fuzzylogician

I think the first half of your suggestion could be beneficial: if you're applying to e.g. 8 school, listing the 4 best-fitting ones sounds fine to me. As far as I remember, most apps had limited space for this question anyway. Listing school you're not planning to apply to at all, on the other hand, can backfire, as orst11 mentions, and I agree that it smells of dishonesty. If there is one particular place that's a great fit where you can't apply for whatever reason, I might consider listing it anyway; maybe things will change. But making this a strategy would be wrong.

Occasionally I get emails that are addressed to "Dr." fuzzy; almost always, they are not sent by colleagues but rather by people who are professionally associated with academia like publishing-house employees, editors, staff, etc. -- so, not anyone who I have any particular interest in correcting. Usually I just ignore these things, but it doesn't feel quite right. On the other hand, correcting people is also no fun. I sometimes try to add "graduate student, X university" to my signature if I catch the mistake early enough in the correspondence, but that doesn't really solve the gender mistakes and besides I feel funny signing emails like that. So I wonder, what would you do in this situation: would you ignore these mistakes, since these are unimportant correspondences? or would you insist on being addressed properly? If so, how would you go about correcting people?

In short, no adcom expects applicants to apply only to their school and no one is offended by not being someone's only choice (also by an applicant who chooses to accept another offer, but never mind that for now). Therefore, the fact of simply naming other schools does not hurt applicants. More precisely: - Mostly, schools use information about where else their applicants applied to for internal reasons like learning who their competition is. - If your school selections show glaring inconsistencies - e.g., applying to schools that are known to be weak in the field you're proposing to study, failing to apply to several obvious choices for no apparent reason, applying to schools with widely opposing views of your field (opposing theories, methodologies, etc.) - some people might interpret your choices as a sign of immaturity or unfamiliarity with your field. On the other hand, if your choices are consistent and logical--which is the case in the vast majority of cases--they will support you as a well-prepared candidate, or at the very least they not hurt you in any way.

Can't you have an honest conversation with your professor and bring the question of American vs. Canadian degrees up? If he has your best interest at heart, he will give you his honest opinion. From what you write, it sounds like your advisor wants you to succeed and it doesn't sound like he has ulterior motives, so just ask for his advice. In general, you should be talking to people in your department about your concerns. It's impossible for us to give you any concrete advice without knowing specifics like the field that you are in, what university you are moving from and to, and other individual factors about your career. Even then, we are not nearly as experienced as your professors. At the very least, you should talk to your advisor and to whoever would be your primary contact at your current university, should you choose to stay there. The DGS or the department chair are also options, and maybe also more advanced students or post-docs, if the situation is not sensitive and can be shared with them (broadly speaking). Questions like duration of degree, when it would be best to go out on the market, funding, quality of degree, etc. should really all be addressed to these people, not us.

Of course great research experience, glowing LORs and a high GPA will help increase your chances of being accepted to a PhD program! What's more, if you get strong LORs from professors who you are currently working with, no one will be particularly worried that you didn't get a LOR from your old lab. Letters from current collaborators are more relevant than letters from old collaborators who you are no longer in touch with, so your LORs shouldn't raise any red flags. Also, no one needs to know that you were fired from your old position (you can just state the dates when the position began and ended on your CV) and no one needs to know that there was a publication in the works that didn't come through. Talk about the positives in your SOP (=what you learned from the experience), don't mention the negatives, and spend most of your space on what you are currently researching and what you plan to research during your PhD.

There is no such thing as "good". There is "good for you" - as in, matching your research interests and whatever other (personal) considerations you have for picking schools (=SO's ability to find a job, weather, proximity to family, etc). I'm sorry but someone who needs to take an evaluation test to find out what their research interests are has no business applying to grad school at all. You need to take a step back and ask yourself why you are thinking of applying to grad school to begin with. Seems to me that you are doing it for all the wrong reasons.

It depends on how you do it. (sorry, I know that's an annoying answer. but:) Will you be able to add anything new by addressing your previous major in your SOP that's not evident from your transcripts? I assume the transcripts will reflect the change in your concentration and how long it took you to finish your new major. Aside from saying you've discovered a new passion, can you explain anything in particular about how and why you changed your interests? Is there a way to link what you do now to what you did in the past? If not, then you're essentially just wasting space in your SOP; everyone who applies for a PhD in X is assumed to be passionate for X. Can you add anything more detailed to that? If you think you can, addressing your previous major should be done quickly and with a positive twist on it. The SOP should be forward-looking and positive, so you should devote very little space to past "mistakes" that don't really need explaining anyway.

Yep, that's entirely possible. Many grad students will try to room with other grads and will host others when there's a conference near them. I also know people who prefer to purchase flight+hotel deals that turn out to be cheaper than getting the conference hotel. You might miss out on some of the activities, depending on the conference and its organization, but it's certainly an option. A lot of students also share rooms to save costs, btw. I once stayed in a hostel instead of in the fancy hotel the conference was held at. There are many options for saving money. As for couchsurfing, that's an option but it can sometimes not work out like you plan. You should, at the very least, have a backup plan (=enough money to get a room at a hotel last minute).

A flaky professor will be flaky regardless of whether or not she's written a LOR for you before. A dependable professor will likewise be dependable. I doubt that there's any correlation between whether or not you'll encounter difficulties with a certain prof. and whether or not she has written you a letter before. The vast majority of LORs get written and submitted in the end, but some people occasionally have trouble; some have catastrophic consequences but most eventually get solved. In general it should be easier for a prof. who has already written you a letter to write an updated one, as opposed to writing a new one from scratch. Regardless, a lot of profs will write the letter last-minute, because (1) they know they can get away with being a little bit late (which you, as an applicant, cannot), and (2) they are busy with other things and they write letters in one batch close to when the letters are due.

There's been some discussion of this issue that you may be able to find if you search the forum. The general consensus is that it depends on your situation - if you're applying to just one kind of program (one theory preferred, one favorite methodology, the same view of the field, or whatever else is relevant to your work) then one essay that can be tweaked for each school is probably enough. You need to have different 'fit' paragraph(s) for each school and you may want to gear each essay specifically towards whatever it is that each program appears to be most proud of (as emerges from its website) but otherwise you don't need to change the description of your interests and background. If you're applying to more than one kind of program (different subfields, different ways of doing things - theory-wise, method-wise, etc) then it may be better to start out with different essays for each kind of program. Lastly, some people write different essays for each program. That's the most time-consuming but also probably the best in terms for nailing fit. Then again, a lot of people (most, probably) get accepted to places without writing new SOPs for each program, so I would start with writing one essay and seeing how easy/difficult it is to use it as a basis for the next one, and go from there.

Hang in there. I can sympathize about wanting to go home for a family emergency just after moving (it ended well in my case, thankfully, without me having to go home) and I am sure everyone will agree that the first few days in a new place can be overwhelming and very lonely. I also completely understand about not having internet, it's a terrible feeling knowing that you're far away and can't connect with your friends and family as easily as you'd like, especially when you know that there's something going on that you'd like to be kept in the loop about. This may not be too helpful but just hang in there. This moment will pass. In another week classes will begin and you'll get busy, you'll start making friends, internet will eventually be installed. Hopefully things will become clearer with your family and I hope that it all turns out for the best. In the meanwhile, maybe there are people in your department who you could meet over the weekend? some people work during the weekend and I'm sure they won't be opposed to taking the new guy with them when they go for lunch or dinner. Or find some hotspot (or use the university internet) to talk to friends from home? It's only two more days; I promise you after that your program will keep you so busy you won't even notice you don't have internet at home..

Give it some time. At most schools the semester either just started or is about to begin. It's a busy time of year. Plus, it's a long weekend. If you say it's not like your professor to just disappear, there's no reason to assume that he has. Things can get missed very easily when you're busy. If another week goes by without a reply, follow up with an email or call during office hours.

Look at the prompt for the essay. What are you being asked to do? As far as I know, every grad program will want you to write an essay that explains your research interests and your fit with the school. This is meant to be a professional document that's forward-looking: it should explain what your interests are and a bit about how you acquired them, but it should mostly be about what you're doing now, what you plan to do in the future, and why school X is the place for you to be at. Normally this document is referred to as the SOP, but sometimes programs name it differently - 'statement of intent' or 'personal statement', for example. In addition to that essay, some (not all) schools require an essay that's more about the applicant's personal background and history -- this is the place to talk about your personal development and expand about your past, leading up to your present interests.

I use gmail and have labels for: courses, TAship (my teaching load is minimal so one label is enough for me), lab, conferences/publications, bureaucratic (where all listserv emails, emails from staff, and similar issues go), other positions (I sometimes hold administrative positions in my dept, e.g. student rep or conference organizer, and emails to do with these positions go to specialized labels/folders). Emails from family and friends are automatically labeled accordingly. I don't like to have too many labels--it can be a lot of work when emails can't be labeled automatically and gmail is very searchable anyway.

I've had my baggage lost the last three times I went home (different airlines, different airports, even different suitcase, I think it must be karma). Not while moving, though, I can imagine how stressful that must be. They always found it within two-three days and delivered it to my home, if that helps. I hope it works out for you too. Good luck with the move! take some time to get familiarized with your new surroundings, since you have some downtime. Walk (drive?) up and down the streets, find at least two-three ways to bike to school, learn the bus/train system, pop into all the stores around your new apartment. Learn where there's good takeaway and where you can find a drugstore that's open late. This is information that could be helpful later on in the semester, when you won't have time to do the "research".

I think having just one or two customized paragraphs on top of a general template for the past/current research interests is fine. That's what I did, and I had excellent results. It is important, however, to have those school-specific tweaks. This obviously refers to the 'fit' paragraph(s), which need to change from school to school, but you may also want to emphasize different parts of your interests based on different schools' strengths. You may want to refer to specific resources a school may have and to other aspects of the program that you find appealing. It's difficult to customize the SOP but it'll give you the best chance to get acquainted with all the programs you're applying to. You may find that your opinion of some of the programs changes as you read about them more; but there is no better way to determine fit and to demonstrate that you truly understand why you chose to apply to each program.

Maybe someone who knows your field better will correct me but I think your current situation may make your life difficult but it should not make it impossible for you to apply and be accepted to a PhD program. The question is what kind of research opportunities you have in your current program and whether or not you'll be able to secure strong LORs, as well as have a suitable writing sample, if one is required. Since you've identified your next goal early enough, you should have time to actively seek out research opportunities and to cultivate relationships with potential LOR writers. You could structure your SOP in a way that addresses your past choices, your current interests and your efforts to make the necessary adjustments to apply for a PhD and start a career in academia rather than continue in the professional track. Seems to me that if you are careful about representing yourself like that and if you make the effort to have the necessary experience, you should do fine when you apply.

Might I suggest starting with the conversation with the DGS (=Director of Graduate Studies)? Explain as much of your personal circumstances as you are comfortable doing, and come with ready with a prepared plan to finish those incompletes: you can tell the DGS that you have topics and drafts of papers already ready and that you have timeline for getting the work done. You could also discuss having a prospectus in mind so that it's clear that you've been working hard to make up for everything you've neglected. My guess is that this last part may not even be necessary. If you took time off then that time shouldn't count towards your time-to-completion so you may not be as far behind as you think. After you've cleared the air with the DGS, it'll be easier for you to go to individual professors to whom you owe work. You can be as vague or as clear about your situation as you like, but say you've met with the DGS and came up with a plan to get back up to speed, part of that plan is to make up for the incomplete in X. You're writing a paper on Y, expecting to finish by ZZ, and would that be acceptable? Your advisor, that's another matter. Frankly I am surprised that no one in your program checked up on you for all this time. Your advisor, DGS, or someone else there should know about your progress and be concerned that you disappeared. I think, in your current situation, that it may be helpful for you to find some additional support within your program. Either change advisor or add someone to your committee who is more hands on and will monitor your progress more closely. Obviously you should also meet with your advisor. If you're not changing him, have him read your draft and reestablish a working relationship with him. But really try to get more support, which sounds like will come from elsewhere and not from him. Good luck!

I only wrote the 500-word version of my SOP towards the end of my application cycle, but once it was there I used it for all my remaining apps. Most of my apps didn't have length limits so initially my essays were around 800-850 words long. For the 500 word version I did a *lot* of revising and tightening of the prose, and also chose to only discuss one of the two large projects I had worked on, which I discussed in the other essays. After that I liked the new text so much that I used it as the foundation for my remaining essays, though I did add back the discussion of the project I had to previously cut. Those versions ended up being around 600-650 words long. All my SOP versions were successful so it's hard to tell if it made a difference, but I certainly preferred the newer versions.

It's extremely difficult. But by the time I finished turning my 800-word SOP into a 500-word essay I felt that the trimmed version said everything the longer version did - in a tighter, more precise way. I kind of regretted not going through the editing process sooner in the application season. But yes, the process itself is a serious pain. To address your original question, the general wisdom is that up to 10% over the limit is still ok. However, you should know that some application software have you enter the text directly into their (rather primitive) editors, some have automatic word counters and some (evil) ones will cut any text that is over the limit. But then some let you submit a PDF and I doubt if anybody will take the time to count words, unless the essay is suspiciously long.

What would you explain? I bet the adcom can guess by itself that you didn't submit a paper directly related to your current interests either because you didn't have one or because it wasn't your strongest paper. Just submit your best work and use the space in your SOP to discuss fit and research interests.

Did the editor acknowledge receipt of the paper? If not, you should contact them. If they did, the review process itself could very well take more than two months (it does in my field) so I wouldn't ask questions yet. In another month or so I think it's fine to inquire about the paper. Some journals tell you how long it usually takes to get reviews back in their author-guidelines section, check there before you ask.

You should submit your strongest work. It's nice if it turns out it's also related to your proposed research but it's not as important as presenting the best example of your writing that you can. Paper #2 is not related to your current research but it is still within your field and is something your readers will be able to appreciate, correct? It's better written and it engages more with relevant theories? Well, then, unless you can sufficiently improve on paper #1, my vote is for paper #2.

I don't know what your field is like but my recommendation for someone in my field would be to go with the project you find more interesting. The experience will count much more than the publication. Personally project #2 sounds more appealing to me, it sounds like you'll learn more about a project from its inception as opposed to joining a well-established project. But really as long as you learn and contribute and can discuss your participation insightfully in your SOP, both choices can only boost your application.

Graduate school is something you do because you're passionate about it, or if it's a professional program - in order to advance a career goal. You won't survive a program without that passion and you shouldn't enter a grad program in the social sciences or the humanities without it anyway. In general, you start researching grad programs by identifying researchers whose work excites you and reading up on the schools they teach at. You.can also find general rankings in your field and read about different programs, but it's not advisable to rely on rankings for anything other than identifying programs out there. You can also consult with your professors about suitable programs. But first you should take some time to think about why you want to apply to grad school to begin with.