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Austin F

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  • Location
    Boulder, Co
  • Application Season
    2014 Fall
  • Program
    Communication

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  1. For all those waiting on Pitt's list, I got an email saying that they filled all 8 positions for this year. It was very touching. It was even addressed to "Dear [Applicant's First Name] [Applicant's Last Name]".
  2. I was actually in this very position before I made my final decision. My last campus visit (also individual) was a mixed bag: great student body, lots of funding mixed with a not-so-great location and a SOP who spent a whole lunch telling me why my masters thesis should be swept under a rug. Ultimately, I decided the program wasn't the best fit compared to other options. I don't think the campus visit altered my approach in writing my declining email. I'd say approach it like you normally would: be kind and gracious; provide whatever reasons for declining you want to share; etc. I wouldn't worry anymore than usual about etiquette since you're probably not the first to decline after an all expense paid visit. That's partly why departments fly people out: they don't want students who don't want to be in the program. A campus visit is like a first date for both graduates and departments.
  3. Congrats to everyone who's been accepted so far. I officially just accepted an offer from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. One stressful mad dash down!
  4. I agree: academia (like any profession) is a very specific industry that requires the same kind of motivation that pursuing "more risky" jobs like music or acting require. Whether you ultimately decide to pursue academia or not, it's helpful to keep in mind that the real world has its fair share of political messes as well. The crap shoot about admissions is that much of the final outcome is out of your hands. Most programs have acceptance rates comparable, if not smaller, than some Ivy League schools (including the Ivy League programs obviously). The applicant pool, available funds, department dynamics/politics, the phase of the moon: all of these will toss and turn any potential outcome. Sometimes, it seems like having a stellar application is just the fee to get into the door to even be considered. My advice: if you feel like academia is truly worth the pursuit, go ahead and apply the next cycle, or the following one. The important thing to remember is that your feelings right now will change, one way or another. As I mentioned in this thread before, I graduated in 2012 from my masters program and was shot down from 10 separate PhD programs. I left feeling like I was ready to experience the real world. Eventually, I felt like some time off was great and made me prepared to pursue academia. This feeling still wavers (even on a daily basis). This time around, I decided to be more strategic with my selections and applications. The other crap shoot about this process is that often it's a simple numbers game. I'm not sure what circumstances make you geographically challenged, but honestly it's not surprising that you didn't have much luck with just two potential programs. This time, I applied to 8 programs: I've been accepted to two and waitlisted by one. I was just thrilled to get accepted by one (especially after hearing "no" ten different times before). Obviously there's no guarantee the next time around, but circumstances will be different for both you and the rest of the world next time. So, if anything, at least remember that your next admission cycle will be a whole new ball game.
  5. New week... new results. Let the games begin! Related to the CU discussion, here's a link to the main website for the new college proposal. I decided to read up on all the updates related to the college and the Comm department. Some very interesting stuff. http://www.colorado.edu/cmci/
  6. I also learned about the CU philosophy scandal via Grad Cafe. That's completely out of left field... very crazy. As far as the J school & new comm college is concerned, most of that was just starting to come about when I graduated in 2012. The J school was in the process of closing during those previous few years, and talks about the new comm college were just bubbling when I left. Originally the comm department wasn't really entertaining leaving the College of Arts & Sciences, but that's obviously changed. Speaking with one of my ex-thesis committee members who's been representing the department through the change, everything seemed to be running smoothly. Most importantly, the fundamental structure and aim of the department isn't on the table to change. The Media Studies PhD is a great program. The entire Atlas program that it's situated in was one of the highlights of my educational experience at CU. At the same time, it's also fairly interdisciplinary (including most, if not all the faculty), which comes with its own set of pros and cons. I got a standard "check the website for decision status" rejection email from GSU last week. It seemed like a couple of others heard rejections, so you may be past the first round of cuts. Congrats to everyone who got acceptances over the last few days!
  7. I did my undergraduate and masters at CU-Boulder. I'm surprised to hear that you got turned down with those stats. I know the department has been hurting (like many others) with funding, but that's still surprising to me.
  8. I am planning on it. My sister and her family live in Omaha, so I'm planning on making it a small vacation.
  9. I got rejection notices from Georgia State and NC-Chapel Hill. So far that's two acceptances, three rejections, and three more still to be heard. At least things are progressing relatively fast. Congrats! UNL was my first acceptance this season. Are you going to attend the campus visit on the 21st?
  10. Got my official USC rejection letter over the weekend. Between that and my beloved Broncos taking a nap during the Super Bowl... I'm ready for another week of quality waiting time.
  11. Welcome fellow Professional Waiter of Grad Results. One thing I'd keep in mind is that faculty members are the one making the admission decisions. Basically, if they want you, they'd probably be willing to overlook a .01 difference, especially if they're a rhetorician who doesn't understand numbers (like myself). I wouldn't worry too much about it if you have other selling points.
  12. Thanks for the welcome! A few things were different this time around. The biggest thing is that I actually applied to all comm programs this time. First time around, the majority were music PhD programs which was difficult coming in from the outside. The other thing was that I was applying while still working on my masters thesis the first time. My thesis wasn't at a concrete state when I had to write my apps and SOP, so things were a little more "all over the place" than this time around. And yes, proper planetary alignment is crucial. A few ritual sacrifices to appease the grad gods can help too.
  13. Somehow I'm just now discovering this wonderful site/virtual support group. Thought I'd drop in and say "hi" to all my fellow applicants. Reading over the thread so far, it seems like decisions are starting to pour in. I'm waiting for my fatal rejection letter from USC as well. For good news, however, I lucked out with an offer from Nebraska with TA funding and a fellowship. Given this is my second time around the PhD application track (first time all rejections), it's nice having an acceptance right off the bat!
  14. Austin F

    Boulder, CO

    I'm a local native - born and raised for 26 years, and I did my Ungrad/Masters at UCB. What everyone has said so far is pretty spot on. South Boulder is a great place to live... you will find some newer development around there and around the 29th street mall. Everything in Boulder tends to be more expensive (on average) than the surrounding areas. The closer you get to campus, the more expensive rental units will be. You can also look east of Foothills Parkway. Some of the apartments around 55th st. are on the cheaper side. As far as off-campus dorms and apartments, I'd look into the Bear Creek apartments. They're in the same area as Williams Village, but are a lot newer and nicer. Will Ville are true dorms (questionable stains and all), whereas the Bear Creek apartments are more like actual apartments. Another option you might consider is some of the surrounding areas. I commuted in and out during my masters program. The RTD busing system is great around here. Louisville, Broomfield, Lafeyette, and Longmont are the closest towns. Longmont (my home town) is probably on the cheaper side. There's some nice apartments around the South end, and transportation that takes about 30 minutes on any given day.
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