karamazov

@onerepublic96 @Warelin @coffeelyf I emailed Emory, and found out that they give automatic fee waivers to veterans and their children. I had indicated on my application that I'm the child of a veteran, but I had no idea they would waive the fee for that. Mystery solved!

Nope. I just reviewed my submitted application to make sure I didn't accidentally check any of those boxes, and I didn't. So, it's still a mystery.

Yep. From Laney Graduate School Admissions: "Thank you for submitting your application to the Laney Graduate School at Emory University. The program you applied to has access to your application, and will let you know the results of their review in due course." Did you get anything more than that? I even checked my bank account to make sure I hadn't, like, paid the fee in my sleep or something, but nothing has been deducted from Emory. And my application portal says I've submitted my application.

Did anyone else apply to Emory? The application fee was $75, but the website never presented me with a payment portal or anything... For those who applied, when did the website have you pay the fee? When I log into my account, the site tells me that I've submitted my application, but since I never paid their $75, I'm not convinced.

So, I submitted my first application, but the website never asked me to pay the fee...? The app clearly states that there's a $75 fee, but I was never directed to any sort of payment portal... Makes me feel like the application isn't really officially submitted, but when I visit the portal, it tells me I've submitted my app. Very confused.

Does anyone have tips on how to mention PoIs in an SoP without sounding like you're name dropping/just making a list?

I've been receiving an obnoxious number of emails from various retailers about their Black Friday deals but really the only things I want discounted are these application fees...

@Warelin That is super reassuring, honestly. Thank you.

My first app is due on the 1st, and two out of three of my letter writers have yet to submit their letters to that school (or any, for that matter). We're on break for Thanksgiving right now, though, so I'm wondering how rude it would be for me to send them emails reminding them of the upcoming deadline...? On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being "you should definitely not bother your profs during break"...?

@grace2137 @HenryJams Thank you both!

Should an SoP be single- or double-spaced? Some programs specify, and some give a word limit, but some only say "no more than two pages." Should I email the programs for specifics on this or is there an unspoken rule of some sort? I was assuming I ought to double-space everything but that leaves me so little room :')

@onerepublic96 @The Hoosier Oxonian Count me in for those December 1st and December 15th freak out parties. I'll bring the pizza and the tears.

Anyone else having those last minute waves of intense self-doubt?

I have a similar question. I'm applying for both MA and phD programs, and my SoP is mainly geared toward the latter. I propose a specific project as well as some related directions my research interests might take me. Will this be too specific for an MA application? Should I write a more general SoP for the MA programs, or will they just be glad to see that I have a decent idea of my interests and an awareness of the field, despite the fact that an MA is less directed by personal research interests than by coursework requirements? Is the SoP, as @Cryss mentions above about the WS, simply a way for MA programs to gauge writing skill? If so, would my more specific statement work just as well as a more general one? I'd love to not have to write a separate SoP for the handful of MA programs to which I'm applying as backups, but I will if the phD-geared SoP will hurt my chances at an MA.

@Indecisive Poet @Cryss Thank you both for your responses! I really appreciate it.

A few questions pertaining to the actual application forms: 1. How in depth do they want us to go with the questions the application asks that will be covered in the SoP? Like, optional fields in which you can describe your previous research experience, the factors that influenced your choice to apply to that university, etc. 2. When programs ask if you have any language experience, how exact should you be in your account? I took a number of years of Spanish, so I'm sure I could pick up a decent understanding of it again without too much trouble, but if they were to ask me tomorrow to complete a translation exam, forget about it. I also have a little bit of experience with Russian, but that experience is minor (shout out to Duolingo and An Idiot's Guide to Learning Russian). Russian is actually relevant to my research interests, though, and I have dedicated some time in the past to learning the basics. Are these languages worthy of listing on an application, or do only languages in which you're fluent really count? If I say I have a beginner's understanding of Russian, and an intermediate understanding of Spanish, will they immediately demand some sort of proof? I feel like not listing any languages at all might be a red flag for English programs that usually require proficiency in at least one or two languages for completion of the degree. And, like I said, I'm definitely not making up my familiarity with these languages, nor would I claim to adcomms to be fluent. I'm just wondering whether my mediocre language background even warrants mentioning in those fields on the apps. 3. How should an undergrad applicant without publications format a CV? And what counts as relevant to your application when determining what work experience ought to be included? I've been a docent at a historic house museum since high school, and the house dates to the period I'm interested in studying, so that experience could be considered maybe slightly relevant? Maybe? And although I don't have any teaching experience, my years of experience giving tours, i.e. talking to groups of people about nineteenth century America, answering their questions, etc., seems to me at least vaguely reminiscent of teaching. For these reasons, would you recommend I include this, or does the fact that it's not strictly in the realm of academia make it irrelevant? 4. When a school provides space for an optional personal statement in addition to a statement of purpose, will you be at a major disadvantage if you choose not to write one? 5. When indicating your specialty area on an app form via drop down menu or what have you, how important is it to list secondary and tertiary areas of interest, seeing as you go so in-depth in the SoP about your research interests? I could include secondary and tertiary areas, but usually those drop down menus don't really list precisely what I consider my secondary and tertiary interests. I could leave those blank (bad idea? I don't know), fill them in with whatever seems nearest my interests, or write in my actual interests (some school's applications provide that option). Thank you so much in advance! I apologize for the overly long post.

That is so sweet*! I think I might do something similar. Thank you! *no pun intended

That is such a nice gift! Thanks for sharing!

Does anyone have adviser/letter writer appreciation gift ideas? What have people from past cycles done for the professors who have gone above and beyond to help throughout this process? What are people from this cycle planning? I definitely want to do something for my professors, especially since they really have done so much that they totally did not have to do (reading and re-reading revised writing samples, statements of purpose, etc.). I feel like gift cards are maybe too, like... monetary? I've thought about things like gift baskets, but I don't really know the food/candy/etc. preferences of my professors. I would love to hear other people's ideas!

When self-reporting my GPA on application forms for each undergrad institution attended (I transferred once, plus dual enrolled during high school, so three institutions total, RIP), do they want my GPA from that particular university or my total GPA that includes coursework from my previous institution(s)? Or should the previous GPAs be reported separately? The GPA box actually isn't a required field on the application, it's only optional, as I'm assuming they'll see the GPA quite clearly on the transcript, so I could just leave that field blank, but I'm concerned that will look like I'm hiding something. I've become hyper-paranoid about the possibility of doing anything wrong on these apps, SOS.

This is a great resource! Thanks for sharing!

@onerepublic96 @Bopie5 Thanks for the input! I'm thinking I'll probably ask each program. I can get them the transcript from that school if they really want it, but if they don't, I'd much rather save the money than send it to them unnecessarily.

I dual enrolled at a nearby university during my senior year of high school. When I'm reporting the institutions I've attended on my applications, and sending in my transcripts, do I have to include this, or do programs only want to see post-high school university transcripts?

Do discursive endnotes count towards page limits? I'm moving some pieces of my 15 page writing sample into the notes, which will shorten the actual paper's length. The paper will overall still be 15 pages long if the endnotes are included, but it will sit at something more like 13 or 14 pages without them. Will this be an issue for schools that want writing samples between 15 and 20 pages? Will the total length of 15 pages including endnotes be okay with adcomms, or do they only include the content of the paper itself in that 15-20 page range?

@Warelin @Bumblebea Thank you both so much for the information and advice! I really appreciate it.