puddle

Advice (in handy-dandy list form) 1. Re-read the paper or book that you originally expressed an interest in. Read carefully. Make notes. Do not get caught with your pants down if they ask you about a particular argument. 2. Steer the conversation - have some points jotted down on a piece of paper so that you can talk comfortably for a while. Have clear quesitons that you want to ask the professor. 3. Be honest about your intentions - you plan on applying to the school at which this professor works and you should not feel embarassed asking how the admissions processs works, what types of applicants they may be looking for, which junior and senior faculty will be around next year, etc.

As unsatisfying as this may be to hear: you cannot know your chances of being accepted into graduate school until you actually go through the process of applying. As long as you meet the minimum requirements for these programmes (i.e. GPA & GRE cut-offs) and submit all necessary materials, you will be considered by the admissions committee. After that the dominant force driving the line between acceptance and rejection seems to be some combination of "fit" (a concept that is rather difficult to define and even more difficult to predict/prepare for) and blind luck. Some suggestions: - stop panicking - play up your strengths in your CV - languages, research experience and other preparation - focus on what you want to do/how the school will help you/ how you are going to achieve your goals/ how you are the best person to answer your research question in your SoP - do not get bogged down in explaining "why" you have not achieved perfection in the past (after all, no applicant is perfect) - stop panicking

I suggest mid/upper back... I have two tattoos in this general area. The first one was a "colour in the lines" after I got a really bad sun-burn with a sports bra and the second one is approximately over my kidneys. Both are hidden 99.9% of the time which I appreciate because: 1. if I could see them every day I might stop liking them, 2. I don't have to have the "what my tattoos mean" conversation every day, and 3. respectability is well within my grasp! On the subject of piercings - I have 2 eyebrow piercings (same side) and a double-helix piercing (fun how that's what it is called) and while everyone notices them (hard not to), no one has ever suggested that they are unprofessional or incompatible with my life as a graduate student, RA, TA, or international researcher.

Dually noted! Take what I said about UCs and only apply it to UCSD

Feel free to PM me (i'm canadian and starting my PhD in the US) In other news... take the UCs off that list unless you want to bankrupt yourself and your future children.

I hate to be a jerk... however... with internet anonymity at my back I am going to put the following out there in the universe. Take it or leave it. Do not apply to any university in any country for any reason other than that you want to go to that university. By that I mean - no one should apply to universities in Canada just because they don't think they will get in to a top 25 programme in the states.

The best thing about grad cafe is that what would otherwise be unsolicited advice from strangers with no certifiable credibility is herein welcomed and openly sought out. This random point aside ... here is a random suggestion from a stranger with less credibility than Max (who at the very least has a nifty profile graphic): Reign in your panic! As cliché as it sounds, you need to start thinking about how your unique experiences and skills have prepared you for graduate school and how your strengths will allow you to succeed in the "Academic World". If you tell yourself (and everyone who will listen) that you are un-qualified... you will eventually succeed in convincing everyone (and yourself) that you haven't got a shot. Be positive, dude... it helps!

I will never understand why people on this board are so US-centric when it comes to MA degrees. I did my undergraduate in the US and my masters back home in Canada. The advantage was that I got the extra skills that an MA affords (as well as close relationships with letter writers etc.) without the debt. My MA was fully funded for 2 years of study and the tuition fees are much lower up here in the great white north. Lots of great professors came to visit/speak at my school, the professors are all graduates of top programmes, and it has yielded the best results that I could hope for - admission to a top 10 PhD programme. Also... I have no debt. If you are Canadian, this is the clear choice (especially because doing an MA in Canada frees you up to apply for SSHRC funding) but if you are an America, the Canadian MA system should not be taken off the table - indeed, it should be considered as one of your best options if you intend to pursue a PhD. Of the 18 people in my MA year, 5 are now in law school in Canada, 5 are working for governments or NGOs (in a variety of capacities), 3 (myself included) have gained admission to top US programmes - Michigan, Yale, and Chicago, and the rest are either at Canadian schools studying for their PhD or continuing on at this school. The bottom line... Funded Canadian MA > Un-Funded MA > Un-Funded/Partially Funded MPP if you want to go on to study at a top US PhD programme. Really... look at those stats... of the 3 people from my class who applied to PhDs, all 3 were admitted at desirable/top schools. That is a darn fine rate of return. Good luck!

Ya... I guess I should provide a little more information as I am an a-typical applicant. I am finishing my MA and applied through my department but I will be taking the doctoral award to the US. So I have completed 0 months of my PhD and will be taking the full $80,000 but I had the benefit (?) of going through several rounds of selection before being passed on to the national competition. If anyone is completing an MA in Canada and thinking about going abroad (or just to a different uni) for a PhD, I highly recommend applying through your current department as your standing at that level will tell you a lot about your likelihood of winning an award. A few other deets (since there has been a lot of talk about this) - 0 publications - a few graduate student conferences but no "real" conferences - lots of research experience as an RA and in the field - high GPA from a very good university in the states I really didn't agonize over these aspects of my application and instead focused my attention on the thing that I could control ... my research proposal. I think I wrote 4 full drafts before settling on and fine-tuning the project that I sent in. I also had roughly 6 people review my final document or with whom I discussed the proposal in general. I cannot say enough about how important this aspect of the application is. After all, when you receive an acceptance they do not say "congratulations on being a great scholar, we love you and have faith in your future research". Instead, they say "I am pleased to inform you that the Council is able to offer you the support you requested." What this (<---) tells me is that SSHRC awards are more like resaerch grants and less like traditional Rhodes-esque scholarship applications.

Yay! Received my letter in Vancouver today. Successful C-Category award (which means I choose between SSHC and super SSHRC). Score: 20.6/30 Result: CGS/ will downgrade to fellowship - taking it abroad Field: Political Science

Just think of how much grief they could spare if the letters were mailed out from regional hubs. Curses to east coast centrism!

British Columbia FTW... I don't expect to hear anything before Wednesday (Tuesday for optimists)

This is not about the grant funding... I only know this because my thesis sup. is sitting on that committee and is not leaving for the E. Coast until tomorrow (so they would not have finalized decisions yet)... good news then, eh? Looks like people will start finding out next week or the week after that. On the other hand... yikes! Come on SSHRC... I need a nest egg!

I thought my fellow obsessees might be interested in this document (unless - like me - you found it while you were writing your proposal): http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.research.uwaterloo.ca%2Fgrants%2Fdocuments%2FStudyonSuccessfulSSHRCApplications_000.pdf&ei=d3qQT9LuErPZiALuu8jyAg&usg=AFQjCNH2upIjnGjawv2KnthpXrCGZ6rLng I found it really useful while writing my proposal to see how successful applications have been structured in the past. Now it might be something interesting to read while you wait for results to come out.

Anyone else get one of these emails? Dear Ms. FleetFoxes, In processing your doctoral award application, we noticed that you did not indicate a university to award the PhD degree. We require this information in order to complete your file. Can you please let us know your first choice as soon as possible? Please note that this can be changed later should you be successful in the competition. Sincerely, Roxanne Dompierre It showed up in my inbox with the title "SSHRC Doctoral Application" and my heart skipped a beat. Anyways, it forced me to tell them that I am heading to a US school so no super SSHRC for me (although they did tell me that I could change the school name after the award decisions are made so maybe they offer up super SSHRCs as an incentive for some people to stay in Canada... I know this is obviously the case with the Vanier. Whatever the case may be, I just wish the Canadian government would put us all out of our misery!

UCLA has a great international reputation... okay... I did my UG there so I might be biased. Anyways, if you are in theory does UCLA's very strong Philosophy department not tip the scales slightly?

For long-term personal enhancement, I am reading a textbook on Cost-Benefit Analysis (good times...). Because this textbook is soul-sucking, I am reading graphic novels for fun. Just finished Garth Ennis' super-intense, post-appocalyptic, zombie/infection, ultra-violence/horror book "Crossed" (not recommended for anyone with a weak stomach) and am moving on to Guy Davis' The Marquis. Literature wise, I am plodding my way through 1Q84 (Murakami) but I haven't been able to set aside more than a few hours each week to make significant inroads to this monster of a book.

I'm also on my way to New Haven for my PhD. Really excited! After all... Yale! I wondered about this too. My plan is to live on campus in my first year, East Rock in my second year, and then consider moving out to the "suburbs" once I have completed course work. I will by coming in with a car and I noticed that there are some 2-BR townhouse type apartments for rent in surrounding areas for less than 1000$ a month!

Hey Melach, sounds like you are having a tough time! I am currently writing my MA thesis (Political Science) and I can certainly understand how frustrating and time consuming the process can be. With that in mind, I have three suggestions which I hope will help to get you out of writers block and on your way to a completed thesis. 1) Do you have a detailed outline/prospectus? If not... this can REALLY help you break your paper down into manageable chunks. I produced a very clear road map of my thesis and then went through and indicated how many pages I thought each section should be. I tend to write linearly (start at the start, make my way through the middle, end at the end) but this approach does not always work. With a thesis 80-100 pages long, you might find it helps to write it in chunks (as though you were writing several papers in a series... or a 3 volume novel (do not speak slightingly of the three-volume novel, Cecily!). This might also help you break up your work according to the time you have left (e.g. give yourself deadlines for each of the sections). 2) Do not write every day. I probably sit down for writing marathons at most 4 days a week. I have 1 full day off from work per week and 2 days when I am TAing and attending to other business. It you work every day you will burn out fast and find it hard to get back to the computer. 3) Set yourself deadlines. It is important that you tell yourself (and your advisor) when you are going to have different parts of the thesis done. You can give your advisor the major deadlines (e.g. this is when it will be done for review... this is when I would like to defend) but you should have a whole series of minor deadlines. This will hopefully force you to work and allow you to focus on the micro-level writing rather than the big-picture. Hope this helps!

I don't think knowledge of languages is a game changer either way... the exception may be if you can use these extra skills to gain additional research experience.

You mention that you have already applied to schools and are still waiting on results from 2... isn't it a bit early to consider fresh applications? It seems like your profile is strong so maybe you would benefit from asking the schools to which you have already applied what you could do to improve your results next time. Also, I really wouldnt worry much about your GRE AW score (most scores don't care a whole lot about this) especially since your Verbal score is so high. My one suggestion is that you look into programs in Public Policy or IR... just a thought.

Luckily at most R1s, you do not REALLY have to chose between languages and methods training. As Max mentions above, language requirements can often be fulfilled by taking advanced methods courses. On the other hand... there are lots of supplemental funds to pay for graduate students who want to take language courses or immersions outside of their home institutuion. I am in comparative/methods so I plan to take the methods courses and then apply for a summer language grant and head to my region of interest to brush up on those skills. With regards to students applying to graduate school, I don't think that language profficiency will set you back in any way... unless priority was given to learning languages over familiarity with basic methods and literatures in the field. After all, chances are you will not confine your program of study to a single country once you attain a PhD and there is a good chance that English is an official (or at least working) language in your areas of interest. I have good working knowledge of French and a few local dialects because a. I am canadian and french language training is mandatory in HS and b. becuase I have worked in the field where you need to be able to pay for food, request transportation, and conduct basic conversations in the local dialect. I do not think this is necessarily the norm. After all, most of the PIs I have worked with do not speak any of the local diaects... if they can get away with it, chances are you can too!

Lots of people have something to say about contacting professors. My two cents: do not "get in touch with" or "visit" professors that you do not already have a strong working/academic relationship with. You will be as transparent as a pane of glass.

Apply to as many schools as you can afford and only to places that, for one reason or another, you would be happy to attend. Do not apply to "safety schools" because the system is so damn random that there is no such thing as a safety school. DO apply to schools other than/in addition to HYPS because there are dozens of strong and well funded programs outside the so-called "gold standard." Borrow money from your parents to help pay application fees, they may forget about this debt if you get into your dream school.

Some basement apartments (i.e. private rentals) will allow pets (cats more often than dogs) but no matter where you go you will have to pay some sort of pet deposit (often as much as $500). Try Kits and if you can't find anywhere there... I know there are places that allow pets out in the Main/Commercial area.