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As someone who just came to Purdue for their PhD in 2018, I wonder if we bumped into one another! Awesome luck at your new gig.

I don't know where you're applying, but don't worry about the lack of conferences or publications. I would say that most of my cohort doesn't have either. And honestly, your GRE seems about average from what I've seen. So don't worry! I agree that a research match is the most important part.

It kind of seems to me like you're stressing yourself out, which is affecting your performance. if you do end up taking it again, I would stop all studying a few days ahead of time, do some relaxation exercises, etc. What program are you applying for? Do you have a sense of what you "need?"

Grad schools in general take multiple factors into consideration. For example, your essays, when you apply, will indicate that you found your home in CSD/SLP, which will explain your poor first year performance. Furthermore, you can always retake some of the classes you didn't do well in your first year, which will boost your GPA. So I agree with Moods' advice to talk to SLP people specifically, but it's been my experience that grad schools "get" that one's college experience may be varied. You might not get into the best of the best school, but you'll get into a perfectly good school all the same.

One of my advisors did a program at North Carolina State University and seemed very pleased with it.

Depends on where you're at. I bought it when I started my PhD, but my program paid for it. So I wouldn't get it unless you're: 1. Planning on going to a conference AND 2. Getting your PhD. If you are getting your PhD, I definitely would also go to one/both of them if your department has a travel budget for grad students. That said, being on the mailing lists is free, and those are good. So sign up for the email lists.

I didn't have any recommendations from my undergrad institution, nor would I have been able to since I graduated 13 years before I was applying. I've never heard of that as a requirement, or even a recommendation, unless you're going from your undergrad degree STRAIGHT into a PhD program. But it sounds like you already have a master's. So yeah, you don't need one from undergrad.

I agree 100% with Warelin. There's no point in getting a master's degree unless your specific career goals require it, or your company will pay for it. I highly recommend going to work for a few years, if you haven't already. It gives you a much better view of what you do (and don't!) want in your career.

Whoa! Magic! I'll include a link on the spreadsheet.

Hi - welcome! 1. What was your GRE score? 163 verbal, 151 quant, 5.0 writing 2. past college GPA: BA - 3.4. MA - 4.0 3. Did you have any publication experience? Nope 4. Did you have and related work experience in the field of communications/media studies/film? Not directly. But I spent 10+ years in management at various tech companies, which -- given that I'm interested in online communicative communities -- probably helped. 5. What school were you accepted to and what did they offer full funding? I was accepted at Purdue (full funding, guaranteed 4 years, 2 classes each semester), and MSU (full funding, but I declined before I got the details). For other funding stuff, I've started a spreadsheet for people to record their experiences: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1r563bGkj3JsqGrnNKIct1phwgoqJou1ZKdq3iifhAdQ/edit?usp=sharing

I would ask, in general, what your goals are. It seems that you've been somewhat directionless since graduation, which is fine -- you're young! It's okay! -- but a graduate degree is a longterm relationship. What are you hoping to get out of it? Where do you want to be when it's over? If you go PhD, what are you wanting to research? If you're going LIS, what are you wanting to do with that (since people with library degrees actually becoming librarians is getting fewer and further in between)? I would say that your first step is some soul searching, and getting a better job. The better job will give you the freedom to go to graduate school because you want to, not because you have to escape your current situation. It will also give you the financial resources to apply (it's expensive!), and to afford to go, since I doubt your MA or MLIS would be funded. Ideally, it would also give you educational benefits - if you get even an entry-level job at a big enough company, you may very well be able to pursue graduate school on their dime. I find that a lot of times in my life when I've been unhappy with my life/job, it's more because I'm unhappy with who I am as a person, not necessarily the situation. It might be worth meditating on whether or not you're happy in your own skin. I call this "Life broken, add more schooling!" Having been there, I don't recommend it. I know this isn't the answer you wanted, and I'm sorry for being the rainy cloud on your parade.

That's not obnoxious at all - thank you! Too much time has passed since I made the post to edit it, but I appreciate the correction. ?

@Hk328 is correct, based on the programs that I saw. Alternatively, if you don't have an academic writing sample in English, you could also translate a chapter or two of your paper into English. You might have to modify the language a bit to get the same nuance (I've heard that Arabic is dense/more detailed than English), but I imagine it would do the trick all the same.

In my previous life, if a company hired a new employee from another part of the country, they would pay relocation costs (typically negotiated based on how valuable the employee was). Is this a Thing in academia? It's a few years away, of course, but should I start saving NOW for what could be a cross-country move, or is it reasonable to expect that a tenure-track assistant professor job would come with a relocation budget?

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