butterfingers2010

Are your letters being done online? If so, a lot of them allow you to send an auto-generated "reminder e-mail" through the online application. That might seem more gentle than an e-mail directly from you. If not, just send a brief, politely-worded e-mail reminding them that the deadline is coming up: "Hi (person's name). I just wanted to remind you that the deadlines for my letter of recommendations are coming up. They are due (due dates). Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help you, and thank you again for writing me a letter. It certainly means a lot to me!" Short and sweet should do the trick.

One of my letter writers showed me a copy of my LOR, but only after most of them were sent. I saw one that wasn't sent because she brought it into work to give to me (this one has to be sent in a packet with all my other application materials) It wasn't inherently bad, but very short (about half a page) and didn't really provide details about my assets or skills. It did mention that I have been a "tremendous" asset to our program, and that I'm recommended "most highly" and "without reservation." It just didn't really highlight what I was hoping it would (my skills and potential as a counselor) I know my boss wasn't purposely writing me a bad letter. She has no experience with LOR's. When asked what I thought, I said it was good but a bit short. She said that she didn't want to repeat any information. So here is the situation re. this letter and all the schools I'm applying to: *Northwestern: Only requires two letters, which I already have...so I could just delete her's off my online application. *Marquette: Requires three letters, but also had a supplementary questionnaire regarding specific skills, qualities, etc. In this case I am thinking that it might further enhance the letter and explain what was left out. I do have the option of asking somebody else and deleting her letter off the online application. *UW Milwaukee: Requires three letters, but as I mentioned you have to send all of them together in one envelope, so I could ask somebody else to do it instead. *UW Madison: Requires three letters, but it also online, so I could delete that one and ask someone else as well. *UW Whitewater: Requires two minimum, and I already had two. The problem is that her letter has already been sent there (its the third), so they will still get it. I hope this isn't the kiss of death for me. I am very disappointed that I may not be able to use this letter. I have worked this job full-time for two years, it is closely related to what I want to go to school for, and I was hoping a good letter from my boss would really boost my chances. It would be great to have somebody who can speak to my clinical skills. I think one of my other letters touches on this, but this is from a professor I knew as an undergrad who does not know my current skills. Not to mention, I am not sure who else to ask for a letter at this point. I could ask another professor, but I already have 2 letters from professors and I want my letters to be well-rounded. One of my co-workers might write me a letter but I doubt it would be taken very seriously by the addcomm. LOR's have been an endless source of frustration for me and I thought that I had everything good to go. I guess I got my hopes up to soon... Advice? Thoughts? Encouragement? Thanks!

Thanks, all. I figured this was yet another of the crazy thoughts that pops up in my overactive, nervous applicant imagination...but I wanted a second opinion. Yes, Sigaba! We should all just "relax" as we drive toward judgment day i.e. the day we turn in our application for the all-knowing adcomms to review. : )

Thanks for the encouragement darlindukkie! I had quite a hard time finding a third LOR as well. I thought I had great choices for references, but most of them did not pan out. My top two choices for the third letter did not respond to my inquires at all, and I thought that I was out of options, since I felt I did not know many of my other professors well enough to ask. I sent out a few e-mails to professors who I thought would at least remember me, and I was pleasantly surprised by an old psychology professor who agreed to write my letter, even though I had only one class with him and rarely spoke with him outside of it. As luck would have it he wanted me to write my own letter and he happens to be the head of the counseling department at my alma matter (I am not applying to his grad program, btw. It doesn't quite fit my interests) so I feel like I pretty much won the golden ticket as far as LOR's go, since I got to put exactly what I wanted in my letter. My advice to people out there who are still struggling with this is to keep asking, and keep asking, and keep asking until you get a "yes"! Surely you had at least a few professors, supervisors,etc. who are both reliable and willing to write on your behalf. It can be a frustrating process, and you definitely feel like its a bit of a blow to your ego, but if grad school is what you really want...it is all worth it in the end.

When my boss first told me she would write my letter she said that she would make sure to give me the "first draft" to review so I could see what she wrote. Now today I found out that she submitted my letters, without showing them to me once! Now, I understand it is not standard practice to view your LOR's, but I am confused as to why she changed her mind on this, and I'm a little afraid to ask. She can be a little unpredictable and scatterbrained at times, so I am hoping that is why and that she didn't write a bad letter and doesn't want me to know. Am I being too paranoid here? I've gotten mostly good reviews/feedback from her so I feel like there's not much reason to be, but now I am wondering....

Okay, so I have a dilemma of sorts. My boss has agreed to write my LOR, which is awesome because my job is strongly related to the field of study to which I'm applying. For months now I have been considering getting a new job, but wanting this LOR has been holding me back. I know she might still write it even if I do leave for a new position, but at this point I don't want to take any chances, because getting into grad school means that much to me. I love my job, but it pays a pittance and I am struggling daily to make ends meet. I just recently moved into a place of my own (no parents, no roommate, etc.) and my budget is stretched almost to the breaking point. I can make it like this if I am very strict with myself and stick to my budget, but it's not especially comfortable and everyday at work I find myself thinking "I am worth WAY more than this." I wanted a good reference from someone in the field and I wanted to gain more work experience in this area as well, but now I'm thinking maybe its' time to jump ship and move onto something else. I could wait until I start grad school ( I don't plan on working full time during grad school) but that is still almost a year away and I just don't know if I can stand it for that long. I've seen several jobs postings that I am qualified for, are related to my field and would pay me much more than what I am making now. I'm very tempted to put in my application but my boss has not submitted my letters yet and I don't want to screw it up. Maybe I am overthinking this, but I don't want to do anything that would possibly ruin my chances of getting in. I am sick of living on rice and noodles and praying everyday that my car is not going to break down. This is probably good practice for grad school and learning how to live the life of a poor student but I have been working full time almost 2 years now and I don't know how much more frustration I can handle. With that said should I wait until my LOR's are submitted to start job-hunting? Or should I just take the chance that my boss will spite me by not writing my LOR if I land a new job before then? (She doesn't strike me as the type, but like I said I really don't want to take ANY chances). She told me that she will have the letter done within the next month or so, so the timing might work out okay, then again, maybe it won't..

I work full time now during typical "business hours." To visit my old professors (without setting up an appointment first) would require taking time off work (not something I would get sick time for) showing up at their office, and HOPING they happen to be there, as none of them seem to post their office hours for the public to view and therefore, I would have no idea when they are there. On the other hand, it takes me less than 5 minutes to send an e-mail. All the information that my recommenders need I can either send via e-mail or postal mail, so it's really not necessary to meet them in person, is it? I've asked a few professors for requests via e-mail, and they seemed fine with it, since they were agreeable to writing the letter. Personally, I would not want a professor who has secret requirements for LOR's (they "must" ask in person!) to write my letter. I think this is indicative of somebody who is overly-particular and possibly prickly, and I certainly wouldn't trust them to write a glowing LOR. It's simply presumptious. How could the professor possibly know that person's reasons for asking via e-mail? Plus, to ignore e-mails from people you know is simply rude and inconsiderate. As I said, it takes less than 5 minutes to send an e-mail. We all lead busy lives, and e-mail is one of those wonderful tools of the 21st century that makes things easier. E-mail as a communication form is not going away anytime soon so everybody might as well get used to it. I realize that in some cases it makes more sense to ask for letters in person. If you are still in college you definitely should do so. But if you haven't been in school in years and you work full time and lead a busy life (as most people do) it just makes more sense to e-mail or even make a phone call. In my humble opinion I think some professors are a little full of themselves if they have these secret requirements for LOR's and just assume that everybody else knows about them.

Wow at first I thought "there must be something wrong with me" since I also had two professors just completely ignore my requests for LOR's, but now I am seeing that this is commonplace. I also had one professor who agreed to write me a letter, then just ignored further follow-up e-mails I sent her. Even if you are lucky enough to get people to agree to writer your letters, it is a miracle if they are completed and sent in on time! Would a simple "yes" or "no" answer be too much to ask for? Especially when the request is over e-mail, making it easier to feel comfortable saying "no." Heck, you could even say "no" but come up with some plausable excuse, such as not having enough time to write a letter, just to make saying "no" even easier. Anything other than just completely ignoring someone and leaving them hanging! I think the most frustrating thing about this ridiculous process known as the LOR is that you are relying on other people to complete a major component of your application for you. Not to mention these are people that may not have been in your life for a considerable time, potentially making them feel less obligated to follow through. Yes, having good references is important and can be helpful in the decision-making process but with LOR's a lot of it is left up to luck, I think. You could be an excellent student who is personable, hard-working and knew the professor well, but if your professor is a flake then you're screwed! It's like we're getting punished for having had inconsiderate professors, which is totally ridiculous. Maybe I am just jaded after all the difficulties I have had lining up LOR's, but based on the postings on these forums it seems to be a common issue. I think grad schools need to rethink the way they handle references because with LOR's you are putting a major portion of the application in the hands of someone other than the applicant, and shouldn't the applicant have every opportunity to ensure their application is complete? In most cases, a missing LOR results in an automatic rejection from grad school, and I think its really unjust because its not a poor reflection on the applicant but rather on their professor/supervisor/whoever flaked out on writing the letter.

It sounds like you might be having difficulty adjusting to what is a huge change in your life...starting grad school and the next step in your career. I think it's fairly normal to feel some anxiety over this, but if you feel like your depression is getting excessive you should definitely seek help. Is there a counseling center at your school? I think most schools have them, which is a great resource when you need this type of help but are on a limited income. Part of the problem may also be that you haven't established a good balance in your life. You have to learn how to take good care of yourself at the end of the day by making time for healthy eating, exercise, relaxation, friends, and fun. Grad school is a lot of work but you should still purposely plan time every day just for yourself so that you can unwind. Seeking out a support network among your fellow students and colleagues is important, too. If you feel like you don't know people well enough to lean on them emotionally, try calling up trusted friends and family members to talk about what you're going through. In the meantime, try to make an effort to make friends, because they will be a vital part of enjoying your grad school experience. You could try joining professional organizations other activities for grad students at your school. Try to identify some of the new people you've met who you are interested in socializing with and invite them out for coffee or lunch sometime. It takes awhile to build relationships but its definitely worth the effort in the end. If you are having trouble completing assignments, you could try breaking them up into more managable segments and then planning a schedule around this. For example, if you are writing a paper you could make it a goal to find 5 sources by tommorrow, read up on 2 sources the day after, 2 the day after that, have the notes all written up by Friday, and outline done by Saturday,etc. until the project is done. Make sure to take plenty of breaks inbetween to do something you enjoy. I know it seems that there is not much you enjoy right now, but surely you had some favorite stress relievers/activities in the past that you could learn to enjoy again. Good luck with everything and I hope you're on your way to feeling better soon!

Personally I love the first paragraph. It really drew me in as a reader because it's attention-grabbing and interesting, and I think you should definitely keep it. The fourth paragraph is only a sentence long, which isn't technically a paragraph...so you should integrate it in somewhere else. The last paragraph is a bit confusing to me. which country's culture are you trying to promote...the U.S. or Japan? It just wasn't very clear. Do you speak Japanese? How familiar are you with the culture? These are definitely things you should mention, as being bilingual and multicultural helps you stand out from the crowd. Were your grades truly that bad in college, in comparison with other applicants to Johns Hopkins? You don't want to focus on something negative in your essay unless an explanation is absolutely called for. Lastly, I second FuzzyLogician's advice that you should explain more about how you are a good fit for this school. What is so special about John Hopkins that you want to go to school there? (aside from the prestige) How will doing so specifically help you with your career? Don't be discouraged. Overall I think it is a great start and you have a good base to work from. It took me about 4 months total to perfect my SOP. It's truly an art form to be able to write an excellent SOP, and just keep going at it until you have it!

Well considering you are applying for an academic program, you should probably put the "Education" category first. On my resume, I split up the work experience category into "Relevant Experience" and "other experience", with "Relevant Experience" first. I like this approach because it lets the reader ponder your strongest qualifications first and all the experience related to the job/program is in one easy to read category. Sometimes it is preferred that you just list your jobs in chronological order, usually by employers who like to easily infer that there are no "gaps" in your resume. For the purpose of graduate school though I like these two separate categories the best. I also included a "hobbies/interests" category. This wouldn't be considered normal for a job application but I think grad schools like to have this information about you to see that you are a well-rounded person with a personality outside of your professional role.

Does he understand that you're asking him to write an LOR? It sounds like there's a miscommunication there. As others have pointed out, it could also be the case that he feels he does not need to review these materials, if he already knows you well. Either way, follow up on this and make sure you get everything straightened out. As for the professor who just didn't even respond to your e-mail...yes that is rather rude, but make sure you follow up again by phone because e-mails easily get lost. On the other hand, perhaps they do not want to write your letter (for various reasons) but don't have the heart to tell you. This happened to me with two of the professors I requested LOR's from. I asked via e-mail, and when I didn't hear back I followed up with a voicemail and a second e-mail from a different e-mail account. Still, nothing. It sucks that a professor whom you got on with would just not respond to your request, but you can't really do anything except move onto plan b. In my case, I ended up asking professors whom I didn't know as well and thought it was probably a shot in the dark, but surprise surprise..both of them were willing to help! You just have to keep putting yourself out there until something works. And it will if you try.

Are there any other professors you could ask? I think you should exhaust all of your options in that area before asking for another work reference, just because schools seems to prefer recommendations from professors versus from work. If none of your old professors work out, then you could definitely ask the other doctor. I don't think that doing so would hurt your application, because this other person can write about you from a different perspective, i.e. maybe they will point out things that the other letter writer would not.

One of my LOR writers recently submitted all of the letters to my prospective programs. I want to say thank you in a meaningful way (have already said so over e-mail) but I'm not sure if I should do it now, when I'm done submitting all of my apps, or when I heard back from the schools (which will be many months from now. The person in question is an old college professor of mine. My boss is also writing me a letter, and I want to give her a small token of appreciation in return, but I'm not sure what would be appropriate. She's diabetic so I don't want to send the wrong message by giving her candy/chocolate,etc. and she doesn't drink coffee or tea, that I've ever seen. My third LOR is actually having me write the letter myself for him to review and sign. Would it be odd to send a thank you note in this situation? I feel like I should show my appreciation for his time, even if all he did was sign and mail them. Thanks all for your advice/thoughts! I never imagined all the little details that go into grad school apps...

To answer your first question, I was in the same situation and what I did was give my LOR writers a set date at which they could start submitting letters. Basically, I kindly asked them not to submit any letters before November 1st, which is my personal deadline for submitting any online applications with that particular issue involved. It made it kind of stressful for me, but I figured it would make their life easier and making your LOR writer's jobs easier is always a good thing. I'm not sure about your second question. Maybe you should ask the individual schools what their advice is in that situation.

The application asks questions such as "Describe any teaching experience you've had" and "Describe any counseling practicums and internships you have had." It does not specify how long, just asks you to describe the name of the organization, dates, and duties. To me that seems like pretty much a repetition of the resume, which they asked for anyway.

What does FTFSI mean?

I submitted a couple of online applications (still working on the "second step" of sending additional materials) so I totally know how you feel! In my mind I keep going over things, thinking "what if I did this differently" or "what if I did that differently?" but at the end of the day all you can do is know that you did the best you could...the rest is pretty much up to fate. You should be proud that you're getting such an early start on things. There's always going to be a mistake somewhere, but most likely they are small ones...like not spelling a word correctly, etc. but you can't obsess over it because it will make you crazy, and nobody submits perfect applications. Case in point- one of my friends (who is in a PhD program this year) gave me her SOP as an example to use while working on mine. I laughed out loud when I saw that there were four or five words spelled incorrectly, because it's so typical of her to be a bad speller, but she still got in because she's such a talented lady otherwise. : ) You just have to learn to let things go, I guess. When I am finally done with all my apps (which won't be soon, based on how long my LOR's seem to be taking) I am going to pack up all of my materials that I've used...all my SOP drafts, my checklists, notes,etc. and toss it in the recycling bin. Next, I'm going to go to the grocery store for a bottle of champagne, order some Chinese food, and spend the rest of the evening watching mindless TV and think about how happy I am not to be throwing pizza in the oven for "supper" while I am busy slaving over my applications. If you've been working on apps for a long time like I have, its hard to just let it go after all your hard work, but you have to somehow.

One of my applications has a page on the online application in which I have to answer various questions about my work experience. The application page provides text box areas in which you copy and paste your answers in. The problem is, they provide no guidance as to how long the answers should be. Obviously I have to provide enough information to answer the question, and they probably aren't expecting a full blown essay since the boxes are so small. I feel like this is more or less a repetition of my resume, but in narrative form. What is the point of such redundancy? I suppose I should just expand a bit on what it states in my resume, but I'm not sure how much I should write. I don't want my answers to be inadequate but I don't want to bore them with tons of long-winded answers either.

Thanks so much for giving us all some perspective on this craziness known as grad school applications. Lately, I have found myself flipping out over the most minute details of my applications. It sucks to realize that you can't control everything but it helps to know that you've done you're best and that ultimately, what will happen in the end is really little more than fate. I'm a strong believer that what is meant to be, will be, and you should just forget about the rest. I actually had a really comforting dream the other night, in which it was next September and I was walking around the campus of one of the schools I am applying to. I remember feeling so happy because it was a beautiful day and I had finally made it through the application grind and was starting a new chapter in my life. Sadly this was not my first choice school, but one I would be happy to attend nonetheless. I don't know how much stock you should put in dreams but I am hoping its a good sign.

So here's my issue. I didn't realize until after I submitted my application today that they did not request a resume as part of the online app, nor are they requesting it as part of the supplemental materials mailed to the department. I did not fully describe all of my work experience in my SOP because it would have been waaaay too long if I had! At the same time though, I feel like they can't really evaluate me as an applicant not knowing all of my experience in the field. I am applying to counseling programs, which usually like to see that you have actual experience working with clients in the field. I am really tempted to send them a copy of my resume, but I don't want to come off the wrong way. I know I should have looked into this more beforehand but what kind of grad school does not want your resume? It did say to describe your relevant experience in the SOP, and I touched on a few things, especially my current position, where I have gotten the bulk of my experience in the field. I just didn't find it feasible or necessary to write about every single experience I've had in the field. Did I just shoot myself in the foot here? Should I submit my resume so they can get the full picture, or not since they didn't specifically ask for it?

I'm sure he is just busy, or sick, or not checking e-mails right now, or something...I don't think he would offer to write you a letter and then blow you off when you request it. Just be patient and if things don't pan out after a couple of weeks, you could try following up with a phone call or another e-mail.

I had the same dilemma and I ended up deciding against it. I just could not think of anything that makes me stick out, with the exception of a few things I had mentioned in my SOP already, anyway. Are you sure you're not diverse in some way? Diversity could also mean in socioeconomic status, age, life experiences, etc. I would consider all the possibilities carefully and then decide if any of them truly warrant a diversity statement. You definitely don't want to sound contrived or irritate the person who is reviewing your application, so only write it if it is something truly meaningful that was not covered elsewhere in your application. I honestly don't think it will hurt your application by not writing it, since it's not required. if it were required they would just state that.

I have a binder where I keep a seperate section for each school with notes about what I am currently working on. I just spent the whole day meticulously examining most of my apps and making sure I have everything covered, and now I have notes in each section about what is already done, what needs to be done yet, etc. I also have a general "to do" list where I can have the satisfaction of crossing things off as they get done. I also have neatly organized files on my computer with a seperate folder for each school to keep SOP's, additional essays, resumes/cv's,etc. I wouldn't exactly consider my methods OCD or anything...some of my notes are not very neat and there's a mess of papers that I haven't sorted through. I would label myself "messy organized" in that my organizational style doesn't appear to be so, but it makes sense to me. haha.

I had to write an essay that was focus on my career goals. What I did was pick out some interesting stories that demonstrate how I came to have those goals. Of course your essay should not be boring, and if it sounds like it is then you should definitely revise! You want the addcomm to remember you, so pick out something interesting that will get their attention (in a good way, of course.) I wouldn't worry about sounding too "lofty" or "idealistic" as long as you demonstrate that you know how to succeed in your field and the steps you plan on taking to get there. In my essays I talked about wanting to open my own therapy practice, for example, but obviously that goal is too lofty for a new graduate, so I also mentioned what I would like to do immediately following graduation. Grad schools want people who are ambitious and have big goals in life, so don't hold back from that! Just state it in a way that shows you know how to think logically and realistically.