NYCStudent

Hi all, Sorry to hear about all the tough news. I am also in this camp - 2 rejections, 1 TBD (but likely rejection, since the school is ranked higher than one of the other ones that rejected me). I'm definitely really bummed, but a part of me is actually...relieved? I'm slightly older than most of you (30...argh!), and I've been really stressed about making ends meet financially, if i were to go back to school. While I make a decent salary, the cost of living in SoCal is just SO expensive that I'm barely making ends meet as it is - and going back to school would mean over a 50% pay cut. That said, I am very curious about why I got rejected. I have a BA from a top research university, a MS in Education, published articles (not academic, but for major US publications), work experience in policy/journalism, and a great SOP/writing sample. The only thing I felt was subpar was my GRE quant score (145 or something like that), though my verbal and writing were both around 90th percentile. I know I should have studied for it, but honestly standardized tests are by no means a measure of intelligence, and I thought it was a waste of time (of course, I then read the AdComm chain here and realized how important it is). Regardless, I know I did my best in all of the other areas, so I guess it's just not meant to be. Truthfully, though, I think we should all look at this with the glass half full mentality. When I was originally debating going to PhD right after graduation, every other grad student I spoke to told me if there was ANYTHING else I'd rather do - even in the SLIGHTEST -- to do that instead of a PhD because of the lousy job market, poverty wages, and ivory tower/groupthink mentality (seriously, I have spoken to current grad students who literally have to grovel and worship their dissertation chair just to get a moment of their attention....no thanks). I have spent almost a decade in the workforce, and while I by no means LOVE my job everyday, I love being able to have the resources to live a healthy and fulfilling life. For those of you who really, truly can't see doing anything other than academia, take this year to strengthen your application for the next cycle. For others who, like me, are moving on to other areas: best of luck!

Nada for me either! One rejection, and waiting on two others but not super confident about my chances. Sigh.

Man, mine don’t even say that! They’re just “completed” or “submitted”.

I'm right with you. bud!! Crickets for me.

Hi everyone! So far...crickets on my end in terms of admissions decisions. I'm trying to stay hopeful, though! For those of you who've been put on a waiting list - either this admissions cycle or previous ones - are you usually notified of that, or does the absence of a rejection email mean you're still under consideration? Many of my schools have already sent out acceptances, so I'm wondering if I'm possibly on the "second tier" and may get offered a spot if folks reject their offers?

That is a fascinating research interest - and incredibly timely! USC would be a great place to pursue it. My interests are around the economic/political/social consequences of the recession - particularly how these three issues factor into people's identity around work. SOMEBODY TAKE ME!! ?

Congrats...?! Even though there was no 'next step', that's a good sign someone reached out to you! I also applied there...but crickets on my end! What are your research interests? This board is so interesting - most of the schools that have at least started contacting students are the only 3 I applied for (UCLA, Irvine, USC). The cali schools are on top of it this cycle! Now they just need to admit me haha

I'm in the same boat as you. Great GPA from a top undergrad flagship, 4.0 grad GPA, good writing sample/LORs....but the GRE is definitely my weakest part. If you go back and read the AdComms thread, it sounds like GRE is actually weighted pretty strong and is used as a way to narrow down candidates early on. That was not the news I wanted to hear, but it sounds like that's the reality.

If you are set on taking a course to prep and maybe get a LOR, I would suggest looking at community college or public college courses, just to get a foundation. That will be a LOT cheaper than GW tuition!

Music to my ears!! Thank you for sharing!

Phew, that is reassuring! I read the AdComm thread here and got really nervous. Shouting it from the rooftops: standardized tests are not a measure of intellectual ability or a predictor of success! Crossing my fingers for everyone to get some good news soon! ?

That is awesome!! I felt really good about my application, except for my GRE score. I had previously been thinking of applying for history PhDs, where GREs - particularity quant scores - aren’t much of a big deal for admissions. I scored fairly well on a test I took years ago, but that expired. I retook it without really studying (since I didn’t think it would matter that much) and didn’t do as well. I don’t remember my scores off the top of my head, but they were something like 145 quant, 159 verbal and 4.5 writing. From the research I’ve been doing for sociology programs it looks like that’s a fairly big admissions factor, and now I’m worried my scores may have tanked my application. Good to hear they’re admitting such a large cohort, though! Are there folks out there with similar not so great scores get admitted to either UC Irvine, UCLA, is USC?

Whoa, you got an interview?? Congrats!!! You will do great. I applied and still no word...still holding out hope! I am nervous because for all the schools I applied for, my application status just says “submitted”, not even anything like “under consideration”. Worried I totally missed something! Best of luck at your interview!!

Hey there! I'm a fellow applicant for Fall 2019 programs. I only applied to 3 schools, so I'm definitely feeling the pressure as well. I had underestimated just how intense PhD applications would be, so unfortunately I got pretty down to the wire with my applications (submitted them the day before deadline). I work FT, so it's been tough to dedicate the time I need to do thorough applications - not to mention also try to set up meetings/phone calls with faculty. I really am ready for this next chapter...and I don't really have a Plan B if I get rejected to all 3 of them. It's out of our hands now, though, so I think trying to keep busy and just relax is the best strategy to get through the waiting game. Sending you positive vibes!

Howdy, everyone. Came across this article today. I'm applying for PhD programs for Fall 2019, and not going to lie, this is a little scary. I've talked to a bunch of PhD students and honestly...none of them seem happy or healthy. This was a big reason why I took a lot of time off before making this decision. Anyway....just wanted to ask folks who are in the midst of everything or done: is it really THAT hard? For context, I'm 30, so I've had a lot of life, which has included working full-time while finishing my master's program and going through treatment for cancer (I'm fine now, whoo hoo!). In a nutshell: I've navigated a crazy schedule for 2 years AND a life-threatening illness. I can't help but think that a PhD will be -- dare I say -- easier than what I've been doing the last decade, because I'll be focusing on something I'm passionate about and won't be as tied to the 9-5 life, which i find SUPER draining. Maybe I'm coming at it from a different position than many who go straight through or only take a few years off beforehand? Am I being super naive? I'm certainly worried about the financial burden, but the other stuff doesn't seem to faze me....It just doesn't' seem that grad school can be any worse than working a time-consuming and less than satisfying full-time job. Oh, geez, I totally sound like an oldster right now! #kidsthesedays https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/11/graduate-school-terrible-peoples-mental-health/576769/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=edit-promo&utm_term=2018-11-27T18%3A57%3A43&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&fbclid=IwAR0fEgHvO8069dvGBqMSW8FjF3DSHzlOcHITmWllOU9HhRZmGzUFuNpv3TI&fbclid=IwAR1XcyhZLTR1Wi_QesJSR9R5jTe83HvJGQH4R6rLTczOfFJVLA1V4vlL6lE&fbclid=IwAR2L1grq3Sip8hHW9Bbl6LLkptZ_6GFecSz9z3DLwbjRGVq1WcmaB87umQg