improving app after submission deadline

[DiVitaJ]

Hi everyone -

 

I have just finished up sending in my applications this week to programs for grad schools [PhD and Master's - prefer PhD, obviously].

 

My question is this:

 

The professor who I have worked with for 2 years [and is a LOR writer for me] has brought up the idea of enrolling me in a class for 'independent research' with her. Now, my uni does not have any independent research opportunities just regularly available  to undergrads, no honors thesis, etc so this is a really awesome chance for me. Here is my question - since I have just finished submitting apps and I do not know the details yet [i will in a week or two] - is there any way I can [or should I] contact professors to let them know that I have added / will be adding some significant independent research work. I feel like this is a major weakness in my application and I am very excited to improve it - but it is too late to put on my CV!

 

I was thinking of contacting them around the beginning of December - once I have details on my work - or maybe later once I have started the semester next Spring?

 

Unsure - but I really think this would help my applications.

 

Thanks for any tips!

 

-J

[fuzzylogician]

Has your professor already submitted her letters of recommendation on your behalf? If not, you should ask her to talk about this opportunity. It'll do you a lot more good than explaining it yourself, especially since it's something that hasn't even begun yet. 

[DiVitaJ]

That's a great idea - I will ask her to put it in as she has not submitted them yet.

Thanks!

[PsychGirl1]

Yeah- I wouldn't contact the profs directly. I'd ask her to put it in the LOR, and then you can also talk about it during the interview.

[DiVitaJ]

I did ask her to do that. She wrote me an absolutely awesome letter of rec however she is now asking me to update my CV for some more stuff - a new study we will be doing, the independent study and managing an RA along with a few other things. I am worried that the schools will notice the inconsistency in her letter vs my cv. Now, it's only a few days from deadlines so I submitted everything and can no longer change any of it. I'm a little annoyed that my app will be (by the time I graduate) much stronger than it appears to be but that I just found out any of this within the past week (or day!). Just a little vent. Lesson for next time if I don't get in: don't hit submit until the last day !

Edited November 22, 2013 by DiVitaJ

[DiVitaJ]

Don't get me wrong- I'm VERY thankful that she is asking me to help with more stuff and take on more responsibility. Just wanna tell the schools I applied to!

[lewin]

I'm a little annoyed that my app will be (by the time I graduate) much stronger than it appears to be but that I just found out any of this within the past week (or day!). 

 

Yep, but just remember that this is the case for most applicants so it's necessarily so that strengthening your application would move you ahead of others, relatively speaking. Also I think people don't really weight things you will be doing in the future because things can easily go awry.... bird in hand is worth two in the bush and all that.

[PsychGirl1]

Just bring an updated CV to your interview.