Okay, so I'm a little ( lot) clueless. I realized that perhaps, just perhaps, I really want to attend grad school not in Russia, but in the US. That scares the living daylights out of me. I have virtually no idea how to actually get accepted to a good program in the US (and how to to pay for it, though from what I've been able to find online most grad programs in Molecular, Cellular Biology and Biochemistry are funded/with a stipend).
Hence, I'd like to ask a few questions, mostly to the science/international students here (although any other help would be appreciated as well).

1) Is it humanely feasible for a student from Russia (Moscow State University*, Biology Department to be exact) to be accepted to a DECENT science program?
*it is the best university in the country. That doesn't mean it ranks alongside Harvard-Princeton-Yale.
**Yes, I have the equivalent (so far, 3 out of 5 years down) of a 3.93 (or 4.0, if you look at my prospective diploma) GPA.

2) How would I set about actually finding an adviser? Now, obviously, I can read about what they do online on the course website, look them up in pubmed etc, but that doesn't exactly give lots of info on how it feels to actually work with the person.

3) How much in advance should I take the GRE (and is the TOEFL usually required, including the fact that I'll be taking a much more intense language test anyway(the verbal part of the GRE)?)

4) How can an international student pay for grad school? Most of the funding (duh) goes to US citizens and permanent residents...

If such "general" post are forbidden, please have mercy(don't ban me)!
And thanks in advance for any help =)

hi, my name is ashley and i'm in my second year at a small, private lib arts college. i have a few questions about the grad school process:

--when should i start applying? is now too early to begin looking and getting an idea of where i want to be?
--my major is linguistics, but at my school it's self-designed (it's not really offered here). i'm taking courses in french and spanish at the moment. will this be a problem if i apply for a real linguistics program for grad school?
--i've heard that it's better to apply for grad school in your home state as your first choice, then in whatever state you went to school, and then anywhere else you're considering. is this true?

i'm not exactly sure what to tag this, so if anyone has any suggestions, let me know and i'll edit it =]

thank you!

Hello all you helpful people :)

I graduated last semester and plan to apply for Ph.D. programs for Fall 2009, meaning my deadlines are this winter. What should be my order of operations?

1. Arrange for LORs way in advance so I know whether or not I'm actually good to go?
2. Study for & take GRE
3. Write SOPs, prepare application materials except the LORs
4. Present SOPs and some previous work to professors who agreed to write LORs
5. Send off completed applications

I really want to ask professors now if they'd write letters, especially since the longer I'm out of school, the more distant their memory of me as a student is. Also, how should I phrase my e-mail inquiring about if they'd be willing to write me an LOR?

Thanks in advance.

Currently, I have two unrelated majors. I declared a major in a humanities field after earning A's in three introductory classes and one advanced class. This past semester, I took two advanced classes in this major, and earned a B+ in each. A B+ is not a bad grade, but I worked to my fullest potential-- I did all of the homework, spent large amounts of time writing and revising the papers-- basically, I did everything that I could possibly think of to help myself in these classes, and I expected at least one A. So in retrospect, it was probably my personal interest in the subject that allowed me to succeed at the introductory level, and at the advanced level, success requires a skill or talent that I do not have.

My second major, a social science, comes more easily to me. I've taken three classes, worked nearly my hardest, and earned all A's. I have a bit of research experience in this field as well (one student publication, nothing prestigious or impressive though). This is by no means an "easy" major at my school-- I have friends who work rather hard and earn B's-- but it seems to match my learning style. If I put in the study time, I get the A, unlike in the humanities field, where I put in an inordinate amount of time, and still cannot get a top grade.

I have four semester left before I graduate, and I am not certain about my plans for graduate or professional school. I am considering the social science, library science, or law. The humanities major is practically unemployable, so I would only consider graduate study if I was admitted to a top program, and with B's, that seems horribly unlikely.

My question is: Should I drop the humanities major? If I am only going to get a B's, why shouldn't I just take classes for personal interest and enjoyment, rather than trying to fulfill the requirements of a major that I am clearly not talented enough to pursue at a graduate level? Or will having a second major improve my chances at graduate school acceptance in an unrelated field?

Advice of my adviser boils down to: Make up your own mind. I am utterly clueless, and any help would be appreciated.

Thank you very much!

ETA: Let's call the majors Creative Writing and Political Science. They are completely unrelated, and one will not help the other in any possible way, according to my dean.

As a junior undergraduate in Linguistics, what sorts of Fellowships/distinction-y things should I be applying for that might distinguish me and/or give me money? (Don't worry, this isn't all I'll be doing for myself...)

Thanks! :O