So where is everybody in the application process?

[tyther]

Its about half way through the fall semester for most people I would assume and I was wondering how far people are in the application process. I personally am nearing the end of the application process. I have taken both my general and the subject gre and all of my recommenders have received their notifications from my school though I am still waiting for them to send in the majority of their letters. I just have to tweak my SoP and personalize it for each individual school. Also I just need to contact a few more professors.

How are you feeling about it? Excited? Nervous? Just want it to be over?

[mop]

I just want it to be over, I have enough stress as it is without the deadlines looming in december. I need to customize my SOP and am waiting for one professor to write a letter.

[hm5400a]

Waiting for my GRE scores to arrive at the school I applied to! The only thing that is missing from my application. My app has been done for two weeks but it is listed as incomplete (and therefore not reviewed at all). I sent my GRE scores oct 10, ETS said they should have been there already. Anyone else have issues with GRE score reports??

I would love for the process to be over. Waiting to hear back is going to be difficult. Good luck everyone!

[fairyqueen]

I have one application submitted. It won't be complete until my recs submit their letters. Everything else is officially in.

The application Im working in just needs one more LOR submitted and a photocopy of my official GRE scores (on too of them being sent straight from ets) and it will be ready to submit.

I'm nervous. I will be biting my nails for months to come.

[octopussongs]

I'm kinda behind compared to all of you but my first deadline is mid-jan. Letter writers have their prompt emails, scheduling my time at the AAA conference, meeting with grad student to help me with my CV and SOP and writing sample (he's either really ambitious or just is a nerd/shut-in) and just working on the essays (what I call the 'meat' of it all) but I will be working on those continually until the deadline, the writing process is never over!

[bio0930]

I'm approaching burnout. I'm in a similar boat as someone above. I've sent out my GRE scores and transcripts, but still customizing my SOP and CV. Out of my 3 LOR writers, only one has written, and the other two are waiting on me to give them my SOP and CV. I'll probably just send them my rough versions.

[TeaGirl]

I'm almost done with all 7 of my applications, just waiting on one more LOR for one of them. Of course this is my second time around, so I'm used to the routine stuff (filling out the apps, ordering transcripts and scores, etc.) and I was able to get done with quickly. I also got a bit of a head start and spent the summer doing all the research on universities and professors.

[ssk2]

All submitted - but they're all waiting for a LOR from one of my letter writers. The deadlines vary from mid December all the way through to late February but I thought it was best to be early.

Since it is now effectively out of my control - I'm left to wait anxiously for decisions to start coming through (earliest will be end of December, the modal decision date is early to mid March and the latest will be in April). I open every new email with much trepidation!

Since preparing and submitting applications is pretty much all I've been doing for the last three months, I do feel like I'm a bit at a loss for what to do in my free time!

[Bearcat1]

Since preparing and submitting applications is pretty much all I've been doing for the last three months, I do feel like I'm a bit at a loss for what to do in my free time!

I'm feeling the same way...I am working on a writing sample for the only three (of nine) programs that wouldn't take my entire thesis, and then I'll be done. I need a project that takes up all my free time, and hopefully keeps my mind off of all of this through February!

[child of 2]

I'm fumbling. Started drafting my SOP two days ago. Still trying to figure out the schools I want to apply to, contact potential professors, reading their research etc. This semester has been taking so much of my time so far.

[rickardbriggs]

Call the Department of Foreign Affairs appointment hot-line and set up an appointment. Provide your contact information as required and listen closely as they tell you which forms you will need to bring.

[nutmehg]

I'm a bit behind compare to you guys, but most of my apps are due early Feb. Taking the GREs in 2 days and still finalizing a list of schools to apply to, emailing professors and all that good stuff. This month is going to be a scramble!

[kyjin]

Doing final edits of my SOP and Personal Statements this week. My writing sample is about half done (I'm sending something new that is also part of my MA thesis.) GRE has been done for two years (thanks five year score tracking ), and 2 of my LORs are in. Hopefully I will finish in the next week or two.

[kaputzing]

Running near my final draft of my SOP (still need to edit for individual schools), and have started sending out those automated email requests for LORs. I'm meeting with (hopefully) two profs who'll be in town for a conference, which incidentally might knock one school off my list due to funding/retirement problems, dropping my grand total to four schools. Writing sample is ............ not yet started (cutting it super-close, hope to get a decent 15-page paper out). I have a backup sample I need to edit that's decent but unoriginal, so I hope it doesn't come to this one. We'll see.

GRE taken. I know one school got the scores, but can't check on the three other schools I sent them to. One of them requires me to call their office, so I'll do that this weekend...

[nohika]

Just starting my SOPs this weekend, but they'll go to my mentor for editing and possibly another one of my LOR writers, then go to them along with a CV for the letters to get written - and my first deadline is Dec 1!!!!!! I haven't been able to contact any professors yet (been super frickin' busy) and will also tackle that this weekend, but I'm a first-gen college student and totally lost in this whole process, so that doesn't help either. Oh, and I haven't started my writing sample yet either, but it's based off of some research I've done, so it's not /too/ bad.

What a nightmare. Much more difficult than I anticipated.

[Dotlock]

Revising my SOI...revising, revising. The SSHRC application took a lot of my time this semester, not to mention other work.

Nohika, I completely understand! I'm a first-generation student as well, and I have to learn everything as I go. I've probably made a heap of blunders so far...

[ZacharyObama]

Waiting for two letters of rec to finish, a couple short writing bits, SOP done, GRE done, Resume done transcripts done.

[alf10087]

I already submitted two applications. In one I still need the Credentials Evaluation Service to send my grades, and the TOEFL scores to arrive, but everything else is done including LORs.

The process of adapting SOPs is taking me a lot longer than I thought, so I'm basically submitting an application every two weeks. In the next one scheduled I have to write from zero the dreaded Personal History Statement so it may take me a little more, even though I have only 3 weeks left before the deadline.

I hope that by late December I'll be done with my 6 applications and ready to have daily panic attacks until March.

[nohika]

Revising my SOI...revising, revising. The SSHRC application took a lot of my time this semester, not to mention other work.

Nohika, I completely understand! I'm a first-generation student as well, and I have to learn everything as I go. I've probably made a heap of blunders so far...

My Mom has done some college and has gotten a 2-year degree, but knows absolutely nothing about applying to grad school and is (pretty much) useless. I'm also getting more and more worried about the rift that is developing there, since I'm so far "ahead" of my family...it's kind of depressing.

The only thing that's totally saving my butt right now is my mentor who is 500% behind me and helping me out every step of the way, as well as the other professors who are writing my letters and helping me out. It still makes me feel stupid on a somewhat daily basis, though. I'm pretty sure I've committed some disastrous blunders as well...such as not emailing profs yet (tomorrow? Friday?) and it being Thanksgiving next week, and aaaggghhhhh. Head. Explode.

[jtu2tj]

just wanted to bump this thread, just wondering where is everyone now in their application process?

[tyther]

I have almost have all my application out, just need to submit one more. So now i'm just playing the waiting game. Everything is basically out of hands right now and I can't decide whether or not I should feel relieved about this.

[radiomars]

Everything is fully submitted, and now I'm just waiting. I thought I'd be relieved to get to this point, but now I'm just nervous with nothing to focus that energy on.

[Tupamaros]

6/8 in as of today!

[DaisyAdair]

Two more to finish up and submit. I don't know if I am ready to be done with the applications since it means there is nothing left for me to do but wait.

[t1racyjacks]

Everything is fully submitted, and now I'm just waiting. I thought I'd be relieved to get to this point, but now I'm just nervous with nothing to focus that energy on.

I'm in exactly the same position. So I'm sleeping less, etc. I actually had a better time working on the apps, if only because I could sleep better! now the wait to feb is just agonizing