viget

don't give up just yet! after seeing weeks ago that someone had been offered an interview to a program I applied to, I assumed that no interview meant no chance. I got a call from that program two days ago saying I'm being recommended for admission. I wish programs were more transparent about their timelines and decision-making processes! I agree, the waiting game is a tough one.

congrats to the poster on results search who got an interview with NYU! any chance you wouldn't mind sharing what program?

I applied to SHIPS as well. no news yet. based on past threads, seems like we might hear back the second week of february. but based on past threads, i'm also not expecting good news -- it seems like Stanford just handed out rejection after rejection.

good to know. good luck to you! i'm also dying to hear back. also, i feel like i've seen your name on a lot of these forums / we applied to a lot of the same places. hope the process has been going well for you!

on a related note...if anyone who went through Harvard's app process last year has any insights into what to expect and/or advice for the interview, I'm all ears! I'm excited, but I am also super nervous.

i'm a CIS applicant and got an interview invite last week. i have no idea if all the interview invites have gone out or if they go out in waves though!

I had my interview already. it was pretty similar to what people described in this thread in the past -- 30 minutes, no gotcha questions, just trying to flesh out who you are, why you want a PhD, what you're interested in. good luck! on another note, does anyone have a sense of how big the higher education cohort is?

there are now two posts on results search from Penn GSE PhD applicants. both got the interview invite on Friday, but one posted on Friday and one just posted today. the one who posted Friday did say Ed Policy; the one who posted today just said Education, but didn't specify what program. I've also been checking the admissions blog more often than I'd like to admit, haha. keeping hope alive!

someone posted today on results search that they got an interview offer last Friday. wish they'd said what division! I just want to know if it's time to stop holding out hope. the waiting game is awful!

have any PhD applicants heard anything? everything looks fine when I look at my portal, but I haven't gotten an email certifying that my app is complete or anything...

The first mention I see of the new deadline is in a blogpost from 12/24. I wonder why they waited three weeks after the original deadline to announce the extension. And how is extending the deadline fair to those of us who submitted on December 1st?! I would have loved another month to work on my statement of purpose...

I'll be applying to the CIS program!

Thanks for all the insight, y'all. I'm really glad I asked this question because so many schools' websites say that you don't need a master's to apply; hearing feedback from people who've been through the process really sheds some light on the fact that, for most people, that's not great advice. I'm not currently working in higher ed, but I did work in the field for a year and a half after graduation; I've just taken some time off from work for personal reasons. I think I want to go into research or policy, and while there are some entry-level opportunities for someone with just a BA, most of the positions I'm interested in require a master's and prefer a phd. That said, I understand that with limited work experience I might have to start at the bottom once I'm done school, but I'm hoping I could move up quickly once I prove myself. Also, I'll be working an assistantship while I'm doing the master's, and would hope to have a research assistantship if I do a phd, so I'll still be gaining valuable experience while in school. Anyway, I'm definitely feeling better about doing the master's program! I just wanted to feel that it was a smart investment and a good way to further my goals, and it sounds like it's the right choice. Thanks again, everyone!

Thanks for your thoughts, EW33. I didn't mean to say that I think I'm a strong applicant; in fact, part of the reason I didn't apply to doctoral programs straightaway is that I didn't think I was a strong candidate. After talking to a current grad student, I think I might be a decent candidate, but I'm by no stretch of the imagination confident about my chances. As for my stats...undergrad major was in foreign languages and literatures and my GPA was a 3.6 (with honors) from a highly ranked university. GRE scores are 166 V, 157 M, 5.5 W. I also have taken a few classes at the university I was admitted to for my master's and earned a 3.8 so far. Objectively, I think my stats are okay, but I think I've psyched myself out a bit by looking at the admit rates of some of the phd programs I'm interested in; it's left me feeling like I could use any extra boost to improve my chances. Anyway, I am hoping to pursue a phd in higher ed after my master's, and the knowledge that I could get a master's for free if I did a phd is part of the reason I'm questioning whether the master's is a good idea. I did get some funding for the master's, it comes with an assistantship, and living expenses aren't an issue for me, so overall it's not prohibitively expensive. I'm feeling like the master's program's ability to make me a stronger applicant for phd programs could outweigh the cost, but I wanted some feedback from others who might have faced this choice before.

Hi y'all, I've been lurking on the gradchat forums for months but finally broke down and created an account. A little bit about me - I'm a recent graduate with about 1.5 years of real world work experience, and I applied and was accepted to a great master's program in higher education administration for this upcoming fall. When I applied for the program, I didn't feel like I was a strong enough applicant to go for doctoral programs. Over the past couple of months, however, I've had a lot of time to focus my research interests, which has made me more sure of the fact that I want to pursue a doctorate, and more uneasy about whether doing the master's program is the right choice. As I see it, the benefits of doing the master's are as follows: - more higher ed experience / knowledge - opportunities to get recommendation letters from professors in the field (possibly important since my undergrad major wasn't education?) - more guidance on applying to phd programs - the amazing alumni network from the master's program The most obvious downside is the cost, although there may be other negatives I'm not considering. The program is expensive, but fortunately, I wouldn't need to take out loans. I would be taking a significant chunk out of my savings, though. Anyway, I'd be really grateful for any thoughts/advice/feedback from current grad students or anyone who's faced about a similar dilemma!