ThousandsHardships

At the school where I did my master's, becoming a candidate means that you're close to graduation and have paid the fee and filled out the paperwork to advance to candidacy. However, being a candidate doesn't really mean much except that you've done part of the paperwork toward graduation and that you're now qualified to go on filing fee status, meaning you can pay a reduced fee and not register for classes (also no research or teaching obligations) for your final term as you put the final touches on your thesis. For this reason, even master's candidates don't often refer to themselves as candidates, simply because doing so doesn't add much in terms of your qualifications. For PhD students, though, candidacy means much more. It doesn't necessarily mean you're close to graduation. In fact, many PhD candidates are not even close to being done. However, it does mean that they've finished their course work and passed their qualifying exams, which represents a huge step in their research and scholarship. For them, candidacy means that they've gone through the rite of passage and become trusted scholars who can now navigate their research on their own, with minimal guidance. Often, PhD candidates call their status ABD, "all but dissertation." Some students who advance to candidacy but don't finish their degree actually put ABD on their resume as an accomplishment in and of itself. And I've even seen some programs that consider advancement to candidacy as equivalent to another master's degree and allow those students to emerge with a master's degree without a thesis or extra exam. At my old school, I also heard that international PhD students have a financial benefit for advancing to candidacy. I'm not sure about the details though, as I did both my undergrad and master's within two hours of home.

I love university gyms and their group fitness classes!! The school I did my master's at also had wonderful PE classes open to all students. I'd take four PE classes every term (about two hours a day, four days a week total). I had been overweight since elementary school. I had never even been able to jog a single mile nonstop, and exercise of any kind made me feeling sick in ten minutes and would leave me winded and unable to function for the entire day. But by the end of my master's, I was deemed petite and muscular. I was able to run 10K races no problem and take military conditioning as a class (training with the cadets). I found a love for kickboxing and eventually found that even after an hour or two of intense exercise, I'd still be fully functional again within five minutes, as if nothing had happened, save the occasional bit of muscle fatigue. I kinda stopped exercising again after moving to France, but I fully intend to get back into it when I start school again. Fortunately I didn't gain too much weight this year, from what I tell. My new school unfortunately won't have PE classes to take, but I will take advantage of gym membership and use it to participate in group exercise classes. I've never had a passion for exercise, so those classes really help with motivation.

It really depends on the program and school. I'm pretty sure I just clicked "accept" for my last school. For my future school, there's not even a portal or an official university acceptance, so replying via email is the only way we can accept (and from there on the admin puts us down with the university as having accepted and she says she'll come back with paperwork in May). And believe me, I've triple checked this last one to make sure that I wasn't just missing something. When you've clicked "accept" in the portal, it means that you've officially accepted the offer. Nothing will go wrong if you don't do anything else. If something is missing or if there are additional things to do or send, the school will contact you about it. As long as you've accepted it in the portal, they will not rescind your ability to enter the program just because you forgot to do something else. However, if you've been in contact with faculty in the program, it is polite to let them know that you've accepted the offer and that you're looking forward to working with them in the future. In my previous program it didn't seem entirely necessary because we didn't enter committed to any particular PI, and while I did go to recruitment weekend, I wasn't really in communication with anyone to the point where they need to know whether I'd be coming. But if you've been talking to people throughout this process, it'd be good to let them know.

There are a lot of people who use "dear" and it's definitely not considered personal. I thought the same as you at first, but then I found out that almost all the European people I know use it and many consider "hi" to be too informal. Also, this application season, it seems to me that most professors have addressed me with "dear" and so I just reciprocate it unless they start doing otherwise. So far the only one who has deviated from "dear" in my dozens upon dozens of email exchanges is a third-year PhD student that I've been in communication with. All of the professors just kept using "dear." I don't think they'd be offended if you used something else though. Most wouldn't be that picky. It could be regional too. California's been my home for seventeen years and I honestly found it super odd when one of my professors (who was Scottish) kept using "dear" on her emails, but now it seems like it's the norm elsewhere. And I have had a couple of French people comment on how they found our "hi" and "hello" greetings to be too informal for a professional email.

In my previous PhD program, PhD students were guaranteed two quarters (about six months) of funding and MS students were guaranteed one. But it was extremely rare to be left without funding. So rare, in fact, that I don't think I've actually ever met an unfunded student. The department can't predict or guarantee faculty funding. They can for TA'ships, but my former department definitely didn't have enough positions to go by if students were to depend on teaching alone, so they cannot guarantee that either. However, in reality, students get funded precisely because half of them don't depend on TA'ships within the department, which frees up TA positions for those who do need them. Part of the reason we didn't have funding in writing was because our advisers weren't assigned from the very beginning. We were not assigned advisers because our program wanted to give us the flexibility to explore before deciding our focus and fit. They didn't want to admit us committed to a certain professor with funding and then deny us the ability to change. Students were welcome to select an adviser from the very beginning, but we were generally expected to do rotations before committing to a specific mentor, after which we became funded either by a research assistantship or a teaching assistantship, depending on our preferences and on how much money our PI had. So until we choose a mentor, we don't know what type of funding we'd receive. My future program did guarantee funding, but that's because teaching is the norm in a humanities program, and it was safe for them to say that we'd be teaching unless something unexpected popped up, and they plan it such that all students would be able to teach. Assigning TA's are also within the realm of duty of the department, so they're able to guarantee funding since it wasn't dependent on who we choose as a mentor. Point being, just because they don't guarantee funding doesn't mean they plan to leave you unfunded. I do, however, think that you should ask. Tell them that you would like to know how likely it is to obtain funding after the two-year time period. Also ask about advisers, whether you're already committed, what the funding is like for this person's students, etc. Also, you should have something in writing. If you don't, you should definitely ask for it.

I agree with all your points. I have had a co-worker, though, whose last name looks and sounds almost exactly like the stage name of a very famous and controversial popular singer (I won't mention which for the purpose of privacy). Her email user name therefore plays on this similarity and has as a result constantly been the subject of criticism from prospective employers who don't realize that this was her actual name.

Every professor has his/her standards. It's hard to predict from the get-go. A few things I've picked up over the years: Use a greeting. Whether it's "dear" (more formal) or "hi" (less formal), it's always better to use one than to not use it. Sign your email. Don't ever leave it hanging just like that. Don't get too personal or emotional, unless the emotion happens to be excitement, in which case feel free to express yourself. Keep it short and simple. If the professor needs to scroll to see the entire content of your email, then reserve it for an in-person conversation. Don't forget to thank them, wish them well, tell them you hope all's well if you haven't been in contact for a while, etc. Other than that, it really depends on the individual. I had one professor who got pissed at me for saying "you guys," which is a completely normal way of voicing a second person plural that I and most others around me use without thinking. She found it way too informal, but I disagree with her on that. I'm conscious about using it now, but I could never see it as offensive, just as I would never get offended when my own students don't do the above five points I mentioned. For me personally, the only way a student could offend me is if he/she targets me personally for something beyond my control. Speaking of which, one important tip in being polite is to ask, but never complain about things that are not up to the professor to decide. Oh, and from my own experience, a huge hindrance for me has been the feeling that I need to explain what I said or did when I didn't feel like I did it right. More often than not, the best way to remedy that type of situation is simply to let it go and do better next time. The professor will forget about it, but not when you yourself are unable to let it go. Here I'm talking more about myself than about you, but I'm just putting it out there because it definitely seems like you're a very introspective person. So am I, as a matter of fact. And while this trait can most definitely work to our advantage, it's also very easy for us to overthink situations and make them worse than they actually are by not letting go and moving on.

Don't wait! Relationships come naturally to some but not to others. Sometimes just interacting with people isn't enough. If you want a relationship and haven't figured out how to get one, try making it known to your friends and family and ask to be introduced to someone. Or try out online dating. It's much easier and less awkward when both sides know what the objective is without having to bring it up explicitly and fear rejection or ridicule. Good luck!

It sounds like everything is for you mastering out at this point, but for the same reasons that the above poster described, I'm not sure what your status would be if you were to ask for references at your current institution. If you feel like they were disingenuous with you during your recruitment process, how certain are you that they will speak well of you when you apply to other schools? That said, with a master's degree, you are perfectly capable of getting a research position at almost any university, company, or institute. Perhaps you'd be able to do that for a while near your significant other and then apply to programs again when you're ready to do so? There's no shame in doing that. If you're unhappy at your current school, there's no point in going three more years. I actually mastered out myself from my previous PhD program, so I'm not unfamiliar with the turmoils involved. I don't think our experiences or reasons for doing so are alike in the least bit, but if you're curious, feel free to message me. All I can say is that this decision opened new doors for me and I could not be happier.

Usually they will tell you on the offer when you need to accept by. Would you prefer an American school or a Canadian school? If you want to be in the U.S. for your PhD, the decision shouldn't be difficult even if your offer comes the night of the 15th, considering you don't have any competing offers... Also, if you want to give PhD programs another try in the event you don't get accepted, have you considered schools in the UK or elsewhere in Europe? Prospective faculty mentors often have much more of a say in admissions in Europe than they do in the Americas, so active communication with faculty members about research/future projects can gain you an edge in a way that it might not in the U.S. All being said, it might be easier to get into a European PhD program even though the schools there are no less prestigious. Best of luck either way!

When they said that all the positions have been filled, they mean that the number of admits who've accepted their offer has reached or exceeded their target class size (schools usually admit more students than they expect to enroll). In your case, I'd say "reached" is more like it. They probably wouldn't have kept you on the waitlist if they've exceeded the target. From what I've seen in these forums, those who have committed CAN back out of their commitment if they get accepted later off a waitlist or if a funding offer changes. Others may defer for personal reasons, though I would venture to guess that whether this results in an offer for you would depend on when in the admissions timeline they decide to defer. Another thing that may happen is that the department might receive more funding to accept another student. Not sure how likely any of this is to happen, but I've heard of it happening. You might want to ask if this school intends to inform you by April 15th though. I've heard of waitlists dragging on past then. If it does, you'll have to accept another offer if you have one.

Yes I suppose. I understand that it's good practice for applying to academic jobs. Personally, I can't imagine giving up a teaching position for anything else. It keeps me grounded in times of distress, and I'm definitely a whole lot happier and more efficient with it in my life. I came out of a previous PhD program that I really did not enjoy, and it was partly my teaching that allowed to emerge with a master's degree instead of nothing.

Wow...to me, applying for external funding sounds way more tedious than working as a TA or RA....

That's quite a generalization. Sure, many relationships don't work out, but many do. Everyone in my family (and by that I mean extended family) married the first person they've been in a relationship with, and all but one stayed married many decades into the game and are still either married or widowed today. Obviously everyone is different, and I'm not in a position to judge whether OP's relationship is at a point where he's comfortable prioritizing his girlfriend above his career goals, but there is no shame in prioritizing a relationship. I was always told that family is more important than career. If your future boss and/or future schools believe that you need to sacrifice your personal life for your studies and career, then they're not worth your time and commitment. But more practically speaking, I really don't think there's going to be that much of a difference in these two schools. I tend to agree with one of the comments above that you need to look at UA's placement numbers and not just go off of the one from Purdue. You can get into a very good PhD program from either of these, and they have no way of knowing why you chose the school you did anyway. For all they care, you could have turned down Princeton and Oxford.

From what I've seen, most students will email those who they've been in contact with throughout the recruitment process, thank them for their time, and politely tell them that they've unfortunately decided to attend a different school.

My offer is around $16,000 for Indiana, but I'd recommend looking at housing and living costs before jumping to conclusions. Living in the middle of the United States is significantly cheaper than living in Silicon Valley, and God forbid, New York. Most of the times funding offers are adjusted accordingly such that students can still live comfortably. At my old school, 50% TA's and RA's generally got around $2000 a month for their work, which may seem a lot to outsiders, but living costs can be quite high in California (I was spending about $950 a month on rent alone...and that's not even a bad price for a studio). Right now, I'm getting the equivalent of about $850 a month teaching English in a foreign country, but I spend less than $400 a month on rent, breakfast is included in my rent, and my school serves decent quality and very filling lunches for less than $3.

Have you tried asking your former professors and anyone who've gone through a similar program and under whom you may have worked as an intern, research assistant, or volunteer? I think those would be the people best-equipped to give you the answers you seek.

I agree with this. During my master's, it was really the assignments we had in my classes (look up a specific topic and present it to the class, read certain books, articles, and original sources), that introduced me to the various archives in my field, gave me an idea of where academics find the most recent or most read sources from, and instilled in me the intellectual curiosity that gave me the courage to apply to the PhD programs I did.

Ask current students, look up reviews online, maybe even watch any YouTube videos if they have them. I didn't visit the place I lived at during my master's, and I spent three years there, no problem. To be honest, I probably should have because that school was only a 1.5-hour drive from my hometown, but I didn't and it turned out fine.

That was basically my point...the question I was responding to was concerned about signing the lease too early. I was reassuring her that this is already not early when it comes to a college town.

Yay!! Félicitations!

For mine, I had two main starter drafts - one for those that require both an SOP and a personal statement, and another for those that require only the SOP. For the latter I worked in a few important details that I would have otherwise belonged to the personal statement, but both had a lot in common. When individualizing the statements, I began with one of the two starter drafts. I then looked at the faculty research and campus resources (e.g. interdisciplinary centers, workgroups, or reading groups in my area of specialization). So my statements all included a paragraph saying that I believe this faculty's expertise in X and this other faculty's groundbreaking research in Y will be a great resource for my future studies in Z. Resource A on campus will also be great since it'll allow me to interact with scholars focusing on B from other departments on campus. Well, not in those words exactly, but you get the point. Occasionally I've also had to edit further to account for word limits. Sometimes you'll also want to edit to match the faculties' interests further. Not major overhauls, just a few words would suffice. For example, one of my friends edited her statements to be more theory-oriented when her prospective mentor works more in that direction. I personally didn't do that, however. For MA's, on one hand, you will be more prepared, you will have a better idea of your research interest, you will be better read in your field, and you can better prove that you're cut out for graduate work and research. On the other hand, however, I've been told that admissions committees hold students with MA's to higher standards than students with just an undergraduate degree. Meaning, a student with an MA who is at the level of a competitive undergrad may not be competitive him or herself.

I think you're focusing too much on the technical issues. Unless the same grammatical errors are made consistently, they could simply be careless mistakes. If you're grading a paper, I would recommend focusing on the overall argument and structure instead. Another thing is that you need to take your students at their level. If everyone is at a C or below, then no one should be at a C or below. As much as teachers don't like to admit it, part of grading is comparing. Just as you wouldn't expect a 2nd grader to write like a college student, you also wouldn't expect an average undergrad to write like an advanced grad student. Your job is to point out where the students have done well, and where they can improve. Give concrete, directional guidance, and if a student clearly does better than his or her peers, then this person deserves that A even if it isn't of the quality that you wanted. Finally, don't get discouraged. Remember that you're used to reading papers and articles and books written by people who were the top of the top. I don't know about your field, but in mine, the majority of people who're publishing well-read articles or books already have at least a tenure-track position. This means they've gotten into college, likely emerged in the top 5-10% of their class, outcompeted other top college graduates for PhD programs, were strong enough to get through their PhD program, and became some of the very few PhD graduates who were talented enough to get a faculty position. Oh, and their work has gone through massive editing by multiple people who are equally talented as they are. It's completely normal that your students aren't producing work of this quality, and just because they're not doesn't say anything about the quality of the student population or of the instructors.

If you're in a college town, this is rarely an issue. There are so many apartments that function by the academic year that it's pretty normal for students to pay the deposit in March/April and don't move in until August or September. Most current residents also won't be leaving until May/June or in August. If it's a college town, everything functions according to the academic schedule.

Do you have enough decent grades to counterbalance it? I had a C+ and a couple of B's on my graduate transcript, but I also had a number of A's and a couple of A+'s on my graduate transcript and excellent undergraduate grades despite doing up to twice the average per-semester course load at a top school renown for its difficulty. I had other issues about my application, but from the feedback I've gotten, I'm 100% certain that grades were not the reason I was rejected from the programs I was rejected from.