Bukharan

enforced law

frozen pipes

If I get in and start in Fall 2011, I will be 23.

Wow. I only wish. Coming from the British system, we don't take that many courses here (max 3 a semester) so I ended up with putting down all the courses I've ever taken at university level and still having the second page of the application almost completely blank. Oh dear.

This is a painting by Alessio Issupoff, a Russian-born artist who made a career in Italy. The name of the painting is Samarkand (1921). Monsieur Issupoff lived and travelled in Central Asia before he came back to Moscow that has gone Bolshevik by then. He eventually made it to Rome where he settled. This is one of my favourite paintings.

I wonder whether there is anyone else who is intensely private about applications?

This is first-class procrastination!

I am an international student as well. Your AW is fine. Don't worry about it. Lower than 4.0 would probably not be good but 4.0 and higher is fine: the consensus seems to be that no one cares about AW when reading an application. Your verbal is good ok (especially for an international student). To feel more comfortable, you could study GRE vocabulary hard and then take the test again aiming for 600+ but I don't think it is a must. As for UCs, it is not about getting in but rather getting full funding (and as a result some departments will not admit you if then can't guarantee full funding). Nonetheless, I would not say there was "no chance" of getting into UCs for international students. Foreigners are still accepted... probably in lesser numbers than before but still are. Would be great if someone posted statistics for UC international enrolment in the last few years.

Not all UK schools have no application fees. The most prestigious ones do: Oxford, Cambridge, LSE. GBP 50 is essentially the same what most US schools charge.

Bukharan - referring to a member of the mediaeval Persianate society of Bukhara. I am fascinated by Central Asian history. My nick has nothing to do with the Soviet revolutionary Bukharin ... whose surname of course means 'Bukharan' in Russian.

Release us

bad puppy

sign language

master key

I am "hair-blind". lol My friends discovered this recently. My memory can hold tons of useless wikipedia-inspired information, the entire pages with numbers, and 5+ languages but my brain does not record anything whatsoever related to people's hair. Say, if I talk to a person and then a second later close my eyes, I can visualise his/her face, think of his/her character, know his/her voice but I will have no clue what colour his/her hair is, how long it is, what his/her hairstyle is like etc. I know what kind of hair my family members have only because I learnt it by heart.

dirty trick

big fish

If I were you, I would stay in Florida. The difference in the reputation of the two schools is not significant enough for you to pay extra 35k (and all the relocation stress, finding a new job, adjusting...). FSU is a good school and you seem comfortable there!

@Zouzax, this is hugely inspirational! Thank you so much for sharing your story!

I will go crazy by March.

natural resort

bed quilt

chicken fillet

I believe you are quire right that Harvard and Stanford do not have the application status checkers. Unless I do not know how to access it either, that is. All the best to you with your applications!

Average accepted GPA to Harvard - 3.74. Average rejected GPA in Harvard - 3.78. Oh dear oh dear...