socihealth

I was so surprised to see that so many people were in this situation; I thought I was the only one! I am currently working as a nanny for a a family with 6 children. The pay is OK and the work can be challenging but the hours are great and the family is very flexible. They know I am applying for grad school and I am confident that when I need time off for interviews they will be very fine with it. Because its not full time and I needed to supplement my income, I took a minimum wage job working in retail part time. I am still a volunteer in the labs that I worked at as an undergraduate and am producing some research this semester with my old lab mates. I think volunteer work is a great suggestion!

I emailed a department a few weeks ago and she said to check back after the Jan 15 deadline. I plan to call this week and see if all of my materials are in. I think everything should be, but I will feel better after I have checked at each school.

I dont post much on Facebook any more at all but I don't think I would post any info about acceptances or rejections. I feel like its a very personal process. I will be happy to tell my close friends, family, and advisors. But beyond that, I don't think I will let people know unless I see them and they ask.

I created a new paper for an application as well. I only had one school request a writing sample and I wanted to turn in a paper representative of my match with that program. I do see the danger of turning in work that is not reviewed by others but I think that it does represent my individual ability well. If they do not like my individual writing, they probably won't like me as a student. I did proof the paper and asked my lab mates to proof it for grammar errors/confusion in structure.

meat head

I used to want to read my letters but after reading what some people have posted here, I may have changed my mind. It may be best to just let go of what I can't control and just let the adcomm decide.

I am applying to both masters and PhD programs. I think that the masters options overall are very expensive but might be good options if I can piece together some scholarship money. I appreciate your post Watson, because I had not factored in the extra time it might take to complete a masters and then take additional classes towards a masters at my PhD school in the future. Outside of the financial cost, do you think the time cost it worth it? Do schools prefer to admit students with no masters or do they see candidates with a masters degree as desireable?

I had a school ask for an updated transcript when my fall grades were posted. Other schools have said to not send multiple transcript versions as duplicate documents can slow the review process. I would call or email the department to find out what they prefer.

All of my applications are now submitted (Yahoo!) and it is holiday break from school. What does anyone plan to do with their time over the break? I keep trying to relax but it is so tempting to just "refresh" the check application status links online. Are you guys still thinking about your apps after submission? When do you expect to hear back from schools? Happy Holidays!

I had a letter writter submit a late latter as well. The LOR was turned in 2 days after the deadline. I am not sure what this will mean for my application but I have done everything I can to follow up and make sure my packet is now complete. I am sorry this happened to you too. Were these late letters for your top choices?

I heard someone say that the Adcom has so many statements to read that they may "breeze through" even a great applicant's statement and not even notice typos. Even if they do notice, as pointed out above, for now there is nothing you can do to change it. Be confident in the SOP you submitted (it sounds like you wrote a great one and thought carefully about the content!). Try to rest and enjoy the holidays and get ready to be sent admissions decisions in the spring!

I agree with sciencegirl. The application process can be very expensive and GREs are the same way. I didn't have the funds to take a prep course so I got some books from my university library and stuided old GRE questions in math (which stayed mostly the same from the old version) and vocabulary lists. When I had extra cash, I went to a bookstore and bought a new GRE prep book. I studied for a few weeks and made myself a schedule. The test went well but I don't think it was because of my prep time alone. I think my attitude going into the test is what helped me succeed. Joe and Dizzi have a great attitude going into their applications. I want to have this same outlook on my applications! Thanks for spreading the upbeat spirit.

Thanks for the reply. I was so worried when this happened. My faculty advisor echoed what you posted; there seems to be a grace period for LOR submission at most schools. I don't think this will be a total KOD to my application. My POI told me that the review of applications will occur after the holiday break so it seems that even though this LOR was 2 days late, it will likely be reviewed on time. Has anyone else experienced any late submissions or problems with LORs?

Hey Guys, I gave my profs their packets with LOR info in early September. Although I sent frequent reminder emails and talked with them often, one of my letter writters let a date slip by. I notified him and he is going to try to get it in quickly. This is for my top choice school. Do you think a late letter will damage my admissions chances? Thanks for your thoughts!