kebechet

Hi, I'm another international applicant! PROFILE:Type of Undergrad Institution: Internationally accredited private universityMajor(s)/Minor(s): Sociology Major / Community Dev. & Organizing MinorUndergrad GPA: Overall 3.66, major about 3.8Type of Grad: N/AGrad GPA: N/AGRE: I took the test but chose not to use it for applications; my scores for Quant were lower than I'd aimed for.Any Special Courses: I did work in non-formal education spaces as both a participant and facilitator, which really moves how I think of academia and pedagogy. I'm not sure how much of that impacted decisions, but I did discuss that background in my SOP. Letters of Recommendation: Three from undergraduate professors, and one from a professor from a European university who I'd worked with after graduating.Teaching/Research Experience: I spent over two years as a TA with one of the professors who'd written my reference letter, and have been doing research work since graduating in 2019. I also have 3+ years of experience facilitating workshops and lectures as part of my non-academic work experience.Other: There's definitely a lot of bias when it comes to who writes your LORs as international students, especially from the Global South; you'll find that some of your professors aren't "known" to admissions committees, and yet these are the people who know you and your work best. One of the professors who wrote my LOR is American, and another is European, so that was probably helpful. At the same time, I wouldn't recommend specifically reaching out to professors who are American / European for that purpose. I'd just say to reach out to people who know their fields well, and are familiar enough with your work and character that they can provide an honest reference.RESULTS:Acceptances: Northwestern UniversityRejections: University of Minnesota, University of Michigan, Northeastern University, Boston UniversityPending: I was waitlisted for funding at Rutgers, but I asked to be removed from the waitlist before they sent me a final decision.Attending: Northwestern UniversityLESSONS LEARNED: Applications are expensive and rejections are disheartening. It really helps to reach out to people going through similar experiences and try to ask as many questions as you can. I also really want to encourage new applicants to distance their characters and personal values from the decisions they'll receive, and to do their best to take everything in stride. When I started applying I told myself that if I wasn't accepted to any programs I wouldn't try again next year, that it was now or never. And then when I DID actually start receiving rejections, I'd reached a point (after talking to other prospective grad students and PhD candidates) where I felt like it was more of an experiment really and just something to learn from. There's possibly more to learn from yourself and your own response to rejection and "failure" than there is from whatever feedback you might get on your application, or at least that's how I feel. I knew absolutely nothing about how to apply and what was expected from me when I was starting out. It really helps to reach out to current grad students at your programs of choice and to ask them questions about the program, the process they went through, what to expect, and any advice or insight they had with regards to applying. This is honestly what helped me the most, knowing that I came out of this whole ordeal with a sense of community in a strange place. Another important question I asked was about what they wished they knew before enrolling in their program. I also reached out to professors I found interesting, and asked them whether they thought the department would be interested in the type of research I wanted to do. Sometimes that started longer exchanges, and sometimes I received very basic responses, but some people are quite generous with their time and it was lovely just getting the chance to talk to scholars and see their perspective on the department and field of work. For my SOP, I focused on one specific research interest and sort of constructed the statement around that. I spent a LOT of time writing and rewriting my statement, and asked for feedback from so many people which really helped me get out of my head and organize it better. I'd love to help anyone with writing their statement and I could share the basic flow / organization if anyone needs some sort of reference on how to get the elements together. But basically, I connected one primary research interest with my work experience, personal background, and ideas for projects I wanted to dive into. I honestly didn't expect any acceptances, and Northwestern was the absolute last place I thought would offer me admission. But I'm very happy with how things turned out. So I'd say to cast your net wide, even if the number of applications you can send is limited, and think also of where you'd like to live, and what things you'd like to do outside of research and coursework. Really think of it as a life for the next five or so years. I also recommend not applying to "safe" schools, or any school you'd be even slightly disappointed if it was the only program to offer you admission, but everyone's got a different philosophy on that 🙂 Good luck to everyone applying this year! Really wish you all the best, regardless of what happens. I'm also very happy to respond to anyone who has questions or just wants to bounce off some ideas, especially if you're an international applicant. I don't think I'm exactly knowledgeable about the process, but I can do my best to offer some kind of perspective.

Ah, I see. Thanks! And congratulations, hopefully it works out in your favor!

Hi @Donna Matthews— acceptances to BU have been sent out already?

CONGRATULATIONS!!! You sound ecstatic, I hope it's an amazing journey for you! Good job!

I received a waitlist letter from Rutgers some hours ago! I hope everyone who's been waiting to hear back from them does soon.

Hello everyone! I also just completed my Rutgers interview. As @saffasrassmentioned, it was quite an informal and laid-back interview (though I was quite nervous...) and we discussed the research and ideas I had mentioned in my statement, why I was interested in Rutgers in particular, whether I had any ideas for the topic of my dissertation (God willing...), and what my plans might be post-PhD. I had time to ask one question, and was told I'd be hearing back within the next few weeks. Hopefully it went well, I personally enjoyed the clarity of talking to someone about it in real terms. Good luck to everyone about to interview!