sareth
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Posts posted by sareth
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What about if you transferred credit from one university to another? The course information from my previous school is on my current school's transcript, so it seems silly to go through the trouble of trying to get a transcript from a university I haven't had any contact with for 10 years.
I'd still check with the programs to which you're applying. Some of them are real sticklers - one program told me they wouldn't consider my application until they received my transcript containing freshman English, which I'd taken YEARS before as a summer class at a completely random university - EVEN THOUGH transfer credit for that class appeared on my other transcripts. You may get lucky, but why not just shoot the program coordinator an email and ask?
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Sounds like you've got the study angle under control. If you haven't already taken one of ETS' PowerPrep tests, I'd do that to make sure you're comfortable with the interface and "mark for review" system. Otherwise, I can offer one piece of non-study advice: make sure you get enough sleep the night before the test - it's LONG, and I found myself getting sleepy by the end. Good luck!
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It is better to be safe than sorry.
Agreed! Even though my community college credit transferred & appeared on my baccalaureate transcript, some schools still wanted copies - and I would hate to have that keep you out of your dream school. Good luck!
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I would contact the programs to which you're applying and ask - it's a program-by-program thing. I had to supply all of my transcripts to most places, but some only required baccalaureate-level transcripts.
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I agree with WishfulThinker with the additional caveat that you'll need to put a great deal of time & effort into each one of those applications to make it worthwhile - that is, it's easier to submit very strong applications to 7-8 schools than to 15. But as long as you've done the research to know the programs are a good fit, and put in the time to polish and customize your admissions materials for each application, I don't think it's a waste.
I recommend doing the math before you start applying to make sure you've budgeted correctly. I used a spreadsheet, since the costs mount deceptively quickly if you figure in transcript fees, additional GRE score report fees, application fees, etc.
Good luck!
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I was in a similar position and my former prof said to use her current title, and she explained our advisor/student relationship in the letter. Maybe ask your referee what he thinks?
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I probably wouldn't share the top ranked schools I'm applying to. If the school feels like it's not among your top choices, they're not sure whether or not you'll enroll if they accept. I don't know if others are doing the same?
I look at it the from the other direction - I ended up at a slightly lower-ranked school largely because they offered me a very nice package to entice me knowing that I was also visiting higher-ranked programs.
Bear in mind that people within a discipline talk. One of my LOR writers got a phone call from one of her colleagues at a school I applied to and apparently (among other things) they discussed where else I was applying. I think honesty is the best policy in this situation.
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Ha! I thought I was the only one. It's not so much that I don't have time to eat (though it's a factor) but that I'm walking a LOT more, and unlike last year I'm not sitting in an office & snacking because I'm bored. I'm also eating a lot of salads because they're quick & easy with the result that I'll need to go shopping for pants soon...
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I think the way you're framing the experience is strong. If, as JoeyBoy718 suggests, you make it clear that this was an issue in your childhood, not one you're dealing with now, I think it could work. That said, you might find this paper on personal statements in psych interesting: "one respondent stated that a KOD [Kiss of Death] may occur 'when students highlight how they were drawn to graduate study because of significant personal problems or trauma.'"
In your position I'd run my draft past a trusted professor or two for opinions. Good luck!
(if the link doesn't work, the paper's Appleby & Appleby, Kisses of Death in the Graduate School Application Process, Teaching of Psychology Vol. 33 Iss. 1, 2006)
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Sareth: Given that you aren't in an expert, I suggest that you stop diagnosing medical disorders over the internet.
I did not intend to diagnose, or to give the impression that I am an expert. I merely meant to suggest it might be something worthwhile for the OP to look into. Sorry if that's not the impression I gave.
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If you find accounting boring, I don't believe a master's going to help you with your second point: wanting to enjoy your work. You'd basically be going into (more?) debt in order to fit yourself for a career you don't sound likely to enjoy. Based on what you say here I don't think it pursuing a graduate degree in accounting would be worth it for you (at least right now).
I'd suggest you spend some time exploring fields that you *may* be passionate about (did you enjoy history? maybe volunteer at a local historic house) while you have the financial safety net of a job and a place to live.
A shot in the dark, and I'm surely no expert, but based how you describe yourself here, I wonder if you may be suffering from long-term clinical depression (you describe loss of interest, lack of motivation). If so, it could have contributed to your low GPA. Depression isn't just sadness; it can also manifest as feelings of "emptiness," difficulty concentrating, decreased energy, and feelings of worthlessness/helplessness. It might be worth looking into/talking to your doctor about it.
Good luck!
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Well, this is depressing.
The lack of response may be due to the forum in which you've asked it - the population here is mostly people pursuing graduate degrees who probably don't know the answers to your questions. Good luck.
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I didn't study at all for the verbal and did very well (>95%ile). Bear in mind that I've been doing crossword puzzles and playing other word games somewhat obsessively since I was very young... which I guess you could call studying? I spent a fair bit of time on strategy for the quantitative since I tend to be slow at math, maybe a few hours a week for a month or so. That score was lower, but good enough that I wasn't sorry I hadn't left myself enough time for a retake
I also took a couple of ETS tests just to get a feel for the format and the pacing.
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When I was applying many of the applications asked me to self-report my quant and verbal scores but didn't even ask for my AWA score (of course they did receive it from ETS on the official report).
I don't think most programs in chemistry care about the AWA much if at all, and I agree with Azarashi1 - you should be fine with a 4 and a strong, well-written SOP.
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In many non US institutions the student's photo must be attached to transcripts and certificates and must be sealed too.
Interesting! Official transcripts in the US are always sealed too, but the photos are news to me.
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If a cover letter isn't listed I can't imagine they'd expect you to supply one. In any case, I think the "statement of professional goals and reasons for choosing the field" covers any ground you might include in a cover letter.
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The information you'll need to sort that out can be found in a pdf from ets: http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/concordance_information.pdf
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I actually just came across similar dilemma yesterday. I noticed a lot of schools with the "recommended, but not required Chem GRE" option have due dates of December 15th, yet ETS does not guarantee scores of the Nov 10th exam to be sent until December 21 (6 weeks).... Online, you personally can see them by December 10th.
Did you figure out any more details regarding how strict schools are with receiving the ChemGRE scores?
I did not take the subject GRE and I applied to several programs that "recommend" or "strongly recommend" the chem GRE; I got into all of them. I really don't think the subject test counts for much unless you have a superb or truly terrible score or the program requires it.
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I think your photo will be on your undergrad transcripts/ certificates, so why do you want to put it on your cv. Also ETS will put your photo on your GRE report when sending it.
Err...ETS will send the photo? Oh no I looked ugly on the exam date...
I didn't comb my hair properly because I was too focused on preparing for the exam...So the admission office will see my GRE photo? Then in this case, I'm worried about discrimination as well...ETS does not send photos with scores. The score report schools receive is much like the one you'll get in the mail, and you can see a sample report here: http://www.ets.org/s...core_report.pdf
I've certainly never heard of an institution in the U.S. that includes photos of students on transcripts or diplomas, I don't know about non-U.S. institutions, though.
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To expand on guttata & comp12's comments, in the U.S. it is generally a bad idea to include birthdate, marital status, and/or a photo in a C.V. or resume. If it's included by an applicant, the information is often removed prior to review. I know this isn't true in other countries.
For a program in computer science, a photo is not going to help you, and it may hurt you.
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Would this depend on the school and department?
Is it beneficial to finish your app early and submit it?
It does depend on the school and department. For these specific programs I think it can be beneficial (but not essential) to submit early; I received a few offers from schools with rolling admissions before their official application deadlines, so I'd imagine those are slots that wouldn't be available for later applicants.
The benefit of doing your app early is that you aren't crunched for time at the very end. You could stagger them so that you can give each one the attention it deserves and not have little mistakes because you're pressed for time.
I completely agree.
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I feel good about my SOP as it is now, at 2 pages, so I figure I will stick with it and not try to add in more "just because I can."
The admissions committees love it when you make things easier (read: shorter) for them. If you can say everything you want to say in that shorter space, by all means go with it!
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Have you checked the requirements of the schools to which you're applying?
During my application season, several programs had no length limit, but one asked for "2-3 concise paragraphs" describing my motivation for pursuing further study in my field. Some programs asked for a series of 2-3 several shorter essays based on specific prompts. I think the majority wanted an SOP that was ~1.5-2 pages (~750-1000 words). So before you go nuts revising, research what your target programs want from you!
Best of luck!
Research vs. personal ideological conflicts
in Research
Posted
I love animals (I'm actually playing fetch with my kitten as I type this). I also believe animal research is necessary. It's likely that at some point my collaborators will be testing the (potentially life-saving) compounds I'm developing in animals.
It's a long, LONG and involved process to get a study approved. There's a detailed review to make sure there's NO WAY the research can be performed without the use of animal subjects. The review board will ask why you can't do it in vitro or in flatworms; if you make it past that stage they move to zebrafish, mice... primates are used for research when nothing else will do (and in fact there is no primate research at many universities). Once it's been established that an animal study is necessary, there's a detailed process they go through to plan harm reduction.
As Eigen mentioned, there's also no way you could order a lab mouse "just because." Sure, you could call up the Jackson Laboratory, but they'd refuse to sell to you. They deal directly with the university's animal welfare officer; he's the only one who can place the order, and he must be there when the animals arrive. He's also the one who supervises the implementation of the detailed plan for their welfare, including enrichment activities (yes, even for mice).
When you say "this research," you're talking about something vague and amorphous. This is not scientists hurting animals for giggles. I'm talking about concrete, discrete research projects, investigating compounds or procedures that we have good reason to believe may treat cancer, reduce permanent damage from traumatic brain injury, or otherwise improve quality of life for hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people (and animals, for that matter - animal research has led to many advances in veterinary medicine). I'm not saying that the process is ideal, or even always done properly. Obviously (as with everything else in life) there are deviations and times when things aren't done as they should be, but a blanket ban on animal testing/random acts of sabotage aren't the answers.
I wish there was another way. I really do. But sometimes, animal testing is all we've got.