iowaguy

I have asked POI's if they are taking on new graduate students starting fall 2013 (when I am going to be starting). I had 3 different profs tell me they weren't taking on new students as they were going to be retiring in the next 1/2/3 years. So, I think if you word the question carefully, they will tell you whether they are retiring without you coming right out & asking directly. YMMV.

In my communications with profs, I have tried to ask them questions when they leave it open-ended for me like that, after encouraging me to apply. You can talk research ideas, program specifics, etc. With a couple of profs I have had phone conversations following an email exchange such as the one you describe. If you can't think of any questions you would like to ask your future advisor that is a bad sign, IMHO (and I think it can be interpreted that way by the prof as well). After talking with them about research ideas, either on the phone or in detailed emails, you can say in your SOP that your proposed research is a good fit for their lab (or maybe you find out that it isn't). Either way, IMHO you should try to have more contact with your potential/future advisor than just a casual email exchange... I actually have traveled to meet with 3 different POI's at 3 different universities, for example...

Jimmy - I can assure you that if you go through all the Manhattan math books and learn the material to where you can ace their practice questions, you will also ace the GRE. Manhattan is harder than the GRE, IMHO. The Official ETS math review guide is another source of good math review, it's good to look over away from the computer while having breakfast, etc... Best of luck!

IMHO, higher education is what you make of it. I think Aristotle would strongly disagree with your point of view... Be careful that you don't create a self-fulfilling prophecy for yourself as a result of a negative attitude towards higher education. Better, IMHO, to keep your head up & view everything as a learning opportunity, even the grant/scholarship applications and RA/TA "work." YMMV.

IMHO, I would only specifically mention professors in your SOP who have responded back to you. If you haven't tried to contact them, yet you mention their name, they might think "well, if this guy liked my work so much why hasn't he reached out to me." And, if you have tried to contact them & they haven't responded, then they probably aren't that interested... It appears to be a numbers game with professors, you reach out to a BUNCH, a certain percentage get back with you, and you find a "fit" with a select few of them. YMMV.

Working on improving my SOP for a PhD application and showing "fit" with the school/program. Do you think it makes sense to list a few graduate classes that I'm excited about taking at that university? I'm wondering whether this might show I've done some homework and have given some thought as to my PhD path at that school. In addition, does anyone list laboratory facilities, etc that you're excited to have access to? I did this with my M.S. application a few years ago, but was wondering what the general consensus is for PhD apps... Thanks!

Cody - you didn't say where you're applying. I don't know history programs per se, but top-10 programs in general don't admit candidates with that low of GRE scores (you don't meet their unpublished minimums). If I were you I would retake the GRE and devote major effort into improving my score, the rest of your package sounds stellar. Best of luck!

Midnight - what helped me the most with endurance was trying to "break down" the 4 hour test into little mini-tests, giving my brain a break & recharge between each section. I was literally doing push-ups & back stretches in the 60-second breaks between subjects, or doing sit-ups while closing my eyes (giving them a rest). If I finished a section a few minutes early, I left the room & walked down the hall, etc. IMHO our brains are not used to a 4 hour marathon, but we are used to 30 min of focused attention at a time. You just have to "trick" your brain into thinking the test is nothing more than several 30-minute sections... Also, don't forget to eat a nice breakfast that's low on the glycemic index, I also snacked during the section breaks & had some coffee. Your brain needs plenty of nutrition during those 4 hours... Best of luck!

IMHO Princeton Review will only get you to around 160 or so with their strategies if you don't have a solid grasp of the underlying math concepts. I own the PR book for the revised GRE, but there are some question types that do not allow for their strategies to be used effectively (fill in the blank & create your own formula, for example). IMHO If you're aiming for a quant score of 160+ Manhattan is by far the best math study guide, I went through all of the Manhattan math review books and was not surprised by any questions on the actual GRE test, scoring a 168. (I studied for a few months on math & verbal before my actual test.) ETS Powerprep computer practice tests are also very useful, but be sure to complete the writing section at the beginning (don't be tempted to skip it) as the actual 4-hour test is as much a test of mental endurance as anything... Best of luck!

Depends on what type of ecology. What sub-specialty are you interested in? Here in Iowa ecologists/biologists work in fisheries, wildlife, water quality, etc... Others work as teachers/instructors and others for consulting companies. IMHO you should have a REAL good idea of what you want to accomplish with your M.S. before you take out any loans to go to grad school. i.e. are you looking for a career shift/change or just to expand your current skill set within the field?

You have to embrace the new format & roll with it... Need to buckle down & try to improve those scores if you're shooting for Stanford, Berkeley, etc...

Powerprep test(s) to make sure you're estimating your timing well... And don't "cheat" by skipping the writing portion on the Powerprep - it takes an extra hour but will better simulate your actual test conditions...

Looks like you have an otherwise solid application. Problem is, some schools have minimum GRE cutoffs - in other words, they don't even look at the rest of your application unless you meet their GRE minimum. Your stellar application won't matter if they throw your application in the trash without reading it. Not all schools are like this, but some (many?) are, especially if they have a huge number of applicants. I would retake for sure since you are shooting for top schools that likely have minimum GRE's. Another option would be to postpone your plans for a year & apply for 2014. Then you could study hard for the GRE's in the meantime so that you can compete at the top schools.

Those are solid scores for your field, now you can focus on the other parts of your application...

I have the 8 Manhattan GRE prep books as well - if you learn the material in all of those math books you will ace the Quant portion of the test. Manhattan is considered to be on the more difficult end of the spectrum, I found their quant practice questions harder than the actual test... IMHO if you have Manhattan, you don't need any more math books. I purchased their 1000 verbal flash cards as well and found them very helpful. Good luck!

If you didn't get to all of the verbal questions I would definitely retake. It's tough to get a high score with several unanswered questions... Worst case scenario, you plan on re-taking & schedule your test (I think you still have to wait 30 days between tests), but you can cancel (with a partial refund) if your scores come back higher than you think they will...

For those that have studied abroad - are you including a separate (non-English + English translation) transcript from the foreign institution that you attended? Or, if the credits (but not necessarily the classes/grades) are listed on your U.S. degree-granting institution's transcript, does that cover you from having to submit the foreign transcript? My "main" U.S. transcript says "study abroad" and shows the dates & how many credits (they transferred over as pass/fail) I obtained through the study abroad program. Doesn't give any detail about the particular classes. Wondering whether I need to go through the $$$ and hassle of getting a foreign transcript from the study abroad school along with the English translation of those classes. Any advice greatly appreciated, thanks!!!

I personally wouldn't mention the religion courses, atheism, ADHD, etc - you don't want to go down that path IMHO. Just say that you had a bad semester where you were taking classes that weren't related to your core; and that your core GPA is more reflective of your abilities than your overall GPA because you were so passionate about those subjects, etc... If a university sees a couple of poor grades in an unrelated subject (religion when you're applying for MPH), they aren't going to be too concerned about it IMHO. Stick to your strengths in your SOP. Good luck!

If it's your dream and you're driven, then go for it. Explain your weaknesses in your SOP but don't dwell on them. Study hard for the GRE and strive to ace it so as to make up for your low GPA. Try to contact professors beforehand and visit campus to forge a relationship with them before you apply. Those things should all help your chances and get you in. Your 3.26 GPA isn't a deal-breaker if the rest of your application is strong... Good luck!

Submit only 1 test, the one with your higher verbal (which is your overall higher score as well). Don't submit both, it gives the impression that you retook the test but didn't really improve, is that the impression you want to sent to the admissions committee?

I would retake if I were in your shoes. IMHO you're not going to be very competitive applying to a school like Columbia biochem with a 52% quant...

Nothing allowed for me to take in. Good point above on the time it takes to sign in & out. During my test, I had signed out for a quick snack/drink (1 min). When I went back in, there was a gal in line first who was using the clipboard and took FOREVER to get her paperwork filled out, I was sh*#%@ bricks... Anyway, lesson learned was to allow ample time for your breaks, to sign out, walk to your locker, sign back in & show your ID again...

What do you think the logic is for schools to ask this question in their applications? Are they trying to figure out where they likely stand among your top choices? To decide when to give you an exploding offer so as to "beat" another school to the punch? I'm trying to figure out whether to list ALL the schools I'm applying to (including my "safety" schools), or whether to just list the top schools (so that the particular school in question feels like they are among the elite). Thoughts?

I'll swap SOP's if anyone wants to exchange. Just PM me...

Retake & send new results. They should get by Dec 1. just specify on test day which schools to send to so they get the results ASAP.