emmm

Is it a decent program? Is ex-boyfriend still there -- I guess that could trump all other considerations?

That's pretty pathetic -- as if you don't already have enough to do. I guess they were hoping they'd be able to continue the program somehow, but the money just didn't materialize. Still, the timing is really bad for anyone who applied.

Are they going to refund your application fee, at least?

Well, I would just wonder if mediocre letters might hurt more than you think. As you said, most letters are inflated, so a mediocre letter could mean the writer really thinks you're bad. Or the letter writer could be ignorant of the process or just not much of a writer in general. That's why it's so important to choose your LOR writers really carefully.

@coffeeplease and Livepoetry - Sorry you've been getting such aggravating reactions from people around you. I was hesitant to tell people about my plans to apply to grad school (non-traditional, worried people would think I was crazy), but the support I got from almost everyone was one of the best parts of applying. It made me feel that even if I got rejected everywhere, the process itself was a good, worthwhile experience. I hope the people who are being negative are not people who are all that close to you. The process can be so stressful. I think it's really important to have people around you who believe in you for the times when the process has sapped all your confidence.

I think it's a bit early to assume you aren't going to get in to any of your top choices. If that should happen, however, you could send polite emails. The programs may or may not respond. You might get better results if you are able to go in person and speak with people, but that might not be possible for you.

Wow, that sounds really awful. No suggestions, just wanted to express sympathy.

Either is fine -- as a former teacher, it really is the thought that counts :-)

I don't think you need to do anything. GRE percentiles are constantly changing. What you sent out WAS probably accurate when you sent it out. Schools must see this happen ALL the time, as it is very common. In other words, DON'T worry about it -- look here: http://www.ets.org/g...res/understand/ Quoting (emphasis added): Each GRE test score is reported with a corresponding percentile rank. A percentile rank for a score indicates the percentage of examinees who took that test and received a lower score. Regardless of when the reported scores were earned, the percentile ranks for General Test and Subject Test scores are based on the scores of all examinees who tested within a recent three-year period. You are always being compared to everyone who took the test within a certain period of time -- regardless of when YOU actually took the test. As an afterthought -- you could stick with the percentile ranks you got with your printed score report or you could try to send the most up-to-date one. Either way, there is no guarantee it won't change again before the committee meets and actually reviews your application. Fortunately, your actual SCORE won't change, so as long as that is reported correctly, you'll be fine.

Yes, your grades do matter, since they are a reflection of how your professors view your work. You sound a bit immature complaining about the professor's "subjective BS." Maybe some of that attitude is coming across in your classwork? Even if it's true, it's part of life, and everyone has to learn to deal with it. However, first year is stressful, and there's a lot to adjust to. It's entirely possible that your grades will improve as you get used to your program. While you shouldn't ignore your grades, you should not obsess about this one, either. It is satisfactory for your program, and you should move on -- strive to learn what you need to learn and to make the right impression on people in your program. They will be your network later, when you need advice, recommendation letters, etc. Congrats for making it through your first term of grad school!

I don't know -- my impression was that acceptance to master's programs did not generally come with guaranteed funding. I thought they were mostly self-pay, in which case, I would not expect need to be a major consideration. Don't programs just assume people will take out loans (that was what one program suggested I do, when I chatted with them)?

I think you could call your programs to find when they absolutely must have your letters. When I was waiting for my last letter, I was in contact with the program, updating them on the status. They let me know that it was OK to get it to them a little late. Fortunately, I did not have to find out when the latest date to get it in by was.

If you are not writing in an exam situation, there is really no excuse for submitting poorly written work. This is admittedly not my field, but I'd think a writing sample would be proofread and polished -- no? I am not claiming that anyone needs to be perfect, but this sort of written submission should be as perfect as possible. Am I really missing something basic here?

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "linguistically" it is well-written. You mean it does not contain grammatical errors? Wouldn't that be a given at this level? Isn't the focus more on the argument? Is this a paper you can rework, so that you do have something that you'd be proud to submit?

I took the GRE late in the spring the year I applied -- several months before any of my online applications opened. The schools were able to match my scores to my applications with no problems. I used the free scores for as many programs as I could -- basically, the programs I was SURE I wanted to apply to. The rest were sent later, as I had to pay for those, and I was still making up my mind about exactly which programs I wanted to apply to.

You can't do much about it now, so make sure the rest of your application is as strong as it can be. There are very few perfect applicants -- and they'll be spread out among all the top programs, so don't worry about them. I'm sure the weak points in my application kept me from being considered by some programs, but other programs took a closer look, and liked what I had to offer. You only need one program to take you (though it is nice to have some choices, if you've chosen your schools wisely and would be happy going to any of them, one's all you need). When you go for interviews, remember to focus on your strengths, and don't apologize for not being "better." I know it's hard not to be super-aware of how you might not be competitive, but they liked your application -- you just have to show them it accurately represents you and what you can do. Good luck!

The place I am most reminded of my age is the college bookstore, where the people at the register usually think I'm an alum (students and alumni get discounts). I guess I could be quicker at getting my student ID card to them.

Yes, do it. I taught for a while and got a few of these every quarter. It was always a nice surprise.

It happens all the time. It happened to me -- I was in contact with the program, and they were willing to wait for the letter. I finally got in touch with the prof, and the letter was sent. I knew the letter was ready, as it had been sent to other programs, this one had just been forgotten. I think as long as it is sent before the committee meets, you should be OK.

I agree with the posters above. There really is no special knowledge you need for the issue essay. You can use whatever examples you can think of -- there are no specific right answers. I really don't see how you could prepare beforehand for all the possible topics. However, practicing your timed writing skills WOULD be helpful, and you can use some of the topics for that. I "prepared" by working as a writing tutor for a year.

I didn't even look at the pool of topics before going for the exam. The topics do not really require special knowledge.

Yes, if you wait until you have seen the scores to decide to have them sent, you have to pay for them. Nice system, eh?

Auditing classes generally means you can do as little as you want to do, as you will receive no credit and no grade for the class. If the workload in your other classes gets to be too much, you can stop going to your audited classes with no penalties whatsoever. You will be learning for the sake of learning only.

When I went in to talk to programs while deciding where to apply, they always asked me what my GRE scores were. It was usually one of the first questions I got -- as if they were deciding whether I was worth chatting further with or not. And when it wasn't one of the first questions, I did notice a change in the tone of the conversation once they heard my scores. As a non-traditional applicant, I did get some condescension initially -- people acting as if I had no clue what graduate study in the sciences involved.

Yes, I think they do.