modernity

I don't think its that incredible- and I'm not saying it because I want praise- I just want people to know it is entirely possible. Also I know while I was doing that lots of you were working hard on internships, or associations, or working as RA's and other things that probably added up to those sort of hours as well. Like someone else said everyone holds jobs they're just not always considered "work"... I didn't get a lot of sleep, and one of the positions was a managerial position so I could make time for really important errands if I needed to. I would explain further but I prefer some anonymity.

If you're referring to my 60 hours I'll tell you how it went. I did it through my freshman-junior year, once senior year came I couldn't pull that off anymore because I had to take upper level courses when they were offered, and I cut back to one job. I went to school from 730am-1130am, I started my first job at noon and worked til 5, then I went to my second job and worked there from 6-11pm. On the weekends I worked from 10am to 6pm at one job or sometimes I worked 10am to 4pm and then 5 to 9pm at the second one after. I stayed up nights doing my homework/seeing my friends. I rarely had a free day, I usually went for 15 days or so before I had a day off. I didn't have any help from my parents, and I wanted to live a semi comfortable lifestyle (not eating ramen and being able to travel occasionally when I did take time off) so I was willing to do it. Its not for everyone, and yes sometimes my grades suffered. I didn't get to do internships or other things, that now I wish I could have taken advantage of. Looking back I don't even believe I could have done it, so I don't take offense to people who have trouble believing it. Oh and, I didn't go to an ivy league but I did graduate from a tier 1 school if you're curious.

I know, I wasn't very helpful with that. Sorry! As I said hopefully those people return to help you. I know they're on here somewhere. Personally I agree with the- if its well known, or if you're stating in your sentence something similar to "when Dr. X, in "Thoughts About SOP Citations", stated the opinion that...." I think that's covering your bases well enough. I think putting citations in an SOP would be a little too distracting- although after doing it for so many years we're all inclined.

I know, I wasn't very helpful with that. Sorry! As I said hopefully those people return to help you. I know they're on here somewhere. Personally I agree with the- if its well known, or if you're stating in your sentence something similar to "when Dr. X, in "Thoughts About SOP Citations", stated the opinion that...." I think that's covering your bases well enough. I think putting citations in an SOP would be a little too distracting- although after doing it for so many years we're all inclined.

I've said this in several posts before but... I was in your situation last year, and I just retook it not too long ago and got it up over the 1200 mark which is what I was shooting for - 1400 would have been nice, but I already knew that wasn't happening for me. I used the princeton review book. I made flashcards out of all the "hit parade" words, and I went over and over them - splitting them into piles of know/kinda know/don't know at all... and focused on them accordingly. I hadn't had math since my freshman year of college (and I was never very strong in it anyway) so I wrote down all of the rules on flashcards and memorized them all over again. Princeton review also includes math problems that tend to appear repeatedly or the traps that the GRE likes to use on the math section- VERY helpful if you're not math inclined. Then I just kept taking tests/doing sample questions. I also did one session- where I made it like the real test: keeping it silent and timing myself. I did this over about 4-5 days. It helped immensely, and I know the GRE is very much a game of chance but A LOT of what was in princeton review showed up in the GRE for me (I sound like a commercial- ugh - I am sure most of these books are just as helpful!)

Ah. There was already a post about this, and I tried to search and find it for you but I couldn't. Hopefully whoever settled it will return. I believe (trying to remember) some people said they did the citations just to cover their bases, and others did not because they felt the work was prominent enough/from the school they were applying to that it was not required.

If you have them readily available, I would. I feel like its a way of saying that you already know they're doing a lot for you by taking time out of their busy schedule to write, and you're offering one less thing for them to worry about. One of my writers used them, the other did not and returned them to me. Its up to you though!

I sent all my information to my recs (descriptions of the schools, waiver letters, etc.) in the large brown/yellow envelopes, just because it was more professional. I included commercial sized pre-addressed/stamped envelopes to the schools in case they wanted them. This was more of a courtesy though, as people have already mentioned most professors will use their own letterhead/envelopes/university mail system.

Well I should add the caveat, that if its something you really need to explain and you're trying to go about it in a tender way (like what LateAntique was saying)then it *can be* okay because sometimes its the only route to explaining something in your past. However, I think this is rare. And as always... YMMV (I think this really just needs to be put in my signature haha).

I say skip it. They are very hard to write well, even by the most talented of authors. And..even then, often still come across as trite and cliche. I think there are many more things you can write about, in a show/not tell manner, that can make you memorable. On top of the fact, I just have to feel sorry for the adcomms if they have to read piles of "When I was...." stories.

We're being paid??? In that case.... but I think my check must have been lost in the mail. A troll is someone who posts inflammatory/controversial remarks (often repeatedly) on forums and other places on the internet in order to garner attention. We (well maybe I don't speak for all of us..but...) don't mind helping you as long as we feel appreciated and our comments are respected. I just feel like you need to loosen up and not be so defensive of your SOP. We were criticizing a rough draft of your work, not you, and I feel like you're taking it much too personally. It came to criticizing you, and assuming you were a troll when you got up on your soap box.

I worked two jobs (about 60 hours a week) and went to school full time during my undergrad. So its definitely possible. I was actually shocked in one of my classes, when the professor asked how many people were working, and it was only me and about three other people in the class. How do you live without an income?? Your profile looks very good to me, especially since you were able to squeeze in internships with a work schedule. I think you can definitely get past the first cut (assuming there is one), and then its just a matter of fit.

Check your schools to make sure they don't have the often cited "1200" .. and if they don't strongly suggest it and if they don't base their fin. aid on it either (or you don't need it), I wouldn't retake it. The rest of your profile seems good enough to overlook a mediocre score.

You have to check with each school. 500 words is the most common, as I have seen it... but I've also had a few that let you go higher, and some that want as few as 250 words.

I am starting to wonder if you're a troll, or what exactly your deal is. We have all repeatedly given you advice on the very information you have reposted - the parts we all begged you to alter, you have refused to. Now you're asking us to stop "whining"? I don't recall a single person whining, I do however recall a great deal of constructive criticism that you're choosing to ignore. In the event you aren't a troll, and are actually seeking assistance -I agree with almost everything on here and will add that your entire first paragraph can be placed in your CV if you want to make sure they knew you were in the military, a teacher, and a mailman.. but it does nothing to help them understand why you want to pursue structural engineering and why you are a good candidate for their program - and in the end this is all they want to know about. I'm also going to restate my advice about the underwater homes section - they don't need you to explain the process to them, they already have their PhD's and should know this. You would be better off citing another professor, or past research on the subject that you have found intriguing and has compelled you to pursue that as your ultimate goals. The bit about "opportunities" I would also axe - because its nothing original... everyone is going to grad school because it offers them more opportunities. You need to stand out, and show how you are original. Your last two paragraphs are the strength of your SOP - I would keep them, rework them, and build from them. Can I just suggest that you TRY our ideas? Just write another SOP with our ideas in mind, and see how you feel about it? As far as plagiarism - I wouldn't be that concerned. I would be more concerned about privacy issues- i.e. a professor from a future school or a colleague stumbling on this forum (or livejournal or elsewhere for that matter), than I would about someone else stealing it. As someone else said, it is quite hard to steal an SOP because they require an immense amount of specifics.

I am not trying to be rough, nor do I want to pick on you (I feel like we're tearing you apart and I actually just want to give you a hug because I remember what it was like to have my SOP torn apart last year!).... You can be funny in your SOP if you want to, as long as you are aware some adcomms will have your sense of humor, and others will not - and unless you know them personally beforehand you're tossing a coin. You also want to be careful of telling adcomms about what is going to happen with structural engineering in the future or the processes involved - Instead of describing to them why homes will be underwater, etc. (which i am sure they already know the process or are aware there is research in that area) try citing some research on the subject... ie "per professor XYZ's research on underwater structures, i find myself interested in the inner workings of drag, and structural strength" (I am not by any means an engineer so insert your fancy engineer lingo where you will)... You want to make it sound like you know what you're talking about, but not come off as though you are explaining the process to them. I would also caution you against looking at the SOP as a box to check - as for many committees, once the initial cut is passed (ie GRE, GPA - whatever it may be) it is the sole piece of paper that can help you get in or out. I was over confident in applying to programs myself last year, and I didn't do enough research on what an SOP should be like, and that is why I am here in this forum again this year. Its not that we want to be rough, its just that many of us have done this before or have experience in the process and we don't want other people to make mistakes that we made before if we can help them avoid it. In fact, I stay at this grad school forum, because its the least rough of any of them out there. haha.

Glad it all worked out for you!! I think its just a matter of being the squeaky wheel in cases like these!

I would definitely press him/her to let you go under your old gen. ed. requirements, otherwise it would be like asking you to pay twice for courses. They should really be more understanding, because if nothing else its asking you to pay more money during a time when the economy is not so hot, and a time when you're already paying to apply to grad school! It seems to me, that a lot of these things can be circumvented... just a matter of making your case.

Its not that you are lying - the professor gave you permission and wanted you to see it. The reason why they say waive your rights is because if professors knew you were going to see the letter (they didn't this all happened afterward i assume..but for the purpose of what I'm saying) they might alter what they were going to say about you. Adcomms don't want this - they want a crystal clear view of you from the professor's perspective, they don't want to have to worry about whether or not the professor left out some not so nice things to spare your feelings or an argument with you... there are professors out there, who will be very blunt about a student - even pointing out their flaws, I've even heard of professors writing letters of rec saying they do NOT recommend the student for grad school. So, its best not to let on to the universities you applied to that you know whats in the letters. I think that's what the person meant when they said you were "lying" ?

My UG institution did this to me as well. Well, not so much the institution as my adviser who was the most absent minded person I have ever met in my life. I almost wrote a letter to the dean, but then I thought better of it because I try to go by the "everyone has bad days/weeks" mantra. I wasn't a readmit but I was a transfer - and they had let me transfer all but I think one or two of my classes over. This one particular class, my adviser kept mulling over - it was an intro to my major course. I had taken it, I had shown proof that the coursework was in league with what they offered at the new institution, and I offered to have the head of that department at the old school send her a hand written letter stating so. She just kept saying, no lets see I think it will be all right. Then she went out of her office for awhile, and when she came back - she told me I needed to take the class again. Well, at that point I was registered for my final quarter, and all of my financial aid was used. It was either graduate or quit..so needless to say I put up a fight over it, and it ended in her just entering the info into the computer... took all of three seconds. I lost sleep for weeks over it! Then when it came time to send my petition for graduation in, she told me I had to do it - so I did, and I get a letter from the department telling me I can't send in my own petition my adviser has to... my adviser's response? Oh... I didn't know that. But it turned out all right in the end, so hopefully it will for you as well... You can't double up your credits for a couple of quarters to finish before summer? I had to do that as well.

As far as the GRE... I have always hated it (My scores aren't much different than any of yours and it frustrates me like crazy, theyre not bad scores at all but they certainly aren't helping me get a step up either)... but after some recent reminiscing over my transcripts, I can sort of understand why grad schools want them. I attended two different institutions during my undergrad - a local university not that well known and then I transferred out to a Tier 1 research university for the rest. There are HUGE differences in grading... scale, departmental, right down to the professors.. So I think the GRE is a way for schools to look at everyone on a "balanced level" which I use loosely because you are right in pointing out that socio-economic disadvantages can play heavily into this. I hope too, that its a much less important one, but sometimes a GPA just doesn't cut it - every school cannot be expected to understand every other schools methods of grading, particular professors quirks with grading, etc. I do think there has to be a better method, some way some how... but I can't say I know what it is. On the original note: You can improve your score...with even a small bit of crash studying. Make some flash cards, and study them in your spare time for the verbal. For the math, write down all those key rules, and memorize them. Then before the test,take several practice tests- see how you're doing and what you're still struggling with and keep going over it. It is in many ways, up to chance - but you can have some control over it.

Without seeing your SOP its hard to give suggestions... but I think you can show your character through your achievements, and through what you have chosen to do throughout your academic career. In addition to that I would also say...that I've read a lot of SOP advice which cautions against putting anything too personal/too much character into it... because while there is the chance that it may help you with some adcoms, it may hurt you with others. I know there are proponents on both sides of that fence though so I'm going to add in that ymmv.

I had this happen to me last year...well the professor wasn't even that prestigious. One disappeared, until the last second... and another was spotty and unresponsive. They both apologized. I was thankful regardless- I mean they took time to write for me and that meant a lot, but it made it difficult and stressful for sure. On top of that, I had several people I had in mind as recs that just completely disappeared off the face of the earth - as in, no one, not even their colleagues could locate them! Recs are one of my least favorite items of the process. Its something I have no control over... I can't even help it if they submit it at the last second, or even late... But, as far as the SOP reading... make sure you have a backup plan. I am guessing as busy as this person must be, even if you are one of their favorite students, its going to be difficult for you to get them to sit still long enough to really be helpful to you. Maybe opt for someone with less frills, but still some good advice?

I don't know of any PhD programs, but I believe American U's MA program is considered an "activist" program. This may be something you want to look at closer to the time (I am sure you have heard this already) because the shifting of the faculty at different universities, and your specific research interest will be a difference maker in how well activism is accepted.

Agreed! Or hey, let the second set be unofficial....let me copy it! I don't mind walking to my printer if it saves me 10 dollars a piece! Its not like they cant verify the second set against the one official one... some schools are good about this. I really think that needs to be streamlined...they need to have some sort of shared computer database throughout university systems, where I can just click a button and have them sent to the schools, and perhaps pay one nominal fee for it. Its going to cost me a small fortune as my undergrad institution's policies stand.