Fall 2012 Applicant Chit Chat

[goldielocks]

C&C - What word processing system are you using? Word? Open Office? Scrivener? This might help us to offer more helpful suggestions.

[crazedandinfused]

C&C - What word processing system are you using? Word? Open Office? Scrivener? This might help us to offer more helpful suggestions.

Yeah, that probably would help. Microsoft word 2010.

[Safferz]

While I agree with Sigaba that replacing paragraphs in the way you suggest is probably not your best bet, depending on how your essay is organized, I think it would be reasonable to cut out an entire section and replace it with a short summary. I submitted my senior thesis as my writing sample when I applied to grad school, and as it was far too much longer than the limit to simply cut down, I decided to submit my introduction, conclusion, and one chapter of the body, with one paragraph summaries of the other sections. It seemed to work out ok, and I don't think it's a bad idea if you want to give a sense of your entire paper while still staying within the page limit.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I found out my 25 page sample is actually 23 pages on Word (I usually use Pages on my Mac), so whittling it down by another three pages doesn't seem as daunting a task.

In other news -- it's almost November, folks!

[goldielocks]

In other news -- it's almost November, folks!

Noooooo. Don't remind me! I am still editing my SOP, and slowly but surely inching closer to a final draft... but I could use an extra month before deadlines hit. BLAH.

[goldielocks]

C&C, does this help at all? I know you said you already scoured the internet, but just in case:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/118586

Or this?

http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/FootnoteOnDiffPage.htm

[crazedandinfused]

C&C, does this help at all? I know you said you already scoured the internet, but just in case:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/118586

Or this?

http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/FootnoteOnDiffPage.htm

Thanks goldielocks. I tried those every which way and the best I could do was get them all to align by extending my paper by 4 pages........ I don't think it's the end of the world if the reader has to look on the next page for the footnote, right? I could solve this by doing endnotes but I think those would be even more of an inconvenience.

[goldielocks]

Yeah, you're probably right, C&C. I don't think it'll be a big deal at all.

So where's everyone else today? What'd you actually get done this weekend? Are we all working too hard playing catch-up today to be lurking around the boards?

[maeisenb]

Not much. Still going strong on the SOP and now going to make changes to my writing sample (as per some of the great suggestion on this board).

New goal, as I let the SOP sit for a few days before I tear it apart again, is getting some of the nitty gritty of the apps online done that isn't fun (filling in all your information), but takes a lot longer to do than you think.

[sandyvanb]

I got one lecture written and the powerpoint and quiz finished. I need to write the study guide tonight, cut a lecture down and finish the powerpoint for the week. I decided on applying to ten schools, I just got another batch of writing sample critiques back from my mentor. The chair is observiing my class on Wednesday so I am a wreck just thinking about it. I have so much to do in the next week or so, the December 1 deadlines are looming...

[goldielocks]

Maeisenb - yes, I've started that filling-in-the-form-business, myself. But I am trying to figure out how to scan my transcript so that you can still read it, bu so that it is under 5 MB. (I'm not the most tech-savvy historian, ok?)

C&C - Is this helpful? Saw it tonight and thought maybe someone else might have an answer for you here: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,83257.0.html

Sandy - Deep breaths. Do you use a decent task manager? I recently started using Things for Mac and I really can't say enough good things about it. I like ranking my tasks by priority. Maybe this would help you, since you're juggling so much? Or, as I always suggest to you, vodka. Vodka is also a great answer.

[lexi87]

Does anyone know if most schools will accept more than three recommendations (i.e. whether their online application systems will allow me to register more than three)? I have three recommendations from historians (one undergrad prof, one undergrad thesis advisor/prof, one grad history prof who's had me in class recently) but I've been out of undergrad for a couple years now and want to submit a recommendation from one of my law profs as well.

Anyway, I spent last night filling in online applications and that. got. mundane. quickly. But it's such a good way to procrastinate! Ahh.

[Sigaba]

While I agree with Sigaba that replacing paragraphs in the way you suggest is probably not your best bet, depending on how your essay is organized, I think it would be reasonable to cut out an entire section and replace it with a short summary. I submitted my senior thesis as my writing sample when I applied to grad school, and as it was far too much longer than the limit to simply cut down, I decided to submit my introduction, conclusion, and one chapter of the body, with one paragraph summaries of the other sections. It seemed to work out ok, and I don't think it's a bad idea if you want to give a sense of your entire paper while still staying within the page limit.

The general procedure for submitting part of a larger work is to attach a cover page giving the general outline of the project (if it's a completed master's thesis, the title page is often used) along with a *short* paragraph explaining the whole paper as well as where your particular extract fits in.

An advantage of pudwen's and Sparky's suggestions is that an applicant can use accepted practices to pare down a complex paper into a piece that falls under a specified page limit. This method allows one to make it clear to interested parties that they're reading a part or parts of a more significant whole .

IMO (and it is worth every bit of what you're paying to read it), if you've already prepared a longer paper that fact will appear elsewhere in your application materials. MOO, by reworking a longer writing sample into a shorter version and without the types of summaries suggested by pudwen and Sparky, an applicant can demonstrate that he or she is so familiar with a topic that he or she can condense without cutting.

Metaphorically, my method allows one to show that one can cook masterfully a dish without a key ingredient and not draw attention to what is missing. Granted, this approach entails a significant amount of risk (and time) as it requires one to re-imagine a work.

My $0.02. YMMV

[TMP]

Does anyone know if most schools will accept more than three recommendations (i.e. whether their online application systems will allow me to register more than three)? I have three recommendations from historians (one undergrad prof, one undergrad thesis advisor/prof, one grad history prof who's had me in class recently) but I've been out of undergrad for a couple years now and want to submit a recommendation from one of my law profs as well.

Does anyone know if most schools will accept more than three recommendations (i.e. whether their online application systems will allow me to register more than three)? I have three recommendations from historians (one undergrad prof, one undergrad thesis advisor/prof, one grad history prof who's had me in class recently) but I've been out of undergrad for a couple years now and want to submit a recommendation from one of my law profs as well.

Anyway, I spent last night filling in online applications and that. got. mundane. quickly. But it's such a good way to procrastinate! Ahh.

Use your law professor- they'll want to know how you did in law school and how you've grown there.

Use your thesis adviser- it's mandatory (unless you two can't stand each other). Adcoms expect it.

For the third- it depends how comfortable your grad prof feels about writing a strong letter. If he's like, well, I kind of know you... then register him a fourth if there's space in the application form. Start going through them now so you can give him a list of which schools he can actually write for.

All the suggestions for the writing sample are excellent. Give yourselves time. Be critical. Question every single verb, adjective and adverb. Also, it really helps to just read several journal articles and study them for form and style to help you revise so the paper appears to be more concise without selling itself too short.

[A Finicky Bean]

Hey guys,

It's been awhile since I've been on but I'm back. Anyone get their new GRE scores (those of us that took it during the transition period)? I know they weren't supposed to be put up for a few more days, but some people got theirs (including me).

[sandyvanb]

My class observation went really well, so that is a tremendous load off of my shoulders. I passed a writing sample and my SoP to another prof, and I am in the process of editing two more so I can pass these off to other profs in the department. I need to write an exam over the next few days, read a bunch of articles, and finally start writing potential advisors. I did decide to take Monday off to get things done, luckily we have wonderful graduate assistants to proctor my exams! I am planning on starting the app process at some of the schools and I have five classes of papers to grade. It never ends...

[Safferz]

So this weekend I've submitted 5/9 applications! I've been avoiding a conference paper I need to finish by the end of the day tomorrow, but I'm glad that my procrastination has been productive in other ways The only applications left to complete require a few extra tasks/assignments -- that awful book review, a diversity statement, and editing down my writing sample to 20 pages. I'm hoping to at least get the writing sample done early this week so I can send off two more applications, but the final two applications may have to wait for a while because I have what feels like a million papers and tests to write this month.

[Sigaba]

@Safferz, if possible, try to complete the book review--or at least an outline of it--so that you have enough time to put it aside for a week or two, then look at it again, tweak if necessary, and then send it.

HTH.

[goldielocks]

Congrats on the progress, Safferz!

Does anyone have any tips for scanning transcripts into readable but small-file-size PDFs? My undergrad institution (for whatever reason) doesn't offer e-transcripts, and I've been fiddling around/reading instructions online all night. Nothing is working quite right. I've tried reducing the PDF size during save (too blurry), reducing the image size before converting to PDF, converting to grayscale, etc.

[Safferz]

Make that 7/9 applications! Thanks Sigaba, I'll be sure to start on the book review as early as possible.

Does anyone have any tips for scanning transcripts into readable but small-file-size PDFs? My undergrad institution (for whatever reason) doesn't offer e-transcripts, and I've been fiddling around/reading instructions online all night. Nothing is working quite right. I've tried reducing the PDF size during save (too blurry), reducing the image size before converting to PDF, converting to grayscale, etc.

I was having a similar issue, but my brother helped me out by using Photoshop on his computer, which has a 'reduce size' option that is still readable.

Edited November 7, 2011 by Safferz

[Sigaba]

Does anyone have any tips for scanning transcripts into readable but small-file-size PDFs? My undergrad institution (for whatever reason) doesn't offer e-transcripts, and I've been fiddling around/reading instructions online all night. Nothing is working quite right. I've tried reducing the PDF size during save (too blurry), reducing the image size before converting to PDF, converting to grayscale, etc.

Goldie--

If Safferz's recommendation does not work for you, tweaking the DPI settings of your scanner might do the trick.

In either case, please consider the value of double checking to make sure the graduate programs you're applying to will accept transcripts coming from applicants.

[goldielocks]

Thanks Safferz and Sigaba. I'll look into those options.

Sigaba-- a few of my programs require scans of transcripts, rather than having them sent in my the registrar at each university. It is a pain. My MA institution already has etranscripts available. My BA institution does not. This tiny little component has turned into a big PITA. I'll figure it out today.

[crazedandinfused]

So I just ran in to an old history prof of mine who's been an adjunct at my institution for like 30 years and is well published, but for reasons I don't care to ask about, is not a full time prof. I'm sure he'd write me a letter but I already have all three lined up (1 historian, 1 political scientist, 1 economist). So my question is: which is better, adjunct historian or full time non-historian?

[Sigaba]

So I just ran in to an old history prof of mine who's been an adjunct at my institution for like 30 years and is well published, but for reasons I don't care to ask about, is not a full time prof. I'm sure he'd write me a letter but I already have all three lined up (1 historian, 1 political scientist, 1 economist). So my question is: which is better, adjunct historian or full time non-historian?

IMO, a professional academic historian who knows you and your work trumps a non historian who knows you and your work. (Can you find out why he's had the adjunct status for so long? Does he have other professional commitments? Is he a quirky guy? Does he have skeletons that might haunt you? And so on.)

[crazedandinfused]

IMO, a professional academic historian who knows you and your work trumps a non historian who knows you and your work. (Can you find out why he's had the adjunct status for so long? Does he have other professional commitments? Is he a quirky guy? Does he have skeletons that might haunt you? And so on.)

He's definitely quirky... I think I'll ask him. He's effin brilliant, which makes it all the more confusing.

[Sigaba]

He's definitely quirky... I think I'll ask him. He's effin brilliant, which makes it all the more confusing.

To manage your risk, consider the utility of doing some research on how often he's cited by other historians. If he's well published and his works are neglected, that could be a signal of a 'back story.' If the opposite is true, he could be an example of a hidden treasure.

Also, see if you can find the types of conferences at which he has made presentations. If those conferences are policy oriented and/or interdisciplinary in nature, there could be additional angles to consider. (For example, a historian who works for .GOV.)