APHI224

Well I didn't mean to offend anyone, I was simply offering a different point of view. I meant it to be positive in that I think people should try to go to the best place possible if they get in. "You're only at the Master's level" sounds pretty mean and condescending. You seem to think you're better than me because you're at the PhD level (or so I can assume). So even if you do get over it I'm really not interested in what someone with that attitude has to say, so save it. I guess I got my answer as to if Master's programs or unfunded acceptances were looked down upon. How sad.

Well as you can see from my profile I am in a social science. I do not want to go into social work, I am going to be attending a regular MA program in the fall. It is not funded but I don't take that personally and I do not consider it a deal-breaker, I knew I would be paying for it and I don't have a problem with that. I don't think many people are funded for the sort of thing I am going for and that's OK. I'm sure the difference with me is that I will not actually be paying for any of this myself, my parents are footing the bill, so go ahead and flame me for that. I am not sure if I even want a PhD at this point, I only want to go into some kind of research so I may not need one. I'm not looking for a really prestigious position, I just know that in order to get a decent-paying job that I could live off of I will need a higher degree than a BA in my field. Maybe in a year and a half when I'm done with my MA I might consider going on for a PhD and be concerned with funding. My only point was that I think we all try to go to the best place possible within our circumstances and it would really be heartbreaking to get into your top choice but not be able to attend because of no funding. I would try to avoid this heartbreak by going anyway, but I understand that isn't always possible for everyone. I really hope that in my program (and in other people's as well) that someone would never be looked down upon or degraded by their department or other people for attending somewhere they did not receive funding from, that is just terrible.

Actually quite the opposite, I feel like people who would refuse to go to school if it wasn't funded have a chip on their shoulder. They seem to interpret it personally like the school didn't feel they were good enough to offer them funding. I was just unfamiliar with the whole funding aspect before I started to apply and was surprised to find out it was such a big issue. Like I said, I completely understand that some people's financial situation would make it impossible for them to attend without funding and that can be the deciding factor. Personally I would never feel uncared for if I had to pay for my degree, it's not like the advisors give preferential treatment to those who are funded, do they? All I'm saying is that if I got an offer to attend a top school in my field without funding, I would do everything in my power to go because it would give me the best chance of getting a good job (in academia or not) after I graduate. I wouldn't feel insulted that they didn't offer me any funding and refuse to go there if I could make it work.

I guess I just really disagree with this, I think the analogy is skewed. Obtaining a PhD does require the same level of work (even more so) than a job, but when you are working a traditional job you do not come out of it after a certain number of years with a higher level degree of education. I don't think there is any shame or disgrace in paying for your degree, we all did it for undergraduate. I think maybe then this point of view is thinking of a PhD more along the lines of an apprenticeship? I just never saw it that way. I always thought I would be paying for it just the same as I paid for my undergraduate because it is a valuable degree that carries with you your entire life. It is NOT the same as working a regular job without pay, it just isn't. And especially now with the economy being so bad, so many departments don't have the money they used to (or would like to have) but still want to take on students. Personally I'd rather get accepted and have to pay my own way because it means that YES they DO want you, but maybe they are dealing with money problems of their own and just can't finance everyone they'd like to. It's not about whether or not they CARE, that is a childish emotional label that I doubt the admission committees or the departments think about. Why are you attending graduate school at all? For most people it's about getting a higher degree so that you will be more qualified and be able to fetch a higher salary in the job market. I completely understand if someone just cannot afford not to go without funding, but if they can make it work I don't think their ego should stop them because they think they "weren't good enough" for funding. If you stop yourself from going for that reason you're only hurting yourself because you won't have the degree you need, or maybe you'll have it but it will be from a lesser school thus giving yourself less opportunity when you graduate. I think you are just personalizing it too much, which is easy to do because this whole process really hits us all in a personal way. We put so much of ourselves into our applications and when you don't get funding you can feel like they don't "care" but I don't think that is the case. Go ahead and yell at me or send me negative comments but I just don't think that is an accurate analogy.

OK, I understand this but I don't agree that if a school doesn't fund you it means they don't really want you. If they didn't want you, they'd offer the spot to someone else, that just doesn't make sense. Also, why do you automatically assume that everyone getting a PhD wants to go into academia? Is there some unwritten rule that that is the only option or the only career in which someone would pursue a PhD? Last time I checked, there are plenty of other well-paying fields that people need a PhD to pursue. I was just saying I think you should try to follow your dreams, sometimes you only get these chances once.

I have a hard time understanding this I guess, if I got into a top school in my field without funding I would do everything in my power to go. Why can't people just take out loans? If it's really a great school then the assumption is that you'll be able to find well-paid employment after you graduate so you'll be able to pay off the loans. Certainly your employment options will be better if you attend the top school than if you settle for someplace less prestigious, isn't that part of the allure of the top school? I guess I feel like if you only get one life and one shot at it, why not go for the gold?

I got invited to one of those things too, but it probably isn't the same school. When I RSVP'd I noticed that anyone who wants to can sign up to go so it doesn't mean anything. I also believe this school has started to notify applicants already but the event is in mid March so if I get rejected beforehand I'm obviously not going.

Thanks everyone for the input. I guess once I get my first rejection I'll be expecting this less, it's just been floating around in my head as a possibility because I haven't heard anything. Maybe I feel like they won't think I'm worth getting back to, that it should be obvious? I guess that's what a lot of waiting does to your mind lol. I think I'd be too embarrassed at that point to call/e-mail to ask, that's how sad I think my application is... but I guess I'll just have to wait and see, thanks!

I was just wondering, has anyone here experienced a silent rejection, where they just never get back to you or tell you anything? For some reason I have a feeling that is going to happen to me at some places, like I'll just never hear a word from them one way or another but have to assume come April and May that it's a rejection. Just wondering if anyone had heard of that happening.

Hi,I've seen on some of the threads and in the results section that people who were accepted were offered health insurance and I was just wondering how that works. My parents don't have coverage (they're self-employed and have never really had any) so I have bought coverage from my undergrad all 4 years. I was hoping I'd have the same option in grad school, like maybe I could buy some sort of plan from the school, or does it have to be offered to me? When they offer it, does that just mean that they are helping you pay for it? I'd be happy to pay it on my own as long as there was something I could get. Getting a plan on my own would likely be very expensive but I don't really want to go without, I've seen what's happened to my parents over the years (they just never go to the doctor, even when they really need it because they can't afford it). So... what's the deal? Thanks!

Is anyone else concerned that the UCs are practically shutting down because of the economic crisis? I heard they won't be accepting as many people for obvious reasons and offering far less funding. At this point it would feel like jumping onto a sinking ship, but of course the past reputation makes it hard to pass up.

SOP and fit matter a lot, but only once you make the initial cut based on GPA and GRE. And while having a 3.6 won't hurt you, having a 3.1 will, which is why I'm anticipating 14 rejections. Cheers.

Oh that is good to know. I did apply there but I'm certain I'm not one of the people they are considering. I hope they notify all the rejections shortly after that, so at least then I'll have one rejection down and 13 more to go!

Not even a fairy tale can get you one of those these days! That's why I'm staying out of academia, I don't need to ruin my life as an adjunct for 10 years while searching for a job in my mid 30s

I fully understand and agree with this, my argument is that it doesn't have to be done in a mean, spiteful or insulting manner that personally attacks someone's worth in their profession. There seems to be so much hostility and nastiness going on here, I hope it is just the stress of the application process and not a representation of what I have to look forward to in graduate study.