history_PhD

One of my professors said that professors often refuse to write letters if the applicant doesn't waive the right to review. I think I would continue to waive.

I have a bad habit of daydreaming about acceptances and rejections during my particularly boring (non-history) courses. I wonder if the instructors can tell?

We are very similar. I need time to tweak the other personal statements.

Another verbal/writing discrepancy person here-- scored a 730 V but a miserable 4.0 on the AW. 99th and 43rd percentiles, respectively. Oh well, the verbal means more than the writing, from what I have read, so cheer up! The test is over!

I was curious if anyone was completely finished with applications? I've finished 4, which are due tomorrow. In addition I have started 2 and have 1 left after that. One school is due in 2 weeks and the others are in January (sigh of relief-- brief application respite!!!) I had no idea how exhausting this process would be; for those of you applying to 10+ schools, how DO you do it?

Applying to 7 schools: 1 dream, 3 strong in my field, 2 strong in general, and 1 that is more up-and-coming but still strong in my field.

Another one who had issues with online apps today. Everything has been submitted though! Just waiting for one more recommendation to come through; I will have to remind the professor (nicely!) tomorrow.

One department has the following wording regarding personal statement length:" Though fairly short (one or two pages). . ." Is this a standard length? The other schools' statements seem to be 2-3 pages long. Would it be improper if the statement were longer, 2.5 pages or so? Have other applicants exceeded the length noted on the schools' websites?

If you haven't already taken the exam, I have a bit of advice regarding choosing schools. Send the free scores to the schools with the earliest deadlines. It is going to take about 2 weeks for those schools to get the scores, but it will take much longer for the other schools. You have to wait about 2 weeks to be able to order additional scores, so if you are getting close to some deadlines, this is something to be aware of.

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in swapping and critiquing these fun little writing assignments? I've had a few professors read mine, but now I think I need someone who does not know me. PM me to let me know if you are interested. Happy Thanksgiving!

For verbal, either make note cards or buy them. The ones by Barron and Kaplan are both very good. Go through all of them and find the words you don't know. Drill every day. This is what I tried to do. Good luck!

I was just wondering how everyone else manages the application process? I've started filling them out finally. I have about four that are partially complete and three that I have not started yet. So, forumites, do you prefer to complete one online application at a time or do pieces of several? Also, how are you keeping the logins and passwords straight? Finally, are there any application questions that completely stump you? I have found a few that I am not sure how to answer, so it will be off to contact the appropriate authorities tomorrow. I'm glad I have taken the next few days off from work, let's just say! It's really hard to manage the applications, work, research and writing for my term paper, and other school activities! So, I guess I have a final question-- are you still in school and attempting to complete this application process at the same time?

Thanks! I'm kind of proud.

Both times I have taken it, the unscored sections have been marked.

I say go with flash cards; either make your own or buy the. I bought both the Barron ones and the Kaplan ones from Amazon. Those helped me a lot; I increased my verbal score over 100 points. Also, as long as the questions change based on your past correct or incorrect answers, it is really important to get the first few questions correct. I think that the CAT is going away though?

Well, I posted about a month ago regarding taking the GRE again. My first scores were 590 V 710 Q 5.0 AW; I took the test yesterday and got a 730 V 610 Q. I'm looking into history doctoral programs for next fall. Does anyone know if schools combine the highest scores or if they only look at the lowest ones? I'm so psyched about how much better I did on the verbal section, and I pretty much want to hear that my increase in verbal matters. I wish I had more time to post and to follow others' progress; applying to grad schools is such a daunting process!

Yes the math score was a real shock; it seems like the two scores really should have been reversed. I feel like I really should be able to do better. I think that I missed one of the first few questions, which screwed up my total score. Curse the CAT! Good luck Man Who Is Thursday! You can do it!

I took the GRE for the first time this week. My scores were 590 V and 710 Q; writing score is currently unknown. As my name indicates, I want to apply to history doctoral programs for next fall. I feel like I probably need to take the test again if I really want to be considered, but I wanted to get others' opinions on the matter. Are my scores okay, or should I try to raise the verbal some more? My GPA is good-- 3.9, and my writing sample uses a lot of primary sources. I'm working on my personal statement now too. Thanks in advance! P.S. I really appreciated the board's help in finding the Powerprep I software.

Thanks for the link! And, thanks for the assistance from everyone else. I'll be happy when this stage of the application is over!

Hi all, First time poster here. I'm looking into applying for doctoral programs in history (hence, the sobriquet). I've registered for the GRE and am taking it next week. The Powerprep software I downloaded from the ETS website has questions from the new GRE though: there are no analogies, the sentence completion sections are different, etc. I was wondering if anyone knows of a website that has the old software. It seems silly to do practice tests that are unlike the actual test I'll be taking. Or, am I wrong and has the test already changed; I think that is supposed to happen next year though. Also, are there other websites that have practice tests besides Princeton Review? Thanks!