Dec. 1 Schools

[Quynh2007]

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Hey all, I figured since today was the deadline for a few schools, maybe we could share some insights/blunders with each other, and how to be more prepared for the Dec. 15+ schools.

USC:
--I really liked the checklist because then I know for sure what I needed to do. Although I was confused about sending paper LORs when the online application said it was unneccessary. I just sent a brief sentence saying that LORs were submitted online.
--the checklist and information blank was not great because I had to write it in. I have horrible handwriting.
--$85 sucks.
--I really liked the SoP having no word limit.
--I hated having to give my registrar the transcript form. that meant i had to come in person rather than ask for transcripts online. Vandy also has this (and they require 2 transcript in one with their little sheet)


UMiami:
--I don't like pasting my SoP into their box. But had no word limit
--Paper LORs, which equals a pain in the @$$ for my Recommenders, and they had their own form so the Recommenders couldn't just edit what they wrote for other schools.

oh yeah, i have the greatest recommenders in the word. I asked all 4 of them this past tuesday to do the letters for me (knowing that USC and UMiami were due this Friday) and all agreed and have done it. I love them, definitely going to send them gifts at the end of the process. But thankfully, the other schools are a couple of weeks away, so they have some time to do those 🙂 However, I do not recommend doing this. It was a little stressful this week, lol.

 

[irish80122]

All of my blunders came down to one thing...don't procrastinate. I had to overnight materials and am not sure that they have everything...but they at least now have my applications.

One bit of advice, check to see if schools want everything sent together in one envelope. Duke wanted that, I didn't do it...oops.

 

[chimni]

Congrats to everyone here for surviving the first deadline. It was pretty insane for me, too. I had 6 schools to apply to plus I submitted 2 poster presentations to APA. There was a bunch of other stuff I was supposed to do but all the extraneous things got pushed aside.

It felt good to get this first batch out in the mail and I feel more confident about the next round but it was pretty stressfull and it kinda made me wonder if i could keep up with the pressure of dealing with this sort of thing constantly as a grad student.

 

[amy203]

So I don't use the "Smilies" very often, but this one is just such a perfect representation of what I looked like all last week:

Too much coffee, not enough sleep, waaaay too much stress!

I had 7 apps due on Dec 1, and of course I did quite a few at the last minute. I really didn't set aside enough time for all the busy work. Don't forget about all the time you have to spend just typing your name, schools, scores, etc over and over again!

Biggest mistake: realizing after I had mailed my app for my first choice school that I had sent the wrong version of my personal statement. And that, in the version I sent, the names of two of my potential advisors were misspelled! Luckily, I contacted the school in time and fedex'd the correct version, so everything turned out OK. Definitely added to the though!

Best piece of advice for Dec 15: If you have questions about your apps, call NOW. It was near impossible to get a hold of anyone in the admissions offices last week for the schools with Dec. 1 deadlines.

 

[bigmood]

congrats for surviving round one, guys and gals! Dec. 1 is the toughest, and just think, it is basically all downhill from here (until you get the spectacular offers and start life over as a grad student!).