StudyMom

Hi all, I'm a graduating Ph.D. Mass Comm from UF this year and I think it is a great program; however, and it is a BIG HOWEVER -- money is an issue. You get a stipend for the Fall and the Spring (usually) and you have to work for it, sometimes very hard. I paid for close to 10 credits out of pocket to make it in three years. It is great to have the opportunity to teach because it puts you at the top for jobs. You are not guaranteed any funding for the summer and competition is fierce and job assignments can seem arbitrary and unfair. In other words, some people get funded every summer and others don't get funded at all. Further, you are only guaranteed the opportunity to be funded for 3 years, unless you have the Alumni Scholarship, which gives you four years. If you are international, the three years could be tricky if you want to get up to speed with the language and teach enough classes to feel comfortable in the job search. That said, recruiters want UF grads. AT AEJMC they go through the list of job applicants and call the UF students one after the other to set up interviews. My friends and I just laughed because they would call us one after the other. Everyone looking for a job this year from the Mass Com department has a job and we are a very international group. Most of us had multiple offers. SO, it has drawbacks but UF prepares you to be at the top of teacher/scholars. UF also uses a system where you are not allowed to take your qualifying exams until you have prepared your dissertation proposal (first 3 chapters). This is stressful but it means that once you defend your quals and proposal (usually at the same meeting)you just have to revise as necessary, collect your data and finish. I think CU has you take the quals before you prepare the proposal, which can be hard if you struggle with the post-quals "slump". Good luck! Go Gators!

Kaye Sweetser at University of Georgia has been cutting edge with blogs. Richard's focus has been towards nonprofit organizations and fundraising but he is moving into social media.

In 2008 my scores were 740 and 540 and I got into my first choice, a top 6 school for Mass Com PhD so you should be fine, though as some have, said 1200 is the cut-off for some schools and some schools also look at your GPA from undergrad.

I am a third year PhD in the dissertation and quals and interviewing stage. FYI -- Texas Tech is very research oriented. Also, some of the smaller schools that are not R1 would like to be respected for research and are looking for R1 grads. The job market is harsh and it is best to have a balanced portfolio of teaching and research, better at one area, but perfectly adequate in the other area. Also, make sure to do some volunteer work for 'service' because service is the third part needed. Some schools allow graduate students to teach and others do not, so keep that in mind as you search for your best fit. Best of luck!

Hey, I'll be there, arriving Thursday noonish and presenting Saturday early!

Hi All, Accepted U Florida. Great program. Currently in second year. I thought the application process, waiting and then waiting for funding were bad but they did not compare to the first semester of the PhD! Now in my second year and loving it. Here are a few things I've learned from my cohort: (1) Be true to yourself and your interests. (2) No-one can advocate for you better than yourself. (3) Be open to what the professors want to teach -- do not go into courses with pre-conceived ideas of what you will be learning and you will have a better experience. (4) Be quietly pro-active. (5) Make connections -- there will be someone in your college, if not your department, who thinks you have great potential and it may not be the person you thought it was going to be. (6) Make an aggressive research plan for yourself and try to stick to it. It helps to have the CV of someone you think is a "rock star" academic as your guide. You may not achieve their heights but it is best to set your standards high. (7) Take advice with a grain of salt, in other words, don't take it at face value that what a Prof. says is true -- at the end of the day you are responsible for knowing the rules and you are responsible for choosing the best options for where to send your papers or to which division to submit. This will not always be your stated specialty area. Good luck! Hope to see some of you at UF next Fall! StudyMom

I'm in my second year PhD in Mass Com. It was bad then and I know it is even worse for those of you in the cycle now. I know the key to getting in was fit with a specific professor, the fact that few are interested in my area of study (nonprofits) and I have a lot of professional experience. However, I had no conference papers and my GRE was 1280. It's pragmatic to apply to a lot of schools but you should really think about what the focus is at each school. Some have health com profs, some have pr profs, etc. etc. If you are interested in health com and there is just one prof at a particular school, it may not be the best fit for you, but you need to figure that out. It does not hurt to call and speak to a professor you are interested in working with and introduce yourself, stroke their ego (lightly!), and say how much you would like to attend their program. Keep it short and to the point. Send them a thank you email afterwards. So, those are my two bits. Good luck.

You need to officially accept or they may take it as a decline and offer your place and/or money to someone else. PRobably they would accept an e-mail acceptance with official paperwork later by mail but you should call or e-mail to ask. In this economic situation I would go for the acceptance and get your degree rather than waiting until next year which may not be much improved economically than this year.

I also a second semester PhD student but I am in a different field but having the same kind of difficulties with my adviser. She is very rarely available, expects you to find out EVERYTHING for yourself (even conferences that might be good for you to submit papers or attend), disses those conferences that you find out for yourself and submit papers to; does not like my dissertation idea and is very vague about its potential. However, I am very proactive about my degree/career and I have found another prof that I think is great and I am now hopeful that this new person will agree to be my adviser. Changing advisers is fine at my school, providing there is a valid reason for doing so. Why not try to connect with a prof that you like and approach them about becoming your adviser? It would be easier than switching schools, though if you really don't like the department then you probably want to change both school and adviser. Good luck. Try to be positive -- the end will be worth it! (at least that's what I keep telling myself...)

If you cheat and get caught at my university the prof. immediately checks with a university department that keeps records of all cheating. If it is the first time the prof. or department makes the decision for consequences,certainly an F for the course which can significantly affect your overall course grade and cum. If you have cheated before and get caught again it goes to tribunal and you can get kicked out. One person, we've been told, even cheated on their qualifying exams for PhD -- they were kicked out. No excuses, just out. They have also now instituted a rule where if they find you plagerised after you get your degree, they can remove your degree! Good luck. It sounds like you'll probably just get a grade reduction.

Hey, I applied to five schools last year and was accepted at just one. It happened to be my first choice for program (another was top choice for location). People don't usually ask where else you got in or where you were rejected. Just be positive and say things like others have said in this thread like, "this was my first choice -- I am so pleased to be able to work with top tier researchers in the field etc. etc!"

I have an RA/TA load. The TA job alone takes about 11 hours or so, depending on the amount of correcting and grading I have to do in a given week. On top of that there are required office hours (3 hours) which is where I try to get the grading done. I have found RA jobs vary in amount required but the projects I have this semester are taking at least 8 hours a week. I also have three children under 10. So, basically what I'm saying is it is possible to work 20 hours, give or take a few, and work effectively on your degree. Mind you, it is sometimes stressful to balance RA/TA work, my own research and courseload and the needs of my children. I figure sleep is optional for the next three years! Also, I get a little grumpy!!! Best of luck. StudyMom

Some PhD students in my department pay full, out of state, tuition. They are not TAs or RAs. Also, if you take more than the credits approved for the waiver, in my case 9 credits per term, you have to pay for those extra credits. Because of some odd one and four credit courses I have paid for three credits this year. I took 11 credits the first term and 10 the second term. If I do not receive a TA job for the summer I will also be paying for a four credit course for that term. Luckily I will be classed a state resident by then and can pay in-state rates!

My husband is English and had a similar problem in job hunting. He was super excited about a particular job, jumped through all the hoops, took all the test and did really well and then he did not get the job. In the end they said it was because he did not seem enthusiastic enough ( no kidding, he's English!). Anyway, maybe those of from the international area are not coming across as enthusiastic enough. For myself, I know I got funding for my program last year because I called the Asst. Dean and expressed my enthusiasm for their program (my number one choice) and said I would definitely attend if I received funding. Good luck. We thought last year was bad but this year seems to be much worse for applications. I hope you all get in with funding!

My UK Master's didn't hinder my acceptance to PhD but it was a problem trying to get the graduate office to approve credits from my Master's towards the PhD. My program required 90 credits for the PhD but you can transfer up to 30 from a Master's so it was pretty important to get those credits unless I wanted to stay in school for five years (which I do not!). The UK Master's is much different from the US and had only four courses on it with grades in the 60's (I had a 2.1 in England for those of you who know, that's pretty good). It took 7 months to get the credits approved and a lot of pushing. So, my point is even though there was an explanation of grade translation, the graduate office still was not comfortable with the UK degree. Hope it all works out for you.

I was in this position last year and I think waiting for funding was way harder than waiting for admission! The school I attend does not guarantee funding though once you are in with funding they try to keep funding you until you finish. You may think the anxiety is over but I have been biting my nails waiting to hear about Fall funding because it is a state university having severe budget cuts. I finally emailed the head of my department and asked for confirmation that I can count on funding for next year and got a "yes" -- HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF! I wish you all the best. I know my department is not going to offer funding to new admits, unless some of the current cohort leave and how likely is that? Two dropped out after the first semester but I think the rest are in for the long haul. A friend of mine applied to Missouri, which usually offers full funding if you are accepted. Once she was accepted she got a letter saying that they would not be offering guaranteed funding but that it would be given on a semester by semester basis -- OUCH! On the other hand, I have found that there are opportunities to apply for graduate assistant jobs and find your own position in other departments if yours does not provide funding. Writing programs in most departments often need extra TAs for huge required undergrad courses. Good luck all. StudyMom

It's fine to call and ask about the status of your application. You can be nice, express your enthusiasm for the program and ask when notifications will be sent out. You don't need to take up a lot of the admin person's time and they are usually very helpful (at least in the Mass Comm department). Good luck.

Good luck with your baby pregasaurus, They grow so fast! It seems like just yesterday my youngest was being rocked at 11 p.m. with her bottle and being so cute and sleepy and cuddly. Now she whizzes around on her trikes and scooters and tells me to be quiet because she is talking! Enjoy!

Hi pregasauraus, I'm married with 3 kids (3, 9, 10) and pets. My husband followed my dreams to the PhD but he has yet to find job so we are living on my student stipend (yikes!). The economy is pretty bad and being in a large college town there are lots of highly qualified partners of people looking for work. Still, we are hopeful and in the meantime we don't have to pay for daycare and after school care which is pretty pricey. Good thing I am good at planning 2 weeks of meals at a time and grocery shopping twice a month with short runs for bread and milk. Peanut butter is the nutritional glue in our family! Best of luck. StudyMom

Hi there, I was accepted in early Feb. last year and found out about funding in early April. If you know you want to go to that school, lobby the professor you would be working with by introducing yourself, being enthusiastic about their research, being enthusiastic about the program etc. etc. Don't ask stupid questions and keep it brief. Don't talk to them about money. Later, speak to the person in charge of the money, mention your enthusiastic conversation with so and so and then make it clear that you want to go to that school, it is your #1 program and you can't go unless they fund you. It worked for me. I had funding the next day. Good luck.

Hi all, A friend of mine here just completing an MA has an interview at Syracuse this weekend and had a phone interview with Missouri this week. She was accepted w/funding at Minnesota and isn't using this forum so I thought I'd fill you in. Best of luck, StudyMom

I'm in a different field -- communications -- but our college within the university will not be offering RA positions next year at all. TA's are being kept for those with current funding and it does not look like there will be funding for many new students next year. I was told "we have enough to maintain those already here". On the other hand, a couple of people who were not offered TA's went to professors who teach very large undergraduate courses and asked if they needed another TA. Since those courses use 7 or so TA's each semester, both of these people obtained a TA position. So, just because you are not offered guaranteed funding does not necessarily mean that you cannot do some legwork yourself to get a TA position. Also, after the first semester someone dropped out and an un-funded student got that spot. There are options! Good luck all. I am glad I did this last year! StudyMom

Unlikely Grad, Hey, I took a year off between my Bachelor's and Master's Degree study and then I stopped, for 20 years! Last year I decided I wanted to become a college professor, applied at the last minute, got accepted at my first choice and here I am. I thought I would be old but there are lots of people older than me in the graduate program and quite a few professors in their 50's who received their PhDs just a few years ago. So, you are only as old as you think you are -- personally I feel young and very happy to be here! Good luck! StudyMom

Hey all, It's great read about all of you with kids and grad school. I'm nearly a decade older than phdmaybe with three children, 10, 9 and just turned 3. I decided to go for a PhD last year at Halloween-time. I applied to 5 schools and was accepted at just one -- my first choice which also was the best fit. When applying I think it is really key to apply only to schools where you know you have a good fit for the faculty or program or both. I very much want to teach at university level and research for publication, and I keep trying to keep that in mind as I work 70+ hours or so a week. This is much much harder than a full time job, especially in the first semester when you need to learn how to be a graduate students (at least for those of us who have been out of school for a long time). I am not complaining, I love it all, but you will have very little free time. Every moment I am not writing, researching, commuting, teaching, attending class, or reading, I am doing mundane things like laundry, grocery shopping (rather like a strategic military campaign!), cooking and refereeing my sons. I consider a 30 minute session at the park with my youngest as a rare treat. Still, I don't think they feel neglected and I make sure they have all that they need but it is very hard. You can do it but make sure you are really committed to the end goal before you start. Best of luck! StudyMom

Unethical behavior is unethical behavior. If someone is willing to forge letters to get into grad school how likely is it that that person will 'borrow' other people's work once they are in? Plagerism is a big problem in academia and it affects the status and credibility of all our work. How sad that some of you would think that it is 'tattling' to report such behavior. True, it will make for uncomfortable relations with the forger but really, do you want to be 'friends' with such a person? If she is willing to forge, how real are her grades? Perhaps she cheats, as some of you have intimated that you do. How can you? I guess you feel the ends justify the means but academia is about the process -- the learning, the research, the testing of theory -- and cheating, forgery and plagerism have no place here. Congratulations for reporting the forger!