purplepepper

I was thinking of starting a thread similar to this too. I think we all make mistakes on our apps...I too misread the directions and made one mistake with a deadline (i.e. i got confused and totally missed it!). luckily it was a school i didn't really want to go to in the first place. Anyway, I think one of the biggest mistakes I have made are with recommenders--asking them to write letters at the wrong time when they were busy, getting anxious and sending emails to answer their questions too quickly only to realize that I made mistakes and had to resend the email(S), inundating mail boxes, which I'm sure was annoying! Because i'm living overseas, I thought thanksgiving was a week earlier than it was and I'm sure I annoyed many with emails reminding them about recs on thanksgiving day! My other headache is that one of my schools has not received my GRE scores that I sent back in sept. tried to ask about it/email them, but alas, no response. guess i'll have to put my determination hat on and ask them again in a few days, as it's already about a week and a half past the deadline. also had a recommender go MIA at the beginning of Dec. Luckily i trusted my instincts about him early enough (that even though he was my advisor and promised to write "strong letters" he might not come through as he's airy and forgets because he doesn't read his email or respond to voice messages, and I"m not there physically to remind him) and got an extra letter just in case. Way to go me! I thought the apps were done when I submitted them. but oh, I thought wrong. well, for those of us who might not be so lucky to be offered admission this year, the process awaits us again next year. :shock:

Thanks for your answers, it's hard to know with these things. Guess I'll save the worrying for after the new year Thanks georgica, I also just checked the Princeton website for the deadlines... I didn't think they were dec. 15th deadlines. I was scared for a sec! That almost happened to me with another school, I convinced myself the deadline was actually after what it was, after randomly checking the website I saw the real date. It's funny how that happens. Anyway, thanks for the info.

Hey, I know grad offices must be incredibly swamped with incoming mail and probably don't need more people calling them about the receipt of applicants' materials but... is it my imagination or is Princeton just slow? I sent all my materials in using a tracking number--it was received Dec. 1st. I submitted my application on Dec. 17th, and the materials still haven't been matched. I worry because their deadline is a received by deadline (Dec. 31st) which is coming up next week. Does it warrant a call next Monday to check on everything? Or, would I just be pestering them?

Haven't read all of the posts closely. Sorry this reply is a bit late--here's my experience. Maybe it will help. I've just sent out my apps so I'm anxiously waiting too. Anyway, I did my first year of undergrad at OSU. They are on the quarter system, and did fairly well when it came to grades. I transferred to Boston University after the first year, (semester system) and anyone who has ever been to BU will tell you about the rumored grade deflation. Whether that's true I don't know, but BU, for being one of the top 20 schools in the country, has a relatively low average undergrad GPA that hovers around a 3.0 (compared to the ivies, which Ive heard are much higher). I had to work damn hard for those Bs. Spent a semester in france, had some abroad grades. Even though I got letter grades, the French don't like to give out As' if I remember properly. Anyway, the whole purpose of this post is that 1. an A in the quarter system (5 credits) = 13.32 semester points a B+ in the semester system (4 credits) = 13.2 semester points The point being, when calculating GPA combining semester points and quarter points, A's from the quarter system become equivalent to B+s in the semester system. Obviously, my major GPA reflects both courses took at both universities (plus those I took in France), and if it was straightforward it would actually be a lot higher than it really is because of conversions and blah. GPAs are objective? I don't think so. Or, well, at least I hope not. So, yes, I believe that GREs are important because they serve as a kind of balance and a point of reference when comparing different GPAs from different universities. With my GRE scores, I'm hoping that institutions will have a better idea of what my grades from BU really mean compared with other candidates. 2. I don't understand how there can be a cut-off (maybe I'm being naive) keeping this in mind. Unless its something unarguably low or the contents of your curriculum is not up to par 3. I think people with straightforward GPAs would be less affected by a poor GRE score than people with discrepancies in their gpas. i could have made this up, but it's the impression i get from talking this subject over with some people in the field. With that being said, I do have solid GREs and a solid MA to back up my application. Don't get me wrong, I'm worried like everyone else that somewhere down the line something that I did as an undergrad 5 years ago will come back to haunt me. But like the next person, I find it discouraging to read posts that claiming that with a non-stellar undergrad GPA its next to impossible to get into a top program in one's field, be it an ivy or not. I guess I just have to wait and see.

hey, i must be really out of the loop or living in a cave....what does ZOMG stand for?

I've applied to Michigan too, and empathize about these personal statements. I also don't feel comfortable talking about my religious/ethnic/upbringing/family background, because to be honest, it sounds just superficial. (Hey, I'm Jewish, admit me!) You know? Some people would say to talk about some kind of struggle that has led you to a deeper understanding of whathaveyou, but I just have not had that type of struggle. I did though, spend some time abroad, and I've talked about my time there, and how being abroad has helped me understand things differently. I think though, that if you are really at a loss, you could talk about how your research approach is different than what has come before, or something that has to do with how you have developed your ideas. Those kinds of essays are a bit harder to write, but they sure do sound better than "I grew up on Mars and have struggled all my life to fit into the human community on Earth. This is why I want to study Mars-Earth relations."

I'm sure many of you know about what happened to the guy from Yale who forged many parts of his application and got accepted with a scholarship (of course forgery is a crime in itself, but accepting money based on fradulent claims really exacerbated the situation). if you want to read about it, there is an article in the NY times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/educa ... .html?_r=1 and there is another article i found in the stanford newspaper that talks about things like this as well http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2008/ ... OnYaleScam Anyway, didnt the OP already say that the dean was notified? What happened with that? If I can add my $.02--notifying an official of a crime is not being a tattle tale. Not only does she commit forgery once by writing the letters saying that she is not who she is, but lies on the application when signing (or checking) the box that the recommenders' letters comes from the recommenders. i fyou read the articles, if the unviersity finds out, not only will it call for expulsion,but if she is offered money and accepts it, the university is in the right to press charges. but then again, the articles do say that this kind of stuff happens more often than one may think. but why gamble with your future?

I've really enjoyed reading these posts--its interesting how life finds a way of moving forward even when you are a student. I'm in a kind of similar situation--I'm 27 and I'll be getting married next summer. (i never thought of myself as the marrying type, but like i said, life sneaks up on you sometimes). My husband-to-be though, is much older than I am. He is also Japanese (where Im living now) and speaks only a little English. He's super excited about moving to the States (that is if i get in anywhere this time around). And he's been home with me several times and loves it there. Kind of like a child though, he's going to need a lot of help getting adjusted, learning the language, trying to find a job etc, in a place where he can't function like an adult--at least at first, and will have no support except for me. sometimes, i don't think about it, and sometimes I get really anxious when thinking how I will balance time between him and school. But I suppose its best not to worry about all of that now, and just cross the bridge when I come to it. There's no point to this post really, just that lots of people are in all different kinds of situations. So no, I don't think it's a crazy idea at all!

a little late reply, but thanks to those who responded. I hope that others have gotten something from the discussion! Anyone is welcome to add anything else, ask another question, etc etc. In other personal news, my apps are just about done, but have brought on an early bout of waiting anxiety. ack. i'm sure everyone is experiencing the same thing!

thanks for the quick answer, i'll try that and see what happens :arrow:

Hi, I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on manipulating the margins and spacing of writing samples to meet the pages requirements. i've gone and modified my thesis quite a bit, and i really don't feel comfortable cutting more out. the written stuff is 20 pages, plus 3 pg biblio, plus 2 pages of images, which are necessary. As of now, it's fine when I have 1.7 spacing between each line, a margin of 1.3 at the top and .9 around the edges. (haha i know) but if i use a standard formatting- 1 inch margins (1.5 at the top like the schools ask) plus double spacing, the writing sample balloons to over 30 pages. which is way too much. any thoughts?

Hi, I don't think I'm the most qualified person to respond to the post--im not in classics, but i am in a similar situation. my ugrad gpa is slightly lower than yours, but my ma gpa is quite high. anyway, to get to the point, i doubt there are any "cut offs" for the gre. i had a friend in history (who is at columbia) who told me that prospective advisors all told him his gre needed to be higher etc. But after he got in he told me, the truth of the matter is, your application wont be thrown out because of a gre score below the mean. no one is rejected because of a low gre score. people do get rejected though, mostly, becuase they dont have the maturity of a phd student quite yet. How do you show maturity? its in the way you express your research interests in your statement, writing sample, recs, how much language/research experience you have. this maturity can be reflected in your gre score too. as a matter of fact, princeton publishes their mean gre score of admits in the humanities. and the verbal is at a 660 and the quant is somehwere at 680 or 690. i too am applying to top programs, like i said, with a less than great ugrad gpa (but a very good ma gpa). all of the profs who i have talked to have encouraged me to apply becuase my experience speaks a great deal of the kind of researcher I will be. so go for it and apply, becuase no one on this forum knows the nitty gritty of your application (recs, writingetc). and without knowing this, i dont think anyone can make an accurate assessment of your chances anywhere. like i said, i am applying now too, so i dont know if this advise is useful or not.

Actually, a lot of people are having that problem (myself included) the guy over the phone said there is some glitch in the system (whatever) anyway, there are lots (hundreds) of people who have not been able to order scores online. You either have to use the paper form or go the phone route. there is a toll free number, but if you are like me calling from skype there is a special number which I have lost--so you may have to call the customer service center and ask for it. But you know how some people have stories that their schools never received their transcripts? Well I had my transcripts sent to me (so i could send in everything at once). After a month and a half my transcripts still didn't come. After ordering more, the old order finally came the next day with a big stamp on the envelope that said "MISSENT TO THAILAND" (i'm living in japan at the moment). The post office may have taken the prize!

Its easy to get wound up about GRE scores, but I don't think you have that much to worry about. Your experience is not that uncommon to tell you the truth. The same thing happened to me actually--I was consistently scoring about 100 points higher on practice tests than when I took the actual test the first time on the verbal. A friend told me, and he is so right..it's all a crap shoot. It really is. maybe you just made a few errors on some easy questions in the beginning. that alone can put you on an uphill battle the rest of the test. What I did after I got over my initial shock, was just simply retake the test again. I didn't even study all that much, and it shot back up to where it was supposed to be. With that being said, if you don't have time before your deadlines, you shouldn't spend so much time worrying about it. Admissions decisions are never made on GRE scores alone, especially if the rest of your package is competitive. I don't think one low test score will break an application. Anyway, try to focus on the rest of your application at this point!

Hi all, I thought I'd start a discussion about GPA since a lot of topics on the board address the issue, and everyone's opinions seem to be different. I've really just made this scenario up... and if anyone has any real experience on these issues please feel free to comment. So here's the hypothetical situation. Let's say Mary Jane is applying for a PhD at a top university in the humanities..we'll call it Yaleston (this is hypothetical remember ) She's applying straight out of undergrad with a solid GPA, let's say a cumulative 3.8. She's gone as far as she can with language work in her undergrad career, wrote a superstar senior thesis, has relevant work/research experience, and graduated with all the bling bling an undergrad can have. You know what I mean. Then let's say Lois Lane comes along and is applying to the same program. Her undergrad wasn't so hot and she graduated with a 3.2 overall. She realized that she wanted to go to graduate school, so she went on to do a Master's degree, and graduated with a much higher GPA of 3.75. During her MA degree, let's say that she won some kind of grant, has not only done language work but lived abroad and its apparent that she too has gained critical research skills as seen from her writing sample and SOP. Maybe she's given a conference paper too. Assuming that both candidates have similar GRE scores, and both have written coherent SOPs/writing samples, and good recs, the question is, who is the stronger candidate? Is there a clear answer? Would it come down to who matches the department better? or who can take advantage of university resources more? Would the undergrad GPAs be compared against each other? Would it simply come down to pinning the two applicant's names on a dart board, blindfolding the Director of Graduate Studies and seeing which one he hits with a dart? Any thoughts/comments/opinions welcome!

I just had a phone appointment with a potential advisor. I would suggest at first speaking breifly about your background and your research interests to help get the ball rolling. When I called my potential advisor, the first thing he said was, what can i do for you and do you have any questions? after a brief white out (i wasnt prepared for that opening line) I decided just to start out by telling him about my background and research interests, and what i kinds of questions/topics I was interested in researching in grad school. It turned out to be the right move, he was quite helpful afterwards and directed the conversation from there. Calling a potential advisor and hearing the phone ring is the most nerve racking part! After the inital hello, it'll be much easier. Hope that helps some.

I was told from the admissions office at princeton that yes, the bibliography does count as part of the writing sample. but i'm not sure if that's just princeton, or if all institutions are as strict as they are...

Hi again, sorry for taking up so much space on the board. This time i have a question about "optional" diversity statements, the question being, how "optional" is optional? for instance Yale's is "optional" but is this code for hint hint, you need to write one? or if it's only luke-warm, will it hurt one's chance of admissions? When did diversity statements become a part of the application anyway? there doesn't seem to be much info about them anywhere! is there anyone else who is looking forward to getting everything submitted? I sure am!

I had the same question and I called one university that said the writing sample must not be more than 25 pages in the application. they said that if you go over, the writing sample won:t even be included!!! talk about pressure. I think different universities have different regulations--as in it *should not be more or *must not be more. i would call the admissions office if you are unsure, they may be rude, but at least youd get straight answers

Is anyone out there applying to Berkeley? For those of you who know, the application requires a "personal history statement" which is much like a diversity statement from what I gather. Berkeley allows for a ridiculous length though--about 1000 words, where at other universities the diversity statement usually isn't more than 300 or 400 words. What are people's thoughts about submitting just a 300 or 400 word length version? Is there anyone who knows if this personal history statement needs to be the full length, or if the abbreviated version will do? By the way, Berkeley also allows the SOP to be up to 1300-1400 words (mine will be 1000, since that is what I'm submitting to other universities. Can't really add the extra 300 just to fill up space!) Thoughts anyone?

I could have made this up, but I think I heard somewhere that usually 10% over or under is generally acceptable. I do think 1300 is too long..i think it can be cut down to less than 1100..i know it's a painful process though. but i've had a lot of help myself, and i've realized if its 300 words over, it can probably be tighter. good luck. you still have time to revise!

I had similar results the first time I took the test--I studied my butt off for 4 months straight and was scoring into the 700 range on verbal on practice tests, and when I went to take the actual test, I got a 600. It sent me into a stupor for a few days! My advice contrasts the previous poster, but if you strongly feel that you can do better, you still have a bit of time. Take it again. The second time I tried, I didn't do much more studying except for briefly going over my notes, and my score jumped up to a 660. If you can show improvement, that may count for more than the score alone. GREs are all random, don't take it to heart. I too have a low ugrad GPA, with a high MA GPA, and was convinced I had to be in the 95% on the GRE to compensate for the ugrad gpa. But after talking to lots of different people, my feeling has change...there are lots of things that mitigate a low ugrad GPA --how long ago it was, the experience you've gained and what youve learned since then, recommendations, SOP etc. Although I have just applied and haven't gotten accepted yet. We'll see if its the right attitude or not!

I too am submitting a letter from a non-native English speaker, but my recommender can't speak any English at all (he was my advisor for a time in Japan). I asked around to some grad programs and potential advisers who overwhelmingly said that the letter should be professionally translated. So after he sends it to me, I'll forward it to a translator... It may be easier for your recommender to write in her native language, and even though it will cost a bit more, you could have it professionally translated into English. That is, if you are really worried about the content. If though, she won't be your main recommender it may be alright if it's not perfect!

Hi all, I asked a prof. for an LOR about a month ago. He was my MA thesis advisor and worked quite close with him a few years ago. Understandably, he forgot a few things about me (he asked me many questions), so I answered all of his questions in an email and he agreed to write me a letter. I told him that I wanted to apply to 6 schools, but he told me he thought it was too much and advised me to cut the list down. I explained that at this point I had the momentum so I would like to keep the list at 6. I asked him whether he'd like to submit the LOR online or by post and I have yet to receive an answer. I emailed him again thinking that maybe he did not receive my first email, but again no response. Like I said, this was about a month ago Anyone have any advice on how to proceed? Should I email him again next month and ask if he's still willing to write a letter, or should I try to find another one (which would undoubtedly be less strong)? any advice is appreciated!