MomoTodoroki
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Posts posted by MomoTodoroki
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3 hours ago, Larik001 said:
Hello,
Let me first start by saying there is still a chance that you could get into USC this year. However, if you don't, then the following is very important for you to read.
You are applying to a small number of a highly competitive programs. UPENN and USC. I would say UW-Madison has a mid-high comm program, but certainly not like the first two.
When you apply to graduate programs you need to have low expectations, regardless of the ranking of the university or how good the program is. I was given the chance twice to apply to UPENN, I even spoke to Marwan Kraidy who was the head fo the program (No longer at UPENN), I called him on his office phone. From what I heard and understood is that the program is really good but not very well-equipped for my research interests. Therefore, I scratched UPENN from my list two years ago. However, in 2020, I decided to see if the program maybe has altered their research trajectory, but they did not. I received an email from the new Head of Dept. stating that they have no qualified faculty member to support my research as their knowledge about my research is very limited, only Kraidy had the knowledge but he is no longer at UPENN, as stated earlier. So, the bottom line just because it is UPENN it does not mean it is a good fit for me.
Now, in your case, regardless of what your research interests is/are UPENN might be an option for you. However, UPENN is considered an Ivy league school like Duke, Cornell, etc. Therefore, my advice, when you apply next time, create a list of the programs that you know the likelihood of getting accepted is higher than those ivy league competitive schools. Make sure your list has reasonable expectations, it does not mean you apply to any random program, on the contrary, many good schools offer better educational system than the ivy league ones.
Again, there is no harm applying to ivy league schools, that is perfectly fine, but do not make them the sole focus of your admission. Focus on good schools that offer good funding and have proper research facilities and affiliation with different organizations that gives you the space to go outside the box.
Therefore, if you apply next time, aim for two ivy league schools and five top-notch good schools like Arizona State, Texas State, Boulder, Denver, etc.
https://www.natcom.org/nca-doctoral-program-guide
The link above is a website called the National Communication Association (NCA), and they list all universities that offers the best PhD Communication programs in the United States.
I hope this helps you in the future if you did not hear from USC. Good luck!
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.
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18 minutes ago, KatGrad757 said:
I was recently accepted to NCSU CRDM's PhD program. I am waitlisted for funding though. The letter stated, " The CRDM program had a record number of admissions this year, and you are one of a small group of top applicants who were waitlisted." I think most programs received more applications than normal, especially since most schools waived the GRE, amongst other pandemic-related personal reasons. Best of Luck!
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?
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3 hours ago, Larik001 said:
I am trying to hold myself from not sending an email to the director of the program regarding my application status. Shall I send him an email asking about the rolling, early action and early decision process and when will I hear back from them regarding my application?
If you agree or disagree, please tell me why
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.
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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.
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7 hours ago, jen18 said:
I was really excited about the program at University of Maryland, but I haven't heard anything. Someone posted on the results page that they were invited for an interview in mid-January, so I'm assuming that I have not been short listed. Would you recommend reaching out to the program director or the department? Would like to hear from you all! Sending positive vibes to everyone!!
(Still waiting to hear from UPenn and Columbia!)
No, I don’t recommend reaching out. I would imagine that they’re receiving a ton of inquiries right now. It’s still early.
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20 minutes ago, Laurag96 said:
Back again! I have an interview with Oregon on Tuesday (as well as Penn State). Talk about a stressful day, but I'm super excited and hopeful!
Tuesday is a big day for you!! Good luck. Love the optimism.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. ??- chidi321, veraciraptor, Kim2016 and 1 other
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Congratulations, Brian!
I don’t expect to hear back from programs until February.
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4 minutes ago, Kim2016 said:
Yes she was very helpful! Curious where your #1 choice is?
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.
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41 minutes ago, Kim2016 said:
Hi MoMoTodoroki,
I've spoken to Jospeh Turow and Jessa Lingel.
How about you?
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.
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On 12/3/2020 at 1:39 AM, Kim2016 said:
Glad to see this thread open for Fall 2021!
I have a similar research interest as Momo - implications of growing influence of AI and IT giants in entertainment and media and impact of Asian American diaspora.
I applied to the following programs :
- UPenn ASC
- Northwestern Screen Cultures
- UT Austin RTF
- UC Berkeley Film and Media
- UIUC ICR
- NYU Tisch Cinema Studies
I have a BA in Communication Arts - Radio, TV & FIlm, MFA in Documentaries and 10 years of professional work experience post undergrad.
Ah, we do have similar interests! Which POI at UPenn did you look into if you don’t mind my asking?
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On 11/20/2020 at 5:13 PM, MomoTodoroki said:
Also a newbie here. I’ve been on Reddit but it seems to be primarily hard sciences and masters programs over there.
Looking to research ethics in artificial intelligence & digital media and its impact on marginalized communities.
I have had a difficult time finding schools that meet my criteria of substantive focus areas, PIs, cities I’d enjoy living in AND fully funded. As such, my list has been narrowed down to the following:
•UPenn
•Penn State
•UNC
ETA: Communication & Visual Rhetoric (BA); Education, Secondary (MSEd). 5 years of professional work experience post undergrad.
I ended up applying to NC State instead of Penn State based on my interactions with faculty.
Is UNC the only program on my list that conducts interviews? I haven’t seen anything about UPenn doing so.
NC State’s CRDM program has an informational zoom session next week that I got the email for today. The application deadline is next Friday, the 15. It seems odd to do a session like this so late. I wonder if they had fewer applications. Up until recently, the program website required the GRE then suddenly, it was updated saying it wasn’t required this cycle (some pages still aren’t updated to reflect the shift). I wonder if that deterred people from applying.
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Also a newbie here. I’ve been on Reddit but it seems to be primarily hard sciences and masters programs over there.
Looking to research ethics in artificial intelligence & digital media and its impact on marginalized communities.
I have had a difficult time finding schools that meet my criteria of substantive focus areas, PIs, cities I’d enjoy living in AND fully funded. As such, my list has been narrowed down to the following:
•UPenn
•Penn State
•UNC
ETA: Communication & Visual Rhetoric (BA); Education, Secondary (MSEd). 5 years of professional work experience post undergrad.
2021 Application Thread for Communications Program
in Communication and Public Relation Forum
Posted
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!