Just as you only applied to 3 schools your first time around, I applied to six or seven schools across the board (some in the US and some in Europe). This has put a burden on my referees where one of them (my former academic advisor) has actually complained, denouncing the fact I have applied to entirely too many schools, far many more than she has ever seen any of her previous students do. This said, I find it unlikely that she will want to rewrite a number of applications in the order of 3-6 in a second round of applications.

In turn I ask, was it wrong for me to apply to so many schools the first time around?

Thanks so much for your page on grad school admissions. It really does put things in perspective and offer a great outline for the process.

I was wondering if you could offer some advice on a question that has been plaguing me and several of my friends. It has always been recommended to me by other students (and your guide) to look into faculty members, areas, specific research topics, etc., and reference these things in the personal statement. I have a friend who was rejected from many of his top-choice programs, and feels that the lack of a more personalized statement referencing faculty was to blame.

Do you have any ideas on how I can turn my post-undergrad adventures (Peace Corps, teaching in stateside inner city schools)into a selling point getting into the English/gender studies program I'm interested in? Also, are there some schools or programs that are more impressed by non-academic exploits than others? Thanks again.

hey, great resource you have there. just a quick question (hopefully i didn't miss it). i'm looking to go into a very specific area (french linguistics) in grad school. i've looked around and only a very few schools have anything close to what i'm looking for. so should i apply to just a few schools or apply to a few others that might not really have what i'm looking for?

I was wondering if you could recommend any GRE books (and any suggestions for avoiding particular books)? How much preparation do you think is needed in advance? Thanks for your help and advice!

I'm an MA student who made my way into a programme at a good but not great school. I used a method I don't think you mentioned. I found a way in even though my undergraduate grades weren't too good and I was coming from an outside discipline.

My friend called it 'backdooring into a programme.'

I took a graduate course as a special student at the University I wanted to get into. Many schools allow this. I then talked the Professor with whom I took the grad course. He thought I was already in the programme and his request that I work with him ensured my entrance. How did I insure that he would be receptive? Easy, I just worked hard, harder than I've ever worked before on a course. I prepped over the summer, before the class started, by reading the entire course recommended reading list (close to 100 articles). I visited him in his office to discuss the course, his research, my interests (which were curiously close to his), in a sense I wooed him.

This being my first year to actually stop talking about applying and actually do it, your website is the first I've read on this burgeoning process of grad. school application.

It was very enlightening to see thoughts and suggestions on thinking outside the "GSR", especially since I've been out of college since 1985 and my G portion of the GSR is well below gen. adm. requirements. My S component will likely be around the 50th percentile and the recommendations I have access to are not recent or directly related.

In reading your 6 sections online I was encouraged to hear there are many other ways to bolster your overall chances of admission and I will obviously need to focus heavily on those. Finally, the recommendation on the number of applications opened my eyes! I was only going to apply to my alma-mater and now will likely apply to 6 schools with 2 being safety apps.

Just reading your artical about contacting faculty members while applying for the graduate school. It was extraordinarily perceptive and extremely insightful.

But my question is, in you article, you are talking about sending regular mail, right? I am wondering if I could I just send an email instead of a regular mail to contact professors? What's the difference and trade-off between them?

Thank you for clarifying this for me!!