purplepepper

Hey guys, thanks for the advice. I honestly explained what had happened and that my recommender went MIA (didn't say it like that of course!) and Linden- you were definitely right. I quickly got a response back from the secretary saying that yes, these things to happen sometimes and it will have no affect on my application. Sorry for the panic. thanks again!

Why is this night different from all other nights? Sounds like Passover. I like it! Passover with a practical application.

Hi all, quick question As I've said elsewhere, I had an MIA recommender earlier this year. I asked another professor to write a recommendation (thus completing my applications) in the MIA recommender's place, but still left the MIA recommender's name on my application just in case he decided to send it in. Just got an email from a graduate secretary informing me that MIA recommender's letter was still missing. I'm not 100% sure I want to purse this missing letter business any further (becuase at this point, I just don't know if this missing letter will be 100% positive as I've reminded him just too many times). My applications are complete without it. I would like to send a response to the secretary to something of the affect of please consider my application complete as it is. I'll be able to write a tactful email to that extent, but I'm wondering: I worry that it will reflect poorly on me as an applicant--will they think that there is a reason MIA Recommender did not want to write? Will they just know that professors are sometimes like that? Is there a reason that they contacted me, does it behoove me to ask the MIA Recommender one more time? Is there something that I'm not thinking about that I should include in my email to the graduate secretary? Don't have much time, please advise!

preg- I think if you can connect your museum internship with your research interests--or show what you learned from in and how you'll use that experience in your study would be perfect. which it sounds like you have done! maybe it'll just come down to the fit in the department. I had a museum internship as an undergrad working in the department of rights and licensing. It was awfully uninteresting and aside from puttting it down on my cv there really wasn't a whole lot of detail I could go into on how it enriched my experience as an art historian (other than getting to know the database) anyway, without going into too much detail I do East Asian stuff (not modern or contemporary), and I'm quite happy living under the false impression that there aren't too many of us around. Anyone else out there in the same area?

yes, and oh, I forgot to mention that now apps are in, don't worry! 7 schools is a lot. the karma may roll your way this year, so hang on for just a few weeks! If you've done everything you can at this point, just try to stay calm. Perhaps we can all go to sleep and wake up March 1st. Wouldn't that be nice?

pregasauraus-- First, I think you are really brave to have a baby while applying to grad school--I'm scared to get married as it is before starting grad school let alone having a baby! Anyway, this is my first time around, and my stats might be similar to yours--stellar MA, solid GRE, lackluster undergrad, no publications. But to be honest, each subfield is like a different world in itself. I have no idea what goes on outside of mine, to tell you the truth, but becuase I'm in a rather difficult one that requires a whole lot of training to do primary research I don't have any publications and I don't think many people do either. I'm not sure if publishing in a museum catalogue will necessarily better your chances (definitely wouldn't hurt)...it also really depends on the nature of the department, whether its research oriented (or are they all?) or museum oriented. Research experience is different from non-research related museum experience, and I think departments just really look to see whether you ahve a good grasp on the research-nature of your field, and have a solid idea of the kind of problems that you want to tackle. And also whether you have the experience and whether you are prepared to undertake the research. Anyway, you probably know all of that already. Now that you are teaching, there will probably be lots of opportunities to present papers, to do your own research, and get better connected with professors. I hope it helps. Good luck, and yes, Feb. has already started making me crazy too.

I was actually in a very similar situation this past cycle--one of my recommenders had a very dodgy attitude from the beginning, but for some reason I believed that he would write strong letters (maybe it was because he promised) and to make a long story short, never sent them. I know this situation can be really tough and make you really anxious. But it's important to remember to keep your composure and there is a point where, if the recommender hasn't responded to your reminders, to just give up and find someone else. Not responding to reminders probably indicates that they have no real desire to help you out (no matter how unprofessional it might be) and the letter may not be as strong as someone who gladly agrees to help. Reminders are ok once a month if the deadline is far away, and as the deadline nears I'd say to just give them a call, let them know where you are int he application process and get a verbal acknowledgement that letters are on their way. As for deleting them from your application, you can only do this if the letter has not been received by the school. If the school has received it, you can no longer remove it from you application. Its a good, tough lesson to learn for next time.

hmm I have an applyyourself school and it just says "submitted." (it's been like that since December)The message probably differs from school to school though, and changes in messages I don't think mean anything until it's a definitely "sorry but..." or acceptance.

thanks for that..I just found an FAQ on the website that I hadn't seen before that does say interviews are not routine but happen "often" when applicants are seriously being considered. So congrats to you! I did have lengthy discussions with a prof, actually, about my research interests and my potential fit back in October, so in any case I guess it either means I didn't get in or they don't need to talk to me again. That supplemental application they made us fill out may have killed my chances. My transcript is not so straight forward--had some quarter grades and semester grades that I had to average together according to their formula which sunk my major GPA (from 3.7 to a 3.4 :oops: ) and my undergrad GPA isn't great to begin with, even though I have a pretty great MA and other research experience. I wondered in the back of my head if they used those supplemental apps to filter people out. Oh well! It's still too early to come to conclusions, really wanted to at least have the chance to go but at least Berkeley wasn't really at the top of my list anyway. Keep us posted though. The interview looks like a really good sign! EDIT: Ok. So, after going and checking the FAQs again and wondering why I hadn't seen them before, I realized the FAQ link on the graduate page led to a different site! The only reason I found it was through google, and it answered all the questions I was so confused about during the application. Luckily I realized that there was no space on the online application for my writing sample so I sent it into the department, but I still didn't submit my entire MA thesis, which they asked for (which I didn't know about!) arrrggg. so there you go! Had a huge note on it that it was a modification blah blah. Oh well.

I've heard of universities having 2 different deadlines. Don't know why though, it's always seemed strange to me. Did you end up applying anyway? What happened? And I definitely don't think that you are the only one that this has happened to! Good luck with it all

Desperate Housewives Gray's Anatomy Lost but I just watched for the first time the last Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon made in the early 70s. highly recommended! Story is so simple, action is fantastic 70s movie action stuff. Love it when people die after getting hit over the head. (as opposed to the bloody gunshot blah of today) And when people still gave a thumbs up.

Hey all-I told myself that I wasn't going to post on the thread for fear that I might go completely insane, but now that it's almost Feb. I thought even if I do go crazy, the month is short and a non-leap year at that! Congrats on the Wisconsin acceptance! Was thinking of applying there but I grew up in the midwest and was thinking of trying to live some place new. And to the person who interviewed at Berkeley-- I wasn't aware that Berkeley conducted interviews? Is that common? I did meet in person and have a lengthy discussion with a potential advisor (in a different field) there before the application process started, but nothing since then. If you are comfortable talking about it, I'd be curious to know the things that you spoke about, but if not don't worry about it

After an especially crappy day at work, I have decided: Will take my admissions letter (from no less than Super Prestigious University) and throw it on my boss's desk. Explain to him that I quit right then and there, leaving them with my hugely unfinished, hugely important-to-the company project that only I have been working on and that only I, with my special skills, can complete (were I actually working on one)--leaving my boss royally up sh*t's creek without a paddle. Pull a "screw you guys, I'm going home!" Put a huge wad of gum in my mouth (not allowed to chew gum where I work), while making sure I smack as loud as I can while blowing and smacking bubbles in my boss's face, have my boyfriend waiting in our helicopter where we fly far far away into the sunset of not sitting-at-a-desk-all-day-trying-not-to-read-gradcafe-100-times-a-day freedom.

I actually had a professor who signed his/her name "Prof. X" I always chuckled a bit when I read it. I think profs sign their initials or their first names becuase, yes, its strange signing your own name as prof. X. I went to school in the UK for my masters. And yes, the title professor is only for very highly distinguished individuals. I always called my profs by their first name if I worked closely with them, and if not by "Dr. X" I do stand by what I said earier though, unless you have met a prof in person and receive explicit permission to call them by their first name before you meet, call them by Dr. or Prof. in any emails or correspondences over the phone.

About including something that you were acknowledged in (and I dont have any inside knowledge of this by any means) I would really think it depends on the circumstance (what kind of publication and what your role was). For example, I was acknowledged in a publication based on a symposium once, but didn't include it because I didn't present. Only helped out with some logistic stuff. But I was a major researcher for another project and was acknowledged in the subsequent book that came out. I did put that on my CV, with a brief explanation becuase I ended up getting a recommendation from that professor. So, my opinion..just use your judgement. No need to pad a CV afterall, I get the impression that adcoms just like to see an applicant's committment to the discipline and their readiness to pursue further study.

I'm living on the other side of the world right now--I usually give up after I check my email in the morning. which would be around 7am for me. but that doesnt stop me from putting off work and reading the forum all day long..which makes me even more crazy as I know I won't hear anything when its daytime here. Sleep is such a welcome relief (when I do manage to sleep)

I would say, do not address professors by their first names unless they explicitly say ok. Through emails, I have only used Dear Professor X (unless they asked otherwise), even if that prof. signed their first name. And yes, sometimes it did get a bit redundant. It's better to show respect and err on the side of caution, as you never know how some people might react to being called informally by someone they don't know. When I met profs I met face to face-- I for one prefer to be addressed by my nickname and not my full name that appears in my emails--after introducing myself and saying "please call me..." usually the prof would say oh and please call me so-and-so. Just my opinion!

how about a poll for which country applicants are in when they apply?

im a bit embarrassed to say, but i like wasting time playing neopets www.neopets.com

1. That my days as a lost undergrad will come back to haunt me. (not great grades) 2. That I just simply didn't do enough to make a strong profile funny enough, i have a lot of faith in the dept secretaries, and didnt have a problem at all with missing documents or anything. i just looked at some of the successful profiles on applycorner and was totally blown away by most of them. hence the anxiety-ridden post!

That was a lot of fun. haha. I posted my ugrad GPA and not my MA, as my undergrad is a whole lot lower.. Really glad to know that not everyone gets 3.9999999888s

I wish that I had known how to separate good advice from bad. I'd assumed that all of my professors were naturally looking out for my good, but I realize that every once in a while, there are some that are so self-absorbed and out of it when it comes to applying to graduate school nowadays, that they simply don't take the applicants personal circumstance/wishes/goals into account. Even in some cases where I worked very closely with one professor in my program, that as the time passed and as I was no longer his student (and thus as was described to me, i no longer brought him prestige), he'd conveniently forgotten all that I'd been through to get where I am now, and gave me simply wrong advice about applying to schools that I wish I hadn't listened to. (in addition to, as I have said elsewhere on this forum going MIA in terms of my recommendation :shock: ) Watch out for people like them! There is also a certain amount of following your instincts in this whole process--if you are a serious student there will always be people willing to help you out. In the end, I truly believe that their recommendations will be stronger and more honest than type A as listed above

Not in lit. but I too am reading to pass the time--still trying to ween myself off the forum 100 times a day! Anyway, I'm reading My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk--he won the Nobel Prize in Literature a few years ago. It's a fantastic book set in 16th century Istanbul--a mystery about the murder of a miniaturist who was in the process of creating and illustrating a book for the Sultan in the European style. Also full of love, deceit and all of that wonderful stuff. Highly recommended!

I ended up applying to 4. I wanted to apply to 7 originally, but my now MIA recommender had advised me the first time around to apply to only a few in order to get feedback for the next year if things don't turn out the way I would like. For better or worse, I took his advice (and didn't even get a letter from him in the end, which has made me as you can imagine, extremely angry and frustrated!) Sigh, at least I found another rec, and my apps are complete. Now, just hoping for the best

I really wish people would stop claiming that they "know" without perfect pedigrees and scores one cannot be accepted into top programs such as harvard, yale and whatnot. especially in the humanities and i assume social science too, where other factors are so much more important than scores such as essays and letters. princeton even publishes their average gre scores for all those admitted, and sorry, those scores are not 99%--not even for the humanities (granted they are averages so one department may like to see higher scores than others) http://www.princeton.edu/pr/facts/profile/06/13.htm But really, its so discouraging to read over and over again that people don't have any chance whatso ever because they were not able to go to a prestegious undergrad, or for those who didnt even know they wanted to go to grad school until, like me, after they graduated and likewise spent so much time (years) and energy seeking out experience, further schooling and preparation in order to have a chance at a top program. there are lots of non-traditional students, who, like was said before, can bring different perspectives to a program. isnt that what the sop and those stupid diversity statements were for anyway? to show that people arent square and those without 4.0s and 99%s have the experience, talent, and can bring unique perspectives to a program? am i really the only one who believes this? sorry for the rant.