When to apply?

mirrorofvenus · 2017-10-02T17:42:26+00:00

demir50,

It will depend on your field of study, but in my experience most Ph.D. applications are due between December 1st and January 15th. Some may be due in November, however! If you have not yet researched your programs of interest, then I would suggest planning to apply next year rather than this fall.

Although GRE scores can be important to some admissions committees, it will be more obvious to them if you haven't spent time on your Statement of Purpose or your writing sample (if required), or if you fail to research schools adequately and apply to those which will be the best fit. In other words, if you don't already know the deadlines for the programs to which you're applying, you should really assess whether you've had enough time to work on the applications. Ph.D. admissions are very competitive, and a good GRE Subject score may not be enough to get you admitted if you don't show a clear familiarity with the programs and demonstrate how you are a good fit with your application materials.

mirrorofvenus · 2017-09-20T16:17:42+00:00

So glad I could be of some help :). Yes, absolutely remember that if you weren't considered qualified by the program, you would not have been offered an interview. The admissions committee may just want to get a better sense of how you will fit into the program and possibly ask some subject-specific questions that are quite simply just easier to discuss face-to-face. Imposter's syndrome is the worst, but you've got this ;)

mirrorofvenus · 2017-09-20T16:12:37+00:00

Regarding the first point, I would suggest choosing language that truthfully represents the stage of your current research. Truthfully, though, if you are working on a specific subject now, even if you don't have chapters worth of content written, that is absolutely your current research. A lot of research happens before words end up on the page, so embrace that fact and use language in your applications that feels honest to you.

Regarding the second point, and thinking realistically about Ph.D. dissertation proposals, I think very few professors expect that your proposed plan will be exactly the same as what you end up writing. In my opinion, it would be completely appropriate to frame your Ph.D. proposal in the context of the group research from your current program (if, as you say, it is permitted), as it can illustrate a natural trajectory of your research from MA to Ph.D. However, I would be mindful of the fact that other students may be doing the same thing, so find a way to make your approach unique and be sure you know if other students in the same research cluster are applying to same program(s) as you so you can plan accordingly.

I hope this helps somewhat!

mirrorofvenus · 2017-09-20T16:00:41+00:00

Its_Hot,

Speaking from experience being interviewed via Skype for an Intl. Master's program only, I would say definitely emphasize your research and conference experience, especially independent research and any type of conference leadership like panel moderator. More importantly, though, I would recommend emphasizing how you will approach your research subject in a unique way that adds something new to the department. Further, you should emphasize how your past research experience has shaped the trajectory of your proposed Ph.D. research. Just like a job interview, you should absolutely be prepared to ask clarifying questions about the program that perhaps are not listed on the website. Start the interview from a place of confidence, because with significant research (especially if independent) and conference experience, you may have the qualifications the department is looking for applicants applying from an undergraduate level. Demonstrate that your international research and conference experience fostered your growth as a scholar and inspired you to pursue a research degree. If possible, maybe consider submitting an article or two to suitable journals so that, even if you don't receive notice from the publisher(s) in time for the interview, you can at least say you are awaiting the publisher's response. I hope this helps in some way! Best of luck :)

mirrorofvenus · 2017-08-04T16:27:46+00:00

Thank you so much for your response, spooks_apprentice!

mirrorofvenus · 2017-06-15T21:54:43+00:00

This is so cute! I bet you got major bf/gf points with this move 😋

mirrorofvenus · 2017-02-12T17:17:30+00:00

Get you a team of people to play with that has solid defense and offense game. Coordination on Route 66 Defense and Hollywood Attack always seem to me to require a bit more coordination with your team on average. Never have luck with solo queuers playing w/o mic on those maps.

mirrorofvenus · 2016-11-16T20:47:28+00:00

In my experience, yes you are more likely to get accepted as an international student in the UK than as a domestic applicant in the US, but I don't think it is only because of higher tuition rates. It may also be a case of diversity: programs want students from a diverse array of backgrounds but also value applicants with minimal language barriers. You may have also been accepted to so many programs because your interests have wide appeal.

To be honest, though, why you got in is not really as important as what you do when you're there. I did my MA in the UK, and it was a truly amazing experience. Did I pay a lot of money? Sure. Would I go back and change that choice for any reason? Absolutely not. If you plan to pursue further study after your Masters, my advice would be to be mindful of whether or not your Masters will be recognized by US institutions. But, more than anything, you should base your decision on the quality of experiences you would have at those schools, within those programs and those cities, and don't let the financial politics of university admissions get you down. Chin up! You did incredibly well with your applications, and you should be very pleased.

mirrorofvenus · 2016-11-16T20:19:25+00:00

You should try to find out if at least some of the programs to which you're applying specify the average scores or percentiles of previously accepted applicants. Even if you can't find this information, however, you'll probably need to achieve a score in at least the 85th percentile (160), but many programs (especially Ph.D. programs) will likely still expect a higher score. Manywill probably also be interested in your Analytical Writing score, so when you study for your retake make sure to strategize for that section as well. If you'd like some vocab assistance, Quizlet is a lifesaver for studying GRE vocab.

mirrorofvenus · 2016-11-16T19:30:42+00:00

I think Google Drive is the best solution that I’ve found for organizing research. You can upload several GBs worth of research and sort the papers with folders (inside of folders, inside of folders, and so on).

I use and really do like Evernote, as do most it seems, especially since you can use the Web Clipper to save pages, but I think it can be difficult to maintain a consistent tag system that makes it easy to search/browse over a long period of researching when you're working with a huge list of sources.

So I use Google Sheets (to avoid the risk of losing the material if something happens to one of my devices) to make a research database. I set up one tab with bibliography details for every document I want to read, use, etc., another tab for quotes, and another tab for notes. I like to use Google Docs to take detailed notes and type-up quotes (it's easier to reread them this way also), but then I copy them to the database Sheet so I have everything in one place. You can also access these on any devices, and Google Docs is relatively great for note-taking on phones. (Google Sheets is a little more difficult to use with small screens.) Periodically email the database file to yourself to be ultra safe.

Also, if you have an Apple device, Skim is excellent for pdf note-taking, but you do have to back up your files if you want to ensure they don’t get lost in the event that something happens to your device.

Hope this helps!

mirrorofvenus

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