sareth

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!

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!

The importance of the GRE seems to vary from school to school and department to department. 158 V and 159 Q are both 77th percentile (see http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide_table1a.pdf), while 5.0 AWA is 92nd percentile. So your AWA is stellar, while your V/Q are pretty solid (but not stellar). In STEM fields my experience is (sadly for you) that programs care very little about AWA and prefer a strong Q score, while a strong V score is a nice bonus. I'd check and see if any programs you want to apply to have GRE minimums posted (IIRC, for example U of Wisconsin Madison chemistry posted that they required a minimum of 70%ile for last year...). As long as you make any cutoffs I wouldn't worry too much as long as the rest of your application is strong.

Good luck with grad school then. It's an awful lot of work

I agree with 3point14 - it's amazing how many fiddly details are involved, and how many little things that need to be fixed can go wrong along the way. The department who lost my transcripts comes to mind... Additionally, if any of the programs you're applying to have rolling admissions it's best to be early - and who knows, you may even get an early admit!

My 4 referees wrote letters for 9 schools and several fellowships. Ask nicely, make it as easy as possible for them, and thank them when they're done. I don't necessarily agree. I found that some schools had very specific prompts for what they wanted out of a personal statement. Some schools wanted a research statement, or even a research plan. Some wanted me to calculate GPA for the last two years of undergraduate study, some wanted a GPA calculated for coursework in the major, one wanted me to calculate a GPA for just STEM coursework... I found each application definitely required more work than just altering a paragraph or two in my personal statement. YMMV

I don't think so. If you were applying to rhetoric and composition programs it would be worth it. For operations research and stats? No. In your position I'd focus on making sure the writing in your applications (personal statement, etc.) is strong. Good luck!

Many of my friends/acquaintances/classmates (both in undergrad & at grad school) were accepted to multiple strong programs (some top-10 programs) with no publications. Publications are always a good thing, but they are not make-or-break.

I would imagine this varies wildly by field. You might want to try the sub-forum specific to your discipline.

I've definitely been guilty of handing profs a table (I applied to 9 Ph.D. programs, as well as a variety of scholarships throughout my undergrad career). For Ph.D. apps I asked profs I had worked with for 4-ish years (I was also a transfer from community college, but I ended up spending more than 2 years as a student and worked as staff after graduation), but they all expressed to me that they consider writing letters (not necessarily strong letters - those you need to earn) to be part of their job. That said, I made the process as easy as possible. For the few hard-copy letters that were required I offered to provide stamped envelopes (they all declined since the department supplies postage & letterhead, but it's always good to offer. One old-school prof had me hand-address the envelopes for her). I also supplied printed copies of all forms that needed to be included with hard-copy letters. Of course I thanked my letter writers profusely (send thank-you notes!) and kept them up to date as offers came in. I actually sent them postcards recently just to stay in touch as I started at my new program, and I swear it wasn't just because I'm about to ask for letters for an NSF-GRFP app You may find as you work your way through applications that some programs will only accept electronic letters and will automatically send out emails to your referees. That's where handing a prof a table with due dates becomes important (and where a central service offered by your institution may be of limited value). I didn't ask professors to customize letters, though I did note which programs had more of an interdisciplinary focus, and my undergrad research advisor tailored her letter to those. As far as a letter from a community college prof... that's a tough one. I ended up *not* asking any of my CC profs, largely because it had been so long, and because my baccalaureate profs could do a better job of speaking to my research potential. You may be better off doing as you suggest and talking to your stats prof about what he would need to write you a strong letter, thus circumventing the prejudice against CC profs AND getting a letter which focuses on your facility with stats, closer to your proposed field of study than calculus. Best of luck!

This may be field-dependent, so ymmv, but I didn't include a section like that on my resume for grad applications. My reasoning was that they'd also have copies of transcripts showing all of my coursework.

Last year I took the test on Nov. 21st and made the Dec. 15th deadlines with no problem. I don't recommend cutting it that close unless you have no choice, though. Maybe try for closer to Nov. 1st? Bear in mind that scores are mailed from Princeton, NJ.

Hi ghostar, My UG research advisor was abroad on sabbatical during my senior year. She was willing to supervise my thesis anyway, since I'd already been working with her for two years (I had a professor who served as my on-campus contact for immediate issues). In your position I'd definitely look for a different group for next year. You can always approach the organic professor when she comes back from sabbatical - undergrads (at least at my UG) change groups all the time. Research experience, ANY research experience, is what graduate programs are looking for, and is far more important than the fact that you did research in the exact field you want to pursue long-term. I did three years of geochemistry research as an undergrad and am now rotating in a bioinorganic lab (with a bioorganic lab up next). On visit weekends I spoke with several professors in organic synthesis who would have been happy to work with me despite my complete lack of synthetic research experience. Think how good two strong LORs that can speak to your research experience could look in your application! Best of luck!

TakeruK and Dal PhDer both make excellent points. I'd like to suggest adding one more piece: if you're asking for a bunch of letters all at once (say, you're applying to 6-7 graduate programs or three different fellowships) include a table with the name of the program, whether it requires an electronic or hard copy of the LOR, the due date, and any program-specific info (for instance, the program requires an additional form). I've had several profs tell me that having the info in this format makes it easier for them (and really, that can only lead to a stronger letter, right? )

It doesn't sound like you have anything else to say, so leave it blank.

Of course coursework is important, but bear in mind that a Ph.D. is primarily a research degree. The bulk of your time in a Ph.D. program will be spent on research to enable you to write and defend a doctoral thesis. The degree is awarded not based on how well you did in your classes (assuming you didn't fail), but on the fact that you've made an original contribution to your field. I agree with juilletmercredi that applying to both types of program makes sense (also, sometimes Ph.D. programs will consider your application for a master's if they don't accept you immediately for a Ph.D.). Best of luck with your applications!

Agreed, unless you've discussed the possibility of switching labs with the PI beforehand. The PI I'm doing a rotation suggested I apply and offered to write a letter and proofread my application regardless of whether I stay in his lab or not. I think it comes down to clear communication of the expectations of everyone involved.

I don't know that I would say that it was important in Ph.D. admissions (from talking to faculty at my program I think my LORs were a much bigger factor than my undergraduate thesis), but I did learn a great deal from the process of writing and defending it. Bear in mind that writing a thesis does not preclude publishing; I got a first-author paper out of the research for my thesis, and it also led to departmental honors at graduation. Taking graduate courses is great too, but bear in mind that the Ph.D. is primarily a research degree, so the more evidence of original and self-directed research you can provide, the better. Have you talked to your advisor about your options? From your post it sounds like you're leaning away from the thesis - which is totally valid, and I don't think it'll hurt your chances for admission. Best of luck either way!

I'm writing an NSF-GRFP proposal with the aid of my summer rotation PI (I'll be a first-year in the fall); drop me a line if you want to chat.

I agree with ANDS! that the quant GRE score shouldn't matter much, if at all, for theater - however, some schools *will* take it into account, especially for campus-wide fellowships, and given the time you have before the 2013 season it is definitely worth doing a bit more research into how much a score <50th percentile will hurt your chances (if at all). In your position I'd shoot polite emails to the contacts listed on some programs' websites asking how much weight the GRE, and especially the quant GRE, carry in admission decisions. As an example, Brown doesn't require the GRE for their MA, which is certainly a good sign for their attitude towards the GRE as part of a Ph.D. app. Best of luck!

Congrats on the verbal score! How much time did you spend and what approach did you take towards study for the quant section before taking the test? If you're shooting for top programs it may be worth your while to study more/differently and retake shooting for >50% on the quant section, especially since you have a good long while before your applications will be due... Do you/your faculty know anyone currently in a program like those to which you plan to apply? It would be nice if you can use an informal contact to feel out what portions of the application carry the most weight/whether there are GRE cutoffs.

Another thing to bear in mind is that programs in science and engineering are probably going to give much less weight to the essays than, say, composition & rhetoric programs. A few programs I applied to in chemistry stated that they wouldn't even look at my AW score. Good luck!

I did not take the subject exam and was nonetheless accepted to several programs that listed the subject GRE as "highly recommended." As long as the rest of your application is strong you should be fine.