Scottielass

1. Get cracking on the SOP. For me, it was a work-in-progress for months. Have 2 or 3 trusted people periodically review your drafts. This helped me tremendously in my writing process. The quality of my SOP from first draft to final submission was night and day. 2. Visit your schools before you apply, if it's an option. I did this for my first choice school. I had the opportunity to meet half of the admissions committee members one-on-one. I think this really gave me an edge in the decision process. It showed I was very serious about the program. It also gave an opportunity to evaluate fit-- for me and the faculty. Quite frankly, I don't know if I would have been selected if I hadn't made a visit. 3. Don't stress about the GRE. If you make the cutoff, you're fine. In my program, it didn't seem the GRE would make or break an application if you met the minimum. That will probably change with PhD, so I may take it again after it switches format. I completely stressed out the first time I took it, and I think that negatively impacted my score. 4. As other posters have said...there is no such thing as a safety school. Don't apply to a school if it's not a right fit for you. That's a lot of money to spend for an education if it isn't your ideal fit. Take a year off, get more experience, and re-apply. I've seen a lot of people rejected the first time, and are accepted with their second application. 5. Don't take things too personally. I know that's tough to swallow. It really is about fit. Some years the applicant pool is extremely concentrated in certain areas. That makes it all the harder to stand out because so many people are qualified.

I can answer at least part of the questions. Federal loans (Stafford) covers "cost of attendance". That's means any expense related to school including housing, food, books, travel expenses, school supplies, etc. Does not cover a plane ticket to Cancun for spring break . At the schools I applied to, assistantships in the department were skill/experienced based. But a campus position, such as a resident hall manager may have a need-based element to it.

I got my email, but it clearly stated that the acceptance wasn't official until I received the letter in the mail. So, I was just waiting for the "official" letter to respond. The grad director called later in the week and offered tuition waiver . Maybe he thought I was playing it cool, but I just thought I wasn't supposed to make a move until I had the official letter.

I totally wasn't expecting to get an acceptance email on a Sunday night on a holiday weekend. I was buying my wedding dress online and *poof*, there it was. So, Sunday was a really good day for many reasons.

I think the Dos Equis spokesman has become the new Chuck Norris . "He doesn't apply to grad schools, grad schools apply for him"

"> Had to add for the cat lovers . This is only half of our cats. Dupree at the top. He is freakishly smart. Beauty in the middle. She is very empathetic and knows when I need some cheering up. Last is Saowyn (nickname Boy-Boy). He is 13+ lbs but still thinks he is a kitten. As you can see, the cats are completely spoiled.

When I took the test, it took 18 days to receive the results certificate from ETS (took test on Dec. 31, results mailed out Jan. 12, received Jan. 17). I am assuming my schools received them at the same time. It took another week for the schools to process them into my file.

I think psycholinguist hit the nail on the head. Hiding the relationship or flaunting it may cause some questions to be asked. Just be yourself. Let your colleagues get to know you and your work first. If asked how you met, all you really need to say is "We met at XYZ University". That would be enough for me.

I would look up other available sources of info before calling. They are probably getting swamped with similar calls right now. It could be a 50-50 shot if someone would be pleasant or completely annoyed. Try looking at the results board from last year to see if your school is listed, and when it sent out the majority of decisions. I remember something my grandma said, "Be patient. Even when something is at the top of your list, it doesn't mean it's at the top of the other person's list." Waiting still drives me nuts, but I have to thank Grandma for keeping things in perspective.

My body and brain seem to have an amazing capacity to keep going when it is needed. I used to work a terrible split shift when I worked in radio (overnights and afternoons); rarely getting more than 3 hours sleep at any given time. I can go 36-48 hours without sleep relatively easily. Sometimes I just prefer to work in the middle of the night at a diner. It quiet enough to be productive, but there is enough activity and free-flowing coffee to keep me going. It is not something I would recommend to anyone, though. Once I actually have a break of any extended amount of time (more than a week), I get sick. Not just a little cold, but completely stuck-in-bed sick for at least a few days.

I wouldn't read too much into it because you'll drive yourself crazy if you do. The only thing you can know for certain from the content of this letter is that you can't be offered a GTA position unless you submit to the background check. This appears to be an HR letter, so I wouldn't try analyze the department's decision by it.

This sounds very similar to an employment background check. You've probably made the short list for TA. My experience with employment background checks is that it is reserved for the top candidate, but sometimes it's run on the 2nd and/or 3rd choice too. They wouldn't invest that kind of money on every applicant. Odds appear to be in your favor . Good luck!!

Upper Arlington is pretty great. Look at the Kingsdale area. There are a lot of young families living there. It's a good mix of rentals and for-sales. A lot of post-war style homes (2-3 bd, 1-1 1/2 ba). About 5-10 min from OSU (depending where you're going on campus). Near a nationally-known hospital, grocery store, shopping, restaurants. With the wet campus, I would just avoid the main drag (High St.) after 10pm on the weekends. Drunk undergrads clog the sidewalks. I do find it funny that there is one bar called The Library .

LOL . I think you and my fiance may have been separated at birth. I have been baking up a storm lately as therapy. Luckily, by the time I done with the baking, I have no desire to eat whatever it is I made. I think my fiance, his co-workers, and people in my department may have gained a few pounds, though. The latest round was White Chocolate Blueberry Muffins and Cheddar Beer Bread. I have been perusing recipes for my next round.

This portfolio should help you a lot. J-schools are very interested in "real world" experience. How is your overall GPA? The schools I looked at had a min. 3.0 GPA and 1000 GRE cutoff. They seemed to be pretty strict on it unless you had some contacts that could push your app through to the committee. I think if your app gets through to the committee, you'll be fine. It really depends on the applicant pool for the year. Any schools in the major markets are going to have far more applicants, thus more competition for available spots. I empathize. My GPA was awful which I returned to school. I busted my butt for the past 5 quarters, which pushed my overall GPA above the minimum cutoff.

I really do think it depends on the environment of the department and the individual professor. My department is pretty informal, so I am on a first name basis with many professors. But I also make a point to build a relationship with them outside of class. With some, I may use their first name if it's just us, but will use Prof/Dr X in the classroom. There are a couple that are sticklers for their titles, though, and I respect that. It took them years to earn the privilege of being called Dr.

I went the baked goods route, too . I am known as quite the foodie in my department. I gave homemade breads/thank you cards to my LoR writers and my profs who helped me with my personal statement. Plus, the baking has been cathartic while I'm waiting for a decision.

Agreed. When my current profs reviewed my statement, they said it should be in essay format. It shouldn't be like a cover letter. You'll want to put some type of heading at the top with your name, contact info and the program to which you're applying. That way it can be easily identified if POIs are reading it separately.

Happy to help. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Athens is a very small-town atmosphere. OU is the largest part of the town and is a very beautiful campus. I've been there and really like it. Make sure to check out the China King restaurant. It's the major haunt for students/faculty at lunchtime. One thing that I tell people that you won't find in the brochures...it is very hilly. Make sure you have some decent walking shoes or a bike to get around. I made the mistake of wearing 1 inch heels during my campus visit. I was miserable by the end of the day. I found out most of the female professors keep a pair of flats in their bags for walking around campus . Columbus is the closest metro area and is about 1 1/2 hour drive. I think the closest major airport is in Columbus, too. Housing is at a premium, so start your search early. You'll want to look at the surrounding cities if you have a car. The Plains, Nelsonville, etc.

I tried out a new recipe last night for my very Irish fiance. He said it would make his grandma proud . I served it with pot roast, but it should go great with pork, too. Colcannon with a twist 6 large redskin potatoes, peeled Half head cabbage 2 cups parsnips 1 cup milk 4 tbsp butter 1/4 cup grated parmesan 2 tbsp salt Pepper to taste 1. Fill a stockpot with gallon of water. Add salt. Heat over high flame. 2. Dice peeled potatoes into 1 inch cubes; parsnips into 1/2 inch pieces. 3. When water comes to boil, add potatoes and parsnips. Reduce heat to med. 4. Slice cabbage into bite-size pieces. 5. When potatoes and parsnips are fork-tender, add cabbage pieces. Continue cooking until cabbage in tender (5 minutes or so). Be careful not to overcook or it will start to smell like sulfur. 6. Drain potato/parsnip/cabbage and return vegetables to pot. 7. Lightly mash vegetables until potatoes break down 8. Add milk, butter and parmesan. Mix until dairy is fully-incorporated. 9. Add pepper to taste. 10. Enjoy!!

i/o hopeful, Here is a secret from a former chocolate business owner for melting chocolate in a home kitchen. Use the defrost setting (30% power) on the microwave. A standard bag of chips will melt in about 6-7 minutes. The low power keeps it from scorching. If you add some pure, organic cocoa butter (food grade), the chocolate will have a beautiful consistency that's perfect for dipping.

Now that my application is off, the waiting game begins. For anyone else who uses cooking as a therapeutic measure, share your favorite recipes. I will get things started with a very simple recipe for a hearty chicken soup (perfect for the frigid temperatures this time of year). Hearty Chicken Soup Makes 6-8 Servings 1 Rotisserie Chicken (find in the deli section of your grocer) 2 Boxes Chicken Stock (low sodium) 1 tsp fresh chopped sage (or 2 tsp dry) 1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary (or 2 tsp dry) 1/4 tsp black pepper Salt to taste 1 bag favorite frozen vegetable mix (I like asian style- onions, peppers, baby corn) 1 package Gnocchi (tiny potato pasta) 1/4 C fresh chopped parsley 1. Remove skin from rotisserie chicken. 2. Pull off meat. Shred or dice into bite-size pieces. 3. Pour chicken stock into stockpot or large dutch over. Heat over medium flame. Bring stock to simmer. 4. Add chicken bones and skin to stock. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour. (This step adds a lot of extra flavor) 5. Strain bones and skin from stock. 6. Add herbs/spices, frozen vegetables and chicken meat. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes. 7. Add Gnocchi. Gnocchi is done when it floats at the top (will take 3-5 minutes). 8. Remove from heat when Gnocchi is done. Stir in fresh parsley. 9. Enjoy!!

I finally have my final LoR, so I'm ready to pack and send all of my materials. My official application, fee, transcripts and GRE scores have already been sent to the graduate department. Now I can send my supplemental materials to the graduate director of my program. I wanted to send everything in one packet, so the grad director has everything at once and I can track it. I am sending the following items... 1. Resume 2. Personal Statement 3. Letters of Recommendation 4. Electronic Portfolio (on CD) 5. Hard copy of one of my research papers (for committee members not comfortable with electronic format) Everything will go in a portfolio folder. My resume and personal statement are on bright white, 26lb paper. Is this professional enough, or should I use specialty stock? I know I have everything that is required, but is there anything else I should include?

Take as many practice tests as you can and time them. I cannot stress this enough. The clock got me big time when taking the actual GRE. I had to fly through my last 5 questions on Q section. I scored much better on my practice tests, but I suffered from serious test anxiety on the actual day.