rising_star

If your master's GPA is under a 3.0, you're going to have a hard time getting into PhD programs.

My undergrad and grad degrees are in vastly different fields (went from the humanities to the social sciences). You can definitely make the switch if you want to.

I've read all your posts and it seems like you want two things which don't fit well together. On the one hand, you want to get a WGU masters so you can apply for this new position at your current employer. On the other hand, you want to make yourself more competitive for a MPP at an elite institution. I don't know where exactly you live but, if it is Miami as you list, then there are definitely state institutions where you could get a master's degree which would be more respected than a WGU applicant. Also, let me quote myself for you again since you seem to imply that I haven't suggested what you should do. (Also, forgive me for not trusting that you looked into alternatives since you seem to think a resume only matters if you're planning to leave your current employer.) How much more direct do you want me to be? I don't sit on the adcom for Georgetown's MPP program and I doubt anyone here does. If you really want their assurance that a degree from WGU won't hurt your admissions chances, you should go to an open house or call them and explicitly ask about this.

I'm sorry, but there seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding here. Do you somehow apply for graduate school and not include a resume/CV? If you know of schools where that's the norm, then you should explicitly say so. As far as I know, Georgetown wouldn't fall into that group. But my understanding is that MPP programs pay careful attention to one's resume/CV (yes, I know they aren't the same). So, WGU would be on your resume for grad schools and future employers to see. I'm sorry if you didn't realize that your resume is a part of your graduate application package. I assume everyone on here knows that so I didn't think to state that explicitly but, now I have. What other insights into the admissions process are you looking for? I mean, you could just call the grad admissions office at Georgetown and ask them your question. This is where I got the idea that you've already made up your mind. You continue to argue for why WGU is better than all alternatives, even as people urge you to consider the alternatives. You provide no evidence that you've seriously considered whether alternative institutions would get you where you want to be so this reads as WGU or nothing.

Wait, are you saying that I didn't attempt to answer your question. I'm pretty sure I did. I said "I'd be concerned about a WGU degree either counting as a negative or a headscratcher for people looking at your qualifications for graduate school." Wasn't your original question about how a MS from WGU would be perceived if you went on to apply for a MPP? The reference to your resume was to get you to think about things beyond your current employer and current situation. If you're thinking about doing a MPP down the line, you're already thinking about your future somewhat so why not think about it more broadly? That WGU degree is going to be your only graduate qualification for a while (correct me if I'm wrong) so, any time a job advert specifies a preference or need for a graduate degree, you're either going to have to list it or risk not meeting the basic qualifications. If you're applying to grad school, you are generally required to list all institutions attended. If you don't and they find out, they can kick you out of the program for lying on your application. Look, people (especially academics) don't trust WGU precisely for the reasons that you find attractive. I find it hard to believe that a self-paced, online master's which you can complete in six months is equivalent to completing a 2 year online or in-person master's degree from a bricks-and-mortar institution. Other academics are going to view WGU similarly. We can be somewhat sympathetic when it's clear that it was the person's only option (e.g., living abroad, stay-at-home parent, etc.) but, even then, they'd prefer if your online work was done at a more respected institution. Prestige matters when you're applying to grad school. I view a WGU degree as something I could completely bullshit my way through in a few months if I were willing to pay the money. Is having a degree that people think of like that going to help you get into grad school? Probably not. Is it going to hurt you? It will in the eyes of some. To get to telkanuru's point, I'll point out that it seems like you've already decided to do the WGU degree because of the opportunity at work. That's fine. But, don't come here and expect us to tell you it will present zero problems later on for you when that really may not be the case.

In Canada, lecturer can have a different meaning than it does in the USA. Did your teachers have a PhD and full-time employment at your university? If so, then getting letters from them shouldn't be a problem.

So you'd rather have a mediocre letter than two from the same lab? That isn't the choice I would make but, do as you like.

This is really field and course specific. For example, in one of my courses, I do take off points for spelling/grammar because the course is about communication in a discipline, which means adhering to the disciplinary norms around both written and oral communication. Consequently, things that don't adhere to the norms mean a loss of points. I'm very clear with students about this in class, in the assignment instructions, and in the grading rubric I give them. That they then choose not to proofread or go to the Writing Center for help isn't my problem. But, I've also found that for many students, they don't even realize they're making mistakes because no one has ever pointed it out to them (e.g., by marking errors on their papers). It's unfortunate to me that many people are taking the approach of not giving any points to spelling/grammar because it indicates to students that things are less important than everything else they do. Being able to write well is a skill which requires practice, just like being good at basketball or solving differential equations. It also, especially in the sciences, sends a message to students that getting the right answer or doing the right calculation is far more important than being able to communicate that information clearly or well. Back to the original post: I don't let my students use professional editing services. Learning how to edit and revise your own work is part of the writing process and therefore is the student's responsibility. I don't have a problem with them reading and commenting on each other's papers (we do this in class) but the final product needs to be the student's work.

Yes, it's definitely possible but it may not be easy and your funding/tuition waiver may not cover the credits for the other program.

I wouldn't even bother submitting such a letter.

rvadog, WGU is indeed better known than many other schools, precisely because it is known for negative things. Whereas University of Northern Colorado is known to be part of the state of Colorado's higher education system and so it's respected in that regard. I'd be concerned about a WGU degree either counting as a negative or a headscratcher for people looking at your qualifications for graduate school.

I recommend looking at the pinned topics in this forum, specifically those about cities to live in without a car and about tools for finding information on cities. Or, you know, stop asking people to do your homework for you.

Honestly, this is not your concern. If you stay on to work as his RA, then you should be paid for doing so. If you need to write up procedures or notes for the new RA, then you should do that now while you're still being paid. But offering to work for free means someone else may not be getting paid work at all. And, people leave labs all the time. Your PI will be able to find someone to do at least part of the work you're doing.

rvadog, that may be true of your current employer but, do you intend to stay at your current employer for the rest of your career? If not, you may want to consider how other employers will view your resume.

I think even employers in the workplace might be wary of Western Governors because it doesn't have the best reputation, even among online institutions. Could you do it through the online portion of a bricks-and-mortar university? I'm thinking of the huge online programs at Arizona State and Penn State, or something similar.

Honestly, I would give them a study guide. It is common in lower-level courses these days, especially at community colleges and less exclusive institutions. You don't have to make it incredibly detailed but should provide them with the key terms/concepts (even if that's really just you typing out a bunch of stuff that's in bold in their textbook). You could also make it into a class activity or homework assignment where you have them try to write a study guide or exam and then help them see what's missing it. Doing it that way will actually probably help them study the material better.

There are funded MA programs in literature (there's a post about them somewhere on here), if that's something you're interested in. Showing that you can get funding for MA work will help you be more competitive for PhD programs in the future. Have you thought about what you'd want to do after the PhD? I ask because your goals will determine a lot about what schools/programs you should be targeting for your doctoral work. If I were you, I'd be looking for MA programs with funding. I wouldn't enroll in a MA at a nearby state school just because it's nearby or has a lower sticker price since few graduate students actually pay the sticker price. Good luck!

Note: everything below is assuming that the offer in your inbox is a done deal, not something where you're still waiting to actually receive the offer or negotiate about it. 1) Do NOT offer to work for free as after terminating your contract as a RA. That doesn't actually help things (you're assuming the new position will let you delay your start, you're potentially preventing another person from getting paid as a RA [why would the PI pay them if you're willing to do that work for free?]). 2) After accepting the job, schedule a meeting ASAP with your advisor to discuss what you're thinking of doing. They may want you to leave now, rather than later. They may want your help in wrapping a few things up. They may want to handle telling everyone else in the lab, rather than you doing it yourself. 3) Have you considered taking a leave of absence from your program, just in case it turns out you do need the PhD or if the new position doesn't work out? It might be wise to do, just so you have a Plan B. Congratulations on the cool offer and good luck!!

To me, it sounds like you need to meet with someone from the Writing Center ASAP to learn what you're not doing but should be doing, in addition to meeting with your professors to talk to them about it.

It's really not going to matter. People take 3 years for all sorts of reasons (had a baby, got a full-time job, research project didn't go as plans, etc.). Don't worry too much about it!

If you're interested in school psychology, research experience can be less important since you'll have classroom experience to draw on/from. You may want to take classes at a local university or community college to gain additional background in psychology. Given your interests, child psychology, abnormal psychology, and developmental psychology would all be relevant courses to take.

I just want to say one quick thing. I don't think a professor giving you a B+ has anything to do with whether or not the professor likes you. Students I don't like get As and students I do like get B-minuses. Why? Because their grades are a reflection of their work, not how I feel about them. BTW, that is also why you shouldn't say you "inexplicably" received a B+ in their class. I'm sure there's an explanation, even if you don't particularly like it. If I were you, I would talk to that professor and see if they are willing/able to write you a strong recommendation letter for graduate school. You may be pleasantly surprised by their answer.

If it's non-binding, then you should be able to apply to more than one such program. I would double-check with the program by calling them, just to be sure.

You do know that not all social scientists work primarily or exclusively with OLS regressions or surveys, right? Pretty much all of my research involves working with text as the primary medium. Those texts may not be identical to what you do in literature (which is to say that you all work with already created texts and work with a mix of existing texts and those which I create through my research). But, you knew that already, right? Pretty sure what I said still applies since I doubt applicants have time to read every or even most of the recent literary scholarship published by all of their POIs, especially if they're moving or transitioning into a new field. And, it's not necessary to do so to gain admission as I and others have said on this thread. PS - OLS regression and surveys aren't "effectively made equal" since there's a lot of theoretical work which goes into designing a survey. I can provide you with some resources on how complicated survey design can be and the difficulties in designing effective instruments if you're interested in actually learning about what you're talking about, rather than making broad generalizations and inaccurate assumptions.

You don't really have to read everything (or anything) they've written to show a connection. When I applied to MA programs, I hadn't read anything by any of my POIs (didn't even know you were supposed to!). It was fairly similar for PhD programs. I'd read work by a few of them (mostly because we'd read it in a seminar) but not by the majority of my POIs. But, by looking through the titles and abstracts of their recent work, I was able to see if there was a connection between their interests/theoretical framework/methodologies and the ones which I wanted to use. I wouldn't call that shallow though since you've taken the time to see if there is a connection.