UnlikelyGrad

Not trying to be harsh...just speaking as a woman who gets a fair amount of male interest. I know what it's like to be on the other side of the coin. For one thing, it's entirely possible that the woman is already in a relationship with someone. And there's the whole issue of what she finds attractive in the first place; I've only found maybe 5-10% of the guys who hit on me to be worthy of any attention at all. (It's a moot issue, because I'm married, but still...) I imagined that I would be exempt from this in grad school since I'm so much older than everyone else, but NOOOOOO... I even have a freshman in one of my classes who flirts with me. I've mentioned that I have a son who's close to his age but that doesn't seem to faze him! Bleah.

This thread reminded me...we had a similar thread last year, and I never went back and checked my predictions!! I applied to 9, and predicted 3 acceptances, 2 wait lists, and 4 outright rejections. So how were my psychic abilities? It's hard to say, since few of my schools actually came out and said, "You're on the wait list." I did get into 3 schools in the first round of acceptances, so that part was right on track. Two schools actually mailed or emailed to say "sorry" fairly early in the game (March, I believe). Wait lists...I had one rejection close to April 15 (probably a wait list), one in July (definitely a wait list). One school emailed me on April 14 to say that yes, I was on a wait list, and to ask if I was still interested in attending. I'd already accepted elsewhere so I said no. I hadn't heard from the last school by March, and since I was going out that way anyway, I emailed and set up appointments with profs I was interested in working with. We talked about why I was a so-so applicant (I had a lot of issues with my background, hence my screen name) and I must have put their fears to rest because I was accepted a couple of weeks later. Summary: I was right on with the number of acceptances, but got fewer initial rejections than I anticipated. Considering the issues with my background, I think 4/9 wasn't so bad.

What sort of city is the school located in? If it's a small town where students comprise 90% of the population, I would be wary. (But I would still go if it were the only place I got in.) If, on the other hand, it's located in a large city, there should be plenty of people for you to hang out with who are not Christian. (FWIW...one of my sisters teaches at a Catholic university, and I think her belief system is currently agnostic. And no, we weren't raised Catholic, either. So don't be too sure that your professors will all be die-hard Christians. People take tenure-track jobs where they can get them.)

LOL. That is exactly how I felt last year when I was applying last year. I wish I could have verbalized it as well as you! And now I am feeling the same way about my fellowship apps... How many Death Stars can there be?

Rule #1 for hard times: Don't feel sorry for yourself. Most of the situation is partially within your control, so go and do something about it. I am not a social person, but I've learned to make friends. In fact, I made my first friend during grad student orientation--I was lost looking for the room I needed to be in, and I looked around and saw another person who looked lost, so I went up and introduced myself. We started chatting as we wandered around, made snide remarks to each other during the boring meetings, had lunch together...and were friends. By pure coincidence, my new friend was in the same department as I was and we ended up being assigned to the same office...pure luck!! But even if that hadn't been the case, I would have had a friend. If you don't like this approach, go join a club. Having trouble with homework? Go to office hours. (Don't scoff at me!! It's a very good idea!) Get the help you need, then chat with the professor afterwards. It's a good way to network. And trust me, you'll need the academic network to survive in grad school.

I got one of my old professors to write a LoR for me last year. Mind you, I graduated in 1993 so it was a wonder that he remembered me at all. In retrospect, he wasn't the greatest person to ask--he could only say that I got good grades in his class. I doubt he remembered much of my personality. For my other two LoRs I took classes at a local state university. Yes, it cost me money and time but it was worth it. I think I got great LoRs this way. (Plus, I enjoyed the classes I took.) If I had to re-do my apps I would take classes for two of my LoRs and then have the supervisor from one of my volunteer positions write the other. (I was a volunteer, but I worked for a city department--in a field unrelated to the one I'm now studying, of course, but my supervisor was definitely well known & well connected in her field.)

My husband has a hard time hitting the 'submit' button...sometimes he actually has to call me over to press it for him...sometimes he actually has to leave the room because he can't bear to watch!! You could get a BFF to do it for you if you have no SO, of course.

Go Sparky, go!! I hated writing SoPs too. I was soooo glad when that was over. And now that I'm a grad student...I get to write fellowship proposals. C'mon, they're virtual brownies! I can make them any way you like!

Not an anthro major either but... The UC system is more or less broke. If you want funding, you might not want to apply to Berkeley. I'm sure they'll have some funding, but will likely offer it only to superstar applicants. I didn't get offered much in the way of funding from Davis last app season (from a department that generally guarantees at least the first year of funding), and I imagine that the budget crunch is even worse this year.

LOL!! I do have a tendency to shift back and forth (active/passive) if I'm writing in third person. I solved this by writing my SoP in first person. I think it turned out pretty well. (I was only accepted at 4/9 schools but a couple of the other 5 said that they probably would have accepted me had they not been overwhelmed by applications last year.) If you are any good at narrative writing, I'd recommend a first-person SoP.

Those feelings are normal, at least for people who've tried (and failed) at big endeavors in the past. (And they certainly aren't limited to grad school applications, I assure you!) Don't get rid of the hope. Without hope for a positive outcome, action will never be taken. Just balance the hope with a healthy dose of realism. Remember, you don't know how high you can fly until you try. Plus, (sings): "You've got to have a dream, if you don't have a dream...how you going to make a dream come true?" (Virtual brownies to anyone who can name the musical.)

Honestly, the missing spaces make it hard to read. But I can suggest at least this change: Substitute: I developed a strong interest in the field of dynamical systems and mathematical physics during my senior year.

Hmm. Good question. I only put the school I actually graduated from as well as the university where I did work as a postbac student. But then, I have no idea if what I did was right.

You wouldn't necessarily have to do another complete undergrad degree...but taking some background classes (as a non-degree major) would greatly improve your chances. My undergrad degree was in Chemistry and I'm now in a Geochem program. They are making me take a couple of remedial classes in Geology (I had a couple as an undergrad, but not as many as a Geol major). But then, this is an interdisciplinary major so they are used to people with not quite the right background...

Ours was an hour and a half...booooring. I'm married, so it's a moot issue for me. But if I weren't...I can't imagine dating an undergrad, but then most of my students are young enough to be my kids!! I'm about the same age as many of my professors though. Frank, I hope for your sake that the undergrad feels the same way about you as you do about her. :-) It's rare that these things go both ways.

My advice: give the SoP to a professor whose judgment you trust. If he/she says it's ok, submit it. You see, it doesn't matter what you think of the essay--it's what other people think that counts.

I posted my Broader Impacts stuff on my blog: http://unlikelygrad.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/broader-impacts/

Not really. I got involved in my various volunteer activities because I wanted to, not because I wanted good-looking things to put on my resume. OTOH, when I was looking for a job (before I decided to apply to grad school), I had to put together a resume. I'd been an at-home mom for many years, but I wasn't without skills. And where did I get those skills? Where was the proof? In my volunteer work, of course. I think I would feel guilty if I volunteered for stuff JUST to be able to put it on my resume. (Some places actually tell you to do this, if you're out of work!) But I didn't. I put in many hours a week because I believed in the cause and because I loved with I did.

Where did you get the info on average GPA? Mine's even lower than yours, though my GRE is higher. I don't have much research experience, and no pubs (yet). I'm hoping that my research proposal and broader impacts will sell the thing. My advisor said I had a strong proposal for someone who didn't know much about the field yet (I've switched fields). As far as broader impacts go, I have a strong history of community involvement in various educational endeavors. I know I'm a long shot--probably have a better chance at getting the EPA or NDSEG...

I applied. Geosciences--geochemistry. Last year the NSF people announced late--May, I think. BTW, LoRs have a later due date than applications...I think early Dec. So don't stress too much if your profs haven't submitted theirs yet.

I am married with four children. I spent 15 years as a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom. Now I'm in grad school while my husband homeschools the kids. So I'm not exactly a fount of info on childcare. Our children are one of our highest priorities (after our marriage) and we definitely didn't want grad school to interfere with that. Since I could only find one of my old profs who could/would write me a LoR, I decided that a good way to get my foot in the door again was to take classes at the local state U. This was actually a good thing for my family, because it allowed my husband and me to try out our proposed role swap. Needless to say, things went well enough that I'm now a full-time Ph.D. student. Pros: * My kids see me study. This has helped their attitude towards school work. In particular, my oldest son, who's in community college, studies really hard because he finds it humiliating to have a worse GPA than his mom. * My husband now thinks I'm the smartest person in the whole world. * I am really enjoying myself. * It's really good for teenage boys to spend a lot of time with their father. This didn't happen when my husband was working 60-hour weeks. Cons: * It sucks being poor. My husband can do some work from home, but makes maybe 25% as much as he did when he was a high-powered, very-in-demand Silicon Valley engineer. That, plus what I make as a TA, gives us a reasonable income for Colorado. Had we stayed in California, money would have been a lot tighter. At least I'm making money though--during my "trial year" we just had his income to live on. ...actually, that's about the only "con" I can think of.

Not only do they not hold you to your school choice, they don't hold you to your research proposal, either. They're just seeing whether your capable of writing a good proposal.

I have two sisters who also flunked out of Really Good Schools, then went on to undergrad at less good schools (in one case, known more for sports rather than academics!). Both got an NSF scholarship and went to Berkeley for grad school. Both are now professors. I didn't flunk out of a Really Good School--I took a leave of absence in the middle of the term, because it was clear I was going to be given the boot if I stayed around to collect my grades. I never went back. I went to a no-name school for my bachelor's and ended up with a 3.6 (neglecting the grades from the RGS, of course). Note that while I'm not going to a terribly high ranked school for my Ph.D., I did get into a top 10 school for my field. (I just didn't like it when I visited. This place felt like home.) I think you have the capability to get into a good school. Your situation is somewhat analogous to mine. You even have a publication!! (I didn't.) I agree with cogneuroforfun--apply to a couple of really good schools, just for grins. You may be surprised at where you get in. I know I was.

How did I miss this earlier? Mine went in on Monday.

Actually, I never brought it up myself--he mentioned his wife's depression first (can't remember how the conversation had wandered there) and I mentioned I went through it too. I actually did mention depression to a couple of people I wanted to work for while I was visiting schools--in some cases their reaction made me run far, far away. Still looking for a permanent advisor here...I suppose I need to bring up the 'D' word with all of my possibilities, but I have actually started to get a good feel over the years for which sorts of personalities deal well with it and which don't.