We need a common app! (and start early)

[Meglet]

I've just started all the applications I'm planning on submitting - I have time while I wait for feedback on my SoP, and I want to make sure there's nothing extra that's going to catch me off guard.  I'm glad I did, by the way, because I need to submit a short essay for FLAS with my Berkeley app.  And also because applying to BU for undergrad WAY back in 1998 is creating complications in creating an application account that may take a few days to resolve.  So start all the online applications early, even if you're not going to upload your statements until the last minute!  Anyway...

 

They all want almost exactly the same information - name and contact info, education history, transcripts, a little work history, CV, writing sample, statement of purpose, 3 letters of rec...we really should just move to a common app system where the SoP only talks about your background and research interests/plans, and then for each school you have to submit a short addendum about why their program is right for you.  

[smg]

 I just noticed I need an SOP and a statement of achievements/contributions for UCSB. One more essay to add to the list.  

[Meglet]

Maybe they figure all that writing will be good practice.  Or scare us away?

[GeoDUDE!]

How does talking about your previous research experience  and personal history state the purpose in which you are applying to graduate school ?

[smg]

The research I plan on doing in the future emerges out of my past research and experience.  

[TakeruK]

About half of my schools used the same application software (Embark or something?) so once I created an Embark account, all other applications using that same software automatically filled in some basic stuff like my name, contact info, address etc.

 

Unfortunately, if you ever tried convincing even a small group of professors/academics in your home department to do something all the same way, you might notice that it is really hard to do so! Now imagine trying to standardize application materials across the whole country with 100s of profs!! It would be nice but every program (or even professor) will be convinced their way is the best and would want all other schools to do the same!

 

Frankly, I think it is pretty good that we got most programs agreeing to the April 15th resolution! 

 

Definitely good advice to start applications early though. I started them right away and started making a checklist of all items that I needed to submit for each school. Also, a lot of them required random obscure things like the mailing address of your university, which you might not have memorized! So, I found it much easier to just devote 1 hour on one day to fill this information in for every single school at once.

[peachypie]

I feel like a common app would just end up being more of a burden, it would end up like Med school apps where they have a common one (that is expensive) and then you still have to do 2-3 additional apps as you go through.  I didn't mind the applications since some schools are looking for different things.  A lot of times to its hard with the variation in programs that each university has.  Not all PhD programs require the same types of information, so I think considering the complexity and the sheer number of individual programs, its not so terrible.  Just good practice to learn how to effectively work and manage your time.  Gets you ready for grad school!

[Meglet]

I mean, Statement of Purpose is kind of a misnomer for what most of them are actually asking for.  Maybe it's different in sciences, but all of the anthropology apps are generally asking for a statement of what you want to study and how your background is relevant to your research interests and plans.

 

I'm not saying I think we'll get a common app - I know it would be hard to get people to give up their little quirks.  And I'm not having any trouble managing my time, but when I go through 8 applications that do ask for almost exactly the same thing, it feels stupid and inefficient.

[GeoDUDE!]

I mean, Statement of Purpose is kind of a misnomer for what most of them are actually asking for.  Maybe it's different in sciences, but all of the anthropology apps are generally asking for a statement of what you want to study and how your background is relevant to your research interests and plans.

 

I'm not saying I think we'll get a common app - I know it would be hard to get people to give up their little quirks.  And I'm not having any trouble managing my time, but when I go through 8 applications that do ask for almost exactly the same thing, it feels stupid and inefficient.

 

 

They all ask for that.... but thats just a general prompt to stop people from asking them endless questions about it. I've heard from multiple graduate programs (head of committees, committee members, ect) say that the best SOPs are ones which eloquently display a vision of the future worthy of gaining a PhD, as being able to do that says much more about your educational past then anything else. 

[Meglet]

That's an interesting way of thinking about it - thanks!

[ToomuchLes]

They all ask for that.... but thats just a general prompt to stop people from asking them endless questions about it. I've heard from multiple graduate programs (head of committees, committee members, ect) say that the best SOPs are ones which eloquently display a vision of the future worthy of gaining a PhD, as being able to do that says much more about your educational past then anything else. 

 

 

Ooooooo. I like that!

Im going to revisit my SOP now, and add alittle more about my future plans (I wont go crazy). Nevertheless, it makes sense why adcoms would favor these SOPs.

[Chiqui74]

A lot of the schools on my list use ApplyYourself.

[NOWAYNOHOW]

I agree, though seeing the quirks of different application interfaces has been pretty weird. MIT's is easily the most low-tech I've seen. You have to manually email your letter writers their form email!

[maelia8]

Another area in which I noticed a lot of variance in the Ph.D. applications I submitted was the length of the writing sample. I tailored at least four different versions of it in different lengths for different programs. I think that if schools have a different sample "type" they are looking for, having a common application for the rest of the generic stuff still probably wouldn't speed up the process much.