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[lauras]

Minnesotan,

Thanks for pointing out the typo. I'll repost the info when I have time to proofread thoroughly.

[limeinthecoconut]

Wow, lauras, thanks for reposting it here. It was informative, and an interesting read. Not quite sure if I am feeling comforted, though. :wink: *bites nails*

[linden]

lauras:

Thanks for posting this. I think it gives many of us some hope. (Or, in my case, keeps this agonizing dream alive until mid-March.)

I sincerely hope that schools are taking a good look at everything I sent. But, I often wonder how schools can really read everything in an applicant's package before making a decision. For example, one of the programs to which I applied required three essays and a resume. I think my entire package was about 15 pages long. When you consider this school has about 1,100 applicants, I wonder how can they really read all the applications without using a GRE-GPA matrix or some other quantitative cutoff tool.

I don't like to think that my application is already in a recycling bin somewhere. But, if you take the program to which I applied as an example (and assume that staff are working eight hours a day on applications and spend two minutes reading each page), this means the program will devote nearly 75 staff-working days just to weed out applications. (If, for example, four full-time staff members are doing the first cut, that means they would devote a full month to doing nothing else.) Seems unlikely they are really giving all of us full consideration.

Linden

[lauras]

Minnesotan,

Thanks for pointing out the typo. I'll repost the info when I have time to proof-read thoroughly.

[linden]

lauras:

In my moments of greatest despair, I think that the only reason that any school would read all the applications is to make fun of us, the applicants. (I can envision all the professors passing around the most hopeless applications. "Ha, ha. Look at this one. She really thought she had a chance."

I find myself thinking more and more these days that instead of applying to grad school, I should go work at a few grad school admission offices, figure out how admissions really work, and then write a tell-all book. It might not be as gratifying as the career I envision, but after seeing all the activity on these boards, I know it sure would be lucrative.

Good luck.

Linden

[lauras]

Minnesota,

Thanks for pointing out the typo. I'll repost the info when I have time to proofread thoroughly.

[Astaroth]

Thanks for the very encouraging words, lauras.

I was wondering whether you could answer this question, since you know someone involved in admissions:

I currently have a fairly low GPA (3.3), but I am about to receive a bunch of grades that I expect will push my GPA up considerably. However, that won't be till March, and I've of course already sent all my applications in and all deadlines have passed. Do you know whether it would be acceptable for me to try to send my new grades to schools that may have rejected me or not yet accepted me by then, and ask them to re-evaluate my application with the new grades in mind?

I know that GPA isn't everything and my credentials are otherwise pretty good (1410 GRE, good research experience, top 5 undergrad school etc) but if this is something that is generally done then I will definitely pursue it.

[lauras]

Minnesotan,

Thanks for pointing out the typo. I'll repost the info when I have time to proof-read thoroughly.

[Astaroth]

Thanks.. let's hope it doesn't come to that. :