Jump to content

upsy

Members
  • Posts

    45
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Reputation Activity

  1. Like
    upsy got a reaction from IcedCovfefe in Profiles, Results, Advice - 2019   
    PROFILE:
    Type of Undergrad Institution: Top 5 school, particularly known for STEM/engineering. It's top 10 in polisci.
    Major(s)/Minor(s): Unrelated social science field
    Undergrad GPA: 3.7 (alma mater is also known for grade deflation)
    Type of Grad: none, but in a 2-year polisci program at another school in the top 5 (both for undergrad and for poli sci)
    GRE: 170, 163, 5.5
    Any Special Courses: STEM requirements from going to an engineering school. No undergrad polisci courses at all (a few econ courses is as close as I come), though I've taken a bit of polisci in my current program.
    Letters of Recommendation: I went crazy with these and submitted 5 at all schools that would allow it. One top 5 only allows 3, and I was accepted there, so maybe it doesn't make a difference. But anyway, they were from an undergrad professor in my unrelated field for whom I did research, two polisci professors at my current program, my former manager at work who has an econ PhD from a top 15 program, and an econ professor who I worked with while in that job. I've heard the one from my undergrad prof is strong, though of course no one in polisci would know the name, and they no longer teach at my alma mater. The more senior of the two polisci profs I had a letter from is pretty well known and really supportive so I think the letter would have been strong. The more junior of the two told me that letter was very strong. The econ professor is well-known, but we didn't work super closely together, so the letter was probably medium. The letter from my manager was there to give some more context for the relationship with the econ professor, and was strong, but not from someone in academia.
    Research Experience: RA work in my undergrad field throughout college, including two summer internships abroad. RA work in polisci in my current program.
    Teaching Experience: Zero
    Subfield/Research Interests: CP
    Other:
    Pretty decent, if a bit rusty, speaking/listening/reading skills (but cruddy writing) in a major foreign language from working abroad in undergrad. 2 years of study in two other languages, one of which is rare. I brought all three up in my SOP. 3 years of unrelated work, including one year in a very junior role at a super well-known company; nearly two years at a small but still well-regarded firm where the work could be super-tangentially related to polisci. Over 1 year of RA work at a top poli sci department (this will be nearly 2yrs at enrollment). Since eggsalad mentioned it, I am a URM (and privileged, if that's not clear already). None of my diversity statements actually mentioned my own background at all, but were about an experience I had meeting people less advantaged than myself. (Also, @eggsalad14, 20 hrs of work a week in undergrad sounds huge to me! I think we were limited to 10hrs max at my alma mater, not that anyone tracked it if you worked off campus.)
    RESULTS: (Using current USNWR rankings, duplicates refer to ties)
    Acceptances($$ or no $$) -- all $$: #1, #1, #3, #4, #7, #9, #9, #12, #12, #12, #19. Funded at all.
    Waitlists: none
    Rejections: #4, #19
    Pending: none (whew!)
    Going to: Some ideas and I've already declined a few, but I'm waiting on visits. But I do have strong location preferences.
     
    LESSONS LEARNED:
    1. I applied to a massive number of schools because I'm still pretty fresh to polsci and had no idea how this process would go. I was encouraged by profs and others in my program to do around 10-12. I had a main list of 10 with 3 additionals that I was hesitating on but ended up applying to as well. If I had had any idea I would get into most, I would have pared the list wayyyy down. Having a lot of acceptances makes deciding where to go much harder! While I'm really, really happy to have each acceptance, saying no is tough, particularly once you've been in contact with profs. Many reach out right when you're accepted, they're all incredibly interesting, and if you could replicate yourself, you'd probably work with all of them. But you can't, so you need to be very diplomatic. To avoid this, see if you can talk to your advisor or others about a good number to apply to based on your file.
    2. TBH, I didn't spend that much time on the SOP. I know it's sacrilege to say so, but I knew what I wanted to say so it came together quite easily. Two profs (including a DGS) at a top 5 school looked at it and had no suggestions. Some friends and family also looked at it. I hadn't seen any SOPs before writing it and later got a few examples of successful SOPs from the DGS, but I had already submitted it to a few schools at that point. It's absurd, but I was too nervous to look at the examples to see if mine was way off until application season was over.
    3. Also on the SOP, I didn't personalize that much. I usually just wrote the final paragraph to be targeted to the school and changed nothing else. For some schools, because of length requirements, I wrote only 1-2 sentences targeted to the school. A prof at a top 10 school actually mentioned this when we spoke, which was a bit embarrassing! I would have written more about the school if it weren't for the length cut off, but oh well. And, I was still accepted, so I'm not sure how much schools need to see you saying about their specific department. They seem to be able to get fit mostly from your research interests. Also, once I did take a look at the sample SOPs the DGS had shared with me, I found that most of those letters also have just one final paragraph about the specific department.
    4. I think my writing sample was a big factor. It's been mentioned by several profs I've spoken with since being admitted to various schools. This is where I spent a ton of time and where feedback from a professor was incredibly helpful. I didn't have one already laying around, so I pulled it together over the fall, starting with something very rough I had written the previous spring. One of my rejections limited the sample to 10 pages, so I submitted just an excerpt. It's impossible to say, but I feel that played a role in the rejection. I was sure to make a point of building my quantitative research abilities into the sample.
    5. I have a personal connection to three top 5 programs and one top 10. i.e., I went there, took classes/did a program there, or have a recommender from there. I was accepted to all of those, so I really do think it matters.
    6. If you're applying to UCs, apply for the extra scholarships the apps mention! They're not huge, but they make a difference. Also, more generally on funding, a lot of schools will add scholarships to the funding package, and you might be notified of the scholarship after receiving the initial funding info. So don't just cross anything off until you're sure you know everything from them.
    7. Trust yourself. I freaked out a lot during app season—over developing my materials obviously, but also over not having a background in the field since I studied something else in undergrad, and then worked in the private sector for several years. I probably should have just straightforwardly asked some of my professors in my current program about this, because it was a really silly reason to be anxious. If you're seriously considering PhD programs like these, you're probably pretty qualified.
  2. Upvote
    upsy got a reaction from eggsalad14 in Profiles, Results, Advice - 2019   
    PROFILE:
    Type of Undergrad Institution: Top 5 school, particularly known for STEM/engineering. It's top 10 in polisci.
    Major(s)/Minor(s): Unrelated social science field
    Undergrad GPA: 3.7 (alma mater is also known for grade deflation)
    Type of Grad: none, but in a 2-year polisci program at another school in the top 5 (both for undergrad and for poli sci)
    GRE: 170, 163, 5.5
    Any Special Courses: STEM requirements from going to an engineering school. No undergrad polisci courses at all (a few econ courses is as close as I come), though I've taken a bit of polisci in my current program.
    Letters of Recommendation: I went crazy with these and submitted 5 at all schools that would allow it. One top 5 only allows 3, and I was accepted there, so maybe it doesn't make a difference. But anyway, they were from an undergrad professor in my unrelated field for whom I did research, two polisci professors at my current program, my former manager at work who has an econ PhD from a top 15 program, and an econ professor who I worked with while in that job. I've heard the one from my undergrad prof is strong, though of course no one in polisci would know the name, and they no longer teach at my alma mater. The more senior of the two polisci profs I had a letter from is pretty well known and really supportive so I think the letter would have been strong. The more junior of the two told me that letter was very strong. The econ professor is well-known, but we didn't work super closely together, so the letter was probably medium. The letter from my manager was there to give some more context for the relationship with the econ professor, and was strong, but not from someone in academia.
    Research Experience: RA work in my undergrad field throughout college, including two summer internships abroad. RA work in polisci in my current program.
    Teaching Experience: Zero
    Subfield/Research Interests: CP
    Other:
    Pretty decent, if a bit rusty, speaking/listening/reading skills (but cruddy writing) in a major foreign language from working abroad in undergrad. 2 years of study in two other languages, one of which is rare. I brought all three up in my SOP. 3 years of unrelated work, including one year in a very junior role at a super well-known company; nearly two years at a small but still well-regarded firm where the work could be super-tangentially related to polisci. Over 1 year of RA work at a top poli sci department (this will be nearly 2yrs at enrollment). Since eggsalad mentioned it, I am a URM (and privileged, if that's not clear already). None of my diversity statements actually mentioned my own background at all, but were about an experience I had meeting people less advantaged than myself. (Also, @eggsalad14, 20 hrs of work a week in undergrad sounds huge to me! I think we were limited to 10hrs max at my alma mater, not that anyone tracked it if you worked off campus.)
    RESULTS: (Using current USNWR rankings, duplicates refer to ties)
    Acceptances($$ or no $$) -- all $$: #1, #1, #3, #4, #7, #9, #9, #12, #12, #12, #19. Funded at all.
    Waitlists: none
    Rejections: #4, #19
    Pending: none (whew!)
    Going to: Some ideas and I've already declined a few, but I'm waiting on visits. But I do have strong location preferences.
     
    LESSONS LEARNED:
    1. I applied to a massive number of schools because I'm still pretty fresh to polsci and had no idea how this process would go. I was encouraged by profs and others in my program to do around 10-12. I had a main list of 10 with 3 additionals that I was hesitating on but ended up applying to as well. If I had had any idea I would get into most, I would have pared the list wayyyy down. Having a lot of acceptances makes deciding where to go much harder! While I'm really, really happy to have each acceptance, saying no is tough, particularly once you've been in contact with profs. Many reach out right when you're accepted, they're all incredibly interesting, and if you could replicate yourself, you'd probably work with all of them. But you can't, so you need to be very diplomatic. To avoid this, see if you can talk to your advisor or others about a good number to apply to based on your file.
    2. TBH, I didn't spend that much time on the SOP. I know it's sacrilege to say so, but I knew what I wanted to say so it came together quite easily. Two profs (including a DGS) at a top 5 school looked at it and had no suggestions. Some friends and family also looked at it. I hadn't seen any SOPs before writing it and later got a few examples of successful SOPs from the DGS, but I had already submitted it to a few schools at that point. It's absurd, but I was too nervous to look at the examples to see if mine was way off until application season was over.
    3. Also on the SOP, I didn't personalize that much. I usually just wrote the final paragraph to be targeted to the school and changed nothing else. For some schools, because of length requirements, I wrote only 1-2 sentences targeted to the school. A prof at a top 10 school actually mentioned this when we spoke, which was a bit embarrassing! I would have written more about the school if it weren't for the length cut off, but oh well. And, I was still accepted, so I'm not sure how much schools need to see you saying about their specific department. They seem to be able to get fit mostly from your research interests. Also, once I did take a look at the sample SOPs the DGS had shared with me, I found that most of those letters also have just one final paragraph about the specific department.
    4. I think my writing sample was a big factor. It's been mentioned by several profs I've spoken with since being admitted to various schools. This is where I spent a ton of time and where feedback from a professor was incredibly helpful. I didn't have one already laying around, so I pulled it together over the fall, starting with something very rough I had written the previous spring. One of my rejections limited the sample to 10 pages, so I submitted just an excerpt. It's impossible to say, but I feel that played a role in the rejection. I was sure to make a point of building my quantitative research abilities into the sample.
    5. I have a personal connection to three top 5 programs and one top 10. i.e., I went there, took classes/did a program there, or have a recommender from there. I was accepted to all of those, so I really do think it matters.
    6. If you're applying to UCs, apply for the extra scholarships the apps mention! They're not huge, but they make a difference. Also, more generally on funding, a lot of schools will add scholarships to the funding package, and you might be notified of the scholarship after receiving the initial funding info. So don't just cross anything off until you're sure you know everything from them.
    7. Trust yourself. I freaked out a lot during app season—over developing my materials obviously, but also over not having a background in the field since I studied something else in undergrad, and then worked in the private sector for several years. I probably should have just straightforwardly asked some of my professors in my current program about this, because it was a really silly reason to be anxious. If you're seriously considering PhD programs like these, you're probably pretty qualified.
  3. Upvote
    upsy got a reaction from TheBunny in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    They sent out acceptance emails yesterday afternoon (generic email), so other info would hopefully be out soon.
  4. Like
    upsy reacted to trinityshot in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    Interesting that it wasn't a POI... person must have been very interested in your work. Congratulations and farewell from this godforsaken website, may our paths cross again in Valhalla. 
  5. Upvote
    upsy got a reaction from OmniscienceQuest in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    Just got a Harvard acceptance by phone. They mentioned that emails won't be out for another day or two.
  6. Downvote
    upsy reacted to Duns Eith in Declining Offers/Withdrawing Applications Thread   
    To echo what MtnDuck said: the effect cascades. By your decision impacts hundreds of people indirectly, and at least one person directly. Your decline opens up a spot which enables someone to decline their lesser offers. If most shifting happens in April, there just isn't enough time for adcoms to go down the waitlist. If there is on average 3 day per offer turnaround, the adcomms can't get through 10 people on their waitlist in 3 days -- when the declines really happen.
    Objections:
    But they are willing to fly me out! This is a great opportunity to visit schools and network with professors I am interested in.
    This is really an unfair tease. If you know you aren't taking their offer, then you're going on false pretenses, wasting their department's money, and making people wait for minimal gains. Is it really a good idea to use people to sight-see? It isn't like you're going to get a letter of recommendation. Just add them on PhilPeople for pete's sake. But if I decline that doesn't impact you. So what?
    For some people, if they were given an offer before the 15th, they would accept your school's offer. You are literally impacting someone's ability to get into a school or get into a better school. It doesn't have to be about impacting anyone you know. The sooner the impact, the sooner others can impact others down stream. I am under no obligation to make any decision before April 15. If I wait, that's my prerogative.
    True. Nothing is forcing you to make a decision, and definitely not to rush you. But if nothing will change your mind about the decision, then why take the time? If you are still unsure, that's one thing, but if you already have an obviously better offer, then this shows a character defect when you know this impacts other people's futures. Comparative harm account: you're harming people. You have a right to harm people, but that doesn't mean harming is right. Whatever my choice and whenever I decide to notify them, such course of action would be statistically normal. You cannot expect me to act otherwise.
    Okay, I won't argue that it is obligatory, but clearly you don't see supererogatory actions as worthy of aspiration. I hope you're not working in ethics. It seems like it could be in my interest to hold onto the offer. I can use it as leverage.
    Sure, if you think they are really comparable. But I'd argue it might even be in your interest to decline. The school might come back with a counter-offer that would not have been available if you didn't give them ample time to put together a more lucrative package.
  7. Like
    upsy got a reaction from IcedCovfefe in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    I just called Harvard, they said results will be out in the 2nd part of next week.
  8. Upvote
    upsy got a reaction from IcedCovfefe in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    I think we would be. They came out Feb 19th last year, on Feb 20th in 2017, and on Feb 15th in 2016. I think it's still likely they'll be out by the end of the week. The weather's not terrible and I'd be surprised if things weren't back to normal there by tomorrow.
  9. Upvote
    upsy got a reaction from ikebana in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    UPenn is closed for weather today, so I doubt anything will be out from it: https://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/alerts/weather-advisory-3/ 
  10. Upvote
    upsy reacted to Camillalxy in Similar situation   
    Hey I can totally relate! When I applied to undergrad I was rejected from my dream school while my two best friends were accepted and eventually went there (cuz they were also rejected by their dream schools). The worse thing was that we three always studied together between classes so I couldn’t help but hearing them discussing plans after accepting the offer. I knew they didn’t do this to hurt my feeling, but I started practicing piano during that time partly because I wanted to avoid their conversation ?. Now three years have passed and I still hope I could get in there with them, but our friendship didn’t die because of the distance or the fact they might be better than me for that college. More importantly, I have had a great life in my current institution and I’m glad they do in theirs! So it’s okay you feel weird at this moment, but don’t let some strangers’ decision ruin your friendship which might be way more important than you think!
  11. Upvote
    upsy got a reaction from OmniscienceQuest in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    I'd definitely not ignore emails. It's unprofessional. Obviously, it happens and most people probably wouldn't notice, but sending a short reply within roughly 24 hours is what's expected. The emails usually contain a congratulations and a message welcoming you to the department. You can reply with your thanks to their message, your positive feelings about being accepted, and your interest in learning more about the program through communications from the department in the coming weeks, even if you don't have specific questions at the moment.
  12. Downvote
    upsy got a reaction from JustCallMeDoc in The Silent Toxic Stress of Being a Minority in Academia   
    To be completely honest, though I'm a "woman of color," I can't empathize with the OP. I have no familiarity with being near-first gen (I'm black; the first person in my family to attend college was a daughter of slaves in the late 1800s; both my parents and all my siblings are college grads, several with postgraduate degrees; my mother attended an Ivy and both her parents, born in the 20's, were college grads; several other members of my family have or are currently pursuing PhDs). I've been one of the only if not the only minority in most situations of my life, so it hardly feels notable, and I've definitely never felt like I needed to represent all of the millions of people who are considered the same race as me. I want to say this not to dismiss what OP's written, but because I think it's important to note that people's experiences are not monolithic. 
    Nonetheless, as a person, I can certainly sympathize. OP, from your GRE scores and from the sincerity and eloquence of your post, it's clear that you're driven and much more than capable. I trust that someone like yourself will end up somewhere good. If this application cycle doesn't turn out well, that somewhere good may be outside of academia. But please, don't think you are worth any less because a few admissions committees, looking briefly over an incredibly short summary of your academic career, chose to go in a different direction. 
  13. Upvote
    upsy got a reaction from olieb0llen in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    I'd definitely not ignore emails. It's unprofessional. Obviously, it happens and most people probably wouldn't notice, but sending a short reply within roughly 24 hours is what's expected. The emails usually contain a congratulations and a message welcoming you to the department. You can reply with your thanks to their message, your positive feelings about being accepted, and your interest in learning more about the program through communications from the department in the coming weeks, even if you don't have specific questions at the moment.
  14. Upvote
    upsy got a reaction from Dwar in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    I'd definitely not ignore emails. It's unprofessional. Obviously, it happens and most people probably wouldn't notice, but sending a short reply within roughly 24 hours is what's expected. The emails usually contain a congratulations and a message welcoming you to the department. You can reply with your thanks to their message, your positive feelings about being accepted, and your interest in learning more about the program through communications from the department in the coming weeks, even if you don't have specific questions at the moment.
  15. Like
    upsy got a reaction from pscwpv in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    I'd definitely not ignore emails. It's unprofessional. Obviously, it happens and most people probably wouldn't notice, but sending a short reply within roughly 24 hours is what's expected. The emails usually contain a congratulations and a message welcoming you to the department. You can reply with your thanks to their message, your positive feelings about being accepted, and your interest in learning more about the program through communications from the department in the coming weeks, even if you don't have specific questions at the moment.
  16. Like
    upsy got a reaction from sandmoon in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    I'm not sure as to whether I'll be there, but I checked with a friend who's from the area originally, and he recommended Amtrak.
  17. Like
    upsy got a reaction from PBandMachiajelly in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    I was wrong to be pessimistic! Just got a call from Stanford! Over the moon!
  18. Upvote
    upsy reacted to Nickleby in Michigan vs. Ohio State   
    I'm pretty sure most people interpret it as C=Cal - for now - which I gathered just from noting answers to others' questions. That said, I don't know how long the acronym has been around (in the grad polisci setting), but there are plenty of years in the not-too-distant past when Columbia (more recent) and Chicago (less recent, but not so distant) each rivaled or outranked Cal in many if not all subfields. As for the undergrad meaning, it sure wouldn't make any sense if M=Michigan or C=Cal, but would certainly make sense if C=either Columbia or Chicago, and M=MIT.
  19. Downvote
    upsy reacted to Ternwild in The Silent Toxic Stress of Being a Minority in Academia   
    Being told this isn't because you're black or a woman.  Don't be so narcissistic.  Learning to fail and being able to stand back up and brush yourself off is life advice that EVERYONE needs to live by.  You need to learn how to fail and understand that failing doesn't make you a failure.  There's a difference.  How did you learn to walk?  You failed and literally got back up and brushed yourself off.  Only, now, you don't have your parents there to pick you up.  Now, when you fail, you need to pick yourself up.  Friends and family surrounding you, encouraging you, is important to making that possible, but you are still the one who needs to do it.  Sure, every time I have been rejected over the last three years, I could have curled into a ball, called myself a failure, and never tried again.  That option is entirely available to you and there are times I've certainly considered doing the same thing.  But the mind set of "I've succeeded at everything I've done up til now" has only diluded you into thinking you're some unstoppable force--none of use are.  Now that it looks like you've hit a small obstacle, you have only just realised that you aren't so "unstoppable" afterall.  That fact is, that's okay!  It's okay to fail. 
    We, as humans, will all be confronted with the limits of our own success, at some point in our life.  What makes a difference between the strong among us and those who aren't is whether we accept our failure, learn from it, and work hard to push ourselves beyond our limits.  Is the struggle harder for some than others?  Yes.  Do some have to work harder to get to places that come so easily for others?  Yep.  Do some people have a list of things trying to keep them from succeeding, that are entirely out of their control (societal, financial, etc.)?  Absolutely.  The question you, and everyone here, have to ask yourself is: Am I okay with taking the loss and moving on?  Or do I want to prove to myself I can push myself to recover from this and succeed through perserverance.  No matter what decision you choose, you're welcome to it.  But don't blame people who encourage you to be stronger just because you don't think you can or don't think they understand how hard it will be.  You may not take value in what I have to say because I don't know what it's like to grow up as a black woman in a society that severely marginalises against you.  That's fine.  But it doesn't make what I say any less valid as advice for dealing with failure.  Telling you it is okay to fail and try again, is not invalidating the struggle you go through to do that.  It's acknowledging that the journey will not be easy, but we have faith you have the strength to do it--even if you don't think you do. 
    If you take nothing away from this, at least take this with you:  The only difference between failing and being a failure, is your perception.
  20. Like
    upsy got a reaction from Psyhopeful in The Silent Toxic Stress of Being a Minority in Academia   
    To be completely honest, though I'm a "woman of color," I can't empathize with the OP. I have no familiarity with being near-first gen (I'm black; the first person in my family to attend college was a daughter of slaves in the late 1800s; both my parents and all my siblings are college grads, several with postgraduate degrees; my mother attended an Ivy and both her parents, born in the 20's, were college grads; several other members of my family have or are currently pursuing PhDs). I've been one of the only if not the only minority in most situations of my life, so it hardly feels notable, and I've definitely never felt like I needed to represent all of the millions of people who are considered the same race as me. I want to say this not to dismiss what OP's written, but because I think it's important to note that people's experiences are not monolithic. 
    Nonetheless, as a person, I can certainly sympathize. OP, from your GRE scores and from the sincerity and eloquence of your post, it's clear that you're driven and much more than capable. I trust that someone like yourself will end up somewhere good. If this application cycle doesn't turn out well, that somewhere good may be outside of academia. But please, don't think you are worth any less because a few admissions committees, looking briefly over an incredibly short summary of your academic career, chose to go in a different direction. 
  21. Like
    upsy got a reaction from Very Hungry Caterpillar in The Silent Toxic Stress of Being a Minority in Academia   
    To be completely honest, though I'm a "woman of color," I can't empathize with the OP. I have no familiarity with being near-first gen (I'm black; the first person in my family to attend college was a daughter of slaves in the late 1800s; both my parents and all my siblings are college grads, several with postgraduate degrees; my mother attended an Ivy and both her parents, born in the 20's, were college grads; several other members of my family have or are currently pursuing PhDs). I've been one of the only if not the only minority in most situations of my life, so it hardly feels notable, and I've definitely never felt like I needed to represent all of the millions of people who are considered the same race as me. I want to say this not to dismiss what OP's written, but because I think it's important to note that people's experiences are not monolithic. 
    Nonetheless, as a person, I can certainly sympathize. OP, from your GRE scores and from the sincerity and eloquence of your post, it's clear that you're driven and much more than capable. I trust that someone like yourself will end up somewhere good. If this application cycle doesn't turn out well, that somewhere good may be outside of academia. But please, don't think you are worth any less because a few admissions committees, looking briefly over an incredibly short summary of your academic career, chose to go in a different direction. 
  22. Upvote
    upsy reacted to Ternwild in Valentine's Day is coming!   
    Valentine's Day
    Nothing says "I love you" like universities telling you they want to see other people. 
  23. Upvote
    upsy got a reaction from IcedCovfefe in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    My thoughts are mostly in line with Taraeh's, though I might be somewhat less stringent. For an initial contact, from a prospective grad student to a professor, undoubtedly. use Prof. [Last name]. If you're reaching out to an administrator, then Mr./Ms. (though I would look up the person to see if they have a doctorate, many in academia do, and if so, use Dr.). But, I wouldn't go as far as Taraeh in saying that first name usage needs to be "earned." Oftentimes, the professor in question will sign his/her response with just a first name. That, in my experience and understanding of norms, is a signal to begin using the first name.
  24. Upvote
    upsy got a reaction from dvxyzijil in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    My thoughts are mostly in line with Taraeh's, though I might be somewhat less stringent. For an initial contact, from a prospective grad student to a professor, undoubtedly. use Prof. [Last name]. If you're reaching out to an administrator, then Mr./Ms. (though I would look up the person to see if they have a doctorate, many in academia do, and if so, use Dr.). But, I wouldn't go as far as Taraeh in saying that first name usage needs to be "earned." Oftentimes, the professor in question will sign his/her response with just a first name. That, in my experience and understanding of norms, is a signal to begin using the first name.
  25. Like
    upsy got a reaction from peggy.olson in 2018-2019 Application Thread   
    Just heard from UChicago with funding info.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use