TiredOfApps

It might not hurt to reach out to one of your professors in stats and ask them what they think. They could probably give you the best insight into it. That said, my coworker has a masters in biostatistics after being a neurologist in from another country. He mentioned there are a lot of international students and was under the impression that Americans aren't often drawn to apply for the programs. He could be totally mistaken, but I think getting the application requirements done and having a minor in statistics is totally acceptable if not normal.

I tend to re-read my statement of purpose before interviews so I can remember pivot points. They may ask you point blank why you applied if your interests don't align - I'd try to somehow weave it together or have a reasonable explanation as to why you still do belong at the program and fit with the research, and would love to expand upon it in xyz (not leaps and bounds away, but something that builds off of their current research easily), or would love to learn more about abc because, while you don't have a background in it, you find it fascinating. That said, try hard to be honest, because it just hurts both of you if you're stuck at a program that you don't have any interests in. But at the end of the day, if you're not interested, you're not interested. It's a two-way street and sometimes it just doesn't work out!

Thanks! Best of luck to you too

Haha sorry, MS are the initials, I just realized that looks like I'm talking about a masters

First, congrats!! Honestly, this seems like a really personal question on how much you feel like you could handle it if you can't get additional funding beyond what they laid out, and how badly you want to be in that program or have other offers. There are plenty of grad students who manage to scrape by and make ends meet, but it can mean a lot of debt if things fall through. There are, however, a number of grants out there if you're feeling ambitious. Also, potentially consider the cost of living in that area - cities can be very expensive, but there are a lot of ways to make it work. Moving and high cost of living are valid factors if that's a concern. Also what exactly does it mean to say that it will depend on your progress to get additional funding? Is there a high attrition rate? Are you applying for your own funding? Probably your best source for all of this is current and former grad students from that program. They often know the tips, tricks, and regrets of working at their program more thoroughly than anyone else. Whatever you decide, good luck!!

This highly depends on what type of program you're applying for. I applied for clinical psychology PhD programs where it's pretty much a standard requirement. I have a friend who applied for a masters in social work where that's not the norm for most of her programs. Honestly, a program's FAQ might be the best bet for figuring this out. The clinical psych PhD ones almost always have some question related to interviews (almost always, can I make my own one if I'm not invited? Answer: No. Please stop bothering us. There are too many of you.) that make the process pretty clear. I'd double check the program's website, but if you'd like to know more about that program (congrats, by the way!) it may not hurt to ask if you can visit/tour the program.

I wouldn't say so - I actually had a call for another reason with my POI (consults with my nonprofit), and, the more I read up on it, the more it seems like every prof has their own method.

Waitlisted for MS. I'm really curious about the acceptances and where Suffolk falls for them - if they're going to accept or not.

I'm going for clinical psych, so I can't speak to all of the specifics, but the information you've provided looks like you've laid the right groundwork. Worth noting, at least for clinical, this is only half of the battle - PhDs can be quite competitive and the essay, recommendations, and other aspects can play just as much a role as a decent GPA. For context, honest professors will tell you they only have funding for one spot in their lab, and everyone they invite for interview already is very qualified. They may be able to eliminate a few at interview, but are then stuck with a hard decision. An RA that I used to work with - the professor she was interested in called her references to see if they "liked her." (She wound up getting in.) It's a tough process - good luck!!!

I don't have a background in Middle Eastern studies - I have a coworker who does, including a masters. Based on our discussions of requirements for getting in to our respective programs, what you described, your scores and GPA would not make you lack competativeness. I'm phrasing it oddly because grad school is a different ball game than undergrad, in my experience. They don't really just judge you on GPA and scores unless you are well below a cutoff (which doesn't seem relevant based on what you've given). That said, it's very hard to know exactly why programs choose candidates and what makes someone a good candidate. You mentioned you're still in undergrad - do you have an academic adviser or a professor in Middle Eastern studies that you could talk to about it? They are probably going to be the most helpful with sorting all of this out, and finding out more about programs. (You'll probably also need recommendations from them, anyway.) Most professors are glad to get students who are interested in their field and want their opinion!

A few quick notes, it stands out to me that English may not be your first language - totally fine, but, if possible, you may want to have native English speaker read it over more thoroughly for grammar and sentence structure. Also was your "bachelor paper" a thesis paper / capstone-type project? If so, using those buzzwords could help highlight your abilities all the more for the programs.

Good luck!!

I'd honestly say it's worth checking with Suffolk. From the look of it, they actually sent out three types of emails: invites, waitlist invites, and rejections. If you didn't receive an email, then there might be a genuine mix-up. Good luck!!

Congrats!! Good luck Worth noting, there may be interviews on the 1st, too per the email Not sure about you but I'm slowly feeling the intense email-checking anxiety roll off for this one haha

In my experience it varies a lot by program. I've interviewed at one program where they said they take a long time (4-6 weeks, maybe longer) and not to expect to hear from them for a while. The same school - the professor said I should be hearing from them in a few weeks. I wound up waitlisted at most schools I didn't hear back from (including that school). I wouldn't stress if they don't immediately get back to you - there's no way of knowing if it actually means anything and highly depends on the school and department in my experience.