oldlady

Congrats, werd814 -- enjoy!

You don't need a masters degree to be a successful producer, and you certainly don't need to go into major debt. Learn your craft on the job, and network a lot so you can move up.

Good rules of thumb: Grad Skool Rulz #9: Why you shouldn't pay for grad school

Just found this link on a TM thread, and am finding it to be quite valuable -- not only the blog, but also the comments. Check it out: http://orgtheory.wordpress.com/grad-skool-rulz/

Thanks -- and to you! For me, the decision on where to even apply was heavily influenced by which organizational culture would fit me best. As someone who has worked for a long time, I have come across a lot of peopple who...shall we say, didn't learn everything they needed to know in kindergarten. Grad school is known as a place where students don't get a lot of respect to begin with. I really wanted to be in an environment where my experience was viewed as an asset, not a liability. The faculty at CUNY in my area have been really forthcoming -- asking me if I wanted to meet informally in January to get any questions answered and quickly responding to my e-mails, including giving me an informal acceptance when I e-mailed to check my status. NYU was not interested in me as a PhD candidate, which is, frankly, just fine with me -- I may want to work there when I'm done with my degree!

I came out of the nerd closet years ago, so I thank you for the compliment!

So how does this story end, psycholinguist?

Double-take, followed by sheer delight.

Me: I'm getting my degree in Organizational Behavior. Friend: Does this mean that you get to teach organizations how to behave or figure out why they don't?

LOL -- What about, "we are pleased to offer you $25 for every time that you checked your application"?

I would like to thank the Academy because it is such an honor to be recognized by my peers!

dung beetle

Congratulations!

prime number

First, get in touch with the schools that you haven't heard from and see if you can get some closure. That, in itself, may solve your problem. If not, just be honest with your potential new employer about your situation. (If you were the employer, wouldn't you want to be treated the same way?) See if you can't work something out... Good luck!

I most definitely concur.

I am 43, married, with a nine-year-old, and I'll be starting at CUNY in the fall. One of the big selling points of CUNY for me was the abundance of students there with work experience. I don't think any of them are necessarily my age, but they've had some life experience. In addition, one of the profs with whom I interviewed does a lot research in the work/life balance area and she gave me the impression that the department was supportive of students (and faculty) with children. I guess I'll see what it's like when I get there...

number one

Good website -- thanks! I have now picked up The Compleat Academic: A Career Guide by Darley, Zanna, and Roediger, recommended by a tenure-track prof at a top school, and it seems to be quite informative and to the point.

Thanks for the link, OP -- I enjoyed the article. It is interesting for me, coming from a business background, to learn about the system in other academic areas. The business schools strictly limit the supply of graduate (PhD) student slots and push us to earn our degrees within five years. Demand for a business PhD is lower, too, because many of those interested in business would rather get an MBA and then go out into the corporate world to make their money. As a result, it seems much harder to get into a business PhD program, but there is relatively less competition for academic jobs after graduation. Lower academic competition and higher corporate competition also keep academic salaries relatively high. Regarding the dissertation versus publishing while in the program, I was given the following advice: From Day 1, do whatever you can to only/mostly work on research that could be relevant to your dissertation.Publish as much as you can before you go on the job market.Spend as little effort as possible on teaching and service. If you follow this advice, you are, in effect, building job market momentum from the day you begin your studies. I think that, as students, we sometimes forget that the goal is not the degree, but the job after the degree. I think this advice holds water once you are on the tenure track, as well.

First official letter came in today... as an e-mail attachment, informing me that I would be getting a different (and even more official) letter in the mail soon. But the letter did include funding info -- a nice chunk o' change for five years, plus extra in the summer linked to TA/RA activity. This is me exhaling: *aaaaah*

I am angry on your behalf.

When I was going for my MBA, I was choosing between an Ivy and an excellent, but more regional, program. I chose the Ivy because I thought that in the long run, it would open more doors for me, in terms of both the brand name and the vast alumni network. This, in fact, has turned out to be true. I took out loans, but was able to pay them off easily with the bump in salary that the degree provided, and I have never regretted my choice. Having said that, my husband went to a good regional school for his MBA, and he's not the worse for wear. He probably has had to work harder to get in the door, but once in, he makes a great impression. He also did not stay in the region, so there are fewer alumni who can help him where we are now. At the same time, the ranking of his alma mater has steadily increased since he graduated, so the value of his degree has also increased. I think that high-ranking professional programs often do end up paying for themselves, but I don't know what the payback time period would be in your field. But in any field, you're only as good as your last piece of work, so if you choose a lower-ranked program, it will matter less once you're back in the workplace. Good luck with your decision!

care take