lyrehc

I don't know that it will really hurt you to list schools with a wide range of rankings. While top-tier universities automatically consider themselves best they have no idea if a student is applying other places to be near a significant other, extended family, etc. As long as you have clearly outlined why you're looking at a particular institution I would answer the question and move on. From what I understand, that question is more used to evaluate the likelihood of applicants accepting an offer and impacts the number of offers extended in the first round versus used to eliminate someone because of where else they have applied (although University of Phoenix might raise a few eyebrows). I only applied to one school because I decided that it was the best program for me and I was unwilling to go anywhere else. At the time I worried that not answering the question would hurt because it would (accurately) look like I put all my eggs in one basket. It had no impact on my acceptance.

It depends on the program. I'm at the University of Oklahoma and my department wanted students with a combined score of at least 300. Those below that number were second tier (or lower). I can't answer for other programs because I made the decision to only apply to OU, but letters of recommendation, grades at the master's level, and how well the department assessed the fit of potential students were big components in their decision-making process. For example, we don't have any faculty who do rhetoric so students who have rhetoric as a focus were much less likely to be offered a spot in the program than those who focus on political communication (we have amazing poli comm faculty), intercultural, social influence/persuasion, or organizational comm. Have you looked at the NCA web site? They have a ton of information about doctoral programs and requirements listed.

I disagree about having a dissertation advisor before starting. I entered my program *knowing* I was going to work with someone specific. I had my entire committee together within 6 weeks and my plan of study meeting in November of my first year. Then, my interests changed. I think it is more important to talk to current students in the program about how faculty mentorship works. Are the faculty accessible to students? Do the current students feel that they are being supported not only in joining but in completing their programs of study? Despite my shift in interest I am extremely happy where I am at and the faculty has been amazing -- a feeling that is shared by the vast majority of students in the program. Knowing who you want as a committee chair is much less important than making sure that the faculty is there to give you the tools for and support you through the process of success.

What about the academic/professional organization for your field? Many of them list school acceptance, completion, and placement rates.

I am a firm believer that making contact with potential advisors/committee members and building a rapport beforehand increases chances of admission. If a school has two applicants weighted equally the one who has interacted with faculty is most likely to be offered the spot. However, you can do that without visiting the school. I lived 1500 miles from where I applied and did not travel, but I did have a professor who I corresponded with beforehand who I am convinced wanted me as a student. I took the time to send emails and converse with him by telephone and specifically mentioned my desire to work with him in my letter of interest.

If your health allows you to take the class, then I'd definitely say go for it.

It really depends on your program. I never had any issues with feeling like an imposter in my MS. I have, however, sometimes wondered why I got admitted versus someone else to my current program.

If there isn't a class you may see if there are faculty with interests who would do a directed reading with you. I'm in communication and my advisor is having me study Discipline and Punish because it lays a foundation for the theoretical approach I'm planning on using in my dissertation/areas of specialization. Just because a program doesn't have an emphasis on Foucault doesn't mean that you can't study Foucault.

Being succinct is a good skill to learn. While you want to tailor each SOP specifically to the programs you apply to, I would err on the side of cutting words rather than expanding beyond your main points.

ReadCube is another (free) academic program you might look into. I load PDFs of journal articles into and then make notes where I want to remember something. Then when I go back to the article I can look at my notes to see whether that's enough information or if I need to give the article another skim or read.

In my program we wear whatever we want. I've seen members of my cohort in yoga pants. I've seen members of my cohort in a 3 piece suit. I've seen members of my cohort in between. My building gets really cold so I have gone to class dressed in street clothes wrapped in a blanket. In other words, wear whatever you want.

I have a tablet that I use for PDF files. ReadCube or similar software can be helpful with journal articles and allow you to note/annotate them. However, I prefer a hard copy of textbooks because I write all over in the margins and highlight a lot. Additionally, in discussion sections where I have had to read one or more entire books per week I have a hard time flipping to the page I want digitally, because I can't remember what exact page the concept/quote I want is located on. It's not as bad for a stats book but even there I ended up purchasing a physical copy to go with the digital edition I purchased. HTH.

I got the same message years ago when I transferred as an undergraduate from OSU to Western each time they received part of my file.

Maybe passion isn't the term you would choose, but even when I would hire clerical staff I made sure that they cared about what they were going to be doing.

In my opinion a LOR where the person writing it can go into specifics about why YOU are the best candidate for the program is much better than a letter that is more generic. I believe that the letter's contents will matter more than the credentials of the person who writes it.

I'm in Communication which straddles social science and the humanities (depending on which school you attend you can find programs listed under either). What advice are you looking for? I recommended getting connected with other students as quickly as you can. Build networks. Find out who has similar interests to yours and go out for coffee to talk about them. Spend time talking to students that are ahead of you and learn from their experiences. Take time for you. Eat right, sleep right, exercise. Work life balance is essential, because once you graduate you are likely to be even busier than you are as a student. Most of all, have fun and savor this time. It goes a lot faster than I would have imagined prior to starting my program.

It depends on the program and the advisor. I see mine all the time but I'm also very Type A and she knows (and accepts) that.

One of the professors on my committee just completed his doctorate 2 years ago. His biggest piece of advice to me is to follow my heart and become an expert in an area of my field that I love. Trying to gain other skills that I'm not passionate about will often eliminate me from consideration when I'm on the job market because employers want to hire someone who not only has a specialty but who feels passionate about that specialty. In other words, follow your heart.

One of my professors as an undergrad gave me a piece of advice a long time ago that has always stuck with me. Q: What do they call someone who finishes a PhD at the lowest ranked state school in the country? A: Doctor. It is not too late to retake the GRE if you really want to be in a top program, but there are many outstanding programs that aren't in the top 30. I'm in another field, but the program I chose is not in the top 30 but it has a very strong reputation in the field and well-respected faculty. Plus, because my program is underrated the faculty is able to mentor students a lot more than more prestigious programs (last year we actually ended up with more funding available than we had students accept admission offers). There are a lot of programs like mine which may have lower rankings nationally but which have excellent placement rates for their graduates. Good luck!

The biggest piece of advice I can offer is to follow your heart. If you are considering a master's degree solely on the hope that you will increase your (future potential) earnings you will not as successful as you would be if you are passionate about something and have to have the master's because it will allow you the opportunity to do what you want to do. Take some time to brainstorm what your ideal job in the future would be. What do you feel so passionately about that you wouldn't feel like you were working? Once you can identify what you want to do more than anything else in the world, then take the time to figure out what training you need in order to be able to do it.

A lot of programs will not even consider accepting new students mid-year. Those that do usually do not offer funding packages because they have extended all aid that they can for the year. Since programs often tend to offer classes in the fall which are built upon in the spring you may find yourself playing catch up and not understanding concepts which everyone else in the program has grasped.

FWIW, I've found that anthropology, sociology, communication, psychology, social psychology, and (to a limited extent) geography programs tend to view work in any of the other social science fields as meeting prerequisites. As a communication major I have several sociology courses on my plan of study. My MS is in Emergency Management and I had no problem based on my writing (I submitted my thesis when applying) getting accepted where I wanted to attend.

I just went to the NCA page for another reason and noticed that someone forgot to renew the domain name. I'm sure that will be resolved fairly soon. In the meantime, you can contact people from the ICA grad student association for information. http://gsg.icahdq.org/ohana/website/index.cfm?p=95575656843

Are you wanting more of a mass communication perspective? I'm guessing that to be the case from what you listed but want to be sure. There are several programs that have both an international and an organization focus. NCA has a breakdown of programs that I found very helpful back when I was considering where to apply. http://www.natcom.org/Secondary.aspx?id=4420#States

I would add, don't ask for advice from 2nd and 3rd year students and then dismiss their answers. If you're in a shared office be aware of when people are busy and let them work undisturbed.