moody

I think you are worrying about this a bit too much. If nothing is specified in the guidelines from the university, just choose a way of formatting your SOP that makes it easy to read (have at least a bit of white space - it shouldn't be a wall of text.)

This is not really normal practice for application to graduate school. Professors typically need to submit the letters themselves, and you should waive the right to see them. There is nothing wrong with contacting a prof next year when you are organizing your grad school applications - it won't really be the long at all, seeing as the application deadlines are typically November - January.

I can't see how this possibly matters. The letters will read by the committee and letter writers always state how they know you... and so the committee members will decide for themselves how to weight the letters.

Definitely better than a grad student. A prof is best (because they will have taught graduate students and will be able to offer useful comparisons), but someone with a PhD in the area you are applying for and who you have worked with is definitely not the end of the world. (I assume you will have letters from other professors too.)

If you do it should be something small - like maybe some cookies you baked. It can get into uncomfortable ethical territory if it seems like more than a small gesture of appreciation. Much more important is for you to keep your letter writers informed about the outcome - it is always gratifying to hear that you wrote a letter that helped someone get admitted to a good program / receive a scholarship / etc.

I think that smmmu's approach is a good one in this case. The rankings can be important, but mostly in a sort of comparative sense - e.g., if the professor ranks you lower on one of the categories, it is *much* better the that category be something like "congeniality" than that it be something like "research potential." Most candidates do end with the majority of their ratings within the top 20%... anything lower is a bit of a red flag, but they are such a small portion of the overall application and other things, like the actual letter, matter much more.

Of course they'll care about the grades - which in this case are very good. I expect that they'll also care about the GRE, but mostly in the sense that they will expect high GRE scores, and it might give serious pause if they are not high. This said, it would be wrong to assume that a Q170 means automatic acceptance anywhere; they'll be looking at the whole package.

How, exactly, are you criticizing them? If you are taking issue with some of their theoretical proposals *based on the findings of your own research*, that's fine, but be careful to word it appropriately - e.g., "My research suggests calls proposal X (citation) into questions because..." Be careful not to criticize without a strong basis, though... it can come off as arrogant if you don't have any data to back it up.

I would advise against this approach. Even if this is not your intent, it could be interpreted as if you are negatively disposed toward research, and view it primarily as a pathway to financial independence. Neither of these are likely to sit well with people who have dedicated their lives to research which often does not pay well. If you feel that you must say something about your grades, I would stick with something along the lines of it taking some time to adjust to university and find your true passion in research.

The works cited page should definitely be included. It would look quite unprofessional to leave it out. This said, it wouldn't normally count toward the page limit (unless, of course, there is actually a limit in the online system on how many pages can be uploaded).

I would upload a writing sample; ideally, this would be a thesis or research paper related to your desired area of study. A strong writing sample is evidence for the committee that you have the ability to undertake research in your area of interest... which can only be a good thing.

Results for linguistics programs with deadlines in December and January generally come some time between the end of January and the middle of March. It is (very) unlikely that you'll hear any news until at least a couple of weeks after the submission deadline.

If you ask the TA, the professor from the same course should also be involved in writing the letter and should sign it. A letter from someone who does not have a PhD carries very little weight. (Committees want to know about your chances of succeeding in a PhD program, and it difficult for someone who does not yet have a PhD to speak about this with authority.)

It depends what is meant here by "part-time professor." Do they have a PhD? If yes, then this is likely fine, given that you think this is your best chance for a strong letter. Otherwise I would avoid asking this person - committee members want to hear from people who know what it takes to succeed in a PhD program, and it is difficult to speak convincingly about this if a person does not have a PhD him/herself. (Caveat - if you are applying to a professional masters program of some sort this is less important.)

It doesn't matter in the slightest. Only your GPA is relevant. (Plus your letters and SOP and writing samples, etc.).

It sounds to me like he's trying to tell you that he won't be able to write you a strong letter of recommendation for those schools. I would talk to him about it. It's possible that he might have attended one of these schools himself, or have worked at one in the past, and so he has a good sense of the type of students that are typically admitted. If he is very reluctant, I would take that seriously (and probably not ask him to write to those schools...). Also, I would ask him to suggest other programs that he thinks would be a good fit.

The military service should only be included in your SOP if it has helped to define your *research* interests in some way. The admission committee members are looking for people who will be able to achieve success in a linguistics PhD program... I'm sure that you are a hard worker, and that being in the military has shaped you, but has it shaped you as a researcher? If not, then it shouldn't be included in your SOP. I would find out if *not requiring* a CV is the same thing as *not accepting* a CV. It is likely that a CV can be uploaded as additional documentation.

These things should be included in your CV. You can mention some of them (e.g., the editing gig) in your SOP if you want, but really it should be a brief mention. The ESL certification is probably the most interesting one, particularly if it has informed your research interests in some what. The admissions committee will be most interested in hearing about your research interests as they pertain to linguistics. You should spend the bulk of your SOP discussing what research you have done in the past, what directions you would like to pursue in the PhD program, and why you think that the school in question is a good fit in terms of research.

I agree with the others. Don't mention specific classes. Focus instead on the research being done at the school you're applying to and how it fits with your own interests.

I do actually find this a bit "catchy" but you would need to be sure that you can really back it up with incredible accomplishments (think published books, refereed journal articles) and really strong letters. Otherwise it will just be highlighting your weaknesses. Also, most applicants (and faculty members) did not attend UG schools that are necessarily the most "prestigious" and so you really don't want to avoid appearing to badmouth your current situation. Highlight how the program you're applying to will provide you with opportunities to grow.

Talk to your letter writers. They will likely have suggestions about the best fit schools, and those are the ones that you should make your priority.

The admissions committee will know that you're already in a PhD program because it will be stated on your transcript (which you are required to submit). In your SOP you should focus on why you want to attend the particular American university that you are applying too, and how attending that university will help you to extend the research that you have already begun in Japan (in the Master's program and now the PhD). This is not a problem, just be sure to avoid anything like "bashing" your current institution. Also, as swisschocolate mentions, make sure that you get a LOR from your current institution; not having a letter will look very bad (like you are doing poorly and trying to escape / like no one at your current institution will agree to write for you / etc.)

Some... but the admissions committee will probably look at your grades in specific courses. If the courses that are pulling down your cumm. GPA are completely unrelated to your desired program, then they will likely be viewed as excusable (e.g., organic chemistry if you're an anthropology major). If the problematic courses are closely related, however, it will be harder for them to overlook.

Can you not submit both? Applications that I have seen (and that have been successful) generally include more than one writing sample, but requirements might vary across schools. Otherwise, I would choose the one that you think is the best demonstration of your research ability.

If you want to correspond with one (or more) of the professors, you should choose them carefully to be people who you might be interested in eventually working with. For example, if you are interested in phonology, you should read the profiles of the professors on their websites, figure out who works in this area, and then contact just those people. You are right in thinking that randomly contacting people is a bad idea – it makes you look unfocused. Honestly, though, in your case (given that you've stated that you don't have much research background), I'd think hard about whether contacting anyone is necessarily a good idea. If you correspond with a professor, they will want to know about your work and your research interests... Contacting POI is not standard practice in linguistics, and so if you do contact people you need to be sure that you will leave a positive impression (wrt your research interests and abilities). People are admitted all the time (in linguistics) without contacting POI. You don't have to have talked with someone in order to mention them in your SOP, but you do need to have done enough research on the department to make sure that you really are mentioning the people whose research is most relevant to your area(s) of interest.