Ville

Both are equally great schools for journalism, so you cannot go wrong either way. However, you will likely be paying close to $50,000 for tuition & living expenses per academic year at USC. I think as a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley, you'll be paying a lot less fees, so you should be able to get by with the current financial support from your sponsor. Have you talked to the current visiting scholars at UC Berkeley? It may be a good idea to contact them about their experiences. I have heard horror stories from a visiting scholar in communication in an Ivy League school in the east coast about how they were disregarded by the faculty and left to do things on their own. So, double check to make sure you will receive the kind of training and support that suit your education goals in the US.

I think USC Annenberg has a better ranked journalism program. See http://annenberg.usc.edu/News%20and%20Events/News/111216NewsProRankings.aspx though UC Berkeley is not far behind. Keep in mind that USC Annenberg is overall a stronger communication school (it's arguably considered the best communication school in the west coast of the US). USC Annenberg also has hundreds of millions of dollars of endowment, more resources, more faculty with a variety of expertise, research opportunities, & networks to the large alumni and industry. Having said that, UC Berkeley is more well known internationally.

I sent you a pm to tell you about life in State College. Hopefully, it will help you make an informed decision.

Congrats Saviya! We'll see each other soon. :-)

I was just informed that I am now off the wait list at USC! I'm beyond ecstatic but this is somewhat bittersweet, as I have just visited UW and really enjoyed my time with the professors, the doctoral students, the campus and the beautiful city of Seattle. My only hesitation with UW is its financial offer, which seems low given its location. I'm leaning heavily towards accepting an offer at USC now, but need to consult my family and a few other people. Anyway, I hope a few of us who have been waitlisted at USC are now in the same situation as I do. I may see some of you at USC soon!

I agree with most of the replies. Don't jump into grad school if you're not absolutely sure of what you want to get out of it. You can always pursue it later. Take the job offer, and gain work experience in the field for the next few years. I think you're going to have a much clearer idea of what you want to pursue after that. I hope you make the right decision!

My stats are: 610 V 720 Q 5.0 W GRE, undergrad GPA of 3.86 in communication and grad GPA of 3.91 in health communication I think it's more of program fit as I have spoken with a few professors who share my area of interests in social marketing, health comm., and utilization of new media in health campaigns. It's a shame that I can't attend their program. I would really like to live in DC, given it's the central location for international health arena. Now, I will just have to decide between the offer with full funding at UW or USC (both of which are PhD in Communication).

This may not be directly related to communication, but I just got an email from the program director in health behavior (with social marketing and health communication track) at GWU that the admissions committee has agreed to accept me but there is no funding whatsoever. So, it's really pointless and now I regret spending over $350 (application fee + test score reports + international transcript verification) to apply to this school. I notice from reading in various forums that GWU does not offer full funding to admitted doctoral students across disciplines. Comparing between fields, most PhD programs in communication also offer full funding, but the same cannot be said for DrPH programs, which are viewed more as a degree for public health professionals. Wonder how people who end up going to GWU manage to come up with means to pay for the tuition fees and living expenses for 4-5 years. Do they decide that shelling out money for first year is a good investment, and they should be able to secure RA/TA or other jobs at GWU in the subsequent years?

I have just been accepted to the DrPH in Health Behavior at George Washington University, but without any funding whatsoever. So, it's pointless really. I wonder what are some of the programs that provide admitted DrPH students (esp. in behavioral/community/preventive health) with full funding. I can't justify getting loans of a few hundred thousand dollars to attend a doctoral program.

Hey Jasmineflower, I think I'm lucky in the sense that I have a supportive mom to counteract the negative energy from my dad. In a way, it comes down to maintaining "face". To boost his social standing among his friends and relatives, my dad wants to paint me in a certain light (wealthy businessman rather than a poor educator/researcher in a random social science field). I guess he's disappointed I am not choosing to do what he thinks is best for my life. Well, he and his relatives need to remember it's my life and not theirs. And to be honest, I don't really give a flying ##@@ about what they think. I don't owe them anything so why let them dictate how I should pursue my life? Having said this, do I ever question the choices I have made to pursue a PhD in communication? Of course! I have friends who opt for Bachelor or Masters Degrees in financial engineering, MBA, computer science or IT. They are now making over $100k a year. You can't help but think I should have just gone for one of those degrees during my college days instead. However, I have also met a lot of successful people in my life with advanced degrees in political science, public policy, public health, anthropology & communication. They are doing more inspiring work to combat poverty, diseases and political conflicts in the United Nations, health agencies and related social enterprises. Some of them make significant income and also a huge dent in the universe. I think it's sadder to choose a 'safe' path in engineering just to make money, even though you have no passion for it. I think you need to ask yourself why those snarky comments are starting to interfere with your well-being. Do they say those things because of their limited worldviews? Is it justified to be rude to impose their values on you because they think it's helpful for you or rather it's to reaffirm their beliefs that they have made better choices in their life? You can see that I tolerate my dad because....well he's my dad. But you can be sure that I won't tolerate it if it's from his relatives. Damn respect the elder culture. Someone should definitely step in to defend you if people have the audacity to berate you in front of your own child. I will encourage you to remove yourself from such toxic environment to keep your sanity. I assume that it's mostly your immediate parents or siblings who you have a hard time with. I encourage you, if you have not done it already, to have an honest discussion with them that what they are doing are straining your relationships with them. Acknowledge that your career path may be unconventional from their perspectives, and thanks for the criticism because deep down they care. However, if they are going to keep on harping about your education and career choices or go as far as to not want you in a wedding because they view you as lesser of a human being, it demonstrates the ugly nature of who they are. I mean come on. It's not like you're sitting around doing nothing. Doing a PhD is one of the hardest anyone can do in their life. Speaking from my own experience as someone who was raised in a traditional Chinese family in which relationship dynamics among immediate family members and other relatives are based largely on "face", wealth and other traditional values. I have chosen to really put efforts in maintaining relationships with my parents and two brothers. For other distant relatives with narrow views, it's more about putting on a mask when you absolutely have to meet them. I can choose to stay away, and it's more enjoyable to surround yourself with people who accept you for what you are. Good luck! I hope my post helps. Juggling with school life and family relationships can be hard, but I hope you can find a way to cope with your situation.

I can share the feelings of rejection from my unsupportive dad. I'm currently an MA male student (Chinese heritage) in my late 20s from Southeast Asia and upon knowing that I plan to continue pursuing a PhD in communication here in the US, my dad's typical comments were: "Think about the lost opportunity for the next five years! You could be back home with a well-paying job, a car and a house. It's not like you're going to find a cure for cancer. What you study is so abstract! How can you make money from that? When you come back with a PhD, be prepared to be disappointed that you have wasted five of your most productive years, only to find out you're in no better position than someone with a masters degree. You should only consider doing a doctoral degree if you can also find some work and make money while you study, blah blah blah" He just can't process that the TA or RA I'll be doing during my PhD will in fact be my job. Even during my MA study now, he will make ridiculous comments like "you should find time to attend real classes that train you to be entrepreneurs or learn about the stock market so you can invest. It always come down to money instead of personal happiness or the pursuit of knowledge. Sigh. In a way, I understand that doing a PhD here is a selfish decision. Both of my parents are in their 60s, unemployed and have to rely on me and my brothers for their living expenses. I contributed to my family a lot when I was living with them. And by being here, I put more burden on my brothers. It doesn't help that whenever my parents have a gathering with their siblings (and we Chinese have many of those gatherings through traditional festivals, ancestor worshiping, etc.), people will approach them and ask things like "How much are your sons making now? When will he come back? Oh look, my son has never been overseas but he makes way more money than yours now." Don't you love it when most of your own family and relatives are so materialistic and only define success with money? My mom is really the only one who encourages me to do what I need to do for myself. I think my approach to address the negativity is to educate my dad and the skeptics of the values of my field of study, how a PhD is a huge investment of time and resources, but it can open more options in my life, how it is something I have carefully considered, and not just going for it in a wimp just so I can be in the US. It all really comes down to cultures and as Sibaga mentions "long standing conventions, practices and beliefs." My dad and his siblings are byproducts of a generation where their parents just migrated from China due to wars and famine. Education was not highly valued and wealth was created through hard labor and strong determination. Being a small business owner who later expands it into a large enterprise is the biggest accomplishment that you can strive for. Doing a PhD just doesn't fit that framing of "success". I'm not saying my conversations have changed my dad's worldviews, but it hopefully sinks in that the journey I'm about to embark is equally arduous, and can be as rewarding, at least for me. Of course, my end goal is to secure a good paying position, or even open a social enterprise with similar-minded friends. It will just take longer and hopefully my parents can maintain a good health to see what I can accomplish down the road.

I have just received an email from the program director at USC that I have been put on a waitlist and most likely will know the results within the last few days before the April 15 deadline. He told me he sent out notifications for the waitlist today, so I hope many of us have heard something from him. I'm actually glad to at least hear something. I have already assumed a rejection, and made plans to consider my offers after hearing from GWU decision next week. Since USC is one of my top two choices, there's nothing I can do but hold off accepting other offers until I hear the definite yes or no from them.

@yinche I have heard about Imperial Towers and it's a fine place. It's also very close to Weis, I think just 5 min walk. I personally never have a problem boarding an R bus in the morning from my apartment (again I rarely take R bus). If you choose Imperial or Nittany Garden, there shouldn't be problems since your bus stop is pretty early from its origin. However, R buses gets quite crowded from downtown in the evening (but then again so as many other buses), so you may have more problems getting back home than going to the school. Allenway itself is a quiet building and the entire block consists mostly of professional buildings. Having said that, the areas around this block are full of frat houses and undergrad apartments. I was in my friend's apartment a few times and didn't hear any loud noises. He's a PhD student and lives there for the fourth year so I guess it has been okay for him. With its convenient location, I would recommend you to email the place now to ask if there're any available rooms for the fall semester. I tried to get a place there last year, but all unites are rented out! Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I'll be graduating in a few months and I'm happy to inform you what I know.

@yinche I understand the feeling of securing a place without having the opportunity to see it for yourself. I too am an international student. I was really overwhelmed back in 2010 when I tried to find a place. Compared to other college towns, housing situation in State College is ridiculous. The rental rates are too high for a place in a middle of no where like this. I have friends who stay in UT-Austin and one-bedroom costs $400 compared to $700-$900 around here. Please read the housing lease contract thoroughly before you sign it. Check every nook and corner of your apartment for any spots or damages and report them when you move in. Housing agencies here will take advantage of tenants, especially on the deposits, because they can. It's a huge issue here. I got $300 deducted from my deposit in my first place (Holly House from ARPM) because they claimed the apartment was not clean enough even though I spent 2 days cleaning the place and hired a professional cleaner (required in the contract) to steam clean the carpet floor. I find my lease for Pepper Mill to be a lot less stringent because my room was owned by a private person and the building has its own management to deal with tenants. I'm not familiar with Nittany Garden, but do look them up at http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/PA-State-College-Nittany-Garden-Apartments.html They have good ratings. You will have to take R bus to school from that location though. I personally would prefer to live where I can just walk to school in 15-20 min as I don't like to wait for the bus. However, it's within walking distance to Weis supermarket. As for Pepper Mill, the place I stay is fine and I will actually recommend it. The downside is the thin wall. You can occasionally hear some conversations from next door when they invite people over and make unusual noises. But that happened like twice throughout my stay and it did not last more than half an hour. R bus also passes through this apartment so you can use it if you don't feel like walking during the cold winter months. You should look at Allenway. I have a friend who lives there. It's very close to downtown (about 5 min walk), affordable, and he never complains about loud noises. Have you look at CATA bus map? http://www.catabus.com/ServiceSchedules/CATABUS/CommunityService/System%20Map/index.html You can see a lot of apartments along the bus route and make your search from there. Check padmapper too. It's a good website that map available apartments on google map. For other grocery stores, Wegmans (best grocery store in State College, but can be a bit pricey) is located on V and N bus routes, Walmart on the V and M bus routes. So you may want to find a place that has close accessibility to these routes.

I know some people may say to avoid downtown areas at all costs since they're full of undergraduates. I disagree. If you're not planning on having a car, living within a walking distance from downtown areas will be a LOT more convenient. The central bus station is located on College Ave and you can take various buses to Walmart, Wegmans, Nittany Mall or the movie theatres from here. You can walk to your school and most of the shops, restaurants, pubs and convenient stores are located downtown. If you plan to have a car (which is not a bad idea to get around in this town since the bus services can be limiting during the weekend), keep in mind that finding a parking space around the university can be a real pain. If you choose to drive to school, you will most likely have to park it at the football stadium and take a bus to your school building. A lot of my friends with a car choose to take a bus to school and only drive when they plan to go somewhere else afterward. I lived in a one bedroom apartment in a two-floor building on South Allen St, about 15 minutes walk from College Ave, in my first year and never had a problem with loud noises. I think if you find a place which is about 15-20 minutes away from College Ave and Beaver Ave, it should be a good distance away from frat houses and loud drunken undergrads.The rent was kinda pricey at $820 per month, including water and gas, but not electricity. They did keep the building at 55 degrees during the winter, so I had to get myself a small electric heater when it was too cold. I spent at most $60-$70 during the winter months, and $20-$30 for the rest of the year. I have now moved into another one bedroom at Peppermill Apartments on S Atherton St (also 15 min walk to College Ave). It's in a rather bland 5-floor building, but it's quiet and only 10 min walk to Weis (a supermarket). It's $775 per month with all utilities, so I am spending about $80-$100 less with rent/utilities this year. It seems you want to live in a place with more character. There are plenty of duplex homes, townhouse and typical apartments in downtown areas, so I guess it just depends on what you want. As I have mentioned, March is the best time to start looking for housing. Places get occupied ridiculously quickly in this town, so start looking early.

@Mediaphile, I can share your sentiment. I just had an interview with the admissions committee of a DrPH Program in Social Marketing and Health Communications at GWU as well. I really like their program which gears towards professionals, strong focus on applied research and collaborative projects with international non-profits, CDC and other federal agencies. Will most likely go there if I get accepted with funding. However, I learned that most doctoral students in this program won't get full funding. Unless you're planning to work in a high paying job in DC while attending the school, nothing should justify getting a loan of a couple hundred thousand dollars to pay for tuition and living expenses for the next 4-5 years. GWU's tuition fees are ridiculously expensive.

Hey Yinche, I wouldn't recommend getting a place at the White Course Apartments. It's way overpriced for a small place. You'll end up sharing a place in a 4-bedroom apartment. You can easily find a single bedroom for yourself in downtown area with lower prices. Do check out craiglist, or housing agency like ARPM, etc. There should be a lot more listing in March.

I've just sent an email to USC to inquire about PhD admission status. They said that the first group of candidates have already been notified and invited to attend the on-campus event. The faculty director is also contacting another group of candidates to notify they have been waitlisted. The remaining group of applicants should receive a decision letter by mail by the last week of March. I guess those who have not received anything by now are likely in the rejected pool?

Brancan & Saviya, I'm also waiting to hear from USC. From the results survey of previous years, it seems that admission decisions are released all over the place, end of Feb, end of Mar or early Apr, some by phone, and others by email or post. Hopefully, they'll announce something tomorrow or early next week.

I have just received an email that I've been accepted to the PhD Program at University of Washington! Such a relief to receive my first offer. A formal offer letter with funding details will follow next week. :-)

Congrats to everyone who has been offered a place! It's always a great relief to know that we're wanted somewhere. I have just exchanged an email with a Prof at U Washington and she told me that the communication department received over 220 applications this year for an approx. 10 spots. Boy, it's going to be super competitive. The faculty are reviewing the applications and she thinks I have a very good chance, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I think the first round of offers will be announced in a couple of weeks.

Hi everyone, It's good to see this forum active again. I'm an international second year MA student and I am waiting to hear from the five doctoral programs that I have applied to (PhD in Communication: USC, U Washington & UPenn, DrPH in Health Behavior at GWU & DrPH in Community Health & Prevention at Drexel). My research interests are in online activism, social marketing and international health campaigns, particularly on the issues of human trafficking and HIV/AIDS. Most of these five programs have faculty members who are working in my specific area of interests, so I'm looking forward to hear the results. I think I have gotten wiser in my application this time around. Two years ago, I applied to MA programs based on the NCA ranking list and international reputation of the universities. As I was working and traveling extensively around Asia at the time, I didn't have much time to conduct more research about the program, the faculty, the school diversity, life around campus, opportunities for collaborative research with the industry, and geographic location. I remember accepting my second offer without waiting to hear the rest because it's one of the top-ranked programs in my field of study and I was so excited by the offer of PhD funding after I have completed my MA. Fast forward to one and a half year later, I have to say I sort of regret my decision to come here without taking time to consider other options. It has been a difficult transition living in a small college town without much diversity and things to do. My program is very academic driven, with specific goals of training graduate students to publish (or perish) and become a tenure-track professor after completing their PhD. As a former professional in international development and public health, it's very frustrating to see most of the research is emphasized on advancing or modifying theories, rather than focusing on applied research that will have some positive impacts on solving social problems. In fact for one class, the course syllabus clearly instructs students not to spend time discussing anecdotes as it deters the class from theoretical critique. Most of the class discussion also surrounds on just domestic issues, given the faculty and student background. It amazes me to experience that classes taught by assistant professors are tougher as they are on tenure track and they need to set rigorous standards. In a way, I learn a lot more from these classes. Courses by some tenured professors who are managing several research grants, on the other hand, are just a waste of time. It's very apparent that they could not care less about teaching, and everyone can get an A if they just show up and complete all the assignments. Thanks to the R1 university system for that! I'm also dismayed at the mentality of my cohorts who just want to pursue academic jobs. The reality is not that rosy. More than 50% of our PhD graduates (esp. those in rhetoric) end up multiple years in the job market, go for lowly-paid post-doc or adjunct instructor position that teaches an effective speech class. Why don't people consider more lucrative options by going for jobs at research institutions, non-profits, think-tanks or government positions? People with PhD have equally good and exciting career in these organizations. As an international student, I'm also disappointed by the lack of integration and diversity in my school campus. There are a large number of international students here, but it's very segregated. Most international students just hang out with people from their own countries. Within my department, Americans rarely interact with international students and it gets awkward after a while. I'm not sure if this is typical across the country, but I had a very different experience when I was working in NYC during the summer. Despite our busy schedule, my American colleagues were very friendly and often extended an invitation to take me out to explore the city. While what I describe above is mostly negative, I do enjoy a few things in my program. Some of the classes in my department are wonderful and the professors make me feel that I have a sense of purpose while going through this degree. I also have a great advisor who is very accommodating to my interests and needs. After hearing from me that I have no desire to continue a PhD in this place, he still encourages me not to stop at a master's level and has been extremely helpful in getting me in touch directly with professors in other schools that I may be interested to study. Understanding these pitfalls sort of help me to make better decisions during my doctoral application process. I am now aiming for the schools that I think I can enjoy spending the next 4-5 years of my life. Apart from identifying programs with the faculty members who I can work with, location becomes a major criteria for me. Living in a big city will allow me with accessibility to networking and collaborative opportunities with the industry, and things that I have taken for granted such as shopping malls, ethnic restaurants, museums, festivals, movie theatres with more eclectic offerings. I also make sure to ask that there are at least 20-30% cohort members with professional experience and the department is fine with people who want to pursue non-academic career. This sums up my long post! I wish the best of luck to everyone. Please explore your options carefully and note that life in the doctoral program is long and arduous. Make sure you have the right reasons to pursue a PhD and weight the pros and cons before committing to what will occupy the next 4-5 years of your life. I have to say I miss working in the real world and the more exciting lifestyle that comes with it. I will give myself time before making a decision to do a PhD after hearing all the admission results, funding offers and any job opportunities that may come my way after I finish my MA degree.

Thanks PRguy101 for your advice! I guess we all need to look at our priorities and goals and make the hard decision. At this point, I'm 90% sure that I'm going to continue with the PhD program in the US after my MA. I'm leaving 10% just in case I find out later that it's not the right path for me. But after spending more than 5 years in the communication and non-profit industry and now feeling kinda stuck somewhere in mid-level position without gaining more specialized skill, I think the timing is right for me to move onto the doctoral studies. So, research is more important for my masters study. My issue right now is why should I get too caught up in this perceived 'international reputation'? Perhaps it's peer pressure for a silly thing called social recognition. Most of my fellow Fulbright grantees, albeit in different fields, are going to schools like Harvard, Yale, Columbia and UC Berkley. I can say some made the decision to attend the highest ranked school instead of the highest ranked program solely because of the social recognition and networking opportunities factors. It's getting tiring for me to have to explain to others that Penn State is a top-tier research school, esp. for my areas of focus. As a Fulbright grantee, I'm not allowed to seek employment & apply for work permit in the US for 2 years after I've completed my MA or PhD studies. This means I have to return to Thailand or relocate anywhere internationally for 2 years before I can come back to the US. While it's a wishful thinking if I can do MA at Georgetown and then PhD at Penn State, funding is an issue. Even if I get merit-based scholarships at Georgetown, I have to stress over maintaining 3.80 GPA to renew it. Living expenses in DC would also be significantly higher. If I accept Penn State's offer, funding is a non-issue as long as I can make normal progress towards my degree. Having lived in big tropical cities (Bangkok and Singapore) my whole life, the idea of moving to a small college town with freezing cold weather sounds challenging. It definitely doesn't help to read some disturbing posts about Penn State such as the one below from this very forum! But I have also talked to some students in Penn State, and they have many nice things to say about the school. In fact, it makes more and more sense for me to just go for Penn State after typing this post! I guess I'm in the natural freak out phase during the end game of deciding which school to go to. It's important to realize that I am already fortunate to have this opportunity to pursue advanced degrees in the US. It does sound trivial to be worried over this stuff when there are bigger problems out there in the world. But it's still fun to keep talking on and on about schools, programs and how we are making decisions. That's what this forum is for. :-)

I have seen a few people getting accepted into Georgetown's CCT program on the search results page. Has anyone on this board made a decision to go there? I'm sure most of us are also waiting for the merit-based scholarships results. And my decision to go there will heavily depend on this funding as well. I haven't seen anyone in this forum talking extensively about the quality of CCT's program, its faculty members & course offerings. Are there any CCT students or alums here who can give us more insights? I've personally made up my mind to accept the Penn State's offer last week. However, I'm wavering on my decision now as I've been told more and more by my friends that to seriously consider going for Georgetown, a school with a better international reputation instead. This is especially true if I intend to come back to find an employment in Bangkok. Employers here will go for candidates who graduate from a better known school. It shouldn't be this way, but it's the reality. It pains me to hear people keep generalizing that "... State University" is considered second tier to "University of...." and all the Ivy League schools. While I believe Penn State will provide me with more focus and better education towards the PhD track, I can also see that CCT has more interesting course offerings, many of which are relevant to my interests. What are your thoughts?

I see from the search page that one person was accepted into Mass Comm. via phone with full package on Feb 25, 2010.