[Keep A Word Drop A Word]

Under pressure

[Application Blunders]

Oh god, I have a feeling I'll do something similar! ._.

This is my second round in the application process. During my first round, I accidentally left an "insert school here" in my statement of purpose. While I adjusted the statement to the school, I discovered that I missed that one. So remember, if you use that similar method, CHECK YOURSELF!

Does anyone else have any similar stories? Hopefully they'll help remind everyone else to check their work.

[Can Critical Writing Sample be from only 1 source?]

My understanding is that the length requirement is in part a way to see if you can construct a deep, thoughtful argument. Writing a 5-page paper is less demanding and requires different skills than a 20-page one.

I hope this isn't obvious. As I'm scanning Grad applications with a critical writing requirement, just wondering if it's okay to submit multiple examples. For example, if a school requires a 15-20 pages sample, can I submit a 5-page sample of one subject with a 10-page sample from another? This seems like it would be beneficial for me considering I want to study creative nonfiction as well as cultural studies.

Thanks.

[Princeton and Columbia]

I second NYU. I'm applying there (MEIS - Literature track, because I want to do comp lit with an emphasis on modern Egyptian literature). They also emphasize the modern era in the ME, like Columbia. I know Khaled Fahmy is currently here in Egypt, though.

Berkeley has Charles Hirschkind! You should definitely look that way.

This is a longshot, but.......is anyone out there familiar with the interdisciplinary doctoral program at these two schools? I am talking about Columbia's Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department and the Near Eastern Studies program at Princeton. I am primarily interested in modern Middle Eastern History and Politics. There are profs at both programs who would be good for this. I especially liked Columbia's program with its overall emphasis on the modern Middle East. The prof I studied with for undergrad went through Princeton.

[CV/Resume question]

Thanks for the advice, both of you!

I only attended the first conference and volunteered at the second (and in consequence, attended). I asked my father, though (he's a math lecturer, so an academic), and he said if I just list the conferences' names and dates, it means I just attended. If I'd presented something, I'd add the presentation title. However, if someone else has more insight, I'd appreciate it; I'd hate for my CV to come off as ambiguous.

And as I was going through my papers yesterday, I remembered I got another research award the year before! o.O I love my memory. Anyway, an 'Awards and Honors' header would not be a good idea, since I got other awards for my fiction, and I'm listing those separately (I'm pretty sure the ad-com doesn't care about those).

Ah well, I think I'll just go with the second option. Thanks!

^ I'll second that - I like the second option better.

Some of these conferences you volunteered at? Did you present at the others, or just attend? (And LOL at not being able to remember one of them - I love coming home and thinking, OK, what just happened?! Conferences can be such a blur!) Anyway - you might want to clearly differentiate. A C.V. with a header "Conferences" would seem to imply (maybe just to me - hopefully others will chime if there are dissident opinions) that you presented at each listing.

I might suggest splitting up your C.V. a little more than it is now: for instance, the award currently under research would go under an "Awards and Honors" header. Along the same lines, you could make a header ("Related Experience" possibly?) and list your volunteering commitments at those conferences. Of course, if this makes your C.V. have headers with only one listing underneath, I wouldn't recommend this approach! Isolating the award highlights the actual research you have listed (which, although vague by necessity, sounds really interesting!) and highlights that it was good enough to be recognized.

There's a C.V. page on the Purdue OWL site I stumbled across (and subsequently lost) awhile back, which is where I'm drawing this from, FYI.

Good luck!

[CV/Resume question]

Hey everyone,I'm polishing up my academic CV and I'm stuck on this. I've attended two academic conferences (and I could have sworn a third, one-day conference, but I cannot for the life of me remember when, and googling the theme and location gives me nothing...), and last spring entered a research competition and won 1st prize. I've put those items together under 'Academic Achievements and Activities'. On the other hand, I've put my research experience separately under 'Research Experience' (duh). Should I instead list the conferences under 'Conferences' and put the research prize under 'Research Experience'?

Basically does this look better:

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

November 2010: Volunteered to help run Conference 2.

April 2010: Received 1^st prize in an inter-universities research competition, for my paper Paper, organised by My Department at My University.

March 2009: Attended Conference 1

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

August to October 2010:

Conducted field research blah blah

February 2010:

Edited a survey blah blah

June to July 2009:

Assisted with basic research blah blah

OR:

CONFERENCES

Conference 2 (volunteer), dates and details

Conference 1, dates and details

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

August to October 2010:

Conducted field research blah blah

April 2010:

Received 1^st prize in an inter-universities research competition, for my paper Paper, organised by My Department at My University.

February 2010:

Edited a survey blah blah

June to July 2009:

Assisted with basic research blah blah

I think the second option looks more professional, but arrogant... And I'm honestly not sure a 4-page research paper counts as 'Research Experience'. Please advise! Thanks!

[Letters of Rec choices]

Can the second choice speak to your capacity for research? If yes, then definitely ask him.

Hey all,

So very briefly:

I have two letters of rec from art history profs that should be pretty good, but I'm stuck on who I should ask for the third. My options are a) my art history senior seminar professor who has only known me and my work for 2 and a half months but seems to really like me (and has nominated me for a few things) or b ) the Executive Associate Director (second in command) of the art school, who has known me since freshman year and personally gave me a scholarship. He knows me pretty well but doesn't know my art history work much, and I think only knows my artwork. However, I think his rec would be glowing, and I think his title might be eye-catching? And since I plan to present him with my CV and my interests, etc., he should have enough to talk about. I'll also be working on an exhibition with him in the Spring, so he could talk about that as well.

Thoughts...?

Thanks.

[Somebody talk some sense into me]

4) The fact that you go to an Ivy won't impress the admissions committee - they'll be more impressed with your research interests, your research experience and the quality of your SOP and LORs.

I agree, but I think going to an Ivy may mitigate the lowish GPA problem. Your 3.5 would presumably be worth at least 3.7 at a tier 2 school.

As for the specialisation question, I'd say most undergrads have more breadth than depth, and that's probably not a bad thing. Well, unless the program you're applying to is very specialised in one subfield. According to my dad (he's a university lecturer who did his grad school in mathematics in France), a PhD focus that is too narrow is a bad idea, and the current trend is to widen your horizons a bit before specialising.

[Best way to study for GRE (books, method, etc)?]

Hi! I'm also taking the GRE in November, and I've only started studying a few days ago. I got Bob Miller's Math for the GRE (I was good at math in high school, but it's been 4 years), which isn't that good, but it does cover the basics and has lots of small exercises that help you flex your math muscles (IMO, that's the most important studying strategy, as the math involved isn't that complicated).

I'm also using the Princeton Review Cracking the GRE DVD, 2009 edition for the whole test, but I haven't tried it yet. Otherwise, I downloaded the free practice booklets I could find online, and Powerprep, and another CAT practice test off 800score.com (it was only the math section and I used it as a pre-studying diagnostic test).

I don't really have an organised strategy. I'm just planning to finish the math book by next weekend (I did about half of it last Friday, in roughly 4 hours), and then start on the DVD, and use Powerprep a week or so before the actual test.

[International student worrying about the application process]

Well, if your GPA is the equivalent of an A, then you can't do much better than that!

I'd say that instead of worrying over whether your GPA will be a problem or not, focus on something you can actually control, like your writing sample. I would guess that in cases of international students with widely varying grading scales, admissions committees have as much trouble figuring out how to "convert" GPAs as you do. In that case, the writing sample and statement of purpose - already far and away the most important part of your application - will become all the more critical. That's really how they will know what you are capable of and what sort of promise you show, not a number - especially a number that doesn't translate well. So spend the most amount of time with your sample, and your SoP. And yes, devote some time to GRE vocabulary - the GRE is NOT a very important part of the application, but if you're unsure about your GPA, it would be nice to have a strong verbal as a good (standardized) number.

Also, I'm in awe of your language skills. So cool. Good luck!

Aw, thanks! I was mostly really lucky to have grown up as a bilingual kid.

Thanks for the helpful advice. I'm quite confident I can produce a great, persuasive statement of purpose, since those professors have already assured me I'm a good fit for each program. The writing sample is what I'm worried about, but with some discipline, I think I can pull it off.

I guess I was just worried I'd be already out of the running... Reading this forum, I am a little intimidated by how well-prepared everyone else seems to be, and I tell myself, if they're worried, I don't stand a chance.

[International student worrying about the application process]

As for your last question, it depends. Are you at least somewhat confident about your GRE test taking abilities? Knowing your own writing process, do you think you can produce a quality sample in three months? It will most likely have to be better than anything you've ever written before. If I were you, I'd really give it my all this go around while keeping diligent notes on the process in case things don't pan out and I have to go through it all again next year. From what you've outlined, I think your application shows promise (and I find your research interests fascinating).

Thanks a lot for your response. That was encouraging, but at the same time sounded realistic, if you know what I mean. As I said, I haven't started preparing for the GRE yet, but the last time I took a standardized test of that kind, it was the SAT... I got an average grade on the math section (690) but managed an 800 on the verbal, and my understanding is that the GRE is somewhat similar, so I'm not too worried (still going to get me a prep book and study as hard as I can, though!). The part I'm worried about is the analytical writing section, if only because I got 5/12 on the essay in the SAT. :/

I am surprisingly good at producing good work on a deadline... The research paper I got a prize for was written in four hours... starting at exactly four hours before the competition deadline. So I do tend to leave things off until the last minute, but with good results. However, I'm definitely starting work on that paper right now, since I want to have the time to polish it, show it to a professor of mine or two, polish it again and be completely confident about it. I just have to be really hard on myself so I won't slack off or procrastinate, as I have a tendency to.

[International student worrying about the application process]

I don't really know much, but I did want to say that if you're talking about a 16.53/20 as in the French grading scale (where Gods get 20, Professors get 19, and Grad Students get 18, as the joke goes), than a 16.53 would be much higher. I'm good friends with some Parisians and Sciences Po grad students, and they speak as though a 17 gets a commendation from the school. If that's true, and that's your grading system, than you'd be up at like a 3.7, which is very solid indeed.

Well, no... I'm at Cairo University, studying French Lit, which basically means the grading system may be close to the French scale, but it's definitely not it. I do have experience with French education: I did a French Baccalaureate (high school diploma) and graduated with a 14.75/20 in the Scientific section, which is considered a very good grade, and I can testify that your friends' description of the grading system is pretty accurate... But sadly, this is not that kind of 16.5.

ETA:

According to the WES, my GPA is the equivalent of an A in the US! Would that be good enough?

[International student worrying about the application process]

Hi, I'm new here... I've read the first few pages of posts in this forum section, and decided to start a new topic. I'll start by giving you a bit of background about myself.

I'm an Egyptian student of French Language and Literature. I'm hoping to pursue a PhD in Comp Lit in the US. Mostly, I'm interested in the way literature and art can reflect, influence and eventually cause societal change, and I'd like to study this in a foreign literature and society (60s' France, or 80s' Argentina, possibly), and apply it to contemporary Egypt.

I have asked around and was told my research interests would be a good fit for Comp Lit programs who have an emphasis on Arabic and interdisciplinary research, and also for Near/Middle Eastern Studies program that have a literature track with a strong comparative or interdisciplinary component. Unfortunately, most such programs, especially the ones who offer full funding (which I need) are in the top schools. Thus, my application list for Fall 2011: Cornell (Comp Lit), Columbia (MESAAS), NYU (ME Studies) and Yale (Comp Lit). I contacted professors at each school, and all have expressed polite interest in my research interests and have been encouraging. However, I still haven't told them much detail about me as an applicant (I'm kind of... mildly embarassed? I don't want to seem whiny or bother them with my stupid, insecure questions.)

So, anyway, I have some strengths and a lot of weaknesses. Strengths first ... I am fluent in Arabic (Egyptian dialect and a good reading/writing knowledge of classical Arabic), French (spent my early childhood in France) and English; I can speak Spanish moderately well; I've studied Latin in middle and high school and was pretty comfortable with it. I have also studied Armenian for a semester and hope to continue during the two semesters I have left in college. And I know basic Sango (lived in Central Africa for a year) and slight Czech (picked it up from a boyfriend). The last two don't count, I know, but I think I'm pretty strong on languages, and will have absolutely no problem fulfilling any language requirements.

The profs I've corresponded with have seemed genuinely interested in my research interests; some of them, like Deborah Starr at Cornell, already work on the Egyptian cultural scene and society. Dr. Alryyes at Yale was very encouraging, praised my English and emphasized the importance of the statement of purpose. Hala Halim, at NYU, encouraged me to apply to ME Studies, rather than Comp Lit. They have, in general, made me feel like I do stand a chance, despite my weaknesses. Weaknesses which I shall now detail:

I have some research experience, though not that impressive. I've assisted with field research on an EU report on cultural policies in the Middle East last year, and now I'm doing more field research for an Egyptian cultural fund project. I won 1st prize in an inter-universities research competition last semester, but the paper was only about 3 pages long (the competition's limit). I've never written anything 15 pages long, and so I don't have anything to submit for a writing sample. I have a vague idea what I'd like it to be about, but I don't really know how I'm going to do it.

GPA-wise, mine is about 16.53/20. Scaled to an x/4 scale, it'd be about 3.3. Not stellar. It's mostly dragged down by my Arabic grades (I consistently gt 10 or 12 every year), because my grammar is abysmal.

I still haven't taken the GRE (scheduled for November) or the TOEFL (October); I don't have a writing sample or a statement of purpose yet. I'm going to start studying for the GRE next week, and the TOEFL, and work on the SoP and writing sample, and I'M PANICKING.

I guess my question is, do I even stand a chance? Is it too late to start on the sample now? Should I apply anyway, but expect to have to reapply next year?