The positives thread

[carpecc]

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

Unfortunately you'll have to retake since it's only valid for 5 years. Luckily your credentials are so good you only have to make sure you're in "the range" of the schools you're applying to. Someone like you should be able to study for it and get a top score.

[martizzle]

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?

How I wish we could share this feeling experience with the world. Let them know how we feel, what we are going through...I wonder if we could make a TV Show out of this...I wonder what changes ad comms would make after they got to see the show...I wonder none of this will ever happen lol

[Roccoriel]

Pros:

Decent undergrad GPA (3.4) with double major

Good GPA (3.8) in my Master's

Some decent scores on GRE (700 quantitative, 600 verbal)

I'm working on the Master's where I have applied to my PhD, so I've already proven I do well there.

My potential advisor already has me searching for grants and planning my research

Research experience and lab assistant experience

The people who edited my SoP said it was great

Cons:

Could have had a better undergrad GPA

My writing score for the GRE wasn't spectacular (4.5)

Only half the Master's complete so far

No published papers and haven't been working in the field since I graduated in 2008

My potential advisor is affiliated with the university (he is approved for research). They don't seem to want to tell him if I got in

I haven't heard anything yet

Trying to stay positive! Not doing a great job but I'm trying...

[chandramoulipalit]

Not too great GPA (2.92)

But i think the positives that helped me get fully funded admits to 2 out of the 3 schools were:

My GRE score quant:800 verbal 700 AW 4.0

My subj GRE score 820/1000

Great letters of recommendation from three professors I did projects with.

All my projects were in the same area as I applied to...so that must have helped a lot

[martizzle]

one of my schools was thoughtful enough to think of considering me for a masters degree (they rejected me from the phd)...its the positive...only positive i've so far. I really do hope it pans out.

[rooster34]

Pros:

GRE scores of 790Q 650V 5.0AW

MS in Math w/ GPA of 3.78

Undergrad GPA of 3.98 w/ 4.0 in major (Math Ed.)

Graduated summa cum laude w/ honors from dept. of math and stat

Post Grad coursework in stat's at alma mater

Year long research project in stat's during MS

Attended numerous conf's and short courses over the years

5 years on faculty in math and stat's at alma mater

2 years teaching as a TA during MS

Stat consulting work during post grad coursework

6 months industry exp as a stat analyst at a CRO

Cons:

Two failed attempts at undergrad in '92-'93 (1.69 GPA) and '95-'97 (1.75 GPA)

No pub's (not that big of a deal in stat's)

Age (35)

To explain the undergrad situation a bit further, I went to a large state school right out of high school and earned a stellar GPA of 1.69 (I was an honors student, btw.) I left school, joined the military, and then tried again at the second largest state school. Had three quarters of good grades and three quarters of 0.00. Left school again, 1st child born, got married, and then I went back to school at a 3rd school (public ivy) in 2000. Did very well (3.98), earned a MS at the same school, and I've been teaching there since. If it weren't for the incredibly poor GPA's from 13+ years ago, I don't think I'd be worried. But, I have no idea how schools handle things. I know that UIUC only looks at the last 60 hours of undergrad plus all grad work, which is good for me. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how things play out!

Edited March 25, 2010 by rooster34

[martizzle]

it is my birthday - doesn't that count for something lol

[martizzle]

apparently, it didnt lol

[caizlurol]

My GPA for my first Master Degree is a 4.0

My GPA for my second Master Degree is a 3.99

In my field, I have excellent computer skills in web design.

I have classroom experience (8 years) of which more than half of that time was spent in an urban area

I have very strong and positive Letters of recommendations. They asked for 2, I gave them 4.

I am fluent in various languages and proficient in a few more.

Quantitative score on GRE is very high compared to others in my field.

Wow, I never stopped to list the positives. It makes me feel much better, now! Good idea, whoever started this!

[sacklunch]

Applied for all MA programs:

UG GPA 3.7

4 semesters of Ind. Study (relevant for grad work)

GRE V500 Q490 W4.5 (the weakest part of my app)

I need to work on my GRE for phd work, prolly start studying for that over the next year or two...bah.

[cherubie]

Let's see...

Pros:

-Attended nationally-known top 15 undergrad

-Graduated with general & major honors (3.5 & 3.8, respectively),

-Very strong upward trend (going from 3.1 --> 3.8 with increases each semester)

-GRE: 800Q 700V 5.0AW

-By the time I apply, I'd have >3 years of research (and hopefully at least 1 publication)

-Boss/mentor is well known in field

Cons:

-Took almost all my premed courses in the first 2 years of college, ending up with a 3.1-ish the first 2 years

-Had 1 retake, 2 C's (organic chem and chem II- not anything I should need to know for my area of study at all, but regardless)

-Don't know my profs in college

-No posters/conferences (I don't see why I have to shell out 100's to do what grad students do for free, esp when one of them is an inept individual surviving solely on other's support)

Edit: I WAS premed in college, but decided to go for PhD instead.

Edited December 27, 2010 by cherubie

[neuropsych76]

Posting the pros and cons of my graduate application will increase my chances right?

Well I'll give it a try anyway

Pros

-Honors program

-3.7 GPA with slight upward trend

-involved with dozens of research projects over the past 3 years at my school including an honors thesis

-5 presentations 1 publication

-worked in a hospital doing neuropsych testing and research

-worked in an fMRI lab

-should have good LOR

Cons

-mediocre GRE score 1170

-a couple places didn't have a super good fit, only pretty good (if that's a con?)

-i'm applying strait out of undergrad, many people have advised to take time off first

[emmm]

Pros

-decent GPA from top-10 school

-teaching experience

-good GRE

-hardworking (OK, scraping the bottom of the barrel here)

Cons

-long history of SAHM

-minimal research experience in area I'm applying to

-older than most applicants

Edited December 28, 2010 by emmm

[Golden Monkey]

Well, this is better than contributing to another anxiety-laden thread, isn't it?

• 4.0 from my master's program
• Great LORs (one from an extremely well-known prof)
• 15 years of relevant industry work experience
• 3 years of academic work experience
• A thesis I'm honestly proud of
• The fact that my undergrad degree was a lot more difficult than most people's in this field
  All of this has to counteract:
  
  • The fact that I'm 43 (you don't get 18 years of work experience out of nowhere, after all)
  • Dismal GRE scores
  • No papers published, wasn't on any panels, etc.
  • A 2.9 GPA in previously mentioned very difficult undergrad major

[eklavya]

3+ years of research

2 internships - one in nationally (US) acclaimed institute and another in internationally (Germany/Europe) acclaimed institute

LoRs from bigshot PIs

BS degree in 3.5 years with 1.5 years of TA experience, 1 paper and conference appearances

MS degree (with a thesis) in 1.5 years (ongoing) 1 year of TA experience, 2 papers and conference appearances

I guess this is it. I have plenty of Cs in my undergrad transcript, even in lifescience courses, and because of which my BS GPA is decent. I feel confident in posting this here because I've gotten into 2 programs now. I am hopeful about getting into rest of the programs as well.

[RDX]

This is a good one....

My positives: two professors agreed to pull their strings for me

That relives my worries a lot

[natsteel]

I could use a boost, so here goes...

Positives:

• 
  
  
• 3.93 GPA (4.0maj) - In the last five semesters, I have a 4.0 overall with 4 A+'s.
  
• 3 exceptional LORs from highly-respected and well-known scholars in my field, including my primary mentor who is a Pulitzer Prize-winner.
  
• Said mentors really going to bat for me with all their contacts (which seems to have bought me some credibility with faculty).
  
• Writing sample excerpted from my junior honors research essay which is one of only 4 papers being published in a Columbia Undergrad journal and won a departmental award.
  
• I have done a research assistantship for each of my 3 mentors' next books, including 2 paid RA gigs for my primary mentor.
  
• Multiple positive contacts with all prospective advisors (thank you, mentors) including phone conversations and meetings with a few.
  
  
  I need these things to overcome:
  
  
  • 
    
  • GRE Verbal score of 660, which is average for some of the programs to which I am applying.
    
  • A horrible and somewhat inexplicable AW score of 4.5.
    
  • A less-than-mindblowing SOP. I found it hard to write about myself, but many drafts got it to where it's definitely functional, but not amazing in any way.
    
  • Coming from a less-than-prestigious, large, public undergraduate institution.
    
  • Non-traditional student
    

[BadgerHopeful]

Having gone to a prestigious, highly-ranked university is not a pro. It's what you did with your time there that could result in pros. Similarly, having gone to a mediocre state school is not a con. Adcoms, at least in the humanities, don't care about the prestige or rank of your undergrad institution. They care about the quality of your SOP, writing sample, and LORs (as well as GPA and GRE).

[history_PhD]

Pros:

Great writing sample (according to my professor)

3.94 overall GPA, 4.0 in my major

730 verbal

Cons:

Bad AW score-- 5.0 the first time and 4.0 the second

I didn't contact professors prior to applying to schools, which is something I would change if I could

[history_PhD]

Having gone to a prestigious, highly-ranked university is not a pro. It's what you did with your time there that could result in pros. Similarly, having gone to a mediocre state school is not a con. Adcoms, at least in the humanities, don't care about the prestige or rank of your undergrad institution. They care about the quality of your SOP, writing sample, and LORs (as well as GPA and GRE).

Hmm, my advisor/ professor/ LoR writer specifically mentioned that the prestige (or lack thereof) of undergrad institutions can hurt applicants. Coming from a relatively unknown SLAC, according to him, can be detrimental to an otherwise strong applicant. Of course, another professor said that students at SLACs have the benefit of more intimate relationships with their professors. Obviously, I hope that the institution's brand does not diminish a prospective student's chances. We shall see. . . .

[natsteel]

Having gone to a prestigious, highly-ranked university is not a pro. It's what you did with your time there that could result in pros. Similarly, having gone to a mediocre state school is not a con. Adcoms, at least in the humanities, don't care about the prestige or rank of your undergrad institution. They care about the quality of your SOP, writing sample, and LORs (as well as GPA and GRE).

Hmm, my advisor/ professor/ LoR writer specifically mentioned that the prestige (or lack thereof) of undergrad institutions can hurt applicants. Coming from a relatively unknown SLAC, according to him, can be detrimental to an otherwise strong applicant. Of course, another professor said that students at SLACs have the benefit of more intimate relationships with their professors. Obviously, I hope that the institution's brand does not diminish a prospective student's chances. We shall see. . . .

I know, Badger... all my mentors have told me the same thing. In fact, they think the combination of being a non-trad from a public uni may even benefit me as some of the more prestigious schools are looking to diversify their cohorts (one of them heard this first-hand from a professor at an elite university). I only listed it because I'm being terribly neurotic about the whole process.

history_PhD, is there a specific reason you didn't contact any profs?

[history_PhD]

I know, Badger... all my mentors have told me the same thing. In fact, they think the combination of being a non-trad from a public uni may even benefit me as some of the more prestigious schools are looking to diversify their cohorts (one of them heard this first-hand from a professor at an elite university). I only listed it because I'm being terribly neurotic about the whole process.

history_PhD, is there a specific reason you didn't contact any profs?

I really ran out of time. I didn't have a clear picture of what schools I wanted to apply to until mid-October. By then, it seemed like it was too late to contact professors. I was still solidifying research interests and did not have specific questions that I wanted to ask. I could have introduced myself, at least, but did not. Also, my professors weren't that supportive of the idea of my contacting potential advisors.

Like I said, if I could do it again, I would definitely change this part of the application. Oh well; it is definitely too late now!

[surprisecake]

ok lets do this thing! (instead of studying for finals)

+ 1420 GRE, (740 verbal, international student), 116 TOEFL

+ 2 posters at huge internationally recognised conferences, 2 papers in tiny, unrecognised national journals as an undergrad - as the sole author.

+ Positive e-mail contact with 2 professors at schools that don't even require it

+ What i've been promised are four smashing LORs

+ The most convincing SOP a career-switcher like me could possibly have written

+ A fancy summer research internship related to my field

+ My undergraduate degree is actually a great fit for the graduate degree I am applying for, but I'm sure I can count the number of people in my profession applying for the same degree on the fingers of one hand.

+ I'm 23 and I think some of the schools I've applied to are trying to skew younger

Meh: Universities have converted my GPA to anything from a 3.1 to a 3.9 on a 4.0 scale.

- 680 quant GRE score

- No contact at the 2 schools that require faculty contact (but I only care about one of them)

- I sent in all my applications just hours before their respective deadlines. I'm sure it won't hurt me in some schools, but in one particular school, an early applicant got an admit just 4 days after i submitted mine!

- I think the universe hates me

Edited December 31, 2010 by surprisecake

[Golden Monkey]

I didn't contact professors prior to applying to schools, which is something I would change if I could

Yipes. I didn't either.

[MoJingly]

I honestly never cease to be amazed by the caliber of students on this forum. You guys are seriously awesome!

- I think the universe hates me

^

I'm sure that's not true!!