ChooseHappily

updating again. New lesson learned: 4. Questions to ask current PhD students when vetting programs: What is your typical day like? Where do you go for help with (funding, advice, editing/reading)? Is your advisor hands on or hands off? What professors should I talk to who might be important contacts for my subject? Is the research applied? How do you find leads for research collaborations? Do you like living/working there? What do you do for fun/relaxation? What if I wanted to study 'X', do you think I would be able to do that? 5. Don't apply to programs that aren't good fits - meaning that don't have faculty that make sense for you. It's a waste of money and anxiety.

updated above

Waitlisted at Princeton. Please, someone, send in your decline! Waiting for my fate is hard... Rejected from Brown and MIT - expected. Also expecting a rejection from NYU since I haven't heard anything. Sad that so few universities love me, but as a wise woman told me - you only need to get into one school.

Not yet. I think last year they sent decisions in early March.

Sure, I can update this as I hear back. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad Institution: Big Ten Major(s)/Minor(s): BA Political science, BS Molecular Biology Undergrad GPA: 3.63 Type of Grad: ivy league, public health masters Grad GPA: 3.9 GRE: V162/Q163/AWA5 Any Special Courses: n/a Letters of Recommendation: job supervisor, research supervisor, joint letter from two professors Research Experience: applied research, no publications Teaching Experience: n/a Subfield/Research Interests: climate migration Other: RESULTS: Acceptances($$ or no $$): Waitlists: Rejections: Brown Pending: Princeton (interviewed), NYU, Harvard, MIT, Tufts, The New School Going to: LESSONS LEARNED: 1. Find a way to make learning about researchers interesting, then follow those threads - for me, podcasts... but I started listening only after my applications were in 2. Connect with current PhD students at schools you're interested in to learn if the environment is right for you - email them and ask for a conversation 3. Don't underestimate yourself, try even if you think it's a long shot

Thanks for the reassurance! this is exactly what I did, and I don't think I'm at all unsure in my statements. Good to hear. thanks

I'm glad I could offer some sort of support - what she did is wrong. Your question about whether to submit the statement with your remaining applications is a good one, but unfortunately, I don't have a good answer. In the US, I know some programs are very small and the program coordinators who receive admissions emails are pretty involved - they know the faculty and the students. That said, I recommend getting some advice from any faculty mentors you can. I made friends with someone at a cafe recently who ended up offering me great advice - he isn't even in my field and is a retired professor. Ask someone with insight to admissions processes. I think reporting her only after you receive responses from programs is a good idea. I agree that her behavior is an abuse of power, and should not be tolerated. You're doing the right thing, I'm just not sure the best way to handle it - if she's tenured, the best they can do it probably keep your complaint on file to build a case, and maybe that's enough to stop further abuses.

wow. Sorry to hear about your situation. I'm glad that you were able to find another professor quickly. I don't know who you could reach out to, but I would be cautious about reporting her because there may very well be a misunderstanding here, and reporting her may add more negativity to the situation that would do no good in the long run (since no one else knows what really transpired, except for you and her... and reporting her may hurt you more - due to word getting around - than not reporting her hurts other students). This professor has submitted letters in previous years (even if she didn't write them), meaning that: A. she has not acted this way before and actually has been helping you, repeatedly, and B. she is probably helping other students out by doing the same. If she felt that you were rude, that's her perspective, and while she definitely shouldn't have tried to sabotage you (seriously, that's really awful...), she is entitled to her opinion - it honestly sounds like a cultural or generational clash to me without knowing more/enough. Since this just happened to you, it's fresh and you might be pretty shaken up. Do you best to relax, take a break from applications maybe, and let it roll off your shoulders. Clearly you have other professors willing to help you, and I think admissions will take that into account. Also, admissions is going to see that she isn't being professional... which reflects on her, not on you. However, if you can include a very brief and concise statement in the upcoming applications that can help to explain what happened with her recommendation, I recommend that - something like "I am disappointed that Dr. Soandso was unable to write a letter of recommendation. She has been so supportive in the past, and had agreed to submit letters of recommendation for my applications this year. I was surprised and upset by her email to the admissions office, but am grateful to Dr. Otherperson for agreeing to step in as a recommender at the last minute." This helps you to take the high road a bit. For the applications that have already been submitted, just move ahead... reach out to professions as appropriate, continue to be highly professional, and don't mention the letter. interested to see what other people have to say.

Still working on application over here. Good luck everybody! Question... has anyone else found themselves applying to programs in different fields? My topic area sort of falls between sociology, policy, and political science, so I have been straddling. Most programs are political science/policy, and one is sociology with a policy focus. This is my first time applying to PhD programs, so I'm hoping I'm doing it right. ?‍♀️

Hi Throwaway_backpak, Thanks for weighing in. I'm crossing my fingers now because I ended up asking them to cosign the same letter and they agreed - I worked on similar and related projects with them, so lack of diversity in my letters was another reason to for concern. I reached out to a professor who taught a policy class and I'm hoping she agrees to write a strong but standard (if necessary) letter about my policy work in her class, which would provide a third perspective on me specifically related to policy (my concentration). But you're right - I think it's not a concern if the work we did was very different. Both professors have excellent records of academic accomplishment and are respected in their fields. I hope that having them cosign will be a benefit.

So given my challenges with getting a recommendation letter from a professor I worked with who is on leave, I am in a fortunate fallback situation with my letters of rec. I have a professor willing to write me a letter who I took a class with and who has also gotten to know me outside of school through my volunteer work. She is no doubt a top notch recommender for my applications - she has written a ton of books, has a great track record of journal articles and work in the field and I am definitely going to build on her work as part of the PhD work for the programs I'm applying to. The (potential) problem? She used to be married to one of my other recommenders and they share the same last name. They worked at the same institution for a long time, and both are amazing to have recommendations from... But I have gotten advice from another professor not to have both of them on my application because it might look like I'm a "friend of the family." I'm seeking advice - has anyone been in a similar situation? Thank you!