Warelin
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Posts posted by Warelin
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8 hours ago, JKL said:
Thank you guys for the responses. It baffles me that programs simultaneously want applicants with research experience yet are willing to write-off an applicant without looking at what research experience they bring with them. This makes the admissions process contradictory at worst and incoherent at best. "We're looking for experience, but we don't actually look at the experience." What a farce. But I suppose they can do whatever they please.
I agree that it may be unfair but try to think of it from their perspective. Let's suppose you have 1 spot for a very specific field in History that you're looking to fill. And let's say you have 30 people interested in that one spot. All of whom are heavily qualified and more than half of which would be a welcome addition. In an ideal world, one could look at all applications but this isn't the only thing you have to get done. You also have to serve on X committee and Y assignment needs to be assigned and you also have to teach classes a and b while being open to your advisees. Setting a benchmark at a level will get rid of 1/4 of your applicants freeing up time to get your other work done.
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FWIW: University of Michigan says they received 341 applications to its statistics program and had 16 new enrollees. Typically universities extend 1.5-2.0x the number of spots to achieve their desired number. Let's say they extended 32 offers for those 16 spots. This means there's less than a 10 percent chance of being offered a spot. The chances decrease and increase depending on a number of other factors. However, from studying the process, it seems that only individuals coming from a very prestigious undergraduate institution will get offered a spot directly to the PHD. There are exceptions but it tends to be a very rare individual who has a killer resume.
I'm not sure how accurate the information is (it grabs data from the schools, but the updatedness depends on the schools themselves) but Kansas State accepts 42 percent of students into their program. They state that 66 people apply and they extend offers to 28 of which 14 accept their offer. Prior to applying, I'd inquire into the program first. Some universities don't like accepting undergraduates into their own program. I believe Stanford is one of those programs.
University of Florida says they receive 394 applications and accept 23 of which 15 enroll.
I'm not saying any of this to scare you but I'm hoping this paints a more accurate picture on why it takes some people several rounds to gain acceptance into a Graduate Programs. -
There are a few things we can gather from the websites but it's generally best to e-mail specific programs if you qualify based on your GPA. I've never heard of a program that would forgive a low gpa due to a high GRE. Oftentimes they are used at 2 different points to filter out applications.
From Pittsburgh:
" Approximately 20% of GSPIA students enter graduate school immediately after receiving their bachelor’s degrees. 80% have some full-time, post-baccalaureate work experience. The average age is 26 ½."
" Q: Does GSPIA have a minimum undergraduate GPA?
A: Undergraduate transcripts are an important factor in the admissions decision, but they are not the only factor. Typically, to be competitive for admission, students should have at least a 3.2 overall average. To be competitive for merit scholarships, applicants normally need at least a 3.5. The admissions committee also takes into consideration GPA within the major, GPA within the last two years, extenuating circumstances, length of time since graduating from college, rigor of the undergraduate program, and other factors.
Because GSPIA’s admissions process is holistic, applicants with weaker GPAs can be considered for admission if they have exceptionally strong credentials in other areas, such as work experience. "
From American:
" Students pursuing a PhD degree at SIS must hold at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent before entering the program. Applicants should normally have a cumulative grade-point average that is substantially above a B (i.e., above 3.00 on a 4.00 scale, or equivalent if educated outside the US) in any previous undergraduate and graduate study, preferably in a field relevant to international relations. "
This may not necessarily be the most comfortable thing to do, but I'd recommend mailing the schools and asking if they'd consider applicants under a 3.0. A lot of times, programs may not answer. A lot of times these requirements are set by the Graduate College and not the program. There have been a number of times that the program has liked an applicant but been unable to get the Grad School's support due to not meeting the requirements; othertimes the applicants is just cut during the first round without any review. -
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I think this is largely program-dependent and I don't think the two scores cancel each other out. From my understanding, both are used separately to screen applicants.
However, I'm not sure if you necessarily should be as worried as you'd think. (Also: Please note that meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. At best, meeting the requirements just ensures that your application is considered for review).
Iowa (ranked 32) recommends applicants have a 3.5 GPA, top 25% score on the verbal section, and a 111 on the TOEFL. (They also recommend a 26 on the speaking score in order to teach)UMass (ranked 50th) states that sucessful applicants generally have earned scores above the top 75th Percentile. (Which is somewhere between a 157-158) but they understand that some applicants don't test well. Students entering with a Master's degree are expected to have earned a 3.75+ on their graduate coursework.
University of Washington (also ranked 32) says that successful applicants score between the 70-90th percentile on the verbal section. The minimum score generally accepted is a 100 on the TOEFL.Some schools like UGA (ranked 59th) require applicants to score a 310 on the new scale with a minimum verbal score of 162.
Tufts (ranked 52) says that " There is no baseline score. The average scores for students admitted in fall 2009 were V-675, Q-620, A-5.5, Subject-600."As I hope this shows you, there are a number of "better ranked" schools that place less emphasis on scores as well as schools ranked lower that require better scores.
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December Deadlines:
Name
Deadline
App Fee?
UCLA
12/1
Y; 90
NYU
12/1
Y; 100
Northwestern
12/1
Y; 95
UW (Washington)
12/1
Y; 85
USC (California)
12/1
Y; 85
UC - San Diego
12/1
Y; 90
Emory
12/2
Y; 75
U Georgia
12/2
Y; 75
Illinois
12/4
Y; 70
Miami University
12/5
Y: 50
OSU
12/7
Y; 60
Nebraska
12/7
Y; 50
Stanford
12/8
Y; 125
Duke
12/8
Y; 80
Wisconsin
12/8
Y; 56
Maryland
12/8
Y; 75
Santa Cruz
12/10
Y; 90
Pittsburgh
12/10
Y; 50
Rice
12/14
Y; 85
Berkeley
12/15
Y; 90
Princeton
12/15
Y; 90
Penn
12/15
Y; 80
Cornell
12/15
Y; 95
Chicago
12/15
Y; 90
UVA
12/15
Y; 85
Johns Hopkins
12/15
Y; 75
Michigan
12/15
Y; 70
Brown
12/15
Y; 75
Rutgers
12/15
Y; 65
UTA
12/15
Y; 65
Irvine
12/15
Y; 90
Santa Barbara
12/15
Y; 90
Vanderbilt
12/15
Y;95
Minnesota
12/15
Y; 75
Carnegie Mellon
12/15
Y; 75
Boston
12/15
Y; 95
Buffalo
12/15
Y; 75
UI - Chicago
12/15
Y; 70
UMass
12/15
Y; 75
Oregon
12/15
Y; 50
A&M
12/15
Y; 50
Temple
12/15
Y; 60
Utah
12/15
Y; 55
South Carolina
12/15
Y; 50
UT - Knoxville
12/15
Y; 60
Yale
12/15
Y; 105
Columbia
12/16
Y; 105
UNC- Chapel Hill
12/16
Y; 85
Iowa
12/16
Y; 60
Florida State
12/17
Y; 30?
UC - Boulder
12/31
Y; 70
U Kansas
12/31
Y; 65
*Deadlines may change on a year to year basis. This is not a 100 percent completed list of English programs.
- jordywater, cloudyword, Dr. Old Bill and 2 others
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1 hour ago, yohesh92 said:
Hi Everybody,
I am new to this forum, please excuse if i have not followed its conventions.
I am planning to apply for MS in Statistics in Fall, 2017.
Please share your thoughts for my profile.
B. Tech. + M. Tech. (Dual Degree) in Biotechnology & Biochemical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur
CGPA - 7.68
GRE - 320 ( V - 154, Q -166)
TOEFL -98 (R-26,L-25,S-23,W-24)
Experience - 1.5 year job experience in Cognizant Technology Solutions (US based firm)
You might get a better understanding of evaluations if you posted in the Applied Sciences and Math section. We're probably not the best people to evaluate non-literature/English departments as each department have different expectations of their applicants. I know that programs usually post a miniumum for TOEFL for non-native speakers which you'll want to make sure you meet the minimum on prior to applying.
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As a general rule, Admission committees don't review an application until all components are submitted including letters of recommendations. (If you need to apply by a certain date to get a fee waiver, programs will generally allow recommendation letters to be submitted later and still waive your fee).
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It really depends on the programs. I'd imagine that some programs will cut applications based on the inability to adhere to a set of written directions. When some programs receive more than 200 applications, one has to be considerate of the fact that there has to be some cutting fairly early in the process. Writing Samples and Statement of Purposes are an easy way to access whether the student is interested in your university or merely just applying to as many schools as they can as quickly as possible. A university wants to ensure that the student wants to be there, can handle written instructions, can research and would make a good fit. Test scores and ability to follow application guidelines are an easy way to weed out people and give them more time to focus on the other tasks they have to work on.
It's also possible they'll only read up to ~5000 pages and then stop reading and form an assessment based on that. On another hand, the inability to cut down a paper to their requirements might symbolize that one does not know how to properly edit down one's own work which is a crucial thing for publications. -
19 hours ago, ThePomoHipster said:
Do both programs accept the same amount of people (i.e. is it more difficult to get into one over the other)?
More people apply to English than Literature but that doesn't mean it's any easier to get into one than another. If English focuses on say "clowns" and Literature focuses on "bats", I'm going to have a hard time getting my Bozo the Clown accepted by the Literature department. Fit remains an ever-important aspect of deciding where to submit applications. It's also dangerous to assume that just because a school receives the same number of applications means they are equally as hard to get admitted to since the pool of applicants and "quality" would differ between the two.
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I think the general rule of thumb is that you should never mention anything that can be considered a negative or anything that can be considered an excuse. You have very little to gain from saying that you have ADHD. And a program has no reason why they should accept someone who has ADHD over someone who doesn't. Some people just test poorly and it has nothing to do with anything they have or don't have; they just are poor test takers. The SOP should be used to sell yourself as an applicant on why you should get accepted into the program, why you're a perfect fit for the program, and why they should offer you funding for your research.
Most programs tend to not have any GRE requirements. Sometimes, e-mailing programs can get you an average of scores that have been accepted into the program. However, that means that some people have gotten lower than the stated score. -
This shouldn't matter too much. The way programs work now allow the graduate school to automatically submit scores into your application files.
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I didn't want to start a new topic and realized this one was still unanswered to some extent. I messaged the DGS and got a reply:
Your second question, about the difference between English and the Program and Literature, is also tricky to answer. Many dissertations could in principle be written in either department. However, English is oriented more specifically toward the study of literary texts written in English, whereas Literature (despite its name) doesn’t necessarily have that focus on literature in general, and it definitely isn’t restricted to English literature. So the key question is whether you want a training in English literature or not. (With that said, the Duke English department is very theoretically-oriented, so one would not have to pursue a traditional training in English literature. However, in the final analysis, our students generally do end up in English departments, whereas Literature students end up in a wider variety of departments.)
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1 minute ago, nsc said:
Thanks.
These two universities are very competitive.
Any other less competitive ones?
I haven't come across any. Unfortunately, very few universities provide full funding to MA or MS students in any degree. They tend to reserve funding for their PHD students.
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54 minutes ago, TMP said:
Which is why it is important to ask for placement record-- what happened to every single one of the PhDs who graduated in the last 3 years? Not just those who got tenure-track job but everyone who graduated. As you evaluate the list, consider that there are more and more PhD students looking for non-academic jobs anyway.
I've known people in my program who came in thinking they want to teach, or at least be professors, and they realize that they hate it so they're considering other opportunities. Despite that shift, they still want to pursue and finish the PhD. Teaching, whether taking a load of 2 or 4 classes per semester, is not for everyone.
Different programs will word their e-mails differently though to make numbers seem bigger than they are. We also haved no idea how many chose an alt-ac job versus took one due to not finding something to their liking. Some programs strongly encourage their applicants to pursue alt-ac jobs because it's their main audience despite having the resources of having great placement records in the past.
UPenn has had a strong placement record in Literature for the past 6 years (64% TT). However, in 2015, they only placed 1 of their 12 graduates in a tenure track position. They are still considered a powerhouse. Should they not be?
Another thing to consider is that some programs have numbers that have applicants going on the market for one year and also increase it to show promotions within a short time period. Some programs are much more transparent than others no matter how you ask. -
12 minutes ago, NoirFemme said:
With this in mind, should alumni placement not be the number one consideration when choosing between programs (who've accepted you)? Should you focus on the program that fits best, and then work your behind off with publications, presentations, awards, and teaching?
Because going through the threads over the previous years, a few people mentioned the excellent placement of U-W Madison being the result of the students needing to aggressively seek funding and teaching to pay for their doctorates. Therefore, I presume that whether you attend an Ivy, a reputable private, or a solid state school, your success is based on your own tenacity.
There are a few ways which affect this
1.) Different programs do differently each year. (UPenn had an awful placement record last year in Literature; this year they've done much better)
2.) Programs have different meanings of what "Placement" means. Some might take it to only mean a tt job; others will count any academic job as placement.
3.) Some students in programs actively pursue an alt-ac career or a post-doc.
4.) Some people decide to drop out of a program.
5.) Some grad programs exclude anyone who doesn't get a job while others include everyone in their stats -
Just now, bal27 said:
@Warelin Hi, I am interested in Machine learning , data mining and data management.
Take a few minutes to figure out why those programs you have listed fit your research needs. Do they have strengths in your interest or do they ignore it? How important is funding to you? Are there faculty members at each institution that interest you because of shared interests?
For example, a quick look at UW Madison reveals that the MS in Computer Science is a professional degree. And Madison has this note:"Important notice on funding opportunities: In late January 2015, the Department of Computer Sciences adopted a new policy regarding financial aid for professional students in accordance with UW regulations. Based on this policy, PMP students cannot accept research assistantships, teaching assistantships, project assistantships or other university appointments that grant waivers of tuition and/or academic fees. For more details, please visit the FAQ page"
You also make mention that you have no work experience. Professional Master's degrees are usually aimed and designed for those who already have a career and are looking to advance those skills for a promotion. As such, you'll find it incredibly hard to get accepted into a Professional Master's degrees. -
10 minutes ago, bal27 said:
I am applying for MS CS -Fall 2017
CS is still a very broad field. Are you interested the use of machine learning? Over-retention in the digital realm? Computer vision? Natural language processing? Data management? Cybersecurity? Computer games? Visualization? Theoretical computer science? Image processing? Data analysis?
I see that you've edited your original post. Which SUNY school? There are a lot of them since it's part of the State University of New York. -
I think Princeton funds MS students in Computer Science.
UT Austin funds a number of students in their MSIS degree.
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Some programs might refer to this as "popular and public culture".
Some programs which are noted for this kind of work include:
Virginia Tech (I know a recent student there did a thesis on Superhero Comics)
MTSU
Carnegie Mellon
NYU (http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/mcc/doctoral/)* (This is not an English PHD)
UCSD
CUNY
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The way they look at undergrad GPA might differ by college. A lot of colleges set a base undergrad gpa requirement of 3.0. Failure to meet that and they might not even look at the rest of your application. These requirements are usually set by the Graduate College, and not the program itself so it's a bit harder working around it.
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1 minute ago, panicobracademy said:
And if my subject lit is VERY bad? (not just average)
Some students at Berkeley have bragged about how low their subject scores have been. I'm not sure what "low" means to them though. From the data available here, the lowest score I've seen accepted at Berkeley is a 650 on the Lit exam, which I would not consider "low". However, the data here is limited but can provide some useful insight. One Boston-area college told me that competitive applicants score in the 70th percentile, at which I promptly erased them from my list. Another college told me that the average accepted applicant had a GRE subject score in the 82nd percentile. I think I cried because they were my favorite program and I know that it's a score that would be near-impossible for me to achieve.
Harvard says that scores of 650 are desirable, but not required. Considering that Harvard is Harvard, I'm wondering if they've ever admitted anyone below such a score. Another school in the top 40 told me that they weigh the literature exam more heavily for MA students than they do for BA students.
Before applying anywhere, I'd also look at their current graduate students. Some programs claim that they read all applications but accepted students tend to be from very specific top schools. Are these schools deserving of a spot? I think so. But if you're telling me that nobody else from any other school was a better fit than that's when I start raising questions about your programs.
Some schools also tend to lean towards accepting students with a Master's degree. Other programs prefer straight from undergraduate. I know Chicago prefers publications and presentations but they also tend to prefer straight from undergrads. But around 1/4 of their class have a Master's degree from elsewhere. -
7 minutes ago, panicobracademy said:
Yes, those are definitely all very important factors to consider. I initially wanted to apply somewhere warm, considering that I've had to deal with Canadian winters practically all my life. However, Harvard, University of Chicago, and UPenn are also strong considerations. It helps that they're within driving distance from home and that they have professors who have very similar research interests to me (although the California schools do too). Basically, I would have to really weigh out my options depending on which universities accept me. However, for now, I'm still unsure about whether my GRE score is sufficient or whether it'll severely hinder my ability to get into these schools in the first place.
Edit: Alright, so considering the ambiguous meaning of the word "competitive," that might mean that I should attempt to retake the GRE. Thanks for letting me know about that!
On the opposite end of the scale, Berkeley has said that they don't really care about gre scores as long as they're decent (which I'm guessing means 75th/80th percentile). To Berkeley and Stanford, the subject lit is more of a formality than anything else.
about to give GRE at the end of this month Please help
in GRE/GMAT/etc
Posted · Edited by Warelin
After finishing the exam, you'll have the option to select 4 schools to submit results to for free. They'll have to be selected directly after finishing the exam. Otherwise, it'll cost $28 per school at any other time.