Melchior

Thanks for the reply! That was actually what I was concerned about -- Maybe I should find an alternative way of saying it in the SOP's for the other schools.

I am working on my SOP for PhD programs in music history. I was reading an article written by a professor at a school I'll be applying to, and he uses this incredibly clever little phrase that fits perfectly into my SOP (sorry that I am being so vague!). Anyway, if I give him credit for the phrase in my SOP, is it ok to use it? I hope that my question isn't too vague to be answered! Thanks

Thanks so much! I will write if I have a question, but, for now, I think I am fine, as I have another friend in the program who has been answering my questions.

When I got my admission letter from Cambridge, I had just gotten back from a rehearsal and saw this excellent email waiting in my inbox from my soon-to-be supervisor!

How's everything going for everyone? I'm excited to start my grad program in a few months. What's everyone up to this summer?

I'm doing some pre-application visits in the coming weeks. I've made appointments to meet with a professor at a few of the schools I'm interested in who I share research interests with... Just wondering if anyone has any experience meeting with profs before applying and, if so, if you have any insight as to the kinds of questions to expect. I'll be sure to have a handful of questions ready for them, too.

Thanks! I am really excited

Hi guys, Just wondering who else is heading to the UK for graduate studies in the autumn. I'll be at Cambridge for musicology. Anyone else? -E

And you expect me to know this from an online forum, how? Everyone else in here is a student.

Just to clarify, an MA is not the same thing as an MPhil. They are two completely different degrees and should not be compared to each other. The all-mighty Wikipedia can tell us the differences: http://en.wikipedia....ster%27s_degree vs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPhil (I know that the DGS at Yale did an MPhil (and a DPhil) at Oxford, as did a new prof at Cornell (just the MSt, I think, and then a PhD in California), as did one of the music history profs at Columbia, and I'm sure there are a ton of others of whom I'm not aware). I don't know much about doing an MA program, but it seems to me that because a fair number of PhD students at my university come in with an MA from somewhere else, doing an MA isn't the worst thing in the world. You keep on contradicting yourself which is why I'm getting confused. On the one hand, you say that doing an MA will help your application for a PhD program. But on the "real," you say that profs just see it as finishing school and really isn't that great. There are also a lot of other reasons why someone might choose to enroll in an MA program (certainly in an MPhil program) than the two you gave. Personally, I chose to apply to only MPhil and MMus programs in the UK this year for the following reasons: a) there is a very specific project I wanted to do and there are a few people at a few universities in the UK who would be perfect advisers. I couldn't even do the project in the US. b ) I wanted to do more coursework because I wanted to learn more about my discipline. c) I wanted the experience of writing a dissertation before having to write a doctoral dissertation. d) I wanted to spend some time in the UK where my family lives. e) I wanted to have the opportunity to take advantage of the resources at one of the best universities in the world (Oxford or Cambridge). f) I wanted to be able to really take advantage of being in school somewhere near enough to Germany so that I can do research on my MPhil project there relatively easily. g) I wanted to have a bit of time (in a shorter academic program and just having time off to do other research) before going into a PhD program. So, there are a lot of reasons why someone might choose to do a one or two-year program instead of doing a PhD. You also keep on saying, "the institution where I work (one of the world's top 10)," which is not really a basis for passing judgement on how other people choose to pursue their education. All it means it that you go to a good school. I go to one of the world's top 10 universities, too, but all that means is that I know some things about my school, but I don't know that much -- I'm not on faculty or a dean or something.

I have had professors and grad student friends who have done an MPhil in the UK or an MA at a US school before doing a PhD. It is not unattractive on a CV. Please don't make blanket statements about other people's choices about how to pursue their education.

For what it's worth, to keep your sanity, I'd say just don't worry about it until you hear something official instead of speculating. I've been trying to tell myself that the past few days about a fellowship I'm waiting to hear about... I've applied for it a grand total of four times

There are a few people there in my field -- Massimo Ossi, Kristina Muxfeldt, and Daniel Melamed. It seems like a terrific department and is definitely high on my list.

Cool. Thanks so much. I am really interested in IU and I'll most likely apply next year mid-MPhil ...

Does anyone, by any chance at all, know about how many apps IU typically gets yearly for their musicology PhD?