modernity

Not necessarily - I have profs that regularly attend out of country conferences, and have a great deal of overseas contacts. And the opposite is possible as well - that overseas professors attend US conferences. Less likely perhaps, but not necessarily very unlikely. Also because of it being non-English, and needing to verify information and crossover calculations bc of any possible unfamiliarity- it might be possible that they would contact the institution.

Its best to send them right after the deadlines because acceptance news can take months - and that way you don't forget, or they don't think you forgot. You can always send a follow up and tell them what the results were - particularly if they've asked you to.

Waive your right. While some schools may not care, the vast majority do - and it is customary to waive your right. As mentioned some professors will not write letters if you don't, and adcomms may not take you as seriously if you don't (because they worry professors might not have been as honest as they could have been without worrying if you would see it.) If you really need to see your letter - ask the professor who is writing it for you for a copy.

Rhodes scholar at Oxford = don't worry about your GRE scores

This.

This has been very thoroughly discussed on this board before... if you wanna dig up the old threads to see... the general consensus was this from what I remember: Buying gifts is okay, IF you are very close with the professor - ie you've been to their house, you hang out outside of class, you're on a very close first name basis, etc. it is NOT okay if you are not very close because it can put the professor in an awkward position, and definitely not okay before they have submitted (it can appear to be a bribe of sorts). Sending a card whether or not you have thanked them in email IS customary - I've talked to professors and read blogs published by professors that talk about how insane it is that people they write LORs for can't take the time out to send or drop off a quick card considering they put in the effort to write on average to about 5 schools, use their professional connections to help you, etc. Thank you cards are just good business in your regular life, but even more important when you're talking about people who are helping you with your professional career. Also - if for some reason you didn't get in this year, and you need them to write for you again last year - trust me, they'll generally remember whether or not you properly thanked them for their hard work. When in doubt - you know the particular professors personality, well hopefully you do if you're assuming they know yours well enough to write a LOR for you, err on the side of caution and what you think would best suit their personality/sensibilities. But ABSOLUTELY say thank you whenever the chance presents itself. They will be in your academic/conference circles for years to come, and you need as many people in your corner as possible.

It varies wildly depending on everything the above poster mentioned. From adcomms I know... It starts out with an initial review of quantitative parts of your application - is your GRE lower than the requirement? is your GPA lower than the requirement? Automatic dumps. Is your GRE/GPA borderline ? separate pile... Then comes the qualitative : Did you come visit? Call? Email? (points or neutrality or loss depending on what you did, and what the impression was - this can also sometimes save you from an automatic dump pile) Then they read the SOP - whats your interest? Does it overlap with the department? Which advisor are you interested in? Are they taking students that year? Do they have funding? Would you jive well with the personalities in the department? Keep or dump depending... Then LORS - is it someone they know? Is it a rock star in your field? Do you come well recommended? Does the LOR seem to know you personally or is it a form LOR? (points/neutrality/loss) Then writing samples, a review over your specific transcripts, students in the program that know you/have had contact with you, etc. Then they rank you against other applications - and you're kept or dumped depending. THEN - if you come well qualified and you're a keeper - it goes on to the people that you've listed you're interested in as an advisor - they scrutinize your background and decide if they want to "back" you... in other words, do they want to argue your case to the adcomm? do they want to help you get funding? (If they have particularly high status - read as tenure/well published/etc. - you have a better chance if they back your application)

Yeah the other poster is right, I believe both of those schools are top 10 - esp for grad programs. They are VERY difficult to get into - because they take very few students each year, and hundreds of grad students apply. If you're attending a UK university that's really going to hold weight in the US, and you have a 4.0 in that as well, you might still be okay... those schools tend to look for much higher GRE scores though- I've heard 1400 is what you want to aim for to have a solid chance. HOWEVER - if your fit is perfect and you have rockstar LORs (or theyre friends with someone there) and the rest of your profile looks good (you seem well published, and if you've spoken at conferences thats in your favor too), you could still have a good chance. If you have the time though - to study and improve your verbal, I would do it!!

I dropped schools as the last minute in last years application process that I had already sent LORs and GREs to, for similar reasons. A) The application was costly (some were 90 dollars) and the chance of getting in because of the crisis was iffy/the chance of getting funding if i got in was even more dire.... If you realistically don't think you would go to this school - you couldn't afford it, you'd be depressed there without a social network, etc. or that you might not get in/get funding because of problems... don't do it. You're paying an ungodly amount of money for an acceptance you can't really use or a very costly rejection letter. It's not silly to write it off, esp. if you've applied to 8 other schools that were good fits and this isn't one of your top choices.

The cutoff for a lot of anthropology programs, if they have one for the GRE, to dump first rounders is 1200- if you're above that, which you are, you should be okay. The verbal is weak, but its not horrible - I've known people with much worse GREs getting into grad school. As long as the rest of your profile is strong, you should be okay.

I wouldn't be as blunt in saying you were bored... I'd say things like "I struggled for an academic fit to my pursuits...but now am firm...." something like that. I've always been told its better if your recommenders address it than you, because SOP's are short and they need to stay as positive as possible - if you have to address it in the SOP just make sure you don't use any negative language when talking about it.

Yes they can find out about it - they can find out from profs who travel in the same circles that taught there- among other ways. Academia is a SMALL world. Withholding information like that and transcripts (especially those that reflect negatively on you) can result in dismissal of your application and/or you if you're accepted once they find out. Thats a big risk to take - even if they don't throw you out for it - you will look VERY bad. While yes, it wont be a positive thing that you have a record of dropping out, it'll be worse if you have that AND lie about it - find a way to explain it in your SOP, have your recommenders address it in their letters, etc. You completed a program - and I assume did well in it, that should be good proof that you're committed now.

My understanding is geographic location isn't THAT important, unless you're talking archaeology - and then it can be because of how archaeology works/how specialized it can be. Finding the right advisor - who has the right connections (ie even if they dont work in your area of interest, they know people who do) is the most important thing by far. Advisors rule your world in grad school - a lab and a place are only as great as the person who's helping you get access to them.

You can always apply to both PhD programs and MA programs. That way you don't feel like you're missing out if you think you could be good enough for a PhD, and you still have the possibility of an MA as a grounded backup plan (not that getting into an MA is by any means a guaranteed thing but chances can be better).

Ahhh okay! I just had never come across that before! My profs are all very informal first namers though anyway.

Take your notes, and turn them INTO an academic essay. No one is saying that what you submit had to be written while you were in school - you can write it now!

Yes, send them - unless you can find somewhere on the application that says otherwise. If you don't submit all your transcripts, and they find out about - it can be grounds for dismissing your application or you if you are admitted to the program. I HIGHLY doubt that would happen over summer course transcripts, but I wouldn't risk it either because it can be seen as lacking full disclosure on your history.

I don't mean this to sound snarky - but what else would they sign their response with? I don't know many people that refer to themselves by their last name, nor many that would sign it Dr. even if they were. Have you had profs that sign with Dr. XXX ??

Use Dr. its simple and shows respect... but you can get away with Professor as well - definitely do not use something like Assistant Prof. you could hit a nerve referencing that, considering the politics of educational hierarchy.

Make friends in your program. They're the only ones who will truly understand when you're having a rough time, and the ones that will be able to help you best when you're struggling. I couldn't have gotten through my first quarter without them.

I would also add that this "no one will give you medication because you're in school and you will sell it" business is ridiculous as well. If that was the case no one in high school or college (at any level) could ever be treated, have a surgery, etc. That's just one of the most outlandish things I've heard in awhile. Withholding treatment for something like that would probably fall under malpractice (unless you have some record as a drug dealer and of course that might be a different story entirely). Sometimes you need to therapist shop - board certified or not, they're still human and have different personalities and different ways of doing things... you should find someone who is more apt to understand you and your particular situation. Yes grad school is hard, and depression and wanting to quit is absolutely normal - I've had professors tell me if I don't feel like that every few weeks something is wrong with me and I'm not trying hard... BUT if its on a new level to where you can't get out of bed in the morning, that's something more significant -and could be killing your grad school drive too.

Social workers ARE busy... but they can make time if they want to. If she can't make the time, I would suggest finding someone else who can and will, otherwise she might not write the best letter/fill out the best forms possible. If you're stuck with her - most forms aren't that hard to fill out and are very simplistic in nature...it's usually just writing a student, asking some form type questions "did this student stick out in your mind?" "would you recommend them for graduate school? Why are they a good candidate for graduate school?" Things like that.

so they CAN do an informal interview... and by admissions committees... it's finals week. can you tell?

It's best if you go - it doesn't necessarily mean or guarantee anything, but not going when you've specifically been asked will not help your chances. Many professors want you in person, so they can't do an informal interview of sorts. Also it SIGNIFICANTLY helps your chances (as I have been told my admissions committees) that you appear in person at any university you're considering attending - it puts a face with a name, and it shows your dedication to the program. If you can at all come up with the money and time do so- professors do not appreciate "scheduling difficulties" - they expect you to find time for the things that are important to you, even if its a slight bit unrealistic.

This is exactly what I'm doing - I'm in the middle of a funded MA program so that I can figure out what I want to do, and get better experience, a thesis, better GPA, and stellar LORs for a chance at a PhD if that is what I decide to do. Plus in my field time to degree is looonnggg in the PhD world, so the 2 years makes me sure I want to do it for 3 times that!