cunninlynguist

If your 3 professor references are good, I don't think it'll be a red flag. However, if the third professor isn't enthusiastic, it'll show, and then the adcomm might wonder why you didn't get it from an internship supervisor. You shouldn't beat yourself up about it, however. There's only so much you can do in tracking people down! One of my references actually wrote me a letter last year and now he's in a very notable state governmental position -- and, consequently, is difficult to reach. I'm trying to get through the red tape and contact his actual office so that I can still use him.

Three LORs from professors isn't a concern if they can all speak directly about your strengths and litter the recommendations with anecdotes and evidence of your prowess. You said you've done 2 internships in the past year, though -- can you request anyone from those to write you a LOR? Since you're going for a MPP, it'd be ideal to offer a professional reference.

If an applicant scores a 6 and produces a thoroughly mediocre SOP and/or writing sample, it seems unlikely the adcomm will give any serious thought to the AW score as a compensatory factor. However, since the AW section doesn't exclusively measure writing ability, it does offer some evidence regarding the applicant's analytical skills. Still, I think the general consensus is true: the AW is by and large the least important component of the application and is only notable if fellowships require a minimum score or if it's abysmally low. A score of 5 or higher is cool, but not a big deal.

I'd still place more emphasis on the SOP elements. Perhaps you can weave in some academic qualities and research/career interests of yours that would make you a diverse addition to the program, rather than conveying you're diverse in the personal sense. If you want to include a couple of background tidbits, I think that'd be acceptable given their instructions. My ratio would be 75% SOP and 25% diversity, with most of the diversity thoughts still attached to some academic or professional goal.

A fair number of us will submit another piece of writing in addition to the SOP and writing sample - the "personal" statement. I've looked around GradCafe for prior discussions but there's a dearth of information relative to other application components. What I've gathered so far is that it does not grant you license to talk about yourself in an intimately personal way without grounding some of those experiences to your academic progression. Is that the basic principle? Anecdotes are clearly welcome in this essay but they still need to connect to your interests or to your ability to overcome an adverse situation. While it seems like an afterthought - and some programs basically imply it's not a big deal - it would be very useful to get any insight from those who wrote a compelling diversity statement, and what they included. Thanks!

I'm up for it, as I've got a couple days off. PM me!

Two days is nothing, particularly given that it's the beginning of the fall semester in the U.S. I imagine they're quite occupied with other things and will get back to you as soon as possible, but you should be patient and allow them some time.

As someone who transferred a couple of times and completed their B.A. in 5 years, I also shared the same concern. I researched it quite a bit a couple of months back and the overwhelming consensus is that it's nothing to worry about. Everyone has different circumstances; 5 years isn't a big deal at all.

I'll bite, if the OP is expressing their actual opinion: You don't appear to be worthy of judging the humanities and its students on any level given your writing abilities, or lack thereof. Scholars in the humanities fields are, by and large, incredibly effective and sophisticated communicators. If you really "loved" the humanities at one point, those teachings would be reflected in your writing.

A week ago - and it's barely September? Do yourself a favor and relax. He is most likely inundated with other things. Before I decided to delay my application cycle until this year, I asked my LOR writers last year. My first choice professor didn't get back to me until a week later and she said she'd be happy to do it. It's good that you have a contingency plan in place with other options, but give him a bit more time. You can always re-send the e-mail in a few days. If it comes down to it, I'd absolutely use the ethnic studies professor. Even if it doesn't provide a psychology reference, it sounds as if the letter itself would be great, and far superior to your alternatives who may not be able to speak in detail about you and your academic performance.

Your numbers look fine to me. Don't dwell on them, and don't let your confidence waver. Focus on producing a great SOP and demonstrate your knowledge of the field and what you want to actually achieve - there's no need for you to worry about things you can no longer control (especially since your numbers won't preclude you from anywhere, by any standard). Your improvement on the GRE is a good sign, and the score on the Quantitative section will serve you well, given that you'll be on the scientific end of the spectrum. An applicant with fieldwork, research, and internship experience is very desirable in this field. Admissions in any environmental discipline will give significant value to that commitment, while gaining exposure to actual issues. I'm in a similar situation, just on the policy side. If you have any questions, want to talk about specific programs, etc., please feel free to send me a PM. You shouldn't rule out "top 10" programs, either. If there's a program that really matches your interests, give it a shot.

I think it depends. Doctoral programs that are highly academic in nature will absolutely want a CV, whereas a lot of professional M.A. programs will want to see related work experience, and thus a resume would be more appropriate. In your case, given your area of study and the explicit requests for a resume, I'd say a resume is the right choice.

You should give it some consideration, but don't be afraid to seek out other programs that appeal to you. The MPP at UCI may not even match your interests - and honestly, if you plan to work for a year or two, your interests may end up in a totally different place compared to this moment. Your GPA is good and I'm sure if you put together a solid application overall, you'll be a serious candidate at many Public Policy programs. Don't focus too much on particular programs right now. Just continue to do well in your classes and explore what you'd want to get out of a MPP, in general terms. And when it comes time to make a decision regarding where you'll apply: Don't pursue the school, pursue the individual program.

U.S. News has a service called the "Graduate School Compass" that claims to offer statistics on test scores. It costs $19.99. I'm tempted to buy it but don't know if it actually provides useful data, and there's no list of programs pre-purchase. http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/2011/02/08/faq-us-news-graduate-school-compass

After a few weeks of writing and tweaking - following months of brainstorming and reading - the first draft of my SOP is complete. I'd love to get some initial feedback and would happily exchange with anyone else at a similar stage. I'd also greatly appreciate the insight of anyone who has already been though the process and can examine it critically. My writing sample was very much improved after runonsentence and ThePoorHangedFool reviewed and edited it! Just shoot me a PM if interested. Thanks in advance.

It does seem like a lot of new scores are high, but ultimately the percentiles will always carry more weight. If you did well, though, I imagine the percentiles will be solid. After all, the new test has only been in effect for 2 weeks - perhaps the estimated scores are somewhat inaccurate (the 100-point range doesn't grant much confidence).

I've been polishing up my sample for the last couple of weeks and I'm (a) officially sick of looking at it, and ( wondering if it's any good. It's only 8 pages and from a political science course. Only one of my applications requires it, but it's a competitive one and thus I want it to be as perfect as possible. If anyone is willing to read it and offer any input/criticism, that would be fantastic and much appreciated. Let me know.

My main issue with the GRE was the geometry. I had never grasped it well in 9th grade, so revisiting it so many years later on a test was beyond difficult. I missed all 5 geometry questions on the test. I'm sorry, but I don't understand the applicability of geometry to graduate school studies (for most students). Unfortunately, it may be a reality that sub-1000 composite scores can weigh heavily on your application. For some of those students, it means that a morning/afternoon wipes away years and years of accomplishment and scholarship, but that's how the system operates now.

Isn't that Verbal score in the 96th or 97th percentile? I think that qualifies as great. Do as ZeeMore21 suggested: work on the other components of your application and make sure they're as excellent as possible, rather than hoping a minor bump in the GRE will be a significant admissions factor.

Has anyone looked into the MA in Environmental Studies at Brown? Aside from the department website, there's virtually no information available and I'm waiting to hear back from a professor there. Their program has a couple of very intriguing elements and I'm seriously considering putting in an application.

How much value do adcomms really place on an 'upward trend' in grades? Some schools require a GPA calculation from the last 2 years only (the UC system, for instance), and others indicate that the last 2 years are given more weight. The prevailing consensus seems to be that there's always an implicit benefit in achieving higher grades during your latter years and that mediocre performance in your first year or two can be overlooked a bit. The context of this question isn't about those with a 2.9 overall and something like a 3.5 in the last 2 years, but rather an applicant with a 3.2/3.3/3.4 overall and a 3.6+ in the last 2 years of undergraduate study. (Not trying to disparage those with a GPA less than 3.0 - this is just something I'm curious about).

Absolutely. I met with the head of the Conservation department in my town just this morning and I told him I'd be gone in Fall 2012. Otherwise he would've considered me for a Commissioner position, but it's clearly long-term, and consequently it wouldn't be fair for me to accept. I don't know if the museum expects assistant curators to stick around for a few years, but in any case honesty is always best for both parties. Hopefully you won't encounter any trouble - a year is still a good amount of time. Good luck with the interview!

No. Don't even think about it. The analytical writing section is far and away the one that garners the least attention from admissions committees. In any case, you could've scored a 1.0 on the AW and your GPA and main GRE scores would probably offset it completely. Moreover, since you're an international student, it makes the AW section even less relevant. Congratulate yourself on the fantastic scores you received for the sections that actually matter, and don't spend another second worrying about the GRE.

I definitely appreciate your insight regarding Duke. Their standards and acceptance rates (for Master's admissions, anyway) are clearly the least available of all the top-tier environmental programs. That Yale number is scary. I'd love to go there for many reasons but I won't be shocked if it doesn't work out. Probably a little depressed, though, lol.