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Taking it 4 times seems a bit excessive -- your latest scores seem fine . . .

True -- but I was thinking of a truly low GPA when I wrote the response -- one just at the cutoff, or even below. In other words, one really needing some sort of compensation/explanation. In other words, a record that is definitely mediocre, even accounting for challenging courses/schools.

Agree that it's hard to bribe after the fact -- but gifts do make some people uncomfortable. Still, I think it is a nice gesture. I thanked my recommenders before hearing back from schools, because the help they all provided me would have been appreciated even if I had not been accepted anywhere. Of course, I told them the good news right away when I did get accepted, and they were all thrilled for me. In all, my interactions with my recommenders was the best part of applying.

I would also be worried about grad school debt -- I don't think that is unreasonable at all. I would not have gone to grad school unfunded.

I am in my first year of grad school, and took the GRE as part of the application process. It was no big deal, even though I finished HS over 20 years ago also. I don't think I'd really forgotten much of the basic math it tests.

It's probably inevitable that in a small group where people are applying to the same/similar competitive programs things will get tense. Especially when you consider how stressful grad applications are in general. I guess all you can do is hope that things will work out without friendships being destroyed. If the friendship can't weather this, perhaps it was not such a great relationship to start with. I'm also lucky in that I have never experienced this, but I have generally done things "off-schedule" and been pretty isolated in applications.

Can you call them up and discuss it with them -- explain that you would love to attend their program but that your decision will also depend on where your wife ends up. Perhaps they can hold the spot for you until some reasonable time next cycle, so that if they do not have a positive response from you by then, they still have time to find a good student to give the place to. It sounds as though you plan to send out more applications next year when your wife is applying anyway -- or would you really be willing to go to this school if she's in a program somewhere else? If they say "No," in other words, have you really lost much?

If you are so unconcerned about severing ties with your current school, it seems to indicate to me that you really do not want to attend. Maybe you should just decline your spot, whether or not the other school takes you, and reapply to schools that are better fits next year, if necessary.

I'm not from India, but it might help if you specified what your doubts were.

DON'T send out the same SOP. If they remember your old one, this will look lazy. Do you want to send the message that you haven't improved yourself at all in the year since your last application? Or that you don't care enough about the program to update your application?

Since the GRE is partly an endurance test, you should not attempt it if you are sleep-deprived. I found that taking the GRE very early in the year (June) and going in with the attitude that it was my "practice" run to determine whether/how much I needed to study really helped prevent anxiety from taking over. This technique might not be right for everyone, but it worked well for me.

As long as your grades are the same, I don't think it should be a problem.

I agree with the recommendation to retake the GRE -- 630 is kind of low for the sciences. I know the GRE average in my program is higher. Might not be a complete deal breaker, though, I don't know about other programs. Maybe you'll get some other opinions.

They are welcome to you -- I hope they don't regret their decision to take you.

Go to an Ivy for your postdoc.

Another US student here -- for family reasons, I could only apply in one city, and I was fine with that. It's not always possible to turn your life completely upside down and move.

You are still quite young. There are people your age in my program, and no one considers them old. As for me ... I am considered "old," but most people don't seem to mind (only one prof has commented), but I have a decade on you.

It can be even more confusing -- there are some school names that only differ in that one is Something University and the other is Something College.

There is no University of Washington in St. Louis -- that's Washington University. I guess it could be confusing, but generally U of wherever is the state school of whatever state it refers to.

I have no idea how it was arranged, but I had a roommate in college who had her MBA (full-time) at Harvard paid for by her employer at the time. I think she went back to work there after graduating, but she did not stay there, so they definitely didn't own her. I think they just covered her tuition (but I never asked her if she also got some sort of salary from them).

I would have said to go with the guaranteed funding, even if it meant going to a slightly less prestigious school/program. I am probably older than most of you, and I know from experience that worrying about money is very stressful. The thought of having to take out large loans would also not be appealing. Still, it sounds as though you might be able to get funded, so I hope it all works out for the best. Congratulations.

You have no chance if you don't apply. Good LORs and publications are impressive, and your GPA is not terrible. Also, even though the GRE is not required, if you test well, you could send the scores.

No . . . I think a lot of factors are taken into consideration when offers are made to applicants and funding also comes into play. You have to accept that programs have MANY well-qualified applicants, and there is probably no significant difference in capabilities between those that get offers right away and those that are very high up on the waitlist. However, some applicants may seem to be better fits in terms of who on the faculty has funding. The committee is probably trying to predict which labs a given student might be interested in based on their past experiences and stated interests from the SOP. But it's all guesswork. And even if they guess right, lots of students discover new interests during rotations (that's what they're for, after all). Not being a "first pick" does not mean that they think you are inferior in any way. If they offer you a spot, they think you'll do well and they will treat you just the same as any other student.

From what I've seen (limited experience, so keep that in mind) adjuncting at a CC for 1 year . . . observed hiring process involving friends in two different departments. In both cases, the person hired was from outside the school, chosen over people who had been adjuncting for 5-10+ years (with good evals). There seemed to be no loyalty to current employees, and "greater" degrees did seem to influence hiring in at least one case (PhD over MA). (But to be fair, all finalists had to present a mini-lecture . . . and since I was not on either hiring committee, maybe the person chosen did do the best job).

Gift cards don't need to be expensive -- I think $10-15 to Starbucks or some such would be appreciated, but not enough to make anyone uncomfortable. I expected one of my recommendors to be uncomfortable accepting a gift, and I was right, but it turned out OK. The other two had no problems with it -- but I think they were more used to being given gifts (i.e. had mentored more students).