litjust

magic charm

Since the larger issue might be related to a student's unawareness of the competitive nature of academia (especially if the student is a first-generation college student) and her/his grades might be connected to several other responsibilities held, hardships experienced, or anything other than an inherent "under qualification" that you mention; what would you suggest the student do to bring up her/his qualifications? It always bothers me when absolute statements such as "clearly underqualified" are made. Grades do not always equate knowledge. If your teaching is the common denominator for a student who earned two C's, do you ever reflect on your teaching practices and what steps you took to help that student earn a higher grade? How would you help this student prepare? If someone expresses an interest in pursuing graduate study, in my opinion, passion and desire becomes the initial qualification. Students with less than stellar grades should not be dissuaded from pursuing graduate study.

A few years ago, this happened to one of my friends. I think the reasoning for why programs do this can be numerous, but ultimately it might not be important. It's not a rejection. In her case when she agreed to have her materials switched, she was accepted into the masters program. Don't view it as a negative. You could always get in on the masters level, network/research with the faculty whose work converges with yours, then reapply for the PhD. It will just take a bit longer.

Hey, I'm applying to a completely different program so I may be wrong, but if they're asking for teaching experience and do not indicate that the teaching needs to be at the university level, I don't see why your experience wouldn't count. You know how to plan/prep for classes (which is needed regardless of the age of the students) and it seems like that's partly what is necessary to TA a course. For the language question, it doesn't seem like they are saying you must have a degree, but is there anyone you could contact at the school to ask for clarification? Maybe for both of your questions...?

I'm such a newbie to this site. I found out a new trick (that you may or may not already know). You can go to the "Results Survey" section and search for the school name/program to get an idea as to when decisions were made in previous years. That should help.

I am, but different program. Not sure when we start to hear back. Probably Feb or March. Good luck to you!!

Eek!! I LOVE pens. Such a cool topic. My current preference is uni-ball Vision RT. But I also enjoy Pilot G2 Gel Med Point and Pilot Precise V5. I absolutely always have to have pens with purple ink.

28 - I feel ripe

So, how are you spending your personal time in between apps? I know most of us are either working full time or attending school full time, but in between stressing about apps that have already been submitted, apps that have yet to be submitted, and other obligations; what are you doing to relax? I've been reading this comic: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php what about you?

Here's another one that you might already be familiar with: http://www.novel-t.com/

Well said, erbrown. What program are you applying to at Madison?

^Is there any way you can finish them in the two weeks before you leave? I totally understand and empathize with your schedule. I've been busy as well. In a couple weeks, I'm visiting Madison to meet with a few professors and after that I plan to finish the rest of my apps. For the most part, everything is OK. But, I'll be glad when it's all over. This is such a long process...

^Did you get my response?

I love these!!

I can.

I think you should check with your program. It seems like the word count is more important since they specified a number, and 1500 words over the limit is a lot. It's not like you have 5005 words. But I could be wrong. I had to excerpt a publication for my writing sample because one of my schools had a 5 page limit. You could consider removing some words and letting them know that it is an excerpt, or that some content has been removed for length.

I agree with what many people have said regarding name dropping. The best way to do it is how Medieval suggested. Another way you can establish this fit is by illustrating the connection between your research and the research of these rockstars (and other lesser known rock stars) in your SOP. Aim to address questions similar to: How does your work reflect that of faculty at x school? What might you gain from studying with scholars at x school? How are you different than all the other candidates who want to work with the rock stars at x school? So, instead of name dropping you connect your interests to the interests shared by faculty in the division, which can probably go a lot further than mentioning a name. Good luck to you!

neon light

^ Good one! So what is it this hour?

Today, I feel confident. Tomorrow, not so much. Is applying to graduate school truly supposed to mimic symptoms of bipolar disorder?! It really is a day-to-day process and I, too, have to rationalize the notion that I may not get accepted anywhere. I say things to myself like, "Now, I'll be able to save up more money!" "There's always next year!" or my favorite, "Now, I'll be able to apply at the awesome school I overlooked during this round!" But these are just chains of words to appease my ego. Rejection bites.

FutureEd, December seems to be moving along rather quickly! How's the progress on the rest of your apps? I only need one more set of transcripts, so I ordered one from my undergrad and I still have to order one from my grad institution. Fortunately, those don't take too long to arrive, but I can't believe it's already the 9th....

Mrs. Grad, how do you enjoy living in Davis?

I'm willing to offer commentary also.

^Congrats

Rainbow Bright