tm_member Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Similarly to previous years, this thread is to share hopes, anxieties, and disseminate information throughout the waiting period. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftcrazyft Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Back once again. Let's hope that second time is the charm. With respect to last year I'm starting earlier, contacted more Professors, keeping everyone updated, and a thousand times more nervous. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Food4Thought Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Back once again. Let's hope that second time is the charm. With respect to last year I'm starting earlier, contacted more Professors, keeping everyone updated, and a thousand times more nervous. Good luck How are you keeping profs updated? I am wanting to do the same thing but am also trying to balance not doing it too frequently.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Costard Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 How are you keeping profs updated? I am wanting to do the same thing but am also trying to balance not doing it too frequently.. Ask for input on application statements, target schools, etc. Update your professors by getting their advice, and this way no one will feel as though they're wasting their time. The more pleasant your meetings are for them, the less of an inconvenience they will seem. That's my 5 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superduper Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Applying again after three years. I'm a lot more anxious than last time since it's make it or break it for me. I'm definitely better prepared, and my LORs will probably make that clear. However, my transcripts are still very patchy with a lot of mixed signals. I settled on 22 schools, where 3 are health policy programs, 1 is applied stats and the other 18 are in economics. I might add a few more, but I'm not sure. Retaking the GRE on Nov. 17th. I'm a little nervous because I don't have as much time to study as I did three years ago. Here goes nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catrina Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Good luck to everyone applying this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repave Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Honestly didn't expect applications to take up this much time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EustaciaVye Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Hello Fellow Applicants! I thought I'd add my commentary too the mix. I ended up applying to 14 schools: 12 Econ, 1 Applied Econ and 1 Public Policy. My applications are pretty much done, but I am waiting to submit some of the ones that are due in January and February so that I can include this semester's grades (taking a bit of a gamble on the fact that I'll get an A/A- in masters level Math Stats). It seems like the others posting in the forum this year are applying to more highly ranked schools than I, but I'm just excited about the prospect of a PhD at all! My biggest worry is that my partner, who is also applying to PhD programs, wont be accepted anywhere that I am, and vice versa. It generally seemed to work out that my reach schools are his safeties and his reach schools are my safeties. Alas! Anyone else dealing with a two body problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kosker Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 I have a quick question. Most of the application forms ask whether I apply other graduate schools and order of preference. What should I do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EustaciaVye Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 I put those schools that were relatively close in ranking to the school in question. If asked to rank them in order of preference, I put the school in question as number one (why not?). I don't think that will factor in to your admissions decision in any way; I think it's only used by the graduate admissions office for the university. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnakak Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Honestly didn't expect applications to take up this much time. +1 From an international perspective, applying to 20 schools, all with slightly differing requirements, and some still asking for hard copies of all transcripts, is a hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infinitejest Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Applied to 23 places. I come from a Top 50 school, unranked econ or math program but since the departments are so small, i got very individualized attention. The only blemishes I have on my application are a B in Real Analysis I and a B in Mathematical Probability. it was my first time taking 4 PhD level courses at the same time lol, i learned from that error. I did improve to A- on the respective second-semester sequence of these topics. Competing against PhD students in a class makes it hard to get an A, since professors scale according to how everybody performs. I hope adcoms see that when they see that the abstract of courses show mostly 500-600- level courses(grad at my school). Other than that, I have a 3.8 GPA, great letters, pretty standard SOP, did a senior thesis on game theory, and took plenty of grad level math and econ courses. Still it seems like i have no chance against Ivy-level students. As a word of wisdom to anybody reading this, id recommend not packing every semester with math. better to space out courses and ace them than packing them all into one and get B's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftcrazyft Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 How are you keeping profs updated? I am wanting to do the same thing but am also trying to balance not doing it too frequently.. I try to ask them questions about programs, and in general how everything is proceeding (this year I had more stuff to tell them so it was quite easier, and I can't specify what the news was) Experience is not helping me with time management... I realized I had to do a new SOP and I'm running late again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Food4Thought Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 25 applications submitted, and I am done. Now all that's left to do is wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superduper Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Retook the GRE last week and got 161V and 166Q. Feeling more optimistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnakak Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 Penn State sending offers early this year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftcrazyft Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Don't think so... experience has taught me that when you see a single admission or rejection on grad cafe, it's just a troll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnakak Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Don't think so... experience has taught me that when you see a single admission or rejection on grad cafe, it's just a troll What I meant was that I received their unofficial offer letter in November, followed by the official one a few weeks later. Now, I am aware of some schools evaluating applications in rounds but a November offer seemed peculiar nonetheless, so I wondered if anyone else had heard from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Food4Thought Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 What I meant was that I received their unofficial offer letter in November, followed by the official one a few weeks later. Now, I am aware of some schools evaluating applications in rounds but a November offer seemed peculiar nonetheless, so I wondered if anyone else had heard from them. You received and offer of admission from Penn State two months before the application deadline? That is absurd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnakak Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 What exactly would be my incentive to lie here? This is the initial letter from the programme director: http://s17.postimg.org/xbc09wob3/Capture.png I only asked because I was not aware of what gradcafe is and wanted to know if anyone else got that offer. After reading the posts there, apparently Penn State likes me :eager: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Food4Thought Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 That is exceptionally weird, or at least I have never heard of that happening. Good job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superduper Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 If true, I'll be putting all my chips on Penn State then. That's looks like a great assistantship package. What exactly would be my incentive to lie here? This is the initial letter from the programme director: http://s17.postimg.org/xbc09wob3/Capture.png I only asked because I was not aware of what gradcafe is and wanted to know if anyone else got that offer. After reading the posts there, apparently Penn State likes me :eager: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Back again. I failed out in 2011. Now reapplying. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superduper Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Wow, it's been a while then. What have you done to improve your profile and where are you applying to? Back again. I failed out in 2011. Now reapplying. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Wow, it's been a while then. What have you done to improve your profile and where are you applying to? applying to schools which are not so highly ranked such as Vanderbilt etc, also some policy schools like RAND i had to settle my family finances so was working Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.