grad

Thanks teaganc for your advice! Well, I think I'm kind of putting SJSU back in the running. I've been hearing from librarians that it doesn't so much matter WHERE your degree comes from as long as it is accredited, which SJSU is. I also really didn't want to do the online program, but I'm starting to look at it this way: SJSU will be cheaper, mostly because I won't have to move and if it really doesn't matter where your degree comes from (which I find so hard to believe, as that is rarely the case in other fields, but they say it is so) then why not save money, kick ass in class and through internships, and be on my way? Honestly, I would *love* to live on the east coast, however, is that really reason enough to go when I have an option here? Is Rutgers really going to be worth it? Also, if I stay here I can start networking and making connections in the area that I eventually want to settle in anyway. That has to be good and worth something, right? And if I still have dreams of big-name, more reputable schools, and the east coast when all is said and done, no one says I can't go back for another master's, which I've been considering anyway, or a doctorate. Of course, I'm not going to go if I don't actually want the degree itself, but still, SJSU doesn't have to be my be-all, end-all necessarily.

I wasn't admitted into UCLA's MLIS program for fall 2009, and I'm wondering why. My GPA wasn't stellar, but above the 3.0 baseline (I think 3.3 or 3.4), GRE scores really not too hot (1,000 total, but 5 for writing;but would I really be rejected just for those though?), I'm pretty sure my recommendations were good, and my personal statement was good as well. I also feel I specified why I felt UCLA was a good match for me. And when I went to an info meeting, we were told it really wasn't that competitive, 70% acceptance rate, and the 3.0 GPA wasn't a "solid" barrier if you get my drift; we were told they're pretty flexible. Ouch, do I feel bad now, haha! The letter also didn't say anything like, "Please re-apply for next year," which it seems some people do get (I don't know about from UCLA though), so that kinda bummed me out too. I don't know if this matters at all or not, or how much, but I am from the general LA area, whereas with Rutgers and Simmons (accepted there) I was "diverse" only in that I was from out-of-state. I just want to know what I can do to better my chances if I decide to reapply. Who should I contact, just the department contact? What should I or shouldn't I say? How should I ask? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks, michigan girl! I have taken your advice teaganc - Why do you say Rutgers or UCLA, if you don't mind my asking? About the JD - I'm not sure yet. I think it's going to depend on whether or not I decide I want to work in a law school, as that option seems to be the only one that requires and/or strongly prefers a JD. Although, I gotta say, I think I would really relish the opportunity. Before I decided on library school, I had plans to go to law school; I have a poli sci. and history background and have always been interested in law. If I decide to more strongly pursue news librarianship I've thought about getting a journalism degree or another master's in history, world affairs, poli. sci., or something like that. Any thoughts? I would have gotten one of those degrees now, but I haven't narrowed down what field exactly I'd want to work in; I have diverse interests and liked librarianship because it offers the opportunity for diversity. Anyway, sorry to ramble and thanks again!

I'm considering going to Simmons College, and am wondering if anyone has any insights about life near Simmons. Options for good grad housing on campus or otherwise? Thanks!

Hi everyone! I'm strongly considering going to Rutgers this fall for their MLIS program. I'll be trekking all the way across the country, so I'd love to hear about good graduate housing. To tell y'all a little more about what I'm looking for - a clean place in good condition, homey atmosphere (not sterile looking, like some campus housing can be, nice people, in a residential or urban area that is safe. I do think it'd be fun to live in the city, but I'd also be happy in a nice residential area as well. After looking on their website, I'm interested in hearing more about Old Gibbons. Are the buildings like actual houses with 9 or so people in them? Approximately how many people share a bathroom? Are the houses/buildings single-sex or co-ed? I would prefer to have a private bathroom or share with just one other girl, but I wouldn't be above sharing a bathroom between three or four clean people. The website described Old Gibbons as residential-style. What exactly do they mean by that - in contrast to dorms or what not? Also how convenient is it to get to a supermarket, movie theater, restaurants, train station/public transportation from Old Gibbons? I have a car, but I highly doubt I"ll drive it out there, so I will have to rely on public transportation. I'm from L.A., so now I heavily rely on my car, but I've visited and lived in areas with public transportation for a short while, and I really liked it. I'm just worried about those rainy or snowy days. Also, I've noticed that it takes approximately an hour to get from NB to NYC - is that true? How hard would it be to do that from Old Gibbons? I'm not the biggest neat freak, but I am kind of a cleanliness freak (had some bad experiences in college with disgusting rooms), so how clean is Gibbons? How old are the buildings, have they been renovated recently, and what, generally, are the facilities like? How close is the laundry facility and how much does it cost? Any other suggestions for good graduate housing? What about Ford Hall? I'm concerned about living off-campus, as I'll be new to the area, won't have a car, and won't want to hassle with renting furniture and what not. Also, I wold really appreciate any general info about living in NB. Social life, culture, food, safety, etc. And if anyone knows where I can find any pics of Old Gibbons or other housing options, that'd be great! Thanks!

I haven't made my final decision yet, but I'll likely be heading to the New Brunswick campus for the library and info studies program. I don't really know much about the New Brunswick area. Any thoughts? Quality of life? If I don't bring my car, how easy is it to get around using public transportation?

Got into Rutgers, Simmons, and SJSU's library studies programs; not sure which one to choose. I haven't heard good things about SJSU (unorganized, faculty not always available, not that rigorous of a program), but I have heard better things about Rutgers and Simmons. I am most interested in news and law librarianship, and would like to settle in Los Angeles upon graduation and get an internship in L.A. between my first and second years. I applied to UCLA, but wasn't admitted for fall 2009. I have also thought about trying to get a job or volunteer position in a library and re-applying to UCLA for fall 10, or seeing if they accept transfer students or if I would be able to take classes as a non-degree student and apply them to the MLIS if accepted. I really don't know what to do at this point and would really, really appreciate advice, especially from people in the Rutgers, Simmons, SJSU, and UCLA programs. Thank you so much!

Hi michigan girl, I know this probably isn't the best way to go about choosing a grad school, but location is important to me, so that was a pretty significant factor to me while applying. I did know about U of Washington's law librarianship track, but couldn't see myself living happily there, so I didn't apply. I just received a rejection letter from UCLA today so I'm still with Rutgers or Simmons (I really don't think I'm going to go for San Jose State as I'm just not hearing anything good). I'm also considering trying to find an internship, job, or volunteer position with a library and re-apply to UCLA for next year, as I think when all is said and done, they are my number one. I'm also going to try and find out if UCLA's MLIS program accepts transfers, or if I can at least transfer some credit. Thanks for all your advice though!

Thanks, laureltoosh I hope you get a more favorable response.

Well, it came in the mail today. Postmarked yesterday, the letter is dated April 30. Rejection letter. I really wanted it, too, and it's really starting to sink in that now I might be moving across the country in a few months for up to two years! But I knew that when I applied, and it'll definitely be an adventure. Does anyone know about appealing graduate decisions? Or if UCLA's MLIS program accepts transfers? I'm considering trying to find a job or volunteer in a library and just re-apply next year. I do like the other schools I applied to, but for personal family reasons, it might be best for me to try and stay local. The other schools I'm considering are Rutgers, Simmons, and San Jose State if anyone has any thoughts on those schools? Thanks and best wishes to the rest of you!

Still waiting too.

Hi santa! Thanks for your response; I appreciate it! I am most interested in news librarianship and law librarianship; special librarianship in general. How is Simmons for those specialties? As to where I'll likely end up settling, I would like to be in the greater Los Angeles area. I really liked Simmons at first, but then I read some things on forums like this where people said the program can be rather disorganized and job placement upon graduation wasn't great. It is really important to me for the program I attend to have a strong internship program and I, I'm sure like many others, would like a higher job placement rate upon graduation. Any additional thoughts? Thanks again!

I've applied to four master's program for library and information studies: San Jose State (MLIS), Simmons College (MLS), Rutgers University (MLIS), and UCLA (MLIS). Are there any alums or current students from these schools that can offer their thoughts on the programs?

I got my B.A. in political science with a history minor, I'll be starting a MLIS/MLS program in the fall, and I am very interested in news and law librarianship. Both of these specialties drew my attention as I have always loved research and had an avid interest in political science, history, current affairs, law, policy, and international relations. Being able to conduct research is something I would find highly desirable in a job and is something I will look for in job descriptions. From news librarians and a law librarian I have been told that, more so than other librarians, research is more common in those career paths. I don't know if this will help at all either, but I've always kind of had an idealistic desire to "do good" with whatever I end up doing. I have spoken with two news librarians who have told me how opportunities can be difficult given the economy and the state of newspapers, although they encouraged me to pursue it if that is what I really want. I have browsed around the SLA News Division site and read the profiles (reading a profile of a news librarian was the actually major turning point for me in deciding to seriously look into librarianship). On the law librarianship side, I have met with a law librarian at a law school who spoke very highly of the career path. I was drawn to law librarianship as I have always been interested in the law and for awhile considered going to law school, but decided not to as I didn't think I would want to practice law. I have also browsed the AALL website and profiles. The law librarian also told me that at a law school the librarians, especially the reference librarians, do get to interact with the law a fair deal. Just from what I know now, these seem to be the most research-oriented paths in librarianship; I would like to hear from other news and law librarians about how true this is and just about the specialties in general. I seem to find a lot of information about public and academic librarianship in discussion forums, but not as much about law (although there is some) and almost nothing about news librarianship. I know being willing to move for public or academic librarianship is very important once you graduate, but how important is it for news and law librarianship? I will strongly prefer to find a position in the greater Los Angeles area once I graduate for personal reasons. I know UCLA is the only lib school in So Cal, so I'm wondering if the job market will be impacted in those specialties in L.A. To outline my interests, as of now, a little more - I think I would like to work for a larger newspaper, a news or media company (such as NBC, CNN, etc.), a magazine (do culinary magazines have librarians?), publishing company, legal research service, law firm, law school, government agency, non-profit (humanitarian issues, environmental issues), or other international organization. How feasible is it to get a position like that in L.A.? What should I be doing now and/or in library school to work towards a job in a place like that? What are my options for those types of positions in L.A.? I'm also wondering if an additional master's degree in political science, history, or something else might be an asset for either type of librarianship. I have heard for law librarianship that if I want to work at a law school it is likely that I would eventually be required to have a law degree, but law firm positions are not as likely to require a J.D. However, to make myself more marketable, would it be wise to consider a J.D. for a law firm position? Would the money be worth it? Any and all advice will be appreciated. Thank you so much, and sorry for such a long post!

Anyone still waiting to hear from UCLA, or anyone just heard recently? (Congrats again, flowerchicken!)