annieca

I think it really depends on your recommenders. And I know, that's not a helpful answer. But let me explain why.

My advisor wants me to go to graduate school. He has said from the first semester I was in undergrad that he would write recommendation letters for me for just about anything I needed (including to be a Resident Assistant). He told me that I should apply where I want to go, where I could be happy, and most importantly I got funding and he would write recommendations for all of those. It will be close to 12 letters since I'm applying to dual degrees which are in two different colleges/schools. He has absolutely no problem with that.

That's why I chose him as well as the other two recommenders because they WANT me to succeed and get into the grad school of my choice. I think that's important part of picking the right people. It's not just about a "strong" letter that says "Why yes, X is a great student." It's the kind of letter that says "You would be an idiot not to admit this person. And here's why..."

Overall, they probably only have to write one letter (unless they are alum or have some connection with the university you're applying to) and just change the name of the university.

As a side note to the GPA - GPA will get you admitted to the graduate school, it's everything else that will get you into the department and the school. What I've learned about ad comms is that they have people who look at things differently. For example, one is only impressed by a stellar SOP or writing sample, another wants numbers (GRE, GPA) and another wants experience.

I hope this helps somewhat!

Are you serious?

Don't worry about other people. Focus on YOU. The application process is all about you, not other people. Focus on your own strengths and what you can offer as a future colleague. Persons A, B, C, etc do not matter, nor should they as you think about pulling together your application. If you do this, your sanity will be greatly preserved.

You can set up your SOP with a focus on thematic history in international context. It's actually what I do and just LOVE it. The way I was able to pull it off by arguing for a deep study of this particular group of people and how they responded to various environments around the world. I made sure that there weren't any begging questions from adcoms by not asking "how did these people interact with the locals?" That kind of statement will definitely prompt them to say, "Okay, do you have the language of the locals, then?!" Simply exclude the locals or limited your geographical focus (i.e. don't do ALL of Southeast Asia, focus only on areas where perhaps Hindi is spoken) and make your questions ALL about the Europeans. Be creative.

I remember arguing with a professor that if you answered E, you were really setting yourself up for a logical impossibility. I mean, think about it. If 1, 2 and 3 are correct, then they can't be not correct as well. And if you choose "All of the above" you are saying that the three choices are both correct and incorrect.

Still didn't get the point though.

Actual conversation one of my professors had about me:

Professor A: Student wants to go and get a dual masters.
Professor B: Oh, that's nice. How old is she?
Professor A: She'll be 20 when starting her programs.
Professor B: That's too young!
Professor A: She is one of those students born at 30. I think she can handle it.

^^ I hate it when professors, parents, family, etc. tell me I can't do something or I can't handle it. If I did high school and college in 3 years each, I think I can handle this. Go worry about your own research (or lack thereof).

Ah the curmudgeon professors.

I think that yes, more people are applying to graduate school than normal. For some it's a back-up plan for not getting a job, not wanting to face the real world. Others this is honestly the thing they want to do. Add that with degree inflation and you've got our current state of people in grad school programs.

I don't think that you HAVE to have a 3.9 to get into "tier 1" programs. They take into account a lot more than just GPA. Make your personal statement shine. Do the absolute best you can do on your applications. That's all you can do.

I would hope that your future advisers would respect you based on your intellect, not your age.

There probably will be a couple of awkward moments you'll have to deal with, like when you first get there in the fall and your colleagues want to go out for a drink, but don't worry about that.

You colleagues might be a little jealous of you. If you were coming into my program, you would be finishing up at the same age that I'm starting.

shoe rack

Professor: Well, you'll get into 6 of your 7 schools you're applying to. The 7th school will just be an idiot for not taking you. But you should worry more about funding.

Yeah, because I can definitely afford out of state tuition without funding. That, and isn't a *little* hard to get funding if you don't get accepted to the program?

Actual conversation one of my professors had about me:

Professor A: Student wants to go and get a dual masters.
Professor B: Oh, that's nice. How old is she?
Professor A: She'll be 20 when starting her programs.
Professor B: That's too young!
Professor A: She is one of those students born at 30. I think she can handle it.

^^ I hate it when professors, parents, family, etc. tell me I can't do something or I can't handle it. If I did high school and college in 3 years each, I think I can handle this. Go worry about your own research (or lack thereof).

Actual conversation one of my professors had about me:

Professor A: Student wants to go and get a dual masters.
Professor B: Oh, that's nice. How old is she?
Professor A: She'll be 20 when starting her programs.
Professor B: That's too young!
Professor A: She is one of those students born at 30. I think she can handle it.

^^ I hate it when professors, parents, family, etc. tell me I can't do something or I can't handle it. If I did high school and college in 3 years each, I think I can handle this. Go worry about your own research (or lack thereof).

Actual conversation one of my professors had about me:

Professor A: Student wants to go and get a dual masters.
Professor B: Oh, that's nice. How old is she?
Professor A: She'll be 20 when starting her programs.
Professor B: That's too young!
Professor A: She is one of those students born at 30. I think she can handle it.

^^ I hate it when professors, parents, family, etc. tell me I can't do something or I can't handle it. If I did high school and college in 3 years each, I think I can handle this. Go worry about your own research (or lack thereof).

Actual conversation one of my professors had about me:

Professor A: Student wants to go and get a dual masters.
Professor B: Oh, that's nice. How old is she?
Professor A: She'll be 20 when starting her programs.
Professor B: That's too young!
Professor A: She is one of those students born at 30. I think she can handle it.

^^ I hate it when professors, parents, family, etc. tell me I can't do something or I can't handle it. If I did high school and college in 3 years each, I think I can handle this. Go worry about your own research (or lack thereof).

Actual conversation one of my professors had about me:

Professor A: Student wants to go and get a dual masters.
Professor B: Oh, that's nice. How old is she?
Professor A: She'll be 20 when starting her programs.
Professor B: That's too young!
Professor A: She is one of those students born at 30. I think she can handle it.

^^ I hate it when professors, parents, family, etc. tell me I can't do something or I can't handle it. If I did high school and college in 3 years each, I think I can handle this. Go worry about your own research (or lack thereof).