modernity

Things that might make you hopeful: Your GPA may reflect differently because of where you came from - IE Spanish schools may not have problems with grade inflation, grade harder, etc. I'm not familiar with them, but someone may be able to comment on this. They go easier on international students on the verbal section and the AW section of the GRE. You're an international and some of these schools really want people from other countries to reflect the schools "diversity" - if that's the case with one of them you might have a little help that way. If you provided a paper, or your SOP was really well written this might also help offset your low V/AW. To worry about : Some schools (I don't know about these specifically) have known or unknown GRE/GPA cutoffs - for the GRE these are usually somewhere between 1000-1200 cumulative which your 890 will fall below, and GPA is usually 3.0 (but some go as low -or lower- as 2.75 if the candidate can prove a substantial background otherwise). Some of those schools are quite competitive. Overall, I would just work very hard on your SOP, and hope that your experience and LORs pull through for you.

I sent more than required to several of mine, because different programs required a different number, and I didn't want to have to explain that to my LORs. Additionally, they were all strong and had different points attached to them. The programs either didn't say or said it was fine to submit additional letters. If they decide to choose at random, I'm fine with that. My LORs are what I believe to be one of my strong points, so I thought if they were questioning, or on the fence - having an extra letter to crack open, and an extra voice to say something positive couldn't hurt me.

Just because s/he used a plain white envelope doesn't mean that they did not use letterhead...in addition if the school doesn't specifically ask for it, it shouldn't be a problem. If you know your professor well enough, and they'll understand you're just obsessing over details and not trying to insult them I would say sure - if it's what you need to feel like you've done all you can. If you don't know them that well, I would be careful, as this could come across as slightly insulting.

I would just say something like "In addition to my previous experience, I will further it over the coming months through my internship at XYZ. In this position, I will be responsible for/I will be researching (things that you know for sure you will be doing).... I also intend to (things you hope to be doing) which will (explain how this is relevant to what you want to do in grad school)." This is very vague and my language is lackluster, but I think framing it this way will make it a highlight in your SOP if this is what you need it to be.

I mailed my request a month ago, it's due next week...and they haven't even cashed the associated check yet - which I am pretty sure means, they haven't mailed it.... I will be calling tomorrow. I am hoping its the holidays and they're on it today. I made sure I did everything early this year so I would not have to pay any rush fees...and now they're giving me issues UGH.

That's exciting!! Glad to hear it!

Yes, it's very different here in the US. Some schools go so far as to ask for LOR's on letterhead, and for the seal of the envelope to have the signature of the LOR writer on it to ensure the student has not handled the contents. Other's don't even want the envelope in the student's possession - they want a direct send from prof. to school. I've heard of schools accusing students of reading the letters- and thus disqualifying themselves just for having sent the envelopes his/herself instead of having the LOR do it (this is going overboard in my opinion). I think a lot of us wish that it were a little bit more low key here, and it would certainly negate this "should I read? should I not read?" dilemma that happens to applicants each year. As I said before, I think its wrong to read them but I can certainly sympathize with the anguish of having a large portion of your future in another person's hands.

Yes, this exactly. So many people are unfamiliar with the grad application process. You get a lot of blank stares. A lot of people think that if you want the degree, and you're reasonably intelligent you can just sign up for it and that's that. If you tell them the statistics, they're usually even more mind-boggled. I've also gotten the response "Can't you just get one online?" I'm going to try not to soap box too much here... but we do live in a very consumer-oriented society centered around immediate gratification, and at least here in the US one that believes if you just "pull yourself up by your bootstraps, you can do anything"... The reality is much different from this (so many variables to take into account), and the time line can be much longer than you had anticipated. I didn't get in anywhere last year, but I didn't understand the grad application process as well as I should have. It's also tougher with the economy, and everything else going around - I think this also contributes to the "You're going back to school.....and for HOW long??" mentality a lot of people have. As I said, I didn't get in anywhere- but I got an excellent job in the mean time that changed some aspects of what I wanted to do, gave me experience, and has hopefully made me more competitive this time around. In many ways, I am glad I didn't get in last year - the programs I am applying to this year are much more appealing to me, and are probably much better for me in the long run. It's not a death sentence to be rejected, I promise.

I don't know what is common for your field, but I would say for most disciplines this is "too florid"... It sounds like you're an excellent writer, but this is supposed to be a short piece of non-fiction. ( On a side note, there are a few articles/threads floating around warning about discussing the real time application process- this is again something that without seeing it's hard to comment on for sure, but it might be best avoided. ) If your sister works in admissions I would take her suggestions. There has to be some way for you to come to a compromise between the two styles so that you can still feel like you are showing through in the essay. One of the best examples I've seen so far is this one http://ls.berkeley.edu/soc/diversity/apply/samplestatement-1.html It's a different discipline, but I feel like it neatly walks the line of being interesting/allowing the writer's personality to show through and not straying too far from the non-fiction/fact-stating piece of work the SOP needs to be to satisfy adcomms. You have to keep in mind that while some admissions members might find something creative a breath of fresh air, there are others like your sister who would find it irritating. You have no way of knowing which individuals will be on that committee so it's best to walk the line between the too.

I was doing well during the whole SOP writing-LOR/GRE/Transcript gathering process. Now that I am getting down to the wire and actually turning them in...I keep hesitating to press the submit button, reading over my CV/SOP/etc. and thinking "Ugh. Is this going to be good enough? What if I'm 20 points below the GRE cut off (assuming there is one)? What if my SOP is not witty enough? What if they think my topic is obscure and strange, rather than unique and interesting? What if I don't have enough relevant experience? What if they just don't have enough spots and they start tossing coins?" Then I try to remind myself that I have improved greatly from last year, I have more experience then probably quite a few people, and my GRE may not be stellar but it's vastly improved from last years and that has to count for something.

I said this before in another thread. If she feels that she needs to see them/is worried they aren't strong, why can't she just ask her professors to see it? I do think its wrong to look at the letters if you waived your right, but I think in most cases professors would be willing to let you see if you asked. That way you're a) not doing anything wrong and B ) get to see your letter. I think in most cases, if asked, professors would allow you to see the letters as they know it's deciding your future and you have vested interest.

I don't know that this is so far from the truth of my undergrad. There were a couple times where several students were assigned similar topics, and a student would run from class to the library and check out all the books on the subject. It got to the point where the professors put a 2 book limit in at the library on campus. I assume this came from some sort of fear of not having enough material or having other students do the same to them? It was definitely irritating. I always dream that I am back in college, and I forgot that I signed up for a class. I don't attend the class for the first 5 weeks or so, and after the first test passes I realize I had forgotten to go. I then proceed to panic and have to decide whether I want to try to go to the class and face the professor, or take an F for the course.

Agreed. Although I won't know nearly that soon. I just want to know. I may take this back later if I get a handful of rejections and want to return to my "ignorance is bliss" status...but for now I just want to know.

I'm an apple person... BUT I've never had a laptop last longer than 1-2 years, and maintenance on them has cost me hundreds. They have major issues with their batteries (overheating, causing fires, needing to be replaced JUST after the warranty expires), also their power plugs are very delicately made - more for looks than utility and if you aren't careful they are very easy to break (this has gotten better since they've utilized the magnet feature but still not great and they're pricey to replace). My laptops have died from multiple failures (a ti book with admitted design flaws, an IBook whose hard drive had a melt down when it was only a year old), and then my macbook - even the Genius Bar people and a third party repair company couldn't tell me what went wrong with it - they just kept suggesting I buy batteries/hard drives/etc. until I figured out what exactly was wrong (HA! This was like...100s of dollars with a very limited return policy). I also know several other people who had very similar problems with their mac laptops. I haven't heard any of these complaints about the desktops though. If you get a laptop try to be as gentle as possible on it, and minimize transport... mine went with me everywhere and I think this was a major part of the problem. I finally went and bought a 300 dollar PC and even though it angers me frequently with it's lack of user friendly nature and the annoyance of virus protection pop ups, it has yet to cost me any extra money. I will say - If I had the money right now to buy another one, I would probably foolishly do so because OSX is just so completely superior to Windows in it's ease of use that it's almost worth the money.

From my understanding if it's due on Jan 1st that means it needs to be in before midnight on that date. However some schools have more specific deadlines - ie 5 pm on January 1st, or as you stated when some say Jan 1st they mean 11:59pm Dec 31st is the latest, still others mean it has to be postmarked by Jan 1st. This is something you'll have to email the department about if you're planning on cutting it close.

I'm not worried about being "scooped"... so much as I would prefer to stay anonymous.

I would love to share my research ideas with the people ON the forum, because I've grown to respect a lot of the individuals on there - or at least, their internet personas! I would love to hear what everyone is interested in doing. But... because it's a public forum, and I never know who will stumble on it, it makes me reluctant to do so. It was a very good idea in theory.

Take a deep breath. As coyabean said, if the program wants you - they'll be patient and understanding about things like this that are out of your control. If they don't want you it won't matter either. I know it's hard though when you're this stressed out.

RocknRolla - one of the best and most consuming movies I've seen in a long time if you like Ritchie(-esque) movies. District 9 - although as someone else said all too realistic, this movie nearly put me in tears. for TV: True Blood/Tudors one's trash, and the other is largely incorrect historically speaking but quite entertaining and distracting! Oh, and Bones! On a side note... I'm surprised so many people liked Inglorious Basterds (I found it borderline offensive - although with Tarantino what isn't) and as a one time Tarantino fan I thought it was one of his weaker movies. What did you guys like so much about it?

I would also add that if you have a "bad" overall GPA, but within your major/areas of interest it's considerably higher that helps your chances as well.

Just to add my two cents, I submitted everything last minute last year so details like this didn't even cross my mind. (I was more concerned with whether or not my packet was even going to arrive on time.) I didn't put my name on everything, and I didn't have a cover letter and everything went through the grad offices without a hitch. It's probably a good idea though seeing as it will make grad secretaries' lives easier.

I would use the most recent, because the more recent one may be more relevant and many schools take only the more recent score (or a combination of the two). They'll see the higher Q when you send them in through ETS anyway. However, it is my understanding that you have to have a high Q for engineering so if you're worried about making some sort of cut off on the Q I would send in that one. This is probably not a ton of help, though, as I am sure you had similar thoughts.

High school English teachers are always the most interesting.

thanks!

Not sure where you're even drawing that conclusion from (although I get the sense you're trying to be smart), but if it's unclear somehow... let me reiterate: The lesson is, don't read things about your submitted application that you are not going to be able to change - your LORs, your SOP, etc. If you think your LORs are going to be iffy, or you just feel the need to know- then ask if you can see the letters before they submit them. In the event that your LORs don't want to share that info, you don't want to ask, you waive your rights, etc. do not open the letter. There is a reason they're supposed to be sent in signed/sealed envelopes, and why it's customary to waive your rights. People can't write honest accounts of a student if they have to worry about someone looking over their shoulder. Besides being unethical, it's a bit of your insult to your letter writers to say "I trust you completely, but only until I have an extra letter in my hand and I can't resist the temptation." It's a human reaction to want to know what someone said about you, but you knew the rules when you decided to apply (although, since there are people that don't understand the "waive your rights" portion I suppose it's possible that people do not understand this either - all the more reason I hope they come across posts like this one). All of those ethical and social issues aside... It will be very stressful for someone to know there is a mistake on their application that they cannot fix. It'll keep you up nights and make you fret your little head off, and in the end there's no point because there's nothing you can do now. This process is stressful enough. It's better if you just don't look - at least not until you've heard back from schools. I'm not attempting to scold anyone, I'm saying don't get yourself in these sticky situations because you're the one that's going to suffer from it. During the waiting period, as it relates to this sort of thing, ignorance is bliss.