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Hi all. I'm recently graduated with a BA in History from an R1 school. My major GPA was solid at around a 3.7, while my overall GPA was lagging behind at around a 3.1 thanks to certain STEM courses I probably should have avoided. I did however show a solid upward trend the last two semesters of undergrad. I'm applying for around ten top-ranked PhD programs on the East Coast this winter (all top 20, hopefully not a reach) and am trying to pad my application a little bit with good letters of recommendation (not a worry at all for me), a competent GRE score, and a publication of one of my undergrad papers from Spring. When I submitted the paper in the course, the professor said that it was worthy of publication and gave me some tips on certain undergraduate/graduate history journals that would consider publishing it. He went so far as to call it a "for sure publication", which made me feel a bit better at my chances to get into a program at a place like Columbia/Brown/Yale/etc despite a sub-par cumulative GPA. Has anyone here applied for a PhD from BA level with a publication already secured? Does it make any profound difference in the admissions process or is it not something that is really considered?

Hello, everyone! I'm a rising senior thay has just recently made the decision to pursue a MS in biostatistics rather than the original path I've been working at for the past couple years (PhD in Clinical Psychology). Clearly, this is a major shift in my plans so I have been attempting to familiarize myself with the field and what credentials I'll need in order to be admitted into such a program. The underlying question of this post: do I even have a chance of admission for Fall 2019 or I should apply for the following year? Undergraduate Institution: Large Public University (top 60 in national universities, top 20 in public universities) Major(s): Psychological Sciences, BS GPA: 3.92/4.0 (I had an "off" semester) Type of Student: Domestic URM Female GRE General Test: (TBD, expecting 165 Q and V) Programs Applying: MS Biostatistics Research Experience: 2 years as a research assistant for five laboratories in different areas of psychology (not all at once, currently in two), 1 year as a project manager for a large meta-analysis in clinical psychology, 1/2 year developing a senior's thesis pertaining to pathological personality under the guidance of a mentor as part of a research-focused honors program for a small cohort of PSY students (program will last until graduation, culminating in a potential publication and poster presentations), just started in a lab this summer in the area of quantitative methods lab and clinical psychology (I'm their only research assistant so I'm getting the opportunity for meaningful involvement in projects involving advanced quantitative methods) Activities or Jobs: (N/A for work in statistics but to give more background) 1 year as a mental health technician for a group home for adults with severe mental illness, 1 year as president of mental health advocacy organization, 1 year as crisis counselor for Crisis Text Line Letters of Recommendation: research mentor (strong), supervisor for meta-analysis (strong), quantiative methods lab supervisor (strong) Relevant Coursework: Psychology - Introduction to Statistics in Psychology, Research Methods in Psychology, Understanding and Analyzing Experiments (ANOVA and Research Design), Introduction to Bayesian Statistics, Honors Research Seminar I (all As) Math & Statistics: Calculus I (AP credit) Honors and Awards: Phi Beta Kappa, Office of Undergraduate Research Scholar ($1000 scholarship program), Psychological Sciences Research Focused Honors Student Skills: programming in R (developing skill under the guidance of the quantitative methods lab I'm in, hope to become proficient) Plan of Action: Fall - Calculus II Spring - Calculus III, Linear Algebra, Statistics Summer (considering) - Real Analysis, ODE, Probability Questions: 1. Unfortunately, I'm currently in a position of playing catch up on prerequisite coursework. I have a plan to take the classes I need, but my grades will of course not be finalized in time for the many programs that have application deadlines in early December. My concern is that the programs will have nothing to go on as far as my ability to take rigorous math courses and will thus not be able to seriously consider me for admission. For the programs that have early spring deadlines, they will only be able to see my grade in Calculus II. This is the primary reason I'm asking if I even have a chance of admission. Thoughts? 2. If I do have a chance, which range of programs should I be applying to? My worry is that many programs I've been looking into are out of reach given my background. 3. If I likely don't have a chance of admission, what kind of jobs can I pursue in a gap year that will be benificial on my application for the following year? 4. I'm truly trying to set myself up for success this next year, but I also have a lot on my plate given commitments I made prior to this change in post-graduation plans. From what I've gathered, grades and letters of recommendation are the strongest selling points on an application. Therefore, I've been thinking of stepping down from the research focused honors program in order to give myself the chance to study more for the math classes I need to excel in (I would have more time for studying without the significant amount of credit hours from research seminars, individual study, and meetings that will take up my schedule in the fall and spring). My concern is that I would me removing perhaps one of the few pulls, if there even are any, to my application. Is this experience even something admission committees would look at favorably to warrant the added stress? I don't want to stretch myself to thin and not perform well in my courses. I know this was long so I'm grateful for you sticking with me. Any and all feedback is appreciated. Thank you!

Hello, I went through the DrPH 2019 thread and I found it quite informative. I will be applying for DrPH in Fall 2020 and thought to open this forum so others who will also be applying can join in. Looking forward to connecting to the others interested in this program.

Hi! I am applying to MSW programs for Fall 2020. I have been trying to look into what I need to be a good candidate for these programs. I was hoping those who have been accepted to programs could give me some insight to what they had when applying to these schools. My info- GPA-3.4 GRE- not taking Volunteer experience- Director and President of an organization raising money and awareness for childhood cancer (3 years). Planned and coordinated my university’s Suicide Awareness event, was my sororities Philanthropy and Service director, volunteered at a school for 2 years with children who have special needs. Goals- I want to be a Pediatric Oncology Social worker. if anyone has recommendations for good programs that would also be super helpful!

Hi,I am a UCLA business economics undergrad, and would like to know if I retake the pre-req math classes after my undergrad for a better score, do they give a second consideration on the improvement? How would it affect my competitive admission? (I am sorry to ask these kind of questions on here; the admission office seems to automate the answers when I emailed them, and the speakers just recite the generic answer and refer me back to emailing).This is my first time trying to apply grad school. Many Thanks in advance if anyone with a slightest clue. Any thing helps. Would love to receive more opinions if you know anyone who knows about this topic.

Hi everyone, I just had a quick question, I applied to GWU last minute for Fall 2019 about a week ago. How long did it take for them to get back to you?

Since there is no forum for KAUST admissions for Fall 2019, I decided to open one. I applied on october 13th, still no response. Best!

I have received my admit for MS in Electrical from USC, CMU-Silicon Valley and University of Pennsylvania. Which one should I choose? WHICH HAS THE SAFEST ENVIRONMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

So I’m about to graduate and would like to eventually pursue a doctorate in political science. I’m an economics major with a math minor who has taken exactly one polisci class. my academic record is pretty uneven, due in part to long-lasting mental illness (anxiety/depression). I excelled in my junior and freshman year when I was in a good mindset and focused on my studies, but my sophomore and senior years have been pretty mediocre. I expect to graduate with an unremarkable GPA in the 3.3-3.4 range and no real research experience. To make matters worse, this final semester I expect to do poorly (C’s) in the two math classes I’ve taken. FWIW, I expect to do well on the GRE. I realize that with my profile, my chances of getting into a decent PhD program are rather slim. Any advice on how to move forward and make myself competitive? I’ve been thinking about doing either a master’s in econ or an MPA, thoughts on that route? I also plan on taking a year or two to work, which would give me time to retake classes I did less than stellar in. I’m particularly interested in political theory (philosophy is my real passion) and also American politics. I’d really appreciate any advice as I’m completely lost. At this point I’m considering abandoning my dream of becoming a scholar and just pursuing law school 😕

Hi everyone, I just had a quick question, I applied to GWU last minute for Fall 2019 about a week ago. How long did it take for them to get back to you?

Hey everyone, I'm a junior majoring in communication disorders and sciences, which means applying for grad school is right around the corner. However, I'm super stressed that no master's program will accept me! I keep hearing about the importance of internships and research experience, but I haven't had the chance to do these things, and I don't imagine I'll have enough time for them before it's time to apply in the fall. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of having an internship. However, I didn't decide on my major until about a year ago, and I'm also paying for college on my own...I just feel like I'm at a huge disadvantage. Any tips?

I graduated in 2015 with my Bachelor's neuroscience. I've been doing social science research for think tanks since then, and I'd like to make a transition into a sociology PhD program. I have a good GPA (3.9) and GREs (166V, 167Q) and lots of sociological research experience. However, I don't have any letters of recommendation from sociologists (I work mostly with psychologists and economists) and didn't take any sociology courses in undergrad. I'm wondering if there are any full-time jobs I could work at (or maybe a Master's, but those are expensive) that would improve my chances of getting into a top-tier sociology PhD program for entry in Fall 2020 or Fall 2021. I know there are a lot of Research Assistant, Lab Manager, and even Predoctoral Fellow positions in psychology, economics, and other disciplines. But I haven't been able to find many for sociology per se. Any ideas?

HI everyone, I am in my 3rd round of applications and i already have been rejected from my top school and waitlisted at another. I am still waiting to hear from 1 more school and still working on applying to a couple of more schools this round. I was talking to some family members who were asking why is it so hard to get accepted. I know a big part of my answer was because I have a low gpa from my bachelors degree, 2.7. I have worked really hard to raise my last 60 hours gpa to a still low 3.4 but I worked hard for it. I have retaken 2 speech courses that I initially recieved C's in and have also taken classes that are not required in the state of Texas to have a SLP assistance license. Oh and I have 4 years of experience as a speech assistance in schools. My question to all you wonderful speechies is if this is what is keeping me from being accepted. Is my low undergraduate gpa like a sore thumb sticking out? I have looked in to getting a second bachelors from ENMU in communication disorders and I believe I only need 3 more courses to achieve it. Will this help me become a better applicant? What do you guys think?

I had an underwhelming GPA in a difficult major from a top 10 but underrated public research university. I'm also in my late 30s - I've been thinking of grad/professional school for a long time, but I know it will be very challenging, and may not be worth it.For a while now, I'm been thinking of applying to the M.A. in Asian Studies at UC Berkeley and the M.A. in Asia Pacific Studies at University of San Francisco. I'd much prefer Asian American Studies, but very few schools offer an M.A. in that - the closest one seems to be UCLA, and I'd like to stay local and commute to school. There's an M.A. in Asian American Studies at SF State, but I know that SFSU doesn't have anywhere near the name recognition of UCB. My goals for those programs is to write, get published, be a "thought leader" (sorry if it sounds arrogant; it's not meant to be) in Asian or Asian American Studies, maybe lecture, and possibly teach in some capacity. My main goal would be to be a published author, whether through books, articles, journal papers, online digital content, etc. I just think of these master's programs as giving me a jumping point into what I want to do. I'd also love to go through the grad school experience - it would probably be very personally enriching. Also, like many people, I've always thought I would go to grad school, and it would be great to go to grad school at a top university. Any thoughts on the M.A. in Asian Studies at Berkeley, the M.A. in Asia Pacific Studies at USF, or the M.A. in Asian American Studies at SFSU? Has anyone gone through those programs, or know people who have completed them? How hard is it to get into those 3 programs? What is it like taking those programs, what do you learn or get out of it, what are the courses/students/professors like, and what do students do after they get their M.A.? Any other schools/masters programs you can recommend to me that are in the Bay Area, close to San Francisco? I'm also open to online masters programs, but there are hardly any offered in these fields, and they're from no-name and questionable schools.

Good day! I was recently interviewed by a faculty member in a university I applied for. The faculty member offered me a junior research assistant position for 3 months prior to my expected/desired start for masters, but both admission to the masters program and the position itself are not yet assured. I sent some additional info by request, and the faculty member said that "my documents are very clear" and that she was glad that I was open to the junior research assistant offer. I would just like to know if this is a good indicator for possible admission into the masters program. Thank you!

Who all applied for UW MHCID this year?

Has anyone else applied for the fall 2019 admissions at the School of public health, University of Alberta? Any progress on the applications? Any feedbacks you've heard from them or got any decisions yet?

Hey everyone! Looking for your honest opinions about my predicament. Based on what I have seen posted here, my top choice program (a PhD in Public Health at a top-ranked university) hasn't released decisions yet, but I have noticed that a couple people have been interviewed. To my dismay, I haven't been contacted about an interview, and I am wondering if this is a sign that I'm going to be rejected. I met with a faculty member before submitting my application, had a great interaction with her, and have kept up with her via email. I also corresponded with other faculty members, who suggested the program would be a great fit for me. I attended a prospective student day and met with some faculty there as well. What do you think? Should I brace myself for a rejection? Or is it possible they are accepting some people without interviews? None of the materials the department puts out about admissions indicate that an interview is a formal part of the application process. Thank you so much for your advice! I've been admitted to another program that isn't as highly ranked, so I'll be okay, but I am still desperately hoping to get into this program.

Hi all, I had a question about gaining admission to PhD programs in linguistics with unconventional credentials. I am currently a JD student at a top 5 law school, and was hoping to complete a PhD either alongside or after the JD. I completed a dual degree in undergrad with BAs in humanities and a foreign language, as well as a minor in linguistics, and won most outstanding student in the language department my last two years. I took multiple grad-level linguistics courses, and worked as a research assistant for one of my ling professors. My overall GPA was a 4.0. After undergrad, I taught English abroad for a year before going to law school. My question is, without an MA and other normal qualifications, how feasible would it be to gain admission to a good PhD program in linguistics? I am planning on following the normal recommended advice of reaching out to potential advisors and carefully crafting my personal statement to each individual department, as well as casting a wide net to different programs, but was wondering if that would be enough. If not, what specific things might I do to help strengthen my case? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

Hi all, I've survived my graduate school application process for School Psychology Specialist. I've done all of my interviews, gotten a few rejections already, one acceptance in the bag. While I wait to hear from my other schools, I'm wondering if there is a website out there that can tell me the quality of the programs that I applied to? Not just how they rank in their state, but ratings on the quality of the curriculum and the worth of the degree. I don't want to attend a program and then find out there is difficulty in being hired. When I look these programs up, I either get websites with reviews I have to pay for or biased reviews on the university's website. I chose to only apply to programs that are NASP accredited/approved, does that mean they are all about equal? Thanks.

Hi guys, this is my first ever post, so I hope to not be doing anything wrong. I am a mechanical engineering undergraduate student from Brazil, and will be applying for graduate school in the US and in Canada for fall 2020 admission. Since the admission process is fairly different from what is done here in my country, I'm not familiar with the credentials that are considered to be good or bad for top schools (I do know, however, that the competition is fierce and sometimes even the best students don't get in), so any advice will be helpful. Here is a brief overview of my CV: Major: Mechanical Engineering Undergrad University: Top 30 in Brazil, but I don't know if it is well known internationally CGPA: 9/10 TOEFL: 110/120 GRE: Haven't taken it yet, but assume that I got stellar results Research Experience: 2 years at the Fluid Mechanics Lab (Mech Eng department), 3+ years at the Processes and Simulations Lab (Chemical Eng department), 1 year at the Renewable Energy Technology research group (Mech Eng department). PS: I participate simultaneously of these three groups. Publications: - Two as second author at an international congress (automated a device that allows for great precision in wind tunnel measurements and helped formulate a new mathematical model for blood flow). - One as second author at a national congress (had minor impact on this one, just analyzed some data and helped to write the paper). - One as second author at a respected peer-reviewed journal (submitted) (developed a new technology design that increases the energy output of hydroturbines). And, if all goes well, by the time I submit my application, I'll have 2-3 more publications (1 of these as first author) at highly regarded journals in my desired field (these publications are related to renewable energy such as hydroturbines and biomass combustion, plus a publication of experimental work that I'm currently carrying out with a masters student). Accomplishments/Awards: My CGPA may not seem so great when compared to other students, but in my department I'm ranked in the top 0.01% (yes, that's how they call it haha) of ALL students ever. Co-founded a research group with my professor. No awards. LORs: One from my long time advisor, who knows me very well and has been a huge part of my research career so far. One from other professor with whom I also conduct research and also happens to be very close. One from the department head, from when I took a graduate course in which he was the professor, and had the best grades in class. He also is my co-advisor (Got his PhD from Cornell). Extracurriculars: Part of the aerodynamics crew of a SAE aerodesign team. Was briefly part of the robotics team. Target schools: I intend to test my luck and apply to MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Cornell and University of Toronto. I know that it is impossible to say for sure if a CV is good enough or not since the admissions process is a crapshoot most of the time, but I would like to know your honest opinion based on your experiences. Thank you for your time.

Does anyone have information (literally any information beyond that on the website) about Colorado State University's Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management Ph.D. program? I applied 1/15 which was the due date to be considered for a TA-ship/RA-ship, had a weird thing happen with my master's transcripts that was resolved, and as of 1/28, I have had "your application is ready for review by your department." I know my application was sent to my POI. But that is all. I searched in results, the only one was from 3 years ago. I Googled, searched on this site, tried using boolean operators with a variety of terms and...nothing. Well, one thing. That Peterson's site that has dubious statistics. It has been ~9 days since my POI received my application so even how much time has passed isn't yielding information. As I am sure everyone is aware, waiting sucks beyond the telling of it. Waiting and not even having the foggiest idea when to expect anything, how their process works or anything is killer. Any, ANY information would be great. I know I should call the department and just ask for a timeline, but it seems a little soon to do that and some of my questions they may not be able to answer. for instance: I would also like information on how their admissions work. Is it POI approval heavy? Does the admissions committee have the most weight? How many applications do they usually receive? What is their acceptance rate like? Again, I'll take any information at this point. Thank you!?

So...First post ever. FYI some basic info - applying for Msc. in Europe - Political Science and Social Science related programs. I just got accepted into my backup choice, full ride scholarship included. Yes I am very very happy and excited, yet because it is my backup choice I did not feel that rush of adrenaline that I was hoping for. A voice in my head tells me that if I settle for that (a uni wich is top 600 in Europe) im settling for less. However, another part of me fully acknowledges just how important a full ride scholarship is and how it still is a top 50 under 50 uni and that it IS a big deal and an actual accomplishment. Now, for the actual advice. I need to accept or decline the offer within the next 3 weeks, and if I accept I must take 6 months of preparatory language classes starting the first week of april. However, the results of my top choices be out between mid-February and mid-March. So, what if I get accepted into my top choice and then have to refuse the offer to my back up choice just a week or two before the language courses? I would feel like I have robbed the opportunity of someone who maybe got waitlisted because of me, yet if I get into my top choice why wouldn't I take it, I mean it is my dream.

Based on what my undergraduate professor told me, I thought that all applications for sociology graduate programs were reviewed at the same time and did not have rolling admissions but now it seems everyone is finding out from their schools at different times...is there a benefit to applying earlier?

My top choice school had an application deadline on 1/15. My current institution had an error on my official transcript. I contacted the coordinator and everything was fine. But my official transcript got to admissions on 1/25 and I was told it had been sent off to the potential advisor I have been speaking with, who has already agreed to supervise me and put in a letter with the committee. So, questions: 1) I know it's been a week, should I have heard something by now? (If this seem rediculous, trust me I find it rediculous as well and I have to endure being in my own head). 2) With a 1/15 deadline, when should I expect to hear anything? 3) In bio programs what impact does the faculty and having someone agree to take you, usually have on admissions?