GunterFan

I was accepted into the PhD program at Emporia State. It's not a Top 20 or anything, but I am currently employed at a Kansas public school and can receive tuition waivers this way. I'm pretty excited!

For me, this was the 'worst' part of private university. The endless parade of the super-rich and the champagne socialists. I got used to it, even if it made me uncomfortable. And I could tell that others were very uncomfortable.

Personally, on this one, I'd say it comes down to funding. If you get a nice chunk of money from BU, and Harvard accepts you but offers you nothing, then you're relocating and leaving a lot behind. Now, of course, it /is/ Harvard. But it sounds like Boston might be the place for you, especially if you get money.

I did the ol' long-distance thang with my fancee last year. I only went to a one-year program, but even that wasn't fun. I'm happy to say we made it out alive and are happily living in the same time zone now. I second what others have said, especially the video-chatting. We video-chatted very day and/or night. One thing that really made it all bearable was Rabb.it, which allowed us to watch our TV shows that we both liked. Stupid, I know, but it really helped. Good luck!

I did my undergrad in anthropology and Classics, and currently have an MA in (the albeit nebulous) field of the social sciences (from UChicago courtesy of the MAPSS program). A lot of (if not most of) what I have researched has concerned contemporary American culture, specifically popular culture. As of right now, I'm interested in pursuing an American Studies PhD because the programs I've looked at seem to be amenable to the study of American pop culture, but I'm a little worried because I've never explicitly taken a traditional American Studies course. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions about what I should do/what programs I should look into?

I know nothing about social work, but I did my undergraduate work at the University of Kansas. (I'm assuming you're talking about KU, right?) I love the school, and I'm hoping to get into another graduate program there (I'm currently at UChicago). My overall experience was a good one, although I was an anthro and Classics student, so what I did/studied was probably a bit different from what you are interested in! (maybe) I also should add that Lawrence is a wonderful medium sized town, with a personality that is often compared to Austin, TX, the Pacific Northwest, etc (especially considering where it's located). It's also only 30 minutes away from Kansas City.

I'm in the program right now. It has its positives and its negatives. Overall, it was a rough year, but I now know what I want to do. If anyone has any questions about it, feel free to contact me.

I'm in the program right now, and it'll read "Master of Arts, Social Sciences". This program has its pluses and its negatives, but what's on the diploma is probably the least of your concerns. Other schools know this program, and you can specify in your Statement of Purpose what you did. For instance, I'm anthro/American Studies-focused. I'll just note that I used this year at Chicago to sharpen my skills and read-up on that discipline.

I did, yeah. And, like you, I've heard absolutely nothing. All is quiet on that front.

I think that if you have a fully funded PhD offer (UT Austin, maybe?) it doesn't make much sense to go the MAPSS route, but I am really excited for the MAPSS program, and their track record is really quite impressive. (Ignore me as I wax poetic about this program)

I haven't, but apparently some people have. I'm not sure. Information about what's going on is very nebulous at this point in time.

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't saying you were hating on the program. Just that people often hate on it for merely being a "cash" cow. Is that the norm? I was always under the impression that most PhD programs will accept your MA (if it is of quality) and allow you to enter directly into the PhD program. That seems to be how most people I know have gotten their PhDs.

People hate on this program so much.. The program was my number one choice. It's a really good MA program, with a really high rate of matriculation to other PhD programs at great schools. You get to work with great faculty, get good letters of rec, and it's only a year. Just finishing up my BA, I figured that I wasn't quite ready for the PhD just yet, so I wanted to do an MA program. I messaged a former student at my undergrad who is attending UChicago for the program, and she's loving it. It sounds like a great fit for me, so that was my first preference. People like to rag on it and call it a 'cash cow', even though plenty of MAs require for you to pay for them. People also like to treat it as a consolation prize (which, arguably, you could say it is) although I applied directly to the program itself. If you don't have funding I wouldn't recommend it since it is rather expensive. That is the main downside. I know one or two things.

In all honesty, if both programs are offering roughly the same funding and seem pretty equal, you should pick Yale. I hate that a lot of grad school stuff is based off of prestige, but sadly it is. A degree from Yale will really stand out. Just my thoughts.

Heh. Got the official rejection notice from UChicago's PhD program... even though I have been fully aware I wasn't accept for about a month now. Oh well, at least that's completely done.