kglad

Haven't applied to BGSU yet, working on that today/tomorrow to submit this weekend, whether I get a miracle acceptance notification today or not. I like BGSU's commitment to cross-departmental collaboration in their American Studies program and think it would be a great fit.

I also have a bad feeling about MN. Looking at the historical program statistics, as a female applicant I have a (theoretically) 1 in 5 chance of acceptance and I'm right in line with GRE scores. However, for the past 2 years of posted statistics, ZERO applicants with UMN as "institution of previous degree" have matriculated, where 5 applicants matriculated with degrees from other US institutions. Then again, at admission (if I'm admitted) my previous degree will be from Saint Mary's U, where I earned a BS Business. I won't technically finish my MLS from UMN until August 2013. Numbers, they make me crazy even as they inform. In other PhD Am St news, the only contact I've had from programs has been to inquire about my LoR, which were late (all in and ok now) and an email yesterday asking for my writing sample "if I still want to be considered", which was sent Dec 21 and for which I received a confirmation email from dept on December 27. *sigh* I re-sent it with a (gently-worded) reminder that this was sent/received on time. Admins have it hard, they don't need to be yelled at by me even if I am freaking out. Hopefully we all get into the dream programs we want and hear responses soon.

I've lived in Minneapolis and Saint Paul for a few years (2004-2006, 2008-present) for work and school and did quite a bit of research on Minneapolis/St. Paul crime statistics, police response time, et cetera. Minneapolis has crime statistics and reports here. The police average response time for priority 911 calls is abysmal at about 8 minutes (found here, where you can also select by precinct). St. Paul annual reports and crime reports are here. Saint Paul has monthly crime maps here. Choose month or year, crime maps are under the Police folder. Spotcrime.com has listings of neighborhood crime maps, too, like this one for Saint Paul. The nice thing about spotcrime.com is that you can "grab" and move the map around like at Google Maps and get a clear overview of the types of crimes in a particular neighborhood. Even a few streets over can make a big difference in crime rates and types. Neighborhoodscout.com offers similar services; here's their mapping for Saint Paul. Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but when U of MN students purchase the UPass 24/7365 bus pass, we are guaranteed a ride home, even if busses are on night-route/ no route when we need transportation. If you have a car, rent a place, and have street parking, be forewarned- in the snowy season (December-Feb/March) cities may issue Snow Emergencies. During a snow emergency, parking is restricted to certain sides or directions of streets for plows to successfully clear streets. The cities WILL tow cars... If you want to receive a notice on your cell phone, I think both Minneapolis and Saint Paul offer that option from their respective websites. Last, city-data.com offers an increasing amount of data on cities, from income and age demographics to crime rates measured against the national crime rates to days of sunshine, rain/snowfall and average temperatures. Hope that helps. Kiera

Interesting contingency plans! Well, except for drinking a quart of cyanide. That sounds unpleasant... I applied to 7 and have 1 left to submit for PhD programs for Fall. I'm currently in a Master's program and taking nearly double full-time credits (11 this semester) so I can take final thesis in the summer and graduate in August, before I - hopefully- start in a PhD. If rejected across the board, I'll try to work or do an internship in the summer (and take a breather!), do the thesis in Fall 2013, and reapply to PhD programs for Fall 2014. Would try to work Spring and Summer 2014. Further contingency- for Fall 2013, also get a 200 hr yoga teacher certificate and plan to teach yoga. Nice thing about that is it can be done around other schedules in the "in between" times to fill in, earn some money, and do some good in the world while de-stressing. Might also take the GREs again, since my scores were ok, but not great. V 160, Q 150, AW 4.5. The scores are in line with admissions statistics for my intended PhD program, so I don't technically need to retake it, but I know I can do better. Increased chance of funding would also be nice. Last, if rejected by all 8, I could research recipes high and low and write a fabulous book on Ramen. I would call it the Ramenomicon: A Cornucopia of Easy, Nutritious Recipes for College Students Living on the Cheap, complete with complimentary coupons for a few key ingredients, like Sriracha and frozen peas.

Some (not all) universities have admissions statistics online. Check around in the university websites and see what you can find. The info is sometimes very tricky to find, though. You can always contact the graduate school admin person and ask. University of Minnesota, for example, has statistics about grad student admissions here. Select the program in the menu and select "Program Statistics." Duke University posts PhD admission statistics here. A little more comprehensive than the U of MN, Duke also includes completion, time to completion, and placement statistics. Individual programs and departments have special requirements, too, like a minimum TOEFL scores for Teaching Assistantships vs Research Assistantships and so forth, which are usually on the department or program website somewhere. Again, you can always contact the department to inquire about the information or to ask where the information is located on the website. Best of luck on your application progress- Kiera