard time, improved and are ready to move on. If you make that kind of charge in academia, you better be ready to put your money where your mouth is. You have no idea what that person's professional connections are and whose friends sit on committees!

Obviously, none of this poster's advice should be taken seriously. This is the second post I've read where he or she gave such horrible advice that it would be sure to land someone's application in the dustbin. OP- No matter the difficulty of the professor, I would never discuss a failed grade or poor performance as if it was the professor who was to blame. Think of how many times instructors have to deal with lazy students who blame them for their poor performance. No matter what his incompetence may have been, DO NOT ADDRESS IT, DO NOT BRING IT UP in any way shape or form. Take responsibility for the grade, don't make yourself into a target for rejection by mentioning the professor's poor behavior. I have already learned this the hard way: 9 times out of 10, it really was the student, and if it wasn't, the grad committee isn't likely to believe a sob story telling them otherwise. Focus on your achievements, not on what went wrong in the past. That is the best way to move forward and impress a committee.

I would ask the school if it is ok, and see if there is a place in the application to upload "additional recommendations". If they O.K. it, honestly, I can't see what is wrong with having the resources to say "Hey, these six people think that I would be a fantastic addition to your program." I have a hard time seeing a graduate committee recoiling in dismay (lol) because you were able to find three additional people to vouch for you enthusiastically.

I don't understand. Are already fully-funded? Why do you want a Javits as well?

Sometimes you can submit more than one recommendation letter. If you have at least one strong writer from your undergraduate years, I would include him as a fourth writer, or even as a third if you could not obtain one. Poli Sci and History are not that far off from each other. My undergraduate work was in politics, policy and history, it is what I got my degree in. The strong undergraduate school might mean a lot more if it comes along with the confident rec of a professor who saw your work there. That may offset the very low GPA. ETA- I guess "not that far off from each other" should be put into context, my interests were US history, US urban planning, and US political science...so for me there wasn't that grand of a difference. However, that is besides the point if that professor can speak to your general abilities and accomplishments as an applicant. Seriously consider including him as an additional recommendation to the the three or two you are already securing. I am also someone who comes from one of those "notorious universities" my GPA was above 3.0, but not in the ideal range. I think that having strong recommendations from faculty I worked with moved my application out of the "maybe pile". If you contact him and find that he can't write a strong letter, don't worry about it--but if he can, I would consider the possibility of adding it as an additional boost to your app.

Sometimes that can make a difference, but when you are below a 3.0 I would try to prepare myself as if that wasn't even a factor in the admissions process. That is, do everything possible to demonstrate your aptitude and dedication. You are definitely on the right track--is there anyone from your undergrad that can write a strong letter for you in addition to the Columbia professor?

Korean history...that sounds fascinating. Would it be possible for you to do any studying in Korea during the intermittent time while waiting to apply? If you have a good professor contact, it might be a great idea to pick their brains about what historians they read, academic journals, conferences they attend...if you can really demonstrate interest and craft a stellar SoP you may be able to find yourself in an MA program where you can better position yourself for the PhD. I completely just threw my resolve to post less here and lurk out the window.

It depends on what type of non-degree work you are doing. Are you earning straight A's? Would you make strong contacts with professors who could then write recommendations/vouch for you? Will you have enough work done to submit for publication? Columbia University is notorious for its distant administration--unattached faculty, advisers who disappear or find "better things to do", kicking students out of classes (weeks late!) because they are reserved for students of other depts, etc...if you can't find at least one positive contact during your experience I don't think it would be worth it. Finding a less expensive school with accessible faculty might even be a better option. If you have not been out of school for a long time, now might be the chance to prove yourself to admissions committees in other ways. That said, depending upon what program you are interested in, it might be worthwhile to acquire relevant professional experience. What would you want to study in graduate school? It might be possible to achieve your goals without it. I wish that I could be of more help, 2.6 is a very hard hurdle to overcome.

Alone, your GPA would be dicey, but when you consider the entire package I think you stand a chance. Networking, in ivy admissions, is key. ETA- to remove my spec about your school, as per your request... But if it is the school I'm thinking of, I think you stand more than a chance. I have family who went there and were practically begged to join Harvard--faculty connections play a large part. anyway, you only hurt yourself if you don't bother to apply.

[/quote I made it into NYU after the U-Mich denial--(btw I'm a woman) I have been lurking all summer and I think this is probably my last weekend really participating in the discourse on these forums--my grad work is starting to kick in. I wish you luck as well, I know how stressful this process is.

I saw BME for your program I asked U-Mich why I was rejected earlier this year, and the DGS was kind enough to go through an annotated list of reasons why. So sometimes it can be beneficial, and sometimes they'll just ignore you.

Hmm I'm not sure if this is the case, but I know in Bio they don't assign professors because you have to do lab rotations and get a chance to work with/mesh with a lot of different professors before you choose an adviser. You are in BME, so I'm not sure if it is like that or not. Sounds great! It is possible. Did you ever get a chance to ask the dept what was weak about your app? If not, I do think your conclusion seems plausible. Don't lose hope, it looks like you are on the right track.

I hate to say it, but I think that you should have taken advantage of the phone call offer...pushing him and pushing him to meet in person doesn't make a good impression IMO. If you were wait-listed last year and then rejected, you had some qualifications that impressed the committee. It just so happens last year there was someone else who suited their idea of "ideal candidate" more. I'm going to be frank here--I'm not sure what you could do to salvage this situation at this point...from what you've said it seems like you've beaten him over the head with your credentials, he gave you an opportunity for some over the phone "face time" (perhaps impressed by your tenacity, or finally has the time?) and then you blew it by urging him to again meet in person. Either he is too busy to do it, doesn't want to give you any false hope, doesn't want to field a frantic prospective at an academic conference, or is afraid of "leading you on" and thus increasing your chances of (a) disappointment or ( putting himself in an incredibly uncomfortable position during the application process or © insert random reason here. My advice: take a breather, relax...the best I can think of at this point would be to contact, express your disappointment at not being able to meet in person, and say you would be more than happy to discuss his current research work over the phone whenever he has time.

Awesome! Sorry if I sounded like I was nagging--I'm glad everything is in order for you I just finished walking around the Byzantine/Medeival History library at NYU after cruising Columbia's...pretty neat stuff. I wish I had the language work/tenacity for that field! It's always fascinated me.

Just a note--I'm not sure how reliable those lists are. I looked up some programs and noticed that the site lists some Ivy programs as top, when I know for certain that they don't even come close. I also noticed that for some degree fields, there was a lack of reputable public/private universities that are known to have some of the most prestigious programs, and instead Ivy institutions are listed. Grain of salt, etc...

Whoa hold on. You were told it wasn't your SoP and you are re-applying this year to the same schools without any changes?--do you know what they thought was weak in your application? Was it research experience? coursework? GPA? LORs? If you have not made adjustments already, it is really important that your cv has some marked improvements before you re-apply to the same schools. Also--you can keep your SoP with a few changes to adjust for any new relevant information that might improve your chances or paint a better picture of your research aspirations. I had a similar situation this past spring, and that was the advice I was given by a professor.

If this is the case, a funded masters may set you well on the way to acheiving your goals. At the right school, it would give you the opportunity to: a.) demonstrate ability to master Economics coursework at the graduate degree level (no pun intended) b.) ample opportunities to publish and improve your academic cv c.) will also give you, though you did not mention this, more recommendations--which may be from professors which are better known You have solid stats for a masters program, if you decide to go that route. I would still send out a few PhD applications though, sometimes they can surprise you--but only go if you get funding.

Have you researched the salary/hiring options for someone with an MS in Econ? Are you interested at all in a PhD? The job prospects for Econ PhDs, as I understand it, are very good--both in academia and in private industry. MBA classes might not be that bad, as I understand it you only spend your first year on the general business classes/refresher econ/macro etc...which I think you would find easy--and then you start to specialize in the second year. But I guess the difference is that you are being trained to become a manager in industry, whereas an Economics masters would be more focused on training you as a researcher and would not have such a broad application. I would consider what would be the biggest trade off for you given your career plans, if you detest business classes so much and have a real passion for economics and research, then a doctoral degree might be worth considering.

[quote name="Louiselab

I think wielding the monopoly over education test taking has made them incredibly lazy and intractable...

Also, wanted to add that if you send in apps early, be sure to check and make sure the schools have not updated/changed standards for their application or added a supplement at least by November. I remember one poster sharing an experience where the graduate school added a last minute supplement to the app that they had not anticipated, but were lucky to have noticed!