noodles.galaznik

I know that fit and SOP are some of the huge things, but getting outstanding LOR really are too. One of my friends got rejected from his top program, and when he asked why he was told it was because his LOR weren't that great. He had a great GPR (well above their minimum), was told he was a good fit, and had a rockin' SOP but since he wasn't as highly recommended as other applicants, he was rejected. He was told by his POI that they couldn't take any chances in selecting grad students. So, I know it's one of those parts of your applications that's totally out of your control, but make sure you can get some really fabulous recs by people!

I have a kindle, and I love it! It might be a little bit pricey with the initial cost of the reader, but I've been able to get so many textbooks through the much cheaper Kindle verson. It's pretty much paid for itself! Also, it has a superb battery life- you really don't have to charge it all that often.

My advisor told me to just sum up childhood interest in about one sentence. He said if you tell a cute little story like that, it's a little too "folksy", and that's not what adcomms are looking for. Focus on more recent things that show a deep interest and understanding of the topic- not stuff from when you were a kid.

Awesome, thanks for the advice! That sounds like it would work really well. I think once I get over my initial awkward stages, it'll be ok.

My friend got rejected from her top choice program, and she emailed her POI just wondering why so she could take that into account when reapplying. About a week later, she got a really detailed and helpful response as to why she wasn't selected. It was a bummer for her to have all of the things "wrong" pointed out, but now she knows what she needs to work on. I think it really varies on the school and the program- you might hear nothing back, you might get a generic response, or something actually useful. If you're going to ask, do it tactfully. Don't sound accusing, angry, disappointed, etc. Good luck!

That's the route I'm going! I didn't feel as though I was really ready for grad school yet, so I'm taking a year off to volunteer, do some research and take classes at the school of my choice. From what I understand it's a fairly normal thing.

So next year, I'll be taking classes at my top school as a non-degree seeking student in order to strengthen my background before I apply to schools in fall of 2012. The prof I want to work with has told me that I've got a really strong application already, and the only thing that could potentially hold me back is letters of recommendation. What is absolutely terrifying that those are pretty much out of my control. I'm not a bad student. I work really hard, I'm intelligent (at least I would like to think so ) and I'm passionate and driven and I love anthropology-there's nothing else I could even imagine doing. The only problem is that I'm so damn shy and introverted it's crippling. I tend to be really weird and awkward, and I don't really know how to initiate friendships. That's the problem. I'm graduating in May, and I haven't really given any of my professors here a chance to get to know me well enough to be able to write an outstanding and fabulous LOR. It feels weird to ask this...but how do you initiate and build strong relationships with professors so that they know you well enough as a student to write a great LOR? Since I'm going to be taking classes in the fall and volunteering doing some museum work, I feel like this is a second chance for me to get to know people and hopefully get over my weirdness. Can anyone offer good advice about how to undertake this endeavor? If you're like me, I'd love to hear some insight!