autumn

Congrats! Did they say how many were accepted? Originally they said something like 6 but you never know

Anyone have insight on what is going on with U Washington?

Congrats!

Congrats!! On the other side of the fence, a school who should have notified by Feb 1 (based on previous years) just notified me that they will not send decisions until the end of Feb. Is it just my anxiety or are many schools taking longer this year?

Correct. That was 3-4 for the MCS track, not sure about the other 3.

I can see the wisdom to that but I honestly think that, at this point in the application cycle, they know who we are. These schools get so many super qualified, super interested applicants that I think it might just be needling when they've likely finalized decisions by now. That being said, I'd love to hear other opinions.

Good advice. Only bad part is that I already do all of that lol at least as well as I can, still learning. It's tech comm so it's practical anyway and all the projects are based on things they are doing in their work environment. They choose their own topics so they're relevant to them, especially since they're learning forms. I am very laid back, more than I like to be honest. I guess all I can say is that tomorrow is going to be a little rough for them. I completely understand that not everyone is an A student. I know that this topic does not interest everyone and some are just checking off a requirement. But they choose to come to college. They pay for these classes. They show up to all the classes. Why on earth do they skip the homework? It is not anywhere near a difficult workload. I just... UGH. lol

I have no tips. I have no game. I thought it was going well; we did a lot of activities in class to keep everyone motivated and engaged. They were mostly active in discussions and their assignments showed promise. Then 2/3rds of them did not submit their assignments this week. They were not confused; there were no technical problems. They just didn't feel like doing it. Which completely ruins my prep for this week. If someone else can give us some tips for motivating students, I'm sure we'd be grateful! I feel you. I'm teaching an entry level course that I could teach with my eyes closed but it's not content that interests me personally. It is hard not to blame yourself. I do and I try to be understanding (I am still learning, after all) but all the faculty I've consulted just shrug and say "you win some, you lose some, you aren't their mom." Frustrating.

I've seen a couple people ask about UW Madison MCS today so I just wanted to address it. They did interviews early-mid January and had 12 finalists for 3-4 spots (projected). If you had an interview and have not yet heard, I wish you the best of luck! If you have not had an interview, I think you can assume it's a no at this point. Sorry to be the bearer of potentially bad news but for any lurkers out there, that's the info I have. Good luck!

Ah. I see. There are definitely strengths to both. Are you making your decision primarily on finances or are you weighing everything?

I honestly liked TAing better but it was just a good group of students. This class... oi. I'm so close to telling them not to bother coming to class this week if they're just going to waste everyone's time (I won't but boy do I want to). No teaching with UNM? I thought you wanted the ability to teach.

Sorry for going off-topic here but some days, teaching lower division courses has me reconsidering this whole PhD plan. Am I alone?

face palm

I work in an admin position at a university. I told my supervisor last summer in my annual review that I was applying to PhD programs but that the odds were not in my favor. She's been mostly supportive (if a little panicked about replacing someone) ever since. I will probably tell her around April 15 and I plan to quit around July 31. That will give me enough time to clean up my files, post for a replacement, interview them, hire them, and train them after the AY ends in May.

Hmm. Best hobbies in the world help pay the bills. I'm jealous!

Sorry to spam the thread tonight but I have a question for you lot. If a student is accepted with full funding with a departmental fellowship but declines the offer, what happens to the fellowship? Is that money just banked for next year or is it offered to one of the other admits? I imagine it changes school to school but I was wondering what you all think.

Congrats! Congrats to everyone else, too!

First the beanie babies now this lol what do you DO?

I don't know about all of you but the majority of my schools should notify this week or the next. Terrifying but so glad it's almost over.

Agree! I'll be at the national conference too.

In addition to what Roflbot3000 and a few others touched on, it also greatly depends on the department's culture. In my MA department, it was standard practice to call all professors by their first name. I knew one faculty member who allowed this to fit in with the culture but was not at all happy to be addressed as "Kim" instead of "Dr. Someone." She thought it really damaged the teacher-student dynamic, but it did put students at ease.

Cosigned. I'm adjuncting currently and I mentioned to a student that I was applying to PhD programs with the hope of becoming a professor. He responded with "aren't you already?"

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I'm so glad!

That's him! lol

Yay! Got an personalized email from my POI of choice at Utah. Exciting.