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PhDavid

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Everything posted by PhDavid

  1. Thanks! Yeah it's definitely nice to have the option. I think I probably will apply to a few other programs when the time comes but at least I'll have a backup if nothing works out.
  2. Congrats! I'll be headed off to Ohio State for music theory.
  3. The deadline to accept an offer for most programs is tomorrow. Has everyone made their decision?
  4. Ok seriously what is going on with university of Michigan theory?Their website says we will hear by April 1st.... this is the last school I'm waiting to hear from.
  5. Well I haven't officially accepted the offer yet, but I will most likely be attending Ohio State. Congrats to you! That's a fantastic program.
  6. My response was not at all intended to be unenthusiastic (although I can see how you would read it that way after reading through it again ). I am actually very excited to start on my master's in the fall, and I don't see it as a consolation prize in any way. While it would have been great to start on a PhD at Chicago or Northwestern this fall, I honestly would be totally happy attending any of the schools I applied to. In any case, I think the best way to strengthen my application at this point is by getting a master's degree, and since I've received a fully funded offer it makes the decision that much easier. I actually think it would be kind of ridiculous to wait another year and hold out for a "better school" when I have an offer like this waiting for me right now.
  7. I applied to four PhD programs and six masters programs. At this point I have been rejected by three of the PhD programs, and assume I will be rejected by the fourth (Umich) any day now, and was recommend for the MAPH program at UChicago (a special one-year master's program in the humanities) to which I was accepted and subsequently turned down for lack of funding. Of the masters programs I was rejected by two, accepted into three (Louisiana State University, University of Arizona, and Ohio State University), and hope to be accepted by the fourth and final (Northern Arizona University) in the coming days. One of these acceptances came with a fully funded teaching assistantship, which will continue on to a PhD if I choose to stay after my masters. I will most likely end up at this school unless a better offer (unlikely) comes from one of the schools I am still waiting to hear from.
  8. Whelp, Austin theory is out. No go for me.
  9. Seems like it's been pretty dead for the last week or so. Maybe it's the calm before the storm. I'd like to think I've been pretty patient up to this point, but now I'm waiting for an email about an assistantship that should be coming at any moment. It's killing me.... Decisions from Austin and Umich ought to be out soon too. My heart skips a beat every time I get an email...
  10. What's up with Umich theory? I see a waitlist posted but nothing else. Seems odd..... Especially in light of this:
  11. I'm 22 and straight out of undergrad (and music theory, by the way). While that certainly may be true, I think that probably isn't the problem in my case. While I had a very solid undergraduate education and I think I am very ready for graduate school, I don't think I'm probably the best PhD candidate just yet. I have very little research experience as of yet, and, as a result, I haven't really nailed down my interests yet; they're still quite broad. While this isn't exactly a bad thing, if I'm competing with students who already have a master's, research experience, and a very good idea of what they want to do (especially if this is for only two slots like at Northwestern) then I think I'm just more of a risk than some other applicants. I think at this point I'll end up doing a master's first and then try again for a PhD in a couple of years. I was sort of wanting to do this anyway and have already been accepted to one master's program and had an interview at another. Sorry to hear about your rejections. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope something works out for you.
  12. Whelp there's a no from UChicago and Northwestern for me.
  13. It's still pretty early. I wouldn't worry too much just yet.
  14. I'd say you are doing pretty well haha
  15. Thanks! Anyone here apply to UChicago? If last year is any indication, we could be hearing back within the week.
  16. Yes, I still have several left to hear from, but the first two I heard back from were rejections and they happened right away too. That made me nervous.
  17. First acceptance!! Whew, what a relief. There was definitely a while there where I thought I was doomed to strike out completely.
  18. He seemed super cool too. I haven't done any work with mathematics of music or transformation theory but it seems like it would be very interesting. How/where do you know Dr. Peck?
  19. Honestly part of the reason I applied to LSU is because I think all four of the theory professors' research is very interesting and I could see myself working with any of them. I'm really interested in 20th century music--especially atonal theory--and they all have a lot of experience in that area. If I had to pick one person though I'd probably pick Dr. Bazayev. She does a lot of work with Russian music, which I like a lot.
  20. I had a Skype interview with LSU a week ago. Mine was for a master's program (theory) so obviously there will be some differences. But anyway... mine was only 15 minutes long. Each of the faculty members from the theory department were there and they went around the table asking questions. They wanted to know why I chose that school, what specifically I was interested in studying, if I had any ideas for a hypothetical thesis, and about my teaching experience. At the end they asked if I had any questions and that was it. Hopefully that gives you some kind of idea of what to expect. I would definitely make sure you have specific answers to at least those questions, and any others you can think of or find from other threads, so that you don't have to fumble around for an answer off the top of your head. If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask!
  21. In light of a recent thread (http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/86719-some-words-of-caution/), I would like to start up a discussion about the purpose and value of graduate education It seems to me that we all know, even if somewhat tacitly, that pursuing a graduate degree is a huge risk. We have all read the abysmal employment statistics that people love to wave in our faces, and we have all had to process this information in our own way. The job prospects, or lack thereof, have caused many to give up the dream of pursuing a graduate degree, and yet others do no seem concerned. Perhaps one cause of this problem is a misunderstanding of the purpose of graduate school. One article I often turn to when I am discouraged is "Don't Be Afraid of Going to Graduate School in the Humanities" by Stephen J. Mexal (https://psmag.com/don-t-be-afraid-of-going-to-graduate-school-in-the-humanities-50a9d33880ee#.mf3cre5pp). In this article, Mexal argues that we need to stop viewing graduate school in the same light as professional school. A professional degree is tailored such that it prepares the student for a specific job (e.g. nursing). In contrast however, a graduate degree is not intended to prepare a student for a specific line of work, but instead allows a person to study and contribute to a particular field of inquiry. This fact, Mexal writes, is the reason that so few PhDs end up employed in a relevant field: a PhD was never intended to place its holder into a specific line of work (although it seems to me that the word Doctor-meaning "to teach" in Latin-in Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) connotes teaching) . Mexal notes, however, that PhD students acquire many valuable skills along the way and are well prepared for work in a variety of fields. In fact, Mexal says that most PhD holders surveyed would still pursue the degree even if they knew they would end up employed in an entirely different line of work. Thus one should pursue a PhD because of a strong interest in a particular field; not with the hope of securing a tenure track position at a university. What do you think of this line of reasoning? Assuming it is possible to get a PhD for free, is it worth the time and effort if there are no job prospects for that field? What can be done during the PhD to increase one's marketability for non-academic jobs? I would love to hear your thoughs.
  22. I haven't heard a peep from northwestern. I didn't even know they did interviews. Is it a policy for all accepted students or is it just random? I saw somewhere that they only accept two students into the theory/cognition program every year....
  23. Isn't Stony Brook a part of the SUNY system and not the CUNY system? I assume unitstructures means The Graduate Center of CUNY.
  24. Hey! Good to see more people here! Wow, you are both very brave with those short lists. I applied to a ton of schools and I am still considering adding a few more. I did finally have some good news though; I was invited for a Skype interview with a school next week.
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