Application Fees

[floatingmolecule]

As an economically disadvantaged person, I would like to compile a list of schools that:
1.  Do not require an application fee

2.  Demand a small fee (ie. 30 dollars as opposed to 100)

 

Due to my limited finances, I was not able to apply to a large number of schools and made the error of accepting circa 100 dollar fees as "standard" when choosing where to apply.

As an international who was clearly not a top choice candidate, I have come to the realization that I cannot select schools purely based on my desire to attend them due to fit.  Other factors must be considered, such as location, ranking, acceptance rate and the sheer quantity of applications I send out.

The limiting factor for the latter is obviously price.

 

I will be looking into it myself and add schools as I find them.  Please feel free to help out and make suggestions!   Thank you very much!

[MathCat]

Many schools have application fee waiver programs. Have you looked into whether or not you qualify?

Edited March 24, 2015 by MathCat

[floatingmolecule]

Many schools have application fee waiver programs. Have you looked into whether or not you qualify?

 

Yes, unfortunately I am international and none of the documentation I have proving my poverty is in English or bears any relevance to the American system.  I would spend the equivalent of the application fee just trying to get my papers translated and accredited.

[have2thinkboutit]

I understand that the application fee can be very off-putting and I also agree that factors other than fit are essential in figuring out where to apply - but I think that academic fit should still be the priority. As for me, it really helped me narrow down my schools to a very small number. Of course, there were a couple more schools I considered, but it was not the fee that put me off, but simply the fact that each application is completely tailored to the institution to fit. And I was very successful like that.

I guess what I am trying to say is that it is obviously important to calculate how much this process will cost you (and it does cost! My top choice offers no application fee waiver for foreign applicants and it's more than $100), but I doubt that applying to more and more school simply because they are cheaper or seem to have a higher acceptance rate necessarily increases your chances of getting accepted. Simply because at the end your application will still have to show how well your proposed project fits within the school's theoretical, methodological and practical stance.

[floatingmolecule]

I actually tried that road this year, attempting to contact faculty so that I could discuss my similarities and potential fit. I tried to illustrate the parallels in my previous work to theirs in my SOP.  I did not get much feedback! 

While I do agree with you that my tactics won't provide any guarantees, I do intend to do everything possible (even if it only increases my chances marginally) to receive an offer next year.  Aside from increasing my numerical odds through such shananigans, this includes retaking the GRE, volunteering in a research lab (while I work in a gas station), taking online courses and reworking my entire application to create an ideal fit for each institution I apply to.

I don't want next year falling flat too.

I understand that perfect fit is the dream, but when the alternative to not so perfect fit is the aforementioned gas station (ie. job that doesn't fit at all), I am willing to consider all options.

 

I want to be a scientist and I am willing to be flexible when it comes to research.  I love research and can adapt quickly to new settings, so I am not afraid of starting a project that isn't perfectly tailored to what I've done before.

 

You mentioned proposed project - do you need a thesis proposal for each institution you apply to in order to be successful?

Edited March 31, 2015 by floatingmolecule

[floatingmolecule]

I found this list of colleges without fees - whether each of them offers graduate programs is uncertain, but when I have some time, I will sift through them and give you an update.

http://www.collegexpress.com/lists/list/colleges-with-no-application-fee/1681/

[Mechanician2015]

Rensselaer waived the application fee for me this year(I just had to participate in a webinar, which I was going to watch anyways).

 

I am an international applicant too.

[have2thinkboutit]

I actually tried that road this year, attempting to contact faculty so that I could discuss my similarities and potential fit. I tried to illustrate the parallels in my previous work to theirs in my SOP.  I did not get much feedback! 

While I do agree with you that my tactics won't provide any guarantees, I do intend to do everything possible (even if it only increases my chances marginally) to receive an offer next year.  Aside from increasing my numerical odds through such shananigans, this includes retaking the GRE, volunteering in a research lab (while I work in a gas station), taking online courses and reworking my entire application to create an ideal fit for each institution I apply to.

I don't want next year falling flat too.

I understand that perfect fit is the dream, but when the alternative to not so perfect fit is the aforementioned gas station (ie. job that doesn't fit at all), I am willing to consider all options.

 

I want to be a scientist and I am willing to be flexible when it comes to research.  I love research and can adapt quickly to new settings, so I am not afraid of starting a project that isn't perfectly tailored to what I've done before.

 

You mentioned proposed project - do you need a thesis proposal for each institution you apply to in order to be successful?

 

I see what you mean and I agree that it's important to pay attention to as many details as possible!

 

As for you question about the thesis proposal - I'm not sure if you need one (different people seem to have different experience with that) but I can tell you that it helped me a lot! It is a requirement for most PhD applications outside the US and to me it made sense as writing a research proposal (even if it's just 2 pages long) made me think about particular aspects of my area that interest me. It made me read a lot about my topic in order to figure out the theoretical context of my area and also got me to look at possible methods to be used. I don't know what field you are in but within anthropology it seems important to have a good understanding of your field site and the people you would like to work with. Writing the proposal (which I later used as the foundation for my SoP) really helped me figure out which departments I could work with because we could really collaborate with each other. And I think it was the key to my success in getting a couple of offers (I'll be attending my top choice! Yeay!) because I am quite clear about what I want my PhD to be about and where I am headed in the future - actually, this seems to be a crucial factor! Make sure you show why the PhD is important for you beyond grad school - what are you aspirations and how can the school you're applying to help you achieve this. 

 

As for me - I was rather specific in my proposal but I have read on this forum that it may not be advisable to be too narrow as this might limit your prospects. So what I did was show that this is what I am hoping to do but that I am well aware that things will change and be readjusted as I learn more about my area. But one of the professors actually contacted me and said he really appreciated the detail in proposal because it made him confident that I knew what I was talking about.

 

Okay, I'm rambling now, but I just wanted to share a bit more of my perspective with you. Obviously, I cannot say whether my SoP was the main reason for the offers I received but I actually think it was.

 

I really hope it work out for you next time around! 

[floatingmolecule]

I see what you mean and I agree that it's important to pay attention to as many details as possible!

 

As for you question about the thesis proposal - I'm not sure if you need one (different people seem to have different experience with that) but I can tell you that it helped me a lot! It is a requirement for most PhD applications outside the US and to me it made sense as writing a research proposal (even if it's just 2 pages long) made me think about particular aspects of my area that interest me. It made me read a lot about my topic in order to figure out the theoretical context of my area and also got me to look at possible methods to be used. I don't know what field you are in but within anthropology it seems important to have a good understanding of your field site and the people you would like to work with. Writing the proposal (which I later used as the foundation for my SoP) really helped me figure out which departments I could work with because we could really collaborate with each other. And I think it was the key to my success in getting a couple of offers (I'll be attending my top choice! Yeay!) because I am quite clear about what I want my PhD to be about and where I am headed in the future - actually, this seems to be a crucial factor! Make sure you show why the PhD is important for you beyond grad school - what are you aspirations and how can the school you're applying to help you achieve this. 

 

As for me - I was rather specific in my proposal but I have read on this forum that it may not be advisable to be too narrow as this might limit your prospects. So what I did was show that this is what I am hoping to do but that I am well aware that things will change and be readjusted as I learn more about my area. But one of the professors actually contacted me and said he really appreciated the detail in proposal because it made him confident that I knew what I was talking about.

 

Okay, I'm rambling now, but I just wanted to share a bit more of my perspective with you. Obviously, I cannot say whether my SoP was the main reason for the offers I received but I actually think it was.

 

I really hope it work out for you next time around! 

 

Thank you so much for your input!  I am considering what kind of proposal I should write - since I have half a year to work on it, maybe I can come up with a few different ideas to avoid being too specific.  I am interested in so many things, so it is very difficult for me to pin myself down, not to mention my growing fear of rejection.  I know there are people who go through the application process for years before being accepted and I cannot imagine how stressful this can become for the psyche.

Congratulations on your acceptance!

I hope next year is the year for me too!

[have2thinkboutit]

Thank you so much for your input!  I am considering what kind of proposal I should write - since I have half a year to work on it, maybe I can come up with a few different ideas to avoid being too specific.  I am interested in so many things, so it is very difficult for me to pin myself down, not to mention my growing fear of rejection.  I know there are people who go through the application process for years before being accepted and I cannot imagine how stressful this can become for the psyche.

Congratulations on your acceptance!

I hope next year is the year for me too!

 

 

Thanks!!! I do feel super-uber-luckily blessed to have been accepted right away.And I really really hope you'll be successful next time around!

 

One more thought: the fact that you feel like you so many things you are interested in makes me think that working on a proposal would be very beneficial for you! Have you thought about mindmapping your different ideas to, then, see which of them connect (perhaps in not-so-straightforward and, thus, rather innovative ways)? As I've said before, you don't want to be too narrow but you also don't want to be all over the place or appear vague about your research ideas. If you have some academics (or any of your friends who are happy to listen, really) you could just chat with them to get feedback on your thoughts - sometimes others can see patterns and connections where our minds are too lost in details.