SiSi26

I have an undergrad in political science, a masters degree in gender and international development and now Im pursuing a PhD in geography all at different schools. Switching disciplines makes sense only if that is the direction you want your research to go. Schools will acknowledge that especially if research is interdisciplinary. The only issue is if you need to fulfill certain course requirements which might prolong degrees

Just in case anyone has missed my last post about IHEID. Got an email from Paola Eicher saying that the PhD decisions will be made today and I should receive an email tomorrow. Good luck. The school is my first choice!

I am also waiting for IHEID to respond to my PhD application. It is likely my first choice. I want to mention to everyone that they are making this decision on Wednesday and I should hear back on Thursday. Fingers crossed!!! All in all I did my education in Canada and the UK…I want to stay in Europe for personal reasons. Where you get your degree matters a lot less than how you use your knowledge. Unless of course you are going into academia, well than the reputation matters. I want to ask all of your opinion. If you had to choose between two fully funded PhD programs: one at a high ranking department but with not as good coordination or lab research or the other with a superstar supervisor and awesome lab but the department is no ranked which would you choose? good luck superstars!

It really depends on the school. IDS at Sussex I would say knows what they are doing in terms of the field of development. All of the Research Fellows there are consultants first and lecturers second. I found there to be a really good network there. Much better than LSE etc. In the end, my opinion is that education is education. You need to have an area of expertise to be able to contribute on something - beyond just international development which I have come to realize means everything under the sun. Working overseas I think is also the best way to focus and gain skills that are as important as you will learn in your education. In terms of getting your foot in the door, I have a lot of conversations with a lot of people about a lot of different things…smooz-ing is the best term I believe.

Don't worry sounds like you still have a few schools to get back to you on the list that are equally as amazing! Besides no program is perfect

Worked alongside GIZ in Ghana - some of the work they do in agriculture development is good, but nothing very new / innovative. That is the consequence of working for government donor agencies. Usually not very critical and often reinventing the wheel. Not to mention all of the politics you need to deal with.

Its pretty much a rejection letter yes. That is the way I understand it.

I am glad I could help. You are totally right about the funding at IDS it is a bad situation. BUT I did end up making enough money at the school by working in research for them to cover my tuition. So in a way I feel like I got a 10,000 pound RAship you know? But this is not guaranteed or anything. Good luck I hope you get the funding.

Hi friends, I have some decisions about two Geography Phds. Choice between University of Toronto / University of Western Ontario. I have a confirmed funding amount from UofT but not yet from UWO because they are trying to improve the offer. Supervision - is similar at both schools. I have two supervisors at each: all related to what I want except one supervisor at UWO is from the community I want to do field research in. One supervisor at UofT has a project there as well but she is a scientist and Im interested in human geography. Spoken to students who have worked with all of these supervisors and I have only received good news about them. Funding -will be similar with the possibility of UWO being a bit more. I have been told that the UofT program takes about 5 years but only have money for 4, not sure for UWO yet. Community / culture- UofT is big and very intimidating. I had a really really good time at the lab at UWO Reputation: UofT is a better department reputation wise than UWO City - no competition, Toronto is better than London ON Support - there are two other faculty (making 4) who I would like to work with at UofT, at UWO there are only 2 that I can say. But the administration at UWO is much better than UofT. There is also the issue of academic incest with UofT, meaning I already have a degree from there…. You can see my dilemma right? What would you do and why? If you are not sure, tell me what more information you would need to make the decision?

Hi friends, I have some decisions about two Geography Phds. Choice between University of Toronto / University of Western Ontario. I have a confirmed funding amount from UofT but not yet from UWO because they are trying to improve the offer. Supervision - is similar at both schools. I have two supervisors at each: all related to what I want except one supervisor at UWO is from the community I want to do field research in. One supervisor at UofT has a project there as well but she is a scientist and Im interested in human geography. Spoken to students who have worked with all of these supervisors and I have only received good news about them. Funding -will be similar with the possibility of UWO being a bit more. I have been told that the UofT program takes about 5 years but only have money for 4, not sure for UWO yet. Community / culture- UofT is big and very intimidating. I had a really really good time at the lab at UWO Reputation: UofT is a better department reputation wise than UWO City - no competition, Toronto is better than London ON Support - there are two other faculty (making 4) who I would like to work with at UofT, at UWO there are only 2 that I can say. But the administration at UWO is much better than UofT. There is also the issue of academic incest with UofT, meaning I already have a degree from there…. You can see my dilemma right? What would you do and why? If you are not sure, tell me what more information you would need to make the decision?

I heard back from Clare Hinrichs, who is actually very helpful. She sent me a notice because I inquired about my application status. My excuse was that I had an offer from another school with full funding and they need me to make a decision soon. Here is some of what she said: "The Graduate Program in Rural Sociology at Penn State University is very pleased to offer you admission to our PhD program, starting fall semester 2014. ...We had not contacted you yet about this good news, because at the moment I am not able to offer you a graduate assistantship that will fund your tuition and living stipend…. It is possible that opportunities for your funding here could change in the next two weeks. " It was quite a long, personal email that also included information about how 'tight' the funding is this year. I cannot attend without funding so I am hoping to hear from them in two weeks with some good news. If not I will have to take a different offer. My application 'stats': - GPA - medium - SOP - strong - potential supervisor - strong - GRE - medium - work experience - strong - previous degrees - political science, African studies, gender, development (not soc.) - research interests - gender, agriculture, food/nutrition security - Canadian student with degrees from Canada and UK (not the USA) Hope that helps!

I have kept in contact with her and the faculty because they have been giving me advise on where to apply. I am new to this whole PhD thing. I contacted her about my status because I had an offer from a different program with a very close deadline and need to make decision. If I were you I would wait it out…its going to be another week or so. Or contact the potential supervisor and put a bug in their ear. Just say hi have not spoken in a while, hope the semester is going well, my phd applications have been completed and they went smoothly. hoping to hear back from Penn State soon.

I actually did the Gender and Development degree at IDS! It was very good. Not perfect, but I think there will not be a school out there that is perfect. The program at IDS is not as research as you think. For example, you take a theoretical feminist courses in development, but also political courses about gender and development which is more practical AND an actual Doing Gender and Development course which is very good, and more practical. The other courses are a bit mixed i.e. Impact Evaluation very practical, Participation courses are mixed. The idea is that the first semester is theoretical and the second is more practical. Balance works well. I prefer one year because I have research interests in gender and agriculture with a case study, which I knew before and did not need the time during the Masters to explore as much. If that is the case with you than go for a one year, but if you really want to read widely than two years is better. Unfortunately, I do not know about Sciences-Po. I have only heard complains about SOAS so I honestly would not choose there unless you reaaaaly want to live in London. And it is not a practical course at all. Also, probably very differently than IHEID, SOAS is that people at IDS are the best and make your experience that much more worthwhile. IDS is really small so you will get to know all of the faculty, students and the administrators are super invested in you. It was easy to get RA work on interesting, relevant topics because all of the Faculty are working as researchers first. That being said, it also means they are not the best teachers--sometimes busy, and they do not know how to design a powerpoint. Most of all, the other students I would guess are twice as experienced at IDS than other students in other schools. I learnt most from my other colleagues about actually doing development and they knew who to talk to about jobs etc. So much so that now I am applying for PhDs and realize I am the only one who has worked in developing countries….and that is weird because at IDS I was the least experienced! It is a very non-competitive atmosphere and everyone is around the school all of the time so its quite a good community. Brighton is also pretty good. Although I am seriously consider IHEID because of funding and Geneva is a good place to be connected. IDS will likely not have much money

I have been told that doing a PhD is all about endurance. Meaning, you want to make sure you can actually get through the program. Many very smart people drop out for many reasons, but mainly due to funding. My first instinct is to go where the money is. After all there is a reason why they are offering you more and choosing to invest in you. But there are some other factors besides ranking to consider. Supervision I think is most important. I would say its probably better to go with the devil you know than the one you don't. What if you end up choosing the other and you don't get a long very well? I think you should also consider the problem of 'academic incest' which others keep reminding me of. I did my undergrad at the same place I am considering for my PhD. Mostly because it is the best school and offers the best funding. But I am more skeptical about doing both grad degrees at the same place. Also you should figure out how long it takes to complete the program on average. If it is average 6 years and you only get funding for 4 well then…thats is more precarious. Also if you are just doing a one year Masters program, i would not worry about the money too much as long as you do not put yourself in debt. I will have to listen to my own advice soon

That is definably more optimistic then with the supervisor. I hope you included their name in the application. That is also similar to my situation at Penn State. I just got a long email from Clare Hinrichs at Penn State, Rural Sociology saying I have been admitted, but the funding is TBD because not able to offer a graduate assistantship. Meaning they might know more in two weeks time and will get back to me...

I just got an email from Richard Keller at UW-Madison referring to the Development Studies program I applied to (with Geography as the discipline of focus). He says "you are definitely admissible to the program. However, we have had a more difficult time finding an appropriate advisor for you, and in particular, finding secure funding for you. We are extremely reluctant to admit students without funding and without a firm commitment from an advisor. If we are able to find these, we will let you know, but funding appears to be difficult. I would advise you to go with Toronto if they have secure funding for your program." I would advise that if you are applying to PhD programs make sure you have supervisor(s) confirming that they want to work with you and if you can, confirm that they also have funding / a research project you can work on. Even though the whole Department has an agriculture focus at UW, which is what I am interested in…still nothing. UW-Madison, was my weakest application because the supervisor enthusiasm was not there. Cornell has a supervisor that I definably want to work with and has funding. Penn State has a supervisor, but the funding is uncertain so we will see what they come back with. Good to know that State College is nice, I was skeptical with a name like that. Ithaca is also not too far from my home, and well Cornell is a GREAT school like you said so thanks for the positive feedback. But I hate the cold more than anything… Fingers crossed people!!

Thanks for sharing your experience as a grad student. My assumption is that your experience differs greatly as a grad student than a undergrad so thanks for confirming this. I also got glimpses of it when I did my undergrad by taking Masters courses. Although I am from Toronto I cannot visit as I am currently living in Sierra Leone. But I had a chance to meet my Supervisors in December and really like them. I have been emailing other MA / PhD students and have had a mixed response. I emailed 7 students - 3 got back to me with detailed responses and they seem very chill, I can see them as potential allies; 2 shallow responses; 2 no responses. I got full funding to Toronto and because my family is there I should be able to manage the costs so I am not so worried. Just trying to figure out what the terms of the funding are because I would like to continue working on my consultancy project, but if I cannot travel for two weeks here and there then that might be a problem. Not yet sure what the TA /RA extra work is but its a good question. My supervisors seem really great. All of their students who I emailed and work under them have said nothing but good things. I do not think the Geography Department is very big compared to political science / international relations etc. My supervisor mentioned out of 150 applicants this year to PhD Geography at UofT only 8-9 are admitted. This makes me feel good as its competitive but also does this mean I will not have as many colleagues in my position? Therefore not as many students at the same point in my PhD. You can basically half this number of students because some will be in physical geography which is not really my interest.

Theoretical and geopolitical are important for PhD so good to know. Do you know anything about the other schools? UWO / Guelph? Do let me know if you are admitted and decide to go. Good luck!

I have not read the forum but I applied for PhD in International Relations / Development Studies at: - IHEID - got an email from Paola Eicher after inquiring about the status of my application said, "Your file is currently being assessed by the Admission Committee, thus is each of the department's professors. At the end of the February, they will decide on the final list of admitted candidates. Until, then we can not know which candidates have been selected. You may contact me on the 25 and I can see if I can get an anticipated approximate answer on your application." - SOAS - nothing yet - Wisconsin-Madison - nothing yet. Do let me know if you have heard from these schools. IHEID is a top choice, but I can only go if they give full scholarship for four years as Geneva is more expensive than London to live in. SOAS would be ideal for a PhD as its much more theoretical (would not go for a Masters if you want practical) but there is no funding. Unless you get ESRC grants. Wisconsin-Madison just has whole departments dedicated to my research topic so I applied. I also did my Masters at IDS at Sussex and it I think is way better than any universities based in London. The degree at IDS is more practical than what you will find at any unis in London and all of the faculty are in the thick of development so you can get really well connected really quickly. I got several internships with the UN after my Masters which I did not take because the university hired me and paid me really well and I got consultancy work right after. All of my friends who went to LSE / SOAS has more trouble. That being said, I would not do my Masters at Sussex, only IDS at Sussex. If you intend on going into Masters at Sussex wanting to be in touch with IDS, the two places are very independent and often do not coordinate. It is also much more inexpensive to live in Brighton (a great place) and the tuition is a lot less plus its very cheap and easy to visit London, I used to go every weekend. But there is no funding at Sussex or IDS so if you are looking to do a PhD good luck.

If anyone is applying to Penn State Rural Sociology program? I have not heard anything from the school even after inquiring about my status.

I got an email from Laurie Johnson at Cornell Development Sociology saying: I should be able to give you an idea on whether you are one of our top candidates by [Feb 26]. We are still in the preliminary stages, but I should know more after February 12, our next meeting. Good luck everyone!!

I also applied to U of Toronto and heard back. Any verdict? Toronto is great because the guarantee funding for 4 years. What do you think about Toronto? Is it your first choice? If so why if no why? I also applied to UWO and Guelph Geography but nothing yet. I was told I should hear by end of Feb - early March.

Applied to: Cornell's PhD Development Sociology program Penn State's PhD Rural Sociology program If I have not yet heard back does that mean I am on the wait list?

I applied to Geography programs in Canada - Uof Toronto - accepted with full funding - U of Western Ontario - nothing yet, been informed will hear by end of February - U of Guelph - nothing yet. Do you know anything about these schools Departments?

These are really really good responses. The information I was looking for. All very relevant for what I am considering. Especially when thinking about deal breakers. For me a few deal breakers are: - poor supervision - someone who has no experience with a PhD student who completed their degree. So far all of the supervisors are very hands on so I am not too worried - poor funding I have only been accepted to UofT so far because I think it is early acceptance. Other schools are getting back to me at the end of February and early March. The reality is that other schools in Canada are likely not going to give me the same funding offered here. The supervisors do not do exactly my research but I have heard only good feedback from other grad students who have worked with them. Also they both singled me out and went out of their way I think, more than most applicants (hence the early acceptance). Then again there are no supervisors in Canada who I have found who are doing exactly what I do... Really the only thing I am seeing as a possible deal breaker in the community/culture. Speaking to students like Surefire have all said similar things, which to me speaks nothing of a deal breaker. They also seem very relaxed and quick to respond in their emails (well some do anyways). I found out a few days ago that 8-9 people are being admitted this year to the department and only half will likely be social science. Ive been told the Department has more social events than many others and that there are lounges and bi-weekly pub events people go to. In reality I am from Toronto so its not like I am going to a new City completely alone…. Also I am a bit more experienced with dealing with the UofT bureaucracy since I put up with it for 4 years already and did build a strong community when I was there…I was just somehow still always stressed. Both of you have mentioned the academic incest thing - something to seriously consider. My supervisors mentioned it before I applied but said that its ok if you have an undergrad at one place and a phd at the same…as long as its not all three or a Masters and PhD at the same place. Besides all my degrees are in different disciplines. I think I scream interdisciplinary which I hope means…adaptable? I have also lived and worked in 5 countries…so..what do you think? Should I care about this academic incest thing. I mean UofT is highly ranked in the world. Wouldn't it be better to have a PhD reputation wise even though it is two degrees, than to go to a lesser known school, especially if I choose to work abroad? If you had to choose between a Geography program at UofT or UWO or Guelph, which would you choose and why? Keeping in mind the supervision is similar, the funding is relatively similar (Guelph and London are cheaper cities so I can get less funding), the course work is similar, the workload and everything…What would you do?