Fall 2015 Applicants

[NOWAYNOHOW]

Agh! A school reached out to me saying my unofficial UG transcripts don't have a degree conferral date on them.

 

1) I didn't know that was a thing? I thought having 120+ credits just implied graduation?

 

2) I can't find a form with that info anywhere on my UG student portal aside from my personal info in the account section (the university won't accept that screencap), so I emailed the registrar, which is an account surely checked only on the solstice holidays and probably manned by a near-sighted brontosaurus. It was 7 years ago!

 

Crossing my fingers that I figure this out! How come no other schools ever say anything?
 

UPDATE: Turns out, the (free) unofficial transcripts do not have degree conferral dates on them; however, the .pdf 'official' transcript you can BUY does have the degree conferral date. What a racket!

Edited December 10, 2014 by NOWAYNOHOW

[smg]

Agh! A school reached out to me saying my unofficial UG transcripts don't have a degree conferral date on them.

 

1) I didn't know that was a thing? I thought having 120+ credits just implied graduation?

 

2) I can't find a form with that info anywhere on my UG student portal aside from my personal info in the account section (the university won't accept that screencap), so I emailed the registrar, which is an account surely checked only on the solstice holidays and probably manned by a near-sighted brontosaurus. It was 7 years ago!

 

Crossing my fingers that I figure this out! How come no other schools ever say anything?

 

That sucks. 

 

My graduation date is on my unofficial transcripts.  Can you just make up a date?  Are they really going to double check?  Who gives a shit what day you graduated?

 

I'm so damn tired of apps, especially repeating stuff that's in my SOP and CV.   Why ask for an SOP and a CV if you want additional statements on work, research and what my shit looks and smells like. 

[museum_geek]

Agh! A school reached out to me saying my unofficial UG transcripts don't have a degree conferral date on them.

 

1) I didn't know that was a thing? I thought having 120+ credits just implied graduation?

 

2) I can't find a form with that info anywhere on my UG student portal aside from my personal info in the account section (the university won't accept that screencap), so I emailed the registrar, which is an account surely checked only on the solstice holidays and probably manned by a near-sighted brontosaurus. It was 7 years ago!

 

Crossing my fingers that I figure this out! How come no other schools ever say anything?

 

UPDATE: Turns out, the (free) unofficial transcripts do not have degree conferral dates on them; however, the .pdf 'official' transcript you can BUY does have the degree conferral date. What a racket!

 

I had that same problem a month or so ago with one of my apps; I ended up scanning a copy of my official transcript and uploading that to the application.  My UG school sends official transcripts for "free," only because they charge you an "administrative fee" every semester of undergrad which supposedly goes towards covering transcript fees.  Talk about a racket, they get you coming and going!

[smg]

1 more application in.  2 left. 

[FaultyPowers]

I'm working on my 3rd out of 6 right now. This one is throwing me for a total loop though, because the project I'm pitching is completely dissimilar to anything else I talk about on any other application. It came out of emailing my POI back and forth and identifying a topic that he specifically would be interested in supervising. It's one of those schools where the fit is not intuitive but *could* work out really well. So for the first time in months I'm staring at a completely blank page. Come on brilliance! Where are you when I need you!?

[smg]

I'm working on my 3rd out of 6 right now. This one is throwing me for a total loop though, because the project I'm pitching is completely dissimilar to anything else I talk about on any other application. It came out of emailing my POI back and forth and identifying a topic that he specifically would be interested in supervising. It's one of those schools where the fit is not intuitive but *could* work out really well. So for the first time in months I'm staring at a completely blank page. Come on brilliance! Where are you when I need you!?

 

I couldn't handle trying to summon up more than one potential project from the depths.   Conceptualizing one project has been both exciting and life draining.  I'm ecstatic and exhausted at the same time.  Two would be a cerebral OD. 

[grad_wannabe]

 It's one of those schools where the fit is not intuitive but *could* work out really well. So for the first time in months I'm staring at a completely blank page. Come on brilliance! Where are you when I need you!?

 

Same here! I'm applying mostly to comm/information studies programs with ONE anthro department thrown in.

 

While the topic is only around 30% different from the rest of my apps I feel like I'm starting from scratch. 

Edited December 11, 2014 by grad_wannabe

[FaultyPowers]

I couldn't handle trying to summon up more than one potential project from the depths.   Conceptualizing one project has been both exciting and life draining.  I'm ecstatic and exhausted at the same time.  Two would be a cerebral OD. 

 

As I was leaving work yesterday I put my sandwich wrapper in my purse and threw my keys in the trash.

[smg]

God dammit I found another mistake in my SOP.  I had the wrong date in my works cited.  Shit happens.  I need a professional proof reader!

[NOWAYNOHOW]

I handed in my last application Wednesday night and all my LORs are in as of yesterday. I am so excited to be done, though now the panic sets in...and lasts until this is all over. I taught my last class today and got really sad at the end, because if I don't get into a program, it may be the last class I ever teach. DEPRESSING.

 

I'm a little concerned about a few schools that only require 2 LORs possibly printing/processing my applications without my 3rd letter (the most important letter was also the one that took the longest to get turned in) - should I be confirming that all three are included or am I just being paranoid? I just noticed it said "Complete" the day before before the 3rd letter was in. I don't want to bother any administrators?

Edited December 12, 2014 by NOWAYNOHOW

[museum_geek]

I don't think it would hurt to ask.  Admissions office employees probably get tons of questions about LORs and I don't think it would take too much for them to check your file and see if all three letters are included.  

 

The only thing I would look out for would be if the school explicitly states that they only want two letters - one of my apps said something along the lines of "we require two LORs - sending more will not assist you."  If you see something like that I would leave it alone; otherwise, a brief email to an admissions rep isn't unreasonable.

[daykid]

Also check if there is a way to rank your letters. That way if they only accept two, at least they'll be the two you want included.

[smg]

Are folks feeling hopeful or hopeless about their PhD prospects?

 

I'm stalling on my UChicago app.  I should send it in now but I wont let myself I think I'm holding off on the slight chance I will have a flash of insight and radically transform my writing sample from a turd into a treasure. 

[trogdorburninator]

Me too smg. me, too.

[NOWAYNOHOW]

I see on the results page we have our very first anthropology decision! Anyone want to claim the SUNY Buffalo admit? Hurray!

[trogdorburninator]

So early!!!! WhOoOaA

[trogdorburninator]

Me too smg. me, too.

 

 

Are folks feeling hopeful or hopeless about their PhD prospects?

 

I'm stalling on my UChicago app.  I should send it in now but I wont let myself I think I'm holding off on the slight chance I will have a flash of insight and radically transform my writing sample from a turd into a treasure. 

 

I'm taking ONE LAST LOOK at this SOP for UC and then my last application is going bye bye....ugh......i feel vaguely like i might die? anyone else almost/totally/not yet done with mixed feelings? 

[smg]

I'm taking ONE LAST LOOK at this SOP for UC and then my last application is going bye bye....ugh......i feel vaguely like i might die? anyone else almost/totally/not yet done with mixed feelings? 

 

One minute I think I wont get in anywhere and the next I worry about having to choose where to go cause I'll get in everywhere.  Ultimately, I'm just tired, just fucking tired.  I tried re-reading my SOP an hour or so ago.  It made me ill.  Not cause it was bad I just couldn't handle it anymore like looking in the mirror on a BAD morning. I'm relieved by tomorrows deadline. UCHICAGO is done cause it has to be regardless of how I feel about it.  I tried.  I gave it a go.  That's all that can be expected at this point.  Who will do this again if they don't get in this round?

[trogdorburninator]

One minute I think I wont get in anywhere and the next I worry about having to choose where to go cause I'll get in everywhere.  Ultimately, I'm just tired, just fucking tired.  I tried re-reading my SOP an hour or so ago.  It made me ill.  Not cause it was bad I just couldn't handle it anymore like looking in the mirror on a BAD morning. I'm relieved by tomorrows deadline. UCHICAGO is done cause it has to be regardless of how I feel about it.  I tried.  I gave it a go.  That's all that can be expected at this point.  Who will do this again if they don't get in this round?

 god damn it the freaking fee waiver form and the freaking not right version of an (unofficial???) e-transcript and the flipping citation list that I checked a million times but now have a more than niggling (in fact pretty sure) feeling that 3/4 statements are missing a reference. 

i keep telling myself that i will go again next year because hopefully it will make the the potential disappointment less? 

[violetrose]

I see on the results page we have our very first anthropology decision! Anyone want to claim the SUNY Buffalo admit? Hurray!

The Buffalo admittance was me! I wasn't actually sure if it would be helpful to post or not as I'm a somewhat nontraditional student, but it seemed like a good idea given how much great advice I found in the forums when applying. 

[museum_geek]

Congrats!  It's always helpful (for me at least) to see anthro decisions on the results page, even though I'm not applying to PhD programs.

[NOWAYNOHOW]

The Buffalo admittance was me! I wasn't actually sure if it would be helpful to post or not as I'm a somewhat nontraditional student, but it seemed like a good idea given how much great advice I found in the forums when applying. 

 

Congrats! I think in most regards there is no real 'traditional' student, so it's always nice to hear news no matter the source! What a way to start the season

[SSCCATAGAPP]

I can't access the app for Chicago or Harvard lol. Maybe it's a sign?

[smg]

UChicago is working for me at 6:35am ET. 

Edited December 15, 2014 by smg

[SSCCATAGAPP]

My issue is my password isn't working, so I requested a new one a few times, but that never went through. I sent them an email.