[OMG Please read and tell me what this means!!]

SWEET! Yes, I did just that. I replied and said it was my #1 choice and that I could provide further information, interview, etc. if it would help aide their decision!!!

Thanks a lot for posting. It may seem like a dumb question but like I said reading into it A LOT!

[OMG Please read and tell me what this means!!]

I'd say it's pretty clear. Congrats! You're in!

See that's what I want to think and am hoping but I am reading into it a lot. Thanks for your post. I'm really hoping!!!

[OMG Please read and tell me what this means!!]

Hi all!

I just received this letter from U Conn Grad. What does it mean?

Dear Prospective Graduate Student,

We have been delayed with graduate admissions decisions while waiting for the new State

budget. Once the budget situation is clearer, we would like to consider your application for admission to the graduate program in sociology at the University of Connecticut. Please let us know by e-mailing Name.edu to let us know whether (a) you are still

interested in the program or ( you have already accepted another offer.

Sincerely,

Name,

Title

Ahh!!!! I'm freaking out. Thanks for your help in advance.

Sparkle

[Minneapolis, MN]

thank you

any idea about the cost of living?.... I heart its expensive too! correct me if i am wrong

I live in a suburb of Minneapolis--yes, the cost of living is fairly high (compared to other cities in the state).

I live in a nice, 9 year old apt building, 1 bedroom w/tons of amenities (underground parking, pool, etc) and it's

$1025/month. I used to live in a 2br and that cost $1305 (went up to $1335).

No tax on clothes or food so that's a plus.

Public transportation is good--I don't use it but my in-law does and he's never had a problem; lots of spots in Minneapolis, maybe not as many in St. Paul.

Hmm...what else? It's a great area. If you want to live in a nice place downtown, it will cost you.

Let me know if you have other q's...I've lived here forever!

[Undergrad/Graduate Stats]

I agree about not really posting this...I wanted to delete this post after.

Sorry!!

[If anyone wants to feel better about their app.]

Other than your GRE scores, what could you possibly think is so dreadful about your application? I'm actually pretty annoyed here. :roll:

GRE scores are only one aspect of your app and they know some people just aren't standardized test-takers. It's your job to study, do the best you can, then emphasize your fit and experiences to balance it out.

Edit: Ha! I wrote that before reading that freefallen also mentioned "fit and experience."

Hi, I meant to respond before. I understand and wasn't trying to be whiny. I understand what you mean and sorry if I came off too strong. I had a really bad day yesterday after getting rejected. Thanks for your comment!! I love the forums, they can keep us in check.

[If anyone wants to feel better about their app.]

Of course there are exceptions. I do better than most on standardized tests without studying, but I studied for the GRE quite a bit (and still did mediocre on AW). Do I sometims complain that the AW prompts are inane and boring and ridiculous? Of course. But really, I probably could have worked harder and beat that section, and I admit this to myself.

But the source of my frustration stems from people like this: I work with a guy who took the GRE recently. He scored somewhere around an 850 or so (Verbal and Quantitative combined), and of COURSE it was the test's fault, because standardized tests totally don't prove anything, right? He never took into consideration the possibilities that he (A) didn't prepare enough for it, or ( is, in fact, a complete moron. (The latter's possibility given some support by the fact that he was semi-proud of beating 13 percent of people on the Quantitative section despite his not taking any math courses in college. It was the first time in my life I witnessed someone bragging about achieving a 13th percentile score on something.)

I can understand that. I certainly don't blame the test. That makes me think of blaming the video game for being flawed b/c one can't pass the level Like I mentioned, not trying to be whiny...and I did study a lot. I'm glad it sparked this discussion!

[If anyone wants to feel better about their app.]

Best of luck, and don't get down on yourself about unimpressive GRE scores. I'm sure there's a probably a lot that's impressive in your application to counterbalance the GREs.

And if this year doesn't work out for you, might I suggest applying to programs in Canada next year? To the best of my knowledge, most don't care about GREs, and if you're in the upper midwest anyway (as I would guess from your school selection), you wouldn't necessarily have to go too far.

Yeah, I looked at going to Canada it would certainly be closer to MN than CT but I think I was intimidated and did not see a good match. Maybe next year I'll look more closely though. Thanks for that!

[If anyone wants to feel better about their app.]

Sparkle don't feel bad...some of us aren't standardized test takers, no matter how much we decide to study and get prepared for it (like a lot of the people who do well on it seem to think is the case). I studied myself, and with two very standardized test-oriented people (one of which made a 790 on the quantitative) and I still did crappy for most PhD applicant's standards...however they're quite normal scores for masters programs and less academia oriented programs. The only thing worth mentioning in my scores was a 5 on the writing.

But anywho, my point is, there are some of us who do study for it, and still can't get a decent score. And I am one of those people who is of the opinion that standardized tests are good predictors only if you did absolutely abysmal (and your scores are not absolutely abysmal), but beyond that, they don't really have much correlation with GPA. I know plenty of people who would most likely flop out of graduate school who could easily get in the 1300 range on the GRE. I'm not trying to bash anyone with a good one either...I'm just saying everyone is different, so you can't lump everyone into a group of 'I did well because I studied' or 'you didn't do well because you didn't study'. There are more factors. I am also a strong believer of this because it came true with my SAT score (it was horrid as well) and I have a 4.0 gpa at fairly prestigious research school as an undergrad. So no... I don't think my GRE will be an issue for me if I get in/decide to go to grad school as I made A's in all of my math classes and did fine in quantitative courses. I just plain suck at the GRE and don't have a good reason for it because I did study. I'm probably a minority in this regard but I thought I'd share my story that it does happen....just to give a little more credit to the people who don't particularly favor the GRE (and they still studied for it).

And it's definitely not the end of your app. I've talked with several professors who realize it's not the only thing and not one spoke highly of it. It is used as a weed out of course but with that high gpa, I doubt they wouldn't look at the rest of your app which I'm sure is fabulous.

Thanks Evenstar...it is good to hear this as well. I think you're right and that is a very non-biased/balanced perspective which I really appreciate. So...you're not applying to schools or you're applying to see what happens?? Sounds like you'd be a great candidate!! I'll be way curious to see where we all end up!!

[If anyone wants to feel better about their app.]

Unfortunately, the GRE is used to make funding decisions. My school recently implemented a policy in which people can be awarded not only a fellowship, but a GA, if they have a certain cutoff score.

I was told by a faculty member that a candidate that almost all of the faculty were advocating for was passed forward for admission, and rejected by the dean because of her GREs. :-(

So, while the faculty know GRE are not always a good predictor, and are not the be all and end all, sometimes it's beyond their control.

Yeah, I've heard this too from my advisors. And it stinks. But you're right it's beyond their control. I think that if it doesn't work out I will study for a whole year to get them up to at least above 1200. It's got to help.

[If anyone wants to feel better about their app.]

That's assuming that all the people who didn't want to study for them do poorly. I have a friend that does VERY well on standardized tests without studying, and she knows it gives her an unfair advantage. That may be more rare, but she definitely supports the notion that they don't prove anything because she's much less confident in her overall academic ability. She's bright of course, but not necessarily any more bright than the people who also don't study and do poorly. She's just a good "test-taker."

This is good to hear as well. It's a different perspective than my own-almost the opposite. Thanks for posting this!

[If anyone wants to feel better about their app.]

Thank you all so much for your comments.

To answer the question about whether I studied: YES a TON!! I promise I did not just go in there blindly. I was fortunate to have paid 1/3 of the price for a Kaplan test preparation course. I did flash cards, and spent hours upon hours trying to memorize words, do practice tests and brushed up on as much math as I could. Honestly, I wish I would have spent like an entire year working on it but to keep my gpa up (4.0 only in my major field) i had to concentrate on that. I knew going into it (from my ACT scores) that standardize testing would not work for me. I have 4 research presentations at conferences and I defended an honor's thesis. I have taken quantitative courses and did well. My SOP I used to think was good but really I wasn't very specific on my research interests. I tried to match my general area of interests with specific faculty. But, after reading some other posts about research interests I was like OH S!

Thanks again for the hopeful comments and I apologize if I sounded whiny about my GREs. I just get bummed when I hear others who have way better scores. And that no matter how hard I study I have the idea that those tests are supposed to gauge skills that are inborn or something. Does that make sense?

[If anyone wants to feel better about their app.]

Thank you for that message. I agree about the idealistic nature of our thought process. I gotta say just hearing someone else say that makes me feel better.

Good luck w/your apps.

[If anyone wants to feel better about their app.]

Oh...to answer your question. I didn't retake the GRE because I re-took the practice test and did 200 points worse.

I cannot standardize test. I also feel like a sociology program should be able to consider more than that.

[If anyone wants to feel better about their app.]

Yeah...I suppose I should start working on my grad school student ego like the rest of ya'll j/k.

the thing is my interests match w/all of them. I live in MN so I wanted to stay close to home. I looked at every program imaginable as I'm sure most did!

Do you know where you're going to go? What's your #1 choice?

[If anyone wants to feel better about their app.]

:?:

[University of Minnesota-Twin Cities]

Well, I was rejected from the U of MN. I spent a lot of time and put a lot of effort into the personal statements (including the diversity).

I was hoping for the U but I guess I was not good enough. Rejection sucks!

[What will you do with your Soc PhD?]

Well, I'm applying to graduate schools to be a professor. I had a mentor who was the best...

I love qualitative research also. I am so anxious about getting accepted into other schools...especially after my first rejection

Good luck to all. Hope everything works out and that we all are able to fulfill our dreams!

Peace.

[The University Of Minnesota, Twin Cities]

Hi, mine said that the day before i was rejected...it will say "decision made" or sth. then, you'll see a link which will bring you to a letter of acceptance/rejection.

Good luck.