ts1493

Fantastic @pterosaur, this is just what I was looking for. Will have to have it handy when I talk with students/faculty!

Hi everyone -- I am a U.S. prospective PhD student, but am applying for programs while working/living abroad. I visited 3 of the 4 social sciences programs over a year ago when I was just thinking about applying but it was a long time ago now. I've since been admitted to one and received emails from POIs at two other programs checking in to say my app has gone to committee and asking if I had any questions about the programs. So far, I've asked about funding, about job placements, I've taken a look at the current students and recent grad profiles to see where they've been and where they are going. But are there other questions I should be asking?? It's a long time to be at a program and I'm afraid I'm missing an important piece that I should be considering. I'm definitely hoping to visit but am waiting to see if I get into more than one program so I can take advantage of the visit to see multiple places at once.... For those already enrolled in PhD programs is there something you wish you had asked about going into the program?

this post spoke to/answered a lot of my concerns about entering into a PhD program. Thank you @juilletmercredi :-D

Yes, I think that's it. I got two separate letters with the awards, and the POI explained it to me just as you said .... hope that's the case for you, too!

I'm sure schools use this term differently. When I was contacted about admission to the program, I was told I would have $XY,000 in funding, guaranteed for five years. Then I was contacted the next day and told I was also being offered the fellowship, for an additional $5000 guaranteed funding for the five years, on top of what I was originally offered. My TA (and later TF) responsibilities remain the same and there is no additional academic requirement for the fellowship.

I have the same question! I got a fellowship on top of my TA funding and am not sure either ...

Wow that's surprising they've asked for a two-week turnaround on your decision. It must be because they sit in the management program, because in general most PhD programs allow you until April 15th. If you have other programs you are considering and waiting to hear from on funding then I think this is on of the few occasions where getting in touch might actually be helpful. I would probably reach out to the other programs and say that you're in the unusual situation of having one program asking for a firm decision well before April 15th and while you understand they may not be able to give you an answer right now you're really interested in their program and would appreciate your application and possibly funding status a bit sooner. It sounds like the program you applied to may not be that flexible on their deadline for an answer, but many PhD programs are in the midst of deciding right now and it might not be that hard for them to give you a decision. Not sure, just a thought ...

Yes, great news!!! Whooohooooo

Yes, absolutely! As a woman of color I feel like I constantly heard stats about how "minorities" score low on tests, and in the past it's definitely affected how I think about testing (well, if I don't do well it's because of x,y,z). But that mentality doesn't help at all. Tests are so much about learning the strategy and you can definitely do better. Give it a try ...

@toxicdevil Congrats! I'm still waiting to hear back from Northeastern for a different program but have heard back from another Boston school so I'm happy to be back in town. I'm not sure what your situation is but here are just a couple thoughts: Northeastern is really centrally located so unless you plan to live far out of the city I would think a car is not worth it for you. It'll be tough to park (especially in the wintertime) and more of a hassle than it's worth it. If you lived in JP, for instance, you could probably just bike up or take the bus or T to get there quickly and easily and it would be much more convenient. It's tough to bike in the winter, you may not want to, especially without snow tires ... but it can be done. If you live on your own in a studio expect to pay upwards of $1400 a month for something simple. A one bedroom can run around $1700 to $1800 depending on where you live. Look for an apartment that has heat and hot water included, as that can save you several hundred dollars a month in utility bills. If I were going to NEU I'd probably opt for somewhere in JP, but that's just my opinion ... Allston- Brighton isn't too bad either, but there are some neighborhoods like right at the Harvard Ave stop on the B line that are just really loud ... My roommate went to Northeastern Law and we lived at the time in Somerville. It's across the river and not the closest neighborhood, but if you're right on the red line it's not such a bad commute. Good luck!

Congrats on this admission! I didn't apply to Yale but it's surprising to see that they are offering admission to 10 candidates. I guess that makes sense, if they expect maybe 5-7 to attend in the fall? Anyways, great news!

I've received $26K from a private university (that includes a special fellowship on top of the funding) and am told that the TA responsibility for years 1-2 are a maximum of 20 hours. I've spoken to some other students and they say that it often doesn't occupy that much time and is pretty manageable. For years 3-5 there is a TF responsibility but I'm not sure how many hours that amounts to. Funding is guaranteed for 5 years, and then there is a strong possibility of some dissertation funding from then on, plus some research grants and summer funding. It's really helpful to find out if there are internal grants from the university research institutes as that can be a bit easier to secure.

I applied to the Brandeis Social Policy program but haven't found anything about it or other social policy programs in these forums ... good luck!

Yes, curious about the same thing!

Hmmm. I would probably retake the test if I were applying to an MPH program as I imagine they look at the quantitative score more than verbal. I don't know about those programs specifically but most do post some kind of range on their admissions pages. I'm not sure if a decent GPA and good LORs can overcome those scores, unfortunately, as it seems hard to escape the GRE completely in the admissions process. I did not do well my first time taking the GREs the first time and really didn't want to take the test again, believing that I just couldn't improve on those scores. But I tried again focusing on the quantitative scores and I used Khan Academy as a study tool along with some Magoosh vocab tools. My scores went up 5 points but on the GREs that makes a big difference - up from 18th percentile to 45th percentile, moving into the competitive range for the programs. Even small improvements can make a big difference.

Yes, definitely. I had a poli sci professor and two employers.

Yes @bluefoxblue it's definitely good to find a place to air out these thoughts/concerns! I've been out of school for nearly nine years. whaat?? I feel super self conscious about it and a bit doubtful of my idea to jump back into the grad school fold, but on the other hand I feel like the experiences will be relevant and help me manage my time better and it's something I've always wanted to do. I feel like when I got married there were so many voices of doubt when my husband and I decided to go abroad instead of settle down and start a family that one thing we've learned is to trust ourselves more with decision making instead of doubting ourselves so much. Everyone's got a path, and only we can choose our own ....

Did the program commit to giving you funding this year, or did they tell you that you would be held a spot but that they would evaluate your funding alongside other candidates for the following year? Some programs do that and I think it makes a big difference. A friend of mine deferred but since she was not promised funding, only a spot, it was a lot more understandable that she applied to other programs. I was admitted to a PhD program two years ago right before being selected for a competitive international experience that I also applied to. I explained what happened to my program and they were very fair: said that they couldn't hold my spot/funding, but that they could keep everything from my application on file for when I was ready to apply again, and all I would need was an updated SoP and any new test scores. A couple of the professors said that if they were me they would have made the same decision. Since I didn't have any promised spot or funding I reapplied to the program this year along with a few other programs to maximize my chances. I think it matters whether they gave you funding and what the reason for deferring was. A lot of programs don't allow you to defer specifically to avoid the kind of scenario where a committed student picks a better option. If you're sure you want to go there I would go ahead and say that you're interested and want to move forward in the process. If you haven't been guaranteed funding then I would say that you'd like to move forward in the process, you're definitely still interested, but that obviously funding is a concern. That leaves some room for the conversation about other options. I do think if they promised you funding and now you say you applied to other schools in your deferral year it will raise some red flags and possibly a bad taste for the school you want to go to (i.e. compromise your chances of getting any additional funding...).

Nope, applied to a different program at UMASS. I think it's a good sign, though, that they reached out personally to you. Hope good news is not far off!

I would say it's okay but with the caveat that if you can, I would personalize the letters a bit - say specifically what it is about the program you like, add in any relevant detail like a professor you know and have spoken to, etc. I used essentially the same SoP but tailored it a bit for each school, shortening or expanding on certain parts depending on the program. In the job world a cover letter that doesn't say anything about why the specific job is interesting/good fit is a bit of a turn off.

I've been living abroad for the last two years and a little nervous to come back and look for housing and make the Sept 1 move in date (what I will just call the apocalypse in Boston hahaha). Are people mostly using Craigslist, or are there any good apps/websites that have replaced that as a resource? I've been bookmarking some possible realtors but would just like to know if there are any other good options....

I'm feeling awkward, too. hahaha I'm 32 and just applying to a PhD now. I have a lot of friends who are on their tail end of PhDs and some who are more settled in jobs. I also know a couple people with grown kids and established careers that are jumping back into a PhD, but I feel like they have a bit more stability in their lives... I have had really good, really interesting jobs and international experiences which I wouldn't trade at all, but it does feel like it's a bit of strange time to start a PhD. About the family thing -- I've been really surprised at how much more family-friendly programs are becoming. We don't have any kids but we're thinking about starting a family while I'm in the program. A good friend of mine struggled with infertility (which I'm discovering is super common) towards the tail end of PhD program said and her advice, for what it's worth was, "If you don't think you're ready, then that's one thing, and you should listen to it. But, if you really want to start a family now do it, and work with the program to find accommodations because there are a lot of ways to manage it. Sometimes you wait and wait for the best time but there really is no best time and you find it's too late." Lots of people disagree with this, and that's totally fine. It's such a personal decision. But of all the conversations I've had that piece of advice resonated the most...

thanks @ConsciousKid, we'll see! I've been checking my status page, since I recall seeing a while ago on the results page that in years past Northeastern didn't send an email to reject, just change the status page so some people found out just randomly checking the status of their apps. And congrats on your Brown admission - you must be really happy about that!

I think if you have a POI already you can reach out to that person to ask about your application. If not, then the grad admissions director who may be the person who gets this question most often. I would probably send along something thanking them for their consideration, saying you want to make the most of the year to come, and you are particularly excited about this program. Is there anything that they can say about your application specifically, was it a fit issue? Do you lack research experience, etc? I think that showing a strong interest and a desire to improve goes a long way ...

Hey @ConsciousKid and @Alice_JH, I didn't have an interview at Northeastern so I've been feeling like I'm probably a longshot. But then last week I got a personal email from one of the professors I spoke with (not my POI) last week telling me that my application was currently being reviewed in committee and that they hoped to be in touch soon, and to please let him know if I had any questions come up. Maybe it's because I had phone calls with three different professors before I applied about my interests, background, etc? I don't know but still keeping my fingers crossed. I got into Boston College but I also really like the Northeastern program and would love to get in there. Good luck to you both and to all who are applying to Northeastern!