kingsxrocks Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 If your application(s) are submitted.. I wouldn't spend any more time than you have to reading, editing, re-reading, etc. It will just give you more anxiety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autumn Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 Definitely true. But I have 7 more due in two weeks so I'm still refining my SOPs for submission. I should probably stop but I'm still not sure about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujubea Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 (edited) Ugggh, they do... they do! (get worse on rereading) which is why I am all with you, kings! Once submitted, I do not re-read. That would make me go crazy. Edited December 1, 2014 by jujubea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-hermes- Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I've started second guessing and rephrasing bits of my SOP so much that I think any more work on it will end up being detrimental rather than improving it. Just need to learn to let go!! I doubt my last LOR writer will submit it today, but luckily the program admin said they expect some letters to be late given the Thanksgiving break and that it's fine if those reach a little late. I'm going to see him in person tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujubea Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 UCSB submitted! autumn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grad_wannabe Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Stanford's in. This is the half-way mark: three down, three to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pedanticist Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 (edited) I made the deadline on one of my applications by 2 minutes. But it is probably all for not as one of my letter writers has still not submitted their letter. To respond to an earlier query, I have reduced the number of schools I'm applying to for two reasons. First, would not have been that great of a fit at a few places I was planning on applying to. And why go to a place you don't fit very well at? Second, I'm not applying to any philosophy programs this year around. Edited December 2, 2014 by The Pedanticist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-hermes- Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 My last LOR writer missed one of the deadlines by six hours, but luckily the school has said they're flexible. Do you guys know if your LOR writers are personalizing their letters for each school, or for at least your top choices? I wonder how much of an advantage this is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grad_wannabe Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 My last LOR writer missed one of the deadlines by six hours, but luckily the school has said they're flexible. Do you guys know if your LOR writers are personalizing their letters for each school, or for at least your top choices? I wonder how much of an advantage this is. As far as I know, they're just changing the school titles. They're so frazzled as is, I doubt they have time to personalize. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommPhD20 Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 (edited) I'm not applying this year (hallelujah for that), but the thing that angered me the most was the fact that some schools do not have a means for letter writers to submit until you have completed and submitted your application. That means you have to be done with plenty of time for your letter writers to forget, struggle with the interface, etc. Upon realizing that when I was applying, I nearly just withdrew my application because I hadn't given myself enough time to account for that. I buckled down and got it in with just a day or two of notice and luckily enough all those letters found their way. It's a good thing, since I now go to that school! Crazy to think how easily I could have just quit because of frustration with the admissions process. Edited December 2, 2014 by JLRC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujubea Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Yeah, JLRC, Boulder is like that. Forced me to get my app in about 20 days early. My LOR writers already had the heads up though, so I could've waited if I wanted to risk it...! hermes and wannabe - I think the only tailoring my LOR writers did was to change the names the letters were addressed to, and the name of the schools. I put together a packet of information that would allow them to tailor it if they wanted to, but, even with only 3 schools on my list, I am sure they had/have much more important things to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autumn Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 (edited) I don't think they personalized the letters at all. Part of me is saddened by that (I gave them a detailed list of schools, complete with POIs, specialties, approaches, etc). Mostly, though, I'm just grateful they submitted 10 letters each. Thankless work! I was hoping that they'd personalize the letter for my top choice but I don't think that happened. Edited December 2, 2014 by autumn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujubea Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 (edited) Oh good I'm not the only one who went a little nuts with tailoring the information packets.... Dang, woman, with 10 schools! You're a monster! Edited December 2, 2014 by jujubea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-hermes- Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Waiting to leave work and go home to finish up and submit my third app.... Any quantitative/mixed methods folk here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujubea Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Waiting to leave work and go home to finish up and submit my third app.... Any quantitative/mixed methods folk here? I'd like to be mixed methods! I have the brain for it, and the beginnings of a foundation for it. It all depends on where I end up attending... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-hermes- Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Same! I was staunchly qual for years, but I switched to a quant methodology for my master's thesis and really enjoyed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujubea Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Yay for nerds! Yeah, I backed into (was cornered into?) doing some quantitative analysis several years ago and loved it. Having the qual background and strength I think added a certain depth when I interpreted it for my supervisors. What are you looking at focusing on for the PhD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autumn Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 Any quantitative/mixed methods folk here? Mixed. My background is definitely qual but, after assisting with qual and quan research projects, I'm leaning more towards mixed methods these days. However, as jujubea said, it will depend on where I end up (assuming that I end up anywhere, of course). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lencias Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Submitted USC back in Oct, finished submitting the remaining eight over the weekend!: Ohio State, Michigan, UCSB, Illinois, Northwestern, Penn, Stanford, Cornell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grad_wannabe Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Congrats, Lencias! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-hermes- Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Three done, two to go!! Whew. So glad we have a bit of a break before the next set of deadlines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autumn Posted December 3, 2014 Author Share Posted December 3, 2014 Apparently, my top choice school sends interview invites at the end of Dec/beginning of January. That's not terrifying at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujubea Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Well... that way I guess at least you get some kind of action in the meantime, rather than a solid, cold, silent ...dreary ... long .... wait until the spring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autumn Posted December 3, 2014 Author Share Posted December 3, 2014 True. But it's also true that if you don't hear from them by the first week of January, you are very likely to be rejected. I suppose I'll know one way or the other fairly early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-hermes- Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Yeah, apparently one of the schools I've applied to sends out interview invites as early as MID to late December! So I'll likely know by the end of this year whether I have a chance of progressing to the next round or not. Crazy! Now that I've submitted three apps, I'm already feeling impatient for decisions... no idea how I'm going to last the wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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