IvyHope

I totally agree! That was sort of my point; I'm being overly cautious, because I figure, why risk it?

I mean, just to give you something to relate to, I am holding on to a job I hate and that I'm not gaining anything from any longer, just in case my prospective schools call to check...I don't want to have any of them wonder why I suddenly don't work there any longer. I just think it's better to not give any reason to suspect anything, but appear legitimate in all areas.

Also, for what it's worth, I don't see why you can't accept/reject an offer from a grad school from overseas...it would be no different than if you were here. If they want an interview, they can do it over the phone (or wait until you return).

Why would you write something on your CV that you don't actually possess? That's pretty risky, in my opinion. Seems to me that if prospective ad comms were interested in your experience and called XYX internship to find out that you don't work there, that would be pretty serious grounds for dismissing your application. Sort of seems like you backed yourself into a corner to me. I'd definitely take the internship.

I'll tell you what I am NOT: I am not in jr. high anymore. If you got a bad recommendation from a professor, and you have evidence of that, then there was obviously some major concerns that s/he had. A prof is not going to jeopardize his/her reputation because a student wants a good recommendation. As I mentioned previously, if someone is asking for recommendations and getting negative ones (different from neutral ones) then they are, in my humble opinion, seeing what they want to see. :-) You have a good one.

You should have some idea if your writer is going to write you a positive letter of recommendation. The idea that an advisor would write you a bad letter while smiling at you all the way is pretty...I don't know, ridiculous...? If you are asking for a letter, obviously the right thing to do is phrase it as "I wondered if you could write me a positive letter of recommendation?" That way, the letter writer has an out ("no, I don't have time; you should probably look for someone better equipped"). Most legitimate faculty I've spoken with about this will not accept the proposition if they know they don't have something good to say- they will instead defer or not accept, etc. It seems to me that if your letters are negative and you are clueless to this, then, well, you're just pretty clueless. :?

Kind of a strange place for such a question, but I'll bite. Be prepared! Know the material. It's not that hard.

I just think it's wayyyyy too early to even be considering hearing from them. I'd be surprised if they've even started having admissions meetings yet.

Seriously, not a big deal. Writing the wrong name or something like that is much worse. You didn't even really misspell it that badly...

Yes, your statement of purpose is in many cases the most important piece of the application. This is the tool that ad comms use to gauge your seriousness about graduate study, and it's also used to determine how knowledgable you are about XYZ program. You could not be more mistaken to write a generic SOP and send it to all schools; they are looking for evidence that you have written the piece specifically to them. You need to do your homework before sending in a SOP. It should mention prospective advisors/mentors by name. You should also show that you have become familiar with the work that each researcher you mention has been engaged in recently. You should also clearly connect your interests to theirs. One of the schools to which I am applying (Harvard) does not require a writing sample for doctoral students. When I asked about this, I was told "the SOP serves as a writing sample for our program." You'd better believe I made sure it was not only succinct, but thoughtful, eloquent, and reflected my understanding of them as a program. Don't be fooled into thinking that ad comms don't read these, or dismiss them in any way. This is probably true if they can tell that you've sent a mass statement or did not take the assignment seriously. But for the serious applicant, a serious statement is a necessity.

No, Math is right. You can usually not change your application. What might happen is, if you send information to the graduate secretary and are gracious and humble about it, she may add it to your file. But she will inevitably tell you she has no control over whether the added information gets considered, etc.

Thanks Frankdux! I've been wondering about that formula (NOT a math person).

Well of course! I don't mean to suggest that you'll NEED the backup, just that it is a way to distract you while you wait ;-) Or, planning a vacation, doing a fitness challenge, picking up a new hobby...all things that could take your mind off it (to some extent).

A fitness challenge might be a good way to distract me for the next 8-12 weeks...

They do, but it's up to each department as to whether they will take your highest score or average them, etc. It can't hurt you to retake and get a better score. However, beware the test is notoriously stable. I did actually take it twice, and got the EXACT same score both times (with 2.5 years in between). I mean, down to the tens. I will say that I didn't study as much the second time I took it...but my point is, if you're going to retake it, be sure you study your ass off. I'm not interested in being one of those folks who spews their GRE/GPA around the forums. I'm slightly modest. :oops:

Last admission cycle, I expressed interest in the programs early in the fall, before applying. I was invited to visit to both programs in December. A few days before the app deadline, one of the schools actually called me to ask if I was still planning to apply, and if so, would I mind sending it as soon as possible because they were looking to get started on them? That happened right around the first of the year, so from what I can tell, the Grad Cafe forum and results will really start to pick up probably as early as next week. Some people who read this will probably want to jump out of their tree when they read that I actually visited before applying, but as I mentioned in another thread, there is more than one way to skin a cat. This time, I'm applying to programs that are better suited to my interests (education policy) after finishing my MA in Ed Psych. My interests evolved after I began this current program. I more or less did the same thing; expressed interest a few months ago and then visited, and then applied. I'm currently enrolled in my program and also teach at my university, so I have to really juggle my time when I visit these places. Harvard is pretty clear that they don't do interviews, so I don't anticipate hearing from them until the very end. As far as the others, who knows. They may call for an interview if they are on the fence about me, or may not...but don't expect an interview unless they told you specifically that you'd get one. This may not help much, but I found it useful to focus my time/energies on backup plans while I waited to hear... :wink:

You can retake the GRE whenever you like. You are limited to taking it 5 times per year, I believe. If you're considering academia, I'd be careful to not enter a terminal MA program, and make sure to do a MA thesis as part of your program. It will help you when you eventually decide to apply to PhD programs.

Yep. Notifications last time I did this came on consecutive days in February....however, Harvard explicitly states they won't notify until March. Stanford seems to be along those same lines.

Well, then it sounds like you've already answered your own questions. You can apply and see what happens! Best of luck!

You can apply, but you should be prepared that you might not get accepted. Low GRE scores are not all bad on their own, but you're also pretty inexperienced, coming straight from undergrad. It would really help your chances if you retook the GRE and scored considerably higher. As far as your job, you can opt to take a class here or there after you graduate to keep your intern status while you gain some more experience and prepare for the GRE. Low GRE scores like those might not keep you out of all programs, but you listed some pretty prestigious schools that you're applying to. You could also add some safety schools to that list and get your MA that way. What does your advisor say about your chances for admission to these schools?

I agree that your advice was constructive. I simply disagree that any SOP advisor would advise someone with blemishes on their record to pretend it is not there. I also happen to agree that a statement should start with the strengths. However, some people have circumstances in their lives that are unique and lend themselves to an explanation. The statement of purpose should address that. While the SOP should not be a life story, if there are issues with a prospective student's transcripts, most readers are going to be curious about that. I believe it looks more suspicious to ignore the issue. It's acceptable and even responsible to own up to it, if it's done maturely and tastefully within the context of the larger statement. I did not direct that comment to you, Astaroth. Just something that seems to be occurring on these boards. People come here for advice and constructive criticism, and do not need to be told that their chances are dismal by someone with a perfect GRE/GPA, because it's simply not true. Again, not directing that at you. :wink:

For what it's worth, bogfrog, you shouldn't listen to people who tell you that what you have to offer is "quite bad." Some of the people on here are so negative and condescending that they are nearly intolerable. Ad comms are interested in people who a.) can show that they are going to be successful in the program, and b.) are different. They get SO SICK of the every-applicant, I-have-an-800-quant-4.0-GPA-from-an-Ivy school. That might be why some of the people on these boards feel they can be so overtly offensive to others- they are threatened. Anyway, this isn't relevant to you, but might lift your spirits a bit: the dean of the college at my undergrad institution was once a high school dropout. Ad comms realize that not all of us come from privileged backgrounds, and from what my experience has taught me, they like it when someone has a "pull yourself up from your bootstraps" story or something like that. You might consider starting your statement with your goals associated with earning the degree- why do you want the degree, how will it help you, why is X school your first choice, etc. You can also work into the statement the details of your past (many of the prompts ask prospective students to do this), but also check to see if the school's application provides another place for you to do this. Some schools ask students with blemishes on their academic record to provide a separate document with explanation for this. Whatever you do, please take the advice you get from these forums with a grain of salt. There are many resources out there in the form of books and consultants that can help you with the SOP- and contrary to what some of the folks here think, they are not the experts ;-)

You people need to chill. I've been reading your posts, and seriously, CHILL. There is nothing wrong with my posting my opinion on here, and no reason to be attacked like that. I did not do anything idiotic- in fact, maybe I'm smarter for it. I did my research BEFORE applying, knew what programs would fit, and applied. I don't have gazillions of dollars to waste on application fees as you apparently do. You're quite rude to call me idiotic for applying to two and four schools and assuming I did not examine them for fit. While it's too late in this season for this, I think it's generally accepted that you do your research before the application season gets rolling. I did this, and was invited to interviews at each school. There is more than one way to skin a cat. OP- don't get caught up in this too much. Do what is right for you. If you are applying to programs in which there are 20 or so that you could realistically be interested in without compromising your integrity as a researcher, then by all means apply to that many programs. However, if you happen to be like me and do your research ahead of time, find a good fit in a few programs, then do your thing. There's nothing wrong with that. And just to clarify, I am not a top candidate. I just work hard and know exactly where my research interests lie. And, I visited the schools I was most interested in before I applied, as I mentioned. Some people on here need to lay off!

UK is correct, I believe. The first time around for me, I applied to two schools, was accepted to both. This time, I've applied to 4. We'll see what happens this round. The fewer the applications, the more time you have to spend on each one. Depth is often better than breadth, imo.

Probably not the most helpful advice, but nonetheless... You might not get accepted if you apply, however, you are SURE to not get accepted if you do not apply!