DBear

Holy what the?! That actually happened?! That sucks more than I can express. So so sorry that you'll have to wait even longer @Feanor sorry to hear that, but remember you only need 1 admit! My friend was telling me that when she applied last year, she got 11 rejections then the 11th one was a waitlist and the 13th one was a fully funded admission. Obviously, the unfortunate sequence was super stressful for her, but she got into a good program and is doing well. Hang in there.

@heyDW That is great!! Thank you so much!! I've only ever lived in pricey neighborhoods and during my MA and internship, I found myself having to live on like 5 dollars a day. I actually didn't think that I'd get in anywhere at all so didn't think I'd have to even think about where to live, so I guess I'm happy I have to worry about relocation now

@heyDW I'm sending you the best of vibes!!! I hope it really works out for your husband too!! Also, thank you for the eating tip in Athens! Really important stuff. I was wondering though, if one is willing to live with roommates and live frugally, could one live on 1,000 dollars a month?! Would you happen to know?

I just had an interview that confirmed what everyone has said. The Professor told me that for that program, they have a admissions committee at the specialization level, the department level, then all decisions are confirmed by the University's Graduate School. So at the end of the initial review conducted at the specialization level, finalists are interviewed and then the representative(s) from the specialization will make recommendations to the department ad comm. Then once the final decision is made, it is sent up to the Graduate School. I spoke with him today (Jan 25th) and he said that "nothing exciting" will happen for the next few weeks as the department goes through the motions. He said, most likely, that I should be hearing back mid Feb. Another interview I had really did leave me with a lot of uncertainty - I couldn't really tell if the professor liked/ wanted me or not. Still, I asked what the next steps in the admissions process would be, and she told me that after the department admission comm makes a final decision (around Feb 1st), then they'll need to go to the school to fight for funding for the selected students. So the final decision with funding package would only be available in March. I think it is fair to ask what the next steps are / should you be preparing for another interview etc. (One program told me I'd need to speak with 2 professors), that way you can gain a bit more (not a lot) certainty.

Hi guys - just wanted to share some info from my Skype chat with a professor at Wisconsin-Madison (Rhetoric) I just had. So, the department is planning on sending out final decisions around mid Feb, and are in the process of talking to their top candidates. The impression I got from him (and someone else's post on the results page) was that the Skype chats aren't necessarily interviews, but more close to a sales pitch to get people to come. He did say there were some questions he was required to ask (why do you want to get a phd? what do you want to do with it? what other programs have you applied to?). Judging from the time frame, seems like any interviews they'll be conducting will happen this month most likely. For me, he said I'd most likely be contacted by another professor for an additional chat. Good luck all!

Accepted to Ohio University (Athens) Communication Studies (Rhetoric and Public Culture) 1/25 (quite surprised as the deadline was Jan 15) - email received with funding info but the online system is yet to be updated.

Thanks for that! That makes me feel a bit better! But as a Literature major, I can't help but read into things lol occupational hazards abound!

One year a long time ago, there were penguins who didn't wear hats when swimming. This made their mothers livid. "Unacceptable!" Frightened, they screamed, "Bears!" Nobody seemed convinced so instead of going swimming they tried juggling. Their mothers tried everything they thought would teach her a skill. However, she couldn't even make oatmeal without disastrous results. So, the penguins gathered money (obviously) trying to purchase a bear. Towering over them, a grizzly beast danced, devouring all bears with such ferocity that even God enjoyed it. Afterwards, God

Ugh, now I have that image in my head too.... I had a Skype interview/ chat with a POI last week - she was super supportive and we exchanged quite a few emails, a lot of them quite casual, leading up to November. After the Skype chat, I sent her an email saying 'thanks for your time' and for the first time in our correspondence, she didn't reply. She usually replied really quickly, but this time, it's been days and no reply. So that image, of her,, shaking her head, regretting having said "I hope you join us" way back in October - is in my head now. Sad.

I really think it depends on your personality - even during my MAs, there were people who were in the "OMG I have NO TIME TO BREATH" and then there were the ones who managed to have bbqs on the weekends and such. Obviously, the program's work load will be an important factor, but I think it's more your work style. I've come to this conclusion because in all the different jobs I've had and the different schools I've attended, I've basically been the same amount of busy throughout, regardless of work load. I've worked jobs that were really standard 9-5 jobs and some that literally had me working 18 hours a day or more at some times - still, I was always too busy for a really active social life regardless of work load so I think the problem is me If you really enjoy doing things like watching movies or yoga-ing, I'm sure you'll be able to adjust yourself sooner or later! For those of you who already have admissions, it'll probably be easier to find more department specific info about student life - One of my POIs put me in touch with a couple of current students even before I applied, so if you have someone you've been in touch with, or even just the dgs, it may be useful to see if they'd put you in touch with a current student. I know there are some schools that do this even before you ask, but if it hasn't been offered yet, seems okay to go ahead and ask!

2 months from now, as in March???? well, at least you know! So between @avflinsch's info and your phone call, you have a bit more certainty on the time line, that's better than nothing! Good luck!

@phdthoughtsI so know what you mean. I have a couple of friends I consider my best friend and one recently bought her third home and another has two homes and a kid and a second on the way.. Though most of my friends are super envious and supportive and I couldn't be more determined and content with my new path/ goal, it really is a bit strange living such an unconventional life relative to that of all my friends. Two people who really helped were professors in my more recent MA - My thesis adviser started her career a lot later and started her career around 40+. She reminds me of the fact that we're all going to have a longer life expectancy. She was honest though, she said she felt like she was playing catch up until recently (she's in her 50's now). She said she felt a lot of pressure to achieve more than her peers to make up for lost time and to prove she was as good as the young, bright minds in the faculty. As a result though, she is one of the most accomplished professors on our faculty. She is super diligent,has the best work ethic I have EVER seen, so I think it'll be up to us, but yes, we'll definitely be more driven! Another one of my female professors started her career a bit later, but because of her career she had her first child at 40. In my culture, that would've been really unheard of when she was younger, so probably had to overcome a lot of nagging and judgments from her family and those around her. Her daughter is 18 already and my professor is well-respected (she's my favorite lecturer) and when I talk about being older and worrying about family etc, she always told me not to worry -I thought she'd tell me to hurry up, life sucks being that behind, but apparently it really isn't that big of a deal! So there's that BTW, which tracks did you apply to? I mostly applied to rhetoric tracks though each school seems to call it something different. See you on the Communication board, too!

impeached president

UGH - Now I have the mission impossible song stuck in my head!!! I like your t-shirt idea, it's really cute! Hopefully the t-shirts won't be too expensive (or maybe your family isn't so big). I'm petty, I'll admit. My acceptance scenario is of telling the handful of people that annoy me that I got into a BETTER school than them *evil villain laugh* I try not to think of rejection scenarios as it makes me SAD. If I get rejected, can you infiltrate the schools and change my status?? Because, of course, NO BACKSIES!!!

@GunningForGrad LOL I'm literally dying with laughter - I just now noticed what your field of study is and I was like NO WONDER your images are so creative and elaborate! Kind of like occupational hazard lol lol Best of luck!

Yep, that sounds about right if you're describing me for the last 1.5 months.. Sometimes though, I'll re-read my SOP and think that I'm awesome (despite the dumb typo) but then start freaking out because I realize that if I don't get in this cycle, I have absolutely no clue as to how to make myself a better candidate next time around. I also have an "official" email address for work/school stuff. I made sure that my phone app was set so that I get notifications from BOTH addresses and my official account emails are auto-forwarded to my main email. YaY for email notification overkill! @GreenEyedTrombonist Dude, much respect for being able to hold out until now, that's AMAZING!

It seems we really do have a lot in common! "I'm 36 and applying to PhD programs. Did my masters in my late 20s and worked during that time, now live and work abroad in my field and but found that I really missed research and academia." This is me, though I'm not married:) After I decided to pursue a PhD, I got another MA and that was my soft-landing into poverty. I worked freelance all through my second MA to make ends meet + get used to having VERY limited resources. For me, I tried to remember my first MA, going from complete financial independence and a cushy salary in finance to having to ration my food, my first MA wasn't all that easy either, but got through it - so I told myself that I could do it again. Obviously, being a poor 29 year old feels different being a poor 36 year old, but still, at least l know being back in school and out of an office job isn't the end of the world, though I'm not really looking forward to poverty... It's also scary to think of re-entering the job market at 40+. Good luck! Other than Purdue, I've applied to the same schools as you!

lol! I'm so hijacking that image lol!!!! That should be what every anthropology applicant fears. More realistically, I imagine now, every time I open the online application, that a BIG RED REJECT will be flashing on the screen. Yay for active imaginations!!

HAPPY DANCE FOR @heyDW OMG that's awesome! Hope he gets good news too! @chiquitica Yay thank you! Really hoping it's a formality mostly. Totally understandable about TOEFL- if I were able to locate 4, 5 schools that didn't require TOEFL, I may have skipped it, too. I had to take it when I was super busy so the half day I spent on getting to the test center and sitting through the test felt like such a waste. Also, it was the first time I took the thing in like a decade, so was totally scrambling through it! Hopefully neither one of us will ever need to take the test again. I really hope I can end Jan with some good news, that way Feb may be a bit easier.

I think if you stopped at the first two main bullet points, @stereopticons and @GreenEyedTrombonist probably wouldn't have made those comments. For some people (even if they're exercising) carbs can be an issue - and since none of us have conducted a physical for @Asperfemme, we shouldn't go into details. For the most part, @Asperfemme the thing that worked most for me was to make time to walk half an hour a day - which seems like a lot during grad school sometimes, but out of 24 hours, that's really not that much. Also, personally, I didn't fast or cut down on food intake significantly since based on my personality, I'd go CRAZY while I starve then probably over-eat to compensate. Instead, I made minor changes - baby carrots instead of chips etc. and I tried to eat slightly less. But yeah, grad school is stupid stressful and adding the stress of going on a Spartan diet regime (even for a short time) probably would have been counter productive for me - obviously this will depend on your personality, schedule, metabolism and more. For the 30+ minutes of walking a day, I tried to force myself to go somewhere to eat and then walk at least 10 minutes after I ate which helped keep food coma to a minimal as well. Good luck!

Well, I'm glad to hear that your experience with race related crime has been some what limited to particular circumstances. I'm also assuming by the way you stated your response that you the liberal city and state you grew up and went to college in is not the city you are currently residing in (also since you said you're in 대전). I'm still not letting my guard down as I know how different things like this play out in different locations at different times, even barring gender-specific issues. I, too, lived in and went to school in a VERY blue city. One of the universities there had reports of women in hijabs being harassed and white supremacist groups posted propaganda posters on campus shortly after the election. This is a school where you're more likely to run into a pot-smoking vegan surfer than a Republican. There are reports from valid sources on the increase in hate-crimes (sorry I can't be bothered to link them) and I'm sure you're basing your considerations on equally valid sources and an educated opinion based on facts and your own experiences, but my trepidation is also based on having lived in the U.S. for a long enough time to have experienced various political and social turmoil, and based on my experience and what I've read, I'm definitely going to be a bit more smiley and polite when I pass INS at the airport and definitely going to be vigilant when walking around by myself (which as a female, I am already)

You and I must have some sort of psychic connection - that's pretty much the image I've had in my head. Sometimes, the scene is a meeting room with a handful of bored looking professors all looking at applications together and chit-chatting and invariably, one professor says "I don't know what kids these days are thinking, what is this? a diary entry? and you call this a GPA??" and there goes my application, into the wastepaper bin, waiting for the cleaning staff to take it to the recycling bin.

WOW! So happy to see so much activity here! The first night in forever that I went to bed before midnight and slept through the night - usually, I'm up all night checking the forum and have grown used to not seeing anything here but it was like CHRISTMAS this morning! All the Comm peeps are alive and well!! Congratulations to all who were accepted to ICR - I'm new to Communication so I didn't even know about that program until someone told me that was their dream school when they applied for PhD programs like a decade ago. So missed the deadline. @heyDW The suspense is killing me, what happened with the application? (Please tell me it's good news) Yep - I remember a few years ago, TOEFL waivers were more common but I only encountered 2 programs this time around that offered waivers for those who held a degree from a U.S. institution. Even less common are waivers for those with U.S. MAs so I had to report scores to 6 out of 7 schools I applied to. I ended up reporting to the one school that offered me a waiver just because my TOEFL score was the only thing I was confident about.. TOEFL = biggest waste of time and money EVER Also - I got an email today (around 12 hours prior to the time I post this) from a POI at Wisconsin Madison Comm Arts asking for a Skype conversation - he gave me really short notice, so I feel like they're at the tail end of their evaluations. He said that they are at the stage where they're interviewing top candidates. He was one of the three professors I mentioned in my SOP but he wasn't the one I had corresponded with via email prior to applying. I'm not sure how they do this, but it seems the review schedule is very specific to the different tracks (I'm applying to rhetoric and public culture). In his email, he introduced himself as being on the ad comm for the rhet phd - not comm arts. FYI - this may be why the interview schedule for that school seems a bit all over the place. Good luck everyone - it seems like the show's not just about to get started!

반갑습니다! There has been an uptick in hate crimes and I have heard from differ friends about some unfortunate incidents they've witnessed or gone through as a person of color. It seems some people feel emboldened under the new administration to act on their racism and being an Asian female, I'm a pretty easy target. I may be overreacting but in general, it seems that more people are concerned. When I told friends that I'm not completely comfortable going to the south years ago, they'd mostly say things like "it's actually really nice, you don't have to worry". More recently, the response to the same statement is met with "I understand". @Beals out of curiosity, may I ask, do you think the current atmosphere would affect how open you are about being a member of the queer community?