Quickmick

MS was at the admissions level (unless faculty went out of their way to step in). PhD was the chat board/vote.

Are you limited to how many times you can use the P/F option? If so, I would probably take the Bs and save my P/F for when it would really save my bacon.

When I applied to MS programs I didn't interact with admissions at (other than to submit my app) and was accepted. Scholarship applications happened after the fact. For my PhD I know that an applicant file was opened on a type of chat board and all faculty could comment and there was a vote involved. During my time there, I know someone who was on the payroll and applied for an MS and was denied until their supervisor (faculty) stepped in. This would lead me to think that the decision was made at the admissions level without faculty comment. Just one empirical case, so just my 2 cents.

Just a couple of observations, I hope they help a little. For the GPA; from your description it sounds like it has been trending down (from Dean's list to here). I might speak to it; mine did the reverse and I didn't discuss it. It might put to rest any concerns this trend raises; if there is a personal statement maybe address it there. Regarding the school list, I would suggest you consider taking a different approach. Graduate school is all about fit (and if you get niche specialization, all of your future jobs will be about fit). How do you fit with them and how do they fit with you. I would define exactly (or as close to it as you can) what you want to study/what questions you would like to probe, then look for scholars who are working on the same thing. From that list you can derive your school list and determine where you have a reasonable chance of applying. I reached out to every professor I was interested in working with before I applied. I think you will find success, though the GPA may be an impediment to top tier schools. good luck QM

Hello @krittakat! You didn't mention if you like the chemistry part of your life, but if you do you might find a way to leverage your chemistry experience to set you apart as a compelling candidate. There are (as I'm sure you know) many chemical processes that go in to ecology (habitat for example, or check this out https://www.cfc.umt.edu/research/highlights/streamwaterchemistry.php). Maybe find a part of the world that are you trying to enter that has significant elements of what you are already have? Just an idea, hope it helps!

Hello GC! Hope you are all doing well. I wanted to share the process I went though to land what appears to be the ideal job for me. I graduated in the spring and was working on a post-doc with a pending promotion to the research track. I applied to a few faculty positions (1 no, 2 no word yet, but likely no) and knew my materials were compelling, but with publications in review I was not top tier. I was doing exciting work that I enjoyed and the future was bright; the main issue I had was the salary structure. As a non-traditional student I have 20 years of practical experience. So, I see myself as a mid-career professional who happened to get a research degree to leverage my experience into a niche application. For pay purposes, the system wanted to value me as a recent graduate and it just wasn't aligned with what I thought my value should be. I was forwarded a job posting with an NGO in a leadership position directly aligned with my values and in a space that would allow me to apply and operationalize my research and the qualifications they wanted were a near exact match to my combined private sector/academic background so I applied. During my graduate work I realized that part of the process was meant to broaden my horizon and that maybe I shouldn't be too tied to the tenure track dream, as being overly focused on one outcome might stifle my ability to see other opportunities. This is a very specific role in hyper-focused boutique organization and the posting still attracted about 80 applicants. From the 80, 70 were culled before having the opportunity to speak with anyone. Translation: your materials need to be perfect and on point. First round interview took 10 to 6 and was with the recruiter. Second round 6 to 3 and third round 3 to the finalists; at this point I am pretty sure I was the only finalist remaining for the fourth round. I was offered and accepted the job. The process is emotionally taxing and difficult, but getting the result you want is possible. At the final table everyone one is uber-qualified so I tried (much as with grad school applications) to focus on fit. The other piece I tried to stress revolved around soft skills (creativity, communication, emotional IQ) as I hoped those could set me apart. Thought I would share the process in case it helps someone gearing up for it. If you have specific questions you can message me. Take care, the role you belong in does exist and is attainable, but you might have to really search for it and when it comes along, go all-in to get it. Best, QM

This is a great topic. I earned my doctorate in a STEM field that is designed to be interdisciplinary; I have quant training (R), ArcGIS, policy, sustainability econ, etc. While this makes great thinkers, these qualifications are difficult to place squarely in one field. In this case, your path will be determined in many ways by what you focused most on, what you write papers about, and what you present. That being said, it feels like the tower understands the importance of well rounded thinkers,but isn't so sure what to do with them once they have been forged. The flip side, as @milara does a great job describing, is that you might be in position to make novel trans-disciplinary contributions to one or more fields, though it might be hard to get people to be willing to take the intellectual risk on the idea. For what its worth, the majority of people that have gone through my program end up doing agency/NGO/consulting/quant work or stay in the academy as career track researchers; but that is partly a function of individual choices and the difficult academic job market generally. For academic postings, I looked for positions that clearly valued the interdisciplinary approach but that had specificity aligned with my strongest suits. I don't know if this adds much clarity to your situation, but I hope it illustrates that you are not alone and that there is hope!

I would think about what you want from the experience and find the problem that is closest to that while satisfying the requirements of reimbursement. There are some neat MBA/data analytics programs, pm me for a bit more info if you're interested.

In spirit I want to say the more education the better, but it probably depends on the situation a bit. I hold a MS and a PhD and am starting my MBA next week. This degree offers me a chance to acquire skills I don't have but will want as I operationalize my PhD research. I would think more school generally won't hurt and will sometimes help. For me, I just had to decide if more class time is worth it as I have certainly had plenty of them.

I keep an eye on this: https://www.higheredjobs.com

If you are interested in agency work, you might want to check USA jobs. They have some positions designed to be filled by recent grads (I think you get two years from graduation) which should help decrease the number of your competitors. Good luck! QM

Hello all. Yesterday was eventful, I successfully defended my dissertation! It is a bit surreal as you spend so much time getting ready that when it happens it is kind of an odd sensation. There are not a lot of milestones in life that only happen once and this is certainly one of them. I know a lot of you are at the beginning of this journey so thought I would share a few things that seemed to help me on the way. While you need some smarts and great ideas, this degree is generally one of perseverance. Try to be humble and keep an attitude that is full of gratitude. Play well with others, but be assertive as needed. You can't say thank you too many times. This time can be filled with professional growth and personal growth. When you speak, remember that many are listening and most of those are willing to share what you say. You will probably have to leave your comfort zone. "I don't know," is never a wrong answer. Have fun. Don't let a bad day color your week or a bad week color your month, this is a long haul so keep your eye on the prize. I have really enjoyed being a part of the Gradcafe community so hope this helps one of you. For me, things don't change much; I will be taking care of some edits ahead of a May graduation then will keep showing up to work as funding has been secured for me to operationalize my research. I hope you have good luck and find what you are looking for. Take care, QM

Hello @purplepepper ! Before I had something secured I was searching for jobs fairly regularly. I may be confused, but if you are speaking of being hired to start in the fall of 2020, jobs started getting posting in the fall of 2019, and I saw many jobs offered in the Nov-Jan window. I would think that regardless of the virus, the timeline to interview and vet applicants would mean that many offers have already been extended. Just logistically, if I am considering moving for a faculty job, I would want to know in the spring if it was going to happen as I have to take steps to sell a house, pack, find a place to live, etc. My thinking is that with many institutions in a state of flux, increased levels of uncertainty, and recent market activity, we may see fewer professionals leaving the workplace or looking to move in the short term, which would tend to influence decisions made in 2020-21, thus impact 2021-2022 but this is only a guess. This article has some helpful information about the timelines generally : https://www.higheredjobs.com/articles/articleDisplay.cfm?ID=491 Good luck I hope you find what you are looking for and if I am missing something please let me know, I think I might be confused, as the post title is hiring fo20-21 but then you say 'for next cycle,' which may mean 21-22? Q

Well, you won't get in to 100% of the schools you don't apply to. My two cents; maybe they are something you don't, why not apply to this poly sci program and continue your other apps as planned?

When I was finishing my MS and applying to PhD programs I had to ask my advisor/committee chair to write letters even though I was also applying to remain his student too. I think I felt fat more awkward about it than him. Even with his lor there was no guarantee I was going to be admitted (though the chances were high). In the bigger picture, these are professionals that understand there are lots of factors involved in the process and ultimately they want us to make the best decisions for our careers and our families. I would ask and try not to worry about it too much.