deconstructing

It's also important to take your time. Yes, we're running against the clock, but it is important to read a passage carefully and with full understanding. Skimming won't help. You will get a general picture but it's simply not enough since the answers are all similar to each other. So you'll have to go back and lose time anyway. I suppose this is even more true for non-native speakers. I do think taking a few extra minutes to read passages carefully is a time well spent.

You're right. This whole process is very stressful and competitive, so people tend to stick to some (mostly) imaginary "rules". While I think it's vital to hear other people's experiences, I believe there's no universal formula. Trying to stick to imaginary rules is very limiting and it can hurt your chances more than any gaffe you might fear of committing.

I have Kaplan's book and yes, it helps a little, but I guess I should take some time to actually analyze my bad choices more than trying to figure out how to answer correctly. I'm usually pretty close most of the time - for example, I eliminate 3 answers and I pick the wrong one out of the remaining two. That's so frustrating: most of my wrong answers are picking the wrong one out of two. So I guess I'm doing something right, but it's not enough. I think at this point I should focus more on my wrong answers and finding my own formula for answering correctly. For example, Kaplan (or was it Princeton?) suggests that we should read the question only, try to figure the answer on our own and only then find the matching one. This isn't working for me AT ALL, because I'm influenced by my own understanding of the text even before I look at the answers. This is good advice, especially for difficult passages about a subject you know nothing about. Strangely (?) enough, I'm usually better with texts outside my field. The less I know about the actual subject, the better.

Ha! That's actually a cute story. I do think mentioning where I'm from is important, because this is my geographical, historical and political area of interest. I'm actually one of those people who prefer impersonal approach: I have M.A. in X, my past research i s Y, I'm interested in Z, etc. But some of the people who've read my SOP draft say it's too impersonal. So I'm looking for a way to make it more interesting. PS -I understand the football team thing was a (harmless) gaffe, but I thought telling them they're your #1 choice was also a no-no.

Not sure. I had no idea about this until someone mentioned it on this forum (I mean, I had no idea there's a difference between the way public and private universities approach funding for internationals). Some people DO mention top private universities as a good source for funding, but what about us poor sods who don't reach for the Ivys? Why do you think public universities are actually more international-friendly?

Here's my situation: I still have to take GRE so none of this is official, but practice tests are not promising. (<- An understatement). My quant score is more or less ok (not stellar, but not horrible either), but Verbal is abysmal. I am not a native English speaker, but I don't think it's the main problem here (I don't struggle with AW). Of course I have to learn more words and improve my vocabulary, but I'm struggling with reading comprehension, too. Ouch. It's a completely new situation for me. I am usually good at reading comprehension and understanding what's written, even when it comes to more complex language than the one used for GRE. I'm also fairly good at standardized tests. So this is very frustrating not just because I have a problem but also because it's the first time I'm in this situation. So, in short, are there some good tips for improving my score? Especially when it comes to reading comprehension? I mean on some strategic advice for GRE, not for generally improving my reading comprehension - I know my reading comprehension is fine. I just don't seem to understand the logic behind GRE. (Perhaps I focus too much on what I know about the subject to focus on the actual text?)

Thanks for your reply. I didn't mean to whine. I simply believe my background is important for my research. (If nothing else, because of the language(s) I speak). My only problem is that so many SOP tips say it's a bad idea to include childhood anecdotes. This ISN'T what I want to write about, but I don't want to ruin my chances by mentioning anything that even vaguely looks like one.

Not sure what to say. I don't have a clue how things might go in your field. The only info I have is about California. I suppose a good thing would be to check your desired programs and see if they have a significant percentage of international students (though it's not an absolute indicative). I know of some internationals-friendly universities, but not in the US. On the other hand, if a program states something along the lines of "we offer a few scholarships for international students, but they are very competitive", it might be a sign that there aren't many funding opportunities for internationals. However, none of this is official. Maybe none of it is true. It's just my way of trying to read between the lines. I suppose the best way to get some helpful info is to contact grad students and get some insider information on the subject.

I'm wondering is it's ok to mention certain sociopolitical circumstances in your SOP. My research interests are Eastern Europe and the Balkans, namely, former Yugoslavia. The thing is, that's where I'm from, and I witnessed some of these things firsthand as a child. Now, is it ok to mention this in my SOP? The last thing I want is to advertise the misery, so to speak, but where I'm from plays a significant role in who I am as both a person and a researcher. It does explain why I'm interested in things I'm interested in (construction of identity, EE and the Balkans in postcolonial perspective, political anthropology and postsocialism/transition, etc.) I do feel mentioning the way it has influenced me is vital for my SOP. Then again... too personal? Cheesy/Cliched? Any thoughts on this?

First time poster here! (Hope this is the right place to ask my question). I'm currenly searching for some good options to study anthropology or communication in the US (PhD). Thanks to think forum, I learned that things are not that simple - some universities are not that eager to accept International students (Berkeley, for example). I'm glad I have this information, but now I'm wondering how to tell if an University is "international students friendly". Can someone help me here? Obviously, I can't email Universities and ask them opnely about this. So I guess I'm searching for clues. Are certain Universities known for their reluctance to accept internationals (in humanities/social sciences)? As I understand, I might have more luck with private Universities, but I doubt it's a rule. Any help here?