Argonaute

Conrats Strangefox! Cheers!

Hello Ben G, welcome to thegradcafe!

A year before applying to graduate schools, I contacted professors through email, introducing myself and expressing my interest to work with them. I clarified some things about the admission process and raised my concerns; I wanted to apply to MS/PhD programs in Neuroscience but I was (and still am) lacking hands-on experience on that subject as I have been working as a plant molecular biologist. Out of the five or so professors that I sent a message, only one responded. He was very kind and honest.

I did not end up applying to that university nor to a graduate program in Neuroscience but the advice that he gave was helpful. With regard to this whole "contacting-professors-before-application' issue, I suggest that you go ahead and send your target advisors an email. Write a message that will make you appear as a professional, knowledgeable on your field yet inquisitive and open-minded at the same time. If you don't get replies at first, don't get discouraged; as you have said, these are very busy people you are dealing with.

In addition, here are some links with the same topic:

pullman is a complete dump and wsu is an awful college - no "name" can overcome the fact that your phd is from a garbage school

So glad my GA is going to be as high as it is, 35k =)

Hello Ben G, welcome to thegradcafe!

A year before applying to graduate schools, I contacted professors through email, introducing myself and expressing my interest to work with them. I clarified some things about the admission process and raised my concerns; I wanted to apply to MS/PhD programs in Neuroscience but I was (and still am) lacking hands-on experience on that subject as I have been working as a plant molecular biologist. Out of the five or so professors that I sent a message, only one responded. He was very kind and honest.

I did not end up applying to that university nor to a graduate program in Neuroscience but the advice that he gave was helpful. With regard to this whole "contacting-professors-before-application' issue, I suggest that you go ahead and send your target advisors an email. Write a message that will make you appear as a professional, knowledgeable on your field yet inquisitive and open-minded at the same time. If you don't get replies at first, don't get discouraged; as you have said, these are very busy people you are dealing with.

In addition, here are some links with the same topic:

OK. The blog is back. And I've reverted to the previous +/- system, contradicting what I said earlier. We'll continue to roll with this.

Ok, not little

All too often people post here asking what their chances are at this and that school. I completetly understand their desire to know the answer. However, I also understand why some other people get somewhat annoyed by this question. Indeed, it is very hard to tell what somebody's chances are at certain schools, even if you know their stats and other details like a number of publications they have. That is why I decided to write this post. I will explain how, in my opinion, one can estimate one's chances and choose programs correctly. I hope that other people experienced in application process will correct me if I am wrong and add their advice. And may be, if moderators consider this post useful, they will be able to make it always stay on top of this board - if it is possible on this forum.

First of all, if you want to know whether your stats (GRE, GPA, TOEFL score) are good enough for you to be accepted to certain schools - there is one easy way to find the answer. Most schools post stats of students they have accepted, like on this page here. So try to find this info on websites of schools you are planning to apply to and if you can't find it, ask graduate secretaries/coordanators if such a page exists and if not, where you can find those stats. Remember that if your stats are low but not abysmal, that does not mean that your chances are low. It does not (always) go like - lower the grades, lower the chances (unless they are above some bare minimum) and vice versa. Because...

Second of all, even with the best stats, numerous publications, brilliant letters of reference, etc. you may not be accepted to a school if you have not chosen a program wisely. Because the most important thing in this game is fit. If a program thinks they are a bad fit for you, they will not admit you, however wonderful your application is. So you should apply only to schools that fit well your research interests and experience. How can you find schools with a good fit? First, of course, you schould know what your research interests are. If you know that, visit as many websites of programs in your field as you can find - and read about them, very carefully. Where can you find a list of programs? Well, browse the internet. When I was applying last year, I came across a biiiiiig list of programs in my field (it was not a ranking, just a list) and I spent a lot of time just going through all these program's websites. If you don't find such a list, just find some rankings. Not in order to find out what programs are the best in your field (many people don't believe in rankings anyway) but just to see what programs are out there. So, you read about the programs on their websites. From the way these programs are described you should get an idea if you would be interested in studying there or not. When I was choosing programs to apply to, I first used the list that I had found to make a shorter list of programs with a very general fit. Then, as I knew that I would not be able to attent a program without funding, I looked through this new shorter list looking for programs that were offering funding. As you can imagine, the list became even shorter after that Then I started to read about faculty in the programs from the last list, looking for professors who could potentially become my advisors. Then I contacted these professors, telling them about my research project, asking about their opinion. When some replied and I saw that they liked my ideas, I asked them if they would be taking graduate students next year. In the end I had only 5 programs left and I applied to all of them.

About contacting professors. As far as I understand, you can do that in all fields, except - for some mysterious reason! - English. (Here I ask other experienced forumers to correct me if I am wrong.)
BUT: If a professor is interested or even very very interested, that in no way guarantees that you will be accepted to this program because there are many other factors at play during the application process (most important of them being funding and faculty politics). But of course having a professor in a program who has expressed interest in working with you is a very good sign. It is definetely better than having no such professor. If you find a profesoor who is willing to take you as a graduate student but you are unsure about your stats, you can ask them about that. But of course don't ask it in the first letter to them!!! Only when you see that they are interested (and friendly).

Finally, I want to say, that all I have told above is based on my experience and it helped me - I was accepted to a school with a great fit (which is supported by the fact that they decided to give me a nice fellowship). May be there are other ways to choose programs and estimate your chances with them. May be in other fields (I am in social sciences) rules are different. I hope that others will correct me or pitch in some ideas based on their own experience with application process.

Good luck!

Also, I like that we can see now who pushed the like button for each post.

Conrats Strangefox! Cheers!

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newms 81
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Eigen 50
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ZeeMore21 40

Congrats newms! (wait... haven't we been here before?)

By the numbers

In total there were 5,582 posts made this month (3,233 in May 2010). There were 220,352 visits, 98,549 Unique Visitors and 904,231 Pageviews to the forum.

Even though this is an old topic I just love the use of subjective words like "mediocre" and "low." It makes me chuckle inside when someone shamefully admits that they got a 'mediocre' 1300. "My quant score of 720 is 'low' might retake it." "My 1250 is pathetic, surprised I got in anywhere." It's a little absurd if you think about it. I mean OK I know certain programs and areas of study rely on the GRE more than others and phD programs have a higher requirement than MAs, but when you start throwing around words like "mediocre" to describe a score that's actually really good it just makes me want to say..."seriously? are you really serious?" I hated the idea of the GRE, like admissions committees really need one more number aside from an already large application package? But once I accepted it I embraced and got very into the studying. I actually kind of liked studying for the verbal section, that's something that's useful, but for me, relearning 4 years of high school math in a matter of months was a nightmare. I still ended up with an "OK" 1120, V570 Q550 W4.5. Luckily for me my area of study isn't so concerned with the GRE which is the way it should be. But even with that score I got into a top MA program in my field...off of the waitlist that is, but still got in. I doubt that my GRE score was a deciding factor. And I don't have any problems revealing my score so that others can see that it might not matter as much as they think, depending on the field of course. I was always relieved to see a post with a declaration of acceptance despite a GRE score on the lower end of the spectrum.

It really depends on the university, specifically the admissions committee. Some may consider the highest score while others will tend to look if there is a trend or check how much you improved in a particular section.
If you are still in doubt and it really is bugging you, it is best to ask the admissions committee of the program you are interested in applying to.

The first thing to do is get your visa. Your school should send you visa forms depending on the kind of visa that you'll get (an I-20 form for an F-1 visa, or a DS-2019 form for a J-1 visa). Your I-20 will contain your SEVIS number, which you need to schedule an interview at the US embassy in your country. There are other forms you need to fill out which may change from country to country, so you should read the requirements on the US embassy website for your country. If I remember correctly you need to fill out a visa application - DS-156, DS-158, in some cases also DS-157 and/or DS-160 - and to have visa-approved photos (the website will have instructions on that). You also need to pay the SEVIS fee and the visa application fee and bring the receipts with you to the interview. In the interview you'll need to prove that you have enough funding to support yourself while in the US; your school will send you documents detailing how much support you will from them, and they will tell you if you need to provide bank statements for any additional funds.

After you have the visa, you can use it to enter the US up to 30 days before your program begins (according to the date on your I-20). There are several ways to find a place to live - some people sign up for dorms. Others find a short summer sublet or live at a cheap motel and search once they get to their new city. Sometimes you can find an acquaintance or current student who will host you while you search. It's possible, but not recommended *at all*, to find a place from afar; if you try that, you should at least have someone you trust see the place in person for you and send you pictures. you should not sign a lease for a place sight unseen. Home owners in university towns are versed in renting to international students so it's not too hard to find a place that doesn't require a credit history, though some options may be limited and you may be required to pay higher down payments than others. Apartments in the US (unlike dorms) usually come unfurnished, so you'll also need to buy furniture. You can rent a U-Haul and drive to the nearest ikea or find used stuff on craigslist. There may be other local options that you should ask students in your department about.

Opening a bank account it easy. Some schools have credit unions that are very good at catering to the needs of students and will know how to handle an application from a foreign student. Large banks like Bank of America and others will also know what to do. You should ask about branch availability near your university; current students will be able to give you good recommendations. Once you have an account, get checks and a debit card. You should learn about how American credit cards work before you get one.

For utilities, phone, internet, etc - you can do all that without a SSN, but you may be required to pay a large down payment.

You issue an international driver's license in your home country, if I am not mistaken. However, I'm not sure you necessarily need one. Check out the agreements between your country and the US - in some cases your license from home will suffice. You should get a local US license once you move. States differ in how long they allow you to drive with your foreign license, you should find out the specific rules for your case. It can be anything from 10 days to 3 months or more. You'll have to retake the theory exam, get a driving permit and take a practical exam. You do all that at your local DMV. You may need a SSN, or a waiver if you can't get a SSN, to start this process. You should be able to find all the details on the DMV website.

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Congrats bhikhaari! (Next month congrats newms? )

By the numbers

In total there were 27,538 posts made this month (20,021 in March 2010). There were 658,942 visits, 179,111 Unique Visitors and 3,904,239 Pageviews to the forum.

And yet you were!

Too bad people don't realise that the site closes down when my rating falls to 0 :-)

The requirement actually varies from one school to another. I believe some universities require an additional test once you arrive there even if you reached the minimum required score for the speaking section. I suggest you check the websites of your target universities to be able to get a better answer. Good luck!

I believe that different universities have different policies when it comes to looking at multiple GRE scores from an applicant.

And regarding your situation, taking the GRE six times is a very expensive and stressful thing to do. My cumulative score is actually lower than yours, although I am from a different field. I don't know much about the requirements for your program but if I were you, I will focus on strengthening the other parts of my application instead of having another round of the dreaded GRE.

I've been accepted by my safety school and still haven't heard anything from my top choice. I am starting to feel that I may not get into my top choice and already conditioning myself that I would end up going to my backup. But am I second guessing this backup choice? Nope. Ever since the phone interview, I felt that they really want me to be a part of their program. They had my POI as my interviewer along with a professor whose research overlaps with my interests. They kept me updated every step of the way and really seemed to act as a professional organization. If I fail to get into my top choice, I don't think I'll be sad attending in a different university. After all, they recognized my potential and offered to help me develop into an outstanding research scientist.

I've been accepted by my safety school and still haven't heard anything from my top choice. I am starting to feel that I may not get into my top choice and already conditioning myself that I would end up going to my backup. But am I second guessing this backup choice? Nope. Ever since the phone interview, I felt that they really want me to be a part of their program. They had my POI as my interviewer along with a professor whose research overlaps with my interests. They kept me updated every step of the way and really seemed to act as a professional organization. If I fail to get into my top choice, I don't think I'll be sad attending in a different university. After all, they recognized my potential and offered to help me develop into an outstanding research scientist.

I believe that different universities have different policies when it comes to looking at multiple GRE scores from an applicant.

And regarding your situation, taking the GRE six times is a very expensive and stressful thing to do. My cumulative score is actually lower than yours, although I am from a different field. I don't know much about the requirements for your program but if I were you, I will focus on strengthening the other parts of my application instead of having another round of the dreaded GRE.

I've been accepted by my safety school and still haven't heard anything from my top choice. I am starting to feel that I may not get into my top choice and already conditioning myself that I would end up going to my backup. But am I second guessing this backup choice? Nope. Ever since the phone interview, I felt that they really want me to be a part of their program. They had my POI as my interviewer along with a professor whose research overlaps with my interests. They kept me updated every step of the way and really seemed to act as a professional organization. If I fail to get into my top choice, I don't think I'll be sad attending in a different university. After all, they recognized my potential and offered to help me develop into an outstanding research scientist.

chrome plating

little teapot

I am sorry to hear about your situation, that was indeed very unprofessional on their part. Hope you get into a better program. Hang in there...