The positives thread

[1f3_2kf2]

2.4 GPA UG, 2.2 major

Stellar GREs, double 360's

2 Good letters of rec from previous employers, 1 good one from my favorite TA

I've got balls of steel.

[Medievalmaniac]

OK...here goes, because I'm driving myself nuts thinking I must have been rejected across the board....but why would they? I....

have my MA ready in hand, with a 4.0, in my specific field of study

have completed 23 hours on a second MA in my subfield

have one full article, 8 encyclopedic entries, and 10 forthcoming encyclopedic entries in print, on top of numerous nonfiction works

have a decade of teaching experience at the high school/advanced and honors level, with two undergrad college classes TA'd as a senior myself at William and Mary

am under contract to develop my thesis into a monograph with a known scholarly publishing house

delivered my thesis findings at the international medieval congress, and have presented papers at the Southeastern Medieval Association conference, the Vagantes Medieval Academy of America graduate student conference, the Regional Medievalisms conference, the UVA-Wise Medieval Studies Conference, and the Virginia Association for Teachers of English conference

received a high score on the verbal and a perfect score on the writing portion of the GRE

am the managing editor for an online graduate studies journal

have students who received perfect scores on the AP Exam in three different subjects under my teaching (French, Art History, English)

speak French fluently, and have extensive language skills in Spanish, Latin, German, and Old English

have three further articles in circulation with national recognized publications

if they want a dedicated and passionate medievalist-in-training, why would they look anywhere else......right???? :oO

[Aspiring Shrink]

I'll bite...mostly because I desperately need a pick-me-up

Reasons programs should want me:

-published--first author on one! multiple papers in prep/review

-LORs--all my writers said they wrote glowing letters (and I have no reason to think they're lying!)

-massive amounts of experience after undergrad--full-time RA position, then M.A. program ranked #2 of its kind

-highly rated teaching experience

-received several research grants

-presented my research both in poster and in talk form

I *really* think this thread could help people prep for interviews--it's so hard to brag on yourself!

EDIT: Wow, that was difficult, and I'm first, ahhh! But I feel better

You're getting in sister, no doubt in my mind.

[Aspiring Shrink]

*Glowing LOR

*Strong background in research

*Interesting life experiences (spent two years of high school in other countries learning about different cultures)

*Solid work experience (teaching for 8 years, manager of home for mentally disabled, volunteered for two years in an orphanage in Ukraine)

*Broad interests (HIV, coping, marriage, adolescence, education, spirituality)

*Hard worker

I believe that I would add flavor and diversity to a program, so for the last time:

Attention all graduate programs: it would be in your best interests to accept me (quickly) into your program and offer me full scholarship, TA, RA, and fellowships.

[RNadine21]

I'll take a swing at this.

- 3.2 GPA, 3.1 major GPA at a well-known research university (and even more known in my field)

- Gold Member of Marine/Atmospheric Science honor society

- Participated in a well-known REU program with well-known faculty

- SCUBA certified and trained to assist in marine mammal strandings

Hey, it was good enough for one school

[katie67]

Holy cannoli, I love this thread. After checking my email every 10 minutes or so all day (ok, ok, every 5 minutes), this is a welcome break! We don't get to flaunt our accomplishments as often as we should.

-Solid GRE scores (690 V, 760 Q)

-Great LORs

-Two long-term language immersion experiences (one study abroad, one teaching English)

-Tons of experience working with local Hispanic community over the past year, as a church interpreter, trained research assistant, and Hispanic Outreach Coordinator at a non-profit

-For someone with only a BA, I have very concrete ideas of what I hope to research, which looks good in interviews. Speaking of interviews...

-You have to do a "make sure she speaks Spanish" phone interview for pretty much every program, to make sure your spoken Spanish is strong enough to teach. Because of my travel

experience, I rock those.

-I have two years of professional experience under my belt, during which I've had a fair amount of responsibility and autonomy. While that is time outside of academia, I have confidence

and maturity that I would have lacked right out of undergrad.

Whew, NOW I remember why I was crazy enough to apply in the first place! Looks like any program would be lucky to have any of us. Best of luck to all of you!

[katie67]

OK...here goes, because I'm driving myself nuts thinking I must have been rejected across the board....but why would they? I....

have my MA ready in hand, with a 4.0, in my specific field of study

have completed 23 hours on a second MA in my subfield

have one full article, 8 encyclopedic entries, and 10 forthcoming encyclopedic entries in print, on top of numerous nonfiction works

have a decade of teaching experience at the high school/advanced and honors level, with two undergrad college classes TA'd as a senior myself at William and Mary

am under contract to develop my thesis into a monograph with a known scholarly publishing house

delivered my thesis findings at the international medieval congress, and have presented papers at the Southeastern Medieval Association conference, the Vagantes Medieval Academy of America graduate student conference, the Regional Medievalisms conference, the UVA-Wise Medieval Studies Conference, and the Virginia Association for Teachers of English conference

received a high score on the verbal and a perfect score on the writing portion of the GRE

am the managing editor for an online graduate studies journal

have students who received perfect scores on the AP Exam in three different subjects under my teaching (French, Art History, English)

speak French fluently, and have extensive language skills in Spanish, Latin, German, and Old English

have three further articles in circulation with national recognized publications

if they want a dedicated and passionate medievalist-in-training, why would they look anywhere else......right???? :oO

I'd accept you, hands down! I'm going through the same waves of self-doubt. I suspect we'll all need a vacation before fall even gets here!

[Never Mind]

- very good undergrad record

- undergrad from 3 different Universities in 3 different countries so extra cultural aspects (study abroad, transfer)

- 8 months of relevant work experience

- 4 months of relevant internship in an Asian country, so there is a little more cultural insight (I am European)

- high TOEFL

- very tailored essays (I only applied to one (1) school so I did go the extra mile)

- I assume two enthusiastic LORs

I could realllllllly use some encouragement here, they are gonna want me, right?!

[bikefarm]

everyone sounds like they deserve and are very well qualified for a PhD program -- if it doesn't happen now, it'll happen next year (that's what I keep telling myself). Good luck!

[verda]

To blow some application anxiety steam:

Currently in a MA at a top 30 university in a different field, straight A's so far

3 separate Ba's from a continental university, all three GPA of 4.0 (one in the field I apply for is only 1-year, others full 3 each)

Fulbright Scholarship for PhD, 1 year funding

Currently on scholarships.

Teaching and research experience, mostly in a different field

7 publications (of which 2 forthcoming, 1 in leading journal), ditto

15 conference presentations, 5 of which at top conferences, ditto

High toefl

1300+ GRE

Fluent in 3 languages (and 8 programming-languages)

Plenty of extracurricular experience.

Doubtful about LOR's and writing-samples.

1 reject so far (from lesser school, out of 12 applied to, others are mostly Ivy). 1 has sent out acceptances and waitlists, no news so far.

[Str2T]

Okay, I need some confidence:

3.5 GPA private liberal arts college

3.92 GPA Masters

MFA candidate (nonfiction thesis/comprehensive exam)

Instructor of record for First-year Composition and Intro to Creative Writing (3 years)

Teaching Assistant Mentor - assist teaching 600-level TA workshops

1 publication in peer-reviewed journal with director of composition

4 regional and national conferences

Member of multiple pedagogy/curriculum development committees

Outstanding graduate student nomination

[verda]

Str2T, Looks good, though the problem with any comments of this kind is that they are 'the blind leading the blind...'

[Karli-Marie]

I've been lurking and could use a serious pick-me-up, so here goes:

Soild GPA: 3.62, Major: 3.86

Active in undergrad community: RA for 3+ years, Editor student newspaper, Library Manager/Dee Jay of student radio station (consistently rated among the top 15 college stations in the country)

Work experience/ethic: Though varied, I've held at least one job since I was in high school and throughout my undergrad years

Glowing yet succinct LORs

Plentiful awards & honors during undergrad: ODK Society Member, New York Press Association award recipient, several campus-specific awards as well

GRE scores: AW 4.5 & 5.5, Verbal 65th & 77th percentile

Still trepidatious in regards to: pitiful GRE quant scores, lack of internships/relevant real-world work experience, currently employed far outside my ideal field

Edited February 26, 2010 by Karli-Marie

[Medievalmaniac]

Holy cannoli, I love this thread. After checking my email every 10 minutes or so all day (ok, ok, every 5 minutes), this is a welcome break! We don't get to flaunt our accomplishments as often as we should.

-Solid GRE scores (690 V, 760 Q)

-Great LORs

-Two long-term language immersion experiences (one study abroad, one teaching English)

-Tons of experience working with local Hispanic community over the past year, as a church interpreter, trained research assistant, and Hispanic Outreach Coordinator at a non-profit

-For someone with only a BA, I have very concrete ideas of what I hope to research, which looks good in interviews. Speaking of interviews...

-You have to do a "make sure she speaks Spanish" phone interview for pretty much every program, to make sure your spoken Spanish is strong enough to teach. Because of my travel

experience, I rock those.

-I have two years of professional experience under my belt, during which I've had a fair amount of responsibility and autonomy. While that is time outside of academia, I have confidence

and maturity that I would have lacked right out of undergrad.

Whew, NOW I remember why I was crazy enough to apply in the first place! Looks like any program would be lucky to have any of us. Best of luck to all of you!

Delightful qualifications, especially that very unusually high for a humanities applicant GRE Q score! You are soooo in. Multiple offers and funding!

[Medievalmaniac]

I've been lurking and could use a serious pick-me-up, so here goes:

Soild GPA: 3.62, Major: 3.86

Active in undergrad community: RA for 3+ years, Editor student newspaper, Library Manager/Dee Jay of student radio station (consistently rated among the top 15 college stations in the country)

Work experience/ethic: Though varied, I've held at least one job since I was in high school and throughout my undergrad years

Glowing yet succinct LORs

Plentiful awards & honors during undergrad: ODK Society Member, New York Press Association award recipient, several campus-specific awards as well

GRE scores: AW 4.5 & 5.5, Verbal 65th & 77th percentile

Still trepidatious in regards to: pitiful GRE quant scores, lack of internships/relevant real-world work experience, currently employed far outside my ideal field

The NYPA award looks really good on an application straight from the bachelor's degree, especially that of someone who wants to go into communications and journalism! Sit tight and hang in there!

Edited February 26, 2010 by Medievalmaniac

[eastcoastdude123]

Great GPA: 3.86 (Overall), 3.97 in one major and 3.93 in the other.

4.0 GPA my last three semesters in college.

Very good, possibly great LORs.

Elected to the SGA for two terms.

Officer in an academic club

Great internship with the government

Member of Phi Beta Kappa

I genuinely care about the my chosen field, and all I need is a degree to pursue it.

Work experience and volunteer experience working with high school and middle school students.

I hope that the admissions committees think this way too!

Edited February 26, 2010 by eastcoastdude123

[ExeterRiceNowwhat]

Simply put. . . .me > you:P

[Bumblebee]

Ok, here I go:

- Two scholarships by the Spanish government to be a foreign language assistant (one year in England, one in France)

- 1 tiny publication

- 3 years as Teaching Fellow at a US Liberal Arts College (the first one as a Fulbright FLTA)

- Took courses while a TF at the College (GPA 4.0)

- Native speaker of Spanish

- Fluent in English and French

- 3 years of Latin

- 2 years of Classical Greek and Mandarin Chinese

- 1 year of Japanese, Italian, German and Arabic

- Many years of Basque (nobody needs to know that I already forgot almost everything I learned )

- Super GRE of 1250 (not native speaker of English, not US-educated)

[SakuraSound]

Pros:Past 2 yrs GPA: 3.77

Pretty good GRE : 780Q 500V 4.0AW

One awesome LOR for Machine Learning from professor @ school Im applying to

One awesome LOR for Language Acquisition @ school Im applying to

1.5 yrs Undergrad Research (including REU this summer) in Semantic web/NLP

Written a paper (hasnt been published yet, *fingers crossed*)

Lots of grad coursework experience

Tutoring experience

two great internships

Bilingual - English, Japanese

Cons:

Overall GPA a bit weak (3.13)

Overall UD GPA kinda weak (3.21)

No published papers

Wish i studied abroad b4 making this leap...

[mag]

Oh, well. Why not. Might make me feel an eensy-weensy bit better about myself. *g*

Pros:

Good scores (my GPA would translate to about 3.8 on a 4.0 scale)

GRE scores: 680V, 760Q, 5.5AW.

SoP long but focussed

Three glowing LORs

A year's worth of research experience that will end up in a Master's dissertation

Two posters (one second author, one first)

Good subject GRE score (92nd percentile)

Cons:

No independent research experience apart from Master's work

Not a US citizen (money, money, money!)

No publications

[amyeray]

I am applying to a field that I have, so far, not been directly involved in (Technical Theatre major to Arts in Education applicant). Not a negative - I see it as a totally obtainable challenge!

For my application I've got:

- 3 years as a technical manager of a touring museum exhibit (with a big educationally associated name).

- 3 awesome LOR writers that know me well and can speak to my abilities and efforts.

- A heartfelt and kick-ass statement of purpose (all my friends and colleagues say it's very "me").

A positive outlook is a great idea!! Keep the happy energy flowing.. good luck all. There are definitely some talented and amazing people posting on here.

[Liesje]

I don't know whether some of this stuff is pro or con

-ma in english from a small program

-3.8 UG GPA, 4.0 grad GPA

-710V 740A 4.5AW

-670 (89%) lit subject test

-no publications

-ontology/metaphysics in 19th c brit lit

-LORs no clue

Edited March 8, 2010 by Liesje

[carpecc]

I don't know whether some of this stuff is pro or con

-ma in english from a small program

-3.8 UG GPA, 4.0 grad GPA

-710V 740A

-670 (89%) lit subject test

There's are some heavy pros Liesje! You're a shoe in.

As for me: just the pros (applying to intl relations):

One of my LOR is really, really awesome.

GRE: 590V, 730Q 5.5 aw. I raised my Quant score 180 pts by studying. My issue topic was a DREAM, something that addressed my career on the money which I'd written about before professionally.

Work exp: good part of a decade in China, worked for some real top NGOs across different fields in progressively better positions. Worked as a program manager, Set up and localized a project office for an NGO. Have a good job now, but cruising these threads and constantly checking my email will probably get me fired.

Language: Learned how to speak read and write Chinese!

People say my SOP looked good.

Applied: SIPA, SAIS, GW, AU, Korbel

Heard from: Korbel

[ednapontelier]

I really love this thread. . .It is nice to read about all your accomplishments and see everybody being supportive. There are so few peeps in our lives, aside from a few neurotic colleagues and fellow academics that really get how insane this whole application process is - and so few people to "brag" to, right?

Hang in there - you are all awesome and I wish you the best!

[geodrake]

Mental note to self: Do not read this thread unless you want to dive even deeper into the ocean of insecurity.

No kidding Astonautka!!! I don't think these come close but...

- 4.0 Graduate GPA

- Graduated with distinction in my B.A. *edits out negative comment about the GPA though*

- Sole author on publication in double-blind peer-reviewed journal

-- Been invited to expand the article for inclusion in another peer-reviewed journal

- Presented (above) paper at 2 conferences/symposiums

- Will be presenting a different paper at a national conference next month

- Professionally employed in a lateral field for 14-odd years (programming experience is relevant in GIS thank goodness!)

As a side note, I took the GRE... 5? years ago. 1240 with a 6 in logic. If I'm applying next year for a PhD, should I/do I need to retake it? I didn't bother to study when I took it, and I'd rather not have to =P