I found a Master's program I'm interested in for next year (Clinical Laboratory Sciences). I want to take this year to work, to study/take the GRE, and hopefully to save a little for tuition if I do get accepted into the program. I also wanted to take this time to do any prereqs that I might need for the program. I emailed the director of the program because the entrance requirements are confusing; she replied and told me what specific classes are needed for acceptance. I've done all but one class on the list, but it can be substituted by another similar class-- so, I'll see if I can sub. one of my numerous other biology classes for that one biology class. If not, I'll just take it.

I did poorly in one of the prereq classes (C+ in genetics); that was the only class in my major that I made below a B in, and it was due to the fact that I was ill. That entire semester was a bust basically; although I passed everything, some things I just got by in. I also completely withdrew that next semester because I ended up having to have emergency surgery again (I had surgery during the semester I took genetics, and in hindsight, should have probably withdrawn from that semester as well). I'm wondering when to consider retaking classes to improve grades; I think of all the classes on the list (which consists of maths, chemistries and biologies) I made a C in two of them.  (One was in organic chem., and I just decided to let that one go.) In all the rest of the classes, I made A's.

 If a transcript is to be submitted online, how does that work? Do you scan an unofficial or does the school do something to make it official besides the sealed envelope? 

Unofficials are free at my university, but if that won't work I wanted to make sure I know how many official to request.

Also, I took one class at the local community college between high school and college. It's not on my transcript, in my field or important (my favorite teacher in high school was teaching it) do I send that?

Finally, how does it work to get transcripts for a study-abroad program? I've done two and they sent them to my university, do I have to request ones from the school itself? How do I go about this?

PS. ohmigod. I just found out that to request transcripts from one of my study abroad programs is $50 per copy. They're listed on my transcript from my university, but as Satisfactory. These courses are creative writing, which I'm applying for several MFA programs. What do I do? Can I get my school to change the mark on my transcript to the letter grade w/o putting it into my GPA? Am I doomed to shell out $500?

Hey all! So I'm back again (used to frequent this comm when I applied year before last). Finishing second year of English MA this year and applying to PhD programs this applicant season. My question to any of you who may know/be interested: Schools with strong focuses in queer theory and sexuality studies? I do queer space and rural space, especially as it relates to both American Indian studies and Appalachian studies. I'm really looking for queer theory/sexuality-strong programs in general, in English, American studies, gender/women's studies, or any other such interdisciplinary field. Suggestions of schools to look up would be excellent. Here's my preliminary list thus far (all English unless indicated):

University of Minnesota
University of Washington
University of Indiana (both English and Gender studies)
Illinois Urbana-Champaign
NYU American studies
CUNY
USC
Tufts
University of Arizona

I feel like I kind of don't know where to look - most of these schools have been recommended by advisors, but I'd like to apply to around 15. I don't know much at all about finding women's studies and gender studies programs either, which may be where to look but it's out of my field and I don't really know who to ask... Help?

Thanks!

x-posted at Englishobsessed (is it still active??)

Hey all. Its my first time posting, and I would just like to thank everyone for already being so helpful.

I searched through the tags and haven't been able to find this. Should I apply for a M.S. or a PhD? I thought after getting a BSc, one would go on to get a MS, then go on to a PhD, then a post doc. I asked all my professors at school, and they basically said its all up to me, and that I would be fine in either case. I was also at a scientific conference last summer, and I asked several grad school admissions deans, and their answers varied. Some schools don't find undergrads ready to go straight to a PhD, and others said it depends on the student. My parents didn't go to school in the US, and they are completely confused about how the whole system works (they went to school in India), and are really stressing me out.

I feel as though I am a mediocre student. I graduated from a biology program with a 3.4 GPA. I did well in all my biology courses, but struggled in chemistry and physics. I am a nervous test taker, and have mediocre GRE scores. However, I have great recommendation letters. I have been involved in independent research since my sophomore year, in both my college and Harvard Med. I've participated in community service all 4 years of college and also have served as the treasurer of a club.

Should I call schools and ask what they believe a competitive candidate looks like? If so, what should I ask? What should I do if the school only accepts PhD candidates, and doesn't have a MS program listed?

Thank all of you so much!

Hey everyone! I need some advice. I was accepted to the Chicago School of Professional Psychology for the Masters in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Applied Behavior Analysis. I have been working as an ABA/Behavior therapist for a school district for 4 years and I've recently been employed by a well known private ABA organization. It's imperative that I become BCBA certified. There are many career opportunities in the private clinics and organizations that require a Masters and BCBA certification. The reason why this program appeals to me is because the BCBA coursework and supervision are embedded in this Masters program. Here's my dilemma...I keep hearing less than stellar comments about the Chicago School. I know it's overpriced and I know the PsyD's raise eyebrows due to the exorbitant price. Is it a horrible idea to attend a Masters program at this school? Please, I'd really any appreciate any comments, thoughts, anecdotes, ANYTHING regarding the Masters programs at The Chicago School.


Thanks!

how many gre vocabulary words did you memorize in order to feel that you knew the majority of the words that were on the GRE?

I'm starting to narrow my choices, and amongst them is the LSE. They list that international applicants should have a minimum 3.5/4.0, but I'm not sure what my GPA is for two reasons:

1. Brown doesn't calculate GPAs (nor do we have + & -'s). I've found websites that give the values for grades, but
2. I transferred to Brown after getting an Associates. Do I include these grades? (They bump my GPA up almost half a point.)
Also,
3. I'm a non-traditional age student (not a big deal for grad school), but I did the college thing out of high school with not much success. These pitiful grades are fifteen to eighteen years old. Are they part of my overall GPA?

Thank you in advance!

Are you supposed to take the GRE for both Master's programs and Ph.D programs? I'm a women and sexuality studies undergrad right now, with plans on getting a MA, going to law school, then most likely going for the Ph.D. Would I have to take it twice? 

Thanks!

 HI I AM LIKE JUMPING AROUND RIGHT NOW.

UCLAS's Latin American Studies, M.A./Public Health, M.P.H.

Can anyone tell me about this? Please? I NEED TO GET INTO THIS PROGRAM. Are there any similar ones around? Does anyone attend this? Hear good things? Bad things?

Sorry for this to be like AHHH but I am SO EXCITED. THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO IN LIFE. 


Love from a hopping around, incredibly excited, now re-enthusiastic about LIFE Kell

I've decided to start preparing for the GRE...again. I plan to take the test in mid-October. Fourteen weeks is what I've set aside to study. During this time I am able to invest between 10-15 hours every week for review.

Today I finished a practice (paper) test and received an abysmal score, similar to the one I got when I took the actual test a couple years ago. Both my verbal and quantitative scores are atrocious, more so the quantitative score. I am satisfied with the score I received on the analytic writing section, so that is not an issue.

I guess I'm looking for some hope from those of you that truly dedicated yourself to preparing for the GREs, without taking an expensive course, and actually saw a VAST improvement in your scores.

Thanks!

Hey all,

So I've been browsing admissions requirements for various top 20 English PhD programs and noticed that lots of places require 3 letters of recommendations. I've already got two professors who are very enthusiastic about writing personalized LoR, but I'm sort of at a loss for a third source! I spent my last year in undergrad completing an independent, interdisciplinary study where I communed with only two professors, so I was virtually cut off from the rest of the teaching staff. Now that it's been over 3 years since I graduated, I feel like most of my other professors would barely remember me. I got As in their classes, but so did a lot of students--I definitely didn't foster a close relationship with anyone that could compare to the other two professors.

So do I badger some poor professor who doesn't even really remember me?

Another option I've considered is contacting an old English TA who wrote recs for me in the past. We were pretty close for my first two years before she graduated, and I nominated her for a teaching award that she later won. She's now an assistant professor at another (very good) school. She specialized in Early Modern drama, and I'm writing my entrance essay on King Lear/Thousand Acres, so I'll have an up-to-date writing example for her to oversee since I doubt I still have my papers from our first year class. Is she too far down the ladder to ask, especially since she's no longer at my university?

Thanks in advance for any advice! 

 I know this is rather a common question, but humor me please?

I'm working on my personal statement for the Rhodes Scholarship, and as an English major most of my statements have been research focused. So, I'm trying to make this one a narrative about my journey through disability advocacy, my traveling and my scholarly work. 

There are a few things I've done, volunteer mentoring, litmag editing and writing tutoring particularly, that aren't fitting into my narrative. They'll have my CV with those things on there, and while they're important they don't fit into the thread I'm following.

Should I assume they only read the statement and work them in or just try to make the narrative as clean as possible?

Hi everyone,

This is sort of a specific question.

Does anyone know what happens when you don't get into a clinical psychology program but DO get a CIHR master's grant to use in one? (Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships - Master's Award program)

I know you have to use it in september of the year you get it or the following january, but what do you do if you're not actually in a program?

I hear you can get in if you contact the school and explain that you have money and you'd like to bring it into their school but i'm not sure if this applies in clinical programs.

Anyone know anything about this?

got a 660q 440 v after studying for 3 months waaa. should i retake it? or work on other parts of my application. Im applying for a MA in IR to sais, sipa, gw, and gtown

I keep failing the GRE!! 540 v, 500 Q are my scores for the second time around. Ugh.

Can I go to the UK or Canada, get an MA (I like a few programs abroad) and come back to the US for a PhD program and skip the GRE altogether? Or will the PhD programs make me take it even with an MA? :(

Help please!!

Here's my situation:

From 2002-2007 I was in the Marine Corps. I started at the U of MN in Fall 2007 (political science), have gone year round with a full course load, and will be done at the end of the summer. Being 23 years old at the time I started, I didn't want to waste time completing my undergrad work. Unfortunately, I missed out on some potentially academic-bolstering programs (e.g. honors, which requires more time than 2 years). I did do an undergraduate research project with a faculty member, but that's the extent of my research. My CV will than have that one item.

Ironically, I really made a name for myself in the Marine intelligence community (that was my field), and was awarded a couple fairly prestigious medals, but all of my work will still be classified after I die, and the medals mean nothing to anyone without a familiarity of such things.

I'd like to try for admission to a political science PhD program, and I know that it's a gamble in any case. With a GPA of 3.95 (including major field), GRE of 1420/5.5, and good letters of recommendation, can I rest easy knowing my CV is so undeveloped?

I appreciate any feedback/opinions. Thanks!

Hello all,

Who wants to review my SOP?  I'm applying to Middle East History Ph.d. programs.  Below is a rough draft of my SOP. Let me know what you think!

 

( Read more... )

 Letter explaining why I didn't make 2:1 honors...(LSE)

Who wants to read it? 

Thanks. 

I created a blog with ways to remember certain GRE words (updated semi-daily) with pictures.

http://grevocabblog.blogspot.com/

So how many times is TOO MANY when it comes to taking the GREs? I've already taken it twice and, being totally mathematically inept, I definitely need to take it a third time. I feel like this is my last chance to do well because it already looks "bad." If it's relevant, I'm applying to Library and Info Science schools, and definitely all the ones who don't require GREs haha, which is unfortunately not enough.

Taking a page out of other posters' books, I'll start with a wee snippet of introduction and then move on to questions. (Well, a few questions -- not all my questions, goodness. This graduate school business is daunting!)

I'm going into my fourth year of an undergrad combined honours program (essentially, a double major, but with honours standing, slightly different courses, and a thesis requirement) in German and history of science. Presently, I'm attending a Canadian liberal arts university that's a college of a larger, medical/professional/research/sci-tech university. Grad school has been on my mind since second year, and as I've recently done more research I've found that the schools that interest me tend to be abroad (i.e., not in Canada). Unfortunately, all that research is less useful, as a couple of weeks ago I reconsidered my program of interest, deciding that German literature/intellectual history is more compelling to me than history of science. Various aspects of this scenario raise questions in my brain, but I'll try not to overbear.

My main worry is that, being from a small Canadian school that's an offshoot of a university that gets its places in rankings thanks primarily to its strength in the sciences, my applications to American grad schools won't be as strong as they would be if I applied more locally. Do American universities worry much about where you're coming from? I gather that it's letters of recommendation and GPA that they really care about, but I'm not sure about how my German department stands up, standards-wise, to other German departments here or in the States. Does it... make a difference? Sorry if I sound paranoid, but American schools seem to be more concerned with rankings than what I'm used to here in Canada. I say seem -- I don't really know, though. Any thoughts?

My other problem/question is with this process of taking the GRE. I'm unprepared, period. The schools I've been looking at (which, dauntingly, are ones that seem really competitive) require GRE scores, and I'm really not prepared to take the exam this September since I'm going to spend August studying in Germany on a grant. Would taking the GRE in October or November, for a December 15th application deadline (approx.), be too late? Would it be safer not to worry about applying to grad school this year, and instead to wait until next year so that I can get several more months' study under my belt? Standardized tests worry me -- the last one I did was in the tenth grade, and the scores didn't matter for my classes. D:

Finally, if anyone has particularly strong opinions on American German departments, I'd love to hear some thoughts. ^___^ I haven't been able to get any recommendations out of my advisor that aren't completely even-keeled and diplomatic. I just want to know who's really powerfully into which programs, because I hear a lot of VERY opinionated discussion on History of Science grad schools in my HOS department, but nothing at all on the German side. I'd love to hear any and all thoughts on the matter. :D

Thank you all very much in advance! It'd be great to hear from anyone who's got a thought to share. :3

whats the difference between a CV and resume? which one should i use in my application process. (applying to proffesional programs mpa/pp)

Hi all - I'm applying to graduate schools for library and information science for next fall (so the app process hasn't started just yet but I'm of course stressing about it already). I already applied to just one school for this fall and did not get in (UofWashington) for reasons I am going to blame on my GRE score, because my GPA is high and I had good recs from relevant people (people I did library research for, etc. I don't feel like explaining why I applied to only one school but this time around I plan on applying to as many as possible.) So here comes the question part...

I've lived in NY my whole life- went to college there, too. I moved to Portland, OR last month basically because I felt like it, I wanted a change and a new experience. I'm wondering if this will look odd to grad schools when my resume shows a sudden change in location. Should I explain it in an essay? Or do you think it's not a big deal? If I explained it, I'd certainly make it look like a positive career and life move more than a flakey, on a whim type thing.

Another question I have is, should I worry about getting a "real" job at the moment...and by this I mean, I'm currently working at a minimum wage food service job to pay the rent, but I am also volunteering at a library to build up my resume that I already think looks pretty good (I'm currently a research assistant for a former professor who is writing a book and I interned and freelanced at a business journal for a year). I also plan on getting a second volunteer library job that I'm hoping would turn into paid work. Do you think grad schools would look at the food service job and think twice about it? This is kind of stressing me out and I'm thinking I should look for office work like a receptionist or something. Would that look "better?"

SO many questions, sorry! I hope I don't seem too annoying but these things are honestly keeping me up at night!
Thanks for any input you may have :)

If your program has a January application deadline, what is the latest you would recommend taking the GRE? Would October be too late? I don't necessarily think I'll need to re-take it, but despite my best plans to devote my summer to studying... life had other plans ;) (I am getting a handle on things now... I actually used the disc that came with my book today! ;) )

Also, how early should I approach instructors about LORs? I was thinking about waiting until school starts up again, but before everyone else bombards them with requests. I don't want to do it too early because I would hate for the LORs to show up too far in advance of my app.

The school requires three LORs. One of the profs I want to ask is great and would have nothing but nice things to say about me. Unfortunately, he is a little scatterbrained and I am afraid he might not get it in in time. Would it be alright to ask four people for LORs just to be on the safe side? I don't want to look like I'm sucking up or that I can't follow instructions.

Thanks!

Written for the MFA in writing for children at Simmons College (replaced with second draft) They say to discuss your writing process, any works in progress and your goals.
 

( Read more... )
</span></div>

I am applying to cognitive psych programs and most of them want to make sure you've at least taken a statistics course. I took one in the Summer of 2007 and got a C. Math had been a struggle for me that I tried to "get out of the way" in the beginning of my undergrad years - a mistake since I had no idea how important it would be later on (I hadn't declared a major yet). I took intermediate algebra twice (first time got a D, second time I withdrew) so it's somewhat apparent on my transcript that math is not my strong suit.

All of that was before I found out how much I loved research. In my research methods course last semester (I got a B+), we analyzed data but the computer program (SPSS) did the statistics, we just had to know which test to run and how to interpret our results.

Anyway, my question is whether my low grade in statistics will go against me in the application process, or if they just want to make sure I passed. Since I took the course in the summer, it went by very quickly and was a bit overwhelming so I remember very little of it. I am contemplating between either listening to some podcasts (like iTunesU) and other materials to hone my statistics skills or to retake the entire class at a slower pace to make sure I understand it. I would do this at a community college (I graduated in May), so technically it would be "lower division." 
What do you think? Am I worrying over nothing? Am I out of my league?
Also, should I explain this in my SoP? 

I have a quick question about my SoP

( Is it important enough to mention? )

Hello, I saw something similar to this in the memories but no real answer... I plan on taking the GREs as soon as possible (Aug/Sept) so that I can focus on other aspects of my applications, but do I need to state which schools to send my scores to on test day? Will it cost me extra if I wait to send my scores at a later date? I can't seem to find any clear info on the ETS website.
I'm not sure if I should be taking the GRE now to "get it over with" or if I should wait until I have everything else done (I'm still not sure if I'm applying this fall or next fall).
Also, how far in advance did you register? And how much studying did you do? I'm preparing now, so is that too far in advance and am I going to drive myself crazy thinking about the GREs for the next couple of months?

Hello,

How does one go about crafting a write sample and SOP? I know the writing sample is from something you wrote as an undergrad which you are particularly proud of and has been alchemized thoroughly. Should I take the A paper I am proud of to a professor asking for help, tips, and tricks? This does not sound likey...

Are there any websites where I can read writing samples from successful applicants so I know what caliber of work I am "up against"/should be aiming for? What should I strive for: something substantive with a string of savvy, apt, and creative points? Or something beautifully written?

Also, how does one research grad schools in compiling their list as to where they would like to apply? When I google this and go to the websites I do not find the information on the schools applying to grad web page's particularly informative or helpful.

This question is hopefully directed at individuals who are in English phd programs or have been admitted.

Thank you so much. 

Hey guys, I just basically walked up to my undergrad Alma Mater, said to the profs, "Hey I was thinking about grad school," and they took the attitude of "Good, it's about time, go apply." And I got accepted, for August, notified the next day.

For two years I've been eyeing the app process apprehensively, scared of the infinite letter-writing and such that I hear about in this community. But that's all it took. Just "Hey I'd like to be here," "Okay welcome aboard, we'll see if we can get you a teaching fellowship."

I am not bullshitting you.

It can be that easy.

And by this post, I mean to say: I recommend apping at your alma mater. Especially if you're doing the Master's. They know and love you there already. Why bother moving across the country and worrying for months? Do what's natural.

Hello all! I apologize if this has been asked frequently/recently. I checked recent entries, but I may have missed it.

For English literature graduate programs, how important is it to have prior research experience and publications?

A little more information: I am a rising junior and creative writing major, and I'm not sure yet if I want to pursue an MFA or PhD after graduation. I plan to write a thesis in my senior year, but it will be a poetry manuscript. I have contacted professors about research, but the ones who have responded so far said they only take graduate students. I don't have any academic publications yet. Also, if it matters, I'm interested in Early Modern literature.

Thanks!

Hey grads!

So I'm having a bit of trouble getting my mind wrapped around all the financial hoo-ha associated with grad school. Mostly I feel a bit like with grad school they throw as much loan money at you that you want and I don't want to go into a bunch of debt without really thinking about it. So I have a couple of questions (they are kind of extended so any help offered would be much appreciated):

is it normal to receive funding for masters' programs? I am going for the MSW and I want to look into tuition scholarships, or I guess any fellowship(?) or what have you.

My financial aid package included a summer work study (even though I'm not enrolled for summer). I am having a hard time finding a work study position (and plus I'm really lazy and depressed and honestly just haven't been looking) so I am trying to find out about converting work study to a loan. Since it's only for the summer semester, will they give me the full amount? Will it be totally separate from the rest of my aid or will it somehow come out of other loan money? What are the pros and cons of work study vs converting work study to a loan?

I could live at home and commute every day but really I'd like to just live on campus and get it over with. However, if I stayed at home that'd put a lot of money in my pocket. Do you think it's better to live on campus in a better environment or stay home only to save? I think I would probably have enough refund money that I could live on a tight budget without having to get a job (other than work study, I suppose) but I did want to have some kind of regular job. Is it recommended to work during grad school just for extra income? And how does that affect the fafsa for next year, if at all?

Are there any secret money loopholes that I just don't know about or how to access? For example, I read some things on my school's website that they offer extra loans for things like computers and even have an "emergency" loan where you can just go to the bursar and get 200$.

Mostly I'm just becoming a little overwhelmed with how to manage the financial aspects, plus make decisions on things like living expenses. I feel kind of guilty just accepting all this money (even though I know it isn't free cuz I'll have to pay it back later, lol) so I WANT to cut corners/work independently but I don't know how reasonable or likely these things are.

Hello! I just joined this community and am very excited about it since I am somewhat lost about the whole app process. I just graduated in May with a BA in Psychology (Research emphasis, with honors) from a small private school. During my undergrad years I did not think I wanted to do anything psychology related as a career, until my senior year when I took research methods and some other courses and it struck me how much I love the scientific method. So, I will have many questions about PhD programs (cognitive psychology) and the application process.

First, I graduated with honors because I transferred from community college and they didn't include my grades from community college. When looking at these PhD programs, they ask to calculate your cummulative GPA. I am assuming they mean all of my coursework combined over the past 4 years, right? Not just what I graduated with? In that case, my cumulative is a 3.31, but my GPA that I graduated with is a 3.78. Would a low GPA alone disqualify me from a top-ranked program?

I have many more questions and I will be looking around some more to hopefully find some answers. Thanks for all your help!

I'm looking at the Princeton Review book site and am considering just buying a used version of PR  off of amazon or half.com. How important/helpful were the DVDs? The website just says it has some useful tutorials, but I had a hard time watching the guy talk about the books: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQgH96Gp8d0. Is the DVD worth it?

P.S. this is specifically for the General test books.

Has anyone here taken the Praxis I? It's a test designed for educators, from what I can tell, and a few of the programs I'm applying to (schopol psych) require it. It seems to be formatted similar to SAT (Reading, Math, and Writing [MC and essay] sections), but's cumputer-based like the GRE. I didn't see anything about it being CAT, though. From looking at the free prep stuff on the ETS website, it seems much easier than the GRE (no analogies, straight forward Math), but I suppose this could just translate to a harder curve...? 

I'm not asking this really to seek advice (as I just finished my sophomore year), but rather simply to start a discussion. I've heard alot of people suggest taking a gap year between your undergraduate and graduate degrees as a way to "recuperate" almost; to take a rest from academia and do something you'd always want to do--travel, teach, volunteer, get some work experience--that school obviously hasn't made room for. This also means not having the stress of creating graduate applications amidst your senior year.

( But what about taking a gap year as an admissions strategy? )

Is there a format I should be following?  I will be applying for M.A. programs in History (specifically Aboriginal Education in Ontario [Canada]).

Some of the sites that I've found online have stated that I should include some personal information into it....what kind of information, and how much is too much?

I'm a little new to all of this, so thanks for all of you advice!

Before I start, thanks so much to all of you for not only being open with your advice but also with details about the kinds of situations that some of you have found yourself in. I don't think I could have made it through applications this past year-ish without reading this page.

That said, I got rejected from every single program I applied to. Ugh. It was a terrible experience and it caused me to seriously doubt my ability and fit for graduate studies in general.

Since then, I've had a lot of time since then to rethink my future. Initially, my plan was to go to grad school to study social thought/humanities/cultural studies/anthropology areas. Instead of reapplying to these programs, I've decided that I really want to get a master's degree in public policy to get practical experience about issues that interest me in "the real world". Trust me, I still am holding on to the hope of getting into one of the PhD programs I applied to this year. But I'm also sure that I don't want to enter academia without getting some experience down. I'm worried about this straddling of academia and the outside world, though. Will I be damaging the possibility of getting into a PhD program of my interest by getting a professional degree and working for a while first?

Thanks in advance.

To the person who posted and then deleted their sociology SOP draft (I didn't note your username before LJ informed me that your post was gone!) -- I actually went through and did a line-by-line critique that might be helpful to you. If you want it, comment here or email ravenword @ lj.

Where is that post of mine that "you people" love to link to so much where I talk about the socioeconomic status of graduate students and professors? I want to see what I said. Thanks!

I graduated a few weeks ago with a BS in biology. I have a semester of research experience (my thesis was research-based), but I'm looking to get more research under my belt. I have been applying for research tech jobs, but it doesn't look promising here. They're having issues with funding and have been laying off some of the research techs (this is what I was told from within the university/hospital). I'm wondering if there are other ways to go about getting some more experience (before I apply to grad school). I don't want to wait too long to apply to graduate school, maybe up to two years from now, but I do want to have done more research by then (I still have to take the GRE and want to take a couple more undergrad classes as well).

So I'm working on a first draft of my SoP. This is what I have as far as how my classes and internships have influenced my current interests; the rest of the statement will be specific to each school, which is what I'm having more problems with (but that's another story)

( Masters in Marine Science )

I'm sure it's pretty bad since I basically just sat down and started typing, so please be as brutal as possible.

Guys, I am probably gonna ask someting very silly, but  I am applying a molecular biology PhD program in Princeton and again I am a foreigner. And if I wanna get to a particular lab on that rotation thing and choosing the thesis lab, should I write to a professor from this lab or... there is no point in doing this? I am sorry for asking such stupid things, but I have absolutely noone to ask...

Hey everyone! I'm looking into MPA programs (Masters of Public Administration) and was wondering there were any fellow MPA-ers in the community and where you go, what you like, what you don't like, etc etc. I'm currently looking heavily into NYU (mainly for their Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy track), but I'm open to suggestions. A good friend of mine will be going to the Harvard Kennedy School of Government for Public Policy in the fall so he obviously suggested there but that's a little out of my league, haha.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I am a reformed law school applicant and this grad school process seems a bit different.

I am looking to enter an MSW program after graduation.  My GPA is currently 2.7 and most require a 3.0 for admission.  Am I wasting my time?   I scored a 1200 on the GRE and have been working full time in mental health for over a year.  I am also very active at my school and have completed two internships.  I also wrote an honors thesis.  My family situation is what made it so difficult for me to achieve the high grades.  What is my outlook for getting into and MSW program?

Any suggestions about studying for the math section of the GRE? I am currently reading some books from the library and stuff. I am one who has trouble doing math problems without understanding it (WHY do we use 3.14 in geometry?) I simply cannot memorize a formula but I have to understand bits and pieces of it. I have a lot of trouble with geometry. Any suggestions, websites?

For verbal it's less difficult to find a way to study. Do some flash cards, read some books, etc.

Suggestions about studying for math? Any good practice books that focus on the math section of the GRE? Math websites that can bring it down step by step to a sixth grade level? Ha ha! Any suggestions to a mathaphobe about the quantitative section of the GRE?

Thanks!

Hey, folks. Kinda a stupid question, but I was not able to find any information on their website. I've sent them an e-mail, but they haven't sent me anything yet, probably they are on vacation. So does anyone know, do you need to pass any exams to get on a PhD program in Denmark (Aarhus University)? I am a student from Russia, so maybe I have to pass TOEFL or IELTS? Or... Danish? What about GRE? I can't ask my professor yet, because I am meeting him only in August. So, does anyone know? They have first round of aplication with deadline on October the 15th, so if they do require any exams, I better pass them now!