Eastside21

What do you mean when you say run down? From what I can tell, both places you listed were pretty close in regards to location to the other two, so I'm assuming that's a pretty good area for students in general. I'll be bringing a car with me, so as long as it's a 10-15 minute drive I should be more than happy. Problem is, I'm just not able to pay $1000+ per month plus utilities, my stipend isn't that fantastic and I'd be more comfortable spending between $750-900/mo.

Finally made the incredibly difficult decision to commit to LSU today! Some general questions for the folks from around the area: 1. I am, admittedly, a huge sports fan. I know that at some other schools, getting student season tickets can prove tricky, especially for graduate students. Any tips/tricks on how to sit closest and guarantee that you'll be at the games next year? I'm especially interested in the kickoff game in Houston, hoping to register for classes soon enough to sign up for the ticket system and request a ticket for the game. 2. I have also been apartment hunting. Through my own searches and this thread's recommendations, I've considered both A) Place Du Plantier (http://www.placeduplantier.com/) and B ) Highland Plantation (http://highlandplantationapartmentsbatonrouge.com/) - from what I've read, this seems to be a nice undergrad free area away far enough away from campus to separate yourself, but close enough for an easy commute. Are there any recommendations as to these types of properties either around this area or in the Town Center area? I'm looking specifically for a studio/1 BR and I'm looking to spend between $700-800 per month or less. So excited to join the LSU family! Geaux Tigers!

It's a risk, but I think that the odds should be in your favor...you have to realize that most students will wait until the 15th to make a decision and you won't hear back from the program until students with funded offers decline. I was on a funding waitlist near the top and got an offer the next day - it just depends on how much you'd like to take the risk. Worst case scenario, you defer admission and re-apply for funding next year? Not sure what your financial situation is though...

As much as your mentors may not like what you ultimately decide to do, it is your choices and your career. If you'd like to continue working at Google, I see no harm in exploring any option that allows you to maintain your employment and graduate school plans. I think the path of least resistance is to be completely honest - tell the advisor your work is on a contract and that you'd like to complete it before entering. Needless to say, if the advisor is being difficult about it, perhaps it isn't the best fit? If it wasn't your first choice anyways, there's always the option to apply to different programs next year when it isn't an issue and spend your time not only working, but making small improvements to the application. Best of luck!

Hey folks - with the April 15th decision deadline looming, I'm currently considering three offers for graduate study next fall: Offer A: University of Oklahoma - Academic research-based program, full funding, meh visit (bad location/meh campus) Offer B: American University - Touted professional program, 1/4 funding, good visit (good location/meh campus) Offer C: Louisiana State University - Professional-leaning program, full funding, no visit (impressed with program and faculty so far) Because I am currently looking more towards a professional program, my thinking has went down to between B and C. I plan to study political communication at the master's level, but am unsure whether or not I would like to take an offer with very little funding based solely on being in DC and quality of program. I'm leaning towards taking option C, with a less advantageous location but I program I like very much. Problem is, I will not be able to visit this school and get a great feel for campus/student life or gauge relationships with potential faculty mentors/thesis chairs. Has anyone else had similar issues? How did you resolve the problem? Any thoughts appreciated!

Cue all the UW-Madison rejections...I stand amongst them

Just got another call from Oklahoma to tell me that I now am being offered an assistantship! Expecting an official letter next week, she said she could e-mail it Monday. Finally funded! Time to get some meaningful sleep lol

Thanks! I don't think it was anything official, as she didn't attach anything other than the itinerary to the visit weekend in the e-mail.

Just received word that I was accepted to University of Oklahoma! Apparently they were only able to give 6 assistantships this cycle, but I am likely to receive funding as I'm high on the waitlist. They also are inviting me to their recruitment weekend, covering up to $300 of expenses! So happy to have good news finally!

Just got Denied from UT-Austin (Comm Studies) - In all honesty, wasn't a great fit for me, but a good program nonetheless.

Congrats! I haven't received an e-mail yet...cue panic

For those waiting on UT-Austin Comm Studies MA, the grad coordinator I spoke to yesterday said that the committee was meeting this Friday and that decisions were most likely to be posted on Monday or Tuesday. It seems like all of the programs that I've applied to are all waiting for that Mid-late February mark (or in Penn State's case, definitely March) for their announcements...the waiting continues.

Looks like Texas has just started reviewing applications...opened the online portal today to find that it says, "Attention: Your file has been forwarded to the Graduate Committee for review. Each individual graduate program sets its own schedule for reviewing application files. You should consult the graduate coordinator in the program to which you have applied to determine when decisions will be made." Not sure if good news or bad news or everyone's news. Guess I'll be making a few phone calls today.

As far as I know, nobody has heard from Madison regarding Mass Comm MA's yet...looks like we're gonna be waiting until February sometime for their answers. How common are interviews for MA applications?? I know that they can be used to get a better idea of who should be funded and who shouldn't, but aside from the obvious utility to PhD admissions I can't imagine they are that prevelent in MA programs, unless I'm completely naive about this whole process.

Hey everyone! I too am quite enjoying the waiting game...and by enjoying I mean quietly dying inside and checking my mail daily even though I know most decisions are at least a month away. Nate - To answer your question, I guess much of the decision for me came down to a few things: A ) What can you do with an MA? (depends on your interests/program) B ) Do you want to teach? For my specific situation, getting an MA in Political Comm (depending on the program) isn't the worst idea in the world if I wanted to enter the political arena and look towards working in Washington or elsewhere (state politics). But at this point, I'm unsure whether I want to commit to a PhD program straight out of undergrad. I enjoy the idea of teaching, but have no idea whether I want to spend the next 5-7 years of my life in a rigerous program and end up wishing I hadn't. Additionally, my GRE scores weren't as high as I would have liked, and applying to MA programs allows me to work my way up without having to retake it. I plan on going to a good program and doing well, and hold off on making my final call until I have a better idea of what graduate school is like and whether I think a PhD is for me. Does anyone have any idea when UW-Madison (Mass Comm) or UT-Austin (Comm Studies) are going to start notifying people? Their applications were due the earliest for me (Dec 15th), so I'm thinking that they should be among the first to let us know.

Oklahoma was in fact already on my list of schools to apply to, so thanks for that. I think the best course of action at this point is to talk to my professors and try and get more information from them and their contacts at other unviersities. Thanks everyone!

Sadly, that is the study I am referring to. This seems to be a common enough issue, you would think (and hope) that they would care to update these rankings every decade at the very least.

Hey everyone, After a few weeks (or months) of reading posts and learning a little more about the processes associated with graduate programs, I am still having some trouble going through and discerning between different comm programs in terms of quality. I know that NCA published their 2005 rankings for PhD, and that CIOS has some rankings for certain programs, but does anyone know of a source that will rank ALL programs for a given discipline? I'm looking specifically at Political Communication programs, and have no idea whether or not programs like LSU, American University, and George Washington are ranked, or how they relate in comparison to other ranked programs. Any help would be most appreciated!