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Thanks, @AnxiousKitty. What programs are you applying for at UW and MSU? I applied there as well (Comm Arts and Media & Information, respectfully).

@AnxiousKitty, can I ask what your stats were? What program were you specifically applying for, too? I'm waiting on UT Austin (RTF).

@pato I guess that the one benefit of having been unemployed since June (!!) is that I've gotten a lot of practice interviewing. Although I'm still unemployed, so I must not be that good at it. I'm just glad that the program I've gotten accepted to (so far) didn't require an interview.

During my MA, I had one particular breakdown. It was a research methods class the second year. Normally, it's done the first year, but since I was part time, that wasn't an option. He hadn't given much instruction on the assignment, so I worked really hard and did my best. As he was going through the assignment, he basically told us that everyone had failed it. He gave us the correct answer, and I saw that yes, I was SO FAR AWAY from what he wanted that I would be making a 0. I did the math, and realized that I could make a perfect score for the rest of the semester and still get a B. Fighting back tears, I raised my hand, and asked if that meant we had all failed, and would all - Max - be making Bs? That was the point where I started crying. He told us that no, he always did this on the first assignment, and would let us redo it. I did not stop crying. In fact, I realized that I was going full on Jessie Spano, and I excused myself from the room and went to the bathroom on a different and sobbed for 10 minutes. Once I calmed down enough to talk and only have mild hiccup-heaves, I called my spouse and talked myself down for another 20 minutes. I finally went back to class. I actually got a few kudos from my fellow students on standing up and saying something, etc. Which was nice, since I figured that all my upperclassperson "cred" got destroyed. Then, for the next year's class, I made it my mission to tell them about the b-s assignment, and that they'd be confused, everyone would fail, and then he'd explain how to do it and give you another chance. So that nobody else would have to have my experience. In case you're wondering, "Did he learn that gaslighting his students isn't cool and stop doing it?" Nope, no he did not.

Good luck! I looked really hard at HASTS, but ultimately decided they were a bit too much history, and not enough STS for what I want to research. But it sounds great for what you're doing. Do you have any sense for how many people apply, and how many are accepted? Sidenote: At least when I tried to go there a moment ago, their website is down. I find that very ironic.

This came up in another thread, and I realized that I could make it available for people who are applying in the future. So, my gift to you is: The ability to compare universities, Apples-to-Apples. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EBayVkXRcYS4ECviOkApehEO_oEedMKM5P7K9UNmYhM/edit?usp=sharing This spreadsheet allows you to determine the characteristics of a university that are important to you and how important each individual characteristic is. Then, it allows you to put in the various rankings, make them all apples-to-apples comparable, and spits out a ranking. I only used six criteria, but you may very well have more, so I created 20 columns so that anyone who was really particular had enough space to work. Of course, it'll work with more, you'll just have to add them on your own. Remember, this is only a start. Ultimately, if you discover that your top ranked school is someplace you really dislike, your happiness for your graduate program will also affect your success....so once you have the quantitative number, apply your qualitative brain. If you use this (even if it's many years from now), let me know. :-)

*tips hat* Let me know if you have any trouble making it work. And good luck! Remember, whatever the numbers said, it's ultimately a decision based on how you feel and - given your PhD is in religious studies - the path that you think your higher power wants you to walk.

I went through this when I was initially applying, and because I'm a type-A supernerd and I love me some data, I made a spreadsheet. In that spreadsheet, I evaluated based on: - 15%: Proximity to Friends/Family - 15% - Cost of Living - 20% - One ranking of program quality (NCA) - 15% - A different ranking of program quality (QS) - 15% - How closely the state politics match my own - 20% - Hours to graduation Fortunately, I was able to quantify all those rankings. That created a custom ranking for me, based on the things that are important, and from there Spouse and I talked about where he would like to live, and where I didn't want to live. If I could go back, I'd've tried to find some information about average funding amounts, number of academic placements in the last 5 years, etc. Here's a link to that sheet. I took out all my info so you can just look at the formulae and whatnot. You're welcome to duplicate a copy of it if it would be useful for you: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EBayVkXRcYS4ECviOkApehEO_oEedMKM5P7K9UNmYhM/edit?usp=sharing

I also agree with the "Put pronouns in your signature." At my school, there's even a "standard" way to do it, that I've seen multiple cisgendered folks use. One word of caution - in looking at the list of schools you've applied, you may want/need to vary your pronoun approach by school. Universities tend to be more liberal, of course, but I'd be actively concerned for you in four out of five of the states you have interviews in. If nothing else, I doubt the have nondiscrimination policies that cover trans/non-binary folks.

In my professional life, I've been both on the giving and receiving end of many, many interviews. But I also imagine that an academic-admission interview does not start out with, "Tell me about a time when you..." So what's it like? For those of you who have already had your interviews, what kinds of questions did they ask, how did you prepare, and how should you have prepared?

Thank goodness I'm not alone. I'll be 35 when I start next fall, and I think my age is the number one thing I'm feeling nervous about. I'd like to finish the Ph.D. by age 40 at the latest (preferably before). But Spouse and I also want to adopt a kid (from foster care) before then. I'm also used to having money from 15 years in the corporate world, so the idea of going back to starving-student wages is making me super anxious. I'm lucky that most of the people in my MA program were about my age (there were only a couple of kids straight out of undergrad). But I have no doubt that most of my Ph.D. cohort will be younger. On the up side, students will mistake me for someone who's already completed her Ph.D. since I'm "old." I'm the downside, I have life goals and desires and standards that I worry about matching with being a full time student.

Do you know anyone else who knows your letter writer? Perhaps there's something going on (death in the family, etc.) that is preventing him from writing it?

I've been a hiring manager for the past ten years, and Rising_Star is quite right - what is it that you're wanting to do? And how much are you wanting to make? You don't need additional degree - in fact, depending on what you apply for, I may recommend you take some of your degrees off. But we'll see. Do you have a resume (not a CV)? LinkedIn? Could you post either of those (with your name/info off if you'd prefer) so we can give feedback there?

I'm an older Ph.D. student, so I'm coming at it with 15 years experience in the corporate world. If I don't get in anywhere, or if I don't get a stipend anywhere, the plan will be to get a corporate job, move to the suburbs (ugh), adopt a human kid, and buy some chickens and goats to start my suburban farm. #GoatGoals

Today I learned that getting an interview request is a sudden validation that, "Yes, you are actually qualified to apply!" And considering that it's the #1 ranked program in my field, that's even more reassuring. Yes, yes, I realize that they may very well interview virtually everyone, but presumably some people are rejected outright. So I made the first cut!

I realize this is an old post, but I hope this helps. I have experienced the exact same issue, but at work, not in school. I'm a few years past the situation, but here's what I experienced: - Certain coworkers (I'm looking at you, Tim ) continually belitting my ideas and gaslighting me - Other coworkers seeming to want to help...only to take over a project and get the credit for it - Subordinates, picking up on the lack of respect, discounting me and outright being rude and unprofessional - Daily crying fits - Being unable to speak up in meetings for fear of rejection It was awful. My solution, as it were, was therapy, antidepressants, and - eventually - getting fired and spending two years mentally recovering. Based on what you said, it sounds like you don't necessarily have a single "Tim" in your life, that it's more of a conglomeration of microaggressions, rejection, etc. Therefore, here are some suggestions: - Find your tribe. I realize this is easier said than done. It seems like there are outgoing people who can do this easily; I'm not one of them. But when I try to "find my tribe," I volunteer, join student groups, go to local fun classes (like, how to make French onion soup!), and so forth. You never know where your tribe will be. - Work remotely. It sounds like you're done with most of your classes, so work from coffee shoppes, rent a table in a coworking space, go to the student center and hang out, etc. Work someplace that isn't your desk, and isn't your department area. - Find a different therapist. If your current therapist isn't doing anything for you, it's okay to find a replacement. Not every therapist will be right for every person, and they have clinically different approaches. "Interview" some therapists first. - Get a part time job. You seem to be doing well on your time management, so spend 10 hours a week working some menial bullshit job, just so you have to get out of your own head. If you're bookish, go get a job at a book store. Stylish? Kohls! So on and so forth. It doesn't have to go on your resume or CV; it's just the thing you're doing to get out of your own brain. When I was dealing with my Tim (and that job), I went to a therapist who practiced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and recommended this book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0054M063A/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 It might be worth skimming through a copy and seeing if any of the exercises can help you, as the title suggests, get out of your head and into your life. Good luck. I know it sucks.

To begin with, you should never lose money for doing people favors. Given your transportation situation (and good on you for saving the environment - I wish more people chose not to have cars!), at a minimum they should be paying you for your transportation. Preferably in a Lyft/rideshare/cab. But consider this: Whatever time you're spending doing these speeches is missed opportunity to be doing something else. For example, in my professional life, at a full time job, I make around $34 an hour. At a minimum, I should be making that, if not more. Figure out what your "hourly" is. Personally, I think it should be a lot more than you would make in your day job, because this is your personal time! You're taking time away from your hobbies, your loved ones, your furry companions. They are forcing you to wear pants when you could be at home in a bathrobe. You Deserve More. So let's say that it takes you an hour to travel there, an hour to get home, an hour to do the speech, and two hours to prepare. At a minimum, you should make your hourly. The Internet tells me that a social worker makes $43K a year (goodness ). That comes out to $21 an hour. But your personal time is worth more than that - so let's say $30 an hour. For five hours, that's $150, plus whatever your travel expenses are. TED Talks, whether or not they should be, generate a lot of interest in people. I mean, who would know Simon Sinek if he weren't pretty and doing TED talks. You have this going for you. Accordingy, these people are seeking you out - that means that you are wanted and valued. Value yourself enough to charge them! Finally, consider this. When you apply for jobs, they ask you how much you want to make. They already have a number in their head. If they're thinking "$50,000" and you tell them $20,000, they will assume you're actually unqualified or otherwise have no idea what you're doing. So give them a number. If you feel bad about it, donate half to a charity of your choosing. You got this!

When in doubt, go with business casual. Whenever you're interviewing for something, you want to be dressed one step above your interviewer to show them you take it seriously. Given that we're women, and tend to be taken less seriously than men, go with pantsuit over dress/skirt. So that means a pair of slacks, your put-together snowboots, a blouse, and a jacket that matches your pants. Bring a small hat, some gloves, and a scarf, all of which can be shoved into your laptop bag or suitcase. For Day 2, you can wear the exact same thing, and switch blouse colors. Minimal luggage, consistent appearance, and people won't notice the duplicate clothing because they expect you to be looking "professional." If you're visiting a warm school (Oregon is probably warmer than your hometown), that's all you need. If you're visiting a colder climate, bring a stylish coat as well. People will expect you to be wearing a coat, and they'll probably have coathooks all over the place which will reduce the amount of time you spend carrying it around. Regardless of the climate, it's a good idea to wear at least a layer under your pants. Most buildings have the temperature down too low to be comfortable, and it will help you be comfortable on the plane without getting out your jacket. If you also run cold, wear a layer under your blouse.

Thermal tank tops are totally a thing. Here's a link to my favorite brand: https://www.cuddlduds.com/women/layer-by-style/camis-tanks-tees.html They're way cheaper at Kohls than online.

@GreenEyedTrombonist That's comforting. Perhaps I won't OD on xanax today. Thank you! My overarching interest is how, when, and why we form online communities, and how we communicate emotion online, despite the removal of facial expressions and verbal intonation. My master's thesis, which I imagine will continue, was about the communication patterns within the gig economy, specifically focusing on rideshare drivers and the communities they form. What about you? I see we're both in Comm, and have one overlapping program, so we could even be colleagues in eight months.

I realize that this was posted nearly a year ago, but I figure that my approach might help people who are (like me) searching the forum history and come to this. I also have a fairly wide array of interests, and even within my research area, I could be interested in both the policy and the ethnographic aspects. So this is what I did. In a Google sheet, I: I made a list of all the programs listed in the NCA doctoral guide Filled out the information for each program (which degree I would get if I went there, where it was, application cost, etc.) Investigated each program for its ranking, Created separate categories for the social aspects that are important to me (cost of living, closeness to existing social support, gun politics of the state, hours to graduation, etc.), filled in the rankings accordingly Used a complicated Excel formula to give me a single numeric score Then I looked at the top 15 to determine which ones I'd actually want to go to. For example, USC has a great program, but I don't want to live in California. I ended up applying to 4....mostly because I didn't want to pay $29 a pop for the privilege of having ETS email my test scores out. If folks would be interested in a similar spreadsheet, I could easily create a template in Google Drive that folks could copy for their own use. It's a quantitative way to analyze both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the devision - EP

Hi everyone, Long time lurker of the "results" thread, first time registrant/poster. But man, am I glad y'all are here. My Spouse is not an academic-sort, and doesn't "get" that part of wanting to pursue a Ph.D. is being compulsive enough that checking results threads and your application status daily is a normal thing. Add to the top that I could normally channel my obsessiveness into work, but my "Day" job went out of business, and I'm at home watching X-Files and petting cats. Does anyone have a sense for the importance of interviews? I see interview invites going out to UW Madison applicants...and I haven't heard a peep. Spouse says "Probably the only people who get interviews are those they're unsure about," but that seems excessively optimistic to me. - EP