mikeman591

Absolutely! I certainly know when to be professional. For what it's worth, the field is communication, which can have a sort of casual feel on most occasions. Anything requiring business casual or above usually constitutes long sleeves anyways.

I'm happy to know I'm officially pursuing my PhD. With that said, I'm strongly considering a tattoo this summer before I go. It would simply be text, ideally located on the inside of my forearm, which would make it fairly visible unless I wear long sleeves. Should I have any concerns being a grad student/TA/teacher with a visible tattoo? It would be completely inoffensive and is more of a personal message to myself than anything else. I don't think it would make a difference in getting an academic job down the line but I'd like some thoughts.

He just said I was "high on their list" so who knows. With the grim picture he was painting, it sounds like they will be having a cohort of 2 (if both accept) this year in their department. It may be a blessing in disguise though. At first glance you'd think they'll have a rather large cohort next year but if these budget cuts are really this dramatic, it sounds like I'd be fighting for funding every year. That could make for a long 4-5 years.

Sigh. Arizona grad director said I'm one of their top applicants, but they've had MASSIVE budget slashing due to the state government attempting to pull huge amounts of funding from public higher education, including 100% from 2 year colleges. So they've only sent out offers to 2 people and they may not send out anymore unless the funding picture changes. So great, I'm at the top of your list but you can't even afford to accept me

Wait listed at Michigan State. I'm not really sure how to feel, I'd almost prefer a definitive decision either way. I'm happy with the choices I already have, but throwing this wrench into the mix so late makes things difficult. I feel like I have to wait it out and see but I probably wouldn't even have the opportunity to visit should I get in later, which is a huge con. Now I'm at their mercy

Phone interview with Michigan State tomorrow. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Thank you! I'm really, really clueless when it comes to driving/car maintenance in any sort of snow/icy condition

Quick question: In all likelihood, I'll be moving to a school up north when I've lived in the sunshine state all my life. I have a fairly new sedan (<2 years old) and am wondering if I should trade it in for a used SUV for the snow/ice driving up north. I've never had to deal with that before and my car right now only has FWD. Thoughts?

I'm officially attending UConn's Open House for the Communication Department in two weeks. What are some questions you feel are important to ask as you weigh offers from different places? Here's some I came up with: How many years of funding are guaranteed? Do they cover costs for conferences? How much? Do they cover moving expenses at all? Graduate housing/where people live Do I get an office (solo vs shared)? General cost of living in the area Tuition cost after waiver for assistantship Average time of completion of the program What's their relationship with the social psychology department (this is more of a personal question)? What's the weather like? How often have graduates been placed at R1 jobs? Obviously I'm omitting some things because I've had conversations with quite a few potential advisers should I go there.

Thankfully already have two acceptances to ponder, but waiting to hear from Michigan State and Arizona, which had a late deadline of 2/1. Hope to hear by the end of the month.

Some very interesting findings. This field is becoming increasingly female-dominated (my whole master's program is 90% women) and there's a clear lack of minority/under-represented groups becoming researchers in the discipline. This also made me feel really young, as I will only be 24 when I start doctoral study. 27-29 is much younger than that median age of 33. I'll be interested to see how that helps/hinders me in the end when looking for a job.

Sure! The person I interviewed with was the director the Center for Health and Risk Communication at Maryland. She was one of the people I was interested in working with. She spent a couple minutes talking about the program and her specific research. Then she asked me why I was interested in their program. Then, she asked what research plans I have should I attend the university. To be honest it was just a podium for me to sell my research interests, which at that point, I was very confident was worthwhile and can sell. Finally, she asked me if I had any questions and accordingly, I asked a few questions about the program and what their priorities are. Before I left she asked if I had heard from anywhere else and to look for an admissions decision soon. This was at the end of December and the first week of January I was admitted with full funding. It was only a 30 minute interview and I was rather long winded in my answers, mostly because I could talk about my research interests and experiences for days!

Are you interested in UConn? I'm seriously considering them but am waiting to hear back from other places. What was your proposed concentration in the program? I'm waiting to hear from Michigan State as well

It went great! I eventually got in with full funding. I also got in to UConn with full funding. I'm waiting to hear back from Michigan State and Arizona but I'm happy to have some choices!

I didn't get in either. Have you heard anything from Wisconsin? I know they sent out interview invites but I haven't had any correspondence since I submitted the application. It's a poor fit but it seems strange to have no correspondence. Off topic but has anyone been accepted at Maryland or UConn? I haven't seen anyone else that applied there

How has everyone dealt with teaching undergraduates while you were young? I will be starting a PhD program in the fall (where yet, I don't know) at the ripe age of 24. I taught a few speech classes as a master's student and it was a constant struggle to command respect in small (~30 student) classes when I was only 4-5 years older than my students. Do you have any thoughts/strategies to maximize credibility and respect as an instructor when you are this young? I know it certainly helps that I'm male but my age is a very tough barrier to overcome.

Did anyone else apply to UConn? I got in but was wondering what other people's impressions were of their program

Nice! I didn't get in but I'm happy for you! Great school and program

Is anyone going to ECA in April? I just got accepted

Did anyone else apply to Maryland? I got in and am looking for other applicants/admits!

It was one of my top schools so it's very exciting!

They assigned me a faculty contact that was a POI but I'm not sure if that means they are my advisor

I just was offered admission to the University of Maryland's PhD program in communication with a full Assistantship. Pinch me, I'm dreaming. Waiting for all the others is much easier now knowing I'm going somewhere no matter what.

University of Maryland