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ProudCatMom

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Posts posted by ProudCatMom

  1. Yesss! I already signed a lease for a place in The View apartments over on Toftrees. I'll have to get used to having roommates but it's really nice. The bus stops right out front the main 'club house'. You get a free bus pass, there's a gym, free coffee house, study lounge with free printing, and lots of other ammenities. You get your own room and bathroom which is cool. I put on my roommate matching sheet that I would prefer to live with other grad students (who don't mind cats, of course, because I'll be bringing my babies). The rent includes all utilities including wifi and there's a washer and dryer in unit. Pretty good set up in my opinion.

  2. Hi all,

    I've searched through other threads on GradCafe about this and I can't really find what I'm looking for. I've already been accepted to a few programs and I know that one, in particular, I will most likely not be attending. This has got me thinking: what's a nice way to format a 'turning down the offer' email while showing I was grateful to be considered for admission?

    Thank you!!

  3. 9 hours ago, buntaeiji said:

    Hi all, just registered for an account. Congrats to all those who got admitted to their top programs and wish everyone will have ideal results coming in! So I just heard from U of Calgary. This is the only program I applied to in comm area. I applied to the PhD program but they offered me an admission towards the MA degree instead. They said because my master's was not in the comm area, they thought it as the best for me to take the MA program, and if I'd be successfull in the first year, they'll consider me for an early admission to the PhD program and credit transfer. I got a Bachelor of Economics in China and a MA in journalism in the US, but both programs are course-based and lead to professional occupations, so I had zero experience in research. I believe the offer came with a funding. I haven't checked it out thoroughly but at least they'll reimburse the extra tuition for international students.

    Anyone with some thoughts on my case? Would it be extremely difficult to be transfered into the PhD program? By "successful" I'm assuming straight As in the first year, but phew, just imagine that pressure. I'm not reluctant for another master's program but just want to know about the odds to get into the PhD program in such cases.

    When I visited Indiana last semester I spoke to a PhD student there with a similar experience. She had a conditional offer of being expedited into the PhD program if she entered the MA program instead and performed satisfactorily. She said she felt like it was pretty beneficial for her to have done that and helped her really find her focus prior to entering the PhD side of things.

    In my own experience, my undergrad was more professional/applied in media production so I felt my masters (which is super theoretical/research based) has helped me tremendously in feeling more confident that I can really hit the ground running in my PhD program and successfully tackle coursework already having an idea of things. 

    I hope that helps!   

  4. 2 hours ago, whitmanifesto said:

    @ProudCatMom They dropped SO MUCH money into it, they have a great Psychology Lab for media research and they're libraries are amazing. I'm just really concerned about mentorship in a program that's having a  lot of ups and downs.

    Yeah, I definitely got that feel. As someone more quantitatively focused mentors seemed kind of few and far between, and even slimmer based on research interests. I still applied though primarily for the sake of the research lab and Bloomington itself. 

  5. 21 hours ago, E-P said:

    MSU just sent me my schedule over the next two days.  Shit just got real.  :lol:

     

    Really, if I can just not make an ass of myself, I'll be happy.

    Is MSU for the Communication PhD program or the Media & Information PhD? I applied for the Communication track and have heard nothing from them (even after an email).

  6. 3 hours ago, sriracha18 said:

    Maryland - College Park seems to be trickling decisions out little by little. If I haven't heard anything, should I assume it's a no? My partner is really excited about getting into their poli sci PhD program and I'm worried my news will not be so positive. 

    On a more positive note -- I've been invited to visit Bloomington! I'm so excited. It's where one of my advisors went and I think it'd be a great fit. 

    The waiting is getting hard! 

    I went to a university wide recruitment event last semester and their research labs are AMAZING!

  7.  

     

    45 minutes ago, ChristoWitch87 said:

    Hey all, the title of my post is largely self explanatory. I'll break down my question(s) as follows:

    1. Do these topics belong to Communication, Political Science, or both?

    2. What scholars/institutions are big in these fields (even better if they work in the intersection of them)?

    3. What sort of education preparation is desired in a PhD applicant in these fields?

    I am particularly interested in the use of various media platforms to disseminate religious extremist narratives (ISIL, Al-Qaeda, Iranian Shiite Extremist Proxies, etc) and their relative efficacy. Closer to my theological roots (Currently a candidate for ordination and beginning my M.Div next year) I am also interested in preaching and liturgy as a social phenomena and how the experience of them changes based on media platform (Ex: does a church goer feels as connected to their congregation by watching an online feed of the liturgy as they do if they attended personally? How does this change based on whether or not the feed is live or after the ritual's conclusion, whether or not its their home church, etc.).

    If I decide to do doctoral studies I will have a BA in Philosophy/Math, two graduate degrees in Religion/Theology, and one in Public Policy by the time I apply. What can I do to set myself up to be competitive?

    Thanks in advance!

    At Cleveland State University I took courses with and have  the "master" in Persuasion (Richard Perloff) on my thesis committee. He has done a lot of work on religious extremist organizations/cults in his textbook (and I'm assuming in other work too). His BA was in philosophy, and then his MA & PhD were in mass communication. He was a post-doc at Ohio State working for Social Psych, Journalism, and Communication and now is a professor with appointments in Communication, Political Science, and Psych. Unfortunately CSU does not have a PhD program but he may be worth reaching out to and getting his perspective. Here is his bio: http://facultyprofile.csuohio.edu/csufacultyprofile/detail.cfm?FacultyID=R_PERLOFF

     

  8. 9 hours ago, whitmanifesto said:

    I didn't hear anything from my programs today, but I did find out that my best friend in my program got into Bowling Green's Phd program! Im so happy for her! And I will be able to continue to work on research with her!

    Yay! That's awesome. There's a professor at Cleveland State that I had a really awesome relationship with (I TA'd for her 2 semesters) who got her MA/PhD in BG's program and taught there for quite a while. Assuming everyone else in that department is as wonderful as she is, I'm sure  your friend will have a wonderful experience there.

  9. 1 hour ago, YX_Comm said:

    Perfect!!

    My research interests are media effects, health science comm, and strat comm. My POIs are Shen, Myrick, and Oliver. Yours?

    Media effects, with an emphasis on understanding the role of emotion in the selection of/processing of/persuasive outcomes and other effects of media. Oliver, Myrick, and Shen (in that order, lol). Hoping I don't fan girl too much in the presence of Dr. Oliver. I love her work and her approach to studying media effects. 

  10. I feel like any campus visit/interview/etc automatically gets me super interested and excited with a particular program. I have to talk myself down a little bit and not get too starry eyed anytime a prospective program sends something promising my way. It's bad enough even my partner has pointed it out LOL Anyone else suffer from this?

  11. 2 hours ago, YX_Comm said:

    Hi everyone!

    Is anyone here going to Penn State (College of Comm) Open House interview this week?

    Yes, I will be there! What's your area of interest/POIs?

     

    3 hours ago, Matt Minich said:

    Did anyone here apply to OSU? I've been waiting by the phone... 

    I did, I'm tired of looking at the 'pending' in the application portal.

  12. 7 hours ago, AnxiousKitty said:

    Congrats @GreenEyedTrombonist @swazibound @twin35 on the acceptances to UW-Madison! 

    I'm joining @E-P @sriracha18 and @surprise_quiche in the rejection pile from them but I did expect this. In other news, I did get an acceptance from SUNY Buffalo with full funding for four years this morning, so I am really excited! My spouse was also accepted here with full funding as well. 

    In other news, Cornell said they will be sending out admission decisions soon. My POI at UW-Milwaukee told me they will be evaluating admissions and initial funding on the 14th of this month! 

    Good luck, everyone! :) 

     

    I received an acceptance from SUNY Buffalo as well! Fingers crossed more good things are coming our way!

  13. I felt relatively positive about my applications when I submitted them. Not in a way that was better than anyone, but rather I had something to offer the programs I applied to and that I felt proud of what I was able to accomplish and experience in my master's program. Now I just feel like an imposter and that they'll see right through me. Even beyond that I'm questioning my average AF GRE scores and unergraduate GPA and am now having a lot of anxiety over it. 

  14. Fellow vegan here! I also gained weight in grad school...I think due to a mix of not being mindful of processed/unhealthy carby foods, suddenly becoming very sedentary due to finally having a non-retail job, and not working out. Not that much, about 5-8 pounds but as someone who is 5' 1" that can have a bigger effect than it sounds. Now that I'm done with my third semester in my MA (arguably the most stressful semester in my masters program), I've really concentrated on getting my health back in focus. A couple of things I've been doing that have been helping tremendously:

    • No more than 1-2 servings of processed carbs per week (ie: pasta, bread, anything starchy that comes in a box or bag).
    • Focus on lots of veggies, plant based proteins like tofu, tempeh, beans, etc & whole starches like potatoes/rice
    • Incorporating 1-2 servings of healthy fats every day--nut butters and avocado are my go to lately!
    • Intermittent fasting has made the biggest difference. I have an 8 hour window (11-7) where I eat. It helps with digestion, bloating, and it has definitely helped with appetite control.
    • Gym 2-4x a week.
  15. I've noticed in a couple of the programs I have applied to that it is stated PhD funding is reserved for "exceptionally well qualified candidates" with high GPAs. But for those who have both a Bacherlor's and a Master's, which GPA do they put more emphasis on in determining this? For instance, my undergrad GPA was just ~okay~ (3.3/4.0) for a variety of reasons. However, I really flourished in my master's program and focused on dedicating myself to my courses and opportunities and will be graduating with a 4.0/4.0. Will a 'meh' undergrad GPA take away from a strong performance in my master's program in terms of funding opportunities? 

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