Musicologist

I heard from all schools. Now, it's decision time!

@It's Me it's cruel. My email obsession has reached a new low

I have been rejected by Harvard (my only ethno application). Still waiting for UT Austin and NYU. Are there other NYU musicology applicants here??? I haven't seen any NYU activity. I saw a rejection for ethnomusicology at UT Austin, any Musicology action?

I did my BM in violin performance (hogeschool niveau) in the United States, then I continued to get a MM (hogeschool master) and a MA (university MA level) simultaneously. I did do some undergraduate work in The Netherlands, but it depends on the school you get into whether it's a smooth transition. Not all schools are at the same level. I feel that, in general, schools in The Netherlands are ahead compared to those in the United States. Since I lived in the United States for nearly 8 years and I'm basically bilingual, I did not study that much for the GRE and did well. Judging your writing on here, The TOEFL will be easy for you. It's just long. Both the GRE and the TOEFL are 4 hour tests. Not all universities require the GRE, but they will require the TOEFL. There's been a trend that admission committees don't really look at GRE scores when making decisions, and that it's merely a requirement the university sets. There's also a math part in the GRE, but they won't look at that score if you're doing Musicology (my math score was really really bad). The transition to living here was relatively easy, but that can differ from state to state (I'm in California). I lived with a friend, and they helped me throughout the first two years here. Like most Dutch people, my English was good and there were no issues at all. The internet, social media, and skype kept me in touch with the home front. There is a 9-hour time difference, but we make it work. I should say that if you get into a PhD program, the school will fully fund you. This means that you will not pay for tuition, health insurance, and you will get a stipend to cover all basic living expenses. You do not need to work. You're welcome to find my on facebook if you send me a private message, and we can connect through there if you want!

Hi, I'm actually an international student from The Netherlands studying in the United States. I am completing a MA in Musicology, and was just accepted to several PhD programs. It is true that you do not need a MA to enter PhD programs; however, the time spent in a MA program will allow you to build a strong resume. For example: you will (hopefully) have presented your research at conferences, you'll have experience teaching as a Teaching Assistant, etc. Your writing samples will likely be better as well. It's definitely not impossible to be admitted without a MA, but especially as an international student, your (English) writing may not be up to par with that of domestic students in the US/UK. Introductory courses are generally not helpful, you'll want more advanced courses and only if they relate to your area. In other words: don't just take difficult courses because you want to look good. Rather, spend time on perfecting your writing etc. You also would not want to put them in your personal statement. The statement is usually short, and should pertain to your research goals, why you want to study at that university, why you think you're a good fit. It usually isn't a good idea to list courses you've taken, unless they are important to your research area. In addition, they can always see them on your transcripts. Regarding your grades, make sure you have an average of 8, and you'll be fine. In addition to your grades, you will be required to take several tests. It's likely that, for you, these are the GRE general test and the TOEFL test. Hope it helps. Best of luck to you!

I'm waiting for Harvard too!

For the first acceptance, I was at work. I opened up my email around 8:00 am as usual, and saw that the school had emailed around 7:45 am. It said that they were writing with good news and when they could schedule a conversation. That conversation didn't happen until around 12:00, so I was a wreck the whole time. Needless to say, not much work was done during those 4 hour of waiting. When I finally did talk to them and heard about the funding, I was ecstatic all day and barely functioned. For the second acceptance, I had just come home from work. It was late, around 7:30pm, and had started making dinner when I saw a big envelope on the kitchen counter. When I saw the school logo, I dropped the food and opened the envelope. I read the first word only (congratulations) when I started screaming and whipping out my phone to text my friend, my graduate advisor, and another friend. Then, I called two other people. That evening, I finally read the letter in its entirety. Good times.

I had a phone conversation with a program 2 hours ahead of me. The professor asked for 9:00am, and even though it was 7:00am for me, I did it. I think it's normal to have early phone calls. It's probably one of the few times these professors have available.

Congrats on the USC admit! I applied to UCLA as well, and some other schools that require interviews -- Interview invites should come out soon! So anxious!

YIKES! I wish I could have read this book prior to the applications!

I got an interview invite today from Indiana University, Bloomington. It's scheduled for feb 5th.

Hi! I'm applying to Musicology as well, applied to 8 schools. Where did you apply? I'm a nervous wreck, and I'm constantly checking my email. Most schools have already told me they won't review until January, but one school (Indiana) does....I think. I have not gotten an interview invite (yet) from Indiana, and I'm not sure if they should have already been sent. Ahhhhh