fuzzylogician

Admissions decision are made differently in different departments so we can't really help you here. Some departments will have the same person head the admissions effort every year, with members of the committee either more or less permanent or rotating. Some will re-elect a new committee every year. Some departments send the applications out to faculty identified in the fit paragraph even if they are not on the committee to give their opinion. I know several departments that have all the faculty vote on who to accept, after the committee has read the files and ranked the candidates, and I know departments where everyone is involved in the process (usually small ones). It's good news that there is someone who knows you and is on your side, but we can't really know how much power he will have to help you.

I wouldn't bother with a DWIC letter. I'd only submit an extra letter if it was strong. There shouldn't be awkwardness with the professor; they have enough other things to do that they shouldn't be offended by not having to do this, and I'm sure they can recognize that their letter is not the strongest so it makes sense that you might not always need it. (I'm also not entirely sure how they'd know you didn't ask them. You just give them the list of all the schools they do submit to, you are under no obligation to mention the ones you're not asking them to submit to.)

It shouldn't be a problem if you turn down the offer in a polite and professional way. The following year, you'll be able to explain that you had a special opportunity to do XYZ job, which helped you develop ABC skills, and now you want to build on those skills in a graduate program. Another thing to keep in mind is that, if you're offered admissions, you could look into accepting the offer and deferring for a year. Some schools will let you do that.

I've never heard of the term "fast track" program so I'll leave those questions to someone who knows more, but I will say this: I think that taking some time off between undergrad and grad school can be very beneficial for students. You really have no perspective if all you've ever done is go to school. You learn a lot about the "real" world, for lack of a better term, if you have to get a job outside of school, deal with paying rent and just living a professional adult life. It's also good to do something other than study, it helps you grow and can teach you things about yourself that you can't even guess now. So I'm always a fan of waiting and doing something other than school for a bit. One year is not going to matter in the grand scheme of things. Keeping in touch with recommenders is not a problem at all. We're only talking about one year, after all. Before you graduate, schedule a meeting with them and tell them that you're graduating now and planning to apply to graduate school next year. Ask them right then if they will agree to write LORs on your behalf. Then some time in October (assuming December/January deadlines) you can reach out to update them on the list of schools you're applying to and give them updated materials for your application. Assuming that the school year run through, say, May, that will be less than 6 months and therefore not a long time out of contact with them. If they ask why you didn't apply during your senior year, say you wanted to take some time off to really concentrate on your application, and at the same time get some "real life" experience. I'm sure they will understand.

Can you find a link saying that your MA advisor must write you a letter? If you know for a fact that this is the case, then of course you need his support and you just need to go back to him and tell him that. Maybe he just doesn't know the rules. It sounds like he's trying to be supportive and thinks that a more recent letter might be a better choice. If you can't find any such requirement, then I would tend to agree with your advisor that a letter from someone who you've recently worked with and is in your area is better than a letter from someone who you haven't worked with for 12 years. Here is what I found; it doesn't mention anything about absolutely needing your MA advisor. Furthermore, I don't think it should raise a red flag that you don't have this letter, since again we're talking about a degree from over a decade ago compared to a more updated letter, and since you do have a letter from yoru current advisor. http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/apply-demande/tips-astuces/doctoral_awards-bourses_de_doctorat-eng.aspx#a8

Depends on the application software itself. Both options are possible. Usually the application will specify this somewhere; I would look on the page where you add your recommenders' contact info. There will usually be an option to "send prompt now" or similar, or else a note saying that prompts will be sent once the application is submitted. If there is no note, I would assume that prompts are only sent after you submit on your end but I can't guarantee that that is the case.

I hope tomorrow is one of the good days

It's not really up to you, but it also doesn't really matter much. Dear admissions committee or dear program director would work.

Been there, done that. I'm afraid I don't have good news. If you're still waiting on comments from two co-authors several days out, unfortunately I don't think it will be feasible to finish and submit on time. I don't know the exact situation but if the situation is really this dire, one would hope that your advisor will be able to step in and help expedite the process. Is that the case? that's the only way I could see this happening -- can you decide together that you won't wait any longer? Then with some serious last-minute push, it might work out. This probably should have been done long ago (i.e. you send out an email that says "we have a hard deadline at TIME, I will wait for your comments until TIME - 1 MONTH, and then go ahead and make the changes and submit at that point"). That said, it may be worth adding that although I understand that you would rather have a submitted paper than a manuscript in preparation, the difference may not be as large as you think. This is especially true if your advisor writes a LOR for you and explains all you've done and where the project stands, and if your advisor isn't getting behind this last-minute push. I assume your advisor is indeed a LOR writer for you, and that he'll discuss this paper. If so, then it shouldn't make that big of a difference that the paper has been submitted. Submitting the paper means nothing for how it will look post-review and doesn't guarantee a publication. That said, I understand the frustration. Depending on people who disregard your deadlines can be extremely difficult.

^ Call if you're worried. I think you should be fine, I'm sure admissions have dealt with this before.

Same here, for all North American jobs. In Europe they usually just wanted names and contact info as a first step.

Start out by writing the organizers to ask if there is any chance they are offering crash space. In my field students often host other students to help with accommodation costs. You could also try airbnb, alone or sharing with other conference attendees, or sharing a hotel room. Those are all very common ways of saving costs. One of the most important aspect of conferences is the ability to socialize and network. For example, it's a good way to meet students at various institutions that you might be able to reach out to if you're in town for a conference and need a couch to sleep on. You might also meet researchers and be able to exchange ideas. It'd be a real shame to only be there for your talk but not be around to see other talks and have the opportunity to talk to others (and have them talk to you about your talk!).

Done!

Only 1 of the 8 schools I applied to had that option, and only for transcripts, not for the GRE. Good to hear things are progressing in a positive direction.

You may want to post this again in a few months. For most fields I know, it's too early to have any invitations for campus visits, and as a result people won't be able to sign up for your study any time soon.

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/subjects/cards/birth_certificate.shtml

There are usually more good applicants than free spots. If you were near the top of the pool in year 1 but didn't make it, improving your application and applying again might just put you over the top. Having applied before should not hurt your chances, you might even be remembered as someone strong that unfortunately just didn't make it. If you were mediocre before, chances are no one will remember, or if you've significantly improved then someone might notice the improvement, but this can only be a positive thing. The only real way that having applied before will be held against you is if your first application was somehow inappropriate in some way that was sufficiently memorable (I assume that isn't the case), or if there is some inconsistency that raises a red flag (I'm going to go ahead and assume that you're not planning on distorting the truth in any way). Unless you do something outrageous, having applied before won't be held against you.

You are a citizen regardless of whether your passport is valid. You got some good advice on how to renew your passport above. I would suggest in the future always making sure you have a valid passport. It just makes life easier. A quick way to prove your citizenship is using your birth certificate. I assume you either have one or can procure one. I think you may even need to do this before you can apply for a passport. See here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/passport/apply/citizenship-proof.asp.

1. 6+ weeks is still enough notice. Less than 4 and I would begin to worry. You should really try and take care of it soon. 2. A phone call might be a good next step. An alternative is to enlist the help of the departmental secretary, both as someone who should know if the professors are around and should be receiving their email as usual, and as someone who might be willing to help by checking in with the profs in person, if you ask nicely.

It likely will give you some edge, especially at the school this person works at, but also at any other school that would value this person's opinion over someone more obscure. This is assuming that it's a strong letter, not a "did well in class" letter. No one here will be able to tell you "how much leverage" it will give you, though. That's not really something anyone can quantify.

I did something similar to SocPhDStudent: Paragraph 1: My research interests, and the broader question that the specific interests are a derivative of. Paragraph 2: Past research experience #1. Paragraph 3: Past research experience #2 and related teaching experience. Paragraph 4: How these past research experiences are connected, and how they inform my current research interests and plans for what I will study in grad school. Paragraph 5: Why University X is a good fit for my interests, focusing mainly on faculty and resources within the department. Paragraph 6: If necessary, an additional paragraph for resources outside the department, such as researchers at other departments, special diplomas, access to lab resources, etc. If there wasn't much, this would get folded into P5. Conclusion: Plans beyond the PhD, short statement about how Uni X will get me there.

Relax, there is still plenty of time. If you already know what schools you are applying to, start by contacting your recommenders and giving them all the relevant information (list of schools, deadlines, any other information they ask for -- usually it helps to give them a version of your SOP, a CV if you have it, and any writing samples you'll submit). They might also appreciate getting a short summary from you about why you chose each school, in particular the POIs you'd like to work with, and any other important aspects of your fit with each program. If you don't have all of this information, you should still contact them with at least the list of schools and deadlines, and say you'll send along materials to help them write you a stronger letter at a later date. Then open your online account for all the schools. Create a spreadsheet to keep such information as your username and password for each school, the submission deadline, all required materials, word/page limits, and any other relevant information. It can get confusing very fast. Click through the applications to get a sense of what they ask of you. Some will have lots of short essay questions that can be time consuming to write. Some will only allow you to send letter prompts to recommenders after you submit the entire application. Some will suddenly ask for some unexpected document, or have a page/word limit for the SOP that wasn't advertised on the department website. You don't want to be caught off guard at the last minute, so make sure you know all these things. If you can, and after you've asked your recommenders for letters, fill in their contact info and issue them the prompts to write your letters. Let them know they should expect the prompts, so you have time to deal with it if any email gets lost. Then just start going through the applications one by one, starting with the ones with the earliest deadlines. There are lots of things you can begin to fill out before you have final versions of your SOP or your GRE scores. Good luck!

It depends on the application system, but usually what happens is that you fill out a portion of the online application that asks for the names and email addresses of your LOR writers. Then the system generates an email inviting them to submit a letter on your behalf. The email is generated either as soon as you update the information or only after you submit it, depending on the application. The email itself will usually contain a link to the website, and there your LOR writers will be asked some generic questions about you (like 'how does this student rank among others you have had in the past?') and they will be able to attach their letter as a pdf or copy-paste it into a text box.

Well, then, why don't you have the money, if that is the case? I think I should add to my signature this pearl of wisdom: being honest does not mean being candid. Just say that your financial situation makes it impossible for you to afford to pay for official transcripts at this time, but you hope that this will not preclude you from applying to X University. You will be happy to provide an official copy if and when you are accepted to the university. (I wish all schools just did this in general, along with GRE scores. It's such a waste of money to have all these official copies of everything sent to multiple schools. Sure, they'd want to see an official copy before officially accepting anyone, but I'm only going to attend one school, so why should I have to pay 8-10 times? </rant>)

You could try and submit both papers at (roughly) the same time. It might work, especially if the part you're citing the other paper for isn't crucial for your argument. Or, your reviewers might question the validity of relying on an argument that hasn't been vetted yet, and in that case you'll have two options -- either you take the time to spell out the argument in the paper and try and get that past review, or you put the paper to the side until the other one is accepted and then you try again. There is so much luck involved in the reviewing process, no one can predict what might happen. What I can predict for sure is that you'll get asked questions you never saw coming Good luck!