Grunty DaGnome

Call the department and say your name is Joe Smith.

Because every hour spent studying for the math GRE is an hour spent not editing a writing sample.

You should log in and do a click through for all your applications, really. As I do that, I make a desktop file for all the various apply online website pages and different user names [because you KNOW some only allow 6 characters, others use your email, etc.]

The web site implies it, by giving you an address to send "supplementary materials," but I also confirmed with Wanda Bak.

Even better, is that there's no easy way to look up whether materials have been recieved.

Don't feel down, TWO. From your other posts, you also sound highly interested, motivated and intelligent. You are just finishing up undergrad. It will happen, don't worry!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, UMass's web site and application process is so different from the others, I feel like it requires its own thread. I have submitted my application [by MAILING my hard-copy writing sample to the Graduate School -- NOT the English Department]. NOTE: If you can't convert your SOP to Pdf, you can cut and past the text, OR you have the option of mailing a hard copy with your writing sample, just FYI. Now, I'd love to check the status of my application; transcripts, LORs, etc. but can't for the life of me find the correct log in to do it!?@?! Sometimes, I find a screen that asks for a log in id different from the one I used in my application, but I haven't been sent any credentials like this. Anyone know anything?

No way, Trip! I hope you get into a Boston school. We need a "dirty realist" up here.

So what was the cutoff?

I know aaa good dark bar where we can drink cheap once we both get in to bu. Until then, call update legal temp agency in ny and get yourself a paralegal gig.

Now you're just showin' off!

Whachyoo talkin' about Willis?

I have sent 2 and 2 more are finished, but I'm thinking of tweeking the SOP again this weekend. Should I?

I plan to send mine Monday, at which time I'm going to double check it with the department and also find out what they want for a cover page, but yeah. I'm pretty sure you mail it. Oh, and I searched their site a million times before I figured this out. UMASS's site might win the prize on this thread ---with extra points for asking you to convert everything to PDF and then putting a prohibitive size limit on uploads.

Mail UMASS-Amherst samples to: UMASS Graduate Admissions 530 Goodall Building 140 Hicks Way Amherst, MA 01003-9333 There's a different adress if you send it fedex, but I don't have that on hand.

Well, if you get an 800 on the Quant. you're a stand out in the English field I'd say. There's certainly no way a high Quant. score would hurt you.

That was my strategy going in. I spent about 2 days cramming for the math section, just for good form. Usually I come in around 80% in math on these things, but I outdid myself this time with a truly impressive 61%ile. Whoops. [Also, I used Kaplan flash cards in addition to doing practice exercises and I think it helped quite a bit. I think most of the unusual vocab. on the test was selected from Edgar Allen Poe stories. I only noticed this when I coincidentally read the Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym right after taking the test].

So now that applications are going out the door, it's time to reflect on every personal weakness reflected therein. This time around, I scored fairly strong on the GRE verbal, but lower than ever on the GRE quant. Should I obsess over this? Or should I find something else to obsess over?

Yup, it's all you, Timshel. You have our full support!

Let's all just keep in mind that, even though most schools get 100s of applications, many get tossed right away. I had a friend who worked at the Harvard Graduate A&S Admissions department, and she said, the fact that Harvard is so well known, they'd get applications from Egypt to Antarctica and many were just all over the place. Particularly all of you posters who know from before that you've made initial cuts and been very close to admissions, you are going to make that initial cut again. This is my rationalization of the day, anyway. I predict they will become more detailed and more blindly optimistic as my applications go out and Feb / March sloooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwllllllllllllyyyyyyyyy aproaches.

I'm seriously going to consider a job in IT support if this whole "passion for literature" thingie falls through.

I don't think that means supporting materials that you control, such as writing sample or SOP. I think that means faculty letters, GRE scores or transcripts.

I closed my eyes and sent it out today...and then realized I spelled the well-known library I referenced in my Statement of Purpose WRONG. Isn't that clever?

December 1st deadlines suck, but it does feel good to start sending these things OUT.

Oh, NYU.....*sigh*