serpentstone

Keeping this short and simple lol - There is a scholarship foundation that offers Summer Semester and Full Academic Year funding for people seeking certain research. In the application, we're meant to write two pages, single spaced, as to what our background is and future goals and how this scholarship is specifically the one we need. I already submitted my full-year application because it's by far the most important one. However, I only have one background story in my life and one set of future goals lol. Should I rewrite my same entire life story in different words for the summer application, or is that not really necessary? Like, in the frankest of terms, if I copy and paste the painstakingly written life story from my other application and add the part about how the summer scholarship, specifically, will be helpful, is that taboo? The essay requirements for both scholarships are exactly the same, despite one being for $50k and the other being $7k lol. I feel like the easy answer is just "rewrite it!" but 1100 words is quite hefty to reformat when it still means the same exact same thing. I feel like it will be more obvious that it was rewritten from the same essay rather than just copied. idk yall I'm freakin out over everything

Hey, Beek! I was just as stumped about this topic as you are when I was applying, but I watched this super helpful video from an admissions advisor and it helped a ton [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr1OXIS8cjY]. I formed my first draft based entirely on her advice and then refined it over the next two weeks, taking multi-day breaks to be able to re-read with fresh eyes. There are also multiple threads in the SoP section of the Application forum here [https://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/73-statement-of-purpose-personal-history-diversity/] and they can help give you some ideas. Finally, another thing that really helped me was reading other people's statements - it was shocking to me that some people would just post them publicly when they seem so secretive, but you can find them with a quick google search. They, uh, can really boost your self-esteem ? Good luck!

Hey, y'all. I'm about to begin a 2-year master's program in just a few short weeks. But time flies and this time next year I'll be fluttering around with all of you again for Fall '24 admits. I'm beginning my mental shop-around for PhD programs I might be interested in, but I was hoping there might be some among you who didn't hop straight from undergrad to a PhD and might have some personal insight into how you went from your Master's program to a PhD? In particular, I was wondering about a few items: Did you retake the GRE? I studied hard and fast for MA admissions and, as you all know, the test sucks. Did you try to up your score for PhD admissions or did it not matter as much after gaining a grad degree? How early would you recommend building a relationship with POIs should start? I'm deeply first-gen and have never had to do this nor have I seen anyone else who has done this (frankly, it terrifies me!) Statement of Purpose - how drastically did yours change between programs? Were they totally different or did you find that you ended up using many of the same items and tactics? Recommendations - did you use the same recommenders as before or were you able to forge good recommendations from a year or so of grad school? Any personal experiences or advice you can give would be amazing - it has been so stupidly hard to do these processes without even one other person to ask for basic expectation advice. Love ya! (Oh, and on the odd chance somebody sees this many months after posting, please still add your reply! This forum usually goes pretty dead during the school year so even if you see this in The Future, I would still appreciate your thoughts!)

I am an alternate as well. I've heard that there are years where every alternate on the list is brought in, but then other years where the alternates list never budges. There's no telling if the list will budge for either of us this year because there really isn't any rhyme or reason. All we can do is hope that some acceptees decline the program before April 15th ?

It's very possible that you're not doing anything *wrong* per se. But it's also possible that your competitors have taken significant time after undergrad to work on internships or jobs in the field in order to gain valuable experience. It's hard for me to comment on your specific program, but many programs are known for not taking applicants fresh from undergrad. Are you gauging your strength as a candidate against your fellow recent classmates, or against a wider net of overall applicants? The best advice I would have is to check out the Psychology sub-forum and see if there is a "Cycle Conclusion/Lessons Learned" thread that I often see. Applicants will usually use that space to discuss their experience, GPA, SoP, and then where they were accepted to. This might be a great place to start in seeing where any differences may lie.

Thank you! I've been hesitant to look for roommate situations because I am married, but there may be good options out there. I appreciate your insight!

Hey, all! Just wanted to reach out and see if there are any other future Huskies in our midst ? I've only visited Seattle a handful of times so I'm a bit nervous for this upcoming move. My partner and I are hoping for graduate family housing but it looks like the waitlist on that is intense. Might be doing writing in a shoebox this time next year. Looks like the cherry blossoms are on full blast over there this week and next! ?

It's gone pretty quiet in here so, before everyone scatters, I just want to say that I'm really very thankful for everyone on this board and the thoughtfulness, kindness, and diligence in helping each other out while we've been in a state of massive panic. I know there are still a few straggling school notifications out there - good luck, all. And good luck to everyone entering your new programs, moving far away, uprooting your lives for your education. Somehow this board became a rock to me in Jan and Feb and I've learned so much from you all. Thank you!!

Not a WSU student (go cougs, nonetheless!) but I live nearby in Spokane and can offer some neighborly insight if anyone needs it ?

I'm also about a decade past undergrad and I couldn't believe how difficult it's been to gather all of the needed information just to apply for grad studies. Congrats on your acceptance!!

I know this thread is a bit old but I thought I could impart some advice for anyone who will be soon embarking on an online education journey (which may be quite a few of us, whether we know it yet or not, due to the ever-revolving nature of the pandemic). I finished my first BA about ten years ago before rushing off to find a career. When I decided I wanted to attend grad school some time later, I realized that my grades from back then were horrid, my research writing was only so-so, and I didn't have a single professor who knew me well enough to write a recommendation. So, while working full-time, I returned to post-bacc classes that were entirely online and earned a second Bachelor's for the sole purpose of cultivating a more competitive grad school package. I can't dispense any graduate-specific online advice but hopefully some of my tips are helpful. Anyway, here's what I learned doing online university: Claim your space - Make sure you have a dedicated desk that you adamantly refuse to clutter up with anything other than school-related things. And even then, clean it often. It MUST be physically and mentally accessible to complete any work at. File away those papers. Get those cups and plates OUTTA THERE. Use a separate room, if able - I took over the only spare room and made it into my office. Hung some heavy coats on over-the-door hooks which was amazing for muffling outside noise. My partner and I used a "closed door" rule for this room - if the door was closed, do not disturb except for fire or death (the fire one happened once ? WHILE I was on Zoom with my adviser) Wall Calendar and Planner - The wall calendar must be easy to pull down from the wall and alter, but must also be super visible in your work area. Let those due dates loom, baby! Your planner also needs to become your best friend. If you're a purse-user, keep a small one with you in there. "Want to hang out later?" [checks planner] "Sorry, I have a seminar." You can also use the Google Calendar app for alarms and reminders, which I see has gained a bit of popularity if you're more of a phone user. I'm a forgetful person and my calendar overuse saved my butt many times. Treat all classes, meetings, seminars, events, like you were there in person - BE EARLY, phone off, mentally tuned in, headphones on (if desired), rabid note-taking. Online school can NOT be treated as "fake school" if you want to pass. Being early is essential to block time out for yourself and ensure that you are in the correct academic mindset when things begin. You will always be able to spot the person who just rolled out of bed or threw their clothes on a second ago. Hit up your advisers/instructors often - The best way to build rapport through screens is by making your name recognizable. Send short questions, check in, clarify things often, send supplementary material that reminded you of something they lectured on (this one got me major brownie points) Visit the local college/university for the environment if you have one - Not attending the community college near you? No problem - they will dispense free library cards for public service access which allow you to study on campus and in their libraries like a regular student. I desperately needed this at the beginning of my online journey because I needed to feel like I still "belonged" in higher ed. Link up with fellow students asap - As soon as courses opened on Canvas, all-student messages would come out moments later with "I made our group a WhatsApp chat, here's the link" from students needing community and camaraderie. Join these! With your brains combined, together you hold the answers to 99% of your questions and anxieties. They will also be a valuable resource when needing to find better apps, programs, websites, videos, etc. Sharing is caring! That's the bulk of my general advice, I don't have anything else that doesn't seem mostly geared towards undergrads. But the main thing here is: online school is real school. It will challenge you, build you, break you, and give you intense pride in your work. The people around you might make you feel weird about it just because of their own preconceptions, but the hard work is REAL and so is the degree.

I would strongly advise against adding that. Mostly because it's very Online sounding and that is a hard NO for something as integral to your acceptance as your Statement of Purpose. The aspect of the SoP where you explain why the location of the university is so important should have less to do with how badly you want to leave your current location and everything to do with what the new location could add to your studies. Is it known for hosting many experts from your field? What is the art scene like? Are there lots of museums? Are there rare classical art pieces in the area that you can visit? The proximity of larger cities should follow this line of thinking, as well. There shouldn't really be anything about your current location unless it is vital to your research explanation or education background.

This is not an acceptance. It sounds like there could be a real acceptance later on (probably in the next application cycle for 2023) but it will hinge on how well you do in those non-degree courses. Even then, your admission isn't guaranteed upon completion of those courses. "Our interest in having you in SPA coursework in the Fall 2022 class" this would be insulting to me. They are inviting you to sit in class beside accepted students while not actually being one of them. There is also another major issue here. Non-degree students (we call them non-award seeking, or NOAWS) are usually completely cut off from receiving financial aid of any sort as they cannot be considered part- or full-time students. If you have any acceptances from other schools, I would forget about American University and move on. If you believe you can stand out in the non-degree courses while also shouldering the cost, then you could consider it. But, unfortunately, this is not an acceptance.

Okay y'all, dreams really do come true - I applied for ONE school only (I'm painfully first-gen lol) and was getting veryyyy nervous, especially since it looked like their results came out a few days ago, but I was finally offered admission to the University of Washington!! ?

This is also the case for me. I felt fairly confident in my SoP when submitting but I now realize how many services/resources are out there to assist ? Not sure how I will fare as I am still waiting on my schools but I have a feeling that I may be taking part in the next cycle, too...