<p>I have myself been filling out applications, and am annoyed keeping track of all the different deadlines, different recommendation deadlines, scores required/recommended, which scores arrives, length of personal statement, "diversity statements", etc.</p>
<p>How did you organize yourself? What were the most important things for you to keep track of, make sure you didn't miss anything?</p>
<p>Spreadsheets are your friend.</p>
<p>all of what you mentioned plus the waiting!</p>
<p>Spreadsheets indeed. Most important/difficult thing was to keep track of all three letters of recommendations for 10 schools. There ended up being 1 mis-entered email address (my fault) and one recommendation that just fell through the cracks for one writer (fixed within a few hours of me noticing and pointing this out to him, day before the deadline).</p>
<p>Thankfully did not have to deal with any failed transcript or GRE score sends, as far as I know. Sounds very stressful for those who’ve had this happen.</p>
<p>And since you mention it: diversity statements.</p>
<p>I use a big text file, which I found to work really well. In the text file I had a to-do list, which I constantly updated after finishing something; a deadlines calendar; a list of passwords/PINs; a list of GRE codes; a list of address; a list of what had been sent where (and what needed to be sent); and a list of grades calculations. It’s best to just gather all of this information at once and put it in an easy-to-read/use format and then the process is much, much easier.</p>
<p>What I found most annoying were those two schools that had me write essays especially for them.</p>
<p>writing N statement of purposes was by far the toughest for me. given the varying prompts, I felt it hard to write one that you could tailor to all.</p>
<p>Getting three schools to send my transcripts. I swear the more incompetent you are, the more likely you are to be hired at a registrar’s office.</p>
<p>Parental interference. Even though they have been fairly laissez-faire most of the time.</p>
<p>Technical difficulties, and online application materials not updating within a reasonable time frame of being sent. Thankfully I’m not applying to that many schools (very specific requirements plus geographic limitations) so keeping track of everything has not been all that difficult. </p>
<p>I also really lucked out because it happened that none of the schools I am applying to require the GRE subject test in psychology, though a couple recommend it. I changed what I wanted to apply to pretty dramatically halfway through the semester, so by the time I had my bearings and a plan it was already too late to take the test. If I could go back and do it again I would do a lot differently, but now I’ll just have to cross my fingers and wait.</p>
<p>Recommendation letters.
I have one professor who loves being in the media, which means some prestige associated with the rec, but also missed classes and lost opportunities to become familiar. </p>
<p>My fingers are crossed the recommendation is submitted on time, but feel the person will blow likely it off in favor of a cable news show or something. I will certainly know for sure by Monday morning.</p>
<p>The waiting. I hate waiting. I just want to know where I’ll be in the fall.</p>
<p>I did the process twice (for MA then Ph.D). Both times 2 of my 3 referees were pretty prompt with getting the recommendations submitted, but the third went MIA past the application deadlines. Eventually got things in, but it drove me nuts.</p>
<p>I have major pressure from my dad to apply for this fall. I don’t feel ready.</p>