Maxwello

Honestly, I've been so obsessive about checking my email and the schools' sites that I have seen my rejections there before seeing anybody else's admissions on a forum. So I've been prepared for the news, so far. After the initial twinge in my stomach, mostly I feel the need to re-evaluate my qualifications and get to shoring up deficiencies before I try for admissions again. I'd rather spend time becoming a better candidate than trying to figure out what the accepted applicant had that I didn't and whether it could have been decided in my favor more fairly. I can't control the other guys credentials. Only my own.

Stormy weather

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback. Still haven't heard from the remaining programs, but had an interesting development that might offer me funding to fill out my academic deficiencies and work on a few publications. Not a ranked university in my field, but if it pans out, i would have a chance to take a few research, math and econometrics classes while working with one professor on a book (thank the powers that be for stumbling into a B.A. in English.) I would also have the option to work on other research papers, at least one of which might give me a lead author credit. This would flush out my CV in its weaker areas, beef up the math section of my transcripts, and find a few more highly targeted recommenders. I'm not certain whether I could do it as a non-degree student, or whether I might have to go the master's route to justify funding by the school. I have to believe that two years hence schools will recognize that academically-minded neophytes had to make certain compromises to stay in the game through these lean years and view positively someone who persevered and kept pushing toward that goal.

I applied to six PhD programs in Consumer Behavior this year. I want to do research in product development enviroments. I've gotten refections from two programs at this point. I know it's still early (and honestly none of the schools I thought were good fits have responded yet.) That being said, I'm looking to how I might improve my chances for next time. My GMAT scores were adequate, I had good recommendations and I've been told by people who've been through the process that my statement of purpose was compelling. There's nothing I can do about my undergrad GPA 20 years after the fact, though my graduate GPA's have been in the 3.6 range. My graduate degrees were both professional programs (architecture and MBA) that didn't afford opportunities for working on academic research with professors. I'm comfortable writing, but don't have experience writing for academic journals. I see a few options: A.) write freelance articles for professional journals (these are unikely to be as rigorous as academic ones, so I don't know how this would be viewed.) B.) try to convince a former professor to allow me to help research an article while I'm not in an academic program (this seems unlikely as their first priority would be to provide this experience to their current students, I'd think) C.) get a third master's degree and specifically try to pad out this section of my experience. The only local school offering an M.S. in Marketing is the school where I got my MBA. It's a state university where I didn't have a very good experience. While C seems the most logical, it puts me 2 years further along than I am now before I'm applying to PhD programs, and 3 years to entry. Add 4 years for the program and I'm seven years out from the degrere. Additionally, funding is an issue at the Masters level. As I'm already in my early/mid 40's, I'm pushing the upper reasonable age limit to have a meaningful career even now. Any ideas on how to make myself more attractive in the next year?

novel application

bar maid

I still haven't given up for this year. (I haven't heard from any of the six schools I applied to.) However, if the worst happens, at least I will have time for the real estate market to recover a bit before having to sell my house. Of course, that means it will have time to recover in the cities I'm looking to move to, as well. I take solace from a dear friend who went back to school in her mid fifty's. She graduated with her PhD, turned 60, and married off her oldlest daughter all in the same week. She's been extremely happy with her decision to go back and loves the variety of work and travel she gets to do now.

padded room

Besides GradCafe and TestMagic: 1.) Obsessively reading every linked article at Real Clear Politics (further eroding what little hope I had retained in the political system) 2.) Terry Pratchett Men at Arms 3.) Reading Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar 4.) Farscape marathon 5.) Researching diy tube amp kits and speaker plans 6.) Cooking, cooking, cooking. My wife has said she'd be fine if I became a full-time house husband if it meant I'd keep having time to cook. 7.) Half-hearted job search, in case the worst happens. 8.) Editing essqys and cover letters for friends. I haven't seen any activity at any of my programs other than a few interviews at two of them, but hopefully responses will start going out and I'll have exciting new things to panic about later this week.

face facts

face facts