Fall 2012 Applicant Chit Chat

[taybaxter]

Your adviser is being thoughtful here... let her take her sweet time.

I know. She's been great! No complaints about her...I'm lamenting the fact that Yale is so hard to get into

[lureynol]

I know. She's been great! No complaints about her...I'm lamenting the fact that Yale is so hard to get into

It'll be a little bit easier (and I mean a tiny amount) with recs customized to each school.My professors asked me to do that, and I found it immensely helpful - it allowed me to cut out one school that didn't have a specialist in my field, and I felt the short list of profs was very helpful when writing my statements of purpose.

[StrangeLight]

lureynol, why on earth would you consider applying to a school that doesn't have a specialist in your field?

and taybaxter, yale isn't impossible to get into. you just have to speak their language. it sounds like your LOR writer is more with it than some and that'll help make you a more appealing candidate. it helps to build each application (from the SOP to the writing sample) to sound like X program is perfect for you and you're perfect for them. it may seem disingenuous for schools at the bottom of your list, but if you end up there, it's helpful to have already thought through why it can still be an excellent place to go to do your particular project.

[TMP]

taybxaxter, how is Yale any different than other programs in terms of acceptance rates? To take examples:

Peer institution- Michigan gets about 350+ applications for 30-35 offers to yield a class of 18-20

Ranked in the 20s, OSU had about 325 applications last year for a class of 24 people.

Ranked in the low 40s, GWU had about 120 applications several years ago and made 7 funded offers (no unfunded offers)

Ranked in the 90s, American University still gets lots of applications and made 30 offers and only 5 of them are fully funded.

All the same across the board- 5-10% chance of getting in anywhere.

Maybe the quality of applications is a little higher but it's extremely competitive across the board. So don't treat your bottom choice schools any different than Yale- they're darn hard to get into too! It's still a privilege to be accepted, period. The only question then is, will you take it or try again?

[Sigaba]

All the same across the board- 5-10% chance of getting in anywhere.

I think this analysis is mixing apples and oranges. Acceptance rates are not the same as probability of acceptance because not all candidates are equal. That is, a top flight candidate who has a decent probability of acceptance at a top program will be a bigger fish at programs that are not as well regarded.

Also, an acceptance rate is not the same as enrollment rate. A school accepts X applicants knowing that some will not attend.

[lureynol]

lureynol, why on earth would you consider applying to a school that doesn't have a specialist in your field?

Listed interests on a first run scan looked to match mine. A close reading, however, proved otherwise.

[Loimographia]

Listed interests on a first run scan looked to match mine. A close reading, however, proved otherwise.

I had a similar problem. I've essentially learned that when many profs say they're interested in the Mediterranean, apparently they only mean spain

[sandyvanb]

6/10 done! Just one more to go in this round...

[goldielocks]

Yay Sandy. I'm working on numbers 5 and 6 right now, which will take me to 6/10... whew!

[goldielocks]

I am still struggling to cut down my personal statement for Rutgers. 500 words is so, so short.

[A Finicky Bean]

I am still struggling to cut down my personal statement for Rutgers. 500 words is so, so short.

Oh goldielocks, I feel your pain. Hang in there! *insert motivational poster of a kitten hanging from a tree branch*

[goldielocks]

On 12/9/2011 at 1:49 PM, A Finicky Bean said:

Oh goldielocks, I feel your pain. Hang in there! *insert motivational poster of a kitten hanging from a tree branch*

Hahahahahahaha. I laughed out loud at this. This is exactly what I need right now. I should print one and hang it above my desk.

[sandyvanb]

Goldie I feel your pain! Georgetown only allows 500 words as well and I was very creative in my cuts/rewrites.

[Hopin'-n-Prayin']

Ok, all apps are done, submitted and paid for. I feel...absolutely sick! The application process was fun, exciting, invigorating. Now I just sit back for the next three months and think about how under-qualified I am for all these top programs I just applied to...

Any company for this misery?

[A Finicky Bean]

Ok, all apps are done, submitted and paid for. I feel...absolutely sick! The application process was fun, exciting, invigorating. Now I just sit back for the next three months and think about how under-qualified I am for all these top programs I just applied to...

Any company for this misery?

I'm right there with you. Shall I pull up some chairs to the table and we can toast to the next few months of misery and waiting?

[Sigaba]

Any company for this misery?

Shall I pull up some chairs to the table and we can toast to the next few months of misery and waiting?

IME, the splendid agony of the application process is nothing compared to the exquisite suffering of preparing for qualifying exams. Please do consider the potential advantages of believing that you're both going to get in somewhere and of getting a running start.

[sandyvanb]

I still have one more app to submit this week, but I'm waiting for one more round of feedback on my writing sample. Then I need to work on my final three apps that are due January 15th, I want them done before Christmas. I finished writing my final exam tonight, so grades should be calculated and submitted by Friday! Whatever will I do with all of my free time in the New Year?

[goldielocks]

Any other Rutgers applicants? In the painful process of trimming my personal statement, I've noticed that the application form has two sort of conflicting sets of instructions. The personal statement page says that it should be no more than 500 words. However, the text box reads "fewer than 35112" characters.

I am down to 670 words and REALLY stuck. Anyone in a similar boat?

[taybaxter]

Any other Rutgers applicants? In the painful process of trimming my personal statement, I've noticed that the application form has two sort of conflicting sets of instructions. The personal statement page says that it should be no more than 500 words. However, the text box reads "fewer than 35112" characters.

I am down to 670 words and REALLY stuck. Anyone in a similar boat?

I got mine down to 525 words and figured that was close enough. When I turned it in it showed me a preview and it looked fine. I had to cut out references to several of my major research projects though...hoping that they'll read my CV closely!

Edited December 11, 2011 by taybaxter

[CageFree]

3/7 done. My big one is due on Thursday... ack.

[goldielocks]

Rutgers is submitted — thank goodness! 5 down, 5 to go! Halfway there, just gotta keep chugging.

[goldielocks]

Just remember, everyone:

[RevolutionBlues]

Well, after months of program research, communicating with professors, wrangling up recommenders, and writing-revising-writing-revising, my applications are finally finished. Best of luck to everyone!

Edited December 12, 2011 by RevolutionBlues

[taybaxter]

All in except for my one late deadline. *whew*

[goldielocks]

Has anyone else noticed that the Rutgers status check page is missing documents that were definitely sent in? For example, it says my transcripts have not been received, but they were sent like two months ago. I uploaded my unofficial ones but this makes me nervous.