cotes_du_groan

FYI, sharing a master-list of questions from my alma mater's braintrust for applying/visiting: Are there multiple professors in your field with whom you'd want to work? What do the graduate students have to say without faculty present? Library access Internet/other electronic resource access - will a computer be provided to you? Bureaucracy (how hard is it to get reimbursements filed?) Time to graduate: ask the department administrator or alumni office for statistics (and also on hiring) if they don't give you any. Support through the job hunt: Is there a job placement officer? What does he/she do? Are there workshops for cover letters, dissertation abstracts, teaching statements, CVs, etc? Are there mock interviews? Funding (guaranteed?) Is it attached to a professor? Are the grants within the department or school? TA requirements: how many classes, how often, in your department? Are you going to be happy drinking your sorrows away with these graduate students for the next five, six, seven, or eight years? What are recent graduates doing? Not just the numbers of those who eventually get tenure-track jobs, but the actual, current jobs of the recently PhD'd. Is this a city in which you (and a partner, if you're bringing one with you) could comfortably live on a graduate student stipend? (If possible, visit the home of a grad students or two.) What are the milestones leading up to candidacy (Orals? Comps? Qualifying exams? Language requirements? Dissertation prospectus defense?) What preparation is offered to help students meet those milestones? Is there recourse if you don't pass? How does the department and/or university administration react to cases of sexual harassment and discrimination? Do the department and/or university make an active effort to be a safe space for students of color, disabled students, women, LGBTQ people, and students from a wide range of economic backgrounds? What are the class requirements? Will you have the opportunities to take classes that'll help you with your research methods, rather than just journal-reading classes? How often do students meet with multiple faculty members? Are there regular ways for faculty to offer constructive feedback to students? Are faculty constructive at student colloquia? Do faculty show up and show some form of engagement? Do they give constructive feedback? Is there funding to attend conferences or workshops? How soon can you start your own research? Are there requirements for rotating through labs? How are the administrators? Supportive or antagonistic? Is the potential advisor a micro-manager? Will he count your bathroom breaks or will she restrict you to two weeks of vacation a year? Are there journal clubs, internal colloquiums, outings/social events for grad students in the department? Are there opportunities to develop leadership skills outside of the classroom: spearheading clubs, initiatives, or outreach? Can you interact with other parts of the university in good faith (such as taking classes in other departments, or joining clubs), or will you be hiding from your advisor the whole time? Is there an organization for graduate women, graduate LGBT students, graduate students of color, or another group that will be supportive of you and the challenges particular to your background? (SWE, SACNAS, NSBP, etc.) Who are the most successful graduate students in the department (and recent grads), and what are their characteristics? Is it acceptable, encouraged, and okay to go into a career outside of academia after graduating? Is there support for non-academic career choices? (If there are TA requirements) What are undergrads like? (enthusiastic, motivated, careerist, disconnected, bored, unprepared...) [Also relevant if they may be doing research for you!] How do faculty members feel about teaching undergrads? You can ask faculty this directly, *or* you can ask senior grad students what faculty members say about undergrads during coffee hour / lunch / etc. while they're being open about how they think about students. How much time do grad students spend teaching/preparing lessons? Is teaching a major element of the program, or an optional opportunity? Are required courses offered on a regular schedule? If a required course is not offered for an extended period of time (due to institutional or staffing constraints, for instance) is there a well-established and straightforward procedure for substituting an alternate course? Has the relevant advisor graduated women, students of color, LGBT+ students, disabled students, older students?

Ooooh! I'll be in LA while visiting Irvine/my aunt who is a prof at USC. What are your suggestions?

I'm sure this is probably frowned upon, but I want to ask anyway... has anyone ever emailed and asked for feedback about their application following a rejection? Either emailing the program or a POI?

Ohh!! that is probably good, then!

Yup! They made the choice to not live in Philly pretty easy with the rejection letter My research interests weren't super aligned to any POI there, so I am not too surprised. EDIT: I hope someone/everyone else faired a bit better!

Womp womp, don't have to live in Philadelphia for 5-7 years now!

I got into UC Irvine's Informatics PhD program that I am pretty excited about, but it isn't my dream choice right now. I think I may have been a little unrealistic with my choices this time around (been rejected by Oxford Internet Institute and Stanford's Comm PhD program, but then again, who hasn't?). I'm now waiting for UPenn , and then finally 2 MIT programs which are due in mid March. I do communication + tech, and I have a lot of solid research experience, so I think I was a bit overconfident when I initiated the application process! Ahhh! So many other places I wish I had applied to now!!

Everyday around 5-7pm has been.......................not so fun.

I am always so afraid they will think I am annoying then reject me so that they don't need to deal with me for the next 5-7 years... Am I the only one this paranoid?

Has anyone called UPenn yet to see if they would tell us the DAY decisions will come out...? Anyone... Anyone...?

#ButActually

so long, dreams.

Anybody else eagerly awaiting their rejection letter from Stanford?

Same, haven't heard back about any acceptances or even interviews... only a rejection. Sigh. Just another year to bulk up that experience/$avings account, RIGHT?

Hi all! I am applying for communications of tech PhD/funded MS programs. I applied to 6 programs and have already gotten rejected from one program! Wohoo! Trying to hold onto hope... I am feeling like I maybe aimed a bit too high with the programs I applied to this round. :/