cliopatra

I'm starting this thread again for those waiting it out for the 2012 application season. It's going to be a long 4-6 months!

Check out this thread it is extremely helpful (especially for #3). as to the recommended length: you could as the director of graduate studies of the specific program as to what an appropriate length would be. At the schools I have been looking at, I haven't seen anything over over 2000 words. When in doubt, ask!

I can see how it would look like you're not trusting their judgement, but at the same time, it's crucial to know if it will be a strong letter. I guess what this means is that before they even get started on the letter, like you said, ask them if it's going to be strong. If not, then don't bother. When I asked for letters while applying for my M.A. I asked them in general what the letters would say. I didn't feel like it was out of line and based on their responses, they were happy to oblige.

Can you explain how it is rude to ask the professor if they can give you idea of the contents of his/her letter? I don't think it's rude at all, in fact, the professor should be telling the student what is in that letter because their future is at stake. If the letter won't be strong then that saves everyone some time. The student can find another letter-writer and the professor doesn't have to write a mediocre letter. Or maybe it will be a sign that it's not a good idea to apply to grad school if you're finding it hard to get strong letters.

Yes I think you should leave it sealed. There's a huge debate about whether students should have the right to see their letters (personally I think they should). A thoughtful letter reccomender will let you see it, I think. But if it is sealed leave it this way as you said, honour his wishes. You have every right to go talk to this person and ask if they can give you an idea of what they said about you. There's a certain amount of trust that goes with recommendation letters and you would be breaking that if you opened the letter (it's different when they leave it unsealed it means you are free to see it). Be up-front about your intentions as should they: you want to know if this letter gives you a shot at being accepted, and they should tell you honestly if they think you're grad school material. Saves everyone from wasting their time. "I would be happy to" is a good sign usually.

goldie I received one the other day saying how they had too many PhD students, but they forwarded my e-mail to another prof who was delighted to hear from me and is willing to take me on. Can you ask that prof to refer you to someone else in their dept? or would that person be the obvious choice? If you really like the school/dept. why not ask?

Good luck to those writing GREs! Finally heard back from 3/6 inquiries. Feeling a lot better about this process today.

Does anyone have dyslexia? I chose to keep it to myself but I find I'm balancing feelings of having to explain why I have so many typos/incorrect vocabulary in my writing, and not wanting to need special treatment. I think most profs. understand it's human nature and like teachgrad said, let us off the hook for a few typos. I'm definitely not going to send a follow up to potential prof 'sorry I'm dyslexic excuse my incorrect wording/typos.' I know it's wrong that I'm worried about how I will be perceived, but I still keep it to myself. In academia you never know how you will be accepted despite having learning challenges.

thanks mae. the one I completed is for the uni. where I did my M.A. so I know I'll have a supervisor there! I keep hearing that if you don't secure potential supervisors before you apply, there's a good chance you will not be accepted as a random "hey where did you come from?" applicant. I'll keep y'all posted if they reply! *crossing fingers*

Friends, I'm feeling pretty crappy right now. I sent out about 6 inquiries to potential supervisors at different schools this week, and so far I haven't heard back from anyone. sigh. I know I'm probably worrying too much and it's only been a week. It's also a crazy time of year. This is only the beginning how am I going to handle 6-8 more months of this!

For my M.A. apps I ended with "Your department is an excellent milieu in which to pursue my interests because..." Hope this helps!

I wrote a potential supervisor a few weeks ago and realized after I hit send that I had an obvious typo. I wrote "I interested in studying..." instead of "I am interested in studying..." He wrote me back regardless and probably realized that I'm only human! But yeah, I felt like a tool after realizing I had done that. Happens to the best of us!

Oh and take comfort in knowing that almost everyone in that room is a little nervous too!

I hear ya. This is a class that just started right? Or has this been a problem before? Maybe when the novelty of the class setting dies down you will feel more comfortable expressing yourself? I would like to think some professors are aware of issues like this for students and will take this into consideration when handing out grades. Do you write really strong papers? Another thing to remember is that you don't always have to be talking/thinking about what to say. Slow doesn't = bad. People think differently and whatever conclusions you come to in your head are not less or more valuable if they took 10 minutes to get at instead of 2 minutes. I think you can contribute more with sparse but really insightful and original comments rather than chiming in with whatever is on your mind every time the discussion takes another direction. If this is performance anxiety, like any other fear I think the more you face it the easier it will become!