morningdew

I am in the same situation! I hate the verbal section so much! I took 3 GREs over 3 years and got same scores... All I want to do is go over 300!! I am so tempted to sign up for Kaplan's class, but I really don't want to spend 1299 dollars. I really liked the Barron's 800 words book, but I would say about 5% of words showed up on the exam. Also, Magoosh's site is very helpful too, and I would probably continue using it. One more month untill another attempt at GRE... Good luck everyone!

At least most of you guys have one acceptance.... I'm waiting for one more and that's my top school choice. I don't know what I will do if I don't get this one. Doesn't it suck when you feel so surely that this is your path but after each rejection, you doubt your ability and future to the max? Also, whenever I have that "1" in my gmail, I'm like "Oh my god, this is it". And it happens to be a junk mail. I'm dying inside little by little each day... Ugh... Let all of us hear some good news this week!!!!

the news

I only heard from 1 school out of 3... So I'm going to join you guys and say, I will get accepted. I will get accepted. I will get accepted this week!!!!!!

Haha... I feel the same. I got my first rejection this week. I have to say, it did make me lose all my confidence that I had before. Knowing that single document attached in the e-mail will decide my future is just nerve racking... I'm dying inside little by little each day! I'm still waiting to hear from 2 other institutions, and I can't stop looking at gradcafe forum!! Good luck everyone!

Thank you @Armadilla and @BruceWayne24, For a moment, I felt like I was alone going against msafiri's comments...

I was just trying to share my experience when you asked me, "Think about it this way: As your instructor, how am I supposed to know that you went to the writing center and got assistance? Should I just intuit it somehow from holding the pages in my hands?" By sharing my experience with one particular professor, I wanted you to understand that there are some students who proactively do try to communicate with professors that they have gained extra help. You said, "As your instructor, I don't know whether you spent 2 hours or 2 weeks writing a paper and, quite frankly, I don't care because I'm going to grade what you give me…I don't care "how hard you work" because you can work really, really hard and still be a mediocre student." I think this is where we differ. Yes, it’s true that I will truly never know if a student spent a week or 2 hours on paper. However, if they show me evidences that they have tried really hard (ex. frequently visiting to the writing center or coming to office hours or asking many good questions in class), I will praise his/her efforts to achieve success. For me, the student’s process and progress to give me that final product are still valuable. If we don’t care about "how hard students work”, it’s like saying that ACT/SAT/GRE scores are the only thing that the admission committee should look at to judge every student in the world. This can mean that we shouldn’t care about how many hours you have spent on studying or what your future educational goals are or what backgrounds you came from. We will only judge you based on that specific score. To me, that’s unfair. Look, I’m not trying to pick a fight with you. I apologize if I offended you. I’m sure you are dedicated instructor and your institution has a better writing center. Also, I understand that native speakers have to work hard for their papers as well. But can you imagine more struggles that non-native speakers have to face? I was once a chemistry student and I could have just calculated endless chemical equations and structures. However, I’m really passionate about my field that requires a lot of writing, and I’m going to continuously work harder to achieve my goal. However, at the end of the day, the admission committee will only see the letter grade that represents my work in the class. Thus, I want that grade to be fairly graded considering all my efforts.

I understand your point, and as a student who wants to become a professor in the future, I am struggling with this issue as well. The point I wanted to make was that most people in this thread are suggesting to tell students to get extra help. However, I'm saying that those extra resources might not be helpful at all. Also, I'm just particularly frustrated because I had a really hard time with one of my professors about this issue. I provided evidence that I went to the writing center several times, and I have attached all the comments that my tutor gave me. Yet, the professor never gave me even one point and still criticized me to the point where I lost all my confidence in my writing skill. I wish that professor acknowledged that I did get help and provided me another solution to improve my work. Thus, in the process of grading a student, educators should think about the difference between discouraging a student vs. challenging a student. I'm not saying that students shouldn't be penalized for their grammatical mistakes. They should be if those mistakes are obvious. I also know that there are many students who do not work hard, and they do not deserve that A. However, there are some fuzzy grammar rules that even my English PhD student tutor had a hard time explaining to me. Thus, a non-native student can't perfect grammar just by memorizing them. I do not believe that just because you can perfect the use of articles in other languages, that it can be done the same way with English. I also know two other languages besides English, and to me, I had to learn them differently. Every student has different way of learning languages, and I don't think you can generalize that , "Since this student took so and so grammar classes, he/she must be good at grammar."

Hey guys! I just got a decision mail from UIUC, and I'm afraid to open it. For those who got acceptance letters over e-mail, did you get multiple attachments? I only got single Microsoft Word attachment so I'm really afraid to open it... ARGH

This is really interesting topic to debate about. I have to agree with most people about treating non-native speakers the same way and tell me to get extra help. However, I have to say that sometimes, those extra resources do not help at all. As you can tell, English is my second language, and I consistently go to the Writing Center to get my papers proofread. But some of my professors still give me lower grade because of my writing skill. When I ask them what I can do to improve my grade, they tell me to "go to the Writing Center". But I DID! Thus, I think TAs and professors should give some credits to non-native speakers if they have demonstrated that they have tried and went to get extra help. It's really unfair to see that while some native speakers can just write a paper a night before to get an A, I have to spend several days on a paper to get an A-. I just want TAs and professors to recognize that there are many non-native students who really try and work hard. Also, one of my tutors told me that grammar can be learned and "corrected", but there are some grammar rules that cannot be memorized like learning to use articles ("the" and "a/n"). Thus, sometimes, you just need the natural skill to use grammar. Therefore, if it’s not a huge grammar mistake, I wouldn’t penalize a student for it.

I have to agree with fanon_fanatic about using word of mouth to decide on schools. I asked my professor, who had similar communication research interests, to recommend me some schools that he thinks I should apply. That helped a lot. Although he thought too highly of me (because he doesn't know my scores and undergrad GPA), it actually pushed me to apply for good schools despite of my low self confidence! I also got an e-mail from one of my school that they haven't received my undergrad transcript... so I sent one again... I think all schools should convert their application system to online system. Oh, the pain of depending on USPS mail...

Agreed 200 percent. I received one e-mail today from my potential school saying that I should apply for my financial aid. So I was like "ohhh man, I got in?!" And then I looked at it closely to find that "This e-mail is separate from the admission committee". Sigh. Don't we get our results around April, I'm guessing? This thread has gotten big! Yay for Communication scholars!

Yea, this feeling of unknowing and leaving it to the faith is pretty rough. Applying process was horrible too because I was constantly revising my SOP until I just couldn't read or rewrite it anymore. You should get a short term job (maybe?)! I need to save some money before PhD school. Have you lived in Philly before? Do you like it? I currently live in Chicago so I assume it's pretty similar. Temple U is a good school right? People don't recognize the school when I tell them where I applied haha... Congratz on UNC-CH!

I'm joining this thread too! I applied to U of I, U of Wisconsin-Madison, and Temple U. I'm interested in social implications of the younger generation's usage in new media technologies. The waiting is hard! I think we get our result around April, right? I'm taking my last course for my Master's degree and working on a thesis project. Looking at you guys' school list makes me think about how I should've applied to one really really hard school just for the heck of it. I was too freaking out about my GRE score. Propz for you fanon_fanatic for applying 15 schools! That must've been a pain!

@ Jcantrone do you know any safety comm schools? You are right about GRE. My GRE is not that great because English is not my first language, but I'm hoping they will look at other areas of application. This application process is so stressful, I just want to think positive.

Hi fellow students! It's that application time of the year again. Any feedback would be helpful (how hard was it to get in, how are professors, did you like the school in general, etc...) My focus is on new media technologies and how they affect younger generations. The schools I'm applying are U of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Communications and Media program, University of Wisconsin-Madison: Media and Cultural Studies program, and Penn State University: Mass Communications program. My qualifications are average so I'm not aiming for high top schools. New GRE sucked because of my weakness in English so I'm taking it again. From my research, these schools seem to fit my area of interests though. Similar to everyone else, I'm super nervous about getting admitted and funding. Good luck to all!

This thread is really useful! Thanks everyone. I have a quick question though. It seems like there is a conflicting advice about whether to start out with interesting narrative or just start with your name. I agree with someone who said " the interesting narrative is needed so committee doesn't get bored", but I also agree that the personal childhood story can be cliche. I'm trying to write SOP for Ph.D. in Media studies and I don't know how to start. Do I just start with "my name is gracie and I'm MA student at..." or something more catchy? Thanks!

I took it as a practice for my first time (old version) because I learn by physically doing things, so I needed to experience how GRE actually worked. I think it was beneficial for me since I know how it works now (computer, test problems, etc). On the bad side, I didn't cancel my score so I have really crappy score in my record and that I spent money. I'm taking again this September to take advantage of that 50% as well, but I know that I will be more prepared than before.

I guess I can give you an advice because I was in the same situation like yours. Depression? Yes. Therapy? Yes. Low undergrad GPA? Yes (2.8, major was 3.2). Interested in media communication? Yes. Working on Master's right now? Yes. I got a low undergrad GPA because I was chemistry major trying to become a doctor and then I switched over to communication because that's where my passion was at. After graduating, I wanted to take a year off before going back to school. So I tried to look for job, but believe me, getting a decent job at this time was impossible. I didn't want to work at retails so I decided to apply for Master's right away. The thing is... Yes, you are not going to get into a decent school right away. But if you end up getting into okay school, and do an amazing job, you can get into way better PhD school. That's what I am doing right now. The school I am attending right now is not a bad school but is not high ranking school either, but I am so fortunate to have second chance to improve my academics to get into a dream PhD school. Every case is different but I do believe that some schools look beyond your GPA. I worked really hard on my SOP, writing sample, and picked professors that I liked for letters of recommendations. I got in the program with admission condition (that I have to get B or higher on first 3 classes), but that was no problem. So I say, apply to many safe schools and like maybe one dream school that you really want but don't expect anything. I think your GRE is good. Just really work on strengthen other areas of your application. You still have a chance! p.s. Don't bother putting your depression as an excuse on applications because schools don't care. They care about what you can contribute to the school.

I am attending DePaul University right now for Master's program in Media and Cinema studies. I love the school. The program is designed to prepare you for PhD. If you are interested and have specific questions, you can message me. I would say that if I were to do all over again, I would apply MA school that also offers PhD so you can transition to PhD right after MA. Good luck.

I am in that situation right now! Fuzzy, what do you think? I am half way through my Master's program, and I intend to finish it. I enrolled in winter quarter (Jan) and I should finish by winter quarter (next Jan). I know I want to get phD right after, but it seems like many phD program's deadlines are December and January for fall 2012. I would probably have finished majority of the classes by then but not my thesis (which is required to graduate). Can I still apply? If I miss this year's deadline so I can completely finish my Master's degree, I have to wait a year to enroll for fall 2013. help! Thanks

Hello fellow grad students, I hope you guys can help me. I'm half way through my Master's, and I feel like I should start looking for PhD schools. My major is media communication and my specific interest is Internet/fandom culture (Jenkins). I want to become a professor. I'm not looking for best ranking communication schools because I know I can't get in, so I'm trying to find other ways to find my school. I'm looking through phD.org and this website (but it seems like everyone is so much smarter and has better qualifications than me!). Any websites or school recommendations will be greatly appreciated. My current grad GPA is 3.8. I'm writing a thesis to graduate. My undergraduate GPA is.... (it was my dark years, I was also pre-med before) 2.8. I will take GRE soon. Also, can I apply to schools before I complete my Master's? It seems like many schools' deadline for application is December or January for Fall. I think I will finish all my classes and thesis like in Spring. Thanks and good luck to you all!

vitamin water

dorm room

Well, if the admission requires writing sample, you should submit it anyways because if you don't, then you have failed to give them what they need in order to evaluate you. If they don't require writing sample, then don't send it. If I were in your situation, I'm assuming your deadline is approaching and you have limited time. So if I were you, I would ask that instructor or get some tutors to help you edit the paper that you have now so it has some theoretical perspective. I would get as much as editing possible, and send it.