psychdork

street sign

recommendation letter

I would follow the format of an official statement. I would make sure to include the standard information (your inspiration for this area, previous research, any other experience - like TAing, why you want to work with this POI, etc.). The actual information might be different given you're in bio and I'm in psych, but you get the idea. Basically, since this is going to one of your POIs, I would treat this as I would an official statement.

A few weeks after I told my Mom I wanted to go to grad school, I was watching reruns of an old tv show. Mom: "Are you getting your PhD because <character on tv show> got her PhD?" Me: (in my head) Yes, Mom, I've decided to spend 5+ years of my life in grad school because she did. Obviously I couldn't have made this decision for any other reason...

At my university, one credit hour equals approximately 3 hours of work per week. However, like fuzzylogician said, it really depends on the professor. I've done several independent studies with different professors and each one is different depending on the professor and what he/she considers acceptable to satisfy the credit hours.

Congrats digits2006 & PsychGirl1! As of about an hour ago, I have 6/8 apps submitted. The remaining two are paper apps and aren't due until Jan & Feb so still plenty of time. They are both finished but I'll have to wait until Monday to mail them as I don't know the correct postage. Now to keep an eye on the LORs, and make sure each school received my transcripts/GRE scores.

love shack

It depends on the school. Some schools are very strict about everything including letters. They might make an exception but I wouldn't be surprised if they won't. Others are a little more flexible when it comes to letters, mainly because they realize it is out of the applicant's control. For instance, last year one of my letters never arrived (it was a paper letter rather than online). When I noticed it was missing (probably a week after the deadline) I quickly emailed the graduate school and they allowed my LOR writer to email in her letter. I think some of it depends how quickly they start reviewing applications. Some start within a few days of the application deadline so they really can't be that accommodating.

west wing

wild animal

loose tea

I have to agree with emmm, I have a feeling your verbal score might be too low to gain admission even if everything else on your application was exceptional. To answer your above question, in some cases yes a high writing score can off-set a poor verbal score (I was told this by a prof on one of the adcoms last year), but that is usually if the verbal score is mediocre (say 500 range) not 300. If your programs require a writing sample, then make sure you send them an excellent one, and like one of the above posters said, make sure your LOR writers can vouch for your verbal skills.

I wouldn't mention it. Like you said, you don't know if you will get into grad school this year. And if you do get in, you won't know this for a few months anyway. Besides, even if you were intending on working at this job for several years, that doesn't mean that you wouldn't leave in a few months if a better job came your way.

pickled eggs

I agree with watson. I didn't get in anywhere last year and I'm applying to work with some of the same POIs this year (I was waitlisted at these schools last year). When I emailed my POIs, I never mentioned that I'm reapplying, I just stated that I was interested in their work on "blah blah blah" and asked if they were planning on taking students. Like watson said, I didn't want the knowledge that I had applied there in the past to potentially bias my current application (not to mention that it would have been awkward to write). As far as mentioning that you are taking master's classes, if you are only taking classes and don't intend to get the degree, then I wouldn't mention it in your email. You can mention it in your SOP later on, but in your email I would just keep it simple and to the point. However, if you do almost have your degree, you could mention it very quickly. I basically said, "hi my name is psychdork, I'm currently finishing my master's degree in psych and am interested in your work...". I don't know what other people think but my reasoning is if you are just taking classes then that might come across as indecisive...which you can explain in your SOP but would take up too much room in your email.

Spaghetti squash

meat sauce

Dark purple

I'm slowly getting everything accomplished. I have all of the basic application forms (name, address, etc.) filled out, & my GRE and transcripts ordered. I have to give my LOR writers the actual LOR packets but that can be taken care of Monday (I know from past experience they won't actually submit my LORS until Thanksgiving weekend anyway). Besides that, all I have left is to get my personal statement done and then I can finally start submitting everything. I definitely have my work cut out for me, but it's manageable. How about everyone else?

I emailed her over the summer and she said she isn't accepting students.

uncomfortable silence

Unfortunately, it really depends on the school. Some schools discard application information after an application season and for those schools you will need to resend your scores. Other schools keep app information for a year or two, and in this case you will not have to resend your scores. For what it's worth, most of my schools require that I resend my scores. If you are not sure, email the school and ask.

exploding dynamite