InquiringMind

I had a really difficult time turning down one school. They offered a fellowship and my would-be adviser was very enthusiastic about working with me. It took me a couple of weeks to figure out how to say no. The worst part was waiting for their reply after I sent the email declining their offer. Fortunately, their replies were positive. It is a good feeling knowing that I am done with this whole process. I wasn't being very productive while making this decision.

I have had similar feelings as well. Initially, I was relieved when I received my first acceptance because I realized that I hadn't spent the last few months of applying to phd programs in vain. As my other offers came in, including one of my top choices, I felt excited for about 15 minutes then it quickly wore off. Visiting schools was exciting, but since I finished all of my visits, I have been dreading this decision. Good thing I was well along on my master's thesis because I would not finish in time otherwise. I have found that making this choice is an excellent reason to avoid work.

The decision should be on testudo when it has been made. I got lucky when I called the department, they let me know that they had sent out the unofficial decision letters and fortunately I was one of them. This was in late February. I don't think I got official word from the university until March. Was your application deadline 12/1? It seemed like it took a longer time to hear back from UMD than it did the other schools I applied to. Best of luck...

If you are uncomfortable directly asking your potential advisor whether they are planning on leaving in the near future, you may want to ask the grad director or chair of the admissions committee. I asked the grad directors or dept chairs at each of the programs I was admitted to whether they anticipate any changes to the faculty in the near future, and they were not put off. I always got the same response - "good question". They were rather glad, in fact, to tell me about the new additions to the faculty that I would otherwise have not known about. They also gave me an idea of who might be leaving in the near future. I would also ask this of grad students currently in the department.

I'm jealous of all of you who are traveling, especially those going overseas. I'm actually going to be an overachiever this summer to make up for my past years of underachieving. I will be taking a couple of weeks off following graduation before moving in late May and will begin working for the faculty in my PhD program in June. I'm thinking I must be crazy.

I think it can depend on whether the department offers a PhD program as well. PhD students will have priority when it comes to funding. When I entered my MA program in the social sciences, my whole cohort (6) received assistantships (full tuition and 12k stipend). This was before there was a PhD offered. I get the feeling now that the department is offering a PhD that this may change depending on the number of incoming PhD students. I think it would also depend on the department's relationship with the university. Those departments that bring in the money and have a favorable standing are usually the ones which get the money to fund students.

I would second this. You never know what faculty turnover may be like. I am finishing up my masters now and after my first year in the program, half of the faculty in my department left. It is a troubling experience for me because I started out working with all of those who ended up leaving. I would also look at who your potential advisor has worked with or published with. Even though they may not be a big name yet, the fact that they have worked with those big names means that they will have those connections.

Thanks for the reassurance yakuza77. I got very good impressions from the students at both programs. It is difficult to figure out which one I feel better about. This is not a decision I am looking forward to making, although I will be very glad when I finally decide.

Congrats on all of your acceptances! And on making a final decision! I am still waiting to hear from one more program. I figure I would jump in here as I have also applied to a couple of crim programs. I got into PhD programs at Maryland, SUNY, and American's Justice, Law and Society program (which I guess is considered a crim program?). Has anybody visited any of the schools you got accepted into yet? I visited UMD and SUNY and they both seem great, but I always hear bad things about UMD in particular (cut-throat atmosphere among grad students, students stealing each other's research ideas, etc.). Has anybody else heard these rumors? How much faith do you put into what you hear about certain programs?

I was wondering if anybody had any thoughts on what the advantages and disadvantages would be of obtaining a PhD in public policy versus earning a PhD in a more traditional discipline, e.g. sociology. Thanks in advance.

I have gone on several school visits thus far. During each visit, I come away with the feeling that all of the current grad students are happy with the program they are in and there is a good camaraderie and cooperation amongst themselves. However, when I speak with faculty and grad students who are not associated with this program, I always hear this rumor that there is a cut-throat atmosphere among grad students in certain departments, and the department has a "weeding out" process. I've also hear stories about how some students at a particular school steal research ideas from one another. I assume departments make every effort to prevent prospective students from meeting disgruntled grad students. Are there any telltale signs by which to determine what the "real" atmosphere is among grad students? Are there any questions to ask that would elicit an honest response? Should I just go by what those students who I met during my visit say? Thanks in advance.