orst11

Actually, you can elaborate on the "I want to be a professor," statement and that could make your SOP different than others. For instance, you can simply say you want to teach at either an R1, LAC, or other university/college. This will actually help them when they are setting up your file for placements. Edit: Also, if you are an international applicant and are hoping to go back to your country of origin and teach, you can elaborate that way.

Is the class part of a liberal arts curriculum, where you have to take a few science courses? A withdraw now would then mean you have to schedule some other science related course later on and you may deal with the same issue. Truthfully, like runonsentence noted you are probably over-thinking this and given it isn't in a closely related field a W won't make much of a difference.

Just a few days ago fuzzylogician noted this site and it may be of some help: http://science-professor.blogspot.com/2011/10/writing-to-me-reprise.html

First off, I think it may be difficult to apply to poli sci. programs given you did make the change to chemistry after some time, with that said I wouldn't say it would be impossible. Whether you apply to chem. or poli. sci. it will be beneficial to you to get recs from each respected field. Good recs. are definitely needed given you have changed fields prior. Secondly, since you mentioned you are retaking the GRE, better scores may help with a better rec. each way.

Belgian waffle

united way

Updating the professors who wrote your recs 2 years about new aspects of your application may help them write a better recommendation. First consider this and then possible get one from your employer. Like emmm notes having recommendations from the field you are going into is important, this goes for people who go into a different field then what they did their undergraduate degree in as well.

I think kalapocska's comment is a more direct answer to the question. Truthfully, I know professors personally that have said they would interview people in Jan. and didn't, it simply just acknowledges that you are a candidate that does match their research and they will look more into your file in Jan., when they are making admission decisions.

Divine chocolates

On some applications, putting that you have discussed the the possibility of attending a given program and working with a professor shows that you have done your research on programs. It therefore helps you when they do decide what students to interview and then admit, of course if you meet their given criteria. With that said she could have honestly liked what she saw and is simply encouraging you to apply. But also be aware that top programs get hundreds of applications for a limited number of spots in their programs and really often this is how the simply encourage you to apply. A simple reply is better than hearing nothing though.

At most places they just keep any of your application materials in a given folder, this makes it easy to send certain materials before you actually submit the application. You can check to see if materials are received just by asking, so I wouldn't just wait until you submit the application, because some things may not get there in time if you wait.

I would think that in both cases, it says that you have taken part in each project. It would say that you do understand publishing work some. Obviously if you feel this is a weak part of your application you can always send a note. Like you noted it's not going to be treated as equal to someone who has published their own work but it may help equal some of your research experience some.

Typically, most recommendations require just a few edits for each school, so it's not too big of a deal for recs to do a good amount of them LORs. With that said I agree with iamincontrolhere-haig in saying if you apply to too many they may question your focus. They know how competitive some fields are so most professors don't have a problem. If you are having a person you have worked with write recs typically this is when you want to worry about having them complete a bunch because they aren't accustomed to the whole process. I would just advise you to be organized in your approach. For instance, I sent packages to my recs that included a cv, transcripts, SOP, a writing sample, and a writing sample from one of their courses along with a table that included deadlines, program preference, and notes on each program. You don't have to go to that much of an extreme but giving them deadlines and letting them know when to expect recommendation links is necessary. The latter is especially important because sometimes things will go to spam in a person's email.

I will note that this is actually quite common especially at larger universities. Like the others have noted, wording is key especially since some recs will only glance at it and then sign it. Also, a lot of programs are starting to catch on to this tendency and voiding recs even seen by applicants, so write a strong recommendation but not one that is too far fetched. This should ultimately be a huge plus for you.

Exactly why even programs like Iowa have a page on the application where you can explain these negatives. We have looked at similar programs so really no problem. As far as GRE scores, Iowa and Purdue typically have applicants with similar scores.

I actually think it's interesting you brought this topic up because with almost every major university offering some courses online it really needs be mentioned, especially for future applicants. With that said I will admit I have taken an online class before, and I actually met one of my profs. via Skype before I had met them in person. Sometimes schedules conflict but you can always find a way. The thing is if you look at a recommendation form it would be difficult for an online professor to complete accurately without knowing you fairly well and having met you. Her response actually seems to be typical, so no big worry. She probably just wants to get a better feel for you as a person so she has more basis to judge and write an accurate/good recommendation.

Iowa: Requires 540 of the 1200 minimum come from verbal. Purdue: receive a score of 600 or higher on the verbal section of the GRE. (listed on their grad school website). You should be competitive there. Like other people have noted if the rest of your application is good, you should be competitive at quite a few programs. Don't rule something out just because one aspect of your application doesn't seem to par with their averages..

return address

Have you tried searching for scholars who research GNH or strictly Himalayan studies?

On the academic market they do typically place somewhat locally with some international (Turkey, China, etc.) placements thrown in there as well. I did see some older placements not listed on their actual website just by googling and they include: Cal U (PA), East Carolina, Westminster (PA) It seems like a lot of their former students do well with policy related work, though this could be changing given they seem to put more emphasis on teaching lately. Typically, it seems like most students TA for the first few years and then do get some quality teaching experience afterwards. I know funding is a very important issue for you, but their stipend is only around $10,000, which is low, and that's comparing it to similar ranked programs. The reason behind this makes sense though given they do try to fund the majority if not all of their students.

spill berms

At $249 per hour, I think maybe the best bet is definitely to save money. If you haven't taken the GRE yet I know that Kaplan does give pretty good discounts for purchasing various packages together. I only know this because I have worked for them before. Like LLajax noted, an advisor or trusted professor typically can give you a better grasp on the actual field you are going into. Plus, you save money. But if you are willing to pay the price there are a few companies out there that do provide graduate school admissions counseling. The going rate for most of these services are around $200-250 an hour. Just do a search on google, with something such as "graduate school admission consulting" and you will find a few companies that meet certain needs. I know I saw some charge by how many schools you apply to which can be even more expensive, but they really do almost everything for you for each school. I would advise if you do decide to do this, choose one that specializes in graduate consulting and not just college consulting. No matter what though you still do have to do some work yourself.

I would say ask on the computer science forum, you may get some type of response there. Just looking at the programs I think maybe the MCIT would be a better option, because you did mention you lack some core courses that could be important for admission into the MSE program. Really, I would just contact Upenn because it is somewhat of a dilemma given you are in a field that requires a lot of similar course offerings. Research may play a role as well so I would also advise to see what program fits your needs in that aspect as well.

I think when it comes to your second question, I think this differs by schools. I know for 3 of the schools I am applying to don't even let me submit my app because the GRE scores are a required field on the online application. I actually have tried to submit them, and they just gave me a response saying I didn't have all the required fields inputted. As far as programs where you are applying directly to departments, it typically is easier when it comes to this aspect of the application because you can simply notify them of scores. I guess this would be an interesting question to actually figure out. Also, as far as the recommendation issue, I think a lot of us can feel your pain when it comes to schools that don't let recs submit letters until apps are submitted.

The masters GPA I think will definitely help when it comes to that aspect of the application. As far as the GRE and other aspects of the application, you are going into a field that will value a lot more practical experience than almost anything. While you may see the GRE as low I would say it never hurts to ask if they have average GRE score for previous admits just to give you a little more comfort.