rising_star

Talk to Waterloo about the situation since it's something they've surely dealt with in the past. In my experience, yes, you can get an extension on submitting the final transcript.

Honestly, I wouldn't take on that much debt to go to UIUC.

Wait, you're choosing an unfunded masters program over a PhD program basically because of your boyfriend? Wow! You didn't say what your career goals are but, if they involve academia at all, I wouldn't pay attention to what's on LinkedIn. Also, no amount of networking is going to make up for the debt you'll accrue during that 2 year master's program.

I would be incredibly nervous about that decision and, in your situation, would probably go with the job offer. A bird in hand is better than two in the bush, as they say.

Which professors do you want to work with more? Which professors have better industry connections? Which program has the better track record for placing people where you want to be? Where did you get along best with other grad students? What would the lab requirements be at each place in terms of expectations of the number of hours spent in lab each day/week? What, if any, are the TA requirements in each program? How long are you funded in each program? How does the funding compare to the cost of living? How much would it cost to visit home from each location? These are some of the things I'd consider, were I in your position.

@Tayrae77, please don't post the same thing multiple times. I have locked your other post.

Duplicate. To reply, see here:

It would depend on where you are in your degree program, where you'd be going on the trip, how long the trip would last, how much the trip would cost, and how much funding you have available... It's hard to say without knowing more. I've never conducted research without having at least enough funding to cover flights and lodging.

Even if you can get some financial assistance, you're assuming that the main weakness in your application was coursework, rather than research experience. There's an entire thread on here dedicated to discussing MAPSS. From reading those posts, it seems like the one year program doesn't necessarily make you a better applicant, especially if what you need is more research experience since it's hard to get quality experience in such a short period of time. Think about it this way. Say you work and get financial assistance and take on "only" $40K in debt. If you had gotten a position as a research assistant or lab manager, you could've easily been making at least $30K. Thus, getting the master's from MAPSS is really costing you $70K PLUS you're not making any improvements to the research side of your application. Are you absolutely certain that getting more research experience wouldn't be enough to help you gain admission to a funded PhD program? Are you lacking in psychology coursework or statistics training?

1-3 years in a lab would be way better than $70K in debt. If you think about MAPSS, you will probably need a gap year after finishing because applying this fall wouldn't give you time to really improve your application. So, you're looking at one year working in a lab or something either way and, if that's the case, why take on the debt?

1.5 weeks isn't much time for something like a funding decision. I would wait at least another week.

As @fuzzylogician said, to be a dean on the academic side, you typically need to have already been a full professor and department chair. Without that, you're unlikely to be considered. Things work differently on the student affairs side where the primary concern is your years of experience in administrative work. That typically requires starting at a lower level administrative position and then working your way up to Assistant Director, Associate Director, and then Director. These days many higher ed admin positions require a Master's in higher education or college student personnel, with the PhD typically listed as optional or, more rarely, preferred. Take a look at the Administrative section of Higheredjobs.com to get a better sense of what I mean by this. That said, there are some appealing things about the administrative side, including a more regular/predictable work schedule and potentially less pressure to have a 50+ workweek. This, of course, depends on the type of admin position you're in. The other issue though is that the PhD makes you overqualified for those positions, which can make it harder to get hired since people may be concerned that you'll bolt for the first faculty position that becomes available.

The main way I find out about conferences in my field is by reading announcements and CFPs (Call for Papers) on academic listservs to which I subscribe. Some of these are run by the major national associations but others are more ad-hoc and based out of a specific university. I'm on several related to my interests and so that's how I find out about conferences. Most academic conferences involve people submitting abstracts or posters and then a committee choosing who will be allowed to present.

It's only two years of your life. Provided it's something you can be somewhat/mostly interested in for that time, you should be fine.

A multitude of things. 1) Graduate school isn't really about coursework. You're supposed to get what you need out of it and then move on. 2) Why did you come to this program in the first place? What attracted you to it? I ask because it seems like there's nothing you like about it now but, surely there were at least a few things you liked when you decided where to go. 3) How substantial is the TA requirement? Why do you think this is distracting you from your research projects and skill development? I ask because, depending on your career goals, being a graduate student may be the easiest part of your life. That is, as a faculty member, I teach more than I did in grad school, have service work (articles to review, committees to serve on, student theses to supervise), and am still expected to produce research of my own. So, if you're aiming to be a faculty member, you're going to need to learn how to better handle all of these competing time commitments. 4) Your advisor is most likely going to be offended. They will have invested two years in you and your professional development, after all. You should tell them as soon as you can, imo. Actually, if I were you, I wouldn't go back in the fall at all since you've already decided to finish your PhD elsewhere. No one here on an anonymous internet forum can tell you how your advisor will react or whether he'll still write you a strong rec letter. That said, programs will be looking for a letter from your advisor as part of your application.

I think you're overly concerned with stepping on people's toes. Once you've been admitted with funding, they are the ones trying to recruit you and convince you that it's the right place for you to do your PhD. So, for the first school, if you really can't choose, ask if you can speak with multiple faculty and have a clear reason for each (one which draws on your research interests).

POI details are definitely important! It might help to think about what you want out of your advisor in terms of their advising style. Would the hands-off nature of School B's POI work well for you or would you struggle in that context?

A few things come to mind. 1) You're going to find ableist/narrow-minded people everywhere, including in NYC. It may even be harder, at times, to find likeminded people in a big city due to the sheer number of people living there. 2) The debt you'd get from going to Columbia may indeed be something you spend the rest of your life paying off. Have you done any of those student loan repayment calculators yet? If not, you should ASAP. Get a sense of how much that will cost you per month and for how long before you decide whether to take on that debt. 3) Wilmington, NC is actually a pretty fun city with a liberal bent. Take a look at reddit, city-data, and the "City Guide" here to get a better sense of what Wilmington is like. I have several liberal friends who live there and they all like it a lot. Personally, I wouldn't take on that much debt for a degree which doesn't guarantee me highly paid employment post-graduation.

@kpkpkp, I'm glad it worked out for you! In general, it never hurts to ask about the possibility of visiting because few departments will say no to helping coordinate a visit, even those who can't offer any assistance with the cost of visiting.. They know it's a big decision for you and want to help you make the best decision you can.

For tourism, take a look at Amanda Stronza at Texas A&M. She's not in the anthropology department there but did her PhD in anthro.

I would go to the program offering me funding, provided it will still open the doors to wear I want to be after graduation.

If what you want is a PhD ultimately, then you'll need to get research experience. Can you get good research experience in Columbia's program? If so, then you don't have to worry about it. If not, then going to Columbia might make it more difficult to achieve your end-goal.

I'd probably go with Duke. A longer program could give you time to do internships or co-op type arrangements during the degree program, which could potentially help you on the job market.

Wait, why are your two top choices CMU and Chicago? Why aren't you considering Georgetown? Honestly, if you're willing to take on the debt, then it's worth thinking about what you want to study specifically (and what sector you want to work in after graduation) and using that to help you decide where to attend.

Honestly, I would do three things. 1) See if you can find programs that don't require the GRE. 2) See if any programs will accept something like the GMAT instead (if you're going for business strategy this may be an option). 3) Make sure that your research fit is sound. If you do those things, you should be more successful if you reapply. Do you already have a master's degree? Do you have relevant research experience? In general, you shouldn't expect employers or grad programs to do the work of translating your military experience to anything else. It's your job to explain (translate) it for/to them. If they have to do the work, then you're going to be less successful.