Sonny

I am interested to know how these barangays use wireless access service. Oftentimes, projects fail if the community doesnt really use it or there is nobody who is well-versed or well-trained in the technology being introduced. LOL. It seems you are repelled by your home city.

I really hope I wont experience problems like (again) when I do my dissertation. When I was doing my M.A., my adviser "shelved" my draft for 5 months! Also, I spent the whole night with her finishing the final draft which was supposed to be bound and submitted the following day. It was the worst time of my life (and I missed my GRE because of that). I guess all of us are San Francisco-bound for the AAG conference. Maybe we can create a mailing list or something. Britt, inform us on where you will be going to. The deadline is April 15, right? Let's make a summary of our placements after April 15. -Sonny

That sounds interesting. Geography also tackles topics like that (e.g. medical geography). I remember the former dean of our college ( a sociologist) telling our Department that she couldn't see the distinction between sociology and geography. LOL.

It seems they will wait until April 15 or something to make a decision...(April 15 is the deadline of universities). Their sluggishness is a huge turn-off...but oh well. I hope the Chairperson of the Dep't checks on this. First impressions do last...(I hope not). guesty_guest, where are you working now?

Good luck to you on your thesis. Where are you studying? What's your thesis all about?

Hmmm...if you do consider this offer, you can view it in such a way that you will be part of the growth of the Department. But do you have a faculty adviser who is "strong" in your specialization? If yes...I guess this offer is hard to resist... ahem. If you think both you and the Department will "grow" together...then you may consider their offer. Good luck on your thesis. I swear my experience doing my master's thesis was like a trip to hell. -Sonny

I have finally decided on where to do my Ph.D. in the US - Indiana University, Bloomington. Since IIE-Fulbright did all the negotiations with the universities, I really don't know the dynamics behind the application/admission process. I had to make a decision today during a meeting with the local Fulbright officers. Anyway, here is the list and admission results: 1. UCLA - as of today, the UCLA Dept of Geography has not yet responded as to the status of my application. I can't believe that the Dep't has not yet made a decision. It's just "accept" or "reject." Frankly, I am disappointed coz they have kept "us" (IIE-Fulbright...and me)waiting. I would have at least preferred a "rejection" rather than "no response." Is it normal for UCLA's Geog Dep't to take thing long a period of time before making a decision [calling...guesty_guest]? For me, this reflects what sense of professionalism the Department has (What's with UC schools? I experienced something with another UC school in the past when I attempted to apply in 2004 - w/o a Fulbrighg grant -...the graduate secretary did not reply to any of my numerous inquiries about my application...my prospective adviser was eventually the one who told me what steps to take during the admission process) 2. U of Minnesota - admitted but no financial assistance (to cost-share with Fulbright) 3. U of Georgia - admitted but "minimal" financial assistance 4. U of Maryland - unofficial admission (the Departmant is still waiting for the official papers from the University) with "minimal" financial assistance 5. Indiana Univeristy - admitted with TAship (Associate Instrutor) and this will almost cover everything that Fulbright will have allocated to me I am actually excited coz two faculty members in the Geog Dep't in IU are into population geography (although I haven't corresponded with them yet). So, when do we have a "Geography thegradcafe" coffee session in the US this coming Fall School Opening? -Sonny

I am particularly interested in issues within the nexus of migration, urbanization and development. Most of my recent researches have dealt with population deconcentration in Metro Manila and how such has shaped and created the Manila Mega-Urban Region. Basically, my dissertation will tackle this and, issues emanating from this broad topic (e.g. environmental impact of migration of metropolitan inhabitants; changing housing preferences). Since most of the literature have dealt with urban regions of the developed world, it is very interesting to see what are the dynamics taking place in third world settings like that of Manila MUR. I cannot wait to start my Ph.D. and dissertation. I actually miss being a student. It has been 4 years since I was part of a class (as a student). Anyway, I am currently busy burning databases and base maps to CDs which will be used for my dissertation. Do you know when and where the next AAG conference will be? Have you decided where to go for your Ph.D.? Kentucky? I think it is cool to include miscellaneous factors (e.g. probability of country music artists performing in the area) in your decision. I would have picked a city/town where 80s artists would frequently hold concerts (e.g. Duran Duran, Cyndi Lauper). I know where Lucena City is. It is the capital of Quezon province and is several kilometers south of Manila. Actually, my permanent residence is in a nearby province. Have you been to the Philippines? -Sonny

So, have you made a decision yet? Just go for those people whom you can work with. If you think working and interacting with them will be a fruitful experience, then go for it. Try contacting some grad students and ask them what they "feel" about your prospective adviser. As for Dr. Pandit, I really don't know why she did not respond to my emails. Maybe she was too busy to reply to a prospective graduate student...but I really don't know. I am so happy to hear of stories of people who found Geography later in their years. Aside from my interest in population geography, I am also interested to really study Geographic thought and answer fundamental issues that geographers have to address like, "What makes something geographic?" Among all the fields of knowledge, I think Geography is one of the most self-conscious....we have geographers exclusively devoted to the philosophy of Geography.

Very interesting!!!

Well, it is actually the same as the British Fulbright and other foreign (non-American) Fulbright grants. As a Fulbright scholar, one has to bring back to his/her home country the experiences and skills learned in the US. In my case, I am not planning on staying in the US after my Ph.D. and I would like to strengthen the field of geography in my country and make relevant research projects concerning migration, urbanization and development issues. Basically, I want to plow back to my country, the Philippines, the skills that I will have learned from the Fulbright experience and hopefully, make substantial changes. For me, the Fulbright scholarship means so much more than a mere financial assistantship. Hahaha...I feel like I am living this childhood dream of changing the world for the better and this time, I am embarking on this mission by becoming a geographer.

Cool! It's so nice to hear people who started from a different major and ended up in Geography. How did you get into that kind of research interest? Are you getting into a Master's? Have you already applied or have been offered admissions by these universities? Personally, I focus more on the strength of my specialization which I "feel" in terms of the roster of faculty members (esp. on whether these faculty members are "accessible" which in my case is "measured" in terms of email correspondence), research projects and number of graduate students who have similar research tracks. Although I tend to avoid getting affected by funding issues and related matters, it is still important. As for the other things like climate and all, these are just externalities and ultimately, your graduate experience, in terms of academic training (esp. your thesis) is what matters. As for U of Georgia, the problem is that I didnt get any reply from Dr. Pandit (maybe because she has been very busy coz of her appointment and AAG stint) in the past after emailing her several times inquiring about the strength of the population geography program (and this was my experience with faculty members with similar interests from U Minnesota and U Wisconsin-Madison). Among the universities I tried to contact in the past, Penn State, UCSB and UCLA were the only ones that had faculty members that replied to my inquries. I am thinking that these faculty members who take time to reply are generally "accessible" and easy to get along with which I think are important factors in finishing one's dissertation/thesis.

Thanks! I hope there is a similar ranking in population geography but similar to cultural geography, population geography has so many subfields. Before I came up with a list to be submitted to IIE-Fulbright, I asked the AAG Population Specialty Group and someone recommended me certain schools (UCLA, Penn State, Georgia and Washington). Anyway, my final list was UCLA, Penn State, Minnesota and Washington but this list was eventually modified (I really don't know the dynamics within the modifications made by Fulbright) and eventually, only UCLA and Minnesota stayed and added were Indiana, Maryland and Georgia (perhaps they had good offers). Andrew, are you into cultural geography? Research interests? Hopefully, people here in the forum will get to meet at the AAG on 2007 (where is the venue?). BTW, I am from the Philippines

Thanks for your insights. What is your specialization?

Hi! I would like to know the general "feel" of the Geography Department in UCLA. I wonder how strong population geography in the Department. Actually, it is my number 1 choice because of the very similar research interest that I have with Dr. Clark. In addition to this, the Department considers "spatial demography/population processes and movements" as one of the major research tracks and Los Angeles seems to be the perfect social laboratory for migration and urbanization studies (but very expensive). Right now, I am really anxious on whether I got admitted or rejected. I am aware UC schools have some budget problems and cannot really sponsor international students. BTW, I got mediocre GRE scores (Q - 700; V - 540; AWA - 5.0) but I guess TOEFL redeemed me (280). BS Geography & MA Demography are my educ backgrnd

Hi! Thanks for the info. Actually, I went through the application process for a Foreign Fulbright grant (foreigners going to the US to do their graduate studies) last year here in my country and got accepted. The Fulbright grant will basically cover my first year of graduate life in the US (even my GRE and TOEFL). Hmm...actually, IIE-Fulbright arranges matters concerning funding and cost-sharing between Fulbright and the Departments they applied me to (at least I am spared from the nitty gritty of these matters). I think the Fulbright program you are referring to is the American program (reverse of mine).

Thanks for the warm welcome and for the info. I will check on the local Fulbright office here in my country regarding the status of Minnesota. What complicates my case is that IIE-Fulbright arranges admission matters with the Departments and usually, placement decisions are made as to whether the Dep't is willing to cost-share with Fulbright in sponsoring the PhD student. I will check on U of Georgia's website again and check on Dr. Herod. As far as I know, only Dr. Kavita Pandit has similar research interest. By the way, what are the specializations of the people here?

Greetings! Is the 1995 NRC Ranking of Geography Departments good enough to depict the quality of Geography Departments in the US? What Departments have gone up several notches since then? http://www.geog.psu.edu/news/nrc.html Pennsylvania State University University of Wisconsin-Madison University of Minnesota University of California-Santa Barbara Ohio State University University of California-Berkeley (tie for 6) Syracuse University (tie for 6) University of California-Los Angeles Clark University University of Washington State University of New York-Buffalo University of Colorado Rutgers University of Texas-Austin Arizona State University University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign University of Iowa Louisiana State University University of Arizona University of Kentucky University of Georgia Univeristy of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Johns Hopkins University University of Florida Indiana University University of Kansas Boston University University of Oregon University of Maryland-College Park University of Hawaii-Manoa University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee University of Nebraska-Lincoln Oregon State University University of Utah Kent State University University of Cincinnati Although I did try to look at this list and somehow use it as one of the my application criteria, I focused more on the quality of my specialization - number of faculty members, graduate students in the same field and research projects.

Greetings to all! I am applying for a Ph.D. in Geography specializing in population geography (migration and urbanization). Basically, I will be going to the US will a Fulbright grant and right now, I am patiently waiting for the placement decisions of the US institutions that IIE-Fulbright applied me to: UCLA, U Minnesota, U Georgia, Indiana University and U Maryland. When do most application decisions come out? So far (based on what was relayed to me), Indiana, U Georgia and U Maryland have sent placement notices (though not personally to me) but I am still waiting for the results from UCLA and U Minnesota. Is there a correlation between rejection and delayed admission notices? Anybody who applied to UCLA (bec. I would like to work with Dr. Clark and Dr. Fan) and U Minnesota? Since I did not personally send my apps and I did not create online application accounts, I don't have access to the results of my applications online. -Sonny