figtree

Hi Beezy! It depends on the school. In my experience, some schools require the interview process as a standard procedure, even if you have met and discussed research with multiple potential advisers. Other schools have different procedures. I recently heard that at University of Maryland, if you have spoken with potential advisors who informally agree to be a potential advisor, you likely won’t have a formal interview. I reached out to admissions of places I hadn’t heard from too, which was helpful.

Hi! I have heard that funding at some institutions will be impacted, which makes it difficult to attend for many people. I haven’t heard of any info studies programs that have done this, but I know a ton of humanities programs aren’t accepting applications for 2021 admissions this semester. Some programs are expecting a lot of applicants and less funding, but maybe that will change! Good luck on your Michigan app! Their program seems awesome, and they definitely have some of the best/most consistent funding in the US, and lots of student support! I heard in an info session that their PhD funding was not impacted by Covid. what other programs are you looking at?

Hi Har5hraj, Thanks for the reply and encouragement! And good luck to you on your master’s application. That’s very exciting! I’m nervous because I’ve heard at several information studies interest meetings that admissions teams were expecting more applications than usual this year, I think due to COVID and people being uncertain of their futures and able to transition to a PhD program perhaps without having to move. Apparently there has been a lot of interest, so I feel like the stakes could be higher, but you never know. best of luck to you!!

7 seems like a good number from what I hear! I applied to 4 - University of Michigan, University of Maryland, UNC-Chapel Hill, and the University of Texas. Your research sounds really interesting and important. Much luck to you!

That sounds so interesting---I definitely want to learn more about digital infrastructures in my future studies related to access. I also applied to Michigan....and I am not expecting to get in, but we'll see. Good luck to you!

Hi everyone! I applied to information studies PhD programs for the fall 2021 semester, and I wanted to start a topic for those of us in the information studies/library science fields or other related fields. I am hoping to study archives and digital access, but I also am interested in other topics in information studies and related interdisciplinary humanities fields, like digital humanities. I didn't apply to many programs this cycle, but I still have my fingers crossed! I just wanted to start this topic in case anyone wants to connect. I know for me it was especially challenging to apply while dealing with the pandemic alongside my master's degree work and my jobs. I'm nervous, too, because I have heard from faculty and administration at schools I am interested in that they are expecting a large amount of applicants, and have fewer spots available. The application process for me was stressful, but it was a benefit being able to connect with prospective advisors over zoom. Has anyone else here applied for information studies phd programs? How do you feel? What was your experience like?