Submitting revised app. documents after the deadline - who to contact?

[klondike]

I just got notice of a paper I submitted being accepted for publication (!!!), and of course want to update my CV, but the deadline for one of my MA applications has already passed and I've submitted everything. I'm not quite sure who to contact about this, so my questions are:

 

1) Out of these assorted titles, who should I email asking to submit a revised CV:

-Graduate program director for my department (also a core faculty member)

-Department coordinator

-Department assistant (I'm guessing this one)

2) Do you think they would even accept a revised cv, it being after the deadline and all?

3) And if not...would it be appropriate to mention it in an email to a possible POI (who is on the admissions committee) who I've been in extensive contact with? Bear in mind it won't be published until May.

 

Many thanks!

[Loric]

None of the above.

 

You need the person in the admissions office who actually handles your paperwork if you're serious about updating your CV. Is it really worth the hassle though..?

 

It's fine to mention it in an email to the POI if you're on conversational terms. Just be like "Hey! I just found out my paper will be published if you're interested in giving it a look!" sort of thing.

 

I think some reframing is in order.. this alone isn't going to sink/save you, it is past the deadline and no one expects your life to stop when you submit the app until they make a decision, and you should have mentioned work on something like this.. that would lead to eventual publication.. in your CV already. It may have happened sooner than you expected, but you should have been mentioning the work all along as a thing you were doing. Keep that in mind for the other apps.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Loric

[klondike]

Somehow I don't think it would be appropriate to mention *submitted a manuscript that is not directly connected to coursework to open call for submissions* in my CV. I'm also developing an exhibition in partnership with a major artist, but don't think that would be appropriate to mention in my CV either as it (at the moment) is entirely up in the air with no funding or established partners/institutions. Maybe I am alone in this, but I feel listing things in my CV as 'potential' achievements when they have a 90% chance of not coming to fruition would be misleading.

 

Glad to know it wouldn't seem inappropriate to send my POI a note about it.

 

The application material.. is handled.. at the department.. level, and that.. is where.. my material.. currently.. resides.. according to.. the online application.. which says.. it has moved from admissions to my department's review.. (and these are the only people listed in the 'administrative' section of the department's 'faculty and staff page')

 

In any case, thanks for the response, ellipses.

[Loric]

Yeah.. work you did outside of class that's publication ready is misleading to mention..

 

Suit yourself, but if anything, ask why you're asking random people for opinions and guidance you don't want since you already have the answers.

[klondike]

ask why you're asking random people for opinions and guidance you don't want since you already have the answers.

 

...except for the answer to the question I came here asking, but no worries, I'll just make a wild and crazy guess. It was a pretty simple question, which definitely didn't require that extra special paragraph on "reframing" based just upon some pretty out-there assumptions.

 

[TakeruK]

In my opinion, you were right to not include the publication until it has actually been accepted for publication. I do not update my CV until a paper is actually accepted, but maybe I would mention in the SOP or the "Research Experience" section of my CV that for a particular project, I am preparing a manuscript. My reason for this is that the standard notation in my field "e.g TakeruK et al. (in prep.)" can mean "submission is days away" or "we've just started working on the project". Also, in my field, if something comes up or a co-author asks for additional analysis, a manuscript can easily go from "days before submission" to "months before submission" in a matter of a single email! I personally would feel quite sheepish if I submitted a CV with a paper in prep. in November then have to admit that it's still not ready for submission during an interview in February or March! But this is just me -- I don't think it's an unacceptable thing to mention work in progress either, I just prefer to wait until acceptance.

 

In your case, I think you should talk to the department admissions officer (usually one of the admin staff members, not a professor) about wanting to update your CV and the reason for doing so. If they allow it, you should send them a completely updated CV, don't just say "add this line to this section". Or, you could send an extra PDF with a short note saying that one of your work has been accepted for publication. Basically, I would recommend sending an electronic file that the person in charge of putting together your application package for your department can add to your package. 

 

I don't agree with Loric in that I don't think you have to get in touch with the Graduate School's admission office because people at the Graduate School level aren't going to care about publication record in terms of admission. These people mostly care that you have satisfied minimum institutional requirements, such as actually having an undergraduate degree, meeting TOEFL or GRE minimums, etc. Your goal here is to make sure the admissions committee in your department know about this change, and contacting people in the department is the best way to go about this.

 

At the same time, you should definitely mention this to your POI. In case it doesn't get updated in your package, your POI can bring this up at the admission committee meeting(s). Also, if you are in extensive/regular contact with this prof, it's good to mention what you have been up to and tell them about the paper too! 

[klondike]

Many thanks for the sound advice, TakeruK!

 

Those were exactly my concerns re: publication.

 

And I just felt anxious, as this department is very small and they only list four "administrative contacts" (department head, graduate director, "department coordinator" and "department assistant") (and no more on any other parts of the school's website). I'll just go with the department assistant, she seems the logical and lowest-risk person and would just forward it to the appropriate contact if nothing else. I just wondered if others had experience with such a department, where maybe the graduate administration only goes through the "graduate director" (I'm told they only get between 40-50 MA applications per year) though this now seems unlikely.

 

Many thanks again!