yourfavoritedylansong

Your friend's info would, indeed, be helpful. I got put on ice by UIUC com today for lack of fit. Got a nice enough letter, though. The "lack of fit" thing makes sense, whether I like it or not. But, I'm finding I don't fit anywhere. wah wah, right? Anyone here have any insight on Oregon's SOJC? I've talked to a number of people, all of whom have said it's good if you're looking to teach (usually at smaller schools where teaching, rather than research, is the "main" tenure requirement) and very good if you're looking to combine creative interests with research interests. Oregon sent me a list of their recent placements and it seems pretty good.

I recommend that anyone and everyone involved in the communication field read "Communication Theory as a Field" by R.T. Craig. In response to the OP's question, communication studies is an enormously broad discipline. Many of our core traditions share significant commonalities with other social sciences, especially sociology. At times, I think the discipline is too broad, thus leading to counterproductive fragments of scholars who believe what they believe and do so absolutely. For example, you'll find that departments like UCSB ( sociopyschological + quant) have little regard for the work being done by departments such as UCSD ( critical + qual). That said, most places are trending towards a more encompassing outlook on the study of communication. I think, previously, you'd find that scholars tended to be six inches long and six feet deep (so to speak), but new media and new media delivery systems (amongst other things) are dictating new perspectives. Always - as in any discipline - you'll find purists. That's not necessarily a bad thing. For example, while I'm interested in quantitative research, I'm never going to be the type of person who spends years deconstructing factor analysis. At the same time, I DO use those findings to determine best practices. In the end, I think communication is an extremely flexible academic genre. Sure, you may face people who question the value of your work. But that's just life in general. As long as your work is methodologically sound, you'll be fine. As a final note, I'm very open-minded when it comes to research, but I do find a number of research approaches and departments (including some highly ranked by the NCA) to be uselessly arrogant scholarship with little intellectual utility. But, I'll keep those opinions to myself.

ETS sucks so bad. It's mind-boggling that they have a monopoly over academic testing which becomes even more ridiculous when you consider the serious concerns about the GRE's predictive abilities. In my case, despite the fact that I had my social security card, my birth certificate, my recently invalidated license, and my temporary paper license, I wasn't allowed to take the test. I asked the individual whether she had any doubts whether I was "me," and she said no. And, they denied my petition for a refund. I wish ETS the best and by the best, I mean the worst. As for calling departments, I don't know, I figure I'll wait until they let me know. Maybe I just don't want to know, haha.

what's crackin? Like all of you, currently waiting on notifications so I can decide what the hell i'm going to do with my life for the next couple years. Stats: 3.45 undergrad GPA (Miami University, BA in journalism and political science), 4.0 grad GPA (San Diego State, MA in "empirical" media studies). Q570, V580, 6.0 on GRE. 4ish years work experience (technical writer then program manager then west coast operations manager) with a significant history of securing major Government procurement packages (300+ million). Currently teach multimedia production at San Diego State (I'm finishing my MA here so it's assigned as a GTA position but, in reality, I'm responsible for all the curriculum. In fact, the media lab was a "new thing" when I got here, so I essentially designed the entire program and am still working out ways to streamline the lab/course/etc) along with a couple writing labs and our undergraduate empirical methods course (TA). Couple conference papers (some peer reviewed, some not) with several more (all empirical) pending. Letters from department head, former associate director of the NCA, and reasonably well known professor who is a lecturer (that's a long story; she's a great instructor and smart as a whip). I've been accepted into Oregon's SOJC program will full funding + stipend, rejected from the University of Michigan and UCSD. UCSD was never serious for me; I applied because I wanted to stay in San Diego but I know I would have been miserable in a 6 year, critical-cultural program full of NYU grads (only in academia does that sort of hypocrisy make sense). Michigan is where I'm from and a school I admire so that sort of stung. Still waiting on Illinois ICR, Illinois com, UCSB, and Arizona. I'm not optimistic on UCSB and Illinois com due to test scores (although my letter writers are all well known in those departments on a personal level). Have no idea what to think about Illinois ICR and Arizona. Weaknesses in my application are definitely the test scores and my chosen research track. I'm interested in mixing methods (mostly empirical with qual. for context) and looking at new media across communication traditions (namely, sociopyschological and cultural) while working with multimedia (I'm pretty good with video and video editing, flash, etc). Not unjustifiably, I think, schools are wondering whether I'm serious about working as a researcher. I mean, I am. But I don't see why research has to be the end-all and I don't think it's hard to run a couple studies a year while working in actual new media production as well. I thought about toning down my application to "fit in" with what schools were looking for, but sometimes I'm too independent for my own good. In the end, though, I knew I had to be honest with myself and accept that what I want to do (and what I'm good at) is currently somewhat peripheral to the discipline. I'm excited about studying the mass media because I think the contemporary take on new media applications is woefully inadequate and I think I can help change that. Test scores would have been higher. Long story short, studied for a month, did well on the practice examinations, then was not allowed by ETS (on test day) to take the test due to some bureaucratic issues involving a truly bizarre situation. I see some of you have already been accepted and know where you want to go while others are in a more amorphous situation. Good luck to all and I think you should all be proud of yourselves and your accomplishments.