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joe490

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Everything posted by joe490

  1. No idea -- haven't heard anything either since the original e-mail. Assuming they figure everything out by the end of the month (AKA: now) I would hope we hear by early-April the latest.
  2. I received an e-mail this afternoon that they were impressed with my application but facing a budget situation where they can only offer a limited number of assistantships, and that I'm on the top group of wait listing for funding. Also said they should know more about funding in late March.
  3. I started a sociology blog but haven't updated it recently due to being too busy... http://socialmeld.wordpress.com If people seem interested, though, I'll happily start writing more
  4. Hi Dizzi, It's been about two weeks since you posted this so I'm not sure if you'll see this reply, but I hope you do because I am in a very similar boat as you. I added Sociology late in my undergrad as well and fell in love with it. I didn't have all four years to connect with faculty and win tons of awards or honors (not to mention my school doesn't offer any for Soc., either...) My GRE's are abysmal due, in all honesty, to a lack of resources to prep accordingly (it was debt-inducing enough just to pay for the test itself -- I have no one feeding me money and I only work a part time job). So, I could not dish out $1,500 for a prep course. Also, by the time I finally had the money together to pay for the exam, I had little time to prep. For me, the GRE's were a disaster all around. My GPA is a 3.7, I believe I have great LOR's, an SOP which articulates my strengths just as I wanted, and a writing sample I am proud of. I shift from phases of confidence when I look over the materials I'm sending (except the GRE's) to great depression and fear when I browse these boards and see who I'm competing with. I'm not sure what to make of all of it, and to be honest I usually avoid coming here because all it ever does it put me in a bad mood in which I doubt myself. All I can say is -- hold your head high and believe in yourself. Know that you are not the only one with a less than perfect scenario (even though this forum may make you believe otherwise). Maybe I'll feel silly saying all of this come April if I'm rejected from every program I've applied to, but as it stands now I am just trying to believe in myself and my abilities. I'm placing my hands in fate and hope that whatever is meant to be will happen. Life has thrown me plenty of bumps and bruises and I'm praying that for once things go my way.... Please take care and remember you're not the only one feeling this way. Best, Joe
  5. @Sigaba: I understand your point in regard to the "balanced narrative." Thanks again for bringing it up. I can see where this could potentially raise a flag, though I truly hope schools do not correlate GRE scores directly with intelligence, since standardized testing is a one-time, very situational occurrence versus a GPA/transcript reflecting 4 years of academic achievement or LoR's which reflect the stances of professors who have worked with students for lengthy periods of time (or at least lengthy enough to be able to compose an articulate argument of a students' potential.) I see your point in regard to academic integrity, where some students skew the generalization with plagiarism and other false intent. @Frightened: I'm not sure if it varies program to program, but for the Sociology Ph.D GRE scores are mandatory, so I'm stuck submitting whatever I get. I'm pleasantly surprised with the amount of responses I'm receiving here. As I said in the beginning, this is a fantastic resource for grad students. Thanks so much everyone, and if anyone has anything else to add, I truly appreciate it!
  6. Thank you all truly for your extensive feedback. Your opinions are helping me organize my thoughts and make a plan of action. From what I'm gathering, I believe my first step should be to reach out to POI's for my top choices, and based on their responses consider retaking the test. It seems the consensus is mixed in regard to the GRE's weight in admission decisions, and I suppose that is because none of us TRULY know, and it varies school to school, correct? Most of my schools seem to have Dec. 15th deadlines, so if I were to retake the GRE it would have to be around that mid-Dec. time frame and scores would be reported 10-15 days later because I do believe score reporting returns to normal after November. But once again, my prioritizing of retaking the test should depend on what information I can gather from my schools of interest, correct? @Sigaba: Thanks for the extensive insight -- I do have one question about a point you brought up. You mentioned I take care in asking for assistance with writing LOR's and SOP's. Do you truly believe a school would raise a flag to well-written application supplements when a verbal score is low? I consider myself a good writer in general, and the GRE (for me, at least) is a poor representation of my ability. Do schools tend to make generalizations of my ability based on GRE scores? I also understand your point in regard to GPA Inflation, which I assume is the reason we have standardized tests such as the GRE to place everyone on equal grounds. @Orst11: My biggest difficulty in searching for study material was the fear of using materials for the old GRE to study for the revised. I know ETS' website suggests not to, and I couldn't decipher that as either a gimmick to purchase new study materials to generate profit or if it was a fair warning. Playing it safe, I only used the limited resources I could find free online for the revised exam. Utilizing campus resources is also great advice which I did not consider the first time around. I don't frequent our Academic Resource Center, so I don't know the extent of their usefulness, but it's something to consider if I decide to retake, so thank you. @Gvh: Fit is another factor I need to consider as well - thank you for bringing that up. My interests within my field are broad enough that I hope can be spun to fit in anywhere, but at this point in my life I suppose that's not my place to say. Again, thank you all so much. I did not realize how much more involved this was as opposed to applying for undergrad, but I am certainly ready for the challenge. This is kind of a bittersweet process -- while the contention of going to Grad School is enticing, the steps necessary to reach it is quite involved. If anyone has anything else to add, please feel free. I'm enjoying the feedback. Joe
  7. @Kitkat: Thus far I'm looking to apply to NYU, Cornell (I know, I know... dreaming big for something that probably won't happen) Rutgers, and SUNY Stony Brook. From what I've seen on their websites, all of these schools say there is no "cut-off" per se, and the GRE "is just one factor in the application." But I'm not sure whether to take that with a grain of salt & if that's how it really goes down at the Admissions table. The fellowship factor is one main reason I may consider trying to retake, but who knows if I'll do any better. @Kalapocska: By financial resources, I mean money. Besides having to pay application fees it's simply going to run me down to have to dish out another $160 to take it again, plus travel expenses to get to the testing center. Though my pitiful scores may not suggest it, I did try to prepare, and yes, I am a native English speaker. Again pulling the financial factor into the picture, I couldn't purchase any additional study materials or take any formal prep classes. So, I was on my own with free resources for preparation. Thank you both for your input. My only other consideration in retaking it is the time factor. I took it Oct. 7th, so I wouldn't be able to take it again until at least Dec. 7th, and most schools want the GRE scores submitted WITH the application, not as a supplement after the fact, right? That's what I've read so far. Does anyone else have any feedback? I appreciate the comments -- it's nice to hear other opinions!
  8. Hello, I stumbled across this website a few weeks ago and have been browsing these forums since. I'm glad this resource is available to us and we can all come together to help each other out through this dismal process. I'm currently a double-major Sociology/Communication Studies at Seton Hall University in NJ. My GPA is 3.7 and I am assisting a professor with research. Overall, I like to believe my strengths lie in academia and I'm looking to obtain a Ph.D in Sociology. All was well -- I have three professors lined up who I'm sure will write me fantastic letters. My Soc. adviser is more than willing to work with me to help me draft a great Statement of Purpose and Writing Sample. Then... I took the GRE. I almost threw my head through the monitor when I saw my range. 390-490V and 520-620Q. I (think) I wrote two strong essays for AW, but we'll see. Reading this forum has made me more discouraged, as I see fellow posters becoming anxious over scores ranging 600+. So, I must ask, do I have the SLIGHTEST chance with these atrocious ranges? I don't have the financial resources or the time to retake the GRE, so I'm stuck with whatever the official outcome turns out to be. This isn't meant to sound pompous or big-headed, but I know I'm better than what these scores show. I hate that this test is supposed to give schools an idea of the type of student I am in a "standardized" context, because my scores don't reflect me at all. I simply croak during these standardized tests. The SAT was no different. If anyone has ANY advice, comments, criticism, anything -- it'd be greatly appreciated. All I want is a chance to prove myself in Grad School, and I'm praying I didn't blow my chance because of this stupid standardized tests. Please help? I'm feeling really down right now. Sincerely, Joe
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