DBear

Thanks for sharing! I noticed that you're not applying for Comm Arts at Madison, can I ask why not? I know some programs encourage students to pursue studies in other schools as MA to phd curriculum doesn't really change too much. @Nika Teneo There's so much conflicting info, but for the funding document, I decided to follow the instructions on the online application and just ticked off that I'd be needing funding from the school. The pdf document they say to upload seems to indicate that if you are expecting funding from the school as your main source, you just need to tick off one box so.. thought that was the same as the tick mark on the online app. I was a bit hesitant about this thinking that if all else is equal, perhaps the program would choose an applicant that can pay for themselves. However, a friend of mine that started her phd program this fall (in English) said that during the funding negotiation process, one of schools kept coming back to the fact that she said she anticipated a government scholarship and tried to give her less. I thought I'd be upfront with the school because I really have no intention of going to an unfunded phd program because 1) I can't afford to (I only have enough saved up for food and stuff) and 2) I think the amount of funding (or lack thereof) is an indication of how strongly the program wants you and I don't want to go somewhere I'm not welcome with open arms. So, I lived in the US pretty much all of my childhood and then went back for my MA in a small graduate school in CA. I wouldn't worry about 'simple' vocabulary. If your post is any indication,then your English is just fine. I know so many students that can't even write a post here without making it obvious that English isn't their dominant language, and they go on to do well in their studies. I'm happy to see that I'm not the only international student here or the only one who did political science in undergrad. Though, unlike @nika teneo, I'm on the other end of the spectrum in that I did a lot of non-academic things following my undergrad so my biggest concern is that admissions committees look at my profile and think 'this is really random, how do we know she's committed to academics now?" .... All in all, this process has been an exercise in self-criticism and questioning everything I've done up til now...

Thank you! For the life of me I couldn't get past the 150 mark for quant... My GPA isn't stellar and there's absolutely nothing I can do about that... So have resorted to worrying about everything else lol Good luck!

Hallo! Yes, I'm applying for Wisc Mad Comm Arts as well... I'm also an international student but spent a good chunk of time in the U.S. so if you have questions about adjusting or schools in general, let me know! Communication is a bit alien to me because my studies up until now have not been in Communication and I only know one person in the field so... I have no idea if I'm even going about this whole thing the right way. The one friend I do have says I should be okay.. but still.. I'm feeling less than confident

Here's a virtual bourbon and hug - In my experience (and I'm like a decade older than most of the MA classmates I graduated with this summer) "this too shall pass" really is true. Somehow, no matter how shitty things get, the world hasn't ended for me yet (sometimes I'm REALLY surprised about this) and you'll get through this too!

Call her, text her, send her "gentle" reminders .... It seems most schools give letter writers a couple days leeway but some systems will her out when the deadline is up.

My 3rd writer is notorious for being late with letters and such but I'm sticking with him because I think his letter would add more value to my applications as he's known me for over a decade. I've emailed him regularly (even if he doesn't reply), texted him a few times and have his class schedule memorized should I need to loiter around his office to grab his attention. I heard that another student actually tracked him down and basically made him write the letters then and there. That's something I'm not comfortable with doing so I've resorted to stalking him basically. If this professor is your best option, stick with him. However, if he's unreliable like mine is, then I'd suggest using your altetnate for schools that may be a bit cumbersome. For example, one of the schools I'm applying for doesn't do automated email links. I didn't want to risk having him try and mail a hard copy etc. so I asked another professor for that particular school. This has become the hardest part of the whole process for me..... I wish you lots of luck!

Hi all, I'm applying for Communication PhD programs and am well within the page limits for my writing sample. Should I add an abstract or cover page? I haven't seen other people do this, and wasn't planning on it because I thought I'd have a hard time staying within the limit. Thanks!

I know the feeling! Sent off the first two yesterday and thought I'd sleep well - but was even more anxious. Anyone else just one big ball of anxiety now? Also, has anyone contacted Bowling Green? I've contacted the grad secretary, grad admissions office, and the dean of grad studies and NO ONE has gotten back to me. I noticed a discrepancy in the dept's required documents (2 hard copies of official transcripts) and the instructions on the online application. Since the info on the dept's page is referring to the BGSU graduate school's requirements, I think that it should be okay to go with what the online system says.. but emailed anyway to no avail. I'm not in the U.S. so with the time difference and not wanting to call internationally, I've been hoping to get a reply via email. I was so annoyed at one point I was thinking of not applying but two of my professors already uploaded their letters of rec.. so might as well.. Gah this process is NO FUN.

Argh.. sounds frustrating! If that's the case, I'd send the official, electronic transcripts and then email the department notifying them that as your uni does not do hard copies, you followed the grad school's instructions. How ever it is you decide to communicate it with them, I'd suggest to be careful and try not to sound like you're blaming them for conflicting info/ letting them know you didn't see this earlier

I've had this happen to me a lot - you should email the program/ admissions office. Better to pay for a quick international call or spend some time emailing than waste money on hard copies or get rejected for insufficient materials. If I was in charge of admissions, I'd probably feel bad for putting out inaccurate info, but would still blame the applicant in the end for not checking. I've found that for some Universities, the program's requirements take precedence while at others, the Graduate School or Uni's general guidelines take precedence so there's no sure way other than contacting them. I'm also international so I always contact them while muttering prayers that they won't want official transcripts til later... Good luck!

Hi all, I thought I'd ask this outside the application thread hoping people who were already admitted may reply. I've been looking through the forum and saw several people talk about interviews. I'm more familiar with admissions processes in English Literature and I've never heard of anyone going through an interview (at least not that I have heard of). Are phone interviews a common practice in Communication studies? One school I'm applying to specifically said they don't do phone interviews, so I'm curious if they said this because interviews are the norm. Wondering if I need to prepare for this and keep it in mind as I plan my winter.. Thanks!

I think you're close enough to what you intend to do. I've seen people submit things that were hardly even related, but they wanted to show their strongest academic writing. Like you said, the intended specialization is not something set in stone and many people apply for programs that they did not major in before, and even if they did, they may want to approach a different, slightly related topic. Some schools I'm applying for actually expressly state that the sample doesn't necessarily have to be directly related to what you're applying to but should be a sample of your best writing to date. Just my two cents

I'd go with writing a new paper. There are schools that will specifically tell you NOT to submit anything that's co authored but even if that's not the case, I see too much risk of running into an ethical issue. Even if the main idea originated with you, developing the idea, deciding what direction you are going to take it and how to actually write it wasn't all you. This is different from when you're writing something and you incorporate feedback. So best be on the safe side and go with a different paper

Personally, I'd say swap out 1 for the internship. I also attended a program geared towards producing policy professionals and I had 1 professor, 1 from an internship and 1 from my then supervisor. If you can get the person from your internship to speak to how that experience ties in with what you want to study and how you were able to demonstrate effective application of stuff you'd learned during undergrad, I think it'd be a stronger letter. Also, if you have 3 letters from people who know you in different contexts, that may paint a more comprehensive picture of who you are. Just my 2 cents

I have a MA in Intl Environmental Policy and worked for several years in international development as my degree was focused on sustainable development. In my 5+ years in the field, I met many people with various engineering degrees who were working in international development. For example, IFC, UNDP, and other international organizations have numerous projects in infrastructure, sustainable energy, industrial energy efficiency and such that would benefit from people like you who can tie together technical expertise into specialized fields within development. Thus, I think if you make such as argument in your statement of purpose along with the steps you've taken towards gaining knowledge already, I am pretty confident you would be a competitive candidate especially considering your language and cultural background. I suggest looking at job postings and publications from international organizations or other institutions you'd be eager to work in to see the work they do and the skills they require. Try to identify projects that you'd be particularly suited for with your EE background. Also try and study topics in project management. While working in the field, I found that understanding basic engineering actually helped a lot as I was dealing with energy efficiency. To successfully manage and assess the project, it was necessary to have some science background. My boss's boss at the intl organization actually had a degree in engineering and not development so don't be discouraged. Having specialized training in engineering,economics, law and such actually work really well together with knowledge of policy implementation in real world settings, so argue for that in your applications. Because most of the major institutions in the field have MA as a basic requirement to even apply for a job, not a lot of people go into development policy grad programs with significant experience. I'd also suggest looking at development economics, international policy as well. LSE has an excellent program. Feel free to PM me if you need more info. Good luck!

Hi all - I've heard over the years that having a LOR from a professor or someone who's from the school you're applying to helps and I was wondering if this really does make a difference. I'm thinking it won't be a determining factor but.. I could be wrong.. Anyone have thoughts on this?

I think if you're that worried, I'd check with the admissions department - though I think those x's most likely indicate they haven't received/ filed your hard copies. As for the GRE score, have your scores been published yet? AWA and everything? If they have, you can always send a pdf unofficial report if they want proof you've taken it and the scores are on their way. Each school's system is so different (and I know that some of the school's systems are completely archaic) so I think the only way you can get that peace of mind will be to contact the school. I'm sure it'll be okay!!!

The unofficial report I'm referring to is the pdf copy that becomes available once all your scores are in. That should be available in the 7-10day window, where as an official report sent directly to the school could take longer if it's being mailed

Agreed. At least in my case, my scores were posted within or exactly in 10 days. Also, for a lot of schools, they allow you to post your unofficial report or just fill in your score on the application while they wait for official reports. If you're really nervous, you should check with the department, but at least from what I've seen, you should be okay

University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Georgetown as well

Yes!! I vote yes to wanting this to be over - thanks for the info on Denver, though I think someone else asked for it. I'm sure they'll benefit! I'm still wrapping up the 3 schools that are due in December.. but then I have a handful more that are due in Jan so... I don't think it'll be over for me for a while.. and then there's the waiting..... I'm down to U Penn, U Wis-Mad, Temple, Iowa, Ohio U, U Mass Amherst, and Bowling Green. I've been in touch with most these schools regarding applications (conflicting info etc) so if anyone is having difficulty with one of these schools, would be happy to share info:) Good luck to us all!

If you have time, you can always take another stab at the exam - My second time went better than the first, mainly (at least I think) because I knew what to expect. The first time, I was twisting in my chair because it just felt sooooo long... Even if you don't take the test again, and even if, for some reason you get an even lower score, I'd still submit the application if I were you. PhD programs really do look at application documents holistically and if the other parts of your application are solid, that's more important (at least that the impression I get from people who've gone through this process and professors I talked to) Also keep in mind, that if a school says they prefer a certain score or that most applicants generally score at a certain range, this does not preclude you from applying. I actually had a friend who applied to English programs last year who didn't reach that golden '160' but still applied to a whole bunch of schools that had 160 stated as a minimum requirement or a preference. She got as far the wait list for one of these schools. As an international student, she also had to take the TOEFL and didn't meet minimum score requirements for the school she is currently attending. I know a couple of people who took the test over and over and never hit 160, got fed up, applied anyway and still got into good programs. If you're applying to a school that requires only GRE and SOP (do these even exist?!) then yeah, GRE would be a deal breaker, but it's only one piece of a multi-piece puzzle. Another thing that I've noticed is in my communications with various professors during the preparation process and throughout my academic career, no one ever asked about my test scores. One prof said I'm supposed to submit test scores. The questions they asked had to do with my research interests - if GRE scores are dealbreakers, then I figure someone would've said "hey, don't forget to get a really good GRE score, those are really important to us." This may be different for different disciplines, but in the humanities, where you're required to submit an SOP and writing sample and letters of rec and gpa and gre and resume and whatever else a program requests, GRE is not the most important factor. I know people with great GRE scores that got into 0 programs because they didn't choose schools that fit them well. On the other hand, people with mediocre scores but other great material do get accepted. (Just from my experience and observations...) If it means anything, I've seen programs at top schools that don't even require GRE for phd applicants (Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley, for example) too much coffee = ranting. Good luck!

It's exactly on topic!! Congratulations! I haven't even submitted one application (though I have 7 open online apps) but all I can think of is that I want to be over and done with this!

So many programs are confusing. For Mass, I'm going to send hard copies, as that part seems pretty specific. The thing about Mass is that we only get lor links after everything is done so I'm trying to work on this first so I can get the links out ASAP

Thank you SOOOOO much - at this point I'm running dangerously low on confidence in the process and the decisions I make so reassurance is much appreciated. Especially since there was an administrative hiccup since I last wrote and now I'm down to 7... Thanks again!