GardeningGrad

I'd recommend exploring the University of Pittsburgh's GSPIA (grad school of public and international affairs) programs - lots of flexibility and significant connections to D.C., non-profits, and NGOs...

Like! or in Google+ lingo... +1! Thanks strangefox... verbalized my thoughts superbly

Thanks for bumping this, Singlecell. Isn't the insurance awesome? When I was talking to current students about the school before applying, one explained that although the stipends and aid might not be the best, UW-Madison has fantastic health care. Can't wait to actually go to a real doctor and dentist after two years of temporary, short-term insurance. Yes - I'm getting a 'welcome check,' too - though just $500 It's nice! I think it'll go towards a good bed. Two years on a craigslist bed has been enough (gag). Very excited - exactly one month until I start driving out there! FedExing one box of books to my department today to save me a little room in my little car. Trying to resell my two pieces of furniture on craigslist...

Soc-Brioche is true - the UK has excellent geography programs. Financial aid, however, is very hard to come by in the UK. If finances aren't a problem and if you're interested in working abroad - where social geography is better understood and respected as a field - definitely focus on the UK for your school search. Geography too often is limited to GIS and cartography in the US. Look for "human geography" programs, too. I would recommend looking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Geography program, though - I almost applied to it. Great people there, and significant focus on human/social geography in addition to the GIS work. I ended up not applying to geography partially because I knew it would be frustrating to be pigeon-holed as a map person or committed academic when looking for a job in applied research or non-profits/humanitarian work... The key is finding a professor who you would love to work with, regardless of continent!

Someone suggested to me that I ship stuff to my department/new office, if having it delivered at my new house wouldn't work. You could also ask your landlord for suggestions, or ask the departmental secretary for ideas of friendly people who could store what you ship until you arrive.

Just got my Droid Incredible 2... now to learn how to use it properly... one of my new favorite haunts, the Chronicle of Higher Education's ProfHacker blog has some great tips for using smartphones in academia. happy connectedness!

Ha! They put in those errors to make sure you're paying attention... at least that's how I rationalized it when I found multiple errors in each of the THREE GRE prep books I used. I like Princeton Review the best, though. It's all about the practice, and if you know the errors are there, all the better. good luck!

No longer than 2 single-spaced pages. I wrote my SOP and then e-mailed the admins of the programs I was applying to (a few months before the application deadline) to confirm the preferred length of the SOP.

I prefer "Dear Dr.... Mr..." and "Best regards" or "Sincerely," Start very formal, but make the body of the e-mail accessible and friendly.

Ditto... only include a writing sample if it's made clear in the application materials that you may. When in doubt, ask the admin of the program. It's bad form to submit any unsolicited materials with your application.

I agree with wreckofthehope - you will have plenty of time to study for the GRE. It is a glorified SAT test - not a specialized test like MCATs or LSATs. I had a full-time job and took the test twice. Having a full-time job will help you structure and manage your studying for efficiency, rather than redundancy. Here's how I studied 15 hours/ week for the GREs while working 40 hours/ week: I studied during every lunch break (6 hours), went from work directly to a library/coffee shop on Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours of studying (4 hours), reviewed vocab cards or did a practice set of math problems Mondays and Wednesdays (half-hour at a time - 1 hour), and either studied or took a practice test every Saturday (3-4 hours). It's do-able. Treat studying for the GREs as practice for time management in grad school! Also - do try to take the test earlier in November, especially if your program deadlines are in December. Allow six weeks from the day you take the test until the first application deadline to ensure that the schools get your scores.

The best 'fit' advice I've received was to identify people I'd like to be like, research I'd like to join in, and ideas that are thematic in my life and interests. Then, find out what connections those people, research projects, and ideas have with universities. Like a puzzle, in which you start with the answer and work backwards to find the pieces that fit. Specific responses: 1. How important is it to identify potential advisers who work in your region of study? - This depends on your field and the existing programs. I'm interested in a particular and subfield that could be addressed from an ecological, geographical, or social science perspective. For that reason, I looked for professors who worked interdiscipline, even while grounded in one specific field. You do want someone who easily 'gets' where you're coming from and see where you want to go. In undergrad, I had to battle some well-meaning but cloistered politics and biology profs to keep my research from becoming about their discipline. 2. If you want to work in a relatively new or niche field, or want to innovate in an established field, how do you deal with the paucity of people who worked on your research interests? - It would make your life so much easier to find a like-minded advisor who has experience in your proposed field. Again, look for the keystone paper, idea, or professor and see where they came from. Perhaps you can at least find an advisor who is well-read in your emerging field? Or see if they've advised students in the past who are playing with similar ideas? Also, ask the professor directly if you'd be a good fit with their research, their program, and the school. If they say no, they may recommend elsewhere. 3. If you have several different research interests, would you recommend emphasizing one over the others and letting your "fit" rest on that one set of interests? - Ah, that's a personal decision. Compromise is necessary, especially if you're having trouble finding an advisor. However...when I visited grad schools, it was remarkable how almost every student in my field said that they came in focused on one subject but, as they learned and researched, their interests shifted significantly. Professors, too, have multiple research interests. Don't get hung up on exclusive fit... a good atmosphere, a helpful advisor, and interesting research prospects would be more important to me. You can make your grad degree experience what you want - even as your interests change. 4. Pragmatically, how important is it for your future career that your adviser pull some weight in the field-- being famous, well-connected, well-published, etc? It makes life easier... having a well-respected advisor will help you get published faster, get better grants, and be better networked. 5. What are the risks in identifying junior, untenured faculty members? (Aside from them-- horrors!-- not getting tenure.) I think you know the risks - they leave. Don't go to a school to work with them. But definitely talk with them and ask for guidance.

I agree - those are super scores! My AW actually went down when I took the test again :-/ Later, some adcom members told me they could've cared less about the writing - as long as the SOP is excellent.

E-mail the program administrator and ask for guidance - that's what they are there for! I took college classes in high school and was prepared to track down that transcript, but I asked the admin first and he said not to bother.

waterproof watch