edost

Thanks for the advice. I guess I will look for external funding. I hope my research area (entertainment and politics) will be deemed important enough by some foundation.

The other day I was chatting here on GradCafe and mentioned I was looking for external funding in case I'm accepted with no funding. I was told that other than Fulbright (which I'm not eligible for when applying in the States), I shouldn't bother, and that programs that won't fund me aren't worth it, anyway, with or without external funding. Any thoughts?

Even if they got your transcripts and scores before you submitted your application, it might take a few days after you apply until they match everything. I'm in the same situation in a few places, and I'm waiting until at least seven business days pass before I e-mail them about it.

I check my spam every day now. I never knew there were so many different kinds of viagra-type pills before. Makes me think I shouldn't seek a Ph.D. but an MD with a urology specialty instead!

range rover

I remember signing something that required that I don't reveal the questions I got. Regardless, though, it doesn't really matter what others were asked, since the chances that you'll get that same topic are equal to the chances that you'll get any other topic on ETS's website.

salad bowl

It's my first (and hopefully last) year applying, so all this is from what I've read on this forum and from programs' websites: I'm guessing most of the craziness will start in mid-February, with very few admissions decisions coming in late January.

I think Farsi is fine. Arabic would also be a good choice, but I agree with Armadilla that you should focus on one language. German would help only if you want to read certain original historical texts, I think. I'm not an expert, though. You should consult one of your professors.

book burning

Someone can apply to a few schools that are a great fit, and a few more that are a looser fit (but still make sense for their research interest) to make sure they're accepted.

I have a similar situation, though in my case the recommender submitted most of the letters of recommendation before her husband died. If your recommender hasn't written any letters yet, it might be best to look for another professor. If he has, then submitting it is rather technical and not too time consuming. He might be a bit late with it, but if you explain the situation to the grad schools, they'll probably understand. Besides, they usually have grace periods anyway.

Those smart Wi-Fi-connected TVs should come with an app that preemts whatever you're watching whenever there is a new admission decision.

I've submitted all but one of my applications, and for some reason, I keep checking on the status of the previous applications instead of working on my final one. I mean, I know there won't be any admission decisions yet, but I keep checking if they got my test scores, recommendation letters and transcripts.

I've applied to most of the programs I'm interested in, with just three out of eleven left. One of these three is my last place safety school (meaning that I'd go there only if I'm not accepted into all other programs, including my other safety schools), and it is the only place that requires that I submit an evaluation of my foreign grades. This would cost me quite a lot of money. Now I am not sure whether or not to apply to this university, mainly because of the evaluation. It is also the program least fitting my research interests. On the other hand, if the worst case scenario happens and I don't get into the other ten, I'd be screwed if I don't also apply to the 11th. Any thoughts?

I had a prophetic dream last night about by dream school. Well, I had two dreams, actually. In the first one, a person in a lab coat came to tell me I've been accepted (which is weird, since I'm in the social sciences, where nobody wears lab coats). I woke up happy and fell asleep again. Then I dreamt that I was notified that I've been rejected by the same school. The person rejecting me gave me an application form for a university in Montreal instead (why Montreal of all places, I don't know). One of these dreams will definitely come true, minus the weird parts (lab coat/Montreal). I hope, of course, that the dream where I'm accepted comes true. Have you ever had dreams about your dream schools (or reach schools and safety schools, for that matter)?

Other than mentioning contact with a program's faculty members, should I mention the fact that I was in contact with a then-grad student a few years ago? She's now a faculty member elsewhere and her research is relevant to my own, and our e-mail exchange was about our field.

That's an excellent approach. Actually seeing you and talking to you makes more of an impression than e-mails. That isn't practical all the time, though. If you want to go to a school on the other side of the world, the other side of the country, or even ten hours away by car, unless you're near a university where there are a lot of conferences and the professors travel to where you are - you need to e-mail the professors.

I've contacted professors directly. I only contacted administrators for more technical questions.

Oh, so you've seen the show! Just kidding... Seriously, though, thanks for the advice. I'm going to use my discussion section as the writing sample, so it should be kind of general, without too many references to specific characters, but when I do reference something like that, I'll explain the context.

That's not the kind of misunderstanding that concerns me. The sketches are about Israeli stuff - Israeli politics, Israeli culture, Israeli celebrities, etc. Those are the things American admissions committee members are unfamiliar with and might get confused by.

It's a sketch show, so there is no plot. I guess I can make it more accessible by removing references to specific characters and focusing on general themes, so it won't be confusing.

I've got a dilemma. I've translated part of my MA thesis into English, but it's about an Israeli show. I'm not sure how understandable it is to American admission committees. I thought of translating a seminar paper I wrote about the United States, which would be much easier for Americans to understand, obviously. However, wouldn't programs expect that, if I have a thesis, the thesis (or part of it) would be my sample? So, should I work my ass off to make the excerpt from the thesis more understandable, or translate the seminar paper?

I have a Master's thesis in Hebrew. I'm having trouble deciding whether I should translate exerpts and submit that as a writing sample, or write an article based on the thesis. Do you think one or the other is better?

I've already contacted people to ask them if my interests fit theirs. Almost all of them (about a dozen) replied, and quite warmly. Only one person implied that I shouldn't have contacted him. Since some of the people who replied to me recommended other professors I should contact, I'd say that in most cases, getting in touch is a good idea. I should note, though, that not all the people I've been in contact with are from PoliSci (the others being from Communications). From what I understand, having someone "on the inside" interested in working with you before your application arrives on their desk is a good thing, since it increases your chances of being accepted.