OmarComin'

Probably a very small percentage

The professors at my undergrad university (state school, ~5,000 students) seemed to start out at $55,000/year and max out around $68,000/year (excluding the Chair). There were no Full Professors there, who would have made more money. The professors at the university I will earn my master's degree from (state school, ~20,000 students) appear to start out around $65,000/year and go up significantly from there. Full Professors make just south of $100,000, and Distinguished Professors make over $100,000. The best advice I can give you would be to look up the salaries of professors at universities similar to what you'd like to teach at. If it's a state school, their salaries are public information. I should point out that the professors at my undergrad university rarely ever produced research. They were able to focus solely on teaching. The professors at the university I'm at now are expected to always be working on research while teaching, typically, two classes a semester. So, really, it all depends on what's more important to you. I should also point out that the remainder of your student loan debt will be forgiven if you teach at a public university for 10 years while simultaneously making at least the minimum payment every month. Of course, that could easily be changed under the current administration.

MSU will notify applicants of admission decisions 4-5 weeks after their January 10 deadline.

I seriously doubt that any user on this forum takes issue with a professor posting on here. Most of us are anxious applicants, and the vast majority of our information comes from other equally as anxious applicants. The blind leading the blind, if you will.

To get a feel for a department's focus, my best advice to you would be to look at each faculty member's CV and document those that produce research similar to what you're interested in. As far as I know, Cincinnati is one of the most prestigious programs in the country, and corrections is probably the number 1 focus there. Additionally, I am pretty sure that American is a good choice for those interested in public policy. Unfortunately, there isn't much out on the internet about doctoral programs in criminology/criminal justice, so, again, my best advice is to look at faculty research.

My suggestion would be to check our airbnb.com. I ALWAYS use AirBNB when I travel. It's much cheaper and usually much better than booking a hotel room.

I sent applications to USF, FSU, MSU, UMSL, and UD. I'm glad to have that over with, but now the waiting begins. Does anyone know what the interviews, if the school conducts them, typically consist of?

@AspiringScholar17 I'm glad to hear you had some meaningful conversations with the faculty you're interested in working with. Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to ASC. On Friday the 11th, one of my dogs began acting strange. Fast forward to that Monday, and she was in ICU at the local animal hospital. The neurologist diagnosed with with an autoimmune disease that progresses at a rapid pace, and for a few days there, it was looking like we were going to have to euthanize her. I made the decision to stay home and care for her since I was able to bring her home last Wednesday. Fortunately, she has made great progress, and euthanasia seems very unlikely at this point.

The 149/146 will not change. They are referred to as unofficial because your writing portion isn't yet graded; therefore, the test hasn't "officially" been graded. This is straight from USF's webpage regarding GRE scores for their criminology PhD program: "A score of 153V (53rd percentile), 144Q (18th percentile) or higher on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) to be competitive." I know you're not considering this program, but it's good to know. Personally, I would retake the test. I understand that those scores are not indicative of your level of intelligence and determination and that it's frustrating, but I think you might be better suited to retake the test. I absolutely HATE standardized tests. They have never reflected my grades or ability to write/conduct research, but alas admissions committees seem to love them.

@AspiringScholarPhD I will be at ASC this year. I'm not sure what my plans are while I'm there, so I'll have to play it by ear, but I'm sure I'll be available to get together on one of the nights.

What was you major GPA? For instance, my cumulative GPA is absolutely terrible; however, my major GPA was 3.66, and I have a 4.0 in a grad program. From what I know, programs are usually concerned with your major GPA/last 60 credit hours. You appear to have a competitive application as far as experience goes, though.

I sure hope that you aren't hindered by your lack of publications because if you are, I'm screwed! I cannot honestly say how likely it is that you'll get into a program because, like you, I am a prospective student. I would assume that you will get into a program, however. I came across some information that a PhD program from a different discipline put out for their prospective students that helped to calm my nerves slightly. They said that they don't necessarily care whether you're published, they just want to know that you have done research (i.e. thesis, poster presentation, RA/TA experience). Also, from what I understand, criminal justice/criminology PhD programs are just looking to see that you're able to score above the 50th percentile on each GRE section. Your scores far surpass that mark. Your GRE scores shouldn't faze you at all.

@AspiringScholarPhD I appreciate the kind words, and I am sure that you will do well on the GRE. I purchased the 5 lb. Book of GRE Practice Problems to, you guessed it, practice problems. I'm not sure how much it actually helped me though. I can tell you this much, I stressed out over the GRE unnecessarily. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected it to be. That's awesome there is an entire school focused on critical criminology. It's not insanely popular in the states, although there is an increased interest in green criminology (i.e. MSU).

Long time listener, first time caller. I will be applying to a few criminology/criminal justice programs in the next few weeks. Undergrad GPA: 3.66 --- Masters GPA: 4.0 --- GRE: 153Q/157V Unfortunately, I have had to work full time while attending school, so I have not published any work, and I was unable to work an assistantship. I have written a technical report for a probation department and am in the process of writing a qualitative thesis with completely original data (semi-structured interviews). I will also have one conference presentation by the time I apply. The four schools I am definitely applying to are: (1) South Florida (2) Florida State (3) Michigan State (4) Arizona State. I might also apply to SUNY. I am very interested in critical and radical criminology among a few other topics. There aren't many professors that also have an interest in critical/radical criminology. @AspiringScholarPhD Not to worry you, but I took one of the practice tests that ETS puts out and scored 157Q/157V but only scored a 153Q/157V on the actual test. I felt the quantitative section was more difficult on the actual test, obviously. With that said, that's a sample size of one, so you could do better on the actual test than the practice test! Good luck!

My best advice to you would be to look at these programs' websites and see what their criteria is. For example, Illinois State University does not require GRE scores for their master's program, and you must have at least a 3.0 GPA from the last 60 credit hours of undergrad. There are plenty of master's programs that do not require GRE scores.