ANDS!

They are so ugly. I mean they look comfortable as hell, but my god when I see them on a young lady (usually paired with yoga pants and some LOVE PINK gear) I do a mental eyeroll. As for what to wear, most students have graduated out of giving a damn what someone thinks of them, and are more concerned with managing their bank accounts than being in the latest/nicest fashion. That said, I personally wouldn't be caught dead in a pair of sweats. About the grungiest I go is super-casual Wrangler jeans, and a school jersey.

Number Theory is crazy pointless for what you want to do. I mean it'd make you a better thinker, but I struggle (beyond Algebra) to remember where I used it. Also, those Calculus grades are going to be your Achilles heel - they are basically the get in ticket for these programs. I'm curious how you were allowed to continue to Calc II. Also there is no shame in retaking a course. You would hardly be the first person in the history of mathematics to hit a roadblock. Depending on how much of a hurry you are in to get to graduate school, you'd probably be well served retaking those course (especially if you want to give RA a go). In regards to LOR's, unless your other LOR's are incredibly stellar and are only allowed 3 (the norm) I wouldn't go the out of subject area route.

NW is incredibly small, so I wouldn't beat myself up if you don't get in; kinda curious though why you'd want to leave OSU for NW considering their rep's and size.

Is there no two semester RA option? I've always been amazed at the places that cram RA into one semesters worth of work. In any case, so long as the course covers the basics of measure theory in it's treatment of continuity/differentiation (possibly integration) you should be fine.

Probably not a penalty for doing both (i.e. submitting the same letter twice).

I'm sorry but some of you in this thread really do not need to be teachers and I hope are only doing this because you are forced to (it's what it sounds like). Being a good instructor and being someone that empathizes with students does not have to be two mutually exclusive roles you can take on. There's nothing that says you have to listen to a students excuse (whining, song-and-dance, whatever. . .) or take any of that into account when grading, but taking the extreme approach and turning a blind eye to anything outside of your office-hour does as much damage I think as capitulating. Some of the best instructors I had were absolute maniacs when it came to tests and grading, but also knew that the world didn't begin and end with their classroom, and that sometimes the best way to produce competent students was to acknowledge that sometimes "shit happens - " and adjust accordingly.

PhD prgrams aren't out of the realm of possibility. Masters is even more likely. Why not Epi? I personally disliked the course I took on it, but that was more form than content I'm thinking. Also I doubt most epi's get jobs with a job title of "Epidemiologist". That is likely to cloud your pre job-search. Biostats definitely has a more evident job market, but that doesn't mean Epi. is a bad road to take. As for course difference, the divergence usually starts in the second year. Also, don't get overly bummed on ranking. If you go the Biostats route its all math; you're learning the same stuff as the folks at Hopkins.

Don't bother. There will be people to dumb down the science to a level you need to know it - if it is even neccessary (likely to not be). There will most likely be a class for this. If you have an introduction to the programs (to I would say a point that if you don't know how to do something you can Google it effectively) you are most likely to be above what most of the students will have. Sounds more undergraduate level (though upper division) to me. But I would say it's overkill for what you are likely to encounter your first year. A lot of the more advanced topics you'll pick up as you get more familiar with what it is you actually want to do. I would say if you want to maximize utility, get good with R and SAS (if you don't envision taking it next year - free credits though); to me that would give the most benefit (internships generally are looking for people with facility in this).

Not particularly. You are effectively being evaluated on your performance to date. If the classes you take end up drastically affecting your academic performanc, then there could be issues. However if you've satisfied all requirements that the grad. comm. is looking for you should be fine.

While all around academic performance is important, there is also something to be said for your major course (or courses relevant to MB). If that is higher, that will carry some weight with it.

Don't ask, don't tell. Nevermind that you are paying for every one past the initial four.

Yes it is. It has been repeated over and over again - CT has some of the strictest gun access laws in the country, and one of the lowest in gun ownership. But the first thing folks grabbed on to was "Lets start talking about guns. . ." Ignoring the other more salient and defined issues that existed to create this problem. No one is talking about America's culture problem. No one is talking about our mental health problem. No what we are doing is digging into the old tired well to blast a community based on the actions of a few. Gee, where have we seen that before. It's funny how certain tactics become acceptable when it's addressing something you disagree with.

I guess it all depends on the applicant pool for that year. The last two years have not been kind on individuals applying to NW. For Stat's it is not incredibly ranked, but it's certainly not a dog school either. The location, and size of the department (in my eyes) are what are factors in its "difficulty". I'd say apply anyway. My profile was about the same (though I had some really solid LOR's and work experience - and the ethnic flavoring didn't hurt) and I was given an offer.

Point in fact, the majority of gun owners are responsible gun owners. It is the individual with no ideas who responds in a knee-jerk manner with the idea that "Gun control, gun control, gun control!" is the solution here.

Oh bollocks. There is no "productive conversation" going on here. You just have whinging about "gun control. . ." which a first year Poli Sci undergrad can do. "Gun control" is a buzz-word with no real substance behind . No one actually equivocates what they mean by "gun control" (other than to repeat policies that ALREADY EXIST) and just assumes everyone will nod their heads and say "Yup yup I agree". As I already mentioned (and had been previously mentioned and brushed over) the guns involved were not bought spur of the moment, nor did this happen in a hotbed of gun ownership or even at a period of heavy gun ownership (which - oh my stars and garters - is going DOWN). Your thesis does nothing to address these seemingly contradictory narratives, and you've simply fallen back on "Oh my god lets talk about guns!"

Never mind that this happened in a state with one of the lowest gun-ownership rates in the country. But yes let's jump right to the "Oh it's TOO easy to buy a gun!" Completely ignoring the fact that some of the guns obtained belonged to his mother. Just like efforts in the South to limit abortions or requiring women to view photos of the fetus are in NO WAY meant to "ban access to abortions." Oh of course not. What are you going on about? It takes what, a driving test and an eye exam to get a license?

And yet you want to go into Applied Math? I mean it's more than likely a good number of your courses are going to be just that simply by design (not the memorize proofs bit, but definitely the sit and be taught at). I mean depending on what you are interested in long term (career wise), the classes might be more interactive and applicable than something exposed in say a topology course, but it's not like grad. school all of a sudden becomes a Math drum circle (ESPECIALLY if your cohort is a lot of international students).

Northwestern. . .if you can get in great, but I wouldn't hold breath. Also it is a really small department; do any of the folks there meet your research interests (or do anything you're interested in)? I mean that's not that big of an issue as they have a pretty interdisciplinary program there, but still. Something you should be aware of. Also I would say UCSB is a "reach" only because it's a beautiful city and will attract a certain set to where they can be choosey.

Head of graduate studies, or the official in charge of all you graduate students (it's not always the same person). If I had any question related to administrative issues (which the Incomplete is) I would seek them out first.

Seems like a valid list.

Doubtful. I once put in another programs school name. I got back an email congratulating me on acceptance and potential for a fellowship, and wondering if I could submit a corrected copy of my SOP with the right name.

As CW said the reach on their is definitely Michigan, and I would also toss in UNC. The rest should be attainable; is there any reason you want to leave Ohio State? I should think you'd have a good shot there. Also is your research interest being tickled by Econometrics? As for where you should apply, use USNews and Phds.org as a "rough" starting guide to get the "popular" opinion about rankings and then go from there. For what its worth I ended up at a school outside of the Top 20 despite getting acceptances within that range - the program was just a good fit (in regards to dept. and resources nearby - and the cash didn't hurt - ).

It's not a waste of time if you have the money; the question you need to ask yourself is if time has managed to take care of the issues that were causing you to perform below graduate standards. I would say you probably need to temper your expectations insofar as getting into a "top" school is concerned, though "top" is relative. If you feel your lack of progress was due to lack of fit or simply no synergy with your chosen major, then you simply need to say that in your SOP. Whether they accept that is a whole nother story (though if you are pursuing a Masters your chances are probably much better since you are funding it yourself).

You need to force yourself into taking time to NOT do work, so that when you come back to the material your spirit is fresh (though your body might be tired).

I was going to echo the same thing Star said; especially at the master level, I wouldn't expect more interaction from your PROGRAM advisor beyond "Hey how are classes going. . .?" If it is an old program, I would suspect they have a pretty well oiled plan to these things, and most likely expect first year masters students to be primarily engaged in completing their coursework and picking up research ideas along the way (through internships, or seminars). Second year when you write your thesis they may start to engage you more actively, though you still might find that engagement lacking if they aren't doing work you are particularly interested in. I'm more interested in these "ethical" violations you speak of as an anthropology major: