Anoushka

Hey. So I just visited a grad program that flew me there, payed for my food, provided a ton of drinks, payed for my cab, and had me interview with 6 professors. I now need to write a thank you letter, and I dont know what to say! Who should I address it to, and what kinds of things are appropriate to write in a thank you card???? thanks so much for your advice I really appreciate it.

For those of you who have been in an interview, could you please speak to the structure of an interview? What were the first moments like? What was your first question? Was there anything as broad as 'tell me a little about yourself'? or 'tell me about your general interests'? Did they ask you personal questions (''what other stuff interests you")? ***Did they ask you specifics about your subject of interest (i.e., In the Adorno you just discussed, you mentioned his concept of the non-identical. How do you think this functions with respect to his work on freedom?)?? Did they ask you if you have questions for the program? What was then end of the interview like? Although all interviews are different, I thought it might be helpful for interview veterans to say a few questions that they were asked, and especially questions that caught you off guard, surprised you. And questions that you think would be generally good to prepare for. Thanks so much!

Hey, sorry to hear, but of course interviews are not everything! It would be really helpful if you could give a few details about phrases you said or questions you asked that you think were taken the wrong way. I'm about to do an interview, and so I would like to know what I should avoid...

So, DePaul University is paying me to fly to visit their grad program. I will be meeting with various professors and sitting in on a class that they want me to attend to (which was the topic of my writing sample). Please PLEASE, advice for preparation is so helpful. I don't know anything about these matters. 1. should i read the professor's papers? 2. review my application? 3. clothing choices (i'm a girl) 4. other preparatory strategies? if you have had an experience like this before, i would really like narrative accounts of how something like this goes. what do stress/what to avoid! THANKS

This is the prompt: Please describe the academic and intellectual interests, progress, and achievements that have contributed to your decision to apply for post-graduate study. You should include a thoughtful description of your tentative plan of study or area of inquiry at The New School for Social Research as you now envision it, the kind of research questions you intend to pursue, what you hope or expect to do after you’ve completed the degree. In addition, include a stringent self-assessment of your work as a scholar, pointing out strengths and weaknesses. I don't want to include the stringent self-assessment b/c I've spent a lot of time detailing my area of study and research questions. Also, my adviser told me not to talk about strengths/weakness. I think the statement is very strong as it stands, but I'm worried they wont accept me because I didn't listen to their question prompt and answer all of it...

When speaking about potential advisers or the overall program, would it be better to say "x's approach to blahblah can me with y" or "x's approach to blahblah will enable y" I hate both of these choices... any other suggestions?

For 3 programs I'm applying to I cant find the statement of interest word limit anywhere!! I think they don't have a limit. Do you think that staying within 950-1000 is appropriate, or should I cut it down to 800?

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to phrase why a department would be an ideal fit without stating the obvious "faculty are interested in the same thing I am"? Obviously for grad school most applicants are going to be interested in what the faculty are interested in-- that is why they are applying to that specific department. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to state good fit in a nuanced, interesting, and compelling manner? One that would set one apart from a very similar pool of applicants? I was thinking about a including a few sentences that state how I could enrich the research of the faculty, but I am weary that this will present me as arrogant and pretentious. In short, how to be a good fit beyond all the other good fits? Shouldn't it be something more than just similarity of interest or similar methods... something deeper, more compelling?

How does it generally come off to mention specific faculty? After laying out my specific research interest, and figures/themes I want to pursue, does it make sense to write: "so and so, through addressing such and such, would enable me to ..." How do you even word these things? Should I mention their relevant books and articles? I have never met these people before, and haven't read in any substantive way their work, so what would be a professional way to indicate that they would be relevant? i figured that by giving them a detailed research plan with specific currents and figures I want to study (that the department offers) that enable me to pursue my plan they would themselves be able to identify whether or not it is an appropriate fit. any opinions on this? I would also really appreciate any suggestions for how to loosely refer to specific faculty members.

What did your front page include in general?

Where on the document would it be most professional to indicate that this is one chapter from a four chapter senior project? - footnote? - cover page letter? - send e-mail ? Suggestions for what would be best are deeply appreciated.