onomatopoeia_

Hi @venusofwillendork, thanks for the great advice!! Sometimes I am worried about over chasing after big names rather than finding a good fit. Like should I change my research interest a little bit to be more relevant to that of the professors in the ivies, or to find a program that would be interested in and support my original plan..I do have a friend who was admitted to a prestigious Ph.D program but ended up hating it after a year and had to transfer to the school where I receive my M.A. He is on tenure track now and is very pleased with his life. Thanks again! It's been super helpful. I gained a lot strength in these discussions and am feeling more confident about the application process.

Hi @venusofwillendork, thanks for the insight! I have actually emailed my advisor a paper I wrote as the writing sample for my application. Her response was it looked like a catalog essay rather than research paper...I think she is right..I have been writing nothing but press releases and catalog essays in the past few years..these are not meant to be about critical thinking or engaging with discussions in the field...I have been trying to revise my draft based on her comments, which are very helpful, but my progress is slow. I feel I need a lot more time to improve the paper to make it a descent writing sample..I will keep working on it till the last minute... I am trying to put together a personal statement with my research plans and am also feeling unconfident..but at least this is a start..I will seek my advisor and other professors' guidance when I work out more details... I do have a few target programs that are not ivies, but it looks like they are also very competitive. My concern is if the competition is so intense at this stage, what is it going to look like when I graduate from a program that is not from tier-1?

Hi feralgrad, Thanks for the question! Ideally, I hope to stay in academic or work in the curatorial department in a museum, but am open to any research-oriented positions. I have been working in the commercial side of the industry..while it has been exciting, I come to realize my options to advance my career is either pursue management/administrative or sales positions on higher level. Both are great, but I would really like to work on projects that entail more intellectual challenges..as much as I understand that my research capacity is mediocre or even very weak at the moment, I would really like to improve it. although I have been doing okay in my current position, I don't feel the same passion or desire about polishing my administrative or sales skills...wish there were other paths available...But I think you are right about having a plan b, if I don't get accepted anywhere I guess I will just try to do independent research on the side to gain more experience before reapply...

Thanks Bronte1985! I can't agree more. To avoid unnecessary emotional breakdown, I should maintain my internal balance and not let other people to determine my self worth...it is hard, even though I understand it in theory..

Thank you so much for the encouragement! Yes, even though this could be a long shot, it's better than not applying at all. My advisor did suggest a couple schools that I am not very interested in, maybe I should include them any way..... Yes. She actually are friends of some of the faculty members from the programs on my list, although they work in different areas..I guess she meant the quality of the research that is expected in such programs in general..? Good luck with your application too! I hope you get into your top choices! Hi Sigaba, Thank you! I think you are absolutely right, I agree that she wants to keep my expectations realistic rather than just say something diplomatic but meaningless... And thanks for helping me to deal with the "no"..I kept telling myself that I should not be discouraged by my advisor's response and just move forward with the application, but deep inside I know that the "no" from her triggered much insecurity and self-doubt..such as I am not good enough that I can never get her approval, then how could I ever get into any top programs...yes, I should endeavor to improve my research and writing skills to change her mind rather than indulging in negative thoughts... Dear Bronte1985, thanks so much for your insight! I found every word true and helpful.. I might have overestimated my aptitude and keep aiming for something higher than I can reach at the moment...I appreciate that you mentioned "tremendous amount of hard work". It is so true. I never feel I have done anything remotely close to what I should have done, and this could be the reason for my lack of emotional fortitude...so work harder is always the answer... I have been thinking about other options for a long time and always come back to the idea of getting a Ph.D..in the last six years since I graduated from the M.A. program I have made almost of all my major decisions based on the prospect of "maybe I will attend a Ph.D program next year" and everything I do feels like an overstretched prelude. I really don't want to just give it up for the first "no"...thank you for letting me know that this is just a beginning of many many rejections along the way. This vision of what lies ahead down the road, although brutal, is surprisingly comforting. Now I feel much less concerned about what my advisor said in the email...thanks again for the input. I really really appreciate it.

I feel tremendously discouraged.... I have graduated for almost six years now and have always been thinking about applying to Ph.D programs after gaining some experiences in the industry. My GPA was around 3.7 in my M.A. program and I have maintained great relationship with my former advisor..we have been emailing each other throughout these years and even met a couple times. However, when I emailed her about my intention to apply to Ph.D programs this fall, she was shocked and suggested that this may not be a good idea. She asked me about the programs that I am interested in applying to, so I sent her a list with all the professors I am interested in working with at each institution and why I found their works relevant to my research. She only replied with a comment about these are mostly the top tier schools and they will not consider applicants that are not graduated from the same prestigious programs, while my school is only ranked 40-50, so there is very little hope for me to get in. Although I know I should have faith in myself and stick to the plan, I have to admit that I feel devastated and hurt..I was hoping she would offer me some advice about how to get in instead of letting me know upfront that I should give up...any advice? please please please help....thanks so much!