I'm a fact.

No doubt a diverse student population makes for a more enriched academic environment, however, Berkeley is a public institution and has a certain obligation to educate residents of the state of California (of all ethnicities) from whom they receive a good deal of funding in the form of tax revenue. It also has an obligation to educate students from around the country. My undergraduate institution was private and therefore had no such obligation to state taxpayers and was subsequently, and probably still is, a university with one of the largest international student bodies in the US, a real point of pride. I am almost certain that international graduate students are more expensive to fund, which is probably why a public institution like Berkeley may regrettably be unable to admit a good deal of qualified international applicants, because it simply does not have the same deep pockets as private schools. Berkeley is actually a bad example, since in my estimation it does have a decent size international study body (25% of doctoral students, 21% in master’s programs) and has the largest endowment of the UCs, but I’m trying to demonstrate possible obstacles an international student faces when applying to public schools in the US. It is simply more competitive, though not impossible, for international applicants because there are fewer spots due to limited resources. These obstacles are probably no different for Americans applying abroad, esp. with regard to securing funding. People on this forum have been kind and supportive of you, Tracy, but I think it needs to be said that given you feel entitled to the resources of a country whose inhabitants you continually accuse of being xenophobic, it seems more like Berkeley dodged a bullet (if you have in fact been rejected). This is all without mentioning that English programs are some of the most competitive in which Berkeley is ranked among the top, and xenophobia is the reason you think you have been rejected? In a country of immigrants, albeit a country not without problems of racism, in a state as diverse as California, and on a campus where a quarter of doctoral students come from outside the US? Seriously?! Is this the only reason you can think of? What do you mean you look American?

Not sure about German, but for Scandinavian programs look here: http://www.scandinavianstudy.org/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59&Itemid=75 Berkeley, UCLA, WashU, and U Wisconsin Madison have solid Scandi programs. Also, I think there's an Old Norse scholar or two at Harvard.

Not sure if these long posts are useful, but I’d like to comment more on funding: I just remembered that at my university, the department alone does not determine funding. Meaning the department only provides funding for the first year or two only if the university does not award the admitted student a university fellowship (we’re talking PhDs here). Remember, the “university” (it sounds sinister, and it should), not the adcomm, knows which other universities you applied to, but not necessarily whether or not you were accepted to any of them. Since funding decisions are not entirely left up to the department at some, probably most, universities, then perhaps the information you provide about which other universities you applied to can affect funding decisions made by the university (in the form of fellowships). So, perhaps you should put down the most competitive programs, and if recommended for admission by the adcomm, the university administration may then check to see which other programs you applied to to determine fellowship recipients (often based on merit (i.e., competitiveness) and diversity—not merit or diversity, but always merit and diversity). Funding is of course only considered for admitted applicants (if that isn’t obvious). Okay, so this has been a fun game of speculation. Good bye now.

I agree with TakeruK and sereth and others, but would also like to add another layer of speculation: I am almost positive that this information is requested for statistical purposes (and possibly for recruitment purposes, but not in the obvious way). The university I attend compiles an annual report in which they profile the entering undergraduate and graduate classes (many, if not all, universities compile such reports). In my university's report, they included the top five or so schools that are considered to be this particular university’s biggest competition (probably based on which universities applicants list on their applications). Also, once admitted, you are requested to participate in a survey that asks how many schools you were admitted to (they asked me for a number, not to state specific universities). Basically, this university likes to note that their students chose to attend their university over the likes of Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Yale, etc. And who knows, this information may even affect program rankings. It is possible that if a department has an idea of which programs/ universities a student is applying to, that they can then adjust their recruitment practices during the admissions process (like possibly make a more competitive offer—of course, only if they deem the candidate competitive and a good fit for their program). However, it is much more likely that this information is never received by adcomms. It may exclusively be information collected by the university for statistical purposes. I mentioned that this information may affect recruitment in a more indirect way, which is to say that university administration determines a department’s budget, and if a department is receiving loads of applications for a program that is offered at a lot of other highly ranked universities, then the administration may increase that department’s budget to allow for more aggressive recruitment. I could be totally wrong though. This is speculation from someone who used to work as a staff member in a university department that prioritized the collection of statistics as a way of petitioning the administration for more funding, among other things. Universities use statistics to make a lot of important budgetary decisions. I really don’t think it will hurt your application to list the most competitive programs you are applying to; even if you don’t think of yourself as being the most competitive candidate, just assume that you are hot property. Also, note that competitive graduate programs do not always correlate with the highest ranked universities. The program I applied to is only offered at a handful of universities, and I made it clear on my applications that I would be applying to them all (send the message: I am up for grabs, come and get it!—Ultimately, the decision is out of your hands, so just put on a brave face). Sorry if my grammar is sloppy, I’m just taking a break from studying.

See thread: (started on 08 October 2012) They're sharing some good ideas in there.

I contacted professors for recommendation letters seven years after graduating, and I was also not a student that put in a lot of face time with professors. Just be straightforward and sincere with such requests. First, I started with the obvious: it’s been seven years; you would not remember me. (Also, don’t go on for too long without making your request for a letter clear—in other words, don’t beat around the bush.) Then, I stated the title of the class I took with them (included the semester and year), the grade I received, and offered to dig up an old paper if I could find one. I told them what kind of work I’d been doing since graduating, and described the research I wanted to pursue as a graduate student (be in a position to provide them with a polished draft of your writing sample and statement). You could also explain why you are requesting a letter from them specifically (e.g., what you remember about the coursework and research you did for their class and how it’s relevant to your intended course of study). Finally, offer to meet them during office hours. Include all of this information, but be concise. Some professors will respond positively and appreciate that you provided them with sufficient information for them to at least consider writing a recommendation letter for you; others will say no, but good luck. People will advise you not to get letters from professors who barely remember you. This isn’t bad advice, however, there is no reason why you can’t reach out and get to know a professor years after being a student and persuade them to advocate for you. You may not want all three letters to be from professors from your undergraduate days, but I managed to get two letters from professors and one professional recommendation letter with good results. Again, the advice to not get letters from people who are not familiar with you or your academic qualifications is solid advice, but when I applied, I had few choices and did the best I could to get strong recommendation letters. If you’ve been out of school for 20+ years then I imagine it is more of an issue to find professors who have not retired or died. If that's not an issue, then I would contact professors. Your son should, however, have few problems with refreshing a few professors' memories. Best of luck.

Hi Alexis, I'll try to answer your question, since nobody else has (however, keep in mind that I am totally ignorant of all things engineering as I am nowhere close to being an engineering student). Also, I see you're new here--so, just so you know, most people on this and other GradCafe forums tend to completely ignore anything resembling a what-are-my-chances type question (see the pinned topic: Before you ask "WHAT ARE MY CHANCES???" http://forum.thegrad...4-applications/) . This is probably because no one can tell you definitively what your chances are, especially considering people here on the Applications forum are mostly preoccupied with their own chances of being admitted. I think you would get more informed responses to your questions about your overall competitiveness if you were to identify some programs you are currently considering, and maybe mention a little about your research interests and experience. Though, you might also scroll down to The Menu section and read through threads on the Applied Sciences & Mathematics' Engineering forum. Perhaps, you should post there and see if anybody has any useful information to impart. From my limited knowledge, engineering programs seem über competitive among international students. I don't think your biggest competition are domestic students or native English speakers. Students from East and South Asia are highly competitive applicants. No matter your chances, you should put together the strongest possible application, and if it is at all reasonable for you to increase your GRE scores, then perhaps you should plan for that. I take it you're a girl, Alexis? (I apologize if you're not). Most schools are looking to diversify their student body and encourage more women to apply to fields like engineering. So, what's the weather in Belgium like?

I applied to a professional program years ago that I had reservations about immediately after applying. Unfortunately, I was accepted; I ended up dropping out of the program a week after it started. I wasted money on the GRE, application fee, and having transcripts sent. I also wasted my recommenders’ time. This year was a totally different experience. I applied to a program more in-line with my academic interests. I spent two years doing independent research, and while this degree may not lead to a lucrative career, I would’ve been heartbroken if I hadn’t gotten in. Everyone’s motivations are different. Some people have practical reasons for going to grad school (e.g. opportunity for advancement and higher pay) and some have a passion for their subject. If you lack both, why waste the time and money? Either way, good luck to you—wherever the wind blows you.

Is applying to Berkeley and UCLA this time around totally out of the question? It may be a shot in the dark, esp. being an international student, but one never knows. I suppose you could at least establish CA residency while completing the MA. Do you think your writing sample and SOP are strong enough to apply to MA/PhD programs this fall? Is your converted GPA really that bad or are you just being hard on yourself? Does it meet/exceed the minimum requirement? Then, there’s the GRE. My point: if the programs are a good fit, and you think you can get your shit together by the deadlines, why not roll the dice on Berkeley and UCLA this application round? To answer your original question, no one should feel their options are limited because of their undergrad or MA institution. Just apply to the programs you perceive to be a good fit be it Harvard, Yale, Cornell, etc. etc. I understand if you just don’t feel ready though. Also, I’m confused by your reference to private institutions, since both UCLA and Berkeley (all UCs for that matter) are public. Perhaps you have some private schools on your list that I overlooked.

I also did remarkably poor on the quantitative section when I took the test last year. My percentile rank for the verbal section was slightly lower than yours and my AW score was not nearly as impressive, but it was enough for me to get accepted into my first-choice program with full-funding (a package that included a two-year fellowship). What follows is a bit of a cautionary tale. Late in the application process, one of my recommenders advised me to retake the test to raise my quantitative score if only to improve my chance of receiving a competitive fellowship. I retook the GRE and regretted wasting the money as I was only able to marginally increase my quantitative score, and I’m not even sure the scores were received by the schools before the deadline. Bottom line: if you want to be considered for competitive fellowships at top-tier universities, then retaking the test to improve your quantitative score may be beneficial, esp. for the ivies. However, and this is important, I think your scores are strong enough that I wouldn’t even consider retaking the test until you’ve produced an exceptional writing sample and SOP. I did not apply to the same program as you, but I applied and was accepted into a humanities program at one of the schools on your list (not an ivy) and they made it clear during the admitted students’ reception that the GRE scores have very little weight overall. The keynote speaker was literally laughing at the notion that the GRE played any role in our acceptance, but then he started to back-pedal when his laugh became too derisive, because let's face it, scores are obviously somewhat important in funding decisions—that said, every university and every department’s standards are different. Sorry for the mixed advice, but that's the way it goes.

Definitely! If there is not a single faculty member who can support your research interests in a given department, the admissions committee is very unlikely to recommend you for admission. It seems that you have developed your interests in multiethnic American literature more than anything else, and since you want to teach English and world literatures at the secondary level, then perhaps you would be better served by focusing on English programs strong in ethnic literature and then taking classes in other departments as others have recommended. And of course you want to make sure that you articulate your research interests to prospective graduate programs in a way that is both focused and relevant to the program to which you are applying (I really don’t mean for this to sound patronizing, because refining one’s research interests is just a natural part of the process of applying to graduate programs). It sounds like your interest in Scandinavian literatures will have to be subordinated or developed according to your commitment to independent study (esp. if you end up at a university with no Scandinavian Dept.). However, in my experience with graduate-level Scandinavian seminars, lectures are taught in English and texts are read in their original languages (this practice, however, may vary from department to department). The expectation is that you have a reading ability in at least one or more Scandinavian languages. The languages are mutually intelligible, so if you had 2-3 years of language preparation in one Scandinavian language, then you should be fine to read the others with the aid of a dictionary. But I should add that while Icelandic is Germanic in origin, it is not strictly speaking like the other Scandinavian languages (Iceland is considered a Nordic country, not Scandinavian). I would definitely contact faculty in Scandinavian departments who specialize in Icelandic about contemporary Icelandic literature course offerings--perhaps they can provide you with a syllabus and some recommended reading to help direct your independent study. Like others have mentioned, it seems that you have a stronger background in English, but it also seems to me that you are taking a big step by starting language preparation in Icelandic (and possibly Old Norse and/or Danish).

Thank you! This is awesome.

Hi etiolation, Do you have your mind set on English programs? If not, I’ll echo what other posters have already recommended and suggest Comparative Literature programs. If you plan to limit your search to universities with Scandinavian Departments, check-out the website for The Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies (SASS). There are only three free-standing departments in the U.S. and they are Berkeley, U of Washington (Seattle), and U of Wisconsin, Madison. UCLA and Minnesota also have strong programs. Many universities have German Language and Literature departments in which Scandinavian and Dutch languages and literatures are included. If you can create a compelling connection between multiethnic American lit and Scandinavian lit, then the comparative track sounds reasonable. Otherwise, you might consider going whole hog on the Scandinavian/Nordic aspect of your research interests.