MarkMc

@rack_attack124 I think the challenge here was when this was published the GRE had already changed format, but the GMAT had not. There may have been difficulty trying to compare tests that were even more different then than they are now. I applied to a DPA, a DBA, 2 in Technology Management, a Communications Media Program, and a Financial Planning Program. On the GMAT I had a perfect AW score 4.5 on the GRE. (GMAT was like 94th percentile and GRE was 80th). Quantitative I was in the low teens on the GMAT, but 48th percentile on the GRE. Verbal was about a little higher on GMAT (high 70's/low 80's compared to 71st percentile on GRE). My biggest swing was far and away the quantitative scores. This is coming off a BS in Business Administration, a MBA in Finance, and a MA in Diplomacy and International Relations.

Where do you see a 67% error? I see a predicted range of scores (and the anticipated score was actually higher than my GMAT score when my GRE was converted). It gave me a higher predicted quantitative and lower predicted verbal percentile. You may disagree, but typically GMAT test takers are better versed in quantitative methods (save for the science specific).

Literally the next day. I'm going to work through what may come with financial assistance and then make a discussion. While I hate to abruptly leave one program that I started working through shortly after enrolling, but in the end each program will be better off if I wish to be there or someplace else. Unfortunately this may happen more often than we realize.

Unfortunately it appears the conversion is correct. As someone who took both I scored significantly lower on the GMAT. It appears that for one reason or another the GMAT is more competitive than the GRE and thus the higher percentiles in the GRE typically falls significantly in the GMAT.

And - graduate admissions department are the best place to start. I ended up choosing the program with the admissions department that was the most straight forward and gave me clear answers about what it would take to get in. They should be able to guide you on their ideal, typical, and borderline candidate profile.

I agree with @rack_attack124 you'll need to sort some of this out. I scored much better on the GRE, which I did much better on in terms of percentiles (except for writing). However, when you do the conversion scoring it seems as though this happens for many people and may push you down in the qualifying. You can find these conversions online. There are programs that will take folks right out of undergrad (mine was one). And they even offered a BS/MBA (or BA/MBA - can't remember which). Many programs have a qualifying "score" (GMAT or GRE plus GPA times a multiplier) with minimums on both.

An MPA program may not be the path for development. You may be looking more at a International Affairs/Relations Program that has a development component. My MA is in Diplomacy and International Relations and they offered a International Economics and Development specialization as well as a dual degree with a MPA. You may be able to explore this at the PhD program. At the end of the day you need to decide where you'd ideally like to land and pick the path that puts you on that trajectory. Hopefully it will also provide some flexibility.

Well. With my nerves I went ahead and scheduled knowing that I still had to hear. Theoretically yes - I need to know by 6/22, however some of this takes 30-60 days for processing. Of course, I no sooner schedule and in less than 24 hours I hear from my first choice. The second choice is now offering a GA/TA possibility so I'm going to explore a bit and see where I come out at. It's getting quite interesting.

What do you want to do when this is all said and done?

They haven't given a deadline for accepting. Admissions are on a rolling basis and it's a small program. I'm also getting heat from my student loan programs, making things super awkward with the timeline continuing to countdown.

I've been accepted to a program that's likely my second choice. It appears as though my first choice program has pushed decisions back until the end of April. I've got a few challenges I need consider. 1. My student loans enter repayment 6/22. I can likely afford to pay these off by the end of a PhD (or make a significant dent). 2. My first choice accepting me may make a major change on how to move forward. It appears to be a better fit, more affordable, and a better structure what I want to accomplish. 3. The second choice program appears to be getting more expensive. I hadn't planned to apply for a GA or TA position since work will cover, however the number of courses my job will pay is shrinking as the electives seem to be less diverse. That being said - my second choice has sent me acceptance paperwork for scheduling. Should I go ahead and schedule with my second choice program? It allows me to lock down a status, keep my student loans deferred, and start the process there. Should I also revisit GA/TA opportunities at the same time? I can always withdrawal and let them know I got a last minute acceptance, but I'm not sure if this is the best way to go about it. Thanks!

At Seton Hall I know they will take MBA candidates from a pretty diverse background. You're looking at some top programs so that may be a bit more challenging, but not impossible. Research and research interests that align with faculty will be key. At the MBA level many students will have work experience, but PhD this isn't necessary (as they are looking at research rather than a professional degree). I just heard of another student getting into a PhD program (who was an awful human being) that has a bachelors in science, a MBA (that nepotism helped him get into the program and land a GA position) and is in at one or more PhD programs. Keep in mind that MBA's tend not to be research centric, so there is little of that to help bolster his application/resume.

Your GPA is a little low, but your GRE is in the range. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Nothing you can do but apply and find out

Cat, JLT, and Bat, The creamery seems to be the go to place to check out. If you're into architecture the Schwab building was always one of my favorites. I'm not opposed (contrary to most) to living on campus at Penn State. The campus is huge and I don't think it hurts to be in the middle of it. Because of the layout of the town it can be hard to find anything super convenient to where you're trying to go unless you're in university housing (in my opinion). If you're off campus, so are undergraduates. The frat houses are on the other side of College Ave so they're hiking back and forth. There's no avoiding an undergraduate body that size. In terms of what you see for pricing - yes that seems about right for pricing. I don't think a car is necessary, especially if you're on/close to campus. However it you want to leave the SC/UP area - then yes - the only way out is a vehicle. Most apartments and university housing will handle snow removal for you. This season the area only got a couple of snowfalls (including one blizzard). So if you're in a house you may have to shovel less than a half dozen times. Socially everything will be fine. Penn State is a large, diverse campus with something for everyone. State College is kind of far from major cities, but there is an airport in State College (small, connects mostly through Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dulles - I used to hop from here to Cincinnati to Chicago when I lived there). However, think of State College as a very large college town. Miles of college. During the summer and break it can be a bit deserted. Oh - and don't forget to take your obligatory picture at the Nittany Lion statue. It's a right of passage. Let me know if you have other questions I can attempt to field.

No. You have to find a program that's the best fit for you. Keep in mind if it is a traditionally structured program you'll find yourself deep in the bowels of the University so location may matter less. Also, what good is a location if you're miserable in the program? Is the better location a better fit? I think location alone is a tough sell, but look at the programs more inclusively. Top 10 down to Top 50 is a big jump.

It seems that interviews are far and few between for a Masters. Typically PhD is more likely to require this due to the close working relationship you'll have with faculty to assess cohesion and ability to work together. Similar research interests also help. A Masters is a stepping stone to this.

You've listed the criteria that most people would consider when making a decision. Let's take it step by step. Cost - you don't want to buried under a mountain of debt. Are you being covered anywhere? Each of the Universities you list are expensive (With Rutgers possibly being the least expensive). What's your end game with education? Do you want to teach? Work in administration? Work in non-profit? Work in public? I see that you're looking at MSW so you may be facing lower salaries. Keep in mind that many positions related to this type of job will offer loan forgiveness. Also, if you set your loans (Stafford) to income dependent they'll always be based on your income and they are forgiven once they pass the maximum amortization. You don't want to go to the least expensive program and be miserable or go to the most expensive and be student loan poor. Figure out what a realistic number is coming in and going out. What can you afford? What's your debt situation? You may have to rule out some programs based on cost (or may be not). Doors - You want to have options. You want to be able to find work that you find fulfilling and meaningful. This may be a variety of types of positions. You'll need to understand this. What good is building a foundation to a house that can never be completed? You'll feel enriched, but maybe slightly empty. Financing - I'm not sure what your debt situation is, but if you've been conservative until this point you should be able to get Stafford loans that will carry you. They're subject to more requirements so it should help prevent breaking the bank (or bankrupting yourself). My decision process - I only looked at programs that I could cover out of pocket. I didn't want to assume anymore debt. I applied to one highly ranked school (because they sent a free application). I didn't even consider that type of program, so I did find another that was affordable and offered even more flexibility. So I paired down based on cost. With my plan, should I get in. I can afford to pay for my Doctorate and payoff all of my student loan debt before I graduate. Then I started looking at programs that were a good fit and offered the type of enrichment that I found ideal. Keep in mind I'm not considering and immediate move to academia (other than continuing to teach part time) so I wanted something that would broaden both my professional and academic horizons.

Keep in mind that many will be facing this very issue. If the offer is good through April 15th you have no worries. They reason for the end date is that they may look at candidates who will fill your spot if you turn it down. I would reply to your contact there and advise them that you've received the offer and you're extremely honored and flattered. Let them know that you're going to sort through the offers you've received (they don't need to know that this is the only one) and that you expect to reach a decision by whatever date you think is reasonable. Let them know that they are currently high on your list. Congrats!

I certainly incorporated various parts of my SOP into different applications. Two of them were the same program (PhD Technology Management) so the SOPs were virtually identical. They both had 2 page requirements. I had one that had a 10 page requirement (which was awful) and another program that was a 3 page requirement on the business side. I think important aspects of my history, skills, etc transfer, but still make sure to answer what they're looking for.

Yes. Absolutely. Would be happy to (over) share.

Agreed - if you were told to do so - dive right in. Not sure of your application date, but keep in mind we just came off of break, they may be assembling committees, getting into the swing of things, etc. My school also had a 3 day weekend this weekend - so as we close in on the end of January we've only had about 5 class days. Shoot an email and tell them you were advised to follow-up. Tell them you just wanted to make sure they had everything they needed and ask when you might be able to expect a response. Good luck!

It's certainly not an easy position you're in and I'm sure not many can truly appreciate the situation you're dealing with. A few things jump out me in terms of items to consider, which you may have already done. 1. If you were able to withdraw or take a leave of absence - what would you do? Work? Take time off? Would you be satisfied with either of these? Would the improve your position? Would there be other stresses that would easily overtake the ones you might leave behind? 2. Are there individuals in your department, program, school, etc that can understand what you're going through? It sounds as though you're somewhat left on your own there. What about previous programs? Often the opportunity to talk through things can make it easier. If you don't feel you have that in your department - is there someone else somewhere that take help you alleviate some of the pressure? If your spouse isn't in academia it can often be hard to understand the dynamics at play. While you have a partner supporting you mentally and emotionally, without true insight to the challenges that can sometimes become a bit of a rub. 3. Have you talked to the counseling center/office at your program? Often just the process of talking through things can be helpful. Certainly they're mindful of the challenges at your particular university. Also, they may be able to help carve inroads to get yourself into a position where you can handle what's going on. There's no right answer here. There may be benefits to leaving, but surely there are to staying (if not, you may have answered your own question). If you leave you may have to face student loan bills coming, one income covering a mortgage or rent (instead of two) so on and so forth. I've been going through the PhD application paces and deciding what's next for my family situation. I'm single, but want kids. Wanted to adopt, but adopting as a single male is still difficult. I went the egg donor/gestational carrier route to suffer a miscarriage around 6 weeks. It was very trying. However I had a very clear plan to get to a PhD/Doctoral program that I'll continue to work until the path I'm on isn't passable. It will require compromises and shifts, but I'll work through it. If I reach that point where it becomes so difficult that other options are better, offer to alleviate unmanageable stress without major challenges, etc. I'll weigh them at that time. Personally, I'm not at that point so I continue to work the plan I've set out and hope things continue to progress in my favor.