phdthoughts

Wait up

Long wait

I applied to Ohio, but it's further down on my list due to research fit. One of my letter writers went there and it has a good reputation.

Break neck

I am applying to 4 PhD programs. I was originally going to do 6, but reevaluated fit for the other two. Like other posters here, the current political climate makes me nervous about certain locations, which narrows my choices a bit unfortunately. My research is also in an up and coming/niche topic which makes it harder. I have good job now so if I don't get in this round, there's always next year. At least that's what I'm telling myself to make myself less nervous as I turn in my apps!

Hi all - I'm really glad I stumbled across this thread. I am also searching for programs that share my interests in human-animal studies, but from a communications perspective. I did my master's thesis on a related topic, and I'd like to continue and expand on this theme. This is not yet looked at in my field as deeply as others, and so it's been challenging to find faculty and programs that share this interest. I'm looking at universities that have a vet school as as well, including MSU. I'm curious to know if anyone has any other ideas or schools that do similar research.

Wonderful to hear. So glad things are going well.

TankeruK - You've given me a lot to think about about with your reply, hence my long delay in response! When I was completing my thesis, it was a lot about the process. I mean, I loved the subject, but what remained interesting to me was indeed, the methods, and how I was getting there. I actually really liked the tedium of some of it, and the other methodologies we studied. I suppose I had not thought about it in those terms before. Very good advice.

I got married a few months before starting my master's, and it worked out fine. We were in the same town though, which made it easier. My suggestion would be if you do end up in the same place, just be prepared to spend a bit of time apart while you are in school. I guess you can mentally prepare for it, but it's quite another when you're spending all your Saturday's in the library or lab, and weekdays or evenings in the classroom. It can be an adjustment for sure.

Thank you! This puts things in perspective. My field is in Communications, and there are some topics that are popular and mainstream and found across the board in almost every school. For example, computer mediated communication or media studies come to mind. I feel like every field has those interest areas where you could throw a stone at any department and hit three faculty members who would be willing to work with you. Mine, unfortunately is not one of those. I also have another consideration, which is my spouse who, don't get me wrong....is my wonderful, supportive cheerleader through all this, but who has voiced concerns about my studying a narrow topic. And, he should - like you said, I don't want my work to only matter to the other 10 people in my field. On the other hand, sometimes is hard to describe to someone who isn't fully entrenched in academia that I can't just pick something I'm mildly interested in, otherwise I won't get through it.

I have to say that what you are saying resonates with me. As I get further along in my career here, I just keep thinking "what am I doing, and do I really want to be doing this for the next 30 years?" I'm honestly not sure. It's a terrifying prospect going back to grad school, the money the least of it. Like you, I don't feel I need tons of "stuff" to be happy. Just enough to not worry about money. So, I see a crossroads ahead. I can either grind it out for the next 10 years or so, hoping it gets better, moving up, sure, more money, hopefully...or, take a real leap of faith.

Does anyone worry about being pigeonholed with current research? My thesis topic was rather nontraditional in subject and although I see the field pretty well exploding in the next 20 years, it's a bit on the fringes at the moment. Although my thesis itself was well received, and continues to be, I think I need to take a broader approach with my dissertation. It would be amazing if I came away working as a professor, but I'm not going to count on it, and want to make myself as marketable as possible to other sectors. I'm thinking of these things as I start to write my SOP, and deciding on where to apply. How much does this even matter at this point in the game?

I'm in the beginning stages of putting together a paper too. I hear you, I'm working full time as well. I'm also living abroad, which is an added complication in working with my advisor on the paper. I'm hoping a published paper will make me a more desirable candidate as I finished my masters in 2011. I hope it goes well for you this season. Keep us posted on the publishing efforts.

It's a good point that you make - that it's easier in fields that don't have an overabundance of PhDs. I mentioned in another response that I look about 8 years younger as well. It's always annoyed me a bit, especially in the professional world, but it could very well be an advantage in this case. I hope it goes well for you this year with application prep for 2016.

avflinsch - It's funny, I joke that I seem to find myself back in school every 3 years, so might as well just stay there.

bhr - thanks for the encouragement. I understand - I also feel like it's mostly my hangup more than anyone else! I'm curious what program you're applying to?

Whew! This is good to know. I have to remind myself that not all departments are the same across the board. Thanks. I've always been mistaken for 5-7 years younger than I really am anyway.

Thanks for the kind words. I guess one of the reasons I'm a bit preoccupied with it now, was that most of my cohort in my MA program came straight from undergrad and frankly, were treated much better by faculty and the department in general. It felt a bit like "first class" and "second class" and divided the program unnecessarily. I'm keeping myself open to jobs after graduation for sure, not just academic jobs. I'm open to higher level administration within academics for example, or a nonprofit etc. I know a couple of colleagues who got similar positions with their PhD. All my work experience since undergrad with the exception of a newspaper gig has been in higher education, so I imagine that I would be a good fit. Not going to lie though - I'd love to end up teaching and writing!

Chai_latte & Scantronphobia - so glad to hear you're all thriving in your program. I'm considering going back to get my PhD after working for a while at 35 and it's nice to hear it's not that huge of a deal. It's a huge consideration for me, even though I know it's just one thing admissions committees look at.

I'm actually looking into publishing part of my master's thesis as well. Do you have publications you are already looking at etc.? I have a paper I wrote from my thesis I submitted for a conference presentation, and I'm wondering if that would suffice.

Does anyone know of good international (outside of U.S.) PhD programs with a focus in Ethnography or Language and Social Interaction?

Hi all, this is my first post here. I wanted to introduce myself and get some advice. I'm very seriously considering my PhD, but have some reservations as I feel I'm a non-traditional student. I earned my BA in 2005 and worked for a few years before going back to school to get my MA in 2011 while working full-time. I've since found a job in my field, making decent money. However, I love my research topic and the idea of pursing it further has never left me, I've been encouraged by my thesis advisor to pursue a PhD, but only after a few years out of school have I started taking her promptings seriously. The thing is, I'm now 35 and won't even apply to programs until 2016. I really don't want to pursue this if teaching and research are off the table after I get my degree due to my age, otherwise I'd rather just stay the course in my current career path. I was even made to feel old in my masters program at 27! On the other hand, I think I actually might be a fairly compelling candidate due to my job history --- it relates directly to my research interests, I've lived and worked overseas and I've spoken at a conference on my thesis. I'm just starting to study for my GRE, so I don't have that as a factor in my decision as yet. I've been told I'll need to get a paper or two published to help with my application as well, which I'm more than happy to do. Is there anyone in my boat? In that the path is not as clear as for some (undergrad to grad to PhD etc.)? Thank you!!