Jump to content

MomoTodoroki

Members
  • Posts

    17
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Profile Information

  • Location
    USA
  • Application Season
    Already Attending
  • Program
    PhD Communication

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

MomoTodoroki's Achievements

Decaf

Decaf (2/10)

9

Reputation

  1. Hi all. It has been awhile since I posted but I wanted to do my part and leave an update for future candidates. In a twist of fate, I ended up at NCSU, but not in the CRDM department. When applying for programs, my research interests lied within artificial intelligence in digital media and the representation of women in media. I was sort of torn between the two, though leaning towards the latter. The PI in the CRDM department knew their funding on an AI project was running out and recommended I look into an engineering and technology program at NCSU. I did just that. I ended up submitting my application (after attending an open house & having a chat with a faculty member to ensure it could be a good fit for my research) and I’m happy to say that I just wrapped up my first semester! Some quick facts: -Fully funded -Research/Graduate Assistantship -My research is on the representation of women in STEM in media forms such as anime, manga, comic books & video games (I LOVE IT). -I still work FT. I say that to say that my schedule is so flexible. I’ve been easily managing school & work thus far. For those of you lurking, I hope that this post encourages you to be creative and open minded with the types of programs that you apply to. Your research interests in Comms may have a home in another department and that’s okay! Good luck to all of you 2022 Candidates + BEYOND!
  2. This is such solid advice. My area of interest is so small, I only applied to three schools, and even then, it hardly fit. I kind of had to make fetch happen. Forcing big squares into tiny circles isn’t great, lol. Anyways, NCSU CRDM ended up being my top choice because of the interdisciplinary approach. I have a POI who is really interested in my work (though you don’t technically need a POI for this program), however, the funding for her project currently aligned to my research runs out this summer. Funding is a huge detriment for me and this program for sure. Their packages don’t seem as lofty as some of the other programs I’ve looked into and I see the people who have been accepted thus far have been waitlisted for funding (I thought during the info session they claimed that everyone accepted would be fully funded— maybe the waitlist translates to “funding packages coming soon”?) I’m interested to see those who have been extended offers with funding— and as someone else mentioned, are they waiting to send those notifications out, did they go out with the waitlisted funding offers, before, etc.? I will state that my situation is a bit unique and requires more evaluation because I told them later on (post submittal) that I’d consider PT admittance because my job does do some tuition assistance. I’d prefer fully funded FT though and would only accept a PT offer with the option to be FT with funding in future years/semesters.
  3. Congratulations!! Do you mind sharing details about when you received your letter & what format (emailed decision, email to check portal, snail mail)? the letter stated that there was a record number of admissions, meaning they admitted more/plan to admit more than the normal 12-14, or was this meant to say applications/applicants?
  4. Someone already explained it well— it’s still early. But also, a few grad directors have posted on Reddit giving the advice NOT to reach out (which I agree with). They’re likely being bombarded with emails at this moment. There are hundreds of applicants who are also waiting. Reaching out could potentially give the impression that you think your application should be placed at a higher priority than everyone else’s and you need a response before they’re sent out to everyone. I don’t think anyone wants to be perceived in that way.
  5. Seems we’re all in the UPenn boat. It isn’t my top choice, but are you really a Comms PhD candidate if you didn’t apply to UPenn? ? I heard from the director of my top program today (he responded back to a totally unrelated email I sent about legos weeks ago). He mentioned that they’re trying to get decisions out the latter-half of the month. Last years’ results started rolling in on the first Thursday and Friday of the month (so essentially today and tomorrow). I had my hopes that I would know before next week. Oh well. I’ll continue playing the waiting game.
  6. No, I don’t recommend reaching out. I would imagine that they’re receiving a ton of inquiries right now. It’s still early.
  7. Seems to be a ton of action today! If you applied to UNC Hussman, check your portal. I received a rejection today. It was a bit shocking as this is the school that I had the most contact with faculty and students alike. For context, I did apply for the Park Fellowship and wouldn’t have accepted an offer without that award. I’m not sure if funding decisions and admissions decisions go hand in hand, but for the sake of archiving information for future applicants, I wanted to include that information. This deadline was on December 15 and I heard back on today, January 29. I received an email to check the portal. I had been in contact with a POI since early October (around the 12th I think). We had a lengthy zoom call where our interests aligned. After the call, she followed up with other faculty she thought I might be interested in speaking with (along with twitter accounts to follow). She also sent along information regarding upcoming research projects she thought I’d be a good fit for and some current projects she had been working on. From our call, I reached out to two additional faculty members. One answered questions via email. The other wanted to chat via zoom. She candidly shared her experiences as a WOC at the institution and opened up about DEI efforts that the school was making (these were important factors for me when applying to programs) Finally, I had been in touch with a current student and we had a lot of candid convos as well (we followed each other on IG). She agreed to read over my SOP but ultimately failed to leave feedback in time for my submission. She sent me an email letting me know she had a meeting with the department the following day and would mention my name and my strong interest in the program. Anyways, that all led to a flat out rejection, pre-interview, lol. My fingers are crossed that interviews/straight acceptances are given to those of you here who also applied to UNC. It’d be cool for my digital buddies to win! P.S. This rejection didn’t sting, as I expressed that my research interests have slightly shifted since I initially applied. I was worried that if I got accepted under the POI I built a relationship with, I’d be locked into that substantive focus area and wouldn’t be able to explore my other interest.
  8. I ask because my programs seem to vary in terms of how they handle first year students. One program doesn’t match us with a POI initially. They told us that they expect us to transform over time and find other topics we’re interested in based on courses that we take. Students there shared that they changed their research interests vastly throughout their matriculation. I guess my concern lies in the programs that are not (or rather, may not be) as fluid. I’d hate to be matched with a POI based on what’s in my SOP and end up leaning towards another topic that they are not familiar with. I’m sure this happens regularly and programs have systems in place to make that transition a seamless process.
  9. Anyone else have a variety of research interests but focused on one for the purpose of streamlining your thoughts in your SOP? Are you worried about how that will play out should you get accepted under a specific POI but end up leaning towards the other research topic through your matriculation? Both of my interests fall under digital media for sure, but kind of vary, lol.
  10. I’m in the middle of a convo over on Reddit re: sharing the names of POIs and I just wanted to express gratitude to our group here. Everyone has been so supportive, (seemingly) genuinely happy for others’ acceptances, collaborative and non-competitive. Even though some of us are applying to the same programs (and even spoke with the same POIs), I firmly believe everyone will end up exactly where they belong. ??
  11. Congratulations, Brian! I don’t expect to hear back from programs until February.
  12. UNC Hussman. I spoke to a variety of people from departmental faculty to current students to alum to other various faculty in the centers & such and it simply felt like home. Everyone was so nice & incredibly transparent. ETA: one of their substantive focal areas of study is in law/policy which intersects with my research interests.
  13. Same for Jessa Lingel! Out of the PIs I spoke to across multiple programs, she was definitely top three for me. UPenn isn’t my number one choice though.
  14. Ah, we do have similar interests! Which POI at UPenn did you look into if you don’t mind my asking?
×
×
  • 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