sr0304

For the first part, it looks like you missed the other half of the story, so I will copy and paste it here for you. " Maybe my words were not most accurate--I would hate to be part of a campus that refused to acknowledge its own limitations, its own shortcomings. And I'm not arrogant. There are reasons to be proud of Penn State. But those reasons don't negate sexual abuse that the University was complicit with for ten years. I applied to Penn State because of the department. I question whether i would be happy in the department thanks to the attitude of the campus. Cancer research is wonderful. My point was not that PSU was no good (why else would i apply? and btw, read my original post--I applied to a fantastic program). But the stance that cancer research nullifies abuse is ridiculous. Just as saying that the abuse shouldn't effect what I think of the University is ridiculous. I didn't expect that thinking the abuse would have an impact would be controversial. I'm surprised it is. I thought this discourse would be more interested in questioning the extent to which the scandal matters in terms of being a part of the institution. I will have to chant, 'We are Penn State.' But in light of recent events, what is Penn State?" And how do I know that there are not pedophiles being protected by other Universities? How do I know that not all Universities are knowingly sending children to the care of a pedophile for over ten years? Well, what can I say other than that I must have a little faith. But, hypotheticals aside, we **know** PSU has. So now what?

Maybe my words were not most accurate--I would hate to be part of a campus that refused to acknowledge its own limitations, its own shortcomings. And I'm not arrogant. There are reasons to be proud of Penn State. But those reasons don't negate sexual abuse that the University was complicit with for ten years. I applied to Penn State because of the department. I question whether i would be happy in the department thanks to the attitude of the campus. Cancer research is wonderful. My point was not that PSU was no good (why else would i apply? and btw, read my original post--I applied to a fantastic program). But the stance that cancer research nullifies abuse is ridiculous. Just as saying that the abuse shouldn't effect what I think of the University is ridiculous. I didn't expect that thinking the abuse would have an impact would be controversial. I'm surprised it is. I thought this discourse would be more interested in questioning the extent to which the scandal matters in terms of being a part of the institution. I will have to chant, 'We are Penn State.' But in light of recent events, what is Penn State? i'm through defending my own application and my own personality. Get a grip, think a little harder (rather than assume you know anything about me), or go to a different thread. Maybe one about loving your school no matter what.

HappyValley, for being so hostile in your post about how everyone else but you doesn't do their "homework," i am surprised that you think i have ever asked anyone what I should do in this post. in fact, i've clarified a couple of times that this is not about advice but about a discussion. and i think it's a fair discussion and clearly your screenname, your shooting at the hip, and your dismissing all of the legitimate evidence that Joe Paterno and other administrative officials were involved is pretty much a sign that "YOU ARE" penn state culture. I hesitate to be a part of a campus that thinks they're the best public college in the country...what are they ranked by most polls, like...50th or something? You want to applaud their research, great, but they are not the only university out there. Thank you though for manifesting exactly what irritates me about Penn State. It's a shame non-critical thinking sheep like you go there. WE ARE (gaaaaag) Now, for those that are interested in whether or not their research is defined by institutional politics/ethics, and maybe there's someone out there wherein this scandal hits hard at home, or maybe there's someone who is worried that academics will be overshadowed by a reputation recovery (ie, football program recovery)--maybe there's someone who has wondered whether being part of this campus is an opportunity to ask these very questions in a productive environment? So, would anyone besides the all-knowing and all-decided HappyValley like to join? And HappyValley, you're welcome into this conversation, too, so long as you don't dismiss differing opinions as flawed merely because they are not your own.

hence the concern expressed in this thread.--when does pride go to far, compromise the integrity of an institution, and throw you to question your potential happiness in being a part of that institution? i don't think anyone here is interested in pep rallies when deciding where to go for a PhD.

i'm having a difficult time interpreting your first line...my concern is that the politics are not in the particular, but overwhelming the University as a whole, as in even the Dept. i'm interested in cannot escape it. and I have a difficult time downplaying the reality that these events have indeed effected the University as a whole... and i wouldn't shrug off the scandal so quick--it speaks to whether or not the environment will be happy. maybe it's personal preference, what we do and do not care about, but i'm unsure with how i'll feel when the students I teach are late to class because they were attending a "Defend Joe Pa" meeting. make sense? I don't need anyone to tell me what i should do in this forum--i will figure this out in my case within my own circle. my intention with this post is to perhaps spark a conversation about how to confront--and whether it is or is not worth confronting--Penn State's newly tarnished (and very tarnished) reputation. remember, their accreditation was officially put on notice. Edit--Why am I talking about reputation!? ugg...that's my issue with the alum--So much time mourning the reputation without enough time being spent on how to interpret the events and learn from it (thereby letting the reputation, whatever that means, take care of itself).

i'm not going to lie: even after being admitted to an amazing Communication program with great funding, I have no idea if I can bring myself to accept. There's the Sandusky scandal, and there's the University's involvement, and there's the ongoing defense of Joe Paterno, and there's the library named after someone complicit with the sexual abuse of countless people. And there's alum (that will remained unnamed) from the comm department that actually spend their energy feeling sorry for themselves rather than focusing their expertise on the questions at hand. and this is the problem with Happy Valley culture--they live in a small world. Does anyone else feel this way?

if you know you haven't been sent an acceptance with the first round, but you haven't been rejected with the first round of rejections.

math scores do matter and not just for funding. the GRE does not test your knowledge of a discipline--you're not majoring in vocabulary and fill-in-the-blanks any more than you're majoring in high school algebra. The test is, "Can this person prepare for a particular task, and perform well under pressure?" If you "gloss over" math, well, you also might be someone who glosses over reading the required Judy Butler because you don't find her relevant to your work. I retook the GRE. My verbal scores stayed the same, my math score went up dramatically. I've gotten way more acceptances. Not to mention, even if you're in the humanities, you'll be expected to be able to read graphs. And with a competitive pool of applicants, I would go wit the one who did best on the GRE overall rather than someone who got only a 30 percentile.

no no no, it's a good thing to believe in yourself. just include back ups/safety schools. : )

hello hello! so, I have been recently accepted into UCSD's Comm. program, and am truly surprised and I'm getting excited! I am especially excited to hear that I have been nominated for the San Diego fellowship by the Department. but as I do some browsing, I'm really starting to appreciate that the COL in San Diego is sooo high. And I would have to move across the country. So, if you are familiar with UCSD or their Comm Department, can you please answer this (pretty please?): 1) If I was awarded the fellowship, would it be supplemented by the Department with a TAship (teaching is required for all Comm graduates...)? 2) Is there reliable funding? I can't afford to be stuck out there with no resources.... 3) Where is a good place to live that safe, affordable, will accept my amazing and precious Border Collie, and is in walking distance to school or that has public transportation to campus?

ummm isn't it April 15 by law? how are you supposed to know you won't get an incredible offer from your number 2 choice? 3 weeks is not nearly enough time. something is odd.... you could contact the other schools and rush their official decision, and in light of these constraints, i doubt they would be irritated by that.

i've been on unofficial and official waitlists before. it does depend on many factors but it's certainly a possibility that you will be given an invitation for admission. my personal opinion on waitlists? if you have a choice between attending your number 3 choice that gave you an immediate acceptance and your number 2 choice that waitlisted you and then gave you an admission, choose the former. You want to be a program top choice if possible, not a back up choice. I started a different PhD program off a waitlist and everyone seemed to know about it, and the faculty was always skeptical as to whether or not I should actually be there. Bad feeling.

seriously, your GRE is totally fine. What could you do, in particular, is choose some public colleges that aren't all top tier...Duke, Brown, UPenn--these are some of the hardest programs to get accepted into. You find at least six or seven programs that are a good fit, and that adhere to this formula: 1-2 schools that are your dream schools, the long shots 3 schools that you are pretty sure you're going to get into 1-2 schools that you *know* you can get into if you don't get in this time around, i think everyone needs to question fit. as for me, I was only accepted into 2/6 programs when I applied for a PhD in English (Rhet/Comp). i hated my PhD program (did not pay attention enough to fit) and realized that Communication was more appropriate for my research. I'm 6 for 0 with acceptances, have 2 fellowship nominations, 1 recruitment grant, etc. it can pay (in many ways) to reapply. But, the point more directly related to this thread::: Sometimes it's not your CV that needs to be fixed. Sometimes it's your application. Because remember, as many rejection letters announce, "[they] reject many qualify candidates every year."

you've answered your own question--financial aid decisions will be made in mid-March. Don't email them until around St. Patrick's Day. i'm in the same boat with UCSD's Comm. program. They've nominated me for a fellowship, but will even have to add to the fellowship some sort of stipend because the cost of living in San Diego is ridiculously expensive. The waiting sucks, but let us have faith.

i am not an advocate of CMU because they drown their students with fees and high tuition cost. UPenn is plenty as reputable and if it's a better fit, you'll be happier.

they have notified their first round of acceptances--**however**--they have also rolled out their rejections. if you haven't heard anything, you're probably on a wait list. I was offered an acceptance off the wait list before--it is possible!

they'll take a video conference. no one should expect that students can afford to fly across the world on a budget of $500.

it's a decline--the websites are always delayed with updates. it also sounds like it was a form rejection, so I don't think I would waste my time with that school--not one more email for them. onward, mate

Take graduate courses and make sure your GRE scores are high enough. The GRE is not, contrary to belief, meant to evaluate your ability to understand advanced content--most of the content is high school/early college level! The GRE is a way for committees to evaluate your ability to investigate, practice, and master a test. In other words, the GRE is another way for profs to gather an impression on a student's work ethic, ability to perform under constraints, and capacity to communicate an understanding of material. All of these factors are essentially thrown into question with a lower GPA.

well i wouldn't lose faith yet. But I do think that if there's no word from NU this upcoming week, since their recruitment weekends are usually late february, it's a safe bet to say either you are on an unofficial wait list or that you are rejected...

dude congrats on northwestern! they're number 2/3 on my list, but i haven't heard. i'm assuming wait list or rejection.

i'm undecided about how i feel about "penn state culture." if i'm offered a fellowship, penn state is raised on my list. but as of now, they're only up there. i'm still waiting from a couple of my top choices

hey ya'll--just wondering, for those out there who have been accepted into PhD programs in Communication/Communication Studies programs, what kind of packages are your programs offering? (and if accepted, congrats, of course!)

I started a PhD at CMU in 2011, in the Humanities, but dropped out because I did not care for the school. Let me start off by saying that a lot of your decision should be based off of you're feelings about the program. But as far as the school is concerned: it's overpriced, not particularly benevolent, and if you ever need student support regarding ethics, well...the Ombudsman is the Vice Provost, if that tells you anything. I admire Andrew Carnegie as a political and cultural figure, but the administration will charge you a lot of money and if you struggle with bills, the best they can do is push it to 2 weeks later. What's frustrating about this process is that the administration will act like they're "helping you out." Such a joke. I didn't go through this, as I was given full funding. However, I watched my students struggle. They were stressed, discouraged, and falling deep into debt without many resources to avoid it. The lack of financial aid and school support is why CMU has been ranked as one of the country's most stressful schools, and the suicide rates are pretty high too. But maybe your offer is amazing and the faculty seem caring toward you, and in that case, you should go. It's your call. Just sharing my experience with that University--it's usually just the rich kids who have the luxury of loving it there.

a caring program will not want you to give an immediate acceptance anyway. you should be invited to visit. you should be encouraged to look at all of your options and make the choice that is best for you. of course, they are hoping you will choose them if they give you a fellowship (and maybe you should! don't underestimate what a fellowship means and what opportunities it offers...perhaps you should reevaluate your top 3 if you get a fellowship offer). regardless of what the offer is, it would be asking too much to expect an immediate yes before you hear from all of the programs to which you applied.