Victoris

I need to take out the trash, but I don't feel like it. I wish I had a trash-shoot or something of that nature.

Congrats on everyone's acceptance. Will everyone have to spend at least 4 years pursuing his/her PhD?

Hello. Will someone provide some advice on how you are managing/have manage a full-time job; while pursuing a doctoral degree on a part-time basis. Oh, I'm looking for information regarding the first two years of coursework. I'm assuming it would be similar to the workload of a master's program. I don't plan to work while I'm working on my dissertation. Honestly, I don't want to have too much time on my hands when I could be increasing my bank account. Thanks.

The scholarship is your stipend; only for the fall and spring semester. No summer funding. This means that you will either have to apply for a summer GRA position, take on a part-time job, or seek additional funding elsewhere. I live 45mins. away from GMU and pay $1200 for a one bedroom. Graduate housing range from a studio ($1300) to three bedroom ($2200). They are located on the main campus (Fairfax, VA) and Prince William campus (Manassas, VA). Some students rent rooms or entire homes around the campus; owners will only rent to GMU students. But beware. Some of them are way too expensive; like you can have the master bedroom for $1100 a month. Majority of the students are commuters; traveling from different cities. The furthest I heard was 3 hours away. The parking decals range from one semester at $100 to $600 to park in the garage. Summer is always $60. There is a small percentage of us who do not mind walking in rain, sleet, or snow. We park off-campus and walk onto campus; it is literally a 2-3 mins. walk (given the pedestrian light comes on as you walk to the intersection. Since GMU is located within the Northern DC Metro area (northern VA, D.C., and southern MD), the costs of items are reasonably higher than in other areas.

Always, always sustain communication with your prospective programs. In your case, ask your mentor for a brief agenda of the Visit Day to allow you to prepare and dress accordingly. Since he/she is your mentor, you should receive a definite answer.

Jackie Robinson

I received my top acceptance in Dec., accepted the offer, and withdrew the rest of my applications the second week in Jan. Yes, we do put in a lot of "effort and money" into our applications, but consider your ultimate goal. Regardless of if you get acceptances or denials, you won't get any of your "effort and money" back, so that should not be a deciding factor. Those are the risks you take to reach your ultimate goal. Unless you are not 100 percent sure that you want to attend your top choice, then I am advising you to withdraw the remaining applications. Sometimes it is okay to humble ourselves for others; especially those who are in their second/third application cycles. Think positive and positive things will happen in your life. The same goes for thinking negative. One ounce of doubt may cause one to miss out on great opportunities.

Night light

Did you submit your application on time? Previously, did you apply for the Fall 15 session? Does this program have a waitlist or were you simply rejected? If your prospective program is considering you for a different session, have you thought to update your application in the meantime; to make it stronger? What was your reasoning behind appealing? Did you appeal in a professional and respectful manner? Due to the limited information you have provided, you will receive a better answer if you question your program. No one on GradCafe is aware of your competition nor the available slots for incoming students at your prospective school.

Submitting a longer SOP may imply that you are unable to follow simple directions. I was 'politely' informed that professors don't require a specific page/word limit for "giggles and ish". The content of your SOP must effectively illustrate your competence and goals to the admission committee; within the given page limit.

Has anyone taken the Certified in Public Health (CPH) Exam as a student? I was told that I could take it after my first year of doctoral school for free. Is it worth taking? Thanks.

Was your count at or close to the requirement? If not, I hope you was able to get your application in on time. Thanks for the update.

Cool. Yes. You will be fine. Don't stress it.

What does your school's graduate policy entail? Have you spoken with your advisor? Remember that your core courses in grad school are not the same as those undergrad general courses. Grad core courses relate to your field some type of way; meaning you will need to fall back on the information from that course in your future courses/papers/projects/internships (from my own view of my program's final thesis/capstone projects). In the end, if you school is okay with the C and you can bring up your GPA in the future, then don't stress it. Life happens. Be well-rounded, network, volunteer, join the grad club or something. Study/concentrate harder. Love the field of your masters. Before all things, make sure you read your school's graduate student policy. Per a future job or doctoral program, one C is not going to negatively affect your future. FYI: In my current masters program, if one makes a C, he or she has one chance to retake the course to get a higher grade. If he or she decides not to repeat the course and receives a C in a different course, that individual is kicked out of our program; for having two Cs. Also, be glad that you aren't in a program like mine, for you would be on probation for having a GPA close to a 3.0; the minimum to stay in my program (not to scare you).

From my understanding, if you are pasting your statement in an online text box then spaces are included within the character count. If you are uploading a Word document, spaces are not included in the count.

I would have applied to pre-doctoral fellowships, 'stalked' the crap out of this website, and created a Linkedin account earlier than I did.

There is no moral way around what you are considering. The prospective schools will request for your official transcript from your current institution. You will not be able to matriculate into another program without that transcript. I can assure you that a school's grading scale will not cause an admissions committee to view you in a negative way.

Your attire depends upon your field. Since my field is public health, everyone is always in business attire. Some may get away with business casual, but definitely no jeans. To prepare for your visit, I would suggest that you view your department's webpage and get an idea of how students dress at social gatherings. Schools usually have pictures of their students on their webpages. Per the scheduling of an additional recruitment day, it is best that you contact a representative of the school and/or department. To make that lasting-first impression, the University of Missouri, Engineering Department offers some great tips: General tips Wear something that projects a tidy, professional appearance. Interviews should be business professional attire. If it’s an on-site interview on the field floor, opt for business casual. Avoid extreme colors, patterns and fabrics. Everything should fit appropriately and be clean and well pressed. Nails should be clean and well groomed. Leave book bags at home for on-site interviews. For on-campus interviews, leave them in the waiting area. Perfume or cologne should be used sparingly or not at all. No odors (such as smoke) in clothes. Long hair should be pulled back and away from the face. Tips for men Tie styles come and go. Avoid fashion extremes such as character ties. Wear dark socks, mid-calf length, so no skin is visible when you sit down. Invest in a good pair of dress shoes. Even if you don’t wear them daily on the job, you’ll need them for other occasions. Wear a black or dark brown belt to match your shoes. Facial hair, if worn, should be well groomed. Remove any piercings. Tips for women Pants suits can be an excellent choice for site visits, particularly if the visit involves getting in and out of vehicles or if the site is a manufacturing plant or industrial facility. Pants should be creased and tailored. Skirts should cover your thighs when you are seated. Don’t show cleavage. Make sure shirts are long enough to cover your stomach completely, whether standing or sitting. Keep jewelry and accessories simple and relatively conservative. Keep makeup conservative and avoid extreme nail polish colors. No stilettos or chunky platforms. Make sure you can walk comfortably in your shoes. I am going to also suggest that you take a notepad/pen with you to take notes throughout the day. The school will likely pass out a folder with its information in it, so you can write on the back of the provided paper; to let them know that you are interested in the program. Know the correct name of the department and program which has your interest. Also be prepared to answer and ask questions. Have a set of questions (maybe 3-5) that you would like answered; for the faculty and current students. Do not ask any questions that can be answered by looking at the school/department website. Think outside the box. For instance: How often does an advisor meets with his/her students? How many journal articles are students expected to publish by graduation? Does the school offer enrichment programs (beyond the writing lab)? Where are your graduates now? In case of a medical incident (surgery, birth/adoption/lost of love one, etc.), how many semesters can I miss of school? ***What are the characteristics of a successful student?***

For all of my prospective programs, I emailed these two questions: What is the attrition rate (how many students leave the program; voluntary vs involuntary)? Do you know the placement percentage (ability to get a job upon graduation)? The programs coordinators forwarded my email to the Chairs of the department because the coordinators could not answer my questions. I received answers from all of the Chairs. Having your school in Canada should not make a difference. If you want straight forward (some were relatively long) answers, I would suggest that you email the programs directly. The turnaround time for my emails were roughly a week.

Simply ask the prospective letter writer, what are the characteristics of a student who is able to succeed in a doctoral program. Inform him/her that you want to develop those attributes and will work on your weak points; everyone has them. Asking a question for clarity does not conclude to an unawareness of oneself. Everyone has room for growth and should continue to gain knowledge throughout their lifetimes. Per research experience, it depends on your field of interest. Some people (including myself) are accepted to doctoral programs without any research; beyond course papers.

Masters program: I received a letter informing me of my official school ID number and instructions on how to setup my email. This letter came a month prior to the acceptance letter. PhD programs: During an Open House, the Chair told me she looks forward to seeing me at the interview stage. The Open House was in October.

I was in a similar situation. I am a U.S. Navy Veteran and received a B.S. in Finance while I was on active duty (almost 7 years of service). After three deployments, support for a mass casualty incident, and travels to 16 countries ("cultural competency"), I graduated with a 2.8. I'm due to graduate with a Masters this upcoming Spring (GPA is 3.8 now). I'm in a different category as well. Per your question, you must choose programs which view applicants holistically. Sometimes you can find this information on their websites, but I suggest that you contact your prospective programs coordinators. Also, obtain strong recommendation letters and ensure your SOPs are strong; speak the language of your intended field. In my SOPs, I did not provide a sob story about why my GPA was low. I illustrated my competencies and future endeavors. Everyone does not understand military language, so you should ensure that your strengths are translated into 'civilian' language. Regardless if you are military or not, some schools have a minimum undergrad GPA, GRE scores, and/or field experience requirements. The admission committees may or may not budge on these requirements. You won't know unless you ask them. Good luck.

cassandra26, sorry for your situation. Since you aren't going to list any of your graduate professors as references, do you have any undergraduate professors that you can contact? Your situation is similar to someone applying for a corporate position, having held 3 previous jobs, but listing his/her college professors as references. There is no connection. Think hard. There must be at least one professor who could write you a letter; consider your entire network.

Thanks!

I received an email from a department chair that I was recommended to the school. Does the 'school' have the final yea or nay?